Scouts or sniper scouts

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**JTaves**

Hello, I was doing some research on what models to get for my blood angel army and I found that the scouts might not be to bad. The problem is that I just found out that there is a destiction between scouts and scouts with sniper rifles. Which one would you all recommend for a blood angels army. So far I only have the starter set and I am very new to wh40k. My main opponents will be Astra militarum and tau. Thanks for the help.

**davou**

Get the snipers; then you can pick at commisars and fireblades.

Blood angels are not gonna be hurting for ways to get close and chop at stuff anyway

**BaconCatBug**

Sniper Scouts with Camo Cloaks are hard to shift with shooting and can theoretically pick off characters (though the math doesn't really pan out). Blood Angels are all about the choppy with their Power Armour so some Long Range support is good.

**Primark G**

I prefer sniper scouts but they aren’t a good bubble wrap. It really depends on the rest of your army list.

**Racerguy180**

Snipers are always a good addition to armies. they give you the ability to pick off targets from long range and when hunkered down in cover with the camo cloaks, they're a really easy way to make your opponent pay for attacking them. They're kinda squishy when faced with melee tho.

**CREEEEEEEEED**

It's a good idea to have a balance, sniper scouts are good, but if you're running just marines, no soup, you need scouts with bolters or pistols and ccw for contesting the board.

**Nevelon**

Both have their place.

Snipers are good for backfield camping. They’ve got range, and can hold down an objective.

The other main use for scouts is as screening units. Use their deployment options to make sure nothing can deep strike near the rest of your forces. This will often leave them exposed, so you don’t want to sink that many points into them.

I’m a fan of the snipers, but probably play normal scouts more these days. A lot depends on the rest of your list.

Plus what you think looks cooler. Neither option is so bad you are going to cripple yourself by including them. So there is some room to just take what you like.

**Breng77**

If it is one or the other get regular scouts. The primary role of scouts this edition is as a screen creating space. Especially as blood angles you need to ensure your deepstrike units have clear places to land. If you don't put scouts in the neutral zone the other guy might and then all your choppy stuff has to kill them before getting to anything juicy.

**Ovechkin8**

Regular blood angel scouts with bolt pistols and combat knives with a power sword for the serg is dirt cheap and quite good in melee for their price!

If you are using blood angels along with another detachment that provides some long range support I'd go this way. On a charge that is 8 or 9 regular attacks that need 3+ and get +1 to wound due to blood angels and then you get 3 power sword attacks. All for under 60pts! They would provide the area control you need as well.

Also they can support deep striking DC or SG as well in melee

Snipers are not worth their points for marine scouts in the first place and on top of that you aren't taking advantage of the Blood Angels chapter trait!

Just my humble opinion.

**Crazyterran**

A unit of snipers if you are taking Telion for a cheap HQ, otherwise, BP/CCW or Bolters.

**sfshilo**

Nevelon wrote:
Both have their place.

Snipers are good for backfield camping. They’ve got range, and can hold down an objective.

The other main use for scouts is as screening units. Use their deployment options to make sure nothing can deep strike near the rest of your forces. This will often leave them exposed, so you don’t want to sink that many points into them.

I’m a fan of the snipers, but probably play normal scouts more these days. A lot depends on the rest of your list.

Plus what you think looks cooler. Neither option is so bad you are going to cripple yourself by including them. So there is some room to just take what you like.

This guy has the best answer. Normal scouts are a dirt cheap method of delivering a heavy weapon to a key location or some extra punch to hold down a remote objective. (A regular IG or Eldar squad is not going to get them off it easy.)

**JTaves**

Thanks for all of these helpful replies. I think that I will go with the regular scouts. I appreciate everyone's help

**Cheeslord**

It has been a long time since I have seen scouts that did NOT have sniper rifles ...

