Thor's Blood Angels

[Thoridon]

I haven't painted any BA for a while as I've been saving my backlog hoping for an ETL and working on my Imperial Guard for a bit but I have had my first game of 9th. Initial thoughts:

 

Sanguinary Guard looked great from a numbers perspective with the changes and they felt much better on the table compared to 8th. The extra attack and strength on the weapons made it feel like they were being supported by the Sanguinor and a Priest even though I had them operating without buffs. Instead of feeling like they have to be supported by multiple buffs as they did in 8th they now pack a real punch in their own right. The cost to damage ratio is certainly improved :)

 

I missed Wings on Mephiston, he felt quite pedestrian without it. Hopefully something that will return with the supplement! He's still a monster on the charge but misses that extra threat range when walking.

 

2W on older marines was nice without being overpowered. I ran a mix of troop units and it was refreshing not seeing a Tactical squad wiped out to a single smite. Where I found it particularly useful was on Devastators, keeping those heavy weapons alive a bit longer. Tacticals and Intercessors both felt like similar units for performing actions and objective holding, though the extra attacks on the Primaris statline were still nice when used in a slightly more advanced role - and with the sergeant given a melee upgrade.

 

Multi-Meltas, like SG, looked great on paper and delivered some key shots in the game. Having 2 shots and gaining the extra 2 damage in half range is fantastic, though I was still glad I had multiple sources as some units whiffed the hit rolls even with the double shots vs 8th edition. Land Speeders and Attack Bikes are great mobile sources for getting the multi-melta in close range position.

 

Assault Intercessors were a bit underwhelming, though I'd not expected a lot from them. They took a couple of turns to get into range for a charge and by the time they got into combat they were essentially mopping up after other faster units had done most of the damage. I did run them on foot so I'll have to get an Impulsor and see how they feel thrown forwards early. Handy timing with the new combat patrol box coming out, perhaps.

 

Outriders felt useful without being too crazy. Their speed was nice for zipping around the flank, putting a bunch of shots into some infantry and killing quite a few on the charge but they got bogged down after the charge buffs wore off. I wouldn't expect them to do much against tough targets but they felt nice to have a charge impact and hold something down for support to then arrive.

 

The Justicar ability is fantastic, even though I forgot it the first turn. He's not the fastest melee character but that one ability can make a massive difference in determining what lives and dies and I can certainly see it swinging a close game. He hits hard too, as a plus.

 

The Company Champion is a cracking little character. He's not flashy like a chapter master but even with no upgrades he hits quite hard for a 'cheap' character thanks to the master-crafted sword. Being able to take a relic just makes him even better, and not using up an HQ slot. Another who isn't the fastest but packs a punch when he joins in.

 

Bladeguard Vets (and the Captain matching them) felt like real grinding machines. Slow, steady and durable. They really gave the vibe of a unit that can shrug off attacks and just keep marching forwards. I'd still want some faster JP melee units to be able to hop around where needed but I can see these guys being a part of many of my lists. They feel like more efficient assault terminators (minus the teleport, but terms struggle to make a charge after deep strike anyway).