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So, I'm no expert on the sisters of silence but I've been drawn to them following negative comments about playing a pure custodes list. Now, I'm no expert player but my win ratio goes up dramatically when I play pure custodes so I know they're broken but they can be toned down with the inclusion of sisters but I've really enjoyed painting what I have of them so far and I'd quite like to put a pure sisters army together.

But, they have some glaring weaknesses. Namely, an inability to hurt av14 and flyers. Even av13 will take massed fire power.

So, here's my thoughts on them so far. Neither psychic anathema nor ex oblivio are going to shut down psykers to the extent that they should unless you can get into Base to Base with a psyker. Sisters do have some underestimated ability to cut down marines and even small units of terminators with their execution blades but against a psychic deathstar like magnus and sekhmet, they'll still get munched in cc.

However, some of their ranged weapons can force a ton of perils tests on psykers and psychic units. I'm thinking about the excruciatus cadre and the seekers with grenade launchers. I feel that they are better at dealing with psykers from range, backed up by their transports which also have psyk out missiles.

But a sisters list can't just be about anti psyker if they want to compete. They need to do more and this is where I struggle. The transports have plenty of medium and low anti armour capability but if they jink - for a 3 up cover save, they have no potms to help with shooting next turn. Sure, they have smoke launchers which will also give them a 3+ cover save due to them having stealth but that's a one use only item and you have to forgo shooting to do that.

The company cadre special rule means you can give them stealth or infiltrate but which is better? I like infiltrate for outflank and I can see that being really powerful using transports and disembarking excruciatus cadres or seekers against psychic units but then what do you start on the board with? A unit of sisters with stealth in ruins? Yes, they might survive until all of the transports come on but that's all they'll do.

I feel that 10 girl units are the way to go to maximise the use of their fearless rule but how can they hope to win against a decent list? No anti av14 and no anti flyer, plus squishy squads in CC even with their execution blades. Can they go it alone or do they need some extra durability and anti armour from custodes to make them viable?

Dakka, help me out here. Am I on a hiding to nothing or is there a way to run pure sisters and be competitive? I'm thinking about maxing out their troops units to create a wall of fearless scoring troops and playing solely to the mission but what I really want is a cool themed game that lets me play sisters and at least be in with a chance to win, even if I end up on the losing side.

Thinking of building the 10 I have so good timing. I can see some point for the 2 handed guys but as I needed one blade elsewhere I def need some bolter guys(that or buy spare sword from bits store). Been looking at the other troop squad and...what's the role of those anyway? 5 bolters for 65 seems expensive. Marines gets 10 for 125 and have better stats.

Seems like they pay a lot for anti psychic ability but alas unless you are facing thousand sons they seem rather lackluster.

These are the units I generally hate as they are too extreme. Very good against one type of foe(lots of psykers against them), otherwise lackluster. And HH not having much psykers seems they are limited outside scenario play. Humhum.

OP

The main problem is that they don't compensate for their Str3 and T3 in other areas. The idea is that, Eldar for example, compensate for this with higher WS and Initiative. But you have the same WS and I as a marine. You also only get one attack. Which means most of your attacks are missing and failing to wound tactical marines; whilst they are hitting you back at full strength. So despite having an otherwise amazing CCW for 13pts its completely nerfed by all these issues. To the point where it would be a close run thing to beat a tactical squad, you would have to rely on breaking them and the -1 leadership bonus.

The infiltrating assault transport with stealth means I magine they would be good as an alpha strike unit.

However I frankly think the expectation is that you use Custodians. Really the Sisters represent the armies cheap objective grabbing troops.

They've obviously pushed the Custodian tanks, Dreads and other HS slots to.

I know in the Beast Arises they do use bikes so we might see this as an excuse to include some AT firepower.

Personally I think they need more units to be a viable army.

Well, I do think they have some ways to mitigate their S3 - namely execution blades which are always +1S and AP3 increasing to AP2 on a 5 or 6 to hit and dual pistols allow them to use the S and AP of the pistols in CC. Also you can get grenade launchers on their heavy squads which will put a ton of wounds on marines.

And fearless helps them to survive losses better to hold up squads for a turn or two. This is why I think 10 girl squads are better, including for camping objectives or using infiltrate to bring in deep striking custodes with nuncio voxes - although that's not pure sisters then.

For me, it's an inability to hurt AV14 that's a worry - I don't see what they can do about those. Medium and side armour can be hurt by out flanking kharon pattern acquisitions.

What are your thoughts on stake crossbows? If I have three of them in a squad and I shoot at a unit with a psyker in it and all three hit, does the psyker have to take three perils tests or just one? What if the psyker is actually outside of the range of the crossbows but the models I hit in his unit are in range, does the psyker have to take the tests then?

The same could be asked about the seeker squads - if I had 10 armed with grenade launchers and hit with all 10, does the psyker take 10 perils tests?

These things sound great for sniping out psykers but also a little op if they force multiple tests...

If you are worried about AV14 take an Orbital Strike Wing with Lightnings and call it a day.

I think I'd rather just keep everything inside the Talons list and take a couple of custodes jet bike squads with adrathic destructors and melta bombs for anti tank.