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I think some kind of mix is good, depending on points and the rest of the army.

I think 2 SS are needed for sure, then it's kind of up to what you want to be killing but the axes and the claws both seem okay to me

it was brought up a while ago, but I've had good success with Grimnar on a sleigh. He is super fragile but with some command points he usually lives, he's fast, and the wolves attacks are nice, and the fact that he has a non degrading primary attack is also really nice.

Azuza001 wrote:
I have a question for you guys about wulfen. I just picked up a box of 5 for 25$ and am trying to figure out what the best load out for these guys are.

Option 1: 4 with thunder hammer and storm shields, 1 with frost claws
Option 2 : 2 with th and ss, 3 with great axe
Option 3 : a mix of the 2, 2 with th and ss, 2 with great axes, 1 with frost claws

I am thinking of the first option for a big monster Hunter, how can you not love s10 hits and a 3++ save? But I also see s8 being just as good as s10 and having better luck hitting and s6 with those claws and all those attacks as nasty. So thoughts would be helpful for 8th ed.

(Yes there will be a wolf priest with jump pack around to help as well)

I use to play wulfen as big things hunters, as they have lots of attacks at high strenght and even if they die they can attack once again, TWC and terminators can't really have that number of S8-10 attacks with the same points. But a full TH/SS unit is too expensive, and a leader with claws is mandatory with the new rules. That's why I usually field them with the following loadout: 2 TH/SS, 2 axes and the leader. The axes are actually quite good against high T enemies and cheaper than the TH/SS combo. I've magnetized them but never bothered with claws since I never charge troops with wulfen.

Cool, thanks for the info. I think that your load out is probably the right one, gives a great mix of all without too many points wasted.

 Blackie wrote:

Azuza001 wrote:
I have a question for you guys about wulfen. I just picked up a box of 5 for 25$ and am trying to figure out what the best load out for these guys are.

Option 1: 4 with thunder hammer and storm shields, 1 with frost claws
Option 2 : 2 with th and ss, 3 with great axe
Option 3 : a mix of the 2, 2 with th and ss, 2 with great axes, 1 with frost claws

I am thinking of the first option for a big monster Hunter, how can you not love s10 hits and a 3++ save? But I also see s8 being just as good as s10 and having better luck hitting and s6 with those claws and all those attacks as nasty. So thoughts would be helpful for 8th ed.

(Yes there will be a wolf priest with jump pack around to help as well)

I use to play wulfen as big things hunters, as they have lots of attacks at high strenght and even if they die they can attack once again, TWC and terminators can't really have that number of S8-10 attacks with the same points. But a full TH/SS unit is too expensive, and a leader with claws is mandatory with the new rules. That's why I usually field them with the following loadout: 2 TH/SS, 2 axes and the leader. The axes are actually quite good against high T enemies and cheaper than the TH/SS combo. I've magnetized them but never bothered with claws since I never charge troops with wulfen.

When did the leader with claws become mandatory?

That's the way it's written in the index. Leader comes with frost claws. Rest armed with wulfen claws. You can upgrade any wulfen to storm shield / thunder hammer, or frost claws, or great axe. But the leader just gets what he starts with, no upgrade options. :p

I mean I am OK with this, putting the frost claws on him makes the most sense to me if I was going to take frost claws, and I was going to take 1 model with them so yeah.

Sorry if this has been discussed before but when is the SW codex expected?

No clue. I doubt this year honestly. Even as a wolf player I think eldar / orks / tyrnaids should get their codexes before us. Not that my opinion matters lol.

Early rumours of Imperium&Chaos this year, Xenos next year are panning out thus far. So I'm guessing an October/November release. No new models, just a book.

I have heard rumours of November but honestly I don't know if they are accurate or just wishful thinking. We have no reliable info at this stage.

Well they just announced 3 more codexes so 8/10 are known for this year. Which leaves "about" 2 that can be any codexes at this point, since none of the initial rumors seem to be panning out after all.

I don't think it will come this year. Way back when Hastings first mentioned the return of the Primarchs, he named Magnus, Mortarion, Roboute and Russ. So I expect a major release alongside our Codex. Another hint is the blurp about Freki and Geri in the new White Dwarf: their current fate is unknown

Ragnar69 wrote:
I don't think it will come this year. Way back when Hastings first mentioned the return of the Primarchs, he named Magnus, Mortarion, Roboute and Russ. So I expect a major release alongside our Codex. Another hint is the blurp about Freki and Geri in the new White Dwarf: their current fate is unknown

Ten thousand year old wolves.
Probably chased Magnus and the boys into the Warp, then again, we don't really know the age of Santa Claws' mutts either, Thunderwolves could be stupidly long-lived.

