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Hello Everyone.

Ive been collecting IG for a few years, but my last game was during 5th edition since I've been playing more with my Eldar now. I use to structure my army on blob formations with 2-3 platoons of 30-50 guardsmen and some heavy weapons teams (mostly autocannons and mortars). Of course I do have a few tanks, about three lemans and chimeras, however I know that is by no means a mech list and to be honest I don't really have much interest in running a mech list (too expensive, takes up a lot of closet space and pretty much the only flavor of IG that I see right now). That being said, I was wondering if I was going to play IG again would my infantry horde army still work? From what I hear, its much less viable nowadays, but I was hoping there was still a way to make it work.

It depends how competitively you play. IG foot-hordes won't be winning any tournaments, but in a casual or semi-competitive meta they can still put up a good fight.

In terms of standard setups, there are 2 schools of thought, which you may be familiar with:

Defensive: These platoons tend to be 20-20 guys, and are meant to sit back and take shots with orders-boosted Lascannons. They often pack melta or plasma for some short-ranged punch as well. They work best behind an ADL.

Offensive: Less popular now than in 5th, offensive blobs can still work. You're looking at flamers or meltas for upgrades, and of course a power weapon on the sarge. Having a Commissar or Lord Com in these blobs is essential to stop them running. Just keep one or two sergeants un-upgraded so you're not blamming the power weapons. They also work well with an allied Inquisitor for prescience or a Biomancy Primaris Psyker for some good buffs/debuffs.

For both types, a PCS with 4 flamers is a great addition, as it allows you to put a lot of wounds on hordes and tougher infantry who break through the blobs.

People will undoubtedly show up here pointing out foot-guard is dead. It is not. It is not exactly optimal, and requires some good support to work well (ADL, artillery), but if you're willing to give it a shot, it can do just fine.

Thanks, yeah I didn't mention that entirely, but I only play on the semi-competitive level with local tourneys, but mostly just friendly games. Of course, it is still fun to win so I want to make my army as functional as possible.

Defensive seems to be the more ideal play-style, but offensive seems to be kinda fun too, especially since I've been working a little on an inquisition detachment. If I played offensively how effective would a chenkov/conscript army be? I honestly haven't seen it, at least in my flgs, and probably for good reason since it doesn't seem the most effective unit, but I still like the idea of mercilessly flooding my enemy with nearly endless troops.

Semi-competitive tournaments? That seems a rather contradiction in term...

As for foot guard viability... not really. It was critically wounded by a bunch of 6th ed rules (notably the new rules for cover and wound allocation), and made nearly unplayable by the first few codices of the edition (I'm counting necron in there), and was then summarily executed by the new tau and eldar codices. The idea that you can bring more guys than your opponents bring bullets was only sort of true to begin with, and it went right out the window as GW handed out more, better, cheaper guns like candy. Once you start losing 2/3ds of your army before you've made it to turn 3, you know there's been a change in tide...

If you're going to do foot guard anyways, I'd avoid blobs, as they suffer from rules changes worse than MSU. Plus, the only REAL point to blobs in the first place was to make guard decent in close combat, but both the idea of guard in close combat and the idea of close combat itself are now just bad jokes. As such, there's no real reason to bother with the drawbacks when you could just MSU. If you really, really wanted blobs, it's still possible to have a list with A blob in it, huddling around an allied Azrael or inquisitor, or space wolf special character, but even then...

As for how I'd do foot guard nowadays, I'd do either the mass stormtrooper idea, or I'd go with the multiple Send in the next wave! conscript army. Both of those were certainly interesting and the conscript way of doing things was hilarous (because you get to shout "Met their gristly deaths, you say? To a man, you say? Well, send in the next wave!" in your local gaming store.

Of course, both of these lists would likely get butchered in a tournament setting... unless it wasn't a competition... whatever that means.

I was actually thinking of doing something similar with a Steel Legion army but was warned against a footslogger army by several players at my local gaming store. Instead, I'm going with a lot of heavy armor and flyers. Not cheap, but at least competitive.

Chenkov and conscripts can be a good addition, providing a mobile cover wall that can shield your advancing blobs before respawning to almost guarantee you an objective within 6+D6" of your board edge. However, it comes down to a decision as to whether the points spent on a respawning conscript wave at BS2 and LD5 is worth it compared to putting the points into infantry with better stats and special weapons. I'd put them in after 1700ish points, but I' hesitate to build an army around them.

