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I haven't played Blood Angels since 5th Edition. I don't have any money for the cool new models, however, this is the list I came up with out of what I have now. Also, here is a list of models I have that I'm not using: Dante, Mephiston, Corbulo, Attack Bike w MM x3, a handful of Tac Marines, some with flamers, a 5man Assault Terminators with Lightning Claws and 1x Heavy Flamer. I'm wondering if I made a good "All Comers" list, but I mainly play against Raven Guard/IG. I also want to be able to take on Tau, Orks and Space Wolves, as those are the armies that my friends who almost never play use.

1850 Pts - Codex: Blood Angels Roster - Angels of Death

: Baal Strike Force (61#, 1850 pts)
. . 1 Sanguinary Priest, 85 pts Combi-Meltagun x1; Jump Pack; Warlord

. . 1 Lemartes, 130 pts

. . 1 Death Company Squad, 315 pts
. . . . 1 Death Company Marine Power Sword x4
. . . . 1 Death Company Marine Power Fist x1
. . . . 1 Death Company Marine x5

. . 9 Tactical Squad, 240 pts Bolt Pistol x9; Boltgun x7; Meltagun; Lascannon
. . . . 1 Sergeant Power Fist x1
. . . . 1 Rhino

. . 9 Tactical Squad, 240 pts Bolt Pistol x9; Boltgun x7; Meltagun; Lascannon
. . . . 1 Sergeant Power Fist x1
. . . . 1 Rhino

. . 9 Assault Squad, 220 pts Bolt Pistol x7; Chainsword x9; Meltagun x2
. . . . 1 Sergeant Bolt Pistol; Thunder Hammer x1

. . 9 Assault Squad, 220 pts Bolt Pistol x7; Chainsword x9; Meltagun x2
. . . . 1 Sergeant Bolt Pistol; Thunder Hammer x1

. . 4 Devastator Squad, 130 its Bolt Pistol x4; Missile Launcher x4
. . . . 1 Sergeant Bolt Pistol; Boltgun

. . 1 Baal Predator, 135 pts Twin-Linked Assault Cannon; 2x Heavy Bolter

. . 1 Baal Predator, 135 pts Twin-Linked Assault Cannon; 2x Heavy Bolter

Thanks for the look over, C&C welcome =)

My main recommendation would be to drop the lascannons in the tac squads and use the points to get flakk missiles in your dev squad. In the bigger point matches you want at least some anti air. This list may have a tough time with tau if you don't get the jump on them and get some first turn assaults since that death co murder squad will attract exactly all of your opponents firepower. Also you might consider running a combined arms detachment to gain ObSec on the tacs and rhinos. That would likely be way more useful than the +1 to initiative the baal strike force gives you since that's really only useful when going against other marines. Otherwise with the models you've got this seems like your best bet

You really think anti-air is necessary. I usually ignore flyers.

Hey! Thanks for the look over!

I'm lucky in that I know my opponent doesn't own any fliers, but I did consider this and its the main reason I went with the Missile Launchers in the dev squad, so I can have that option when I'm making my list for a pick up game at the LGS or similar, and my buddy wants a few fliers for his Raven Guard because of the new formations he's been looking at. So, its coming, and I don't want to pay the points for the flack upgrade, but I know I'm going to have to lol

Tau are scary, and I don't know how I'm going to get close enough fast enough, outside of plain old good luck. I'm debating, for all games, not just Tau, if it would be better to use the Rhinos and Baal Predators as mobile cover as they move up quickly, and then jump over the tanks and assault as normal, or would it be better to drop everybody in by Deep Strike?

I'm new to 7th and didn't play any 6th edition, is obsec really as OP as it seems?

Lastly, should I be worried about challenges against my sergeants with Pfists and Thammers? Should I be challenging their characters on the charge, since that's when they are "buffed?" Who should I be worried about in a challenge? It was pointed out to me that Unwieldy makes them pretty easy pickens, but I like crushing hopes and dreams with S8!

Thanks again for the advice

Ob sec really isn't OP, it's something for your troops to make them not useless.

Yeah, I've been reading the Dec 2015 post by Flugel Meister about the BA and its kinda bumming me out lol

I'm glad I'm not playing against very highly tuned 7th edition lists right now, but I have no idea what the meta is at my LGS.

