Death company and Sanguanary gaurd.

[daishi]

Ok so as i have said im a new player to blood angels, and these two squads i have picked out, they look intresting but whats the best way to feild them and deploy them? what sort of gear should they be equiped with?

[Deschenus Maximus]

That will depend a lot on the rest of the army.

[daishi]

well atm im using what i have, and thats, 1 10 man tactical squad, 10 Assault marines, around 10-15 scouts, dev squad and one standard dread, i think i need more in the was of assault marines, but i was thinking thats the DC and SG are both fast moving, would more assault marines be overkill?

[Glendor]

Blood angels can alwaus use more assault marines. Unless you are a tactical kinda guy.

[Cpt.Machiavi]

Only time I run the Sang Guard is if I use Dante. Then I take them and run Dante with him. Dante has the Death mask already so you do not have to pay for it with the Sang Guard, and he gives the unit Hit and Run which is real nice. I give the Sang guard the Chapter Banner for the extra attack. If I do not put a Sang Priest in the unit as well I will make sure they are close to one when they assault or DoA.

 

As far as Death Company I run them at base cost 20pts a piece with bolters and have Fur Charge and Feel No Pain, they are a rockin unit. They have Relentless so they can move shoot and still assault giving them 3 attacks on the charge, and some times that rapidfire with the bolters is better then the extra combat attack you would get with bolt pistol and chainsword. If I have extra points in my list I will throw in a power weapon or powerfist, but I do not make it my first priority with this unit. But let me put in the kicker on taking Death Co for me.... I always run them in a Stormraven and I also include a Death Company Dread with blood talons. That set up together can rip stuff up and handle just about anything. You have to get the Stormraven up in yout opponents face and not be afraid for it to get shot at, then the next turn move to your Death Co's target unload and let the fun begin.

 

Good luck to you and most of all have fun.

[Grizzly Adams]

Welcome to the ranks, you shall not be disappointed! BA are an awesome army, full of character and fun to play. Now on to your questions

 

--Death Co.--

 

In my experiences, Death Company can be a great asset to your army. It is a unit that when used properly can force your opponent's hand and has a ridiculous killy factor. However, it is also very easy to pay out the nose for them, or play them wrong and get little to no utility out of them. A Chappie/Reclusiarch/Lemartes/Astorath is a requirement, as the whole reason we take DC is cause they are killy and nasty, and who doesn't like rerolling to hit/wound??? No one I tell you, no one. Also, there is no need to go overboard on upgrades. It is very easy to make the unit too overkill and cost too much. IMHO, jump packs are not worth the cost, especially due to rage. Put a few special assault weapons in there and you should be good.

 

Transports are your best friend, as they allow you to get those crazy kids where YOU want them, not where your opponent baits them to.Rhinos, Land Raiders, and even the almighty Stormraven are viable options for your DC depending on the rest of your army. The most important thing is that they have one.

 

---Below are my own opinions on the bast way to take DC. It is not the only way, nor is it necessarily the best way, but imho it is the most viable way to play the unit that I have found and have had great success with it, having run the unit similarly since the codex dropped---

 

In my armies, My Death Co. are the core around which the rest of the list is built. I always take an Elite slot Chappie, as I feel that he is the most cost efficient method compared to his returns. Astorath is often too expensive for my lists. Lemartes, while a beast, costs 50 more points and i feel that the unit is killy enough without him. The reclusiarch doesn't give me enough to justify the extra points either, as all I really want is the rerolls.

 

Next comes the DC unit. I run 7, as it has just enough models to both be killy and effective, yet not terribly expensive. Also, I can still take a couple wounds and still be ok. I run 3 power weapons, 3 bolt pistol/ccw, and 1 powerfist. This unit, along with the chappie can dominate on the charge, while not being wasteful. I then put them in a Stormraven with a Multi Melta, Assault cannon, and extra armor. On Turn One the unit is over halfway across the board with a 4+ save, and will be the target of your opponent's shooting phase, which is good, as that is the whole point of the unit in the first place, to force your opponent to do what you want him to. This is why Extra Armor is a must, as you want that vehicle to be able to move no matter what. If all goes well, your DC could be in assault on turn 2.

 

I also run a DC Dread with Blood Talons in the Raven with them, as that thing can cause unholy hell all up in your opponents business. This Unit is nigh unstoppable, and has been a difference maker in many games. If nothing else, it forces your opponent to deal with it, and that plays in your favor. To get an idea of what my list looks like around it -

 

Chappie

7x Death Co.

...PF, 3x PWs, 3x BP/CCW

DC Dread w/Blood Talons

Stormraven

...assault cannon/melta, EA

 

Drop Pod Furioso w Frag/Heavy Flamer

 

Libby

...Fear the Darkness/Shield of Sang

3x10 Assault Squads

...Melta, flamer, fisty Sarge

 

2xPreds

...Autocannon/Lascannons

 

2000pts.

 

As far as Sang. Guard, maybe someone else can take that one, as all my experiences with them have been negative. Hope this helps! :cuss

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I am currently re exploring the army. Many wise brothers here have extolled the virtues of Death Company and I'm slowly coming around to seeing things their way. As stated if you eschew the use of jump packs they are a real bargain for the points. I would run a large unit with two power weapons and a power fist and attach a Chaplain or Recluisarch. Rerolling both hits and wounds on the charge is pretty darn good. Any opponent worth their salt is going to respect what they can bring to the table and fear is always a great deterrent. If you are willing to pay the points for a landraider or storm raven to transport then you have a very viable melee unit that can quickly extend their reach across the table. You can run them in a rhino but then they will work better as a counter assault unit. Death Company unlock Death Company dreadnaughts which are really good for the points so that's something else to consider.

 

I love Sanguinary Guard and as the Captain said they work very well with Dante. The chapter banner and two melter pistols work well plus I like to kit one with a power fist. Some don't like them because they have no invulnerable save but you can typically get a good cover save versus shooting. They can be an amazing unit if properly utilized.

 

G :cuss