Ad Mech: A Codex Analysis

[BitsHammer]

So a little background is in order. As someone who played Sisters I used to basically write an approach to looking at the codex not on the specific merits of one unit over another, but rather a "here's the strengths of this unit". Consider it a guide on using basically anything in the codex I suppose. It's less a look into trying to build hyper-competetive lists and more a look at how to get a unit (or units) on the table in the most effective way possible.

In short, consider it an exercise for me to try and dissect the rules on an army I'm looking into potentially starting while sharing my insights for the sake of discussion. I admit that I am speaking from a purely theoretical standpoint so any countering viewpoints, or alternate ideas are greatly appreciated.

The premise of this little experiment laid out, let's get started.

++Dogma++
While the codex doesn't lay this out first, I feel this is important to start with because it's around a specific Dogma that an army will take shape and through it that we'll see the rise of one kind of unit over another. So let's run through these in brief and discuss which units benefit from each Dogma the most:

Mars: This is our most generalist Dogma, and the one you'll be playing if you wish to field Cawl. Double Canticles benefits almost every unit in the codex save the Knights (and even then you can support them through the use of a Strategem). This almost requires Cawl to use effectively since he lets you modify your Canticle rolls which allows you to push for the Canticles you want the most while also preventing you from losing the bonus from rolling doubles (which is only a problem 6/36 times, or 1/6 of the time but if you find your dice are prone to rolling doubles due to physics, natural deformities or the alteration of probabilities due to meddling by epherium based beings then take Cawl). The biggest downside for this is that it forces you to roll for Canticles instead of just choosing them, but this does increase your odds of getting at least one useful Canticle every turn, even without Cawl.

Graia: Saving an extra 1/6 wounds, as well as 1/6 of all mortal wounds (without paying for the Strategem for saving them on a 5+ for a single character for a single phase) this is the closest the codex has to an answer to Smite spam at this time. Multi-wound models like Kastellans and the Tech-Priest Dominus benefit the most here because they'll have more chances to roll to prevent lost wounds before they go down, making them stick around longer on average, though even our basic troops will benefit at least a little from the extra durability.

If you find yourself taking a lot of casualties this is a fair choice as well thanks to the 1/6 chance at preventing models from fleeing from morale checks as well. Additionally you get a 1/6 chance to not melt your face with plasma if you roll a 1 on that to-hit roll while Overcharging. Not being able to fall back if you don't have any Mechanicus characters left is a downside, but something had to balance out the other perks Graia has.

This also might be the most lore appropiate forge world to use rules for when playing as a Deimos army, if only because of the anti-psyker options and how the warlord trait works against armies that want to assault you (which we all know is a common theme among the Neverborn units: an almost illogical obsession with stabbing people with blades and/or claws).

Metalica: The Forge World for those who want to move their army quickly but don't want to suffer for trying to get everyone around the board. Also likely the army to confuse Orks the most since it's the one wearing the least amount of red despite being the one that'll be moving the quickest on average. There aren't a lot of Assault weapons in the army that can benefit from this (Electrostatic gauntlets, Phosphor serpenta, Phosphoenix (aka the relic Phosphor serpenta), Plasma Caliver, Radium Carbine), but the ones that do will heavily shape the units that'll see the table more in this kind of army because of it: Vanguard (either without upgrades or with Plasma Caliver), Tech-priest Dominus with Phosphor serpenta or Phosphoenix, Corpuscarii Electro-priest, and Dragoon with Phosphor serpenta.

Rangers are the only rapid fire to really consider here (whose weapons become Assault 30" if they advance allowing them to quickly move up to mid-field if you need to secure objectives or better cover/line of sight on turn one, after which they'll basically never bother with this rule again) since if you're taking Destroyers with Phosphor blasters they shouldn't be advancing but rather plodding along at their normal pace to allow them to use their heavy weapons. Arc Rifles on Vanguard or Rangers are sadly ruled out despite their decent range due to their lack of punch against vehicles. D3 damage is nice, but unless you're hunting Sentinels (T5-T6 depending on type) or other equally soft vehicle targets on a regular enough basis to justify using these regularly it's better to just take plasma instead which will benefit from this dogma more anyways (since it's Assault 2).