It sounds like Dakka is king and Assault Marines are everybody's bitches =(

Assault marines are spectacularly terrible in 7th. At least at actually assaulting. If you give them a priest babysitter, they are okay.

Melkoren - I've played many games against my Tau friend and these are the lessons I usually follow:

1) Prioritize his marker lights. Either in drone form, or pathfinders, you need a plan to immediately impact his marker lights. I find the most reliable method being a Fragioso Dread in a drop pod. Frag cannon plus a heavy flamer can very well get you first blood too. Oh - try to position yourself in cover of some kind. Yes the markerlights can ignore cover, but make him spend them. Never give the Tau anything easy.

Another way, which I will be fine tuning more this weekend, is to bring your tac squads down to 5 men each. This will save a lot of points. Change the heavy weapon of the each tac squad to a missile launcher. Some fortunate blasts can not only do some damage on marker light units, but can punch holes into any unit/drone bubbles. Often Tau will do this around important units like their riptide. This could open up new assault targets, ya never know. And, these units are in fast rhinos, so use it to secure those objectives!

2)Riptide - it will be so annoying. But unless you have a clear opening to threaten pressure via assault, just remember Admiral Ackbar "It's a trap". You get out in the open, he will tear you up. Remember that he can move 6 inches in the movement phase and then a possible 12 in the assault phase. I find that Bikes are way more reliable than jet packs to catch up to a riptide. If you do charge it, make sure you have an ap 2 weapon like a PF or the sword relic BA gets.

3)Multiple Small Units (MSU). If you have 10 death company, why not split them into 2 5 man units via combat squading? (not sure if you said that) Tau is usually only concerned with pumping you so full of low to medium strength shots, statistics will usually win out. You need to make sure the 25 shots going at your Death company will only effect half of your DC units. Same logic applied to Tac squads and assault squads.

Also, if (MSU) is the name of the game, bring the assault squad down to 5, give them 2 meltas so they can claim objectives and be mobile. If your Tac squads are also 5 in number, put those points into 3 bikes with 2 grav-guns? Add in an attack bike, plus a sangunary priest or librarians.... well, there's several combinations which can make this unit scary.

4) If you go the route of tac squads providing heavy support, having a second unit of bikes or entertaining DC without jet packs could be an option. It's not a too far stretch to have a Land Raider deliver those DC on his front lines. (It will definitely draw fire! - but thankfully, armor 14 is difficult for the Tau to handle). This will make him squirm on turn 2. Or a Storm Raven will work as well.

5) Since the large majority of our units are quick to some degree, you should entertain the option of keeping units in reserve especially if he goes first. Preventing one round of shooting can help you out a lot. I did this in my last game where one bike squad with my HQ was in reserve. When it came out, they turbo boosted to a threatening position. If you do this, be sure you have a way to manipulate/reroll reserves - like the relic we get.

6) I find the spamminess of the Death Company on the charge to be effective enough at killing almost everything except his Riptide. Honestly, I follow a 1 Power Fist per 5 DC units rule and I've been very happy with the results. Unless your up against marines. In that case, take the power swords. Against Tau, you really don't need anything else than that.

7) Simple Scout troops with camo cloaks in ruins guarding objectives can be a hard thing for him to kill if he has no marklights.

Obviously these tips will not work for everyone, but they cater to how I play BA. Also, I have an imperial knight and I've had a lot of success with a Paladin plus BA lists. Of course please know everything I speak to is from a casual perspective.

Hope that helps!

Let me ask you this: Is there any real down side to just combat squading everybody in my list here and going with 10 5 man squads, 2x DC, 4x ASM, 4x Tac?

Assume Raven Guard as my opponent.

Edit: Looked up easily googleable question.

You lose out on some special weapons and the ability to give each 5 man squad a transport.

I would have to say, in general yes. In this way, you can mix and match. For instance, you can take a 10 man assault squad and combat squad them. You can have one group take a melta-gun, the other say a grav-gun. Now you effectively have 2 units, one suited for anti-armor, the other for anti-MC. Most importantly in my opinion, it means you don't get annihilated in the shooting phase. Though you will take more leadership tests overall.

