Massed Tacts w/ Imperial Fists CT Viable?

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Blackw3**

I've been watching a lot of StrikingScorpion82 videos lately and his new Imperial Fists army is built revolving around 30 tacts, devastator centurions w/libby, and 5 termies assault canyon w chaplain.

Now I know its a super competitive build especially w terminators and I know his channel isn't mainly geared towards competitive play (beautiful models & terrain though), but how viable do you think a similar list would be?

I was thinking if he could add a little more long range fire power in the form of a thunderfire cannon or 3x las pred, it might be a nice shooty list.

Now I'm pretty new to the hobby, so by no means an expert but the idea of 30 tactical marines, centurions, termies, and maybe a few sternguard rockin bolter drill will be a nice site to behold. Just curious to see if you guys think it will be ok in a semi-competitive scene.

**Slayer-Fan123**

If you end up going even close to a Gladius, the Ultramarines do everything in that regard better.

Ultimately, if you wanna focus on Imperial Fists, you get some Bolter Scouts and Sternguard, and then Centurions and Devastators. If you're wondering, you give your Land Speeders Storm a Multi-Melta, and the Scout Sergeant a Combi-Melta and Melta Bomb, and you basically cover everything you'd probably want a Tactical Squad to do.

**Tactical_Spam**

I run 25 Tacticals all the time, but they have to end in a mech build. Nothing is ultimately static

**ansacs**

IF are actually pretty good with a bunch of TAC marines. They tend to be somewhat suboptimal in a gladius as the TAC doctrines the formation gives usually make the reroll on their boltguns meaningless for most of the game. However they still gain some benefits for 1-3 turns a game the other chapters don't get and even without chapter tactics SM gladius would be a fairly competitive list in any form of objective game.

However they can be pretty nasty in a skyhammer as the rerolls on the dev squads bolters is actually not bad and the tank hunters can be useful if you take anything but grav.

IMO where the IF really shine is actually CAD scout armies where you use the CAD to bring various high power units that the formations cannot bring. Such as; typhon siege tank, TFC, sicaran, fire raptor, whirlwind scorpius, vindicator las destroyer, grav centurions in drop pod, and/or rapier quad mortars. IF SM TAC squads in drop pods are almost as good for this purpose but tend to be a bit too pricey to get the critical mass of bodies to carry you through a game.

**Blackw3**

I'm actually trying to avoid the Gladius. I know competitive wise its the way to go, I just hate the transport spam. Mainly because painting a bunch of pods and rhinos is pretty annoying as I currently only have 2 rhinos and 3 pods.

**Slayer-Fan123**

If you hate painting transports, you chose the wrong army. Marines without transports are pretty darn useless.

**Blackw3**

Well I have 5. Was planning on putting 20 tacts in 2x rhinos, 10 tacts in a drop pod, and the sternguard in a drop as well (maybe even splitting then into two groups of 5 and taking two drops).

Maybe my title was a little misleading, by mass I meant running 30 tacts, backed by sternguard, centurions, terminators and a few mechs to round out 1850.

Something like this;

10 tacts in rhino
10 tacts in rhino
10 sterguard in pod (maybe 2 pods for odd number of pods)
5 Terminators w/librarian - foot slogging
5 Assault terminators w/chaplain - deep striking

Then I'm thinking either 2 vindicators or centurions and I believe I should even have enough points for a TFC.

The idea is you press forward with the main force and get the drop pods and assault terminators behind the lines. Basically sandwiching their line. I haven't worked out the points yet but roughly I think it'll fit into 1850.

Lots of bodies on the ground, 2x terminator squads for CC.

**Homeskillet**

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
If you end up going even close to a Gladius, the Ultramarines do everything in that regard better.

Ultimately, if you wanna focus on Imperial Fists, you get some Bolter Scouts and Sternguard, and then Centurions and Devastators. If you're wondering, you give your Land Speeders Storm a Multi-Melta, and the Scout Sergeant a Combi-Melta and Melta Bomb, and you basically cover everything you'd probably want a Tactical Squad to do.

I use a Sentinels of Terra GSF, and have won a recent tourney with it. Getting all of the Ultramarines doctrines, along with an extra Tactical Doctrine (thanks to the Demi-Company), on top of making sure your Bolter Boys are moving to get in double-tap range as often as possible, means almost my entire army is twin-linked or damn close to it the whole game. So, I already get what the Ultramarines could do for me, except (in some cases) better with close-range bolter drill, AND my Devs get Tank Hunter.

**Slayer-Fan123**

Sentinels Of Terra has yet to FAQ to see if Sternguard benefit. Do you guys end up house ruling it?

**Homeskillet**

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
Sentinels Of Terra has yet to FAQ to see if Sternguard benefit. Do you guys end up house ruling it?

It hasn't come up at my gaming group, since nobody really plays Sternguard. I thought Imperial Fists counted special ammo for their chapter tactic, so if someone played SoT Sternguard against me, I'd follow logic and allow them to use Close Range Bolter Drill as well.

**Slayer-Fan123**

They do in the new codex, but in the previous one that didn't happen.