Blood Angels model/list thread

[MagickalMemories]

So, I'm looking for some input here.

I recently pared down some of my non-GW hobby collection and tool it to a local retailer who does trade at 50% of what he sells the stuff for.
I know... the deal's CRAZY in his favor.
it was stuff I'd NEVER use, though, and I really just didn't feel like dealing with feebay.

In the end, though, it worked out well. I for $419 for it all.
So, with about $30 of my own money, I got the following:

Blood Angel Codex
LR Redeemer
Baal Predator
2x Tactical Squads
3x Sanguinary Guard (Don't care if this is too many. The models are so freaking cool that I'll find SOMETHING to do with 'em. LOL)
2x Death Company
Astorath
Lemartes (I think that was him)
Sanguinor

I have NOS Rhinos at home, so don't need to buy any of those.
Also, I've tentatvely made a deal for 2x shooty Terminator squads NOS.

I want to build a nice competetive "take all comers" set of models that can hit 2000 and 2500 points

What do you think I should get next?
I'm wondering about Devestators (in which case, I'll need 4 boxes, so I can field complete units). Are they a good BA unit?
I've barely had a chance to crack open the BA codex, so I'm not sure where to go from there.

Thoughts?

Eric

[Norseman]

I won a tourney last weekend with this list. It was basically an Ard' boys prelim. We used the 2009 Ard' boys missions. The field was pretty good. The only list i feared was my friends Tyranids. I beat another Tyranid list but my buds was insane.

10 Death Company (3PF,3PW)
1 Lamartes
1 Reclusiarch(Jump pack Melta Bombs)
5 Sang. Guard (Bare)
1 Chaplin (Jump Pack Melta Bombs)
3 Sanginary Priest (3Jump pack 3PW)
3 Assault Squads (LightClaws Meltagun)
2 Baal Preds (TL: AssCan, HB Spon)
1 Death Company Dred (Blood Claw, Magna Grapple)
2500 points Even

This list rerolls EVERYTHING!!!

If your rolls suck...This list will help you out.

I run a Chaplin and a Sang priest with every Assault squad that is going forward. I try and put a Sang Priest with the Sang Guard as well. You generally will take out a 10 man squad of Nob Bikers in the first turn with the death company so don't be surprised it you will be taking fire on you next turn if you don't charge 2 squads.

As it was said on BOLS you should NEVER have to run a Tac squad with BA.

[MagickalMemories]

As it was said on BOLS you should NEVER have to run a Tac squad with BA.

For clarity, those Tac squads are about WANT more than NEED.

That being said... What about objective missions?
I haven't looked @ the codex in dept but, by looking at your list, I'm led to believe that you have no units that can hold objectives.

If that's the case... I don't like it.
I like to field "all comers" lists that can compete at any mission without needing to rely on tabling my opponent.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like to table my opponent. LOL I just don't want to rely on it as a tactic.


Eric

[JohnHwangBT]

I haven't looked @ the codex in dept but, by looking at your list, I'm led to believe that you have no units that can hold objectives.

Assault Squads are Troops, ergo Scoring for Objectives.

Worst case, you park Preds on your Objective to contest, and then send the rest out to contest the remaining Objectives.

[MagickalMemories]

**Takes a moment**
**Unpacks Codex**
**Giggles Uncontrollably**

I am SO taking back those Tactical Squads!

Eric

[MagickalMemories]

Why do they keep making the codices harder and harder to read intelligently.
I hate that *some* special rules are in the front part of the codex, but others are in the back.

I thought I read something about Sanguinary Guard being troops with a certain HQ.
After scouring the front of the book, I decided to go to the back & double check page #'s, to be certain I hadn't missed a choice.
It was when I got to the back of the freaking book that I saw it was Dante's special ability.

So, in addition to Assault Squads being troops, if I take Dante, I can take scoring Sanguinary guard?
I haven't run a comparison to Assault Marines, but that seems pretty cool. S Guard have a lot of bad-assery about them, and -to make things better- the models are oh, so pretty!

...if only I could get Vanguard Vet's as troops, now. LOL

Eric

[Ironhide]

Don't forget about the bad-assery that is the Stormraven.

[MagickalMemories]

Clearly.

