Unit of the Week series: Myphitic Blight Haulers

[Plague _Lord]

Welcome to the Unit of the Week Series!

 

Each week a different unit will be highlighted for discussion until we have amalgamated a full list of our available options and their relevant tactics as 9th edition evolves. This will include not only matched play, but free play considerations as well as Crusade, as these methods of play are just as relevant and exciting.

 

Please keep in mind this isn't to lament the status of featured units or compare them to others but to try and find their potential for all types of gameplay.

 

 

This week we will take a look at:

 

Myphitic Blight Haulers (MBH)

 

Once a staple unit in most lists, they got hit by the nerf bat hard, mainly due to their price skyrocketing... Is this unit still viable in 9th?

 

Some food for thought:

- how many units would you take?

- is it worth using cp on them?

- what role do they function?

- what are the overall strengths and weaknesses?

- what synergies do they have in the different plague companies?

 

 

Feel free to discuss my blighted lords and ladies.

 

Death Guard Unit of the Week Index

Edited July 15, 2021 by Xenith

[Karhedron]

I would say they are still quite good. Their price increase has masked the fact they got several buffs in the new codex. Multimeltas went up to Heavy 2 and got the +2 damage at close range. MBHs got BS/WS3+. Added together this is a significant boost in firepower.

 

The change to disgustingly resilient is a nerf but at leas it makes them more reliable against things like overcharged plasma.

 

They actually compare very favourably with Hellbrutes having better firepower and an Invulnerable save albeit at the price of relatively mediocre melee capability.

 

I would use these guys in pairs or trios in the centre of your battle line and march them straight into the midfield to take advantage of their multimeltas, bilespurts and Contagion ability. They can soak up quite a bit of firepower for their points and they are also pretty durable in melee thanks to the -1 to-Hit. While they are not melee powerhouses, their Bilespurt and Gnashing maw mean will still wound MEQs on a 2+ thanks to the Contagion. As long as you have something nearby to bail them out of combat against powerful opponents, they make great distraction Carnifexes. Also they are not particularly big models so can make use of terrain to avoid LOS when the opportunity presents itself.

[Relentless]

Love blighthaulers.  I run them in Poxmongers escorted by a demon prince with the relic that allows him to put 4++ on demon engines.  That relic plus the -1 attacks strat can make them pretty tanky.  400+ points for three is hard to swallow though, especially for not being Core.  I'm not sure what price point I'd like them at, but am always annoyed when playing against Ravenwing and seeing a squad of 3 attackbikes with multimelta and Core for the price of one blighthauler.

[Wolf Lord Loki]

I love my little fart karts. My opponent hated them, mostly because they would not die!

 

Got 3 which are each converted to look a bit different.

 

Not played them in 9th yet but I'm hoping the psychological trauma that they instilled from 8th edition will still carry some sway!!

[KingYertle]

I think I’m in the minority as this is the unit that frustrates me the most of everything in the codex. 

 

As a unit it is primarily a ranged threat, yet as it lacks Core it has no character support and the codex offers no stratagem support for its offensive capabilities.

 

It’s a “tough” unit, but its toughness relies heavily on the 5++ invul save.  At 8 wounds, 2 unsaved D3+3 shots will down it on average, even with the -1 Damage from DR.  The Codex Strat for -1 attack is great, but really only applies against multi-meltas and congnis lascannons.  The majority of anti-tank weapons (Eradicators, Dark Lances) are single shot.

 

It’s a Fast Unit, but it has a weapon loadout that is more impactful if screened.  Once tagged you’re forced to expended expensive anti-tank shots on chaff. 

 

It’s not a Bubonic Astartes unit and therefore doesn’t ignore the -1 to fire heavy weapons in melee.

 

It was an infantry buffing unit that lost this ability. 

 

It has a fluffy mouth flamer weapon that isn’t a flamer weapon, but has a special rule to make it a flamer in melee but gets only D3 shots instead of D6.  And it has Blast.  If this was D6 shots, even if only S4 it would be much more useful as a "charge me with chaff if you dare" weapon.

 

IMO it is a very confused 140 point unit, that is overpriced by about 20 points IMO.  GW sold out of these when 9^th edition dropped and the “we don’t need to sell any more of these” message was heard loud and clear by the codex author. 

 

Give me a Helbrute any day.  The HB is slightly easier to kill (No invul Save) but has more reliable offensive output and significant melee punch. 

 

All that said, I’d love for you all to change my mind.  For an easy to Build unit the model has a lot of character. 

 

[Special Officer Doofy]

I love the hauler. I often take a squad of 3 with the poxmonger relic. They are currently overcosted since they went to 140pts a peice and DR got nerfed. I don't mind that they are not core, but it is so friggin' stupid they don't have the bubonic astartes keyword.

[Plague _Lord]

MBH annoy me aswell. I used to run them every game before the new dex and they were great infantry supporters - giving my plague marines mobile cover and some anttank punch that the latter lacked. Now they are just too expensive to justify over a PBC.

 

In 9th you don't really need that much antitank, since most of the stuff you run into will be either transports or dreads. So it comes down to PBC vs MBH.

PBC gives you 2 36'' shots at str 8 -4 ap , d3+3 dmg and plague weapon rerolls. On top of that you have the mortar and a decent small arms fire weapon. You also have T8 and 12 wounds.

MBH gives you 2 24'' :cusss at str 8 -4ap d6+2 dmg only if you are in 12'' + 1 str8 -2 ap d6 dmg shot. You also get a crappy not-flamer and defensive buffs in melee + a defensive strat for around 30 points less.

 

It's kind of a no brainer where I'm putting my AT points and it's the PBC thanks to better range, average damage output and toughness. 

If the MBH would cost 105-115points I think I could fit one or maybe two in a list but as of now it's just really overcosted whilst losing all it's utility in exchange for more accurate but very swingy shooting.

[Wolf Lord Loki]

I love my little fart karts. My opponent hated them, mostly because they would not die!

 

Got 3 which are each converted to look a bit different.

 

Not played them in 9th yet but I'm hoping the psychological trauma that they instilled from 8th edition will still carry some sway!!

[Plague _Lord]

Yeah well that the problem... why not pay 35 points more for T8 12W and better antitank and non LOS shooting?

 

I just think they got nerfed too hard just because some people were running blobs of 3 with the ressurecting GuO for a while and it was broken.

[Iron Sage]

I like them, but they are some what pricey. So I only manage to afford them in a few lists. I own 3 fully painted, but so far in post-codex 9th, I have only ever fielded a single one (incidentally, in my last game against Raven Guard which I won, though this was not due to the MBH as agressors and that silly walker killed it fast; although I guess it soaked a bit of fire). It is not really a bad unit, but we have other good options so it is, and I realise I repeat myself, difficult to get them into lists without removing something that can potentially be better despite them being quite okay on paper. But 1 MBH in a 2K list works. More is I think, difficult, unless you play mostly just with tanks.

 

If they had only cost 10-15 point less, it would be far easier to chuck them into lists without losing out on Virions and stuff you actually need.

[Special Officer Doofy]

They need the bubonic astartes keyword so they can actually benefit from out legion trait (shoot heavy in melee without penalty). I feel like that's not asking for alot, thousand son's helbrutes get their 5++ (and also -1 damage).

[Tokugawa]

They have place in mech lists. But that is still after you purchased PBC, Mower drones, and contemptors. They don't have high priority due to poor points cost.