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We all know Space Marines are known for their (often White Scars) Battle Companies spamming grav in Metal Bawkses. Well zog that mess because that sounds boring and its expensive to buy a motor pool of Rhinos/Razorbacks. So instead I will continue my trend of spamming formations and trying to make offbeat lists work because I secretly want to be that special snowflake . The goal is to not be a push over fluff list but I also don't plan on playing super competitive because that's not very fun. Here is the list but fair warning it may contain Power Lances.


Revised List

Chapter Tactics: Ultrasmurfs or Imperial Fists

CAD
HQ
Terminator Captain: Cataphratii Terminator Armor, Storm Shield,Thunder Hammer, Auspex, (Warlord)

Troops
Scouts: 5x with Bolt Pistol + Chainsword. Melta Bomb
Scouts 5x with Sniper Rifles*

1st Company Task Force
Sternguard: 10x with 2 Melta Guns in Drop Pod+ Beacon (Will Combat Squad)*
Sternguard: 10x with 2 Melta Guns in Drop Pod + Beacon (Will Combat Squad)*
Sternguard: 10x with 2 having combi meltas, 2 Melta Guns in Drop Pod (Will Combat Squad)*
Cataphractii Terminator Squad: 5x with 2 Pairs of Lightning Claws, 2 Power Fists, 1 Chainfist

Skyhammer Annihilation Force
Devastators: 10x with 4 Grav Cannons, 1 Combi Grav in Drop Pod (Will Combat Squad)
Devastators: 5x with 4 Multi Meltas in Drop Pod*
Assault Marines (Jump Packs): 5x with 1 Power Lance, Melta Bomb*
Assault Marines (Jump Packs): 5x with 1 Power Lance, Melta Bomb*

Multi-meltas for the second Dev squad.
8 combis are not sufficient anti-tank in my opinion.

I might suggest instead of your CAD - taking a 10th company taskforce. Maybe take a units of scout bikes with a homing beacon and your Skyhammer ASM have an option for precision deep strike turn 1. In any case - I think it will do better than a champion HQ to have 2-3 LSS.

The number of anti tank weapons is a bit lower than I would like so making the swap to multi meltas would be a good idea (just need the models). Could probably drop the sniper rifles and/or camo cloaks to free up points for multi meltas.

10th company doesn't really add much while losing the CAD (with the HQ) would remove my only durable warlord option I have. I don't really want to end up giving warlord to a sergeant in a bunch of MSU marine squads. It would quickly cost me my warlord point and any warlord traits. The assault marines are cheap enough that I'm not concerned if they can't pull off a turn 1 charge due to scattering off target. Granted a 150 point beat stick captain isn't always ideal but he does give me some close combat chops while also being rather tanky.

I agree with the multi-melta idea and they're only 10pts, same as a heavy bolter so you dont have to drop anything.

I personally find storm shields aren't worth it on cataphractii, personally i use a similar cad with cataphractii captain and find thunder hammer/lighting claw is perfect, extra attack due to 2 specialist weapons and the option to attack at initiative when needed.

I have to ask ... power lances? WHY?

One other thing is i don't think combi-gravs are worth 10pts, 4 grav cannons should do the job, if not the combi bit won't make a difference - personally i'd drop it and give 2 assault marines flamers.

Power Lance has done work for me the times I've ran a Skyhammer. Quite often its possible to get a charge off considering they can deep strike and assault in the same turn and in a challenge that's swinging at initiative with +1 strength and AP3. Multiple times I have had the sergeant murder the enemy squad leader and deal a good amount of damage in CC. Outside of charging if a 5 man assault marine squad get charged they are done for so my focus is on maximizing their on the charge damage. With an Axe he is likely to die before he swings and with a Maul its somewhat likely the attacks will plink off of 3+ or better armor. Also if its against a pinned target (1st company can wreck leadership so if its a pinnable target then they are almost certainly being pinned from the skyhammer shooting) then that lance gets rerolls to hit and wound which makes the shred on a lightning claw redundant (and I don't lose an attack on it being specialist). In this corner case the Lance is uniquely ideal

For the Captain having a 3+ rerolling 1s invulnerable save seems like it would be good for tanking challenges and just being harder to kill. Tiny points investment for the shield and with all the Sternguard I don't feel I'm short on S4 AP3 damage sources but I'm lacking the high strength AP2 damage which is where the TH comes in (wish I could take a cheaper power fist or if they had a chainfist option but its GW with their funky equipment rules).

Combi Grav helps when the devs are combat squaded into 2 smaller units and it gives the sergeant's squad a bit of extra dakka which seems worth it for 10 points.

I feel like you can do something very similar WITH a battle company, and stretch your resources farther with all those free drop pods. You have 5 drop pods in your list... do you own more than that?

Also, I love your army title.

Celerior wrote:
I feel like you can do something very similar WITH a battle company, and stretch your resources farther with all those free drop pods. You have 5 drop pods in your list... do you own more than that?

