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Hi everyone, I tried to make an alpha strike list as competitive as possible, using the weird synergy between how Drop Pods work and the Beacon Angelis (more on this later). Let me know how to improve it!

Strategium Command Team
Librarian, ML2, power axe, auspex, beacon angelis
Aquila Kill Team: 3 veterans w/ frag cannons, 2 veterans w/ storm shields, sergeant veteran w/ auspex, terminator w/ cyclone missile launcher
drop pod

Skyhammer Annihilation Force (ultramarines)
Devastator squad (10), 2 grav cannons, 2 multi-melta
drop pod
Devastator squad (10), 2 grav cannons, 2 multi-melta
drop pod
Assault squad, jump packs, 2 flamers, seargeant w/ melta bombs
Assault squad, jump packs, 2 flamers, seargeant w/ melta bombs

Inquisitorial Detachment
Coteaz
Ordo Malleus Inquisitor, 3 servo skulls, incinerator
Inquisitorial wardband: 2 acolytes, psyker
Inquisitorial wardband: 2 acolytes, psyker
Inquisitorial wardband: 3 acolytes w/ plasma guns, 2 acolytes w/ boltgun, psyker
Chimera, heavy bolter, psybolt ammunition

1499

So, first we need to notice something about the Beacon Angelis: its wording is not at all similar to a normal locator beacon. In particular, it lacks the "must be on the battlefield at the start of the turn" thing. Which means that I can Drop Pod the Kill Team with the Librarian (Coteaz joins it as well) as the first unit to DS, and then have the Assualt Squads DS without scatter on turn 1. This turns them into monsters, because I can deploy them 1" away from the enemy to maximize flamers efficiency (or they can be anti-tank with melta bombs, if needed). The positioning of the first drop pod (the one with the kill team) is aided by servo skulls, and the HUGE footprint the Pod has due to the new FAQs: a reduced scatter, plus the possibility to disembark anywhere within 6" of even the tip of a hatch, should help to put the kill team exactly where I need it to be, and therefore the assault squads as well. The ability to place the kill team exactly where I need it is very useful against hordes too, because 6 S6 rending templates at 1" from your face hurt a lot.

Devastators can DS without scatter as well (all I need is the tip of a hatch within 6" of the Librarian), or scatter normally, aided by servoskulls. Obviously, they will combat squad.

The Chimera gets deployed as far as possible from the enemy, out of LoS if at all possible. At the beginning of the first Movement Phase, I teleport the Chimera within 6" of the Librarian, for Plasma goodness (and another Psychic Shriek, because why not?). The Beacon Angelis text does not prevent me from teleporting in vehicles... The Inquisitor inside will probably disembark and join the Kill Team, just to give it another template (a unit can disembark from a deep striking vehicle).

The two small inquisitorial warbands are there just to give me 2 warp charges for 36 points. If I can deploy them out of sight I will, otherwise I will put them into Reserves.

The Libby and Coteaz fish for Invisibility (worst case scenario, I get Psychic Shriek, which I will want to cast anyway), and if I get extremely lucky and get it with Coteaz, the Libby will probalby go for Librarius (Veil of Time and Null Zone are good, and the primaris isn't that bad either). Notice that the Libby has Adamantium Will from the formation, and a hood, so 4+ DtW within 12".

Ultramarine tactics are chosen for their extreme versatilily and usefulness in an alpha strike: if I need devastators to be effective (such as vs a Wraithknight), then I'll choose Devastator doctrine, if Assault is important I'll get Assault one, and if I want all-around bonuses without focusing on one aspect I can go with Tactical doctrine. I looked at every other chapter tactic, and I couldn't find a better one for this kind of list (let me know if you have a better idea).

Overall, this list has immense alpha strike potential, with everything I have in the enemy's face turn 1 (and plenty of high strength - low AP weapons, or templates for hordes). It shares the same weaknesses as other alpha-strike lists, namely Interceptor and null deployment, but Coteaz helps a lot in this last case, creating a 12" bubble in which you do NOT want to enter.

I am torn about the Kill team loadout, though: I am not so sure about the Termy. I'd like a Bike for Split Fire (3 frag cannons can be overkill, and with an added cyclone they almost surely are), but it takes 3 slots inside the transport, so I can't have a sergeant (and I want that extra auspex). I suppose I could embark Coteaz in the Chimera, and disembark him when I teleport it in to join him to the kill team, but I don't really like this solution. The Termy helps a lot with anything that's not AP2 (I could use Coteaz for that, but he is only T3, so S6 kills him outright if I fail the 2+ to pass the wound), and also adds some CC capability, but it's more expensive as well. If I make the change, I don't know where to spend the extra points...

