How do you compose your DW squads?

[Brother Bahram]

Since there was a time I played, the best tactica:

How do you compose your DW squads?

5 or 6 men? Or more?

Do you mix shooty with heavy to get jack of all trades or keep it clean?

[Berzul]

I have one squad with storm bolters and an assault cannon, which I use in Deep Strike to Deathwing Assault blobs of infantry that are blocking my advance, or holding objectives I know I won't reach with anything else. I sometimes proxy them as stock storm bolters, to reduce that extra 20 points cost. Depends on the size of the game.

 

I have a 10 man squad of deathwing knights, which goes with a Deathwing Ancient with Powerfist and Storm Bolter (because I just assembled him as such). This squad I'll play at any size, from 5 to 10.

 

I also play a TDA Librarian (Brother Casimir, my favourite psyker in my army) with Aversion and Righteous Repugnance, as well as hero of the chapter for Master of Maneuver. This guy goes with whichever squad I pick, or with the Knights in case I take both squads into a fight. His goal is to boost the melee performance of the terminators, block some smites, and provide with better charges and some more speed when having to footslog around the board after a drop, for positioning.

 

Oh, and each squad I take with watchers, often times.

 

I have the models for more squads, but I have only used them like once or twice, and I don't think I'll dust them off in 9th to be honest... Those models forma  10 man squad which has 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, and 5 Thunder Hammer + Storm Shield models, so that I can split it up, and form one squad with 5 storm bolters and 2 missile racks for firepower, and 5 hammers for melee.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Berzul

[Grand Master Raziel]

The last list I played featured a 5-man squad of DWKs (that's all I have) and a 5 man DW Terminator squad, 3 THSS, 2 LCsx2. Plus an Ancient, Asmodai, Ezekial, and a Terminator Master with a pair of LCs and Master Crafted. Rode around in a pair of Land Raiders (one Phobos, one Crusader).

[Angel of Solitude]

In the last few games I played, I was taking 6 DWK, supported by an Ancient for the +1A and 5+++ and a Librarian for Righteous Repugnance. Using a Ravenwing Apothecary to teleport in using Combined Assault, this unit can be an absolute murder machine.

 

In terms of regular Deathwing, I’ve often tried a 10-man squad with 5 storm bolters, 2 assault cannons, and 3 Thunder hammer/Storm shield. You can Deathwing Assault when you teleport in, and the stratagems and storm shields means that the unit is an absolute pain to shift...

 

It’s not the most competitive option, but it’s fun and thematic!

[clanfield]

i usualy run mr belial and a squad of 5 =sgt stmbltr power swd 1 ass canon chain fist,2 t hammer stm sh 1 tw l claws.

 

i back that up with regular 5 boys stm blter p fist plu ether a plasma canon or cyclone in bigger games

[Fajita Fan]

I was just messing with DW lists because I’m stripping mine to paint a third time and now we have 9th edition coming so I want to see the points changes. Now that plasma cannons aren’t blast templates I feel like they’re more useful and the ability to mix CCW and shooty termies means I feel compelled to do so.

[Fajita Fan]

I opened my Google sheets list to see what I had most recently come up with for 8th edition lists before I knew points were changing, I couldn’t remember for sure what I had. 
 

Since DW can split into combat squads I was taking 10 man squads that will split when they teleport so that I can drop 2 heavy weapons in squads where it’s important. Given that units can split fire now this isn’t as important as it was in 6th and 7th but I think there’s still utility in being able to drop 5 terminators with 2 plasma cannons in LoS of a juicy objective-camping target.

 

I will never be considered a great player by any stretch of the imagination so take this with a gain of salt. Because we can mix CC and shooty termies I’m predisposed towards having at least one TH/SS model in every 5 to be the designated lascannon catcher. Storm bolters are a little better against marines now with a little AP but I have a couple lightning claws in every 10 man squad too in case someone wants to stick their hands in a meat grinder. Granted footslogging terminators generally need your opponent’s active participation to get into melee but I see a lot of melee armies out there. Come get some. 
 

I have a lot of assault cannons because they had rending in 4th when I started DW, I fell in love with an army of all white terminators immediately.  Given how many marine armies you’re likely to face it seems logical to switch to plasma cannons but I do hear horde armies might be popular again in 9th; maybe not all of those assault cannons should go into moth balls. TH/SS/cyclone was a cool build in 5th/6th but at some point they took that combo away in the codex. It’s back and I feel like  a squad with a pair of those gives some target flexibility. 
 

I like building fluffy armies so I’ll be interested to see how the new points look. 

[Master Sheol]

I always make 6/7 men squads both for DWT and DWK

Usually my DWT squads are SGT with THSS or 2LC, 1 HW (if It has CML i give him THSS too) 2/3 with PFSB 1 with CFSB and One with THSS

 

With 9th edition and the rules for blast weapons i will reduce my squads to 5 men taking out one with PFSB so the squads will be

1 Sgt with THSS/2LC

1 Heavy

1 PFSB

1 CFSB

1 THSS

 

I have 1 tartaros squad and 1 cataphractii squad but they are already 5 men squads so they will remain like they are now

[Brother Bahram]

I always make 6/7 men squads both for DWT and DWK

Usually my DWT squads are SGT with THSS or 2LC, 1 HW (if It has CML i give him THSS too) 2/3 with PFSB 1 with CFSB and One with THSS

With 9th edition and the rules for blast weapons i will reduce my squads to 5 men taking out one with PFSB so the squads will be

1 Sgt with THSS/2LC

1 Heavy

1 PFSB

1 CFSB

1 THSS

I have 1 tartaros squad and 1 cataphractii squad but they are already 5 men squads so they will remain like they are now

Looks what I've planned in my head.

[Skywrath]

Since there was a time I played, the best tactica:

How do you compose your DW squads?

5 or 6 men? Or more?

Do you mix shooty with heavy to get jack of all trades or keep it clean?

 

Usually when I play my Deathwing on the board it's in the trifecta of Deathwing Ancient (pennant of remembrance, if I choose to use him) - Deathwing Knights x9 (including Knight-Master) - Champion (with the Key of Archrabael relic.)

When it comes to the DWT - they are all armed with a powerfist/stormbolter, with one of them having the cyclone missile launcher.

 

Over in storage I have about 15 other Terminators - 1 sergeant with PS/SB, 2 with assault cannons/PF, 1 with plasma cannon/PF, 3 with CF/SB, the rest with PF/SB. They are probably in need of repainting as they were my first models, however getting a bit tired of painting bone-white. So easy to mess up..

 

Anyway, in regards to your questions:

 

1. See above.

2. 5 man squads.

3. I go full shooty as my Deathwing Knights/Champion pack a punch in melee. However, recently, I don't play the DWT in favour of 6 x plasma inceptors (which both outshine the DWT and come highly recommended).

Edited June 24, 2020 by Skywrath

[Berzul]

I don wonder if the 10-man squad of DW will see less use in 9th, since now by taking that 6th guy in the squad you expose yourself to blast weapons.

[Fajita Fan]

You can split the 10 man squad into a pair of combat squads when they teleport in (assuming the combat squad rules stay the same) so you can put 2 heavy weapons in one squad and TH/SS in the other. I love the number of shots a pair of plasma cannons does :D Edited June 24, 2020 by Fajita Fan