Khorne Daemonkin Tactica- Tell us your experience!

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**FoxPhoenix135**

As the title says, I thought we could get a tactica thread going on Daemonkin. If this has been done already, please have a mod take this down, but I couldn't find anything by searching the forums.

So what are your go-to units? What formation combinations have good synergy? What units outshine others? Share your experience!

**Dozer Blades**

I'm doing very well with mine but don't play the conventional MSU style army. I think the codex has potential to be top tier although I some will disagree.

**CrownAxe**

Dozer Blades wrote:
I'm doing very well with mine but don't play the conventional MSU style army. I think the codex has potential to be top tier although I some will disagree.

Dozer Blade you are on record for saying you think every army can be top tier

**Dozer Blades**

You can't argue with success.

**FoxPhoenix135**

Dozer Blades wrote:
I'm doing very well with mine but don't play the conventional MSU style army. I think the codex has potential to be top tier although I some will disagree.

I can actually kind of agree with you there. I play mine a bit differently too. Do you want to elaborate on how you play yours unconventionally?

**Asura Varuna**

What's the consensus on list building these days? Do people go for the Slaughtercult or is CAD the preferred option?

I have a CSM and Daemon army, and am considering expanding it to include more Khorne miniatures to make it Daemonkin. Just wondering where to start outside of the mandatory Gorepack and some Maulers...

**Tonberry7**

Asura Varuna wrote:
What's the consensus on list building these days? Do people go for the Slaughtercult or is CAD the preferred option?

I have a CSM and Daemon army, and am considering expanding it to include more Khorne miniatures to make it Daemonkin. Just wondering where to start outside of the mandatory Gorepack and some Maulers...

I typically go for a MSU approach with a CAD and Gorepack, sometimes with CSM allies for Kharn and a Dreadclaw. I'd definitely say that it can be competitive if played correctly.

**Dozer Blades**

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
Dozer Blades wrote:
I'm doing very well with mine but don't play the conventional MSU style army. I think the codex has potential to be top tier although I some will disagree.

I can actually kind of agree with you there. I play mine a bit differently too. Do you want to elaborate on how you play yours unconventionally?

Here's an army list I ran versus Nids yesterday:

http://greenblowfly.blogspot.com/2016/02/khorne-daemonkin-2k-army-list.html

Turned out to be a kill point mission - did quite well.

**FoxPhoenix135**

Dozer Blades wrote:
FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
Dozer Blades wrote:
I'm doing very well with mine but don't play the conventional MSU style army. I think the codex has potential to be top tier although I some will disagree.

I can actually kind of agree with you there. I play mine a bit differently too. Do you want to elaborate on how you play yours unconventionally?

Here's an army list I ran versus Nids yesterday:

http://greenblowfly.blogspot.com/2016/02/khorne-daemonkin-2k-army-list.html

Turned out to be a kill point mission - did quite well.

So you take a lot of bezerkers? That is an interesting choice to me. With the icon of wrath, since they already have furious charge, you are paying for the icon just to get the extra point in the combat result and the charge distance reroll? Would you not be able to trim some points by running them as standard CSM with CCWs? Though they'd lose fearless and a point of WS, I suppose. Also, you really load down your bezerker champion. Don't you worry that with that many points loaded into that one model that he could get taken out too easily to be worth the 60+ extra points you dumped on him?

This is why I run as many flesh hounds as I can bring, usually... Being beasts, they get quite a good distance on their charging, and having scout deployment puts them that much closer from the get-go. I noticed you had a lot of them. I'm surprised you didn't run any Bloodthirsters though?

**GoliothOnline**

Gorepack is basically the name of the Codex...

The issues being the dex isnt really anything special, although unique to the notion that its Khorne Dex that can summon.... It`s still inferior to any other Summoning method at Chaos`disposal Via Renegades or even pure Tzeechian Armies.

Sure MSU are effective at racking up BT points but you`re still left with the feeling that a 90 point bare boned unit is totally expendable and your are totally throw away. Having models just to watch them die isn't "Fun" Hence the need to abuse formations like the Gorepack. Ive even been to games where certain people complain "Why are you so adamant on spamming Gorepack? Do you really need 20+ Melta for your Khorne army?"

Well, yeah... Because Khorne favors smashy melee units that are apparently expendable en mass... Id rather take the Melta Bikers and guarantee that they kill stuff during my game than just run around watching you kill all my models/units hoping to summon a BT only to watch it die just as fast as I managed to obtain those said Blood Tithe Points.

**koooaei**

The book literally pushes you into a msu style. I personally had some success with it. Basically, everything as small as possible and a formation of 15 dogs + min melta bikers.

Unfortunately, csm and zerkers are not great there. Yep, they're playable but mostly cause of rhino - not the dudes.
D-thirster is overpriced imo. It shines against SHV but is vulnerable to pretty much anything else for the price cause of unneeded ini1.

