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Jaon wrote:Imperial Guard veterans are up there for their ability to tackle ANY unit.

Vets are only good however when used in conjunction with a chimera or a valk/vendetta. Without a transport, they are exceedingly easy to kill and rather short ranged, and even in a valk/vend they tend to be suicide units.


Personally, for my pick?

Grey Hunters. They are basically Chaos Marines with ATSKNF/Counterattack/Acute Senses, free weapons and more CC upgrade availability, cheaper sergeant upgrade with cheaper upgrade options, and don't cost a single point more, typically running 20-40pts cheaper per unit after kit, for a unit with superior capabilities. An astoundingly capable unit, these really should have been 18 ppm, not 15 and had to pay more (or at least something) for their upgrades. They have as much shooty as any other Marine unit, and fight at least as well or usually better, with all sorts of freebie/discounted upgrade options.


Ork Boyz are still very good I think as well. Very cheap with huge wound output capability. The problem is that increasingly there are units being designed practically specifically to kill them, such as GK Purifiers.


IG Platoons are also pretty impressive. You have lots of options as to how to use them (outflanking al-rahem, blobs, mechanized, MSU horde) and can get a ton of guns, dudes and tanks for very few points. No other army can field 4 AV12 tanks with two heavy weapons each and thirty five scoring infantry with ten heavy/special weapons under 500pts, or pack in nearly 70 infantry with a ton of heavy weapons for the same number of points.

Very prejudiced, but I'd have to go with the guard platoon for "best troops choice". up to 50 bodies in a single squad, possibly with 5 commissars and 10 power weapons, with up to 5 special and 5 heavy weapons as well. Then add in up to 5 heavy weapon squads, up to 50 conscripts, and 2 special weapon squads and the command squad. all up a fully fleshed platoon (no upgrades) comes to 880 points with pcs, 50 guardsmen, 50 conscripts, 5 mortar teams and 2 6 man squads with 3 flamers each. 132 models. And that is a single troops choice.

realistically, though, how many people run that?

second place would be DE kabalites. always wounding on a 4+, possibilities of getting FNP, Furious Charge and Fearless, and can be upgraded effectively to anti-tank or anti-horde.

Lol I feel IG platoons is kinda cheating, since it's effectively 5 different units into one.

papathrax wrote:Very prejudiced, but I'd have to go with the guard platoon for "best troops choice". up to 50 bodies in a single squad, possibly with 5 commissars and 10 power weapons, with up to 5 special and 5 heavy weapons as well. Then add in up to 5 heavy weapon squads, up to 50 conscripts, and 2 special weapon squads and the command squad. all up a fully fleshed platoon (no upgrades) comes to 880 points with pcs, 50 guardsmen, 50 conscripts, 5 mortar teams and 2 6 man squads with 3 flamers each. 132 models. And that is a single troops choice.

realistically, though, how many people run that?

second place would be DE kabalites. always wounding on a 4+, possibilities of getting FNP, Furious Charge and Fearless, and can be upgraded effectively to anti-tank or anti-horde.

I would love to run a pair of Combat Squaded Purifiers against that. Just one use of Cleansing flame (well, two in total, but one each), and the entire unit's made their points back. It would be beautiful.

This is a very interesting question. I like to think that the flexibility of an army can be measured in the costs of its troops. Take necron warriors for example - 18 points of uslessness - but yet you are shackled with them, having to keep them alive.

You can have THREE orks for one necron warrior, and I know which i'd rather have (hint, its NOT the silver guy!).

I've never understood the interest of Necrons.
When they were first released, there was one troop type, one heavy, a character and scarabs.
And all the models look the same (Although, I think the character had a cape)
And i don't think the variety has grown terribly since then.

I guess the same criticisms can be levelled agianst Space Marines, really... although they do have a few more options...
(That's why i originally started collecting Space Wolves.... more interesting models)

Given that the crons is not one of the "original" races they seem to have done a good job with some variety. Tau didnt get much without the Kroot and Forgeworld that's for sure. We'll probably be seeing a whole gakload of stuff though, given how GW is currently in love with asspull units.

Ork boyz or Grey Hunters.

IG don't really qualify, I feel, because they are costly and require other elements of the army to support them (orders and such) to get their full value out of them. And they still sometimes run into hard times vs. multiple dreads or template spam.