My one complaint is that there is not model and not so much as a picture to go from.
As soon as I convert one, GW or FW would announce the official model, only for it ti be far different than what I created.
LOL

It sounds like a giant flying freaking land raider... until you see the AV.


Eric

[porkuslime]

If you have enough Chainsword and Bolt Pistol armsets, keep one of the Tac squads to make into Rhino-enabled Assault squad. Much cheaper than buying 2 Assault squads and not using Jump Packs..

[Dakkar98]

Google Stormraven and you get pictures of this work in progress from Forge World.

091002_storm-eagle-01.jpg

091002_storm-eagle-02.jpg

Marine_transp.jpg

[reegsk]

I plan on kitbashing a Stormraven out of a Valk, Rhino and some plasticard. . .but more on that when I get off of my lazy butt and do it.

I would also recommend getting magnets. . .two magnets per Assault Marine. If you can get some small, flat-head nails, you can chop off the nub on the marine's back that goes into a backpack or jump pack, drill a small hole and place the nail in his back, and then use a drill bit to expand the depression on the pack to fit a small magnet in there, and voila! You now have a unit of assault marines that can be fielded as jump infantry or mounted in a rhino. I have three Assault Squads on the building plan for right now, and plenty of magnets to get them ready for pack swapping. It'll come in REALLY handy if we start playing Planetstrike games again. . .

Sadly, I haven't had the time to get too many games in with the new 'dex, but from the few I have played, I can tell you that Death Company are very much worth their points. . .if they're mounted in a transport. I just can't justify the points cost of giving them jump packs and then any special weapons on top of that. A DC marine with jump pack and power weapon is 50 points! I can also tell you that fast Vindicators are pretty sweet, too, especially if they have Siege Shields.

Sanguinary Priests are, quite possibly, the best thing in the codex. My current 'Ardboyz trial build has four assault marine units and three sanguinary priests to cover them. Since they have that 6" AOE, I can just keep the fourth squad near one of the other two and get all of the perks. The only downside to them is that they are ICs, so they can get picked out in combat. Also, BA Librarians are pretty darn amazing too. I'm rocking a regular Librarian (no Epistolary upgrade) with Shield of Sanguinius and Sanguine Sword. So he can bump himself to S10 in either assault phase, but also grant everything within 6" a 5+ Cover Save in your opponents shooting phase. So my five rhinos (one with DC) drive forward, and try to stay within 6" of the librarian's rhino. In my opponent's shooting phase, they all get a cover save with a successful psychic test. Then they move forward again, get really close and pop smoke to, hopefully, survive the shooting phase so they won't get assaulted, and then get out and do what they do best during my turn. I also plan on using a Furioso Librarian with Wings of Sanguinius and Shield of Sanguinius to protect my armor that will be hanging back and lobbing fire.

The biggest problem I have with the codex is this: there are way too many cool things! Furioso and Death Company Dreads are awesome, but average around 150 points a pop. You can field lots of them, to be sure, but if you don't also take drop pods, they might never live to see combat. Baal Preds as Fast Attack choices with Scout are equally awesome. It remains to be seen whether the flamer variant will be worth it, as it has to get REALLY close, but it's still an awesome concept. Fast rhinos, razorbacks, predators, vindicators and whirlwinds are equally awesome. Just the fact that you can drive your Vindis 12" and fire, extending their range another 6" is great. The biggest advantage there with Whirlwinds and Vindicators is the fact that you can just constantly move over 6" in case you get flanked by 'stealers or some other nastiness, they'll need 6's to hit in CC. And the fact that your preds can move 6" every turn and fire everything is awesomesauce.

Lastly, I was iffy on the Sanguinary Guard until I just did the math in my head. They're 200 points, Fearless, all with master-crafted power weapons, jump packs and 2+ armor saves, so they're 40 points per model, same as Termies. Vanguard Vets with jump packs and power weapons, no fearless or master-crafted, are 45 points per model. So, really, you're saving some points going with them. And the SG can take death masks. And they have two shots before charging in. And they can take a Chapter Banner (which is a GORGEOUS bit, BTW). I might have to revise my earlier plan of never fielding them.

