Well, played my first game in years.

[Pureluck]

And I got my butt kicked. However, this was a good thing. I was at Dragon’s Lair and a guy approached me and asked if I was waiting on someone or if I was up to playing anyone. I told him I’m down to play anyone but this would be my first game since early 2000’s. I had a decent grasp to get me started but told him that largely this would be more of a learning game on my end. 
 

he was cool with it and we agreed to 2000 points and set up, he was playing a blood angel list that he had set up competively. He had a regular old school dreadnought and a redemptor dreadnought, a few primaris units and a lot of elites. Two units with jump packs, two units of terminators, and a devistator squad.

 

I had my 15 Man unit of blood claws with Lukas. My stormwolf, I split my terminator squad into two squads and put Arjac in one. I had my two venerable dreadnoughts. One in ballistas format the other with multimelta and dreadnought close combat, grey hunters, I had wolf guard in power armor with all storm bolsters and a rune priest. 
 

our deployment was in corners so I quickly found that gets real cramped, and our primary was ritual… which due to information overload… I completely forgot and was trying to get the center.

 

he got the higher roll so he went first. To make a long story short, I ended up killing 5 of his units including both of his dreadnoughts which those I made short work of with my long fangs, stormwolf, and ballistas dreadnought. Arjac was awesome. I was able to throw his hammer, nailing a blood angel terminator and killing him, made the charge, used his ability to challenge his terminator chaplain and decimated him, and my terminators destroyed all but one terminator in that unit. So Arjac gets a thumbs up for being a character assassin in my book.

 

 I was able to use rapid fire with the storm bolsters and for all intense and purposes wiped out a primaris unit in a single round of shooting, my grey hunters were charged but was able to stand their ground with another primaris unit. Blood claws I was able to get the charge off with them and was able to take out an elite unit. This all seems great.

 

however I quickly found out with most of his units if he gets the charge, mine were as good as gone. His jet pack elites knocked out my other terminators in one single round, due to bad positioning my wolf guard in power armor was annihilated by concentrated fire from two units, his other terminator unit dropped in on my blood claws and got a good roll on his charge and kills them all. My stormwolf had a round of bad rolls when it came to shooting and was taken out in turn 3 (which, it lasted longer than I thought it would so I’m not displeased with that) 

 

 all in all, I was defeated in turn 4. Some of it was luck, some of it I overestimated my units, some of it, was just bad decisions on my part tactically speaking, getting used to how things can really go. I quickly found with theses two factions, the victor is usually the one that was able to charge in. Primaris is nasty with the -1 AP.

 

so I watched another game, went home and thought about my list and reworked it, ordered some more stuff and this is what I came up with. 
 

first, dropping the space wolves detachment rules. Going gladius, I wanted to try it for myself but I can see why most people don’t bother with it. 
 

Arjac was awesome, I liked Lukas, those are both staying. So here’s my new 2000 point list and I’m just waiting on one model in the mail so I can field it and try it.

 

15 blood claws and Lukas

10 intercessor marines

10 wolf guard in power armor with storm bolters.

5 man devistator squad x4 las cannons.

5 wolf guard terminators with Arjac in deep strike.

6 Thunderwolf cavalry with Canis Wolfborn

5 fenrisian wolves (they are there to screen for the cavalry, so yes they will die quickly) 

venerable dreadnought in ballistas 

murderfang

and my stormwolf to carry Lukas and the blood claws.

 

I saw the benefit of having a fast attack unit, so I went with the cavalry. I read that with Canis they are just devastating to elite infantry, I dropped the grey hunters for now. Sure they have better close combat than primaris but most of my units are set for melee only, I need some fire power on the board, 2 of them have grenade launchers. 
 

The fenrisian wolves will stay ahead of the cavalry to prevent another elite fast attack from charging into them, sacrificial lambs, I don’t expect anything else from them, but for 30 points if they can keep Canis and his unit from getting charged at least once, that’s worth the investment. 
 

murderfang… I really just want to play him, I have his model but didn’t have him on my last list, he may die quickly too but still..

[Apokalypsi]

My Murderfang took out a Tau Devilfish in one round, so I definitely recommend. ALWAYS advance him. His shooting isn't worth keeping him out of combat, plus he gets to shoot when he gets shot. I sometimes run him next to a Wulfen Dread with axe/shield and/or an iron priest to make him more survivable.

 

You are definitely correct in that between us and BAs, whoever gets the charge usually wins the combat. If you're needing mobility, Skyclaws are a good option. With the Skyclaws and a WGPL, you can sneak in two Power Fists or one and a Thunder Hammer. You can also get 4 Plasma Pistols or 2 and 2 Plasma Guns.

[Pureluck]

3 hours ago, Apokalypsi said:

My Murderfang took out a Tau Devilfish in one round, so I definitely recommend. ALWAYS advance him. His shooting isn't worth keeping him out of combat, plus he gets to shoot when he gets shot. I sometimes run him next to a Wulfen Dread with axe/shield and/or an iron priest to make him more survivable.

 

You are definitely correct in that between us and BAs, whoever gets the charge usually wins the combat. If you're needing mobility, Skyclaws are a good option. With the Skyclaws and a WGPL, you can sneak in two Power Fists or one and a Thunder Hammer. You can also get 4 Plasma Pistols or 2 and 2 Plasma Guns.

sky claws did cross my mind, I have 4 of them in my closet that I ordered as some of my first for this army because it was a good deal. I think I just sidelined that idea when assault marines with jump packs was put into legends, figured it may be less likely with the cavalry for that to happen. 
 

i get OCD about the weirdest things, I don’t plan on doing tournaments…. But… just in case I did… that and I just feel compelled just to keep my army as legal as possible, I really don’t care if other people proxy, makes no difference to me. However, I try not to proxy myself if I can help it if that makes sense.

 

 Another thing I’m noticing, some of the named characters are getting hard to come by. Canis Wolfborn seems to be sold out in most places, and there where only I think 5 or 6 eBay listings of his actual model. I was able to nab one. There are a few others like that as well. Are they out of production? I can’t see anything where Canis is unpopular, in fact I saw some people saying on other sites that Canis with a unit of Cavalry is outright brutal. So I’m just curious if a lot of space wolves characters are going out of print or they are just kind of scarce at the moment. 

[Apokalypsi]

I think the characters are just scarce as 10th has become herohammer for us and successors are currently gone.

[TheNicronomicon]

Yeah my pet theory is they’re maybe hoarding plastic until the first codexes drop. Like that’s when they’re going to *actually* launch 10E.

Edited August 9, 2023 by TheNicronomicon

[Galron]

23 hours ago, Pureluck said:

sky claws did cross my mind, I have 4 of them in my closet that I ordered as some of my first for this army because it was a good deal. I think I just sidelined that idea when assault marines with jump packs was put into legends, figured it may be less likely with the cavalry for that to happen. 
 

 

Just a note, assault marines(nor any of the others) are not in legends yet. We will have to see when the codex comes out. They are still perfectly usable for the time being and in casual games. I think they are getting a range refresh at the same time they put out HH assault marines. Negates the need for having 2+ different box sets of assault marines and brings them up to scale size wise.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Galron