Warhammer 40K: Elite Armies – Dark Angels Deathwing

Photo: Dakka Forums

On a whim a couple weeks ago when playing my friend David and his post-apocalyptic themed IG (Imperial Guard for all you uninitiated) I decided to have some fun and run a full Deathwing, low model count, smash face, Dark Angels list.

My list looked like this at 1500 pts:

HQ –

Belial Master of the Deathwing

Troops –

Terminator Squad

Apothecary, Company Standard, Missile Launcher, 3 Lightning Claws, 2 Thunder hammer & Storm Shields

Terminator Squad

ML, 2 LC’s, 3 TH&SS

Terminator Squad

ML, 2 LC’s, 3 TH&SS

Fast Attack –

Land Speeder Typhoon, Missile Launcher

Heavy Support –

Land Raider Crusader, Multi-melta

Land Raider, MM

Photo: Dakka Forums

So we have a total model count of 3 vehicles and 16 guys running around in terminator armor.  Tactics are pretty simple.  Belial and his terminator squad, as well as one other Termie squad both ride in the two land raiders.  The last termie squad will either deepstrikes (my least favorite tactic with this build of terminators), or claims a backfield objective.  The ML in the foot termie squad as well as the LS Typhoon launchers offers long-range fire support.  The AV 14 all around the two Land Raiders make vehicle busting more difficult in the current metagame of S8 weapons.  Then when the units close in enough they disembark and assault whatever is left of the units the Crusader opens up on.  The Land Raider’s Lascannons as well as the two Multi-meltas on either raider cover anti-mech.  The Assault cannon and missile launchers can handle light transports if necessary or focus on anti-horde.

So anyway, there are the basic tactical thoughts, but this isn’t a BatRep.  The game did go well for me, surprisingly actually.  I honestly expected this would be an uneven competition, but I was out to have fun and try something new.  I came away from the game with some interesting thoughts on the idea of elite army viability.

Photo: Spacewolvesgreyblogspot.com

I’m planning on running this same list up against my friends tactically sound and solid Tau army to see how it goes with even more massed firepower.  While the IG brought AC’s, Lascannons, Melta, lots of lasgun, and battle cannon fire to bear, the majority of the shots, due to the IG low BS, didn’t threaten me too much.  The Tau however have having a higher BS, extreme range, and lots of twin-linked\rapid fire weapons, makes for a potentially interesting challenge for my low model count to get in to close combat range.  Now all that to say, the true test of a list’s viability lies in the continued play testing of the list against various opponents and game types.

Originally I wanted a third Land Raider, very Black Templar spammy of me I know, but I was a bit short on the point’s availability.  The high AV of Raiders and 2+\3++ of the terminators makes the entire list challenging to deal with, but massed fire is an elite lists weakness.  Laws of probability state that if you throw enough dice, eventually even 2+ armor saves will fail, and even AV14 will eventually be wasted.

Knowing the weakness of the low model count list is its vulnerability to having to throw tons of dice, it’s important with any elite style list to capitalize on your strengths and trying to deny your opponent theirs.  For instance, in this DA list the way to add survivability to my already tough, but low numbered, terminators was to put them in Land Raider transports.  The AV 14 really makes them resilient in terms of getting stuck in fast, and the assault vehicle rule allowing for the terminators to charge on the disembark overcomes the greatest weakness of deep striking CC oriented units, their inability to charge on the turn they arrive.

Another idea you need to keep in mind with elite list builds is the necessity to strike hard and with precision.  The heavy flank is a good tactic to use in these instances.  If you’re not familiar with the tactic, it’s where you commit the majority of your forces to one side of your opponent’s army and hit hard focusing most of your force on eliminating one threat at a time.  Now this brings an important point, to most effectively place your army you’ll need to deploy second.  This is where units that allows you to either move you units before the start of the game, such as some Eldar psychic abilities, or the ability to more confidently steal initiative, can come in handy.  Otherwise, you’re stuck with weathering your opponent’s torrent of fire\assault first and hoping you have enough still standing after to execute your plan.

Photo: Belial by gecko at Coolminiornot

In general there are few armies capable of fielding so many high AV and armor saves than the Dark Angels.  Not surprising DA’s are making a coming back ever since the new FAQ  came out.  They’re much more potent now then ever before.

Now there are some perks to an elite army.  Low model count helps the financially strapped, new player, or busy body.  Less models to paint means more time playing, as well as with the current level of models GW is putting out, you can spend more time focusing on a sweet paint job than having to batch paint.  The biggest draw back you’ll run into is typically an elite army requires slightly more tactical finesse than some other army builds.  That being said while it’ll be nice for a new\young player, it may not be as forgiving on the field.

If you’re interested in a little fluff behind the Deathwing, head over here.

So what are your thoughts on elite, low model count army viability vs. the more common high model count (Even if it’s in power armor, that’s right, I’m looking at you Space Wolf missile launcher spam list) and heavily meched list?  And what other armies do you think would make solid elite army choices?