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This is my first run at making a 1500 point list for Dark Angels. Let me know if you see any glaring holes or things I am missing.

(200) - HQ1 - Sammael
(115) - HQ2 - Librarian W/PFG & Bike
(215) - None - Ravenwing Command Squad(5)
(215) - None - Ravenwing Command Squad(5)
(144) - Troops 1 - Ravenwing Attack Squad(5) W/Flamer(2)
(191) - Troops 2 - Ravenwing Attack Squad(6) W/Melta(2)/CombiMelta
(240) - Elites 1- Contemptor Mortis Dreadnought W/TLLC/CML
(210) - Fast Attack 1 - Ravenwing Black Knights(5)

Squads would be set up as follows.

If going first:

RCS 1 W/ Librarian/RCS 2/Fast Attack 2 - Lined up along the edge of deployment zone
Sammael with Either the Flamer/Melta squad depending on deployment and which group would benefit from skilled rider and the +1 Jink.
Troop 1/2 - Anti Tank / Crowd Control / Objective Holders
Elite 1 - Contemptor Mortis Dreadnought with 2x TL/LC for Piercing/Anti Tank/Flier.Contemptor also has CML for additional Air/Piercing as well as Crowd Control.

If going second:

Same plan but one or 2 of the RCS will outflank instead of start on the board.

Let me know what you think.

Believe the TL-AC Has more pens per rounds on average than the TL-LC against most fliers.

And las cannons have such range, on the non-skyfire mortis dread, there's not a lot of point in getting it over a normal dread.
Same price as venerable, and venerable is better (BS5, not that you care with TL-LC much, but it does take it from a miss 1/6 to a miss 1/36)

Also, why just the lvl 1 libby?

Really only using the Libby to help keep the knights group alive somewhat due to our shop having alot of AP3 flamers, The knights are just too expensive to die in a group to a flamer, so the Libby provides PFG coverage for them.

I believe both mortis's get Skyfire and Interceptor if they do not move. Plus I personally like to have the STR 9 available as our meta also has quite a few Vehicles. (Plus as of now those are the only arms I own and am not in the position to buy new ones.)

Updated, adjusted for the extra 20 points required for the Contemptor.

Devastation Banner is Key!!!!!! It is too strong to not bring. It make all your bolters on your reg bikes salvo 2/4 and since your relentless, and twinlinked your basic bike squads a lethal. Moreover the grenade launcher that give -1 toughness is two good not to take. It makes alot of targets instant death with your plasma, and it lowers toughness for the bolter spam.

The Dark Shroud is also key. It gives plus 1 cover to all units, so only one model of a unit has to be in range for the whole squad to get it. With skilled rider, and jinx being a 4 up cover, if your black knights are forced to jinx there at a 2 up cover.

take apocatharies of your command squads your t5 so your always going to get feel no pain except for str10 weapons, and those you have the cover saves for.

I know some people take a power field generator for hell drakes, but it only helps against hell drakes. Fact of the matter is, chaos and hell drakes smash this list there is no way to really deal with it. The pfg gives you a 4 up invul, the apoc gives 5 up feel no pain, and you can have one in both squads. Honestly, hell drakes are the bane of the Ravenwing, but if you don't expect fighting a lot of chaos the dark shroud feel no pain method will make your black knights harder to kill then terminators.

The contemptor is a solid model but does not flow well with how the ravenwing works, you want the turn one, scout up and shoot your opponent to death sort of list. In essence ravenwing is a fast moving army, you want mobile units. I find land speeders, and atk bikes work great as cheap support. Moreover, landspeeders, with two multi-meltas, will kill most armor, and atk bikes with heavy bolters, do a lot of work as well. Also it doesn't help much with flyers, but Dark angels in general, speacilly ravenwing are just very weak when it comes to the flyer issue, hence another reasons why chaos wrecks ravenwing.

Hope some of this helps I been running ravenwing for about a year now, so if you have any questions let me know!

There are more things than just Heldrakes that can do AP3 or better ignores cover. So I am not sure that you will talk me out of the Librarian. This also provides surviavability vs things like Terminators with TH/SS.

Though I was unaware that the Apoth gave FNP. I must have glanced over that thinking it just gave a better Leadership. I may have to play around with that.

