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Tactical Marines have been increasingly bad since I started playing. The level of lethality and bigger and faster things on the table top simply make T4 3+ save not worth much. Especially with how armor modifiers work now, if your playing in a competitive game, they are not worth it.

 Excommunicatus wrote:
3 six-strong seeker squads

Blasphemy!

On topic: the correct question about denying deep striking now is if it's worth denying 1st turn deep strikes.

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
Zero is the best number.

Or minimum size if you're insistent on using them. You shouldn't though.

Yes.

If you must use them - mins sized. Take a combi plasma and Gravcannon if you want to lose even more but then the squad might actaully kill something.

5-mans.

While Marines haven't been top dog for a while (over half an this edition, now!), they're still middle tier.

If you're just starting, don't worry too much about it. The meta shifts all the times. Tacs were needed in a number of the top lists in 7th and 8th, at different times (less so in 8th, though). Don't expect to see that again any time soon, though.

depends on your model count. I have fun occationally with a blue tide list. it if fun and can take people off guard. its 99 power armor marines at 1840 points in 2 batallions captain w/ storm bolter and chainsword x2 lieutenant w/ storm boltr and chainsword x2. 10 tac marines with plasma cannon and plasma gun x 9 and 5x tac marines with plasma gun. its a lot of plasma that can take care of a lot, with captain and Lt bubbles for some rerolls.

probably not going to take many tournaments but still can do work and might pull surprise wins as counter meta where peopel bring a ton of zero ap and only a couple of anti tank weapons. marines in cover rocking that 2+.

I like 5 or 10. 5 to ride in Razorbacks or screen a flank; 10 to screen the front and make better use of buffs.

Heavy Bolters are good to get use out of the Kraken Rounds stratagem. Ditto for Missile Launchers and Skyfire Missiles. Grav cannon are just generally good, and the Tacticals play forward so they can get the cannon into range.

Plasma guns are the best special weapon, but don't sleep on the melta-gun - it's a solid choice. The grav gun can be okay if you're planning to place your squad out on a flank where they won't get rerolls from Captains, etc. In that location the grav gun can be a bit better than a plasma gun because there's no risk of self-immolation.

Combi-weapons are good on Sergeants. Power weapons are an okay buy if you have spare points, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy them.

 Excommunicatus wrote:
Six is the best number. Everything should be taken in sixes.

Don't change anything.

Don't listen to this twisted filth. Take 8, charge them into close combat and shoot with their pistols.

My Ultramarines have been known to deploy blue tide; 3 10 man squads with Combi-Plas,Plasmagun & Lascannon. 3 5 man tactical squads with Combi-Plas&Plasmagun, 1 5 man tactical squad combi-melta&meltagun, 5 Devs with missiles, 5 company veterans for wound soak.... always fun watching my opponents face when I set up 60+marines

Relief? Blue tide doubles down on a bad unit.

Martel732 wrote:
Relief? Blue tide doubles down on a bad unit.

its more of a counter meta move than a true power list (as a mostly ork player I have had to get used to finding ways to make lists work against metas in 6th and 7th) . you are not getting great firepower nor are you getting a ton of actual wounds. BUT most take all comers lists cannot deal with that much power armor. a list ready for knights and hordes usually has a lot of zero ap low str shots and big guns with not a ton in between. if you have the models give it a try sometime for yourself I find it fun to play and does well from my experience in objective games.

I have more jump marines than that. I've got tacticals dating back to 3rd ed box set guys.

I had committed to my army being Black Templar so the 5 man squad of heavy and special weapon is an easy thing.
Yes more drops but makes formations rather simple to get with all those fun command points.
Makes it also easier to get troop transports in particular Razorbacks for even MOAR dakka.
With my mainly Primaris Deathwatch, they are pretty much full squads since it is all about the troops for those guys.

 GamerGuy wrote:
My Ultramarines have been known to deploy blue tide; 3 10 man squads with Combi-Plas,Plasmagun & Lascannon. 3 5 man tactical squads with Combi-Plas&Plasmagun, 1 5 man tactical squad combi-melta&meltagun, 5 Devs with missiles, 5 company veterans for wound soak.... always fun watching my opponents face when I set up 60+marines

Hi-Five!! The power armor swarm is where it's at. I'm maxing my Devs at this point though, need them guns.

Maybe we could open a 40k tactics thread to cover peoples various takes on the power armour horde anti meta list??

I get the impression a few people have toyed with this as a concept and realised it’s durability.... some of us may even be running it (myself included).... it’s be interesting to try and find the “netlist” bluetide

dkoz wrote:
I'm guessing scouts inside a razorback don't get that scout move correct?

Scouts don't get a special move, it's a special deployment option instead of getting in the tank.



In all honesty, tac marines aren't the best troop option available, but they're not going to seal the game for you except at the highest of levels. Personally, I'd use 5 with a Lascannon, or 5 with a plasma+combiplas.

 GamerGuy wrote:
Maybe we could open a 40k tactics thread to cover peoples various takes on the power armour horde anti meta list??

I get the impression a few people have toyed with this as a concept and realised it’s durability.... some of us may even be running it (myself included).... it’s be interesting to try and find the “netlist” bluetide

It's really not hard to kill a Tactical Marine. Anyone having difficulty with such a list is someone just playing the game badly. Simple as that.