Advice sought.

[Claws and Effect]

Okay, my wife and I are starting a Blood Angels army to share. Problem is, I play Raven Guard and Deathwatch and she plays Nids, so neither one of us knows much about which units are good for Blood Angels.

 

So far we have:

 

- A Tactical kit.

- A couple Scout kits.

- A couple Venerable dread kits

- Mephiston coming soon.

- Store birthday Primaris Captain.

 

I figured I could repaint a couple of my Raven Guard assault squads that never see the table anymore. And maybe a couple other things.

 

What are must have units for Blood Angels, and what would we be better off skipping?

[Majkhel]

Hello and welcome
For the army you'll be needing a solid fire-base as well as our signature assault elements.
For the easy-to-access firebase consider razobarcks with twin assault canons for horde control or lascanons for anti-tank. All other SM choices work here actually. 
For our assault elements - I would consider converting one of your Venerables to a Librarian Dread (BA don't have Venerables available in the codex). This should be a great fun too. 
Captain Smash (JP+TH+SS/combi-melta) is really good for Blood Angels.

Death Company and/or Sanguinary Guards are also a must in my opinion. Those kits will also provide you with plenty of BA-specific bitz.
For the DC, go with jump packs and bolters+chainswords on most plus some mixed-in Thunder hammers for big-threat removal if that's what you want. Other upgrades as you like them. If you run more than 5 (and that's advised) get a JP Chaplain for them to boost morale. Lemartes is an option here for additional re-roll of failed charges. 

Sanguinary guard also work well above minimum unit size. Encarmine blades (swords) and/or power fists. They work best when close to your Warlord. An Ancient with Banner of Sacrifice helps them a lot as well. 

Check our Unit of the week threads for detailed musings on particular unit types

[Claws and Effect]

Cool, thanks.

 

It will be a learning curve for my wife, but I play my Raven Guard classic fluffy style with lots of twin claws Vanguard, so I should pick it up quickly.

[sebs_evo7]

Something I have been using more and more is squads of assault marines with special weapons, can be fun to use on wings of fire to drop a 5 man squad with two melta guns or two plasma behind an opponents army later on in the game to harass

[Slothysaur]

Intersessors are great for BA, as are Inceptors. Only thing Inceptors have going against them is that Death Company fulfill a very similar role in chaff clearing.

I normally run Inceptors to clear chaff and then drop in Sanguinary Guard to hit the harder targets. If I run Death Company I'm much less likely to include Inceptors, or at least the Bolter variant.

[spiros14]

With Blood Angels I've found the best way to play is with a large number of troops advancing across the field, supported with a decent firebase, with some deep striking goodness to drop down from reserves and help where needed.

 

I have gotten great mileage with the following:

 

Two Tactical Squads (armed with short ranged weaponry like a meltagun and heavy flamer) in rhinos (those party buses are well worth the cost)

These guys advance across the field taking objectives and burning any infantry foolish enough to get in the way.

 

A Captain, Lt., Scout Squad, and Land Raider (with assault terminators inside)

These guys make an excellent firebase, with the scouts making short work of characters, and the raider making short work of vehicles, the captain's and Lt.'s buffs to both make them highly effective. The Assault Terminators should pop out when something threatens the firebase.

 

Assault Terminators, Sanguinary Guard (although Vanguard Vets are also viable), and a Jump Pack Chaplain.

Use these guys to help your tacs kill anything on the enemy's side of the board, use the Blood Angel strategems on them also.

A terminator squad with their Archangels "reroll all hits when you arrive via deepstrike until your next turn," will make short work of large mobs of infantry, while "descent of angels," 3d6 charge range will allow the jump pack units to get the charge in when they deepstrike. Useful to decimate gunline armies.

 

 

This is just stuff I've found works for me, you may have a different experience depending on who you play against.

The important thing is that you have fun collecting and playing the army.