Oh boy, I'm not really putting much trust into Russ returning. However they have left his fate rather vague so fluffwise it's definitely a possibility.

I don't think my wallet nor schedule can handle a big release for SW.

Hey guys, I'm almost finished building an Achillies LR and wanted your opinions on what to stuff in there?

It's a fantastic line-breaker and with most of the guns having 24" range I see it zipping into the mid/back-field in most games.

The main issue is that it only has a transport capacity of 6 so Wulfen and TDWAG are out. Maybe a squad of PAWG with combi-plas and a few CC weapons, or a small group of Lone Wolves in PA?

Ragnar69 wrote:
I don't think it will come this year. Way back when Hastings first mentioned the return of the Primarchs, he named Magnus, Mortarion, Roboute and Russ. So I expect a major release alongside our Codex. Another hint is the blurp about Freki and Geri in the new White Dwarf: their current fate is unknown

Assuming you are right, I would hazard a guess that we might see Russ and our new Codex around Spring next year. Mortarion seems to be taking the same Pre-Christmas slot as Magnus took last year so it is not unreasonable to guess that Russ will come out at the same time RG did this year.

Assuming of course that GW stick to a pattern of releasing 1 loyalist Primarch each spring and 1 traitor each autumn. 3 Models is a rather small sample size to extrapolate a pattern from.

so I've been thinking I want to start playing competativly again and am thinking I'm going to start with this list. any suggestions would be cool.

++ Battalion Detachment +3CP (Imperium - Space Wolves) [122 PL, 1997pts] ++

+ HQ +

Arjac Rockfist [7 PL, 140pts]

Wolf Guard Battle Leader on Bike [6 PL, 104pts]: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. Bike: Twin boltgun

Wolf Lord on Bike [7 PL, 117pts]: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. Bike: Twin boltgun

+ Troops +

Grey Hunters [8 PL, 91pts]: 5x Chainsword
. Grey Hunter Pack Leader: Chainsword
. 4x Grey Hunter w/Bolt Pistol
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Storm bolter, Storm shield

Grey Hunters [8 PL, 91pts]: 4x Chainsword
. Grey Hunter Pack Leader: Chainsword
. 4x Grey Hunter w/Bolt Pistol
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Storm bolter, Storm shield

Grey Hunters [8 PL, 91pts]: 4x Chainsword
. Grey Hunter Pack Leader: Chainsword
. 4x Grey Hunter w/Bolt Pistol
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Storm bolter, Storm shield

+ Elites +

Wolf Guard [18 PL, 158pts]
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Wolf claw
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Wolf claw
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Wolf claw
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Storm bolter, Wolf claw

Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour [15 PL, 280pts]
. Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour: Storm shield, Thunder hammer
. Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour: Storm shield, Thunder hammer
. Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour: Storm shield, Thunder hammer
. Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour: Storm shield, Thunder hammer
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader in Terminator Armour: Storm shield, Thunder hammer

Wolf Guard on Bikes [14 PL, 215pts]
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike Pack Leader: Chainsword, Storm bolter, Storm shield
. . Bike: Twin boltgun

+ Heavy Support +

Long Fangs [11 PL, 302pts]
. Long Fang: Missile launcher
. Long Fang: Missile launcher
. Long Fang: Missile launcher
. Long Fang: Missile launcher
. Long Fang: Missile launcher
. Long Fang Pack Leader: Boltgun and Bolt Pistol, Chainsword
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader in Terminator Armour: Power sword
. . Cyclone missile launcher and storm bolter: Cyclone missile launcher, Storm bolter

+ Dedicated Transport +

Razorback [5 PL, 102pts]: Storm bolter, Twin assault cannon

Razorback [5 PL, 102pts]: Storm bolter, Twin assault cannon

Razorback [5 PL, 102pts]: Storm bolter, Twin assault cannon

Razorback [5 PL, 102pts]: Storm bolter, Twin assault cannon

++ Total: [122 PL, 1997pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

Looks pretty good but you may struggle against armoured opponents. I looks like your guns max out at AP-2 with no lascannons or plasma weapons.