Lucius: One of two forge world choices that directly buff your army's ability to prevent wounds (also one of the two that unlocks a strategem that lets you put stuff down the board faster, but more on that later). Basically the anti-Primaris option for players two kinds of units benefit from turning -1 AP into 0 AP: units with very good or very bad saves. On the high end we have our Tech-Priest Dominus (2+), Tech-Priest Enginseer (3+), Kataphron Breachers (3+), Cybernetica Datasmith (2+), Kastelan Robots (3+), and Dunecrawlers (3+).

The only units in the codex with poor saves (both flavors of Electro-Priests) have an invulnerable save and won't benefit from this, but it should be noted that everything else in the codex with the <Forge World> keyword has a 4+ which bumps to a 3+ through Shroudpsalm or use of Cover (of course it makes all of our good saves better too) so this could be the one for you if you either find the units with better saves gracing your lists more often, or if you just get tired of dealing with Primaris and similar units ruining your armour saves.

Agripinaa: Our only counter-charge oriented dogma, this is designed for the player who enjoys gunlines or likes to play aggressively with short ranged shooting. Naturally units like Vanguard and Kastellans with Heavy Phosphor blasters (even when not on Protector protocols) will benefit from this the most due to increase how many of their already relatively high number of shots will go through against the charging unit. Units like Rangers will of course benefit, just not quite as much due to not throwing as many dice. If you find yourself getting charge a lot, or if you like to push your units into "danger close" ranges and face regular charges because of it, this might be the forge world that fits your playstyle the best then.

Stygies VII: The other Forge World that decreases the number of wounds our models take, this one is achieved by applying a negative modifier to hit rolls for units over 12" away. Longer range units (Rangers, Destroyers, Dunecrawlers) will benefit the most here, and your opponent may find themselves reconsidering overcharging their plasma due to the increased chance of melting down due to the modifier, allowing you some extra breathing space early on. Best paired with a gunline (Rangers, Destroyers, Heavy Phosphor blaster Kastelans, Dunecrawlers) based army due to the longer range based effect of the modifier. Consider pairing with units like Ruststalkers and Fulgurite Electro-priests though if you find you need to throw something down the board at your opponent to tie up their advancing lines as this wil protect those units until they can get into charge range. Their strategem may help with that as well, but more on that later.

Ryza: The Forge World for the player who loves stabbing their opponent in the face (not literally of course, we're talking about emploing close combat units here). Dragoons are the biggest winner here since they have the speed to make it into combat quickly and have a good number of attacks with the Taser Lance to benefit the most here, but Infiltrators benefit as well (due to being able to Infiltrate just outside of 9" from your opponent's models) as do Kastelan Robots with Fists. More aggressive Dominus builds also benefit if you find yourself throwing them into combat a lot. Naturally Vanguard benefit from this as well since their Rad-saturation rule allows them to more easilly hurt opposing units (outside of vehicles), allowing them to turn a short range fire fight into a quick mop up job through assault.

++Forge World Specific Strategems++
There are a lot of strategems in the book and honestly you can write a whole tactica around which ones are the strongest for what kind of army and honestly it's just a little too much work. Personally, for most of these I'd build the army first and then make note of which ones synergize the best with what I've got, but there are six that specifically should be tailored for instead due to being the ones unlocked by the Dogma you've chosen.

Agrippaa: If all that short ranged shooting is seeing your Destroyers and Breachers killed this is the one to use to bring them back again. Basically this pushes you to build your troops around Destroyers and Breachers and then use them aggressively with them by pushing them into the midfield and potentially into charge range. Alternatively, use this with Plasma armed Destroyers and Overcharge your mechanical heart out. If they melt down while trying to take out the enemy just replace them with some freshly made servitors! This will force you to keep these units small since the strategem caps out at a power rating of 20 (which gets you 6 Breachers or Destroyers). Honestly though, I'd keep the units at their smallest (3 models) since that'll only run you 2 CP instead of 3 to bring the units back.

And yes this is basically the only reason I'd consider running regular Servitors in this army. While they compete for an Elites slot with vastly better units, the regular Servitors are only 4 CP meaning you can take the with Plasma Cannons, overcharge them until they melt and bring them back for 1 CP.

Lucius: Ever feel like your army is too slow? Well now you can deep strike! More seriously, this is a great way for forcing your opponent to deal with a large threat. The obvious choice is to use it to drop Kastelans on your opponent's front line, but any unit that needs to get up close fast (Electro-priests, Ruststalkers) so they can potentially charge at full strength will benefit from this. This of course also protects these units from being shot at when you're going first, letting you be more aggressive with these units while protecting them being shot off the board.

