Unit of the Week: Intercessor Squad

[Jolemai]

Welcome to the Blood Angels Unit of the Week Series!

Following the release of the 8^th edition Codex, there is no better time to discuss all the unique 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.

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:

Intercessor Squad

What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use a Intercessor Squad?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the beta rules affect your list(s)?
• Will you be running multiples? MSU or full squads? Combat Squads?
• How are you buffing this unit?
• What weapon choice do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
• Stratagems?

Over to you

[Jolemai]

Should you want your model on display here (or on another thread from the series), then submit a photo here please.

[The Unseen]

Intercessors are our second best troop choice, only scouts are a better investment overall.

 

They are uniquely good at taking midfield objectives and giving your list a strong infantry backbone, as they're very durable vs small arms anti-infantry fire but aren't usually threatening enough to have larger multi damage weapons pointed their way in a BA list, with units like Sanguinary Guard, DC, hellblasters, interceptors, etc taking most "aggro" such as it is.

 

Scours are better overall, with their amazing deployment options and higher damage output, especially with blades and the Red Thirst, they punch well above their weight.

This however, makes them a target, and scouts are very fragile, and not all that difficult to remove with even a modicum of effort when compared to intercessors.

A healthy mix of the 2 units makes an excellent basis for a double battalion list.

 

Small units with a power sword sergeant, and an auxiliary grenade launcher are very solid msu troop units.

 

Avoid larger units like the plague, as their leadership is merely marine average, and every failed leadership is seeing multiple wounds run away, in addition to the fact that multiple auxiliary grenade launchers do not function, as they don't change the weapon type, merely the range, so your still limited to a single grenade per phase.

 

An additional note: do not be fooled by the AP on their bolters, their damage output is exceedingly low, even at double tap range. They are however not useless in melee like a tactical squad might be.

Their additional attack and second wound matter quite a bit when fighting non-melee units, as multi damage weapons in cc are significantly less common compared to plasma, and given enough time, an intercessor squad can grind most other troop units out in a protracted melee.

 

Their biggest weakness is a lack of affordable transport, leaving them with not a lot of mobility.

Hence they should focus on taking those objectives in the midfield, as they can get there fairly easily, are difficult to shift, especially if they're in cover, can contribute from there with their (admittedly limited) ranged damage, and act as a counter charge threat to the enemies own troops, which they are probably superior in melee too.

 

If you buy any primaris units, I would recommend intercessors as a solid option.

My 3 squads of 6 in my double battalion lists have usually been the last thing standing at the end of the game, dutifully holding the game-securing objectives.

 

Edit: damn phone autocorrect

[Panzer]

Very solid troop choice.

 

Decently durable (despite the amount of D2 and D1d3 weapons out there) and decent damage output with their default weapn. Just shuffle them towards objectives and/or eventually slam them into your opponents units to bind them and slowly grind them down. Just be aware that they're no dedicated melee units so any dedicated melee unit will decimate them quickly there.

 

The best all around weapon would be the Bolt Rifle without a doubt. The Stalker Rifle is decent but usually you want to keep your mobility. The Carbine is just plain worse than the Bolt Rifle unless you want to stay out of 15" no matter what (you usually don't).

 

Other gear:

 - Power Sword or Chain Sword? Basically as long as the points remain like they are always go with the Power Sword. 3 S4 AP-3 D1 attacks with +1 to-wound is not bad at all!

 - Auxiliary Grenade Launcher. Just yes. Take it basically always. Give it your Sergeant because he'll be the last model you want to remove in your squad. Krak grenades do wonder against everything your Bolt rifle is too weak against and Frag grenades are nice against T3 chaff without proper armor saves.

 

Unit size:

Sadly not different than usually. Just go with the absolute minimum to fill your detachment slots and to get more sergeants, grenade launcher and power swords unless you have points to spare.

[Ornithologist]

As an addition to the above statements, putting the unit at 6 models is a good way to push the power level on the board up, to give you more room to deep strike units if that's your plan.