**Dozer Blades**

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
Dozer Blades wrote:
FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
Dozer Blades wrote:
I'm doing very well with mine but don't play the conventional MSU style army. I think the codex has potential to be top tier although I some will disagree.

I can actually kind of agree with you there. I play mine a bit differently too. Do you want to elaborate on how you play yours unconventionally?

Here's an army list I ran versus Nids yesterday:

http://greenblowfly.blogspot.com/2016/02/khorne-daemonkin-2k-army-list.html

Turned out to be a kill point mission - did quite well.

So you take a lot of bezerkers? That is an interesting choice to me. With the icon of wrath, since they already have furious charge, you are paying for the icon just to get the extra point in the combat result and the charge distance reroll? Would you not be able to trim some points by running them as standard CSM with CCWs? Though they'd lose fearless and a point of WS, I suppose. Also, you really load down your bezerker champion. Don't you worry that with that many points loaded into that one model that he could get taken out too easily to be worth the 60+ extra points you dumped on him?

This is why I run as many flesh hounds as I can bring, usually... Being beasts, they get quite a good distance on their charging, and having scout deployment puts them that much closer from the get-go. I noticed you had a lot of them. I'm surprised you didn't run any Bloodthirsters though?

I was running one squad of Berzerkers - to me that's not a lot. They have a roll they play and usually die but fulfill a function.

**-v10mega**

i take the gorepack max it out with msu squads, then take the khorne fist formation then cad with d-axe, cultists and then fill it out with more fleshounds. for 1850 i have around 6x5 fleshounds

**HuskyWarhammer**

Fleshounds/gorepack is really a great way to go. I'm also a fan of Kor'lath for its ability to put opponents into really nasty situations.

Another neat fun bit about the Slaughtercult is the ability to run mass Soul Grinders and Forge/Maulerfiends.

**FoxPhoenix135**

HuskyWarhammer wrote:
Fleshounds/gorepack is really a great way to go. I'm also a fan of Kor'lath for its ability to put opponents into really nasty situations.

Another neat fun bit about the Slaughtercult is the ability to run mass Soul Grinders and Forge/Maulerfiends.

You mean by taking the Blood Host detachment? It is definitely a powerful boon, getting an extra Blood Tithe point each turn, and being able to spam maulerfiends and soul grinders. Though it doesn't have Objective Secured, does it?

**HuskyWarhammer**

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
HuskyWarhammer wrote:
Fleshounds/gorepack is really a great way to go. I'm also a fan of Kor'lath for its ability to put opponents into really nasty situations.

Another neat fun bit about the Slaughtercult is the ability to run mass Soul Grinders and Forge/Maulerfiends.

You mean by taking the Blood Host detachment? It is definitely a powerful boon, getting an extra Blood Tithe point each turn, and being able to spam maulerfiends and soul grinders. Though it doesn't have Objective Secured, does it?

Oops, yep. Apparently both spelling *and* correct naming are hard. But yeah, there is a definite lack of Ob Sec, if memory serves.

**SicSemperTyrannis**

I really love to bring two Blood Host detachments for two automatic Blood tithe points (does it even work this way?).

Dualhost aside, has anyone ever had the same problem of getting TOO MANY blood tithe points a round? Especially when playing bigger games in the 6k range. Usually I rack up so many blood tithe points its ridiculous. I thought there must be a thin line where it´s more efficient to make units bigger and not go the full msu-erryday way. Has anyone found that sweet spot yet? I think my personal record was like 14 tithe points (killed a little lost a LITTLE

). Too bad all the points get spent and everything above 8 is wasted.

Axe of Korlath is a must in almost every game for me. Countless white beards have been grown deciding wheter to shoot my lord or not.

**Wolf_in_Human_Shape**

Have yet to run the Slaughtercult, just isn't my thing. Dthirster, maulerfiend, spawn, heldrakes sometimes, and Gorepacks are my faves. I ally in a CSM Khorne lord for axe of blind fury because it wrecks face. Maelstrom cards have been good to me, but overall I haven't had a chance to face anything super cheesy so it's been pleasant.

MSU balanced with the ability to do damage is tricky, hence the meltabikers as pointed out above. I'd love to include more axes of Khorne, they're just too damn expensive.

**FoxPhoenix135**

I've been playing with the idea of adding a Void Shield Generator to my lists to knock a lot of the alpha-strike capability off my opponent's first turn. Has anybody tried this with much success?

**ZergSmasher**

I play Daemonkin, but I don't have any Chaos bikers so I have never tried the Gorepack, although from what I've heard everywhere it is the best thing in the codex. I bought my stuff for the army when the book was still brand new (I got the book itself the day it was released), so I didn't realize that the Gorepack was the way to go, or I'd have done things differently. Instead, when I run a Blood Host, I run the Khorne's Bloodstorm formation. It's probably the second best auxiliary formation, and it is the only way to get a Heldrake in a Blood Host detachment. Whenever I decide to expand my Khorne Daemonkin army, I intend to buy some Chaos bikers, more Flesh Hounds, and probably at least two Maulerfiends (of which, like bikers, I currently have none).

