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 wuestenfux wrote:
How about Heavy Primaris Intercessors?
More resilience for the bucks.

While I'm not going competitive with my Primaris (taking Imperial Fists and recently just bought a Storm Speeder Thunderstrike), I'll be trying out a combo of Heavy Intercessors (with Executioner Bolt Rifles/Heavy Bolter) and Assault Intercessors.

Heavy Intercessors with Executioner rounds also, at least based on my math, beat even Intercessors with Auto Bolt Rifles in terms of dishing out anti-marine damage throughout the course of a game. The latter are probably still better in terms of flexibility, both in terms of targets to dish damage out to as well as the number of objectives they can hold.

I wouldn't dare run Heavy Intercessors outside Ultramarines though. If they get caught in melee, they have zero bite. They need that ability to fall back and shoot.

Arcanis161 wrote:
Heavy Intercessors with Executioner rounds also, at least based on my math, beat even Intercessors with Auto Bolt Rifles in terms of dishing out anti-marine damage throughout the course of a game. The latter are probably still better in terms of flexibility, both in terms of targets to dish damage out to as well as the number of objectives they can hold.

The problem I have is that troops aren't for damage. You would be better served taking a cheap/durable troop (ie Assault Intercessors/Blood Claws/etc) and spending the points saved on elites/fast attack/heavy support.

For example, comparing 5-man Auto Intercessors(100 points) vs 5-man Executor Heavy Intercessors with a heavy weapon (150 points) vs 3-man Suppressors(100 points) vs 3-man Boltstorm Aggressors(135 points) and 3-man Assault Bolter Inceptors (120 points) against Marine stat line (T4 2W 3+Armor of Contempt, no doctrines or chapter). Then normalized for damage/100 points.

Auto Intercessors: 1.66 failed save damage (100 points, so 1.66)
Executor Heavy Intercessors: 2.66 failed save damage (150 points, so 1.77)
Suppressors: 2.66 failed save damage (100 points, so 2.66)
Boltstorm Aggressors: 3.166 failed save damage (135 points, so 2.35)
Assault Bolter Inceptors: 2.66 failed save damage (120 points, so 2.22)

For reference, a 3-man Bike Squad with 2x Flamer and a Combi-Flamer is: 3.416 failed save damage (110 points, so 3.1)
5-man Devastator with Grav-Cannons and a cherub is: 13.03 failed save damage when using the cherub (135 points, so 9.65), 10.07 on turns without (7.46 normalized)

Frankly, if Devastators gained Objective Secured when using Combat Squads... it would be interesting to chuck 2 Grav-cannons in a "Tactical" squad for objectives. Or, just allow Tactical Squads to take 2 Heavy Weapons in a 5-man.

Salamander aggressors and eradicators seem decent, the usual flamer/melta buffs from sallies with the usual defensive buffs they get plus the aggressors can turn their flamers into pistols for a cp which is very good when it comes up.

I've had success with heavy intercessors even pre-armor of contempt. So certainly they're even better now.

I usually use the hellstorm rifles so that I can advance and shoot, and my strategy is to advance into the midfield and grab objectives in no mans land. Personally I feel that if you can put a big brick of obsec on an objective that your opponent cant kill, thats even better in most cases than doing damage. They're extremely tough for the points you invest, and your opponent is going to need to devote an extreme amount of resources to bring them down, especially if they have Apothecary support, which I would recommend.

For what its worth though, their damage output isn't terrible. And I think they stack up decently well against intercessors in any real-game situation. While the typical intercessors generally win the mathhammer theorycrafting, in practice Heavy Intercessors are going to give you more firepower by virtue of the fact that more of them are going to be alive.