[Indefragable]

As new BA player(s), if you find yourself struggling to find the balance between “red marines”—the units and tactics that Codex: SM have—and “good guy berserkers”—the unique BA units and stratategems—than you are in the right place. That has pretty much always been the struggle for BA outside of the edition where we could take ASM as Troops.

 

From a modeling and purchasing perspective, I recommend the following:

 

-BA Tactical Squad box

-Death Company box

-BA upgrade sprue

 

Those 3x should get you well on your way to all sorts of bits and weapons like inferno pistols (Tac box has 1x of each pistol type, DC has 2).

 

As for army composition, between 8th, the evolving FAQ/Meta scene, and the nuances of our book, there are a LOT of options for us. These very forums are debating if a Librarian Dread is the way to go or just another fashion trend...after the Libby Dread was put away for a while...after it was the hotness when the Index first dropped. So pick a play style that you enjoy and try to make it effective, rather than the other way around. That being said, a couple of must haves:

 

-jump pack unit: On Wings of Fire is our best Strategem, even better than the DS ones. The ability to pick up a unit already on the board and reposition it at the time and place of your choosing is unparralled. For this reason, I would argue that a 85pt ASM Squad is possibly better in a BA list than Scout Bikes...and Scout Bikes are so under appreciated.

 

-melee unit. You have to have some sort of punch. This is wide ranging, as there are a lot of options, and even just bringing Captain Smash could fit the bill. But the bottom line is that our main advantage is in melee, it’s a decent advantage, and enemies will be so expecting melee punch that you sort of have to do it. I.e. people will castle up harder than ever to the point that the only way to break them is to get in a scrap...and we don’t have enough buffs to dakka that we can’t sit back and besiege them. On a stand up gunfight, all things being equal, we will be at a disadvantage. For that reason, you need to have some sort of punchy unit.

 

Hope this helps.

[Diagramdude]

Buy 2 boxes of Sanguinary guard, build 9 with swords/fists and bolters. Build 1 as an ancient with a fist.

 

Buy Death Company Strike Force, build the 15 DC with bolters/chainswords and mix in some hammers and power swords. Build the dread as a librarian dread and convert the DC chaplain model into a jump captain with hammer and storm shield.

 

Buy a box of 10 Intercessors, build 2x 5man units and model the sergeants with power swords and aux grenade launcher. You can opt for cheapo chainswords but the sarges become legit solo threats w the power sword.

 

Buy 10 scouts and model five with bolters+heavy bolter and five with pistol/blade.

 

Buy an inceptors box and build the plasma version.

 

Order Mephiston and the Sanguinor.

 

That will be a solid start. All the above units are highly competitive.

[Claws and Effect]

I'm looking at 2 things. A standalone Blood Angels army, and a force to ally with my Deathwatch.

 

For the Deathwatch allying force I'm considering a Supreme Command detachment featuring Mephiston, Lemartes, a Libby dread, and a full unit of Death Company. With the dread having the Veritas Vitae. That's to let me roll 2 dice to get CP back and to give me a strong assault force that Deathwatch is lacking in a bit.

[tychobi]

I strongly recommend building a battalion. That supreme command detachment would be 100% better with a scout screen and the libby dread is overpriced and has poor stats. Switch for slamguinious/smashypants capt for a more competative build.

[Karhedron]

The problem is that it is unwise to run both Mephiston and the Libby Dread in the same list as they both want to cast the same powers on themselves (Wings and Quicken) meaning you will struggle to use both at full effect. I run either one or the other, not both. I would run Lemartes, Mephiston and Captain Smash.

 

I do agree that a Battalion is probably better than a SCD. For the price of 3 Scout squads (165 points if you really want to go bare-bones), you get some cheap screening units, the ability to deploy close to the enemy and some cheaper ObjSec bodies than Deathwatch can manage. You also get +5CPs rather than just +1 (since the big FAQ) and you can still run the 3 HQs and Death Company that you want. Getting a guaranteed extra 4 CPs is a better return than you are likely to get from the Veritas Vitae.

