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Hi, just looking for tips, I play black legion and generally find myself playing gunline as Abaddon's rerolls really help my shooting. While I'm seeing success with this tactic, I very rarely get him involved in combat and I can't help but think I'm wasting him a little.
Just wondering how other people use him? Deepstrike in to support terminators/beserkers? Landraider delivery? Or sit him next to obliterators and rain fire from afar?
Thanks!

He’s a real beat stick. I recommend deep striking him with a sorcerer in terminator armor to buff him (warp time, +1 to 3++) and casting death hex as a debuff on hard enemy units.

You could also tide of traitors a slaneesh cultist blob nearby to provide some screen and shred some chaff depending - morale immunity with cultists is also a strong use of his aura (ToT now nerfed but once per game for deepstrike could be considered).

Use Abaddon primarily for reroll auras and morale immunity. Only fight with him when it becomes necessary, and when you have softened up a foe. And it's not a bad idea to have an Aspiring Champion standing next to him for rerolls to wound.

This tactic is not a waste. The number of wounds caused by rerolls to hit has been significant in every game I've ever played with him, causing much more damage than he could have done on his own. Likewise, the huge morale bubble keeps models on the board that would have been lost otherwise.

I started deep striking him with Obliterators and Terminators in response to a request from friends at my FLGS to tone down my lists. Just standing on your own table edge shooting up everything with lascannons and smacking around anything that dares charge is a very valid tactic.

I also play black legion. I rarely deep strike him. I use his reroll bubble for oblits, las helbrutes, or whatever other gunline stuff i care to bring. Another reason deep striking him doesn't work for me is I typically take tons of cultists and his immune to morale aura is incredibly powerful for them.

Typically I use his CC ability as a counter to any deep striking or fast melee that tries to tie up my lines as he can kill pretty much anything the enemy throws at you.

Ok thanks guys. I am only starting out so I guess I'm both conscious of the fact I might not be getting the best out of him but also not sure if I'm abusing his rerolls in this way will get me a reputation in my gaming group!
I'm glad you see using him like this it's a legitimate tactic.
I am not running many cultists at the moment, my list is mainly elite partly because painting loads of cultists is so boring!
Maybe I should experiment with more cultists tho.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Sitting Abaddon next to obliterators is so powerful and then using endless cacophony just feels like cheating!

Someone in my group uses Abbadon and a squad of Terminators, drops them on my doorstep and keeps Abaddon behind them. Makes him a pain to get rid off and he buffs them nicely. Then when they charge into my deployment I then need to refocus a chunk of my army to deal with that threat. So he and some terminators are great at assault and are pretty decent to distract your opponent for a turn or two. Just what I've found.

Normally you use Abaddon to buff reroll hits for a box of powerful shooty units, but them Loyalists get to also reroll failed wound rolls to (either rolls of 1 with Lieutenant for cheap, or everything with Gulliman), which makes this use of Abaddon feel rather lackluster. As such, if your main opponents are Imperial, there's a second very useful ability of Abaddon that feels right at home, even if it's not overly competitive.

Stuff a couple of boxes (Rhinos) with Khorne Berzerkers. Either leave room for 1 Sorcerer with Prescience (likely the best option), or bring a Sorcerer in by Deep Strike (Jump Pack by index, I think, or Codex Terminator Armour). Zoom up with the Rhinos, popping smokes turn 1. Turn 2, jump out and go as far as possible, but string behind some Berzerkers so that they can get reroll and Warlord Trait buffs from Abaddon, who will Deep Strike 9 inches away from the enemy, and within 6 inches of the Berzerkers. Cast Prescience on the Berzerkers. Now when you charge, your Berzerkers will be hitting on 2's, rerolling 1's and 2's (rerolls happen before modifiers), and any rolls of 4, 5, or 6 will result in a bonus attack! Use Veterans of the Long War before making your attacks, and you'll likely be wounding most things on 2's! Choppy choppy!

 Yarium wrote:
Normally you use Abaddon to buff reroll hits for a box of powerful shooty units, but them Loyalists get to also reroll failed wound rolls to (either rolls of 1 with Lieutenant for cheap, or everything with Gulliman), which makes this use of Abaddon feel rather lackluster. As such, if your main opponents are Imperial, there's a second very useful ability of Abaddon that feels right at home, even if it's not overly competitive.

There is an arms race that gets started with the reroll bubbles on characters. It leads to strange deployments, where every unit is conga lined around Abaddon to get their rerolls. Your army looks like an Octopus spread over the table, and theirs forms into this concave space meant to receive it.

To win, go full shooty. Imperials have it hardest when 25 lascannons blow away their tanks / dreads / flyers first turn. Rerolls to save mean very little on a 6+.

Good shooting beats rerollable bad saves every day. Abaddon makes it happen.

If you're using the new DS Beta Rules, you could either:

Push a couple of units of Zerkers in Rhinos up the board T1, deep strike him T2 and make the charge with the Berzerkers. Put an Exalted Champion somewhere in there for extra killing

Tide of Traitors with a 40 Cultists blob and Warptime him with a Jump Pack Sorcerer

I run 120 cultists that reroll wounds from aspiring champion, Abbadon keeps them fearless and can be a free safety for something questionable. The cultists should charge first turn where able. (Separate Alpha Legion detachment or a heretic astares detachment).

The goal is to keep everything backed up so the bloodletter bombs can get to them. With the new FAQ I will have a bloodletter unit on the board and then jump two on them the next turn. The rest of the points are hard hitting characters to break stuff open.