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Playing around with the Fist of Medusa decurion-thing, and I noticed that if set-up a certain way, you never have to take a single Tactical marine in a list. Now, My questiona are A) Is it Legal and B) Level of effectiveness.
I figured the conclave, split up, would spread the +1 FnP bonus of the Decurion around, Sternguard are awesome anyway, Vanguards to counter-assault/fast Objective taking, and the vehicles provide support.

I'm toying with:

Core:
1 Techmarine
2 WW
1 Pred (AC/LC)

Aux:
1st Company
Sternguard x3

1st Company
Sternguard x2
Vanguard Vets x2

Honoured Ancient:
Dreadnought x2 (Rifleman)

Command:
Libby Conclave
5x ML1 Libbys

I'm curious to hear input, because I've seen the damage a single squad of Sternguard can do, but unleashing 5 squads seems like ridiculous overkill, and possibly not legal (But I'm still not 100% with formation/decurion rules, CAD is still my true force org love )

It's possible (At least to my knowledge) and not at all a bad idea. You're basically taking a Deathwatch army, really, but with Iron Hands chapter tactics.
Compared to Deathwatch, your Sternguard are getting 5+ FNP, but losing access to re-rolls on 1s against certain unit types. (I think re-rolls to wound, but it could be to-hit. Not sure without looking it up.) You also get different formation bonuses, of course, but that's more of a wash depending on the formations you like to take.

The one thing you're losing out on is access to Shotguns, of course. Deathwatch get Deathwatch Shotguns on top of their Boltguns, giving a free S3 template that they can use for Overwatch, and a couple S4 Assault options if you want an emergency charge. In a mirror match, Deathwatch Veterans are probably a bit better than Sternguard, but it's close. (Also, DW veterans can take special weapons, not just combi-weapons, and of course they can bring Frag Cannons.)

It's probably not the most competitive 40k army possible, but it is pretty good, and if you prefer durability over a slight versatility boost, it's not a bad idea.

Ah cool. The only real downside I can think of taking only Sternguard, is that its 110 points for 5 guys as opposed to the tactical 70; making them ridiculously more valuable and any loss will really hurt.

The main issue is, ofc, the extreme lack of mobility of that list, even with Rhinos everywhere. I love Speeders and Stormtalons, but the formations that take them force a tax of some kind (Unless theres a Speeder + Stormtalon formation i've missed?)

Edit: Sternguard can take 2 Special weapons btw, so I'm only losing out on DW exclusives

 Izural wrote:
Ah cool. The only real downside I can think of taking only Sternguard, is that its 110 points for 5 guys as opposed to the tactical 70; making them ridiculously more valuable and any loss will really hurt.

The main issue is, ofc, the extreme lack of mobility of that list, even with Rhinos everywhere. I love Speeders and Stormtalons, but the formations that take them force a tax of some kind (Unless theres a Speeder + Stormtalon formation i've missed?)

Edit: Sternguard can take 2 Special weapons btw, so I'm only losing out on DW exclusives

DW can take effectively infinite Special Weapons. Up to 10, in a 10 man squad.
Have you considered Drop Pods? If you have enough of them, a early-game drop pod assault with a ton of Sternguard can be pretty devestating.

Personally, I feel the Stormlance is the best all-around core for them due to the combo of FNP fire-and-move/embark Tacticals combined with IWND/POTMS fire-and-move Lasplas Razorbacks alongside a 3+ FNP Bike Command Squad.

Plus you also have access to weird shenanigans like Stalkers with POTMS, durable Scouts (cheaper Necron Warriors for many purposes) with POTMS Storm Speeders, etc.

I've thought about pods, but mobility and protection after a drop concerns me, that, and everyone uses pods, I want to do something different (at least by post-DP standards) by taking rhinos for maximum manoeuvrability and protection.

I may have to DP a Dread though to keep my opponent honest in deployment if they see a sea of rhinos

Edit: I love Stormlance. But it has 2 fatal flaws for me. 1) Forcing me to take a Captain or Chaplain and 2) Devastators. I loath them so.

What's wrong with taking either HQ?

And worst comes to worst, you can always do like Steve Sisk and just run one Grav Cannon and an Armorium Cherub for the Revestator team, like a pseudo-Tactical Squad that can get BS 5 on its big gun.

I feel that taking a captain mandates that I make him useful in some way (EG: Give him a JP, TH, SS), inflating his cost; and Chaplains are almost useless imo. Both are 65 pts I could have spent on a Libby or Techmarine.

I've heard about the single Grav-Cherub squad - does that combo work out of a rhino hatch or is it just back-field only?

It works outside a hatch. Since you're getting move-shoot-move though, you can still use it with a Razorback with the upside that the unit is deadlier when de-meched.

Both the captain and chaplain are 90 base due to the 4++. The main thing you want is the Bike. The JP isn't worth it, plus with the new faq, auras don't extend from inside vehicles so you want a durable HQ to provide FNP/POTMS.

Whelp, I'll certainly give it a good try to see how it goes, I do like the mobility the formation gives so it may just be my thing.

Although, that's alot of transports I need to buy >.<