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I listed this a month ago but had no comments and wondered if many folks have finally got round to reading Massacre yet. Anyway, here is the list for what its worth

Magos dominus , abeyant, mech protect, MC photon gauntlet. 115

3 secutors, 3 x maxim/grav guns. 195

6 x thallax 2x multi melta. 285
6 x thallax 2x photon thruster. 305
3 x castellax 3 x power blades 1 x multi melta. 255

Primaris lightning fighter, kraken penetrator 160
Primaris lightning fighter, sun fury missiles 150

1495pts

This forms a general solid but slow moving fire base that splits into 2 even groups with fliers taking out MEQ or armour early on. No great tactic but a starting list that will grow to 2250 before I add my warhound. My concerns lay with the ease of getting upgrades to counter lance and melta weapons and with the early variant to the achilles being released and the salamander dreadnought HQ being AV14/ignoring melta i'm at a loss what to run.

Looks fairly solid overall. Just a couple of suggestions - split the castellax up into one group of two with the bolt cannons and one of one with the Multi-melta to increase the number of scoring units you have, and drop the power blades. They have nice shooting so I think you can save the points from the blades. Using the extra points, I suggest upgradding the first lightning to carry 3x TL Autocannon for improved anti-transport and anti-flier firepower. You can also drop master-crafted from the Magos and give the second lightning a TL Autocannon, or give them 2 TL Autocannon each. You'll still be few in number, but hopefully your shooting and ability to score should be bolstered by the change. VS the LR Achilles I would just ignore it mostly, nothing you have greatly fears the quad mortar (stay spread out as much as you possibly can) and it's only two multi-melta shots, you should be able to withstand that for the most part. If they bring more than one it's almost half their army so just go for the troops and aim to win on objectives. Against pretty much any other vehicle, if it's melta immune go for side/rear armour with the lightnings, 3 TL Autocannon and a TL Lascannon in the rear armour of something is very nasty and should blow through almost anything. If you end you end up facing a wall of melta-immune AV14, I would just take lascannon potshots and hope you can can kill them with smash attacks from the castellax.

I agree the castellax should be split and the power blades ditched.

I also agree the lightnings will work better with guns rather than bombs.

Lastly, just to nit pic, it's not ad mech... It's legio cybernetica

cheers guys, points noted.

i'll play around for a while with this list and look at the option of a small meat shield with CC weapons to distract some of the nasty fire power available to marines.

with regards to primaris load outs i'll play out a variety of options as game testing dependent on the developing meta for 30k gamers at the club.

Secutors are meh especially compared to destructors. Destructors with culverins fulfill a greatly needed role of massed firepower. The magos needs a familiar to up his save because he cannot join units. I would also make him an arch magos and drop the weapon, adding a machinator array. His job is to repair and use his powers, both of which negate weapon use.

i'm trying to keep some diversity of fire power when it comes to threats and also a little future proofing as i am mid purchase of completing a 6 x 4 zone mortalis board.

I already have 2 painted Voss lightnings for the cargo bays that i'll be modelling.

I like the idea of the destructors with irad template weapons as they will be complete bad ass in ZM.

I will buy both variants for rotating my army lists and see how they go.

Regarding power blades - they were for taking on terminators and vehicles. i suspect you are right on dropping points for elsewhere as BS5 seems relatively easy to achieve and even having 2 MM equipped castellax would be a better buy. If the blades come out and look awesome the rule of cool will prevail

I'm thinking of sticking flamers on the castellax fists now though. i suspect that NL terror squads might want to have a punch up as i can see them being particularly popular.

I am definitely going to be running the Archmagos in a 3++ guise with machinator array now