I would be tempted to replace the Wolf Lord or WGBL with a Wolf Priest in TDA (or at least with a jump pack) to accompany Arjac and his shield brothers. Rerolls to hit are fantastic with Thunder Hammers and the ability to patch up wounded WG makes him a valuable force multiplier.

I like having the wolf loads and wgbl together for the rerolls to hit and wound. debating on changing long fangs to Las and dropping the wgpl to add plasma to the gh. something like this.

++ Battalion Detachment +3CP (Imperium - Space Wolves) [133 PL, 1999pts] ++

+ HQ +

Arjac Rockfist [7 PL, 140pts]

Wolf Guard Battle Leader on Bike [6 PL, 99pts]: Frost axe, Storm bolter
. Bike: Twin boltgun

Wolf Lord on Bike [7 PL, 112pts]: Frost axe, Storm bolter
. Bike: Twin boltgun

+ Troops +

Grey Hunters [8 PL, 104pts]: 5x Chainsword
. Grey Hunter Pack Leader: Chainsword
. 3x Grey Hunter w/Bolt Pistol
. Grey Hunter with Special Weapon: Bolt Pistol, Plasma gun
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Storm bolter, Storm shield

Grey Hunters [8 PL, 104pts]: 4x Chainsword
. Grey Hunter Pack Leader: Chainsword
. 3x Grey Hunter w/Bolt Pistol
. Grey Hunter with Special Weapon: Bolt Pistol, Plasma gun
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Storm bolter, Storm shield

Grey Hunters [8 PL, 104pts]: 4x Chainsword
. Grey Hunter Pack Leader: Chainsword
. 3x Grey Hunter w/Bolt Pistol
. Grey Hunter with Special Weapon: Bolt Pistol, Plasma gun
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Storm bolter, Storm shield

+ Elites +

Wolf Guard [18 PL, 168pts]
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Wolf claw
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Wolf claw
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Wolf claw
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Wolf claw
. Wolf Guard: Storm bolter, Wolf claw
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Storm bolter, Wolf claw

Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour [15 PL, 274pts]
. Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour: Storm shield, Thunder hammer
. Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour: Storm bolter, Thunder hammer
. Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour: Storm bolter, Thunder hammer
. Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour: Storm shield, Thunder hammer
. Wolf Guard Pack Leader in Terminator Armour: Storm shield, Thunder hammer

Wolf Guard on Bikes [28 PL, 279pts]
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Storm bolter, Storm shield
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Chainsword, Storm bolter
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Chainsword, Storm bolter
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike: Bolt Pistol, Chainsword
. . Bike: Twin boltgun
. Wolf Guard on Bike Pack Leader: Bolt Pistol, Chainsword, Storm bolter
. . Bike: Twin boltgun

+ Heavy Support +

Long Fangs [8 PL, 215pts]
. Long Fang: Lascannon
. Long Fang: Lascannon
. Long Fang: Lascannon
. Long Fang: Lascannon
. Long Fang: Lascannon
. Long Fang Pack Leader: Boltgun and Bolt Pistol, Chainsword

+ Dedicated Transport +

Razorback [5 PL, 100pts]: Twin assault cannon

Razorback [5 PL, 100pts]: Twin assault cannon

Razorback [5 PL, 100pts]: Twin assault cannon

Razorback [5 PL, 100pts]: Twin assault cannon

++ Total: [133 PL, 1999pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

How's this for a TWC loadout? Would I be better off trying to find the points for power weapons?

Thunderwolf Cavalry [16 PL, 220pts]
. Thunderwolf Cavalry: Chainsword, Chainsword
. Thunderwolf Cavalry: Chainsword, Storm shield
. Thunderwolf Cavalry: Chainsword, Storm shield
. Thunderwolf Cavalry Pack Leader: Chainsword, Wolf claw

I'd always equip the pack leader with a thunder hammer, making the TWC more versatile.

Legitimate question:
How are Space Wolves faring right now? Because I can't for the life of me figure out how they're supposed to hold a candle to Space Marines in any significant way.
There's only a handful of units that we've got that are even viable in a direct comparison sense. Since we don't have Chapter Tactics or anything resembling it, all 'Direct analogues' are out. Grey Hunters get an extra attack for 1pt, but Space Marines are generally bad in close combat, so that's not helpful. Regular bikers are actually *cheaper* than Swiftclaws, and Assault marines are tied for cost with Swiftclaws. Our Terminators are technically more versatile, but also drastically more expensive.