Since the Kastelans entering this way are coming in at the end of the movement phase, even if you bring a Datasmith with them to change their protocols they'll be locked into Aegis for that first turn, so plan appropiately.

Stygies VII: The alternate side of the coin we have the ability to infiltrate units. This allows you to bring those same units Lucius does up close rather quickly. Since these units don't count as moving, this means that if you get the first turn you can bring them even closer for first turn charges, but if you go second they'll be at the mercy of your opponent's shooting. Deploying using line of sight blocking terrain will be just as important as getting into position for early game charges.

Ryza: Plasma Destroyers are the ones who get the most from this one followed by Plasma Cannon Servitors and then Rangers or Vanguard with Plasma calivers. Just expect to watch guys melt if you decide to try and overcharge while using this. I mean, 8th edition has us taking plasma in scores anyways, so this isn't a bad thing, especially since this means we don't have to overcharge as much (unless you're trying to one-shot things like Custodes or Tyranid Warriors with D3 shots), but don't go too crazy with this one as building a list too heavilly around using this will see your CP dry up rather quickly (requiring 5-7 CP per game to use every turn on just one unit if you're using match play rules, and even more if you're using Open Play rules).

Graia: Meet our only anti-psyker rule in the whole army. It's basically the same rule that Black Templars have, only locked to a specific flavor of Forge World. While this doesn't really benefit one unit more than another, it will be mostly used to help reduce the amount of Smite we're taking. While the caster has to be in range of a Graia Infantry unit, at least they don't also have to be the target so you can use this to try and protect your Dunecrawlers or Kastelans if they're getting widdled down by the Ruinous Powers too often.

Mars: This strategem is likely a large part of why most Mars lists (particularly with Cawl) turn into gunlines. Mortal wounds are always great, and when paired with re-rolls to ensure you get less misses (and more 6+s) it's easy to see why most players have built Mars into a fairly static gunline. The units who benefit from this the most will be Heavy Phosphor Breachers (especially when locked into Protector Protocol), Destroyers, Corpuscarii Electro-Priests, Flechette blaster Infiltrators (though Stubcarbines are also good with you getting 15 shots in a minimum sized unit, the 25 shots from the blasters is going to outweigh that by a long shot in terms of number of mortal wounds dealt) and Vanguard (15 shots for 5 models with no upgrades is quite good after all).

Use this strategem with the Protector Protocol strategem to do mortal wounds on a 5+ for units without a data-tether (Infiltrators, Destroyers, Electro-priests, Kastelans), and on a 4+ for units with (Vanguard) and watch your opponent do their best to wipe that unit off the board before it gets to shoot again. Turns a minor threat into the most immediate on your opponent will be trying to murder.

Always try to take units that have high volumes of firepower for this one as the extra shots will turn into extra mortal wounds rather quickly.

Metalica: Not the most impressive option out there, but this has one key winner in terms of units: Infiltrators. Stack with their -1 to help remove extra models. If paired with allies who bring psychic powers like Terrify into the mix this gets even nastier as units wither from casualties. Basically useless against armies that can ignore morale though, so don't build a strategy out of it.

++Warlord Traits++
Thirteen options here, each with different uses. I'll cover the ones everyone has and what best works for those before looking at the ones Forge Worlds get and what best works with those specific options.

Monitor Malevolus: One re-roll a game isn't that impressive (though it'll save you a CP so that is nice), but the free CP 1/6 of the time strategems are used is handy. Basically best for playing with a lot of strategems, or if you have opponents who like using a lot of strategems.

Magos Biologis: Re-rolling wounds is always good and since you hit on a 2+ with the Dominus, this makes for a decent way to potentially force more wounds through. Decent on both shooty or choppy Dominus.

Mechadominator: If your warlord is there to keep your stuff alive, then this (paired with a relic later) will be your best choice. Pair with the Strategem to allow you to repair twice and you can potentially save even the most damaged of vehicle.

Necromechanic: If your warlord is there to keep your Breachers, Destroyers or Kastelans alive, then this is the go-to choice.

