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I found myself with a most peculiar thought earlier today. Of the Space Marine Chapters, which is the best in hand to hand combat?

When i think of CC and Space Marines, 3 Chapters specifically come to mind, Black Templars, Blood Angels and Space Wolves. Now, disregarding the table top stats of the models themselves, fluffwise which do you think is the strongest or most skilled when it comes to the blade? If you feel another is worthy of the title, write it in and explain why!
Now...GO!

Hand to hand, physically Space Wolves probably have the advantage in unarmed combat due to their enhanced senses etc.

In close combat (armed), then of the known Chapters it's probably Minotaurs, Blood Angels or Carcharadons IMHO.
There's no one definitive answer however.

SW all the way, like my friend Dave said and BA of course...

I think Just Dave summed it up pretty well, those are pretty much the most brutal chapter the Imperium has at it's disposal, especially with the Minotaurs being rumored to have been created from World Eaters geneseed stock.

Minotaurs all the way. M41 and still running around with chain axes despite being loyalists.

The Salamanders are fairly adept, they utilize close range firepower and then combat to break their foes.

Salamanders are pretty awesome, but in a straight up CC fight they are definitely at a disadvantage against the others already mentioned.

riverhawks32 wrote:The Salamanders are fairly adept, they utilize close range firepower and then combat to break their foes.

Bear in mind that shooting isn't strictly close combat (rather close quarters) and that Sallies have typically slower (than your average astartes) reaction times...

I suppose Grey Knights don't count?

No one mentioned them yet???

Flesh Tearers! The name says it all.

I suppose if the OP is looking for the strongest or most skilled with a blade, I would have to go with the Black Templars. Blood Angels and Space Wolves both favor close combat so their training and skill reflects that, but in both cases it is their fury that defines their dominance, not necessarily swordsmanship. That's where the BT come in.

Manchu wrote:No one mentioned them yet???

Flesh Tearers! The name says it all.

good point, I can't believe I forgot to mention them. Blood for the Blood Emperor and all that.

Brother Heinrich wrote:

Manchu wrote:No one mentioned them yet???

Flesh Tearers! The name says it all.

good point, I can't believe I forgot to mention them. Blood for the Blood Emperor and all that.

Haha nice
Yeah, what I was going for is more which do you feel is overall the most EFFECTIVE in close combat as a whole, I could see the Minotaurs or Flesh Tearers easily being in the rankings I suppose

Flesh Tearers
Minotaurs
Carcaradons
Space Wolfs
Black Templar's
Red Scorpions

With the Fleshtearers, I have a feeling "mouth to hand" would be more accurate...

Those guys are just creepy, but undoubtedly effective. Even the Orks learned to fear them, and that's gotta mean something.

iGuy91 wrote:

Brother Heinrich wrote:

Manchu wrote:No one mentioned them yet???
Flesh Tearers! The name says it all.

good point, I can't believe I forgot to mention them. Blood for the Blood Emperor and all that.

Haha nice
Yeah, what I was going for is more which do you feel is overall the most EFFECTIVE in close combat as a whole, I could see the Minotaurs or Flesh Tearers easily being in the rankings I suppose

Well if you want EFFECTIVE, I'd cast my vote for either Minotaurs or Carcharodons, The Minotaurs are extremely well back by the lords of Terra, they always have a plentiful supply of equipment and are used as enforcers by Terra against wayward marine chapters. The Carcharodons are just outright brutal, no regard for civilian casualties or collateral damage, plus the put a whupping on the renegade chapters in the Badab War.

Brother Heinrich wrote:

iGuy91 wrote:

Brother Heinrich wrote:

Manchu wrote:No one mentioned them yet???
Flesh Tearers! The name says it all.

good point, I can't believe I forgot to mention them. Blood for the Blood Emperor and all that.

Haha nice
Yeah, what I was going for is more which do you feel is overall the most EFFECTIVE in close combat as a whole, I could see the Minotaurs or Flesh Tearers easily being in the rankings I suppose

Well if you want EFFECTIVE, I'd cast my vote for either Minotaurs or Carcharodons, The Minotaurs are extremely well back by the lords of Terra, they always have a plentiful supply of equipment and are used as enforcers by Terra against wayward marine chapters. The Carcharodons are just outright brutal, no regard for civilian casualties or collateral damage, plus the put a whupping on the renegade chapters in the Badab War.