The only things that I'd consider taking, then, are things that don't have comparable units: Wulfen, Thunderwolves, and... Rune Priests, I guess, since they have different powers. (Actually, I'm a huge fan of the three powers we've got - A powerful defensive buff, a powerful offensive debuff, and a Smite clone that actually feels like it has a unique niche and works as an alternative to Smite rather than an inferior copy. (Try throwing Jaws on some Cataphractii Terminators and you'll see what I mean.)

Wulfen got hit hard with the Nerf Bat, increasing in cost, staying at 2w when other 2w models got bumped up to 3, losing any kind of 'Rage' ability, and getting generally slightly weaker weapons. We still have a radius buff, but it's self-defeating because we lose the more powerful buff (+1 attack) if we're in range of the far weaker one (re-roll charges), so we want to somehow start the Wulfen far away, then end everyone's charges within 6", which leads to convoluted, messy placement that defeats any advantage you're getting from the buff.

Thunderwolf Cavalry, similarly, got hit hard with a nerf bat. While technically there's an increase in number of attacks, those bonus attacks can only use a weaker profile, and the 'strong' attacks that actually use the rider's melee weapons only get to swing twice and no longer get S5 as a base. TWolves can still work moderately well as a horde clearing squad, going with Double Chainswords or maybe Maul+Chainsword to get maximum volume of attacks, but that's about the only build I see being worth the points on them.

(Incidentally, without access to SuperFriends Psychic Powers, neither of these units needed nerfing, but that's neither here nor there.)


The Stormfang/Stormwolf both seem pretty good. If anything, it's actually a reasonably viable alternative to the Stormraven - A slight bump in cost either nets you 5" extra movement and a bit more anti tank firepower (with good anti-heavy-infantry firepower but less anti-light-infantry firepower) or else a larger bump in firepower at the cost of some transport capacity. Also, considering that Stormravens don't get Chapter Tactics, we aren't losing out on that front.


So... What am I missing? Or am I correct, and the only thing Space Wolves might remotely be able to compare to is Stormraven spam, and even then not against horde armies.

SM are overpowered even if there are some people that consider tacticals the wors troop in the game. Regular SM always have been better than SW at super competitive levels.

SW are a mid tier army at the moment, in 7th they had some top tier lists with other imperium allies like celestine or SM biker pskyers, but pure wolves didn't win tournaments.

Waaaghpower wrote:
Legitimate question:
How are Space Wolves faring right now? Because I can't for the life of me figure out how they're supposed to hold a candle to Space Marines in any significant way.
There's only a handful of units that we've got that are even viable in a direct comparison sense. Since we don't have Chapter Tactics or anything resembling it, all 'Direct analogues' are out. Grey Hunters get an extra attack for 1pt, but Space Marines are generally bad in close combat, so that's not helpful. Regular bikers are actually *cheaper* than Swiftclaws, and Assault marines are tied for cost with Swiftclaws. Our Terminators are technically more versatile, but also drastically more expensive.

The only things that I'd consider taking, then, are things that don't have comparable units: Wulfen, Thunderwolves, and... Rune Priests, I guess, since they have different powers. (Actually, I'm a huge fan of the three powers we've got - A powerful defensive buff, a powerful offensive debuff, and a Smite clone that actually feels like it has a unique niche and works as an alternative to Smite rather than an inferior copy. (Try throwing Jaws on some Cataphractii Terminators and you'll see what I mean.)

Wulfen got hit hard with the Nerf Bat, increasing in cost, staying at 2w when other 2w models got bumped up to 3, losing any kind of 'Rage' ability, and getting generally slightly weaker weapons. We still have a radius buff, but it's self-defeating because we lose the more powerful buff (+1 attack) if we're in range of the far weaker one (re-roll charges), so we want to somehow start the Wulfen far away, then end everyone's charges within 6", which leads to convoluted, messy placement that defeats any advantage you're getting from the buff.

Thunderwolf Cavalry, similarly, got hit hard with a nerf bat. While technically there's an increase in number of attacks, those bonus attacks can only use a weaker profile, and the 'strong' attacks that actually use the rider's melee weapons only get to swing twice and no longer get S5 as a base. TWolves can still work moderately well as a horde clearing squad, going with Double Chainswords or maybe Maul+Chainsword to get maximum volume of attacks, but that's about the only build I see being worth the points on them.