Da boyz, mate.

Of course, I learned the hard way that not every problem can be solved with "MOAR BOYZ". Especially if they're going on a long walk through difficult terrain, under enemy fire.

svendrex wrote:To sum it up, Ork Slugga boys are not as point efficient as Grey Hunters

Grey Hunters, I agree.
Someone actually said Eldar, wow, that's just sad. Eldar have the worst basic troops in the game.

Augustus wrote:

svendrex wrote:To sum it up, Ork Slugga boys are not as point efficient as Grey Hunters

Grey Hunters, I agree.
Someone actually said Eldar, wow, that's just sad. Eldar have the worst basic troops in the game.

Ever heard of the Necrons?
Actually...
No i think Necrons basic troop beats the Eldar basic troop.

I like me some mechvets. Cheap BS4 and lots of options.

purplefood wrote:No i think Necrons basic troop beats the Eldar basic troop.

I know right?

It's really that bad.

Generally speaking I don't think any of the T3 basic troops could be argued as the 'best'. At least Necron Warriors have some advantages, T4 WBB and some chance vs tanks, but yea.

Maybe a worst thread would be fun!?

In my Opinion

Best would be the Ork boyz. Decent versatility, good suvivability, outrageously cheap pricing, and are the kings of the "horde" squads.

(And because I want to have a say) Worst would be Kroot. Very situational, below par survivability, and they are not so good at what they're suppossed to do (coughassaultcough). The point of thses oversized living KFC trays is as a tar pit, essential being a distraction to get killed before the ones who tote guns get shot at, which means points not so much well wasted.

ChiliPowderKeg wrote:...Worst would be Kroot...

Agreed, I think 5th ed rules really hit Kroot over the head because tar pit units have the loss ratio leadership penalty, combined with Kroots low LD of just 7. No antitank either and incredible vulnerability to tank shock makes them pretty awful in a mechanized world.

Fafnir wrote:
I would love to run a pair of Combat Squaded Purifiers against that. Just one use of Cleansing flame (well, two in total, but one each), and the entire unit's made their points back. It would be beautiful.

I don't know what they do. I assume its templates of doom. If you think that 10 men can stand up against between 90 and 135 flahlights (assuming frfsrf and you're within 12"), epilepsy will prove you wrong.

mechaEmperor7000 wrote:IG don't really qualify, I feel, because they are costly and require other elements of the army to support them...

That's true of every single troops choice in the game, that's why they're Troops, not anything else on the FOC. I don't know what you mean by costly though... 5 points per guardsman with a free sgt is pretty cheap for what they are.

Why, the Emperor's finest of course!

The more I play against them the stronger I lean towards Ork Boyz.

For MEQ I'm still voting GKSS though.

Grey hunters no questions asked! Orkz are def. a very close 2nd though

I think Sisters of Battle are a pretty solid choice. For about 150pts you get ten girls in Power Armor with a meltagun and a heavy flamer (can any other basic troops take a heavy flamer?), a Veteran with a combi-flamer that makes the unit and any other unit within 6" stubborn (Ld 9), and you have access to acts of faith.

You can pretty much wipe out a ten man marine squad with a single round of shooting and then when the girls get charged by something mean, they use the acts of faith to go invulnerable. 3+ invulnerable saves and stubborn Ld 9 make one hell of a tar pit.

Im biased, but im saying cron warriors.


Granted they are 18 points each, but i see that as cheap.

WS, BS, S, T all 4's.
3+ saves.
WBB. (which can be boosted by lith's and orbs, and even spiders)
A basic weapon that can glance any vehicle.


allways liked them, just a shame they look soo mono-pose after a few years.
Also a shame that the deigner for the sprues is a dick and adds in drop points in the worsed places (thin rails, under a cheekbone etc)

Boyz or GH. I am a big fan of da Orks, but I've experienced wagon boyz assaulting into GH units with a RP, MotW, and Wolf Banner being decimated to under half unit strength before they ever swing too many times to discount the SW

Im a fan of Blood Letters... I mean yeah they're fairly expensive at 16 points a pop, but man pit any other 16 point model in close combat and they'll fold before its might! The amount of damage my squads dish out for their cost is quite staggering.