Corister Technis: Good for Mars lists that don't have Cawl, or for someone who is playing one of the other Forge Worlds but finds they need certain Canticles (usually Shroudpsalm) to be effective in how their list works.

Prime Hermeticon: Best for aggressive armies that want to be in combat a lot. I feel like you shouldn't take this one for a Ryza Dominus though as you already re-roll ones to hit and have better options to support your army with than this.

Mars: 3" increase in your auras (and default on Cawl). While one of the reasons many players keep playing Mars as a static gunline, this can benefit more mobile armies as well since they don't have to cluster up as tightly to gain the benefits of your warlord's auras. Especially when considering how large Cawl's base is, he can cover a fair amount of the table, meaning he works just as well on the move as he does supporting a more static army.

Graia: Ever feel like 40k would be more thematically appropiate if your guys could unload their guns in combat? Graia knows how you feel and while they believe you should replace those feelings with the cold truth of logic, they still support you! Made for aggressive armies that see combat a lot, the winner for this one is going to be Vanguard as their -1T aura against a unit their in combat with makes their shooting even better. Hitting Marines on 3s and wounding on 4s with 15+ shots in melee? Yes please!

Metalica: Finding all that forward running is getting your army caught up in assaults a lot? Or just feeling like you don't want to stay locked in combat like Graia? Well step back and shoot them in the face like you're Ultramarines! Pair with Protector Protocol for a bonus to your BS and you can easilly negate the negative to hit, if not improve your ballasitic skill above what it usually is. Vanguard won't benefit from this as much as they would under Graia's, but still worth consideration if you like to run your warlord forward to hit things with units like Vanguard.

Lucius: Dominus gets a 4++ invulnerable. Basically never take this if all you're running for your HQ is the Enginseer as there are options that better support your army instead of making your Warlord get a 5++ (like Mechadominator or Necromechanic).

Agripinaa: Reduced damage from D2+ weapons is always welcome, especially since Agripinaa favors aggressive armies that move forward quickly, or at the very least, aggressive warlords who fight off deep striking units that want to get into your lines on turn 1.

Stygies VII: While I don't know who has the Unaligned keyword (likely a bit of future proofing), this definitely benefits shooting/chopping all flavors of Xenos. If your dealing with a lot of Xenos in your area, or know they're on the rise in tournaments this is likely the best choice for you.

Ryza: Ever feel like the Macrostubber could be just a little bit more lethal? Want the benefits of a better axe for getting into melee with but don't want to use up your relic choice on the special one in the book? Or do you want a special gun but don't want to take a relic version because you need that or something else? Basically welcome to having the equivilant of two relics on the same model.

++Arcana Mechanicum++
A whole bunch of options here and as they can in terms of use, let's run through them really quick to get an idea of where, and how, to use them.

Pater Cog-Tooth: Best for melee Dominus builds that deal with MEQ or TEQ. A good choice for Ryza due to their re-rolls in melee combat.

Anzion's Psuedogenetor: Best for melee Dominus builds that deal with GEQ or other horde units. Another decent choice for Ryza due to their built in melee re-rolls.

Autocaduceus of Arkhan Land: If your warlord is there to fix things, this is basically the the relic you need to be taking. Pair with Mechadominator or Relic Mechanic to maximize your repair potential each turn.

The Uncreator Gauntlet: One available for the Datasmith due to him being the only character to currently come with a Power Fist. It's....okay? The extra mortal wounds to vehicles is nice in theory, but in practice I don't see this getting a lot of table time due to the character its available on not being the best anti-vehicle choice in the army, even in melee.

Phosphoenix: One of my favorite options in the book, and great for a shootier Dominus who is running a Phosphor serpenta. The boosted shots, and AP make this a solid choice over the basic Macrostubber.

Raiment of the Technomartyr: The only way a non-Graia Dominus can ignore Mortal Wounds. A strong choice for Agripinaa due to their army being built around dealing with being charged.

The Skull of Elder Nikola: Only really good if you know for sure you can get your character (and I'd honestly only put this on an Enginseer in very specific lists just to use as a gimmick) in the middle of an opponent's parking lot. Average roll is 7" so sadly this won't be that effective paired with Lucius as you'll likely be too far away (needing a 10" roll) to be effective. Styies VII could see more luck since Infiltrating a unit could potentially allow you toget close enough to your opponent's vehicles to make this work.

