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Hey gang,

After looking at the new codex, I found that I fell in love with Sternguard.

Here's the list:

HQ
Pedro Kantor 175

Elite
3 x Sternguard veterans 290
10 man squad, 2 melta guns, 1 combi-flamer, powerfist sgt.

Troops
2 x Tactical Marines 210
10 man squad, meltagun, lascannon, PF sgt.

5 x Drop Pod with Deathwind launchers
One pod also has a locator beacon.

The idea is pretty simple. There's not much a sternguard vet squad can't deal with in terms of anything that doesn't have an AV, and the meltaguns are there to take care of vehicles. With the combat squads rule and drop pods, I retain the flexibility of deciding whether or not to split the squad or not. Pedro would go in with one of the Sternguard units. If I split the squad, he'd go in with a PF sgt and the combi-flamer marine for sure. As for the melta-guns, I'm comfortable switching one out for a combi melta. Also, the squad that Kantor goes with, I might drop the sgts powerfists and load up with combi-plasma.

The lascannons obviously can't shoot the turn they pod in, but since I can drop them in first turn if I choose because of Drop Pod Assault, I only lose one turn of shooting with them, and there's enough meltaguns in the list that I'm pretty confident I can take care of any other vehicle short range.

Hordes don't concern me. The DW launchers and bolters will take care of that. Neither do MC's, since hellfire rounds should take care of them just fine.

All told, 51 infantry models, all of them scoring.

I've seen a few of these lists floating around here on Dakka, so comments are welcome.

Ezz

IMO not enouigh drop units. 5 means - what, 2 on first turn and the rest randomly dropping in... Not good odds. That will make it very east for your opponent to use their entire army to focus on your two squads. And then the one or two that drop in after that.

Also, 2 lascannons and a handful of meltas in full squads is not that great for anti tank. Remember that in order to melta a vehicle dead that means all your bolter shots are wasted (unless its av 10). Sternguard die just as easily as other marines, so when you drop in and do their damage, they die next turn if they have no support to take the heat off of them.

Assaulty armies will own you in combat, and shooty armies will tear you apart by focusing their entire firepower on a unit or two at a time. I want to run sterguard two(as thousand sons no less!) but I think they need more support. You need something to counter assaults with and enough on the table when you come on to provide enough threats that your opponent divides fire or if t hey combine fire it still leaves you with something to use on your turn.

To do that I think you need a minimum of 6 podding units, preferably 8. That gives you 4 first turn and 4 chances to get multiples on turn two, along with a turn 3 or 4 objective grabber. How that fits in pointwise and what are the bet choices I'm not sure about.

Alternativley you need ot have a decent core of a regualr army supported by 2-4 pods. The regualr units do their normal thing while your first pod or two divide the opponents forces and throw their plans into disarry. This works particularly well when you get second turn and opt to keep everything in reserve and completly steal their first turn from them, then come on with your whole land force and the pods 1st wave.

I'm just starting my foray into marine land, so temper my advice with experience and playtesting. Good luck!

Meph

5 pods = 3 drop in 1st turn.

7 drop pods = 4 drop pods in 1st turns.

Very Shooty. I think the Sternguard squad w/Pedro would benefit from a Lightning Claw rather than a Fist, after all Pedro's fist is already there. I would also lose the LasCannons in the Tac Squads for MultiMeltas. You really don't need 48" if you're podding in, and MM are more lethal in the 5th vs vehicles. With the points you save you could buff up the Tac Fist Sgt's by giving them combi flamers, and have enough left over for a couple more combi's for a Sternguard Squad.

I don't see why you would take the melta-guns over combi-meltas. How often do you expect to use the melta-shot and is that extra shot worth losing the special ammo?

Don't combi meltas lose the special ammo too?

gruntboy wrote:Don't combi meltas lose the special ammo too?

No they do not. Read the description for a combi weapon in the marine codex.

Combi meltas retain the bolter element. They do not give up the special ammo.

The OP has 5 full 10 men squads, by splitting them into combat squads he can have a total of 6 individual squad on the initial drop, plus an additional 3 units in the forms of drop pods.

I would add in a librarian and put locator beacons on all pods for some infinity gate shenanigans. I would also put in death wind launchers for the pods so they are much more of a threat.

I aggree that there is need for more support against assault, thats why for me I opted to have one squad of vanguard inplace of one squad of stern guard. Heroic intervention plus locator beacon plus Kantor is pretty wicked.

This list will struggle vs hordes. Three Pods in first turn and the whole horde will go against it. Three units will not make enough kills the turn they arrive; deathwind cannot shoot the turn a Pod lands.

wuestenfux wrote:deathwind cannot shoot the turn a Pod lands.

Huh? Why not?

Because the pod is considered moving 12" on the drop, and since it is not a fast vehicle, it cannot fire a weapon on the turn it drops. Check the deep strike rules for vehicles.

wuestenfux wrote:This list will struggle vs hordes. Three Pods in first turn and the whole horde will go against it. Three units will not make enough kills the turn they arrive; deathwind cannot shoot the turn a Pod lands.

That's ok. I'm not obligated to drop next to the enemy. I can get up to a 30" range with the bolters. And Pedro still brings an orbital strike to the table, too.

Ezz