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I've recently run into a dilemma. I have a GT coming up late next month. And I don't have an army to use. My daemon army has been tried against the new GK and no matter how well I play, I always lose. Seeing as the GK book is shaping up to be top tier, Daemons are out. My Space Wolf army also recently took a dive off of a shelf, and are nowhere near tournament-playable. My IG have proven in the last tournament that they are definitely not to be used in a tournament. So that leaves me with: nothing. So I need to get a new army, preferably on the cheap side. What is the cheapest COMPETITIVE army build? Conversions and scratchbuilding are allowed if it makes things cheaper.

DoA BA's are pretty cheap (read 300-400 for a full army).

Deathwing is around the same amount.

Termie heavy BT's are probably doable

Kan Wall w/tons of AOBR shouldn't be to much (though painting could suck)

That's most of the armies you could probably get for less than $400 and it still be competitive. The first three are probably even possible to paint within the next month or so since they are relatively low models counts.

Wow, when did Deathwing become competitive?

you have two of the best armies, space wolves and imperial guard. Why not just fine-tune those?

Endgame wrote:Wow, when did Deathwing become competitive?

When the da faq came out

Thanks for the input, but I'm more limited on cash than that: I'm looking for around the $200 range (read: daemon tournament army cost me less than $100, CSM army cost me around $200 (both at 2000 points)). Tme for painting/modeeling is not an issue. I've considered the AoBR deathwing approach, as well as the ork horde, and I've also considered foot guard using grots (already have some models). Thoughts? Other possible builds? I'm currently looking into some good scratchbuilding ideas...

You say your IG have proved they're not to be used in a tournament, however IG are one of the top codices right now. My guess is you're a lot closer to fielding a competitive IG list after spending $200 in addition to what you have, than you are to building a new army for $200 and playing that. How bad are your IG really?

Assuming the worst case scenario and you have to buy at GW prices, US$200 will buy you three chimeras and a couple of manticores. That should turn an average IG force into a solid one I think, assuming it's mech you're light on.

You could even get away with a moderately foot based Guard army if you tweak it the right way. Just make sure you still have a decent firebase.

As far as IG go, I currently have:
2 Chimeras
2 Manticores
3 Leman Russes (I could get turrets to make these any kind)
2 Valkyries/Vendettas
40 Veterans w/ assorted special weapons
3 Ogryns
Command Squad
2x Primaris Psyker
Marbo

Currently what I'm considering doing is this:

Primaris Psyker
Primaris Psyker

Marbo

Veterans w/ 3x GL and AC w/ Chimera
Veterans w/ 3x GL and AC w/ Chimera
Veterans w/ 3x GL and AC w/ Chimera
Veterans w/ 3x GL and AC w/ Chimera
Veterans w/ 3x Flamer and Demolitions
Veterans w/ 3x Flamer and Demolitions

Vendetta
Vendetta

Leman Russ Exterminator w/ Pask and LC
Manticore
Manticore

That leaves me 190 points to work with....thoughts?

DoA - use the BA battleforce along with some mail order jump packs and some bitz and you'll have 20 regular assault marines

From that list you already have a good IG mech base. Not enough for a slogging list, so let us focus on what you have.

Definately grab some Melta for your Vets.

One thing your army has alot of is Templates to smear anything out in the open with. Grenade launchers don't give you much to work with against armor, as you need some capability against higher AVs (your only two dedicated weapon platforms for that purpose are the Vendettas, followed by additional support by the LR, the Manticores, and the 2 Vet Demo squads).

Grab another Vendetta if possible.

If possible, I'd jumble around your transports and HQ situation.

3 Vet squads can go inside of the (3) Vendettas. Swapping out the Psyker HQs for Command Squads with more meltas would also allow you to keep the 5 Chimeras on board.

As for things to cut:

Pask is okay...but not a big fan.

The demo charges are better done with meltaguns. Your getting alot of meltabombs and a demo charge, but again not a terribly big fan.

scratch build some imaginative daemons would be my best suggestion?

How many pts do you play at the GT?

@WarOne- very sound advice, and I have thought of many good competitive builds. Making army lists isn't the issue: it's the money constraints place on it. An extra vendetta and 3 more chimeras is already costing $177: more than I currently have without adding in meltas/additional squads.