One thing - though I have not played against Raven Guard. The power fists on your sergeants. If you are in combat with an enemy unit who's sergeant or HQ has a weapon which will attack before Initiative step 1, you will get owned. If I were your opponent, I'd see this as an opportunity to challenge your sergeant. The PF swings at initiative one. your opponent may not, therefor he will swing first in a challenge. If you decline, your sergeant wont attack that combat anyways. It's a waste of 25 points. That's my opinion anyways.

If the PF in your tac squad is for vehicles, take melta bombs on him instead (25 vs 5 pts). Also, Krak grenades make space marines flexible for haul pointing out low armor units as well. Looking at your list, you should be able to threaten vehicles, so I am perplexed the role the PF would play in a tac squad.





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Am I wrong? But if you combat squad a unit, all of them may still take dedicated transport together at the beginning of the game. So your 10 man tac squad will broken into two 5 man units, who all have the capability to board the dedicated transport... initially. Right?

PF Sergeants - you are totally right, I'm not going to use the PFs and put the points into somewhere else =) When I made this list, it never occurred to me they would die so easily in a challenge.

Quick ninja edit: They were in the squads originally cuz taking assaults from some units used to mean "I can't hurt this guy, so I might as well not get an assault." That was a long time ago tho lol

Also too, Lemartes looks cool, but I have trouble really thinking about how he plays out. Unless you face an enemy with no shooting, odds are, a few of your DC will die as they cross the board. In my experience, having a character tank shots is really beneficial to the DC. After all, you've loaded them with a ton of weapons. A Chaplin does more than allow rerolls on hits. His invulnerable save can be used to tank some shots which would instant kill any of your guys (str 8), or buy-pass all their armor (AP 2). I've lead a few assaults with a Chaplin out front to get the nasty over watch from Tyrannids to Tau. That invulnerable +4 can do work and help assure your DC with their weapons get to their target more often than not.

Considering the argument for PF on Tactical Squads also apply to assault squads. Those thunder hammers are using a lot of points and will be in the same boat as those Power fists. I find PF only good on DC (since they do not have any character to get challenged out), or you could take one on your assault squad seargent if you plan to have your S. Priest with them. That way the priest can take challenges. However, if you go this route, it would be better to have a cheap sergeant and to put the powerfist on your S. Priest. Then use the sergeant to accept the challenges as fodder.

Anyways, just my .02 cents. To each their own.


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And if like you say you play against IG and another space marines faction, power swords will do work. Also, 5 man assault squad in a drop pod, with 2 melta guns and 1 or 2 infernus pistols on the sergeant will help pop tanks wherever they are.

All good points Ant,

I'm at work, so I don't have the book with me, but, if I take the PF s out and the TH s out and maybe downgrade the Las Cannon tac marines, I could take another Sang Priest for the other Assault squad
I would have the points to kind of kit these priests out for assults, plus pass the melta-bombs around to the Sergeants who lost their special weapons

Or I could spend those points on Attack Bikes with MMs

I like Lemartes cuz fluff, plus the nice point about taking invulerable save against tougher shots until he loses 1 wound, so he hulks out, but how do I elect to have him take a wound if he isn't the closest, or are you saying when I move these guys put him closest to weapons that would require an Invulnerable Save?


Thanks for the help, I appreciate your .02 cents, for real lol

I believe there is some discretion here, so always talk to your opponent and do what you all think is right. However, when I read the rules as written, the closest model is always targeted first. Until it is reduced to 0 wounds, then place any additional wounds to the next, sinse and repeat. This tells me that you can have a strong unit
"tank" shots if they are the closest to the shooting unit.

---1X
----- 2X C E
3X

So E is you enemy shooting you. C is your champion with invuln save. If the champion dies, you move onto 2x, then 1x, then 3x. Example a few months ago.... I charged this tyrannid bug thingy and it shot over watch and landed 4 successful wound rolls of a strength 7, AP 2 attack. My opponent wanted me to allocate 1 wound to each person in order. That would by pass my armor save and would essentially insta-kill the 3 models behind my commander. We looked it up, and I am convinced my way to be correct. I took the wounds one at a time and rolled the invuln on my HQ to tank all the shots.

In an edition that has such a hard on for shooting, it perplexes me how anyone can argue against this reasonably deducted way of allocation. This was different in past editions, so just know that there are folks out there who will disagree. I feel as if it is pretty clear cut in the rule book, however, do not get in fights over it. If you and your opponent disagree, urge him for a roll off of the dice and just play the game. No sense in having bad feelings.