[Indefragable]

I strongly recommend building a battalion. That supreme command detachment would be 100% better with a scout screen and the libby dread is overpriced and has poor stats. Switch for slamguinious/smashypants capt for a more competative build.

 

Libby dreads are not perfect, but they are not terrible by any means. The ability to hide a vehicle w/ a dread's stats is no small factor, especially considering that you can always "just" throw out Smite on things.

 

A Libby Dread is not Captain Smash by any means, but he's no slouch either. The trick to remember is that they are not equivalent to each other.

[Indefragable]

The problem is that it is unwise to run both Mephiston and the Libby Dread in the same list as they both want to cast the same powers on themselves (Wings and Quicken) meaning you will struggle to use both at full effect. I run either one or the other, not both. I would run Lemartes, Mephiston and Captain Smash.

 

I do agree that a Battalion is probably better than a SCD. For the price of 3 Scout squads (165 points if you really want to go bare-bones), you get some cheap screening units, the ability to deploy close to the enemy and some cheaper ObjSec bodies than Deathwatch can manage. You also get +5CPs rather than just +1 (since the big FAQ) and you can still run the 3 HQs and Death Company that you want. Getting a guaranteed extra 4 CPs is a better return than you are likely to get from the Veritas Vitae.

 

I second what @Karhedronuk says about Librarians: BA basically have two variants, the Mephiston and the buffer.

 

The Mephiston is well....take a guess...and any unit that you want to simulate what he's doing for a strategic purpose...usually a Libby dread to take advantage of the Dread statline for overwhelming bolter-fire and equivalents and/or for armor saturation if you are running lots of tanks/vehicles. Powers are typically The Quickening (there can be only one!), Wings of Sanguinius, and then some variation of Unleash Rage or Shield of Sanguinius if you're running Meph himself and can get a third power.

 

The buffer instead focuses on Unleash Rage, Shield of Sanguinius, and Smite and is there to provide Deny the Witch capabilities as well as increasing the potency of others.

 

Blood Boil....just don't.  Blood Lance is moderately ok, but other powers are just so much more reliable.

[Quixus]

Something I have been using more and more is squads of assault marines with special weapons, can be fun to use on wings of fire to drop a 5 man squad with two melta guns or two plasma behind an opponents army later on in the game to harass

 I would not drop assault marines with meltaguns. When they drop, they are out of meltarange. Also consider the (still available) Combat Veterans with Jump Packs. The have one more attack and more wargear options (especially the Stormshield).

 

Buy 2 boxes of Sanguinary guard, build 9 with swords/fists and bolters. Build 1 as an ancient with a fist.

Why do you recommend a fist on the ancient?

 

Buy Death Company Strike Force, build the 15 DC with bolters/chainswords and mix in some hammers and power swords. Build the dread as a librarian dread and convert the DC chaplain model into a jump captain with hammer and storm shield.

I recommend magnetizing the arms. Not only do you have the option to reduce or increase bluing, you never know when GW will remove the option of bolt gun and chainsword.

[tychobi]

 

 

I strongly recommend building a battalion. That supreme command detachment would be 100% better with a scout screen and the libby dread is overpriced and has poor stats. Switch for slamguinious/smashypants capt for a more competative build.

Libby dreads are not perfect, but they are not terrible by any means. The ability to hide a vehicle w/ a dread's stats is no small factor, especially considering that you can always "just" throw out Smite on things.

 

A Libby Dread is not Captain Smash by any means, but he's no slouch either. The trick to remember is that they are not equivalent to each other.

You are very correct. But in light of Mephy a lib dread is redundant (uses the same vital powers) and overpriced. Smashypants is not equivalent. He is so much more fun and satisfying to play with. It pains me to denounce the lib dread but its a badly pointed and its rules do not compliment or support the suggested list.