Unit of the Week: Commander Dante

[Jolemai]

On ‎12‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 12:32 PM, Jolemai said:

 

Welcome to part one of the Blood Angels Unit of the Week Series!
 
Following the release of the 9^th edition Supplement, there is no better time to discuss all the units we have access to. Each week a different unit will appear, with the idea being that we discuss how best to use that model on the battlefield. Where part one will focus on the unique BA units and part two will focus on BA units that are new to this edition of the Codex, part three will discuss how to get the best use the generic units from the past that are still with us (and that many of us have in our armies still), and part four will discuss the Legends units that we still own and love. Finally, part five will be dedicated to the reinforcements from Forge World.
 
Note, this isn't to lament any nerfs, etc, from previous editions; the rules are as they are so try to unlock its potential for those who wish to use them all the same. Similarly, this thread is only for using the option being discussed; it matters not if you feel something is a better choice as such comments aren't constructive to the topic and shall be removed.
 
Without further ado, here's this week's entry::

Commander Dante

Commander Dante, evildrcheese

What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use you Dante?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the Chapter Approved changes affect your list(s)?
• Are you taking his Warlord Trait and/or making use of the +1 CP?
• How are you buffing this unit? Will it babysit anything?
• Stratagem synergy of note?

Over to you.

 

Thread updated. How would we currently make the most out of Dante in a post-Nephilim world/remainder of 9th?

[MasterOfAardvarks]

He doesn't have any better than normal synergy with Sanguinary guard or DC, as the former can get a rerollable 2+ to hit from any warlord, while DC aren't <CORE> units. For me, running him with VV is the most efficient choice. His 9 inch re roll aura is great for leading a sizable deep strike bomb, letting him catch a lot of units compared to most, plus an extra point of LD is nice. Using the general re roll ability on a unit with fists or hammers is probably the best bet. 

I like to use him and a jump pack squad backed up by a multimelta dev squad in a pod, throwing the bigger re roll on the devs to smoke any big units followed by a nice mop up under the good old chainsword. Adding a chaplain or anguinary priest can be handy, but just a little bit of backfield support like Whirlwinds, Suppressors and/or objective holding infantry is much more useful in my own T'au-heavy meta.

Perhaps Dante's most fun use is as an assassin, his incredible mobility, excellent damage output, free Epic Deed and his combat survivability combine to make him a dire threat to all but the most powerful characters. I've had Dante kill a Skorpekh Overlord and his retinue, multiple T'au Commander bombs, more Fireblades than there are actual T'au players, several Emperor's Chumps, Typhus, Ahriman and Khârn. The guy is an utter beast for ruining those key support characters, and with Wings of Fire, can do it multiple times across the board.

I am not a big fan of the model though, but I do enjoy seeing the various conversions.

[Karhedron]

I think Nephilim makes Dante look quite good. He is a decent beatstick Character and comes with decent Wargear (particularly the 2+ save stacked with AoC) and he brings +1CP rather than costing a CP. Running him with a large squad of Plasma Inceptors or MM Attack Bikes can make handy use of his full rerolls at least for the first turn or 2 until it is time to get stuck into melee.

I still don't feel he quite lives up to the fluff but I think he is good value for his points and packs some good gear. I agree the model is a bit tired but you can convert a nice proxy from the Sanguinary Guard kit if you feel like it. Hopefully the rumours of a new Primaris Dante for 10th edition will pan out but I won't hold my breath too hard.