Darkshrouds while nice tend not to be worth the 80 points. A 3+ Jink is usually more than sufficient, and anything that is usually getting past that is ignores cover which makes the +2 a non issue.

Well that is your choice but the power field is only a 3 inch bubble compared to a 6 inch bubble. So I am giving the cover to almost my whole army with a dark shroud if done correcting. The PFG tends to be one unit. Also if you get into cc with TH SH terminators, and they have a chance to swing at you, your not really using your black knight correctly. Most games your unit should not have to go into close combat unless absolutely necessary.

Also the only other thing that can use an ap3 flamer that I am aware of is the land raid redeemer. This list can out maneuver that pretty easy. If there is other stuff, which I guess screamers in demons, but that is only str 4 against your t5 so your pretty safe.

If there is other stuff, that got put in thats ap 3 and ignore cover I apologize. But my point still hold, dark shroud covers your whole army, the libby only covers on squad.

Just my opinion and after a lot of play testing, the 2 up saves, which do matter its a 16% more likely hood of survival and when each unit is 42 pts that is significant. Also cover counts as an invulnerable save, and the 5 up feel no pain, which on occasion has save a few black knights.

also the dark shroud gets a 2 up cover when it jinx, which makes it hard to kill, and most people tend to see it as a big threat. Almost every game I play someone wastes a good round of shooting trying to get rid of it.

Just my experience good luck with the list hope it works out well for you!

Desrok1 wrote:
Well that is your choice but the power field is only a 3 inch bubble compared to a 6 inch bubble. So I am giving the cover to almost my whole army with a dark shroud if done correcting. The PFG tends to be one unit. Also if you get into cc with TH SH terminators, and they have a chance to swing at you, your not really using your black knight correctly. Most games your unit should not have to go into close combat unless absolutely necessary.

Also the only other thing that can use an ap3 flamer that I am aware of is the land raid redeemer. This list can out maneuver that pretty easy. If there is other stuff, which I guess screamers in demons, but that is only str 4 against your t5 so your pretty safe.

If there is other stuff, that got put in thats ap 3 and ignore cover I apologize. But my point still hold, dark shroud covers your whole army, the libby only covers on squad.

Just my opinion and after a lot of play testing, the 2 up saves, which do matter its a 16% more likely hood of survival and when each unit is 42 pts that is significant. Also cover counts as an invulnerable save, and the 5 up feel no pain, which on occasion has save a few black knights.

also the dark shroud gets a 2 up cover when it jinx, which makes it hard to kill, and most people tend to see it as a big threat. Almost every game I play someone wastes a good round of shooting trying to get rid of it.

Just my experience good luck with the list hope it works out well for you!

Do you have any idea how good Black Knights are in close combat? Used correctly you should be rapid firing on them with talons, crashing into them for hammer of wrath. Taking your 4 attacks per unit with 5str rending. Then at the end of their turn, hit and running back out and doing it again.

I have done testing with both and don't get me wrong, the Jink at 2+ is really really nice, but atleast in my meta, it is flooded with AP 3+ flamers, There are the Heldrakes which are all over my meta, there are the redeemers, there is a combo with necrons that give that ability, there are the dark eldar that get apD6 flamers, and tau with marker lights on ap3 or better weapons. All which are wildly used in our meta. Plus the shroud requires you to play with your army close together making the objectives harder to reach (if you want everything to have it) with the librarian you can just keep it with the squad that is taking care of the flamer or whatever and the rest can safely score abjectives with a 3+ Jink that isn't that bad.

Different points of view, I am not saying you are wrong it is just a different choice to do the same type of thing. If my meta wasn't so heavy with ignore cover ap3+ then I would say you are correct, but in my meta the libby just works better for me.

And try what I said about the Black Knights, they are amazing in CC....

RJCarrot wrote:


Do you have any idea how good Black Knights are in close combat? Used correctly you should be rapid firing on them with talons, crashing into them for hammer of wrath.

Most units cannot charge just after Rapid Firing. Bikes aren't Relentless are they?

Either way, I keep hearing that Black Knights are a Dark Angel's best unit and I plan on buying some soon.

All RW bikes are relentless.

Plasma Talons + Rapid Fire + Covus Hammers + 4 Attacks Charging + Hammer of Wrath + Hit and Run = FTW.