You said Minotaurs already...but I' think they can't compete with first founding chapters like BA or SW, not for a mile...
and btw Wolves have giant beasts around them (pure cc) + nobody can top Wulfen in brutality
Do the math...

iGuy91 wrote:I found myself with a most peculiar thought earlier today. Of the Space Marine Chapters, which is the best in hand to hand combat?

When i think of CC and Space Marines, 3 Chapters specifically come to mind, Black Templars, Blood Angels and Space Wolves. Now, disregarding the table top stats of the models themselves, fluffwise which do you think is the strongest or most skilled when it comes to the blade? If you feel another is worthy of the title, write it in and explain why!
Now...GO!

All these other answers are folly. It's obviously the sons of Ultramar, The ULTRAMARINES

TheCaptain wrote:

iGuy91 wrote:I found myself with a most peculiar thought earlier today. Of the Space Marine Chapters, which is the best in hand to hand combat?

When i think of CC and Space Marines, 3 Chapters specifically come to mind, Black Templars, Blood Angels and Space Wolves. Now, disregarding the table top stats of the models themselves, fluffwise which do you think is the strongest or most skilled when it comes to the blade? If you feel another is worthy of the title, write it in and explain why!
Now...GO!

All these other answers are folly. It's obviously the sons of Ultramar, The ULTRAMARINES

With Matt Ward in charge it's possible...

NO!!!!!! The true answer are the scions of Sanguinius The Blood Angels they have the most assult troops of any chapter and when the enemy get to close to thier Devs the Devs will throw thier weapons away and throw themselves with only thier fists

I have to say Blood angels.
They are master of the Blade, and for pure anger and frocity they throw Death Company at it and watch its get Hacked ,Clawed, Stomped, and finaly Eaten
Close second would be the Space Wolfs, Reason being is yes they are also brutal in there CC but they do have the limitation that Death Company lack
As for the Ferisian Wolfs I have a DC Dread........your call

The answer really depends on how one interprets the question - are we talking about the most brutal in close combat ("crush them, drive them before you and hear the lamentation of their women")? Or do you mean the most martially skilled in a close combat ("my name is Enrico Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.")?

There's also the Iron Snakes, who if i recall were akin to Spartan Warriors.

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Iron_Snakes

Lynata wrote:Those guys are just creepy, but undoubtedly effective. Even the Orks learned to fear them, and that's gotta mean something.

You remember of course that canoness who recommended they be purged?

That's how you know they're good.

Manchu wrote:You remember of course that canoness who recommended they be purged?
That's how you know they're good.

Of course. "Either call in an Inquisitor, or bring the Imperial Navy to bombard these animals from space!"

On a related note, yesterday I took a cursory glance at the 2E codices again, and the AoD one has a very cool short story about Blood Angels in close combat. The Imperial Guard witnessing them was not amused.
Great read, recommendable!

So no one brought up the White Scars? They are pretty handy with a blade......

I'd say blood angels. Above all they favour close combat, they have death company, their leader was a vampire angel of death dude.

SW on paper are better but are basically 'better generalists' as opposed to 'better melee-ists'

Manchu wrote:No one mentioned them yet???

Flesh Tearers! The name says it all.

they are second. Knights of blood are so brutal that he declerad hereticus.still doing crusades thought

Pada wrote:

Manchu wrote:No one mentioned them yet???

Flesh Tearers! The name says it all.

they are second. Knights of blood are so brutal that he declerad hereticus.still doing crusades thought

Hey, why you think it's Knights of Blood I collect?
Knights of Blood, Flesh Tearers, Blood Angels, Space Wolves.
Ofcourse, if we can add chaos, world eaters would be somewhere around Knights of Blood.

If we're talking skill with the blade (or hammer, lightning claws, whatever), I would say the Black Templars, mostly because of their Emperor's Champion, a guy who's job it is to find the biggest, nastiest mutha in the galaxy and challenge it to a duel in the name of the Emperor and Dorn.

Special mention also goes out to the relatively unknown Storm Wardens. They like to engage the enemy on their own terms, i.e., to fight them one-on-one in a manly and honourable duel. And they will sometimes do this using their Sacris claymores over any old powersword.