[Blindhamster]

Intercessors are my favourite troop choice, Scouts are good, but are very fragile unless you keep them in cover. Scouts with sniper rifles are nice to occasionally plink off a wound from a character or a special/heavy weapon target, but not much else. Scouts with melee weapons are quite good in terms of damage output, but lack any kind of staying power. Scouts main purpose are to create the shield around important targets - which may be a mechanically optimal thing to do but its so incredibly "un-space marine"

• Intercessors are resilient to small arms, and generally not a priority target for multi damage weapons.
• They make Sanguinary Priests (or Primaris Apothecaries) more worthwhile in points, because the priest brings back more for its action comparatively.
• Their guns are flat out better than any other marine basic weapon - they may not do extreme amounts of damage, but they'll still do more than bolters (exception being the auto bolt rifle which does the same damage as soon as the bolter is within 12").
• They are surprisingly good in melee (exactly like the scouts, except the intercessor sergeant is better), they arent going to out fight dedicated melee, but they can hold off some elite units thanks to the above mentioned resilience, and they do enough damage in the first round to be reasonably good vs shooting units or other troop choice units in other armies.
• power sword sergeant for us is rather brutal, 3 attacks hitting on 3s, wounding most things on 3s (or 2s) with the AP mod is nice. Chainsword has niche usefulness vs orks or other things with basically no save at all.

 

However.

• They're slow. If you go for auto bolt rifles, they're less slow as they can move, run and still shoot, but either way, they aren't going to be a good choice for moving across the table to grab objectives. Backfield and midfield is their home.
• Linked to above, they don't have a good transport, I love repulsors, but they are incredibly expensive in points (and money to be fair) and just arent justifiable as a main troop transport. Maybe this will be fixed eventually, however.
• The only "special" weapon they get is a grenade launcher, which is okay, but really not going to do all that much. it would have been good to have said grenade launcher allow for firing a grenade and the bolt rifle part, and possibly added a new type of grenade or something. But no, as it is, it may be a way to plink off an extra wound but generally wont do much.
• They (like everything space marine related when compared to other armies) are probably still a point or so too expensive, there is no denying that you end up with far fewer bodies on the ground if running primaris units of any kind, and intercessors are not an exception to this.

[Xenith]

No time to read the above, but I'm sure all wise points. BA are special in that our 'cessors can present a barbed speed bump in combat, with +1 to wound and 2a each.

 

I'd run multiple units of 5 each with power weapon, +/- grenade launcher. Weapon of choice is the rapid fire rifle. Assault version is better at 24" while we often want to be closer, heavy...I dunno.

[Indefragable]

Something to consider:

 

Company Ancient w/ jump pack. Start him in range of Intercessors to give them early resilience, then get him near Sang Guard/et al to support that assault, then UWoF him back to your Intercessor battleline near the end to help ‘em hang on during the last few turns of the game.

[Jolemai]

Guys, Scouts will have their only entry eventually. Save it for then, eh?

[BluejayJunior]

I like Intercessors. I think they are a solid option. I started playing 40K at the start of 8th with the Dark Imperium box, so Intercessors have been the core of my army for my entire playing experience. They're not flashy, but tend to get the job done. 

[tychobi]

So good with the points drop these guys are gold standard mid field objective campers. If i did not have personal issues with primaris in general i would own some

[Shaezus]

At 2k points I run a single 10-man squad. Alongside 6 aggressors and a full sanguinary guard, having this many multi wound models increases the survivability of all; there's only so many multi damage weapons an opponent can take. The FNP banner and corbulo make nurgle players envious, but even if they get unleash rage from a Libby they still need support in melee vs anything with 3+

[lash144]

At 2k points I run a single 10-man squad. Alongside 6 aggressors and a full sanguinary guard, having this many multi wound models increases the survivability of all; there's only so many multi damage weapons an opponent can take. The FNP banner and corbulo make nurgle players envious, but even if they get unleash rage from a Libby they still need support in melee vs anything with 3+

 

I like the idea of it, its like a small deathstar. But don´t you have probelms with the different movement speeds of the units?