The Omniscient Mask: Are you playing a melee focused army but didn't take Prime Hemeticon on your Warlord, and aren't Ryza? Or perhaps you've taken an Enginseer to support the punchier parts of your army while your Warlord does something else? Well then this isn't a bad choice for you! best paired with a unit like Vanguard who will benefit the most from being in melee and can easilly find themselves stuck in despite not charging.

GRAIA: The Cerebral Techno-Mitre: Gives a Command Point if you take it, and is only available on a Dominus. If this was available for a Enginseer, or gave you a chance of regaining Command Points then this would be better, but as is it's hard to justfy this in most armies, unless you're using it in a patrol detachment and just really need all the Command Points you can get.

MARS: The Red Axe: Basically only worth taking on a choppier character if you're dealing with something like Custodes. Otherwise the Pater Cog-tooth will serve you better. Argueably, even then it'll seve you better since it has higher strength (forcing more saves) and better damage, especially since most models with good saves have an Invulnerable they can fall back on.

LUCIUS: The Solar Flare: A once per game 30" shunt movement for the character with htis. Great for getting a character up the board fast early in the game if you don't want to spend CP on deep striking them to support a unit, or for late game objective grabbing. Note that you do this at the END of the movement phase which means you have an effective range of movement of 36" in a single go. One of the best options we have available for an army that lacks transport options to help get around quickly.

METALICA: The Adamantine Arm: If you're going to take this, the best option is going to be a Dominus because that 2+ to hit will benefit the S12 this hits at more than the 3+ of an Enginseer or Datasmith. Not bad for a triple strength power fist that only swings once with no penalties, but with the other two melee options its hard to recommend this one for melee focused Dominus characters, unless you're running multiple melee focused characters and have already taken the other options.

STYGIES VII: The Omnissiah's Hand: A rather strange choice for an army that is built more around board control through infiltration and to-hit penalties. Probably best left to a Datasmith who is supporting a unit of punchy Kastelans if taken at all.

RYZA: Weapon XCIX (AKA Weapon 99 for those who don't read Roman Numerals): A good choice for a shooty Dominus since it buffs the Volkite Blaster with an additional point of Strength, AP and Damage. If your Dominus is mainly static and shooting then this is a good choice. If he needs to move around a lot to support the army then I'd take the Phosphoenix instead and use the Warlord Trait to buff the Volkite Blaster instead.

AGRIPINAA: The Eye of Xi-Lexum While not the most effective at buffing the army's strengths (counter-charge shooting) it at least buffs the army's ability to kill vehicles, especially those that are covered in spikes. Consider it based on your meta more than anything else.

++Unit Choices++
I won't be talking points costs or power levels here. Just whatever jobs I feel the unit can perform, though I will note if the unit isn't the best suited for that task.

Cawl: Everyone knows him as what makes the Mars gunline build work, but with his wide aura when taken as the Warlord as well as his ability to ensure you get at least one Canticle you want ever turn he basically works in any sort of build. Mars is the most generalist of our builds available with no major strengths or weaknesses, and Cawl fits into that just as well.

Dominus: Take him to chop things, to shoot things or to repair things. Don't try to build him to do all three at the same time because he'll suffer for it. Macrostubber is pretty good for a choppy Dominus since it gives him more chances to hurt his opponent during the turn while not bailing out of melee. Phosphor serpenta is better for a mobile shooting Dominus due to the longer range and ignoring cover. Honestly with both versions I rate the Volkite Blaster the highest due to the higher number of shots on average (since the Eradication ray averages 2 shots a turn) and the chance of doing mortal wounds.

Basically kit him out to make him fit best with how you want to use him, relics included.

Enginseer: Best used as a cheap secondary HQ, a detachment HQ, an HQ for running small point games, an HQ for running Mechanicus as an ally to another army, and as a relic caddy. He's cheap which basically keeps him from being bad and that's all that can really be said about him. And no, Metalica's Adamantine Arm doesn't replace his servo arm.

Rangers: Long range shooting in their basic guns pair well with the Transuraic Arquebus. Personally I feel running these guys in units of 5 with two Transuraic Arquebus rifles and an Omniscope is the best way to go. Giving the Alpha a melee weapon isn't a horrible idea if you have the points, but I'd keep the rifle over the pistol since the rifle is generally going to be better than the pistol options.