@Grundz- I've thought of this route, and can make a competitive 2000 point army from scratchbuilds/conversions for under $100...but there's the issue of Grey Knights. I've come up with plenty of other builds that have a decent chance of competing against them, but then they aren't optimized as much as they could be in a tournament setting.

@wuestenfux- The Grimm Open, so 2000 points, NoVa format.

Grenade launchers can be converted into near anything. Auto cannon? Take an ink tube, cut it up, stick it down the barrel and put little holes in it. Meltagun? Take 2 shortened ink tubes, paint them blue, and glue them on the top. Plasma guns? See meltaguns, but paint green. Flamers? Cut a piece of eraser up in a small rectangle, glue to barrel and paint a scorched brown, and glue a cork with a wire stuck into it connecting with the newly created flamer to the model's back.

Your IG army is deffinatly tournament-ready if you use the $200 to patch up lacking areas and do a bit of conversion work. Don't sweat it, you will be fine.

You can get used chimeras for $20-25 on ebay or here. Valkyries can go for around $40-50, you just have get lascannon bits from landriaders or something, so thats is around $125-135. You will enough $$ to spare to buy other things like melta or a company command squad.

The absolute cheapest competitive army is probably sprue necrons. Assuming you can get sprues free by asking people who are building stuff at the local shop since they throw them out anyway usually.

Here are some pictures of sprue necrons for examples on how to make them.
http://easternfringe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6739

Just add plasticard monoliths and you ready to go for next to no money spent.

Refer to Dashofpeppers thread here for list and tactics.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/366520.page

Deathwing can be cheap with converting aobr terminators if you have the skills to make or cast thunderhammers and stormshields.

If you want to work with what you got what do you have for Space Wolves?

Imperial Guard isn't as good as it used to be because the newer Marine codexes can out as much or more fire power sans ordinance but aren't t3 with a 5+ save.

Used is your friend for keeping warhammer costs down you can find some really good deals here on barter town or ebay.

Necrons are competitive? I don't believe this and would stay away from them no matter what.

I believe I have found a solution:



I have ordered 9 of these on the VERY cheap ($33.50 for all 9). This gives me a variety of options:

1.) Kan Wall: repaint them/do minor conversion work to make them more orky, then add AoBR ork mobs.

2.) Converted to counts-as sentinels for the Grot Guard (using of around 600 points worth): probably the least attractive option, as I still need much of the army and also probably the least competitive.

3.) Barbaric Blood Angels. What I'm leaning towards the most right now. 8x dreadnoughts, converted outta these. I've figured out ways to make each type of dreadnought easily recognizable and distinguishable from the others. Troops will probably be Chaos Marines with chaos bits filed down and Tyranid Gargoyle wings attached. I also already have the 2 drop pods that would be needed to drop in the DC dreads. Thoughts?

4.) Standard Marine Dreadwall. Played against this last GT, it was brutal. Obviously they would be repainted/converted and have main marine force added.

5.) Anything I'm not thinking of..?

So which option do you think is the best? I'm currently leaning towards the Dreadwall or Barbaric Blood Angels/Xenos Race in Power Armor and Giant Walking Cans....but am open to all suggestions.

Some things to keep in mind:

1) Kan Wall is extremely effective at 1500 points, but loses it's power as you go higher in points.

2) If you are going dread wall, might I suggest 6x Ironclads footslogging it with double HKs. Make your HQ a Master of the Forge to unlock this. The rest of the points... can't go wrong with tac marines in rhinos.

Necrons actually are a viable option, but don't plan on winning the tournament if you come up against anything which are CC oriented. To counteract this, read Dashofpepper's article. It's bloody deadly.

with GW, nothing is cheap.

Anything Marines is cheap thanks to AoBR. Being the most popular army in 40k also means the best deals off ebay.

The ultra competitive builds are far from cheap. They often involve many vehicles, a lot of jump packs, some forge world accessorizes, special weapons, or heavy weapons.

I you want a decent army that can do well in average games at the right price, then consider spamming cheap AoBR tactical marines, dreadnoughts, and buying moderate amounts of vehicles.