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So this is for a friend guys, he asked me, I figured I would ask you.

In the spirit of buying stuff to keep playing with, as the stuff isn't cheap normally and other such trivial things, my question is.

If his kill team models consists of Ratlings with 2-3 Sentinels, is there a way to start making a 500/750/1000 points AM army list that won't suck, but also tries to include the mentioned models?
Any feedback is appreciated thanks !

(Note, by not suck, I don't mean win any big tournaments but just will be good for all comers in a not so competitive environment.)

Thanks !

Sure there is! First, I would recommend they run the Sentinels as separate units in the low-points level games, since that aids their survivability (easier to hide, harder for things like Scatterlasers to cause spill-over damage). I also happen to believe that Ratlings are under-rated as a unit, though others on the forums here would likely disagree with me. After that, they're going to need some troops and HQ, with some cheap options being something like a Sanctioned Psyker and some Veterans. That should put you in the 500 point range.

Also note, Imperial Guard suck less when the formation and detachment bonuses are kept more in check. Try to stick to playing games with CADs, and the AM will showcase their bright side a bit better. Once you get to 1500 though, the competitive builds for these grunts really starts to narrow. Only somewhat-competitive builds for them start featuring less and less Imperial Guard, and more and more allies to the guard, until you might as well not be playing Guard.

 Yarium wrote:
Sure there is! First, I would recommend they run the Sentinels as separate units in the low-points level games, since that aids their survivability (easier to hide, harder for things like Scatterlasers to cause spill-over damage). I also happen to believe that Ratlings are under-rated as a unit, though others on the forums here would likely disagree with me. After that, they're going to need some troops and HQ, with some cheap options being something like a Sanctioned Psyker and some Veterans. That should put you in the 500 point range.

Also note, Imperial Guard suck less when the formation and detachment bonuses are kept more in check. Try to stick to playing games with CADs, and the AM will showcase their bright side a bit better. Once you get to 1500 though, the competitive builds for these grunts really starts to narrow. Only somewhat-competitive builds for them start featuring less and less Imperial Guard, and more and more allies to the guard, until you might as well not be playing Guard.

Pskyers don't take up an HQ slot, and thus can't be used as a mandatory HQ. Your best bet is a company command squad, orders play a large part in guard.

To fill out 500 points I'd say:
CCS + upgrades: 80-100
2x vets with upgrades 140-160
either a chimera or a wyvern

750:
leman russ
more vets, or drop a vet squad for a platoon

A couple options or 1000
either a couple chimeras
or another russ
or maybe an artillery piece
definitely add that wyvern if you haven't yet

As Yarium said, I do disagree about the usefulness of ratlings. Assuming a squad of 5. 5 snipers shots gets 3.3 hits gets 1.6 wounds. 1.6 wounds a turn just isn't scary, as you're killing half a space marine every turn unless you get a rend, which they still get cover against. Ideally you get precision shot that rends, but that's a 1 in 36 chance, meaning once all game if they shoot every turn for 7 turns. The idea that they hurt a riptide on a 4+ sounds promising, but 2+ means unless you rend it's not doing anything (and it might have the 3++ up anyways). The run seems nice but keep in mind unlike JSJ they can't pop out and shoot without having to snap fire. They fall over in melee, and still die to shooting pretty easily. Come on, T2. 3+ cover in ruins, but if anything gets in rapid fire range of them they're gone. 10 bolter shots will only kill 2, but that forces a morale check on Ld6.

I'd much rather take more guardsmen. More bodies is nice, plus 20-30 lasgun shots is slightly more damage a turn, plus you can take a HWS or special weapon. Unless you're doing a mechanized list more bodies always help. Alternately, if you take, say, 100 points of ratlings, I'd always take a vet squad with special weapons instead.

Heck, for another 15 points you can take a wyvern which can pretty much snipe out special weapons because barrage, as well as annihilating groups of infantry.

Overall they're just rolling too few dice. If you get a few lucky precision shots or rends they make up their points, but just as often (well, more often actually) they do a whole lot of nothing.

As man it sucks when someone does the math haha thanks.
Appreciate the advice. Looks like if he wants to expand Chimeras and Vets are the best option going forward with a few good tanks.

Which is good to hear as he was wanting to try and keep the $$$ low. So the chimera + squad box looks like it would be worth it and 1-2 big battle tanks would fill up the points too.

Are Commissars worth it in low point games? As the SC comes with one and it look a awesome !

Cheers !