**locarno24**

Agreed. You need fast and hitty - Bikers, Flesh hounds and Maulerfiends are all excellent.

The damage a Gorepack can do on the charge can't be overstated, especially with blood tithe stacked up.

**Wolf_in_Human_Shape**

I'm very excited to try the Fist of Khorne formation. For those that use it, how are you arming the unit? Just naked to save on points, or going balls out and loading the champion with gear?

**FoxPhoenix135**

I always load my champions... not all the way, but at least enough that there's a chance of winning challenges and getting extra points. Khorne Axes are really good, just kind of on the expensive side.

I think the most important upgrades are the ones that upgrade a bloodletter or a bloodcrusher to a character. That way you have somebody to fight challenges with and go for even more Blood Tithe points. I can't tell you how many times I assaulted a tactical squad and murdered the sergeant in a challenge to get double my points as all those AP3 murdered the rest of the unit...

**Tonberry7**

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
I've been playing with the idea of adding a Void Shield Generator to my lists to knock a lot of the alpha-strike capability off my opponent's first turn. Has anybody tried this with much success?

I've not tried it against things like drop pod alpha strike but I've used a VSG to great effect against more shooty armies like tau. You can move up your hound units and conga line them back to the projected shield bubble. Inevitably the shields go down and the VSG is only really effective for the first turn or so but it definitely saves more points than it costs and really helps out getting into charge range safely.

**Wolf_in_Human_Shape**

Damn, that sounds like it helps a ton but also like it would feel very dirty.

**FoxPhoenix135**

Why would that feel dirty? Anybody can take one. Most ITC format events allow you to run a maximum of 3 Detachments, which would easily allow for a Bloodhost and a Fortification allotment.

The only thing I need to do is make an appropriate model. I want to do it right so it will take me a little bit...

**Wolf_in_Human_Shape**

Not taking one, but using the conga line to keep one in the void shield zone and thus affect the whole unit. I own a VSG myself, have yet to assemble it/use it though.

**sfshilo**

1500 point list I am taking this weekend:
Charnel Cohort:
Basic Herald
Blood Crushers with squad leader and banner
2 squads of bloodletters with squad leaders
3 units of five flesh hounds
3 skull cannons
CAD
Chaos lord with chain axe CC and melta bombs
2 squads of cultists with cc and pistols
maulerfiend with magma cutters
Soul Grinder with Plegm Bombardment

Tourney has banned LoW all together.

I love this style of list, there is a total of 20 blood tithe points, I am GOING to get a blood thirster.

I keep the herald and blood letters in reserve to back field deep strike, I always try and get the infiltrate WL trait, try and get as many units up field as possible with scout and running.

Three cannons and a soul grinder put down a punishing amount of S8 large blast.

**FoxPhoenix135**

sfshilo wrote:
1500 point list I am taking this weekend:
Charnel Cohort:
Basic Herald
Blood Crushers with squad leader and banner
2 squads of bloodletters with squad leaders
3 units of five flesh hounds
3 skull cannons
CAD
Chaos lord with chain axe CC and melta bombs
2 squads of cultists with cc and pistols
maulerfiend with magma cutters
Soul Grinder with Plegm Bombardment

Tourney has banned LoW all together.

I love this style of list, there is a total of 20 blood tithe points, I am GOING to get a blood thirster.

I keep the herald and blood letters in reserve to back field deep strike, I always try and get the infiltrate WL trait, try and get as many units up field as possible with scout and running.

Three cannons and a soul grinder put down a punishing amount of S8 large blast.

Not bad! Of course, you only get the bloodthirster if you pass a LD test.... so hopefully you have good luck because those cultists have terrible LD! All those skull cannons look awesome though, I haven't tried any yet myself but I can imagine that many S8 large blasts, coupled with all the AP 3 hellblades, makes SM players quake in their boots

Automatically Appended Next Post:
If you wanted to really play on those tithe points, you could alternatively set it up as a Blood Host detachment with a CAD. This would give you the benefit of the slaughtercult (doubling down your benefits from the Tithe each turn) and give you an additional point at the start of each of your turns... The only thing you'd lose in the restructure is the Possessed tax, which you could make up for by dropping a single unit of flesh hounds. Although the flesh hounds are far superior to the possessed, it might be worth it to get all those added benefits?

I might just be biased to taking slaughtercults though. I can't help it... being able to maintain FNP has spoiled me.

**sfshilo**

The slaughter is nice, but at 1500 the possesed really do not fit.

In 1850 i go with the slaughter cult instead as the possesed fit nicely.

Another tactic I have used against compact shooty armies like Admech or tau riptide lists is to move maximum and run maximum EVERYTHING turn one.

Chariots move 18 inches doing this and since they are av 12 are a threat to any infantry that are sub s7. What it does is put 100% of your very assaulty army on THEIR side of the table which most gun line players do not know how to handle. Most cannot deal with this as MSU negates their super shooty units.