Grey Knights Initial Thoughts

[L30n1d4s]

This was my very first army in 40K (way back in the hallowed days of 4th edition), so it has a particularly special place in my heart here.

 

 

Based on the previews/leaks we have seen to date, and now the full GK Index being released, I am extremely happy with what GW has done with them and excited to try them on the tabletop. In particular, I love how mobile they are (with all their Teleport, Deep Strike, re-Deep Strike, Scout Move, Sigil of Exigence, and automatic 6" Advance with Fly, they may actually compete with Dark Eldar/Harlequins as the kings of maneuver in 10th edition!), their very dangerous melee, how their psychic abilities on the data sheets are synergistic, and how basically every unit is now actually useful/useable and has a reason to be taken in a competitive list!

 

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am extremely excited and see this as one of the coolest Codices of 10th edition that we have seen (maybe the coolest!).

 

Now, with all that, here are some of my initial reactions, now that we have the full Index rules available to us:

 

1 - Draigo -- Still as deadly as ever in melee (6 x S8 AP-4 Dmg 3 attacks that always wound Daemons on 2+s, plus some bonus S6 AP-2 Dmg2 Psychic shooting), but what he really brings to the fight is 4+++ FNP against MWs (making already very tough Terminators or Paladins even tougher against one of the few things that are a real danger to them) and his once a game +3" to charges (so 6" charge out of Deep Strike... with a CP re-roll, that's a 92% chance for a successful charge, which is definitely reliable to game plan around.

 

2 - Grand Master -- Can take ranged Special Weapons, as always, plus he gives a free Stratagem to his unit (like SM Captains, except only once per game, so limited bust still very powerful). Being able to get Haloed in Soulfire (2 CP, can't be shot unless enemy is within 12" after you came in from DS) or Radiant Strike (2CP, all Psychic melee weapons have Devastating Wounds) on a unit for free is extremely competitive, and on top of this, GM also let's his unit ignore any negative modifiers to its characteristics (except to Saving throws)... this is great against things like Death Guard -1T debuffs, the many different abilities across different armies that make movement slower or Ld lower, and might even work on things that cause -1 to hit or to wound with the GK unit's attacks (will have to wait for a FAQ on this).

 

3 - Castellan Crowe + 10 Purifiers (2 Psycannons) + Venerable Dreadnought -- This combo lets you put out 24 Purifying Flame Attacks (S4 AP-1 Dmg 1 Anti Infantry 2+, Ignore Cover), which the Venerable Dread then gives re-rolls Hits and Wounds of 1 for... combine with the new "Death from the Warp"  strat to have them hit on 2+s and you should average almost 24 AP-1 wounds against infantry units -- that averages 20 dead Guardsmen, 16 dead Fire Warriors, 12 dead Sisters of Battle, 6 dead Space Marines, and even 2-3 dead Terminators -- then throw in 36 Storm Bolter shots and 6 Psycannon shoots (all at BS2+, with rerolling 1s to Hit/to Wound) and you can just "torrent of fire" down a lot of infantry. If anything survives, you can always sell charge in with 26 x S6 AP-2 Dmg2 attacks!

 

4 - Purgators with max Incinerators in a Razorback -- Pretty "point and click" here, just drive up 12", disembark 3", shoot a target with the Razorback's Assault Cannon (all you need is one hit), then unload 4D6 S6 AP-1 Torrent/Ignore Cover shots with FULL REROLLS TO WOUND at 12" (so a total threat radius of 27"). Also, you can even shoot through walls with the Purgator's Indirect Fire, as long as another GK Psychic unit can draw line of sight to the target!

 

5 - 10 Paladins with Banner, 5 Psycannons + Brother-Captain with Psycannon attached -- Drop in by Deep Strike, use "Death from the Warp" for +1 to hit in Shooting, then unleash 18 x S8 AP-1 Dmg2 shots at 24", all hitting on 2+s with Sustained Hits 1 --- against basic MEQ profiles (T4 2W 3+ save) this should average 18 hits, 15 wounds, and 7-8 dead Space Marines, not counting any storm bolted shooting. You can then use "Truesilver Armour" Strat and the Paladin's "Inner Fortitude" ability to absorb any enemy shooting, then use Teleport Assault to go back into Reserves at the end of your opponent's turn, then do it all again in your next Movement phase.

 

6 - Triple solo "Librarian Bomb" -- Drop in 3 Librarians by Deep Strike, then nuke a tough target unit with 6 x Combi-Weapon shots, 3 x Purge Soul shots (each S6 AP-2 Dmg3), and an average of 12 MWs from the triple Vortex of Doom abilities (if you get lucky, that can spike as high as 36 MWs!!!)

 

7 - Land Raider Crusader with Stern, 7 Paladins (with Banner) + nearby Venerable Dreadnought -- Move up the vehicles, unload the Paladins/Stern, then charge into a target unit and activate the "Radiant Strike" Strat... 33 attacks from the Paladins/Stern (2+ to hit, re-rollings 1) gives you 32 x S6 AP-2 Dmg 2 hits, all with re-rolls of 1 to wound, Devastating Wounds, and an additional MW on a Critical Wound (so, basically, 3 MWs for every 6 to Wound)... against T12 3+ Knights/Chaos Knights, you should easily be able to get about 21-22 wounds through, between normal and MWs, which is enough to take down even a full Questoris Knight before it can strike back. Even against a Primarch like Mortarion (16W T12 2+/4++/5+++) this should average about 15 unsaved wounds... throw in the Ven Dread's punches and any "softening up" shooting beforehand and there is a good chance of "one shooting" a Primarch before he even gets to swing back.

 

8 - Interceptors and Grabbing Objectives -- 12" move, then auto advance 6", then shoot and move another 6+ for free with their "Personal Teleporters" move -- simple and sweet, that is a free 24" of movement every turn, with plenty of options to go back into reserve and re-Deep Strike via the "Teleport Assault" rule or the "Mists of Deimos" Strat if you need to... needless to say, basically no enemy-held objective is safe! ;)

 

9 - Techmarine + Dreadknight -- Have the Techmarine give the Dreadknight +1 to hit (for all of its shooting/melee attacks), the have the Dreadknight move 8", auto-Advance 6+, the charge 2D6", averaging a total threat range of 21" per turn. Again, simple and effective, especially when kitted out with solid shooting and close combat weapons.

 

10 - Strike Squad (double Incinerators) with Rhino -- Pre-game, use their Scouts 6" for a free move, then move 12" again in your movement phase, flame any enemy units n range using the Firing Deck 2, and jump out grab objectives (which are now "sticky," thanks to Strike Squad special rule), then rinse and repeat.

Edited June 14, 2023 by L30n1d4s