Best Pairings of Chapter Tactics and Primaris Units

[L30n1d4s]

I think the beauty of the new SM Codex is that it breathes new life not only into the Astartes Faction as a whole, but the rebalancing and new rules also seems to have made almost all units useable in a competitive setting and at least an option to consider for every Chapter.

 

That said, by the very nature of Chapter Tactics, which give specific boosts for certain units, circumstances, etc., I think each of the "big 8" Chapters in the SM Codex will have certain units that work particularly well with their Chapter Tactics, especially when taken in Tournaments, etc.

 

More specifically, here are some of the new Primaris units that I think will pair very well with each Chapter and its ruleset (and this is even without the release of most of the Supplements, which will add entire layers of new rules and context for deciding which units work best with each Chapter):

 

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1) White Scars -- Reivers -- With all kinds of buffs to mobility, charge ranges/charge reliability, plus the ability to fall back and charge again and, by turn 3, activate the Assault Doctrine for -1AP on their CCWs/-2 AP on their Heavy Bolt Pistols and also get D2 on their Blades on the charge, I think White Scars and Reivers will be an excellent pairing that can potentially see lots of use in competitive gaming (one of my favorite pairings is cast the new Obscuration power on WS Reivers that lets them move/advance a second time, meaning they get an average effective threat range for charging of 12" +4D6, or 26" on average).

 

2) Raven Guard -- Infiltrators -- While there are lots of units that benefit from Raven Guard abilities, I think these new Troop (and, hence Objective Secured) choices are particularly good at grabbing and holding objectives when paired with Cover, -1 to Hit from RG Chapter Tactics, and another -1 from Smoke Grenades (e.g. a squad of 5 RG Infiltrators in cover with Smoke Grenades popped would take an average of 360 x BS3+ Bolter shots or 27 x BS3+ Overcharged Plasma Shots, which have a 50% chance of overheating, to remove entirely). Finally, they can either heal a wounded model or resurrect a dead model with the Helix Adept abilities and they have a 12" bubble for denying the arrival of enemy reserves, meaning no units can get in range to charge them the turn they show up from Deep Strike, making them able to hang onto those objectives even longer.

 

3) Crimson Fists -- Inceptors with Assault Bolters -- For these guys, the ability to get +1 to Hit for "free" when shooting at units of 11 or more enemy models, along with the extra Assault Bolters shots from unmodified 6s to Hit, combine very effectivelyl with their organic ability to deep strike and the option to make their Assault Bolters AP-2 with the Tactical Doctrine. Turn 2, drop 6 x CF Inceptors behind enemy lines (with Tactical Doctrine on) and, without any support at all, they can kill an average of 20 Orks in cover. Alternately, if you use the CF Stratagem to give them +1 to Hit versus Characters and they can DS in such a way that an enemy character is closest, they can easily kill Astartes HQs, multiple AM characters, Tau Commanders, or other key enemy leaders with their 36 x S5 AP-2 shots.

 

4) Imperial Fists -- Aggressors with Boltstorm Gauntlets -- Not much needs to be said about these guys, especially now that they can benefit from AP-1 for all their ranged weapons, have 3W and 3A base, and can get their shooting buffed by +1 to Hit and +1 to Wound with a pair of nearby Chaplains. If they stand still and have the +1 to Hit Chaplain Litany buff, 6 IF Aggressors can have an average of 102 x S4 Hits (!) at 18".... with +1 to wound (from the other Chaplain Litany buff), -1 AP (from Tactical Doctrine), and Ignore Cover (from IF Chapter Tactics), these guys can demolish everything from hordes in cover to heavy enemy vehicles to elite Custodes Bikers.