(Incidentally, without access to SuperFriends Psychic Powers, neither of these units needed nerfing, but that's neither here nor there.)


The Stormfang/Stormwolf both seem pretty good. If anything, it's actually a reasonably viable alternative to the Stormraven - A slight bump in cost either nets you 5" extra movement and a bit more anti tank firepower (with good anti-heavy-infantry firepower but less anti-light-infantry firepower) or else a larger bump in firepower at the cost of some transport capacity. Also, considering that Stormravens don't get Chapter Tactics, we aren't losing out on that front.


So... What am I missing? Or am I correct, and the only thing Space Wolves might remotely be able to compare to is Stormraven spam, and even then not against horde armies.

Well couple of things.

Grey Hunters get +1A (chainsword) for 0pts, not 1pt.

Wulfen gained a 5++ FNP, meaning they are close to 3W, and with great rolling they are 4W. Also I think you have misunderstood their auras. You cannot benefit from +1A if you have benefited from rerolling a charge. Meaning if you didn't reroll your charge you didn't "use up" that aura and you get your +1A. And if you make the charge after a re-roll I guess that is infinitely better than gaining +1A while standing in the middle of a field unengaged...

Thunderwolves got their well-deserved nerf. Nobody likes auto-pick units. They are still pretty decent, just not the absolute powerhouses they were before. Just deal with it.

Overall I think the internal balance is pretty good, however we need our chapter tactics equivalent and stratagems to really get back in the game. We're still more than playable but just don't expect to break any balls before getting our Codex or Chapter Approved update (whichever comes first).

 Weazel wrote:


Well couple of things.

Grey Hunters get +1A (chainsword) for 0pts, not 1pt.

You're semantically correct, but in effect... No. Grey Hunters are 14ppm a model. Tacticals are 13ppm. Grey Hunters are paying 1ppm for that chainsword in everything but name.

Wulfen gained a 5++ FNP, meaning they are close to 3W, and with great rolling they are 4W. Also I think you have misunderstood their auras. You cannot benefit from +1A if you have benefited from rerolling a charge. Meaning if you didn't reroll your charge you didn't "use up" that aura and you get your +1A. And if you make the charge after a re-roll I guess that is infinitely better than gaining +1A while standing in the middle of a field unengaged...

5+ FNP does not a 3w model make. A 3w model can reliably tank two Damage 2 shots. A 2w model with 5+ FNP cannot.
As for the Aura... That's debatable, and probably belongs in YMDC, since GW doesn't define what it means to be 'affected' by a rule. You can't get 'Curse of the Wulfen (Kill)' if you were 'affected' by 'Curse of the Wulfen (Hunt)'.

Thunderwolves got their well-deserved nerf. Nobody likes auto-pick units. They are still pretty decent, just not the absolute powerhouses they were before. Just deal with it.

Thunderwolves on their own were not an auto-include. They were powerful, sure - I'd go so far as to say that they were above average, but the only thing that made them an auto-include was stacking extra buffs on them to increase their durability and/or damage output.
GW got rid of the buffs, and then also hugely nerfed the Twolves as well. They're now decent at doing precisely one thing, and that one thing is killing hordes - A task that isn't exactly difficult.

Overall I think the internal balance is pretty good, however we need our chapter tactics equivalent and stratagems to really get back in the game. We're still more than playable but just don't expect to break any balls before getting our Codex or Chapter Approved update (whichever comes first).

Well sure, our internal balance is fine, but the problem is that our external balance is terrible because there's another army that can mirror everything we can do, except that the other army does everything much better. Which is why I was asking if there's something I'm missing.

Waaaghpower wrote:

 Weazel wrote:


Well couple of things.

Grey Hunters get +1A (chainsword) for 0pts, not 1pt.

You're semantically correct, but in effect... No. Grey Hunters are 14ppm a model. Tacticals are 13ppm. Grey Hunters are paying 1ppm for that chainsword in everything but name.

Wulfen gained a 5++ FNP, meaning they are close to 3W, and with great rolling they are 4W. Also I think you have misunderstood their auras. You cannot benefit from +1A if you have benefited from rerolling a charge. Meaning if you didn't reroll your charge you didn't "use up" that aura and you get your +1A. And if you make the charge after a re-roll I guess that is infinitely better than gaining +1A while standing in the middle of a field unengaged...