[Dakkar98]

I would also recommend getting magnets. . .two magnets per Assault Marine. If you can get some small, flat-head nails, you can chop off the nub on the marine's back that goes into a backpack or jump pack, drill a small hole and place the nail in his back, and then use a drill bit to expand the depression on the pack to fit a small magnet in there, and voila! You now have a unit of assault marines that can be fielded as jump infantry or mounted in a rhino. I have three Assault Squads on the building plan for right now, and plenty of magnets to get them ready for pack swapping. It'll come in REALLY handy if we start playing Planetstrike games again. . .

I considered this as well, my only problem with it is I would have to swap the whole torso.
If you use regular torsos, the jump packs don't looked strapped on, if you use the jump pack torsos, it won't look right with the regular backpack.
If I were going to do it and wanted to make them look right (to me), I'd have to glue on the head and the pack for both torsos, then magnetize the waist, and the arms.
I am already magnetizing two marines from each squad at the wrist to swap between bolt pistol, plasma pistol, and the new BA hand flamers.
I am trying to figure out just how many magnetized options I want to have available to the sergeants for the squads.

Oh wait, sorry ... My CDO is showing again.

[Norseman]

I really found it difficult to fit in the troops you want into the 2500 points level.

Remember
Death company is a troop
Death company dreds are troops all taking slots
If you take Dante then your Sang Guards are troops.

The 6 troop slots just doesn't seem like enough.

I wanted to take 4 Assault squads, 1 Death company and 2 Death company dreds. You just cant beat FLEET dreds!!! Unfortunately that is 7 troop slots.

What I do is objective games, is this.
Split one of the Assault squads into two and sit the two groups in the back away from the battle without a Sang Priest or Chaplin, and make sure they can hold at least 2 Objectives in the endgame. The rest of the army goes for the 3rd objective that I need to win. With the power of the units hitting them I generally do not have to worry about defending. If I do I usually send in the Sang Guard with a Priest to take care of it. They usually can handle anything up to a weakened Trygon. The Baals will generally help out where ever needed.

I tried the list with 3 Vindicators as well. but I found the enemy could stun enough tanks a turn that my power was nerfed too much and I didn't have enough HtH units to engage the entire army and win if it was even mildly HtH savvy.

Think about this.
You USUALLY hit first.
Every squad with a Chaplin Rerolls hits in HtH
Lamartes makes Death Company Rerolls Wounds as well.
Every unit with a Sang priest has Feel no pain (Armor Reroll basically)
Death Company has Feel no pain (Armor Reroll basically)

This makes it so that you always hit like a ton of bricks and you lose only half the guys you should.

I am trying a Termie list next. However I think I will sacrifice too much hitting power for the survivability of termies.

Also reread the Dred Blood Talons rules.
They are the BOMB!!!

If you use regular torsos, the jump packs don't looked strapped on, if you use the jump pack torsos, it won't look right with the regular backpack.

The new Death company do not have strap on packs they are all bare chests.

[MagickalMemories]

If you have enough Chainsword and Bolt Pistol armsets, keep one of the Tac squads to make into Rhino-enabled Assault squad. Much cheaper than buying 2 Assault squads and not using Jump Packs..

Actually, I have some very small magnets. I'll just be magnetizing both backpack options... I don't care for the typical Assault Marine torsos, so won't be using them, anyway. I don't care if the jump packs look "strapped on" or not. LOL

Something tells me, though, that I'll be using the packs WAY more often than not. : )

@ Dakkar

Thanks for the pics. It's not HOW I would've pictured it, but it mixes elements of the Land Raider and the Land Speeder, which I did kind of picture.
That thing's going to be expensive!

@Reegsk, Re: Sanguinary guard
Yeah. I think they're worth the points. My issue is their lack of numbers. It's a 5-man squad, no matter what. That is a bit worrisome, even if you add IC's in there.

I think my first build will be an jump army with Armored support.

Eric

[locust]

I myself have been running a mix of armored and jumpy assault squads and its been working pretty well. Two 10 man jump squads and three assault squads in Razorbacks. One w/twin heavy flamer and two w/twin lascannon. After several games, I decided to drop the Death Co., as they just weren't giving me what I needed for their points. However, I still believe they are a good unit, you just need to build and army around them. As opposed to simply adding a squad cause you like 'em. For support I've been running 3 Baal predators (these things friggin rule) and a Las-predator.