 

5) Iron Hands -- Repulsors -- A lot of the synergy here is intuitively obvious, especially with the 6+++ FNP save (giving the Repulsor basically the equivalent of 2-3 extra wounds) and the buff to abilities with degrading profiles (i.e. the IH Repulsor doesn't start to degrade until it gets down to 4 Wounds, making it effective much longer). A less obvious buff is the Iron Hands ability to Overwatch on a 5+... combined with a nearby IH Chapter Master for full re-rolls to Hit and the mass quantity of shooting on a Repulsor with Heavy Bolters, Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon, Onslaught Gatling Cannon (12 x S5 AP-1 Overwatch hits on average), and max Storm Bolters (10 x S4 AP0 Overwatch hits, on average), and an IH Repulsors can massively punish charging enemy infantry (who might fail the charge anyway, thanks to the -2" to their charge ranges with Repulsor Fields). Even if the enemy does make it into assault with the Repulsor, it has a better chance of survival thanks to Iron Hands Chapter Tactics and, if it does survive, it can fall back and shoot again with all of its weapons the next turn, thanks to FLY!

 

6) Black Templars -- Invictor Tactical Warsuit with Incindium Cannon -- Given that this is basically a T6 Dreadnought that can infiltrate up to 9" away from the enemy pre-game and is a serious threat in both shooting (12" S5 AP-1 D1 2D6 Auto-hits) and close combat, I think it makes an excellent "Distraction Carnifex" for a BT army, as 2-3 Invictors can tie up the attention of an enemy gun line for a turn or two while the rest of the Black Templar army moves up the board and gets ready to charge. Additionally, the Invictors themselves are quite solid in close combat, so they synergize well with the re-roll to charge distances from BT Chapter Tactics and they also benefit significantly from the 5+++ FNP save against MWs, as they are quite likely to be the target of enemy Smites on turn 1, given how close they will often be to your opponent's DZ.

 

7) Salamanders -- Redemptor Dreadnought with Heavy Plasma Incinerator and Heavy Flamer -- Lots of units benefit from Salamanders' ability to ignore AP-1, and Redemptor Dreads certainly benefit as well with their solid T7, 3+ save, and 13W, but what really makes the Redemptor a great option for Salamanders is how well it pairs with their ability to re-roll 1 to Hit and 1 to Wound roll each phase. Since a Redemptor with Heavy Plasma Incinerator averages 3-4 x S9 AP-4 D2 shots a turn, free re-rolls to Hit/to Wound really maximizes the damage output here. Additionally, with 5 x S14 AP-3 D/D6 attacks on the charge, a free re-roll to Hit and to Wound again is a major force-multiplier to the Redemptor's abilities in the Fight phase. Taken all together and Salamander Chapter Tactics make the Redemptor Dreadnought both more durable and more dangerous in multiple phases of the game. 

 

8) Ultramarines -- Veteran Intercessors with Bolt Rifles -- While Intercessors are an outstanding unit for any Chapter will all the new buffs they have access to, I think they will particularly excel with the "Veteran Intercessor" Stratagem upgrade while serving in Ultramarine Blue. Specifically, once you get the Tactical Doctrine activated, this means that UM Intercessor can move 6" and still shoot out to 30" at full capacity. Using the "Rapid Fire" Stratagem, that means they can put out 40 x S4 AP-2 shots at an effective range of 36" each turn. On top of that, if they are charged, they can fight with 4A base (5A on the Sergeant, who can have a S8 AP-3 D4 Thunder Hammer if you give him the Master-Crafted Special issue Wargear optiont), fall back the next turn, activate the UM unique Stratagem ("Fall back and Re-Engage") to shoot again at full BS, and then charge in again that same turn (thanks again to that same Stratagem). Finally, between UM Chapter Tactics and the "Veteran Intercessors" upgrade, they have a Leadership of 10, meaning that they have to suffer at least 5 casualties before they even have to begin to worry about Morale checks, so this lowers the risk using large squads of 10 Intercessors.

Edited August 16, 2019 by L30n1d4s

[durdle-durdle]

I agree with your assessments, and all of these units are buffed greatly from all the things you mentioned.

 

If I were to make a list, I would probably change a few from being the star units though.

 

Raven guard- as fluffy and awesome as Raven guard infiltrators are, I don't think they really benefit as much from the chapter tactic since they will already be infiltrating close to the enemy.  That said, I forsee a stratagem that lets the Raven guard units pop smoke and still shoot, like the AM order "strike and shroud."  Until then though, I think Eliminators are amazing in Raven guard.  With the -1 to hit them (and smoke grenades if you want to do that for some reason) and a 1+ save in cover, they're such a pain to take out.  With a size of 3 models and lowish points cost, I feel like if anyone shoots at them, they're wasting their shots.  