5+ FNP does not a 3w model make. A 3w model can reliably tank two Damage 2 shots. A 2w model with 5+ FNP cannot.
As for the Aura... That's debatable, and probably belongs in YMDC, since GW doesn't define what it means to be 'affected' by a rule. You can't get 'Curse of the Wulfen (Kill)' if you were 'affected' by 'Curse of the Wulfen (Hunt)'.

Thunderwolves got their well-deserved nerf. Nobody likes auto-pick units. They are still pretty decent, just not the absolute powerhouses they were before. Just deal with it.

Thunderwolves on their own were not an auto-include. They were powerful, sure - I'd go so far as to say that they were above average, but the only thing that made them an auto-include was stacking extra buffs on them to increase their durability and/or damage output.
GW got rid of the buffs, and then also hugely nerfed the Twolves as well. They're now decent at doing precisely one thing, and that one thing is killing hordes - A task that isn't exactly difficult.

Overall I think the internal balance is pretty good, however we need our chapter tactics equivalent and stratagems to really get back in the game. We're still more than playable but just don't expect to break any balls before getting our Codex or Chapter Approved update (whichever comes first).

Well sure, our internal balance is fine, but the problem is that our external balance is terrible because there's another army that can mirror everything we can do, except that the other army does everything much better. Which is why I was asking if there's something I'm missing.

Fair enough, didn't know tacticals are 13ppm.

Wulfen are just infantry sized dudesmen, I don't think 3 wounds was in any way justified. 2W with FNP works well enough I suppose. 3W would bring them closer to auto-pick and I would hate that since I don't like the models. The aura issue is a bit vague, but the way I described it is the only way it makes any sense at all.

FWIW TWC were an auto-pick in 7th. They were the best bang for buck unit in the codex even without the crazy buffs they could get. If you faced any serious CC power you HAD to bring TWC, no two ways around it really.

We have always lagged behind SM in codex creep curve and usually by the time GW has realized there is power creep around they have toned it down leaving SW at SM level, if not slightly worse. But with frequent erratas and chapter approved book etc there's a glimmer of hope that we might remain in the game. But you don't collect Space Wolves because they are the OP powerhouse in game, but because they are fething badass. The same reason you collect Orks. Rule of cool trumps FOTM.

I'm not saying that Wulfen should be 3w, I'm saying that they're overcosted as 2w models, because unless you take the Storm Shield, they're still incredibly fragile for 50ish points each. (Again, 5+ FNP is alright, but not enough to really compensate for the lack of good save or high T.)

And I'd say that Wulfen were much more of an autoinclude than Twolves - More attacks on the charge, plus bonus attacks upon death, could ride in transports, almost as fast, much cheaper, and with access to I5 AP2 attacks which were very, very rare for Imperials, especially with good strength and high volume of attacks. Twolves got T5 and slightly faster movement. T5 was great, sure, but without a Librarian to give rerollable saves, Wulfen were as close to pure better as you could get.

I'm not denying that unbuffed Twolves were good, I'm just saying they weren't any kind of ungodly cheese. (Though, even if they WERE ungodly cheese, they didn't need to be nerfed *this much*. GW tends to overdo things rather than take a measured, reasonable approach.)

Wolf Guard Battle Leader with TH/SS and Jump Pack is only 103 points.

Fenrisisan Wolves are good screens with their large bases and fast movement. They are even capable of tearing apart light infantry and even Space Marines with their -1 AP. They need a Wolf Priest for a LD buff though, but wolf priests are awesome, either cheap with jump pack or on a bike with a storm bolter. Their re-roll bubble is great for your TH wielding models.

Long Fangs with their inbuilt reroll are also good. Place them in cover and screen them from deepstrikers, then they may live to actually use their reroll

Wolf Scouts appearing on the opponents table edge can also be useful.

Very subjective but my Wolves have won all of their half-dozen games so far. To be fair, I never bought Wulfen or TWC and so they were seriously underpowered in 7th.

I have gone back to basics with plenty of Grey Hunters doubling down on the special weapons with smaller packs riding in TAC Razorbacks. Long Fangs and Hellblasters bring me heavy support while Bjorn and Njal lead from the front. Nothing fancy but it performs well.

Fenrisian Wolves 2x10 or 3x6 as bubble wrap against Smite spam. Yay or nay?