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So a bit of a mind exercise as to how to make Kranons Hellguard work. The units fit well with my thousand sons (would need to get the raptors only) so I can put a list together.

for those who haven't seen it, it has a load of compulsory units, and nets you fear, stubborn, -1 ld aura within 12 of a unit, and -1bs aura within 12 of two units.

Kranons Hellguard- Crimson Slaughter

Chaos Lord
- MoT, Disc, Sigil, Power fist, Lightning Claw, Daemonheart, slaughterers horns - beatstick to run with spawn

5 chosen
4 plasma guns, power weapon, rhino. draznichts ravagers

4 terminators, 2 chainaxes (ride in land raider)

hellbrute, plasma cannon

10 cultists

10 cultists

10 raptors- 2 meltaguns. power weapon meltabombs

Land Raider


Chaos Space Marines CAD

Sorceror Ml 3 , sigil, spell familiar, terminator armour. (or Ahriman?) - To ride with terminators

5 spawn MoT

10 Thousand sons - rhino

10 thousand sons- rhino

Contemptor - two Tl autocannon

Predator


I haven't read through IA13 yet, but am getting it for christmas so that might add some ideas.

Thoughts?

Well, you've got some good armor saturation, although admittedly it looks like you chose your vehicles out of a hat
I feel Ahriman would be fun to take with these guys because he can cast Psychic Shriek 3X per turn, so the -1 Ld aura will help him kill up to 3 more people a turn.

2 criticisms:
1) At 2500 points, you should really expect to face 2 or 3 fliers, and you ain't got any! Imagine 2 Storm Ravens flying around with TL MM and TL Lascannons blowing up all your vehicles! Not good stuff.
2) You should also expect to face a super heavy or at least a really scary deathstar. Since you are not taking either, you should have 2-3 teams of dedicated units to kill such things. Like 5X Melta Havoc Squads or something, IDK

Basically your list is just like a 1000 point list, just with more stuff that you would find in another 1000 point list. I hope I'm making sense, I'm trying hard to.

Considering that there's little benefit for units to be derived from the standard Codex (and that if you dropped the Predator, everything could technically fit it one CAD), I would move most of the infantry into the Crimson Slaughter detachment to provide Fear. Thousand Sons with Fear could help increase their resiliency in combat against everything that is not Fearless.

Terminators can't take Chainaxes, but perhaps you meant Chainfists?

I would take Ahriman as well for Psychic Shriek, but also Terrify to increase the -Ld.

With the new Formation, I would also take a larger squads to capitalize on the Stubborn. If you take enough casualties (or even one to lose combat against none inflicted), you don't have many models left in the fight anyways. You can grab more Chosen for the cost of the Predator.

The Crimson slaughter Helguard is a formation.. So he would still require an HQ and two troops tax.

Playing around with the Helguard @ 1,850:

HQ:

Sorcerer w/ ML 3 (Telepathy), MoS, Spell Familiar, Jump pack

Troops:

10x Chaos Cultists
10x Chaos Cultists

Fast Attack:
Heldrake

Kranon's Helguard Formation:

Chaos Lord w/ BotR, Daemonheart, SoC, MoS, Jump pack

5x Chaos Terminators w/ MoK, IoW, (Heavy Flamer/Chainfist, 3x Combi-flamer/Power weapon, 1x Combi-flamer/Power weapon for Champion)

Land Raider

10x Chosen w/ Rhino, Draznicht w/ Combi-plasma, 5x Plasma guns

Helbrute w/ 2x Power fists

10x Chaos Cultists

10x Chaos Cultists

11x Raptors w/ MoS, IoE, 2x Flamers, Champion w/ Combi-flamer


Basic strategy is the two HQs fly with the Raptors and hit the unit with Terrify (if rolled), Psychic Shriek, and any other abilities before flaming, and charging. The Terminators embarked inside the Land Raider advance with the Chosen and Helbrute as a rearguard. For 2,500 pts as posted, you can fill in Thousand Sons squads as Elites, Contemptor, and Chaos Spawn as desired for the remaining 650 pts.

If you do a 2500 list.... Maybe try adding a chaos fire raptor.... It's a solid air support unit. Basically a storm raven with more fire power but no transport

The Helguard formation rules seem fluffy and useful.

In OPs original 2500pt CAD detachment, I'd probably swap the comtemptor for a Hellblade and some more Chosen as it provides more firepower (less durability) and some needed anti-air.

In IA13 there's also a vehicle upgrade that gives Outflank, looks interesting for a Plasma-Chosen Rhino (given I've read the wording on Outflank and transports correctly). This would be interesting also for @Aurelians 1850. Or an assault claw for plasma alpha strike, though a bit expensive.

The problem with this formation is stubborn is good, but chosen cultists and raptors kinda aren't.
Good call on the psychic shriek. Ahriman could be fun, but then so could belakor. Could use some more war charge, but not much in the way of spare points...
Thousand sons are overpointed, not much can be done there.

I always forget anti air.. Haha, ideally a fire raptor would fill it, shame chaos can't get mortis dreads, the only aa I have is an aegis line or bastion. Cultists manning the aegis would be ok, as they can go to ground.

Outflank could be a good call depending on the points.