Unit of the Week: Cultists

[Xenith]

++Thousand Sons Unit of the Week++

++Cultists++

New codex, new discussions about units! As we already have in other faction sections, this is the Thousand Sons Unit of the Week series, where each week we select and dissect a datasheet found in the book, and discuss how we use the unit in-game, favoured loadouts and combos, essentially how to use these units best. What have you found that works, and what doesnt? Please try to stick to the idea of making the unit in question work, as opposed to pointing out other units that might do a better job - we'll get to those in time!

This week, we will be discussing the odious rabble of the Legion, the Thousand Sons Cultists - a horde of scum and villains devoted to the dark gods in search of fame and glory, these madmen follow the Thousand Sons into battle, or are driven forth before their armies.

What are you thoughts, and how best would you use the unit?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around?
  
• Will you be running multiples?
  
• What <GREAT CULT>, loadouts, spell relic and Stratagem support do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
  
• Are you buffing this unit, and if so, how?
  
• Are you building as a damage dealer or buff-provider?
  
• Uses in Matched, Narrative and Open Play
  
• How have they fared for you in-game?
  

Over to you.

++Thousand Sons Unit of the Week Index Link++

[Xenith]

Losing ObSec was a big blow for these guys - in a mirror match, a single Rubricae will take an objective from them, so what are their uses?

 

They can still be taken as a 30 strong blob which will take up a lot of real estate - combne this with Weaver of Fates for a 4+ invulnerable on the unit, and you have a hard to shift tarpit.

 

With the appropriate Warlord Trait from Scheming (Grand Schemer) your Warlord gets an aura of ObSec - 30 4++ Obsec bodies are a great bodyguard for your warlord also, or maybe give it to a secondary CHARACTER with the specific purpose of herding the cultists to where they need to be. 

[Cleon]

Losing ObSec was a big blow for these guys - in a mirror match, a single Rubricae will take an objective from them, so what are their uses?

 

They can still be taken as a 30 strong blob which will take up a lot of real estate - combne this with Weaver of Fates for a 4+ invulnerable on the unit, and you have a hard to shift tarpit.

 

With the appropriate Warlord Trait from Scheming (Grand Schemer) your Warlord gets an aura of ObSec - 30 4++ Obsec bodies are a great bodyguard for your warlord also, or maybe give it to a secondary CHARACTER with the specific purpose of herding the cultists to where they need to be. 

 

Alas I don't think that works - the Warlord trait requires the guys in the aura to have the cult, and unless I'm misreading cultists aren't in a cult (wow, how stupid does that sound when you say it aloud... cultists aren't in a cult...)

[Balthamal]

Honestly the only use I can see for these guys now without Obsec is tacking the 4++ onto them and eat up some space on the board.

 

Or slight tangent, if Abaddon is around they're not going to get mulched through attrition either.

[Xenith]

 

Losing ObSec was a big blow for these guys - in a mirror match, a single Rubricae will take an objective from them, so what are their uses?

 

They can still be taken as a 30 strong blob which will take up a lot of real estate - combne this with Weaver of Fates for a 4+ invulnerable on the unit, and you have a hard to shift tarpit.

 

With the appropriate Warlord Trait from Scheming (Grand Schemer) your Warlord gets an aura of ObSec - 30 4++ Obsec bodies are a great bodyguard for your warlord also, or maybe give it to a secondary CHARACTER with the specific purpose of herding the cultists to where they need to be. 

 

Alas I don't think that works - the Warlord trait requires the guys in the aura to have the cult, and unless I'm misreading cultists aren't in a cult (wow, how stupid does that sound when you say it aloud... cultists aren't in a cult...)

 

 

Wow, didn't pick that one up. That's really bad.

[Ryan3000]

I am going to be running a big blob of cultists in a list against some knights this week so will let you know how it goes.

 

I think there is value in having the numbers to completely block out the objective zone so that enemy obsec cannot reach the objective to take it from you. If they charge in the couple characters hiding in the middle can pile on the smites and mortals while the cultists hold the line. I think the cultist blob relies on having a list that can distract the enemy from the blob right out the gate or the cultists will get trivially picked up.

A standard enemy shooting of hitting on 3s, wounding on 3s and having at least ap -1 takes 68 shots to kill all 30. The same 68 shots kills 11 with Glamour and Weaver. While this still seems pointless just to keep some 5 point models alive its more about the characters they are protecting.

5 man Rubrics or even SOT can be shot down to 2 models pretty easily, yes 1 of our characters can use the strat but only 1. If we lose our characters we lose the game.

[WarriorFish]

I think their merit is only in cheap bodies, which is much how they work for other CSM anyway :P At least you can give them a cheeky 4++ with Sons that could be great at the right moments (e.g. when they're sitting on an objective your opponent wants them gone from). Maybe they can be a good way to hold backfield objectives too, as your Rubrics are likely more valuable elsewhere?

[Xenith]

All true - the cost of a rubric squad with no upgrades nets you 21 cultists, which takes up a lot of space, and might be good for screening out your backfield (unless you want to lure people in with the precognition/auspex strat).

[Ryan3000]

Xenith - yeah I think the auspex strat is a big one. Lots of people dropping in small squads to ROD or engage and even a 5 man rubric squad has a good chance of wiping them out.

[Xenith]

Coming back to these guys - with only one possible option for ardent automata, if we have rubric units trying to perform actions we lose a lot of firepower - I've been running a unit of 10 cultists in my last few games, and they've been ok, both raising banners and acting as a screen to stop things assaulting my rubes, then also holding a backfield objective to allow my rubrics to advance up the table.

 

9th for me increasingly feels like a numbers game. Everything is so killy, and comparatively weak that you end up trading units with your opponent - in that instance, some chaff to throw into an objective to draw out your opponent's killy stuff might be a great option, or to give that killy deep striking unit two choices, go after the objective holding cultists or shoot rubrics - either choice is good for us. 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Xenith

[WarriorFish]

I thought 8th was a numbers game and 9th is more so. Some things help - 2W Marines for example - but won't change how the game runs. Cultists will always be a good unit for Chaos in this regard as they're there to fill shirts and do the menial tasks your Marines are too important for They've never done much for my CSM directly, but then their role was always to catch bullets, run obstruction, and babysit objectives. In my experience they've never been worse than "ok" which is a decent return for a cheap unit

 

This is all the more so for Sons who are more expensive still. They won't be filling out lists (and never should) but one or maybe two squads to jump on bullets and hold objectives etc has merit. At least in larger games? For lower point lists you'll need every point for your main forces so they probably won't make the cut...

[Xenith]

Yea, I think in larger games they'll definitely have a place. I'm thinking of Lictors here in my Tyranids. Small, weak, but importantly INFANTRY, and can pop up and perform actions. 1 unit of cultists on a home objective and a risen rubricae ardent automata unit in the midfield will put up a decent amount of banners T1 and pressuring the opponent.