A week or so ago, I played my most recent Grey Knight list against a henchman spam list. I didn't fare well at all. The dreadnoughts were taken out quickly and then they terminators had to wade across the board to get to his more mobile firebase. It seems to me that the list needs some revamping.
First, though he is a beast and grand strategist is nice, I just can't afford to drop 255 points on a Grandmaster. That is another full squad of terminators plus some. For that matter, with a terminator force points are at a premium, so I dropped the libby as well. That leaves me without an HQ. I need something really cheap, that can contribute to some portion of my army's overall makeup (ranged attack or close combat). How about an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor. If I give him terminator armor and a psycannon, he comes in at 80 points and can contribute to my shooting. Done. Overall savings from dropping the Grandmaster and Librarian and adding an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor is 370 points. Not too shabby
Now I need to add some mobility to the army. In order to do this, I need to create some units that can get across the board and wreak havoc amongst my opponents' lines. What's the quickest way across the board besides deepstriking? Stormravens. Yep, I am going to switch two of my 5 terminator squads to full on close combat (with no psycannons) and put them in two stormravens in order to quickly get them across the board. The stormravens will also act as gunboats and anti-tank platforms once their payloads have been dropped.
So, here is what I'm thinking about.
Ordo Malleus Inquisitor- terminator, psycannon- 80pt.
5 Terminators- 4x halberds, hammer, psycannon- 225pt.
5 Terminators- 4x halberds, hammer, psycannon- 225pt.
5 Terminators- 4x halberds, hammer, psycannon- 225pt.
5 Terminators- 4x halberds, hammer- 200pt.
5 Terminators- 4x halberds, hammer- 200pt.
Stormraven- twin linked multi-melta, twin linked assault cannon, extra armor- 220pt.
Stormraven- twin linked multi-melta, twin linked assault cannon, extra armor- 220pt.
Dreadnought- 2x TL Autocannons, psybolt ammo- 135pt.
Dreadnought- 2x TL Autocannons, psybolt ammo- 135pt.
Dreadnought- 2x TL Autocannons, psybolt ammo- 135pt.
2,000pt on the dot.
I am unsure as to what turret weapon to put on the stormravens as they are all tempting. I am definitely going with the TL multi-melta though as I can machine spirit and blast a tank if I need. Currently, I like the lascannon option for it's range and ability to be fired immediately, but it doesn't mesh with the multi-melta well. That would lead me to one of the other options. I like the plasma cannon because I can blow up a transport and then use PotMS to drop a template on the disembarked squad on the inside. Then again, the assault cannon can do a lot of damage to infantry and can take out light mech well too.
Either way, the general strategy is to deploy the three shootier squads, dreads, and inquisitor and walk them across the board and shoot while the stormravens turbo-boost across to drop off "combat" terminators to sow discord and act as bullet magnets which will hopefully throw my opponents into disarray. If they can't take down the stormravens, then they will commence with shooting up tanks and infantry to add pressure along with the other units. I am hoping this two pronged approach will protect my advancing terminators and dreadnoughts from incoming fire or at least dillute the fire coming at them.
So, what are your thoughts? Will this army stand up? It still isn't optimized Grey Knights, but it is highly resilient and can apply pressure quickly, especially against armies that have to close with you to be effect (tyranids, orks, blood angels). Post your comments and tell me what you think.
Other articles you might find useful:
First Game Playing with Grey Knights: Shoot Out
Psycannons: Why They are Game Changing for Grey Knights
Grey Knights, Psycannons, Halberds, and the Sanguinary Guard
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5 comments:
I run dual Stormravens and in order to keep them alive, I find I have to go flat out each round. That means I'm firing only of the weapons with PotMS.
What I do is keep the Assault Cannons and Multi-melta.
After moving I'll need to pop a tank or wither some infantry. In other words, usually, two anti-tank or anti-infantry weapons become redundant.
Just my .02 cents :)
Assault Cannons on the Stormraven is generally a better option; it's more accurate and tends to be a bit more reliable. Also I think you're paying the wrong price? Stormravens with no upgrades should only be 205pts.
If you have Stormravens, you really, really want to be bringing a Librarian- Shrouding is fantastic for getting them across the board. Shrouding, Quicksilver, Might of Ancients and Sanctuary keeps him from going overboard in price and makes units into a pretty unstoppable force. If you have a few points to spare, Warp Rift is nice to have, also.
I think an all-Terminator army is going to have some issues no matter what you do, as you've got a lot of points concentrated in a small number of models.
Thanks for the great feedback. I think I agree with you, Sgt. Brisbane. Taking the assault cannons is still a good infantry munching choice and allows me two potent weapons without doubling up on the same type. Like you, I too am taking double stormravens in order to build in survivability. I think in this list it is mandatory. One would just get blown away.
AbusePuppy, I forgot to add that I took extra armor on both ravens in order to make sure they stay mobile. Extra armor means they will always be able to move and/or shoot a gun unless wrecked or exploded. I also agree with you that this army isn't optimal, but points are hard to come by in such an elite force. That is also why I left out the libby. If they had an option for a cheaper power armored librarian, I might consider it.
The Shrouding is sexy, though....really, really sexy :)
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