As Ailaros mentioned, Mass Carapace can also be fun (vets+Stormies), so you may want to give that a try if you find blobs aren't working for you. That said, I've been playing blobs in a casual environment since 6th started, and they've worked just fine, so if you play in a casual meta, you'll be able to make the work.

Blob are good, they just need some allies.
Azrael for the 4++.
But the best is Inquisitor with Stubborn, Hammerhand, another one with Prescience, add Psy/Rad grenades and the Khan for Hit and Run&ATSKNF and you have a nasty CC unit.
(Really a "5" on the Psy Grenade Table, is so fun: Your sergent with power axe will ask for duel!)
Njal inside a blob is also quite funny.

The Carapace army is also quite good.
I tried it unintentionally when I tried DKoK for fun, and seeing guards survive bolter is quite surprising.

The problem of a non-vehicule army is that your opponent will focus on your CCS and PCS.
If you do not protect them efficiently, after turn 3, you will have no order anymore and will be screwed.

HWS have also a serious problem with Morale test.

Really, play your Eldar until February/March when the new codex will arrive. I don't think we will have a lot of change but there will be a massive point decrease. (Yarrick at 185!?!?)

Yeah I've always been a bit disappointed by HWS, they pretty much made for orders (specifically Bring it Down! and Fire on my Target!) and yet they cannot have a vox and have pretty low ld, instead I usually just switch two guardsmen in an infantry squad for the heavy weapon. Hopefully in the next codex they resolve that issue.

I guess overall I'm not really trying to make guardsmen into CC unit, just a big ol' blob of guardsmen that can run up and take mid-field objectives despite suffering even horrible losses (and they're guardsmen so they always will). Allying with DA or Inquisition will probably be a big help though in making sure they stick around. I have to admit, Azreal's 4++ save for a unit sounds fun on a bunch of guardsmen

Actually, what about Commissar Yarrick? I've never played him before but considering he's a good fighter (by IG standards) and makes his unit fearless and all friendly units in 12" stubborn, plus his Inspirational Hero rule basically gives his unit hatred so long as they make an assault. Again, Ive never used him, but if anyone has some advice or recommendation on him let me know.

I'd advise against Yarrik. He's just to expensive. If you want Re-rolls, take a Priest, if you want Ld bubbles take a Lord Commissar. Yarrik is just too costly when you consider that you could get a Russ or a couple more kitted out infantry squads for the price.

The only time I'd run him outside of a fluffy list is with an Ogryn Deathstar, as he counters their LD and AP problems and multiplies their damage output much more.

djdutton wrote:a big ol' blob of guardsmen that can run up and take mid-field objectives despite suffering even horrible losses

Unfortunately, this is 6th edition. This doesn't really work anymore.

It's still possible to get infantry up to mid-field, but that's if you're deepstriking them in or using a good-quality transport. Hordes just tend to fall apart like soggy cardboard nowadays.

I just test Yarrick last week.
And he died in duel to a Chaos Sorcerer with just a Force Sword, he resurrected and died again.
(in my place, we use his resurrection capacity only once, not sure if that is the correct way)

OK, he is Eternal Warrior but with 3W, only a Force Field, no invulnerable save and with I1 (due to Power Klaw), he might die before doing anything.
Moreover he is just S6 so no instant death against Marines.


As Paradigm said, he is too expensive.
You will not use the reroll as most of the time, you will be assaulted, not the opposite.

But in a game where allies are not allowed (I'm in campaign actually, and allies are really restricted), he is quite good even for the price.
The 10Ld Stubborn Bubble and moreover Fearless on his unit, are really needed.

But really, actually IG characters main problem is the comparison to any SM/Inquisitor character.

No Prescience Primaris Psyker 70 pts vs Prescience Inquisitor Psyker 55pts or Prescience Dark Angels Librarian 65pts
Stubborn Commissar 30pts vs Stubborn Inquisitor 25 pts
Fearless Yarrick 185pts vs Fearless Azrael 215pts

Really, I hope the next IG Codex will see a severe decrease in IG Characters points.
I can see a Commissar at 15pts, a Primaris Psyker at 45pts, Yarrick arround 100.


Get a blob in the middle of the field is quite easy and normally most player will ignore it, has it would take too much fire to kill it.
I can see Ailaros be correct, but really in a place where Tau and Eldar are dominants.
In my place, everybody stick to Marines and it will take a lot of time before bolter will kill a blob.