Also, I love your army title.

In a lot of ways the models in here are in line with what you would need for a battle company (2 units of devastator marines, 2 units of assault marines, 6 units of marines holding bolters) but the issue is that those marines need grav guns, they need Rhinos to protect them, and without the Skyhammer rules those devastator and assault marines are far less effective. To fit in the double demi company would mean I couldn't field a Skyhammer or those Sternguard which would just result in everything gravitating (hehe grav) towards getting the most out of the Battle Company. Believe me when I was working on the list I started with trying to fit both the 1st Company and Skyhammer into an Imperial Fist Sternhammer Strike Force but kept running into the issue of everything being stretched too thin and having to cut a lot of corners to fit in a Demi/Battle Company.

I believe you.

OK, here's a rundown of my thoughts on your performance against certain tourney-style lists. There are enough hard counters to it that I don't see it winning any tournaments, but other 'powerful' armies (Eldar) you might easily embarrass.

Against demons, if you get the drop on them, you might have a chance. How many wounds can you shave of a T5 MC with a 3+ cover save from night fighting, if every turn 1 arrival focuses on it? If they go first, you will find yourself snap shooting or trying to take out 2++ rerollable save screamers. Not pretty. Also, a helldrake or two will make you very sad.

Against battle company, I just don't think you can take out enough transports, while white scars will use their jink saves and hit & run to survive the alpha strike.

Against Tau, riptide spam should be able to field enough interceptor to take out your grav cannons, and then whoever survives the rest of your shooting will hurry away, out of range. Though with them, you have a shot if you can catch them with your assault marines. Still, I feel like 3-4 intercepting riptides can annihilate your skyhammer annihilation force, and then you're down to your sternguard, who can take down 1, maybe 2 riptides if they're lucky. And then the riptides back out of effective range fast.

Against imperial knights, you can take out one, maybe two, before it's all over.

Against Eldar... well that might be interesting. The wraithknights could fall pretty easily to your grav, and all those sternguard could kill a lot of scatterbikes and probably make some more run off the table.

I haven't faced genestealer cult yet, so I can't speak to them.

And with the large model count and obscene bubble-wrap, I think I could take your list out, too. http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/712227.page

I've got to ask what role those Cataphracts play. I imagine you have them in case of enemy assault themed lists, like demonkin, but I don't know... there are only five of them. Won't they be drowned in wounds pretty quickly?

With a relatively small model count and no transports to hide in but a powerful alpha strike, your games should all end relatively quickly, one way or the other. Lack of anti-air may be a problem.

MINE EMPEROR! I CAN WALK!!!

Revised List

Chapter Tactics: Ultrasmurfs or Imperial Fists

CAD
HQ
Terminator Captain: Cataphratii Terminator Armor, Storm Shield,Thunder Hammer, Auspex, (Warlord)

Troops
Scouts: 5x with Bolt Pistol + Chainsword. Melta Bomb
Scouts 5x with Sniper Rifles*

1st Company Task Force
Sternguard: 10x with 2 Melta Guns in Drop Pod+ Beacon (Will Combat Squad)*
Sternguard: 10x with 2 Melta Guns in Drop Pod + Beacon (Will Combat Squad)*
Sternguard: 10x with 2 having combi meltas, 2 Melta Guns in Drop Pod (Will Combat Squad)*
Cataphractii Terminator Squad: 5x with 2 Pairs of Lightning Claws, 2 Power Fists, 1 Chainfist

Skyhammer Annihilation Force
Devastators: 10x with 4 Grav Cannons, 1 Combi Grav in Drop Pod (Will Combat Squad)
Devastators: 5x with 4 Multi Meltas in Drop Pod*
Assault Marines (Jump Packs): 5x with 1 Power Lance, Melta Bomb*
Assault Marines (Jump Packs): 5x with 1 Power Lance, Melta Bomb*

Changes are adding Melta Bombs to the Assault Marines, swapping some of the Combi Meltas for actual Melta guns (and spreading them to three different units instead of two), swapping the Heavy Bolters with Multi Meltas, and dropping camo cloaks for points cutting purposes. Having a means to crack open vehicles on the assault marines seems like a worthwhile trade for camo cloaks on sniper scouts (who I assume won't actually be targeted very often considering the amount of drop pod units being used).

A bit of a YMTC but in reading the Stermguard wargear rules and the SM rules for special weapons it seems to me that I can swap their pistol for a chainsword which can then be swapped for a melta gun on 2 models. This way I can have both a melta gun and a bolter on the same marine which in most cases makes them superior to using combi meltas (except for when you need more than 2 meltas in a unit). I just want to make sure I am correct in that understanding.

This army would doo poorly against a Tau stormsurge and riptide wing with interceptor. Skyhammers are really tough to pull off now a days with overwatch buffs, libbys galore and interceptor.