[Shaezus]

 

 

At 2k points I run a single 10-man squad. Alongside 6 aggressors and a full sanguinary guard, having this many multi wound models increases the survivability of all; there's only so many multi damage weapons an opponent can take. The FNP banner and corbulo make nurgle players envious, but even if they get unleash rage from a Libby they still need support in melee vs anything with 3+

I like the idea of it, its like a small deathstar. But don´t you have probelms with the different movement speeds of the units?

The sanguard jump off doing their own thing, so keeping the intercessors and aggressors together works just fine. There's different ways to play it ofc but I like to keep the aggressors at the front, if they're getting double tap on overwatch. The intercessors have done well for counter charging MEQ but they do need support against high T units with 3+ or better. Apart from the sergeant, the lack of AP in melee makes it hard going.

[Majkhel]

Bumping up.
How do you guys feel about the additional wargear option for the Sergeant after CA - the power fist?
I'd say our Intercessors just got another row of teeth.

[Arkhanist]

5 points over a power sword makes it a pretty cheap upgrade now and gives the squad a bit more bite for those 'oh bugger' moments, but does make him a bit less effective against line infantry (their preferred target) due to the -1 to hit. If you're using them to camp the midfield, and you don't need those points for elsewhere and you have some modelled, why not.

[Panzer]

I don't like hitting on 4+ with just two attacks too much. The multi-damage is nice tho. Overall I'll stay with the Power sword tho since it utilizes the Red Thirst better. If we were Space Wolves tho I'd be all over the Power fist. ;)

[Cruor Vault]

I don't like hitting on 4+ with just two attacks too much. The multi-damage is nice tho. Overall I'll stay with the Power sword tho since it utilizes the Red Thirst better. If we were Space Wolves tho I'd be all over the Power fist.

Sarg has 3 attacks! 50% more dangerous than you think!

 

If the Veteran Intercessors upgrade is available to BA as well, then he can have 4 attacks!  That's getting into hero territory!

[Panzer]

 

I don't like hitting on 4+ with just two attacks too much. The multi-damage is nice tho. Overall I'll stay with the Power sword tho since it utilizes the Red Thirst better. If we were Space Wolves tho I'd be all over the Power fist.

Sarg has 3 attacks! 50% more dangerous than you think!

 

If the Veteran Intercessors upgrade is available to BA as well, then he can have 4 attacks!  That's getting into hero territory!

 

 

Haha right, 3 attacks. I still prefer swords for us. :P

[Ornithologist]

I actually run chainsword almost every time I use them. Their main use in my army is to sit around and look less thretening than other units so I can use them to score points and such.

[Xenith]

At its points level the power sword is an auto include. The fist, not so much, however is still valuable if you have the spare points.

 

The old reasons for needing a fist,like being assaulted by a dread or wraithlord, don't apply so much with red thirst and new wounding rules. Base troopers will be wounding that T7 dread on a 4+ the turn it charges, no?

[Panzer]

I think if a Dread charges my Intercessors I'll be happy if any survive to be able to strike back in the first place. :D

Also I do think a Dread would be one of the cases where the Fist would be the clearly better choice. Red Thirst still makes you wound it on 2+ instead of 3+ so it's not completely wasted and the multi-damage is always worth it against a multi-wound target. I just don't see this scenario happening all that often lol

[Ornithologist]

I do wonder how normal marine PF arms look on Primaris models. The close up look of the one from Imp Fists looks both larger and a bit bulkier than anyexisting models.

[Majkhel]

I,ve found this work of one of our fraters - standard PF by the look of it, as new IF fist has IF icon on it:

[Xenith]

I,ve found this work of one of our fraters - standard PF by the look of it, as new IF fist has IF icon on it:

GW hurry up and release jump pack Primaris already and I will buy some.