Well, that's it. Please let me know what do you think of the list, and how I can improve it.

No one?

I've been using that Beacon Angelis in a very similar way (drop along with skyhammer to guide it in) and it's awesome.

The only diff I'd say is I use full 10 man assault squads fully decked out for transport smashing, which I find has worked best for me; they need the most help when deepstriking, so I find that's the best application.

That aside though, yeah it looks good. I'd recommend Cherubs for the grav cannons to get the re-roll, and split the squads up so you have 4 matching in each (4 grav, and in the other pod, 4 mm). Sometimes you just need to combat squad in a way where you need the 5 bolters to pin, and 4 grav cannon or 4 melta shots to take something big down.

These are minor critiques though.

For the Inquisition stuff... maybe I'm just not "getting it" but I don't really understand how it's that impactful or even works with the beacon angelis... honestly... i'd just drop this for some flier support or a knight or something.

As for the Deathwatch... Sure, it's a bit of an expensive unit, and if you go first that's great... but if you go second, theyt're stuck out in the open on their own which sucks...

I prefer the Blackspear Strike Force so at least if you go second, you can deepstrike stuff. That's what I use and it works well.

Also, shotguns and boltguns on all the deathwatch marines has served me well. I think the Furor killteam is the best b/c of the anti-infantry firepower that those weapons provide. I'd advise 2 frag cannons and as many bolters/shotguns you can fit in the pod, but YMMV. I think the double-shot S9 frag shell is nice, but the rest of your squad isn't great at killing the same things that shot is... I really find the magic lies in the many many templates you can lay down from them.

hope that maybe helps a bit.

Thanks for your input!

The Inquisition is there to get some cheap psykers, servo skulls to land those drop pods exactly where I need them (with this list, positioning is key), and a cheap source of plasma that can teleport with its vehicle and create a physical barrier (I recall the chimera with the beacon, so I am within rapid fire range with 3 plasma guns. The whole unit, including the transport and a psyker that will cast psychic shriek, costs only 122 points). Oh, and Coteaz, to protect me from other lists based on drop pods or deep strike, that could null deploy and make my alpha strike useless. Thanks to him, they need to stay far, far away from the Aquila Kill Team, or they will be murdered before thay have a chance to do anything. The range is not great, but unlike Interceptor I can shoot as many times as there are units coming in, and I don't give up the next shooting phase in order to do so.

Good point on the devastators, it's true that sometimes I will just need to combat squad 5 bolters. Cherubs are a bit useless here, since on turn 1 I will very often reroll to hit with every model, and on turn 2 I will reroll 1s (thanks, Ultramarine chapter tactics!). With this kind of list, if the devs survive long enough to reach turn 3, it means that I almost obliterated the enemy, and I have won the game anyway.

I use assault squads mainly as an anti-infantry unit, and they are very effective at that, besides being dirt cheap (100 points each). They can still kill tranports too, since most have a rear armor of 10, and that squad will cause an average of 2.17 hull points, WITHOUT considering the melta bombs, potential rerolls to hit, or hull points that can be stripped in the shooting phase. I would love to use big squads with some gear, but I simply don't have the points.

I don't understad the phrase "if you go second, they're stuck out in the open on their own": that unit will drop on turn 1 with its pod, it's never in the open (well, it is, but it should murder potential threats the turn it drops). I need auxiliaries choices for BSSF, and they are quite underwhelming (or too expensive). Since I onyl have ONE Deathwatch unit, it doesn't make much sense to go BSSF. Deep striking is useless since my only Deathwatch unit already has a pod, and the only thing I would get would be an additional chance to change mission tactics. Not enough to justify a dreadnought or a blackstar.

I didn't go Furor because that squad needs to be versatile, since often it doesn't have the luxury of choosing its target: being the unit around which everything else needs to be for optimal positioning, sometimes it will be in a position that it's not the best for itself, but is the most effective for every other unit. Given the high number of special weapons that this unit has, anyway, it will almost never fire bolters (only 4 models have them, including the Libby and the sergeant, which will not fire theirs to use the auspexes anyway), so I really don't need to reroll to wound. Rerolling 1s is more than enough, since I will often wound on a 2+. With this squad, the main weapon is not the bolter, it's the frag cannon. I am actually thinking of removing even those 2 bolters, just to have 2 more templates (but they are S3, I'm not sure they are needed after 6 S6 rending templates, and a S6 AP4 one)

The beacon can only grab units with the deathwatch faction. So that Chimera would have to be bought from the deathwatch book, which I don't exists within that book. A rhino with a squad of vets with plasma would be the closest you could get to that idea.

Sorry

Yes, you are right. My bad. I need to rethink this, then.

Better to catch it in an online than on the table =)