 

Salamanders- I think if you're planning to use the Plasma incenerator, the redemptor is a great choice to benefit from the Salamanders trait.  I'd probably lean towards the Repulsor executioner though.  Since it only shoots fwo shots (twice), the one reroll is great for them, especially with the wound reroll to make sure those important shots go through.  To be fair though, I think i'd probably take both in a list.

 

Ultramarines- Again, Veteran intercessors are still a great choice and fluffy, and I think any list should include at least a couple units.  Aggressors, however, I would say benefit in a huge way specifically from Ultramarines.  With the Scions of Guilliman rule, they can move and shoot twice still, which makes them absurdly amazing.  It also makes them difficult to bog down with chaff because they can leave combat and shoot (and still charge with one of the stratagems, I think).

[Subtleknife]

I would say agressors definitely benefit more from the ultras rule. There big weakness is mobility, if they move they lose the ability to shoot again. With ultras this is not an issue.

[zero88]

You missed one of the biggest ones... Salamander Eliminators, Suppressors are another solid choice for them too

[MajorNese]

For Raven Guard, I'd actually say any long-ranged vehicle without invul profits more than any infantry.

 

While Eliminators always count as in cover (and therefore have that nice 1+ save in the open), all vehicles go from the standard 3+ armour to 2+, even if they wouldn't receive cover purely by the terrain. Thereby Repulsors get 2+ armour (free LandRaider upgrade) - cutting AP0 chaff fire in half, and removing 33% of AP-1 shots (which are fielded a lot, due to most powerhouses having good invuls). If you count AP-3 as the effective limit (few weapons go beyond that) it leads to every vehicle and marine running around with a 5++ at range - the standard invul for knights etc., just for free, on everything. Also Dakka-Redemptors profit a lot from it - they can keep their distance, yet pose a CC threat if anyone wants to go close to ignore the cover.

[CCE1981]

I think White Scars with Veteran Intercessor squads, sergeants armed with a Thunderhammer, inside an Impulsor of choice, with various HQs are going to lift some weight!

[Rommel44]

White Scars best Primaris unit combo imo should be the Incursors. Come with paired Combat Blades that add an extra hit everytime you roll a 6 just makes them far more effective than the Reivers in terms of CC potential.

[Rommel44]

I think White Scars with Veteran Intercessor squads, sergeants armed with a Thunderhammer, inside an Impulsor of choice, with various HQs are going to lift some weight!

This is a great option as well for the White Scars imo. However if we were just going to compare Chapter Tactics with an unmodified Primaris unit, Incursor Squads stand out more.

[L30n1d4s]

Incursors don't have an extra attack though.... Reivers have 2A base, plus one for the Combat Blade. Incusors only have 2A base and can generate another attack on an unmodified 6 to Hit. That means, on the charge, 10 Reivers get 41 attacks, while 10 Incursors only get an average of 36-37 attacks... so I think the Reivers are a bit better in combat.

[Rommel44]

Incursors don't have an extra attack though.... Reivers have 2A base, plus one for the Combat Blade. Incusors only have 2A base and can generate another attack on an unmodified 6 to Hit. That means, on the charge, 10 Reivers get 41 attacks, while 10 Incursors only get an average of 36-37 attacks... so I think the Reivers are a bit better in combat.

You make a fair point. However I argue that and Incursors are the better option than Reivers because the Incursors are a Troop Choice compared to the Elite choice the Reivers take up, which can cause problems if you want to field Veteran Bike Squads or the Warsuit.

Edited August 17, 2019 by Rommel44

[momerathe]

You can take up to six elite choices in a battalion - unless your entire army is bikes it's not that big a deal.

[Medjugorje]

Incursors don't have an extra attack though.... Reivers have 2A base, plus one for the Combat Blade. Incusors only have 2A base and can generate another attack on an unmodified 6 to Hit. That means, on the charge, 10 Reivers get 41 attacks, while 10 Incursors only get an average of 36-37 attacks... so I think the Reivers are a bit better in combat.

 

with the deepstrike rule combined with a Chaplain with +2 on Charge they should come into Close combat in round 3 - and then with -1 AP and 2 Damage they could be very nice in combination with their granates and hit&run it should be very effective...