They are effectively able to prevent the enemy taking a cheap support HQ unless they can arrange it to be in a transport (where it usually can't support) or hiding behind a wall (again limiting its actual usefulness). I have even had my terminator lord sniped out by just 5 scouts over 2 rounds with some lucky rolls...and if I bring a Cryptech (different army) he usually has had his head opened up after the first turn of Space Marine shooting...

**Martel732**

I rarely use sniper rifles because of cost. CC scouts ftw.

**Slayer-Fan123**

You can get away with either, but whatever you do don't buy Camo Cloaks for the Sniper Scouts. Ridiculously expensive.

**Primark G**

Sniper scouts are great plus you can take a HB or ML and burn 1 CP to inflict mortal wounds reliably. I always take camo cloaks for the sweet 2+ in cover save.

**Martel732**

I wouldn't call them great. If your opponent has HQs with a lot of wounds, they are total waste of points.

**combatcotton**

A few 5 dudes squads to cover the front of your army from deep strikers. Give them bolt guns as it is the most flexible. The extra cc attack from the knife is just not worth giving up on the range and extra shot of the bolt gun.
I would perhaps hand the sergeant a storm bolter as the 2 points seem worth doubling his firepower. But that is already somewhat excessive as their role is to shield not to slay.

**Primark G**

Martel732 wrote:
I wouldn't call them great. If your opponent has HQs with a lot of wounds, they are total waste of points.

Not when you are also using Vindicares.

**Martel732**

That's a lot of resources dedicated to sniping.

**p5freak**

You do know that BA get +1 to wound rolls when they charge, get charged or perform a heroic intervention ? Thats their chapter tactic, scouts can use it. You will not take advantage of that rule when you use them with sniper rifles camping in your backfield. Give them combat knives and charge the enemy.

**Primark G**

If they are camping on backfield objectives sniper rifles and a HW is the way to go.

**Martel732**

Primark G wrote:
If they are camping on backfield objectives sniper rifles and a HW is the way to go.

I never use them for this. Ever.

**craggy**

I've got a sniper squad. Going to pick up a normal Scout squad and the Land Speeder Storm and use the models from that to bulk up the squads/allow for weapon flexibility. They're a cheaper alternative to taking minimum size Tacticals, can have a heavy weapon and even be ferried around in the floating shopping trolley if I want.

Have a Vindicare as well, so could set up a nice kill zone for characters, or at very least possibly dissuade any from venturing forth for a while, whilst keeping a bit of Deep Strike bubble for any of my elites. The regular Scouts could give a bit of juicy HW fire instead as well as having the option for jumping into a scrap if they have to, or just flying about to nab an objective or harass a flank. Either way, they seem like a fun choice at a relatively low points cost that could be a decent distraction.

**ronjamin1022**

I'm also looking at adding Scouts to my army. Bolters and a Heavy Bolter might be a good idea to take advantage of the strategem?

**pismakron**

There really are no snipers in 40 k worth their points. Not scout snipers, not ratlings, nor the vindicare. The reason people buy scouts and rangers is because of their infiltrate and deepstrike denial. And this is indeed invaluable.

Devastators or intercessors are much better at hogging backfield objectives.

**davou**

Primark G wrote:
Sniper scouts are great plus you can take a HB or ML and burn 1 CP to inflict mortal wounds reliably. I always take camo cloaks for the sweet 2+ in cover save.

where do the mortal wounds come from?

**Daedalus81**

davou wrote:
Primark G wrote:
Sniper scouts are great plus you can take a HB or ML and burn 1 CP to inflict mortal wounds reliably. I always take camo cloaks for the sweet 2+ in cover save.

where do the mortal wounds come from?

Hellfire Shells

**Primark G**

Martel732 wrote:
Primark G wrote:
If they are camping on backfield objectives sniper rifles and a HW is the way to go.

I never use them for this. Ever.

And you are having problems playing SM competitively by your own admission.

**Martel732**

I don't think reducing my model count is going to help my problems, either. Snipers are incredibly situational, the reverse of what marines need to be fielding, imo.