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I just picked up some IG yesterday, and I'm hoping to bump up some lists like, 1750/2k/2250/2.5k-ish. The small ones are most important since I'm just starting.

So far I've got 2 Basilisk, 2 Leman Russ (any variant, I guess), a Manticore, a Vendetta(or valk), and maybe 35+ guardsmen (with like 5 meltaguns, 4 plasma guns)

I'm probably going to pick up Creed and use him with a command squad as HQ. Considering picking up Marbo since he doesn't cost all that much and can throw a demo charge wherever.


So my main considerations seem to be, what my final troop selections should be.

Rough outline of starting point
Command Squad – Creed, Kell, Astropath, Fleet officer, Ordinance Master, 3 fodder (free to change, can add bodyguards, remove any of these guys who suck.)
315
Marbo - 65
Vendetta – 3 TL Lascannons, Extra Armor, Searchlight
130
10 Vets – 3 Meltas, Melta Bombs, Demo Charge, Vox
135
10 Vets – 3 Plasmas, Vox
120
Chimera – Multi-laser + Heavy bolter (optional, haven't bought yet. I could buy another vendetta/valk instead of it to transport them too?)
55
Basilisk
125
Basilisk
125
Leman Russ – Battle Cannon, Lascannon
165
Leman Russ Executioner – 5 Plasma cannon shots
230
Manticore
160
Subtotal: 1625, need to add a few hundred points.

I'm new to guard so I don't know if I want to add multiple chimera squads or a large infantry platoon, etc. (Can afford some of the less cost-effective stuff like the lascannon on the Russ because I don't have so many models yet.)

unfortunately, this list is all toys.

If you're going to build a list properly, you have to start with the essentials and move out to the periphery.

Apart from that, you've got way too many heavy support choices, forcing things to squad up that shouldn't. Drop either the basilisks or the russes. Then drop all 315 points of purely worthless CCS and replace it with a regular CCS and some special weapons.

Assuming you're going the artillery route, your list without the trash taken out should look something like this:

CCS 2x melta 1x plasma - 85

Vets with 3x melta, vendetta - 240
Vets with 3x plasma, chimera (HHF)- 170

basilisk - 125
basilisk - 125
manticore - 160

905 points.

The other 720 points of your list is mostly rubbish. As such, what you should be looking for is how to expand your list out to 1000 points or 1250, rather than 2000. If you can't play high points values game without adding bloat, then just don't play high points value games.

Listen to ros. Guard gotta be lean to be mean, so take your upgrades at the end. Be stingy with them, especially if it isn't a weapon.

What's your playstyle? Infantry, mech, or a mix? I like burying a bassy and a lrbt in infantry formations. In any case, you need more than 20 scoring squishies to protect all that hardware and take objectives...

CCS – Autocannon, Astropath
90

Infantry Platoon
PCS – Commander, Autocannon, 2 fodder
Infantry – Autocannon, Grenade Launcher
Infantry – Autocannon, Grenade Launcher
HWS – 3 Autocannons
HWS – 3 Lascannons
350

Vendetta – 3 TL Lascannons
130
10 Vets – 3 Meltas, Melta Bombs, Demo Charge
130

Vendetta – 3 TL Lascannons
130
10 Vets – 3 Plasmas
115

Basilisk
125
Basilisk
125

Leman Russ – Battle Cannon, Lascannon
165
Leman Russ Executioner – 5 Plasma cannon shots
230

Manticore
160

Total: 1750

The footies will protect my objective and annoy enemy with shooting. Melta-vendetta for popping landraiders and claiming objectives, other vendetta with vets for objectives. Then I have
7 autocannons
2 earthshaker (S9 AP3)
1 battle cannon (S8 AP3)
5 plasma cannons (S7 AP2)
1 Storm rockets (D3 S10 AP4)
6 TL Lascannons (S9 AP2) + 3 normal Lascannons
Meltagun tank-hunter squad

Against a troop horde that's still an average 5 pie plates per turn and 5 blasts. Against vehicles, it's so much more than my 9-obliterators CSM put out and more mobile vendettas.

Should I ditch the astropath (+1 in case I get 2nd turn and need to reserve vendettas or something) to swap some autocannons into lascannons?

Infantry Squads are pretty frail. Give them a commissar

Also the LM and Executioner dont work too well. Sure MEQ's will cry but only at 36"

Might want to drop demolitions on vets too

kenshin620 wrote:Infantry Squads are pretty frail. Give them a commissar

Also the LM and Executioner dont work too well. Sure MEQ's will cry but only at 36"

Might want to drop demolitions on vets too

Hmm, well, I could just take 2 naked Russes to keep the 72" range. Then dropping the demos. Leaves 125 points. I guess I could use that to add to the infantry.

Red_Lives wrote:I personally prefer mech IG over gun line IG. 2/3 missions in the core rulebook are about grabbing objectives, something a stagnant gun line can struggle with.

I've had alot of success with my 5 vet squads as troops choice. Example list

All chimeras have heavyflamers
IG mech 1750

CCS- medic, plasma pistol, plasmagunsx3, Astropath, Chimera.

Vet Squad- Plasmax3, lazcannon chimera

Vet Squad- Flamerx3, Lascannon, chimera

Vet Squad- Flamerx3, Lascannon, chimera

Vet Squad- Demo, Meltaguns x3

Vet Squad- Demo, Meltaguns x3

Vendetta
Vendetta-

Leman Russ- Heavybolters

Manticore
Manticore

This is a solid 1750 mech list. It has 2 plasma squads for nasty 2+ save units, and MEQs. Meltavets riding in outflanking vendettas for heavy tank hunting, and late game objective grabbing. Lots of fire for heavy troops armies. A good ol classic russ and 2 units of D3 Str10 templates that are good at tank hunting and killing groups of infantry.

This is a good list.