Experimenting with pure Primaris in battlefield control

[Spyros]

So, I 've been toying with some pure Primaris lists as a Blood Angel (yeah, good luck with that), and I was considering the ways to control the battlefield objectives early on.

Using only Primaris models would mean that the tactics used would be, by necessity, similar to other Astartes armies, right?

 

Has anyone tried using multiple Invictor suits forward deployed by Concealed Positions in order to hold the opponent in his deployment zone, followed by something fast like Outriders, Inceptors, or Impulsor carried infantry to take control of as many objectives as possible?

 

[Captain Idaho]

For now the discussion can be generic to Space Marines for a good overview, so I won't boot it off to Baal for your chosen faction just yet.

 

Having said that, Blood Angels do benefit more from Firstborn units on the whole. They like Assault Intercessors, but to be honest for troops they just need objectives holders (Infiltrators and Incursors often find a place due to deployment shenanigans).

 

Jump Pack infantry are generally melee based so you'll see Firstborn in Blood Angels armies for that very reason.

 

However, if you want a pure Primaris army, there are competitive non-Blood Angels armies out there. 3 Redemptors, 3 minimum sized Primaris squads (2 Incursors to 1 Infiltrators normally) etc. These armies often use Invictor Warsuits too.

 

However, I don't feel like these are particularly fun lists to build. That's top flight competitive and it's kinda boring to me.

 

If you want a workable list though, focused on Primaris, I'd consider Bladeguard strongly. 5 can go in an Impulsor, 10 in 2 Impulsors and get up the board quickly turn 1 and survive through stats, saves and Transhuman Physiology to charge turn 2.

Edited November 26, 2022 by Captain Idaho

[Jorin Helm-splitter]

I tried using Invictors with my wolves to hold my opponents in their deployment zones and I didn't have a lot of success. Mainly because it's hard to find a position that pressures them while also obscuring the Invictor. It just felt like I had go first and the Invictor needed to do well. To be brutally honest the best case scenario didn't make up for the average result.

 

The most success that I had with Invictors was having them cover midfield objectives. So more of a counter charge style unit that bubble wrapped my deployment a bit.

 

I agree with Captain Idaho a couple of units of bladeguard in impulsors are probably going to be your best option. I'd run some redemptors to draw fire from them.

[Galron]

I had decent success early in 9th with my all primaris Star Phantoms (dark angels). Grain of salt since the game has changed drastically since then however, incursors were not in style yet at that point. I was fielding 2 5man intercessors with stalkers, one assault bolter 5 man, a redemptor, a 6 man with assault bolters, two 5 man assault hellblaster units and Lazarus in impulsors, one squad of plasma inceptors, a Lancer, 2 warsuits and I want to say I filled up my last points with reavers maybe. There might have been some other odds and ends, I dont remember my 2nd HQ. But it was fairly effective at swarming the early objectives and with the impulsors and lancer I would go through a flank while the heavies did the middle. I doubt it would work near as good at this point however. Maybe I will give it another go sometime.

[Spyros]

Here's a 2000 points experimental list I came up with. Agressive as possible.

Invictors and Infiltrators deploy forwards, either to hold the enemy or charge if they get first turn. Infiltrators stay on an objective.

Chaplain and bikes rush to support the Invictors and/or step on an objective.

Bladeguard with Apothecary also advance on objective.

Rest of the army supports where needed.

 

100 Primaris Captain - Power fist, Plasma pistol

150 Primaris Chaplain on bike, Master of Sanctity

 

130 Infiltrator (5) - Helix

140 Heavy Intercessors (5)

115 Assault Intercessors (5), Th.Hammer

 

160 Invictor warsuit

160 Invictor warsuit

160 Invictor warsuit

115 Chief Apothecary

175 Bladeguard (5)

190 Redemptor Dreadnought, Macro-Plasma, Onslaught gatling, Storm-bolters

 

135 Outriders

 

135 Eradicators (3)

135 Eradicators (3)

 

Thoughts?

Edited December 5, 2022 by Spyros

[TheNewman]

Consider this more of a 'bump' than anything else, my answer to how you hold mid-field objectives early with Primaris is "you don't".  And the answer to the follow up question of how you hold the mid-field with Marines in general is "You don't.  Kill everything that's a threat, then advance into the mid-field.  Try to do it in the other order and you'll just get shot off the table."

[Spyros]

On 12/8/2022 at 3:18 PM, TheNewman said:

Consider this more of a 'bump' than anything else, my answer to how you hold mid-field objectives early with Primaris is "you don't".  And the answer to the follow up question of how you hold the mid-field with Marines in general is "You don't.  Kill everything that's a threat, then advance into the mid-field.  Try to do it in the other order and you'll just get shot off the table."

 

Interesting point of view. Still, I believe this list can help overcome the foot-slogging drama of a primaris list.

For example an Invictor could be replaced by a 4-man Aggressor squad, something that has a chance against hard targets.

Here the Invictor wins in terms of toughness, wounds, hitting on 3+ (instead of 4+) and most importantly speed. I can easily see the Aggressors shot to death trying to get anywhere.

Of course the Aggressors can find some cover while the Invictor probably wont. And despite hitting on 4+ the Aggressors will have triple the number of attacks.

But I 'm willing to bet a lot on speed and positioning.