How to play infantry-heavy IG: the DKoK assault brigade. It gives you three very nice things:

1) Stormtroopers as troops. You lose the special deployment options, but they're a lot cheaper and scoring. Now the core of your army can get carapace armor and AP 3 guns, along with a couple BS 4 melta/plasma guns.

2) Respawning platoons. When the whole platoon is wiped out (and it will be wiped out, since you deploy it up front and send it straight into the meat grinder) you get another one out of reserve. Now you can suicide the meatshields while pushing the stormtroopers up, and then the platoon respawns to go babysit your "home" objectives.

3) Viable support options that aren't vehicles. Death riders are what rough riders wish they could be, Rapier and heavy mortar batteries are awesome, and engineers with drills have been badly over-nerfed but still offer some interesting things. Sure, you'll want to take some vehicles, but you're no longer forced to take a list that consists of a bunch of tanks and aircraft with a few token infantry models camping on objectives and desperately hoping your opponent ignores them.

There's one guy that plays ig on tournaments and uses a blob with better than average results. He even sometimes attempts to assault gloriously with them. But in general, i'd not call his army blob-based cause he has also many leman russ tanks. Here's what he fields:


Platoon nades are to counter mc.
Penal legioneers got scouts! And ig alwayz needs every single victory point it can get since there are alwayz difficulties with pushing. A linebreaker victory point or at least a temporary distraction is worth 70 points. Also they can sometimes get unexpected results like getting a few last wounds from a monstrous creature with rending, or killing a few infantry models with assault lazgunz and force a ld test.

Yep, it's not pushing the games with platoon alone but they show themselves decent! Anywayz, i don't think u'll be able to field multiple huge platoons with good results.

Hey there. I've recently tried out Chenkov+conscripts list. And i added an inquisitor to conscripts. They rocked the board vs eldar (the guy din't play highly competitive vs me though, he had some serpents, prism, but without wraithknights) and they're frightening in mellee vs anything that's not t8 thanks to inquisitor's nades. They even have decent shooting with divination and orders, also i used inquisitor's librus (or librum...the book that can apply spetial rules to a squad) to give them scouts and moved 6' forward turn one and shot down most of the eldar bike's big squad which was finished off next turn in mellee by same conscripts suffering no losses due to inq cheezy nades. And that's just conscripts. So why not to try out regular 50-man blob with inq and Azrael. The blob itself is gona cost like 350 with some sarge power axes and nades for regular guyz to threaten mc and vehicles. Inq with all you need is gona cost ~90 + 30 for divination if u'll need one. And Azrael for 215. They're really great with scout. And they won't be even 50% of u'r army so you can have lotsa other stuff like leman russes or vendettas and ccs in chimera. Also you could have some other guyz running along in case the enemy focuses down a 50-man blob with heavy anti-infantry fire (let's be realistic, if those guyz are shot at, u're gona loose 15-20 models per turn even with 4++). So if you have something like a smaller blob or some conscripts or maybe some allied infantry along with them u'r IC's could jump into their range and join the guyz.
Anywayz, i think those inquisitors opened a wide range of effective combos for platoons. The only problem is with sniping inquisitors down with barrage. Don't know how to deal with it yet. Maybe they could take an inquisitor with terminator armor, there are not many ap1-2 barrage weapons that are very accurate. If u're not taking Azrail, you could take Tiggy - he has nice chances to get 4++ also, or probably something with telepathy goodies. Or orkses with a mek's kff since it's 5+ cover affects allied infantry also. And i have orkses

Saying 6th edition killed the Guard horde is just wrong. That would imply Guard horde was actually great in 5th. It was never the best choice but it can work even in a competitive environment.
6th ed. gave the Guard blob grenades and allies - that combined makes it strong enough to win a good deal more than loose.
Allies are essential for the blob. You want ATSKNF/Fearless or Inquisitors, probably both combined are the best option. Azrael for 4++ should work, but I personally prefer a WS Chaplain for hit&run. Add 1 or 2 Inquisitors with Psi, lol-grenades and the Liber Heresius and you have 53 dudes with Fearless, Scout, Hatred, Hit&Run, Psi-Buffers, lots of different Grenades and ready to received orders.

Yep, those 30 points for nades make them VERY good in mellee. I think they can even handle mellee deathstars now.