Blood Angels Detachment of the Week series Detachment of the Week: Angelic Inheritors

[Jolemai]

Blood Angels Detachment of the Week Series

 

Welcome to part one of the Blood Angels Detachment of the Week series!

 
Following the release of the 10^th edition Codex Supplement, there is no better time to discuss all the units we have access to. Each week a different unit will appear, with the idea being that we discuss how best to use that model on the battlefield. Where part one will discuss the units from the units found within Codex Supplement: Blood Angels, and part two will discuss Codex: Space Marines.
 
Note, this isn't to lament any nerfs, etc, from previous editions; the rules are as they are so try to unlock its potential for those who wish to use them all the same. Similarly, this thread is only for using the option being discussed; it matters not if you feel something is a better choice as such comments aren't constructive to the topic and shall be removed.
 
Without further ado, here's this week's entry:

 

Angelic Inheritors

What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use the Angelic Inheritors Detachment?

• How are you building your lists, and at what points level?
• What Characters are you using?
• What units are you using?
• Enhancement synergy of note?
• Stratagem synergy of note?

 

Over to you.

Edited Wednesday at 04:42 PM by Jolemai

[Karhedron]

Angelic Inheritors was one of the best (if not THE best) detachment to drop over Christmas. With it's Noblebright Herohammer style, it provides a very different way of playing Blood Angels (or plain vanilla Marines) that still feels very Blood Angel-ish.

 

At the start of the game, you get to pick 2 abilities that apply to every unit with a Character (so Lone Operatives like Mephiston and the Sanguinor can benefit from this detachment pretty well). Basically you always want to pick Carmine Wrath as rerolling 1s to Hit and Wound is really strong. The other 2 abilities are both decent but I would normally opt for Sanguinary Grace so that your units can Fall Back and still Shoot and Charge. It really lets you pick you fights.

 

So how do you build it? Well you basically want a lot those units that combo well with an attached Character. Classic mixes Hellblasters + Apothecary, JAIs + Captain and BGVs + Judiciar all hit significantly harder. While they do not hit quite as hard in melee as with LAG, Carmine Wrath also applies to shooting meaning you can deploy a much more rounded force than with an LAG without feeling that you are penalising yourself for not taking more melee units.

 

It is pretty finely balanced between taking BA specific units in the an AH list or opting for the buffed Oath of Moment with +1 to Wound. Both are pretty strong options and it depends a lot on your gameplan.

 

Moving on to Enhancements, there are some solid choices here.

• Blazing Icon is probably the standout choice for turning off enemy Overwatch.
• Prescient Flash gives the bearer's unit Scout 6" which is handy for getting a unit into the mid-field early. I would probably look to take this on a Gravis Captain leading some Aggressors or Eradicators. Or on a Judiciar leading BGVs.
• Ordained Sacrifice is nice for bringing a Character back from the dead with 3 wounds remaining. Probably best on someone chonky like a Gravis or Terminator Character.
• Troubling Visions allows you to have all 3 Angelic abilities active on a unit once per game. This is the only weak choice in the list but it is only 15 points so feel free to take it if you have nothing better to spend the points on.

Stratagems are also a solid selection:

• Armour of Contempt - Less powerful but still a solid choice for helping to keep a unit alive
• Focussed Fury - Gives a unit Lethal Hits in a melee. If there is a Character in the unit, they get Lance as well. This is really strong and lets you get back some of the raw killing power you lose from not taking Red Thirst.
• Instant of Grace - Gives a unit the Character keyword until the start of your next Command Phase. This bestows your Detachment abilities, even if the unit does not have a Character attached and also gives them the added benefits from Focussed Fury and In the Shadow of Great Wings. This is really strong on something like a big unit of Inceptors who cannot get Character support otherwise.
• Strike Now for Glory - Your ranged weapons get Sustained Hits 1. Simple but effective. Works best when shooting your Oath of Moment target.
• In the Shadow of Great Wings -  Until the end of the phase, your Character unit can only be selected as the target of a ranged attack if the attacking model is within 18". This is potentially huge. Giving a whole unit mini Lone Operative is potentially amazing if you want to keep a particular unit alive. Uses for this Strat will be boundless.
• Unto Burning Skies - Put a Jump Infantry unit into Reserves. Another powerful ability that can potentially let you grab an exposed Objective or redeploy your Inceptors to shoot up something valuable. Not clear if you can double-dip on the Sanguinor's Miraculous Saviour ability.

So there you have it. A powerful and flavourful Detachment ability, some good Enhancements and a really strong set of Stratagems make this a real winner. I have seen a few early tournament wins for this Detachment already and I think it can legitimately challenge LAG as an effective way to play Blood Angels without having to go Baals to the wall with charges.

Edited yesterday at 08:33 AM by Karhedron

[Blindhamster]

2 hours ago, Karhedron said:

Baals to wall with charges

I see what you did there

[jaxom]

Isn't there something with Scouting a Phobos character with Ordained Sacrifice on to an Objective?

[Karhedron]

9 hours ago, jaxom said:

Isn't there something with Scouting a Phobos character with Ordained Sacrifice on to an Objective?

 

There is some potential. You roll to get back up at the end of the phase. This means that if the Character dies to shooting, his chance to stand back up is at the start of the melee phase which means nothing else can shoot at him. That means an opponent might hose you off an Objective but then you stand back up and are still holding it in your next command phase. There are some issues though:

1. You don't usually score Primaries in Turn 1 so no need to Scout/Infiltrate a Phobos character to do this.
2. While the Character is immune from further shooting while he is waiting to revive, your opponent can still assault him in the melee phase.

There may be some interaction I am missing. It might be useful on a Lt with Combi Weapon.