[Dracos]

Prime Raven Guard Primaris units

 

Vanguard: units like the Infiltrators save the army from spending too much  CP during deployment

 

Aggressors: Strike from Shadows

Intercessors: usually -1 to hit

Flyers and long range vehicles: 2+ save until bumrushed.

 

Not a fan of the Chapter Tactics and the fact half of it doesn't apply to Vehicles

 

 

*edit*

 

I think/hope we may find that Paired Combat Blades also give a +1 A just like Combat Blades do. Otherwise its just a goofy rule. 

Edited August 18, 2019 by Dracos

[SkimaskMohawk]

They don't

[Dracos]

So as far as I see Imperial Fist have no need of Incursors, and Raven Guard have minimal use for most (not all) of the Vanguard units. 

[SkimaskMohawk]

I feel like that's a pretty shallow statement. Imperial fist incursors will still benefit from 6s to hit and no modifiers on their shots. They still fill the role.

 

Similarly for the raven guard, you don't have to spend command points to get early pressure. You don't get the benefits if you're right up in their grill, but the only unit that wants to be close to that also benefits from the chapter tactic fully is the incursors.

[Johanhgg]

I think white scars really benefit of using squads of inceptors. Shoot, charge, fall back, shoot again and charge :)

[MeltaRange]

Incursors don't have an extra attack though.... Reivers have 2A base, plus one for the Combat Blade. Incusors only have 2A base and can generate another attack on an unmodified 6 to Hit. That means, on the charge, 10 Reivers get 41 attacks, while 10 Incursors only get an average of 36-37 attacks... so I think the Reivers are a bit better in combat.

 

No one will take units of 10 Reivers.  Maybe 5 man units to just be annoying with all the movement shenanigans. ('Temporal Corridor' + Grapnel Launchers will be good, but they cannot advance and throw their special grenades) It's not that they are garbage, but they just aren't good enough to justify their use over other choices even at that price point.  I would rather take Incursors over Reivers for every situation, given their deployment options and ability to stack Smoke Grenades with things like 'Ride Hard, Ride Fast' or 'Spirits of Chogoris' to make them super hard to shift.

 

As someone else mentioned, Veteran Intercessors are going to be lethal for White Scars.  Aggressors will also be very tasty, given how hard they hit and how meaningful the White Scars mobility stuff is for them. (both the units really)

 

'Lightning Debarkation', 'Ride Hard, Ride Fast' and 'Feinting Withdrawal' in particular are going to be quite nasty for these units in conjunction with their CT.  

[Dracos]

I feel like that's a pretty shallow statement. Imperial fist incursors will still benefit from 6s to hit and no modifiers on their shots. They still fill the role.

 

Similarly for the raven guard, you don't have to spend command points to get early pressure. You don't get the benefits if you're right up in their grill, but the only unit that wants to be close to that also benefits from the chapter tactic fully is the incursors.

 

More of they aren't optimal units to use in those armies given the Chapter Tactics those Founding Chapters have. Your point about CP is valid but until now CP were meh for Marines so I'm interested in what other goodies the Supplements provide.

 

My point was more along the lines that some units are going to synergize well with one Chapter and seem trash with another. Unil we have more knowledge it will be a lot of speculation.

 

Reivers are generally seen as a poor unit for its cost by many, but I see a important role for them in a Primaris army in terms of grabbing objectives and scoring secondaries. I think their are alot of opinions out there based on "get its points back". If you kill 4/5 my army but I win because I had units that weren't sexy killers but tactically advantageous then I'm good with trading "kill points" all day :)

 

I wouldn't take 10 Reivers but tyeah 2 squads of 5 and a Grav-Lt or Shrike with some Plas-ceptors - yeah lets rip that backfield. Reivers can go places Incursors cant get to and Intercessors cant reach with firepower. Do I wish the blade had a -1 AP heck yeah but Combat Doctrines, Litanies, Psychic Powers, and Chapter Tactics have just been scratched. I'm betting there is a combo out there that makes Reivers more valuable than their now reduced points look.

 

PS: I should copy and paste this in the Reiver thread but I'm sure everyone is checking both ;)