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Sanguinary Guard- 5 man or a full 10 man squad


Helias_Tancred

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effectiveness vs. cost what success have you had with SG? Is it better to just run a 5 man squad, or are the points worth the pain you can bring with a full 10 man squad?

 

I do have Dante. I was having thoughts of running 9 SG and Dante. Sticking them in a pod, and "Hello! How you doin?"

 

;)

 

 

I find that Sanguinary Guard work better in larger squads (although you do not have to go all the way to 10).

 

They are tough but still vulnerable to AP2 weapons so a couple of kills can render a small squad ineffective. Also the bonuses like Chapter Banner and the benefits of an attached Sanguinary Priest are bigger when applied to a bigger squad as more models get the bonuses.

 

In 1750 points, I run an 8-man unit with 2 axes, 2 fists and 2 inferno pistols led by a Priest. If I could find an extra 30 points, I would give them the Banner too. ;)

I ran a 10 man squad a handful of times since the new book and I love them, I believe it's definitely worth bulking out the numbers especially if you're adding Dante and a priest.

I like playing them at 7-man, Dante and a duel lightning claw Priest. Pricey but nasty. Gonna try a ten-man version once I get a high enough point game.

If one only has enough points to either take (a) a 7-man squad with Chapter Banner or (b ) an 8-man squad without banner -- either with Dante plus priest -- what do you think is better?

I think the banner is good if you're planning to do some disordered charges, so your squad will hit hard and get stuck in. If you hit two MEQ(or weaker) squads with it you'll have more attacks to take the wind out of their sails, but possibly stay in CC for another turn and consolidate before your next turn.

 

   

If one only has enough points to either take (a) a 7-man squad with Chapter Banner or (b ) an 8-man squad without banner -- either with Dante plus priest -- what do you think is better?

I would go with 7 with banner. 

I ran with 10 Sanguinary Guard and Dante recently. Also took two libbys but would change that for a priest only.

 

Firstly and most importantly, this unit is SO much fun to use. Secondly, they are very strong as a main assault element. As with all things it depends on your build and style.

 

5 - man SG is a no-go really and is the reason they were so rarely used before the new dex. They would lose a few men to fire and quickly become ineffective.

 

Personally I see them and Dante as being made for each other, and they are best off starting on the board rather than in reserve. With a full squad and priest they frighten oponents enough to draw a heck of a lot of fire but are capable of withstanding this, and a few casualties, and still being strong enough to smash things up from turn two onwards. They also allow Dante to get close to and deal with the things that only he can.

 

Yes its a lot of points, but their armour, mobility and glaives give you a unique return on the investment. Chapter banner is an auto include, and if you can then put a few inferno pistols in; sometimes you might want to pop a transport so you can charge its passengers.

 

10-man SG with Dante are the bees knees of the new dex IMO!

I was curious as to how others run them as well. I run two 5 man squads, each with 2x infernus pistols. I've had moderate success with them deepstriking into the enemy backfield. I'm not thrilled with their performance lately and I think I'm going to change to a bigger squad... and maybe keep the infernus pistols (I tend to complain about them, but generally end up needing them at some point). I've been thinking a lot about cheap powerfists too.

 

I think a single larger squad may be the way to go. I tend to play opponents with lots of plasma and melta, which makes getting close difficult. Dante out front to take a hits and a priest for the FNP might be the way to go. Likewise I think librarian could help these guys a lot either with Divination or sanguinary disciplines. 

 

So the big question is: for the points cost of 10 sanguinary guard + banner + Dante + priest or librarian, can this unit win close combat against anything? The reason I say that is because this is going to be a lot of points and there are a lot of potential counters to it. I agree with taking the banner for sure if you take 10 men. There's still the problem of where to deep strike with a squad this big too. Generally I like to deep strike behind some cover, or at least far enough away from the enemy to avoid their shooting phase. A squad this size might have to start on the table and that might affect the army list as a whole. 

 

I think taking 6-8 + Dante is where I'd go with it in a jumper list. I think these guys are capable in hand to hand, but will take heavy losses against another capable unit. Putting Dante with them will allow them to take on some nastier things and get that nice warlord trait. In a smaller game I think a priest with the wings relic would be helpful too. Bottomline: I think 10 man squad though very cool, won't show a quality return on the points investment. 

At 1850 level I found the return on the investment to be totally worth it.

 

DSing them is only for keeping them out of harm's way, which goes against the point of having them. Starting them on the board means they can get to grips in turn two, turn three latest. You may well take losses but that's why 10 of them are good, as they can afford casualties then. Use Dante's hit and run to lure your oppo into charging them, so you can disengage and get an extra move - average 11" - in his turn, putting them within reach of your target.

 

If he throws everything at them, they still take an awful lot of fire and cover will offset plasma and melta somewhat. Meanwhile, that's a whole load of shooting which isn't being directed at your other units, who will get to do their business. If he does anything but focus on the SG from the start, you can pretty much guarantee they will run riot.

 

Found the Libby to be inefficient. A priest is a better buy. Taking him as warlord with the veritas vitae gives you a good chance of getting move through cover and / or infiltrate, which should guarantee you a turn two assault.

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