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I have a game this weekend, 1500 points, at my local game store and it's been so long since I played 40k (last played around the beginning of 5th edition) I'm sure I'm far behind on what's good and new, but I figured I'd throw this list I put together out here and see if there're any changes I should be aware of or advice that can be given.

I really like a lot of the new additions in the CSM codex. Especially being able to use Plague marines as a troop choice with Typhus. They're my favorite unit, possibly in all of 40k (maybe slightly behind Ork Nobz), so I'm pretty excited to see them in action.

Total Points: 1496

HQ
Typhus - 230 points

Troops
7 plague marines with 2 meltas and power fist with rhino w/ Havoc launcher - 250 points
7 plague marines with 2 meltas and power fist with rhino w/ Havoc launcher - 250 points
7 plague marines with 1 flamer, 1 melta and power sword - 188
7 plague marines with 1 plasma gun and power sword - 188

Elite
4 Chaos Terminators with 1 combi-flamer, 2 combi-melta, 1 power fist and 1 chainfist with Chaos Land Raider and Typhus attached. - 390 points


Just as a note, the other models I have, but are not in the list are 1 Predator tank, 7 nurglized chaos space marines (just with bolters. no special weapons), 1 nurgle sorceror, a daemon prince of nurgle, 4 terminators with various equipment, 1 Iron Warriors lord and a nurglized chaos dreadnought (now called helbrutes?).

Thanks for any advice.

Plague marines got a huge boost in this new book, and almost every chaos army in my meta uses them. The main things are plague knives and blight grenades granting assault grenades. Both of these made plague marines rather dangerous on offense, and even though the knife only wounds on a 4+, due to poison rules you will be re rolling a lot of failed to wound rolls against T4 and less.

That said, I don't think power swords are all that worth it as the knife forces more wounds which is better against everything but a 3+ armor save. The fist is OK since you are I3 to begin with, so you might as well strike last strike hard, but beware of having your fist challenged out and killed. Being chaos, you have to issue/accept any challenge with your champs, and even with T5 3+ and FNP the champ can be dropped.

Might want to consider getting more terminators, or maybe add that sorceror to your list. Preds are okay too, depending on the loadout.

That's pretty cool. I heard they were still good but I didn't know they got even better. I didn't even think about the knives. Might as well just use those instead of the swords. I'll still try out the fists and see how they go though.

Do you think it's worth it to drop one of the plague marine squads for the sorceror and a couple extra terminators?

Plague marines got WAY better. They bring all of your classic plague marine pain for a point more, but have those nasty knives stock as well as blight assault grenades(look up how they can be thrown as weapons). For a point more, death guard are quite powerful.

To sneak in a sorcerer or more terminators, consolidate your foot squads into one and use points from there.

Anticipating dalymidborro suggestion of 2-3 heldrakes, I would like to tell you about the MoN lord on a bike, escorted by MoN bikers or spawns, both of which occupies the fast attack slot.

U do mot really need typhus to unlock plagie marines. U can use that MoN lord on a bike. Most people take Typhus to get a few plague zombies. Prior to 6th ed codex update, all cult troops were scoring troops even without corresponding lords. That ment I can have a blissgiver lord with plague marines, oh do I miss those days. I use to be able to take 1 of each cult squad and sore with them, but now I can only unlock 2 unless I go double force organization chart to get 4 hq but that is a tax I don't want to pay.

Consider MoN oblits for heavy. Consider cheap plague zombies.

I use plague marines all the time, but never with power weapons. But always maxed out special weapons, usually in units of 5 or 6 to save points, in rhinos.

They are the unit who can get into some deep gak and hold objectives. I prefer to keep them a bit in the back with plasmas and take objectives while my biker lord and daemon detachment does the killing.

I would use 3 PM squads of six, 2 with 2 plasmas and one with 2 meltas all in rhinos. No power weapons. This saves you a lot of points, probably enough for a heldrake and your predator.


A good HQ unit is a nurgle biker lord with the burning brand and a power fist with 6-8 bikers with plasmas and a PF. You could give them MoN, but i rather get 2-3 more bikes.

All right, I did a little reorganizing and here's what I came up with:

Total points: 1500

HQ
Typhus - 230 points
Chaos Sorceror level 3, mark of nurgle - 125 points

Troops
7 plague marines with 2 meltas and power fist with rhino w/ Havoc launcher - 250 points
7 plague marines with 2 meltas and power fist with rhino w/ Havoc launcher - 250 points
11 plague marines with 1 plasma gun, 1 melta and Sorceror attached - 255

Elite
4 Chaos Terminators with 1 combi-flamer, 2 combi-melta, 1 power fist and 1 chainfist with Chaos Land Raider and Typhus attached. - 390 points

And dang, blight grenades look pretty good.

Edit: Just saw the new posts. Gonna think a bit more.

ReEdit: A nurgle chaos lord on a bike would be pretty awesome! I've always loved biker units (especially biker nobz in orks. It's so cool seeing a warboss on a bike with a bunch of nobz driving beside him.). Maybe I should set some of those as a goal to work towards.

Even if Typhus isn't the best choice, I do like his fluffiness. And plague zombies sound like lots of fun! Heldrakes would be cool, but I don't have a lot of extra money to put into those quite yet. Also the time to paint them x.x.