Vanguard: With the blow to how effective Arc weapons are these guys have basically been reduced to either bringing plasma or nothing. Plasma culivers pair well with the Radium carbine though as they both are assault weapons and have the same range. Metalica will let these guys sprint around the board without any issue, but they work well in any army as a more forward unit.

Breachers: With the decreased effect of Arc weapons these guys lost a lot of punch. I'd probably be more interested in them if Torsion Cannons where Heavy 2 or Heavy D3, but as is they just feel lacking in terms of punch for the cost. Neither melee option is really that effective (S6 to get D3 damage on a vehicle, or S10 while hitting on 5+ to do D3 damage to a vehicle). Plus these guys are pretty slow for an army that walks so even getting into melee range is harder than it sounds.

Destroyers: Plasma culverin and Phosphor blasters are the go to for long range shooting, but if you're worried about being charged (Agripinaa mainly), then swap for a Cognis Flamer. Heavy Grav Cannon is worth it if you're dealing with a lot of MEQ or hordes in your area but not many tanks. Consider mixing and matching weapons due to the magic that is being able to split fire everything in this edition and giving yourself some more shots (on average at least) against hordes or MEQ.

Servitors: Honestly not high on my list, but if I was running an Agripinaa army I'd likely run a unit of these, most likely with Plasma cannons. Getting them back for 1CP is about the only reason I can see to take these (and only then if you run a tech priest of some flavor in the back to buff their stats).

Datasmith: Lets ignore that he only has one gun despite having what looks like a second gun on his model and instead talk about how to use this guy. Basically you use him for two things: to carry relics and to support your Kastelans. Outside of this he's basically not worth looking at.

Ruststalkers: The choppiest of our elites these guys are basically best thrown into a unit like Ork Boyz and allowed to turn their setting to "puree". Blades make wounding easier, while the razor and chordclaw grant you an extra attack that does D3 damage instead of 1. Basically always take the blades on the Princeps since he keeps his Chordclaw and then leave everyone else with the razor as the trade off of an extra point of strength versus an extra attack is likely so small that the two points difference to take the blades isn't going to be worth it as much. This is of course assuming you're not playing against Death Guard, Crisis Suits or Custodes as their T5 will make a difference.

These guys work best with Lucius or Stygies VII dogma due to the benefits of being able to deep strike or infiltrate in gives this unit.

Infiltrators: Tiny complaint, but why does the unit who generates static that can interfere with your ability to see, hear and even taste not inflict a penalty for the opponent to hit instead of morale? I feel like the Ruststalkers (being the ones who were assassins) would benefit more from a morale rule while Infiltrators could have been harder to hit.

Nitpicking aside, I like these guys best with Flechette blaster/Taser goad. 8th is definitely the edition of quantity over quality and with the Taser Goad you can wound more often, and you'll see 1-2 of those attacks turn into extra hits on average every round. While the Flechette blaster isn't as impressive as a gun, the extra shots do make it more useful against hordes. Use the Mars strategem to let them turn their shooting into a potential mortal wound generator and watch them go from "minor distraction" to "dangerous threat" for your opponent, giving the rest of your army some breathing room while they try to tear into these guys.

Fulgurites: With no transport option at this time this is not an easy unit to use. Basically they can work two roles: the first they can bubble wrap your army against deep strikers and infiltrators, and the second, in Lucius or Stygies VII lists they can be moved up the board very quickly to try and get into melee quickly. Smaller units may be more ignored by players when bringing them from other Forge Worlds, but only if you have jucier targets for them to focus on.

Corpuscarii: The easier of the Electro-Priests to make use of in a list, they're also the cheaper of the two (by 2ppm). Metalica will let these guys move up the board quickly to start throwing shots while kiting enemy units, while Lucius and Stygies VII lists will let them deploy u the board and start thinning hordes.

Dragoons: One of our best units there are only two ways to use these guys: as the most durable (and mobile) snipers in the game, or as a fast moving unit that rams into the less protected flanks of your opponent's army. If you're running them to snipe things then solo is fine, but for melee builds I'd consider having more bodies in your unit to ensure you get as many attacks through as possible. Especially large units should probably be multi-charging things as much as possible.

