Custodes and the Jan 2023 balance datasheet

[Captain Idaho]

What ho everyone. So how do people feel about the latest balance datasheet and points changes (such as they are)?

 

I feel like it was able to get me back interested in Custodes again.  I like Alarus Terminators and the removal of Armour of Contempt makes weapons like Axes and our bolters better and basically much more competitive. 

 

It's funny that many of the changes are relating to other factions but help us!

 

Slight changes to Strategums is interesting too. As I read it, there isn't any restrictions on how many times we can use any of them now, according to the datasheet? Unless it's somewhere else. 

[Reskin]

Yeah I noticed they removed the once per game line? On those two big strats

[Captain Idaho]

Yeah, thats big.

 

I'm still disappointed with Sisters of Silence being lacklustre in utility but we can't win them all. Next Codex or a splash release maybe

 

Custodes guns are going to be effective again now anyway thanks to removal of Armour of Contempt. This makes me a happy badger.

[Marshal Valkenhayn]

Everything seems positive to me. The only down side from my perspective is that we mostly play 500 or 25 pl games at my LGS, and I don't own any sisters or Wardens currently. Not being able to field a Patrol has made my lists harder to build. However, once I get those units table ready it'll be smooth sailing.

[Noserenda]

Cheaper Anathema is good as an Anathema player :D Thats about it!

On a related note, toting up Boarding assault armies and you essentially fill the FOC options with 5 woman units, then add 3 Vigilators/Witchseekers. Simples! Does make me wish you could take some misc kit though, like tarantulas or a firewasp, though i guess these days that means models and kit like that is apparently locked into killteam.  

[Captain Idaho]

Can you please make a topic sharing your Tactical insight into the SoS? I love the concept and I think getting the most out of them would be brilliant. In normal games where possible to, it's a conversation I'd like to engage in 

 

***

 

It's funny how things that change for other armies change the dynamics of an army like Custodes. The weapons they have and numbers on the table mean more now AoC has gone, giving new life into our Mastercrafted bolters, Axes and Ka'tas even. Having double shooting for example goes further with bolters now.

[Noserenda]

Honestly i play so infrequently and with such relatively odd setups (Small games, stripped back special rules, no secondaries, extra terrain) that my experience is probably warped :D 

But its mostly dealing with a limited toolset, hitting everything scary with big swords and praying enough rhinos survive the first turn lol

[Karhedron]

Regarding SoS, I think prosecutors are handy for cheap ObjSec and Action Monkeys. 55 points for MSU is not bad as long as you can keep the enemy distracted with bigger, scarier threats. Backfield Objective campers seems ideal.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Karhedron

[Reskin]

7 hours ago, Captain Idaho said:

Can you please make a topic sharing your Tactical insight into the SoS? I love the concept and I think getting the most out of them would be brilliant. In normal games where possible to, it's a conversation I'd like to engage in 

 

***

 

It's funny how things that change for other armies change the dynamics of an army like Custodes. The weapons they have and numbers on the table mean more now AoC has gone, giving new life into our Mastercrafted bolters, Axes and Ka'tas even. Having double shooting for example goes further with bolters now.

Yeah, even as a GK player, both GK and Custodes got the worse end of the stick with AoC. The best ranged weapons I had access to were AP-1, and my plethora of melee weapons really felt garbage much like the custode's ones.

 

Thank gosh it's gone though. Our premium costed weapons actually feel decent again. 

[Captain Idaho]

11 hours ago, Karhedron said:

Regarding SoS, I think prosecutors are handy for cheap ObjSec and Action Monkeys. 55 points for MSU is not bad as long as you can keep the enemy distracted with bigger, scarier threats. Backfield Objective campers seems ideal.

 

I think a small unit can help win points, as you say at least for actions. Not as nice spending CP to get something out of Custodes who are otherwise expensive units to be sat around doing nothing.

[Prot]

Custodes are doing pretty well with Arks rules in the Australian ITC event. So there's some good news there for competitive players. 

[Captain Idaho]

Indeed and I've noticed a little variance in the army construction too which is definitely something I approve of.

[Reskin]

Do you think it’s the removal of AoC that’s helped custodes again? All their weapons can actually do something now.

[Karhedron]

8 hours ago, Reskin said:

Do you think it’s the removal of AoC that’s helped custodes again? All their weapons can actually do something now.

 

That is certainly my impression. A lot of their shooting has AP-1/2 which they pay for but suffered the most from AoC.

[Captain Idaho]

Yeah and Castellen Axes having AP-2 but wounding on a 2+ against many targets (or against vehicles and monsters a 3/4+) is another weapon greatly helped by the removal of Armour of Contempt.

[INKS]

Q: Would you say Custodes is a hard army to play?

[Reskin]

not at all, like grey knights, most of their weapons across units stay relatively the same. Spears/axes/swords and also, skip the psychic phase.

[duz_]

I'd agree with Reskin 

 

Limited units to choose from, decent durability and output make them fairly forgiving. 

 

The katas are probably the trickiest part.