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I am playing a friendly tournament with eight others at a friend's place this weekend. I really enjoy my army, and don't need it to be SUPER competitive, so I'm not asking for huge changes. I have plenty of other options on the side, but I'd really like to make something like this list work. I am over points because of a recent swap of a malerfiend for two obliterators. How should I adjust? Any ideas on strategy? How would you play/beat this list?

Total Points 1878

CSM CAD 1183 pts

HQ

Nurgle Sorcerer (join spawn) 175 pts
bike
blight grenades
force axe
sigil of corruption

Nurgle Sorcerer (join spawn) 175 pts
bike
blight grenades
force axe
sigil of corruption

Troops

15 Chaos Cultists 70 pts

5 Chas Space Marines 120 pts
Meltagun
Rhino

Fast Attack

5 Chaos Spawn 180 pts
nurgle

5 Chaos Spawn 180 pts
nurgle

Heavy

Maulerfiend 125 pts

2 Obliterators 158 pts
nurgle
veterans of the long war

Renegades and Heretics 695 pts

HQ

Renegade Command Squad 165 pts

Arch Demagogue (100pts to join 40 zombies)
carapace armour
nurgle
power axe
primaris-rogue witch (level 2)
refractor field
warlold

5 command squad (65pts)
3 lasguns
1 autocannon team

Troops

40 Plague Zombie Horde 120 pts

15 Renegade Mutant Rabble 45 pts

Heavy

3 Renegade Field Artillery 100 pts
3 quad launchers
milita training

3 Renegade Rapier Laser Destroyer Battery 70 pts
militia training

1 Renegade Plasma Tank 195 pts
2 plasma spons
1 lascannon
militia training

The things I chose to pass on:
CSM
2 vindicators
1 maulerfiend
2 hellblades

I like the list quite a bit, but you could get 9 spawn as elite choices for 165 pts total through renegades cad (3x3@55 pts ea.) that would free up some points to put extra psyker levels for your sorcs. or allow you to take the second maulerfiend. One maulerfiend by itself will get killed or immobilized pretty quick but running two together would better help you to get into melee with one at least. If you went this route, I would put the sorc with the boosted psycher levels with the zombies and let the other run with the nine spawn. Renegades opens up so many interesting options for chaos.

Thanks for your feedback, man! I've run the Renegades & Heretics spawn side by side the CSM Spawn. The difference in the nurgle mark that provides them the t6 along with the ability to take larger squads (5 as opposed to 3) makes such a huge difference. The 3 man squads of t5 die every time where the 5 man t6 squads finish the game. Since they include the sorcerer - granted they are a "live by the d6" unit more than any I know - I need them to produce at least equal value results. My biggest debate there is the CSM squad difference between 4 and 5 in there. Is that extra spot doing me a ton of good?

I totally agree with you on the maulerfiend. I really want to take the second as opposed to the obliterators. The problem is when I compare them. Comparing my heavies:

1 maulerfiend - I feel like it breaks even. Even if that is just causing some target priority confusion. The additional would add to the affect.

2 obliterators - give me so much versatility. Pick up on the lack of shooting I have in this army.

1 vinidicator - boom or bust.

To be clear, I've maxed out my sorcerer level. Sorry, I may not have clarified that. Level 3 on the bike sorcerers and level 2 on the renegade sorcerer.

Yeah, that T6 is really hard to pass up with the spawn, but I was thinking the 27 T5 ablative wounds would be enough to keep one sorcerer alive for quite a while for less than the cost of 15 T6 wounds, especially if you hid the other sorcerer in the zombies instead of with a second spawn unit. That second maulerfiend is so tempting. I also never mark my CSM sorcerers. The God specific powers we have to choose from tend to stink up the joint. I always, always, always get familiars for them though.

As to the marines, I (sadly) rarely bring any, preferring instead to take two min cultists for the tax. If you are worried about lack of shooting, get yourself a Rapier battery to go with the CSM (maybe with the conversion beamer). IMHO, Rapiers are the best units we have available to us.

Great points! Thanks, Gordon.

I slept on your first post a little more, and thought I should give it a try. I only have battlescribe at work with me though so I have a rules question. To take 3 spawn squads am I required to have a mutant overlord? That would kind of be a bummer since I really wanted that third psycher (my renegade primaris rogue witch).

As for the sorcerers, you're right to say the mark is crap. I'm not sure if it's totally logical or if it's just the fluff bunny in me, but I love the t6 (w/ the bike and mark) because he only has 2 wounds. I would be even more nervous to drop this if he's running around with a squad of 3 t5 spawn. When you were referring to the 27 wounds together were you thinking they'd all kind of run in a pack?