Ballistarii: While not as impressive as the Dragoons, these guys might be worht looking into if you're dealing with a lot of heavy tanks or high toughness models in your local meta. Thanks to the way 8th works, mobbing a bunch up (or even just a couple) into a single unit is no longer a horrible plan and a decent way to maximize how much shooting fits into a list without taking away slots from other things. The biggest advantage they have over our other source of heavy anti-tank is price: 2 with Autocannons runs 150 points while a single Dunecrawler with a Neutron Laser runs 140 before any other options are taken (with a Data-tether and second Heavy stubber the Ognar runs the same price). 2 Ballistarii with Lascannons will run 190, but bring you 12 wounds, 4 shots (versus D2 shots, averaging 2 Neutron Lasers) and a more mobile firing platform for more terrain heavy tables.

Honestly though, meta will determine which fits your army more, or if you should be taking both.

Kastelans: Our big stompy robots. Best either taken with fists and combustor, fists and heavy phosphor blaster or triple heavy phosphor blaster these guys can and will makes themselves known. Taken with Lucius or Stygies VII they can get up the table quickly by dropping in 9" away (preferably in cover) and allowing you to run any variety. In walking lists they're definitely better with the heavy phosphor blaster and fists, or triple heavy phosphor blaster. Surprisingly the shooty version is the cheap one so deploying them somewhere they can get into a good position to cover a wide portion of the board with their guns and putting them into protector protocol (either with the Datasmith or by using the strategem) will let even just two of them put out a surprising amount of firepower (3 guns x Heavy 6 x 2 models = 36 shots from two models. Now add 18 for every Kastelan you add to the unit on top of that). These guys are definitely not cheap, but may be one of the best anti-horde units in the army just because of their high volume of fire power. Naturally that much S6 shooting with -2 AP is good aimed at just about anything and a unit of these guys will be good in just about any army if use effectively. Use the Mars strategem to stack mortal wounds on top of those saving throws they have to take for maximum effect.

Yes, this combination is one of the reasons why Cawl makes for such a good fire base support choice. Still, they benefit from just about any

Dunecrawler: Really there are two ways to go with this guy: Neutron Laser for anti-tank, and Icarus Array for anti-Fly. The Phosphor blaster doesn't really give the army anything it doesn't currently already have, and the Eradication Beamer isn't worth taking over the Neutron Laser if you're planning on shooting tanks.

Always take the Data-tether so you can buff its shooting since it is a Skitarii unit and will benefit from that strategem. Smoke launchers are basically worthless since we don't get access to the Guard's method of shooting and popping smoke, meaning that you'll lose a turn shooting in exchance for protection.

And to nitpick one more time: Why didn't we get the lore friendly transport option here? I don't know about you, but it's something I would love seeing added into the next update.

Imperial Knights: I'm not going to go too crazy here, because honestly they're all pretty useful. Build the one that compliments your list the best and don't get too hung up on trying to keep Canticles on it. Taking one in a Super Heavy Auxilla is probably the best way to go, but if you're feeling like running extra knights then by all means. I just feel that on a casual level for right now one is probably enough. We'll see when the Imperial Knights eventually get a book and their rules change up a bit with households and the like.

++Final Thoughts++
Overall I feel like we have a good selection of ways to handle just about any army build outside of psyker spam. That said, army builds will largely be inflienced by dogmas as they can change the units we focus on very heavilly. Mars is definitely the most generalist army build since there aren't any major buffs to anything beyond shooting (which we're already pretty heavilly built around) while others will play more aggressively or defensively with focuses on different units based on their specific bonuses they can provide.

Regardless of army build every army should probably have at least one Dominus, though some may have two thanks to having the points for it.

Troops should definitely be a mix of things just to ensure that you protect your rear objectives while moving forward to clear forward ones or kill enemy models, and thanks to our access to snipers we can pick off enemy characters better than most armies. Plus we have the toughest sniper in the game (who fires two shots unlike most snipers).

Army comp should scale off of the benefits a specific forge world unlocks for you, especially with their unique strategem as many of those can heavilly change which units we look at putting into a list.

Some units are definitely weaker, but outside of the basic Servitor I wouldn't rate any as "bad" just "underwhelming compared to other options" at worst. Redundancy will still likely be key in making lists work well, as will good movement and target priority. That said, I feel like Ad Mech can definitely be fairly strong in the right hands, even if it isn't automatically top teir before we start considering options.

+Thought of the Day++
Pain is an illusion of the senses, despair an illusion of the mind.