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Getting some mates to return back into the hobby (Kill Team was the bait!)

I have one person who hasn't been able to make up their mind on an army so I was wondering if anyone could provide some assistance!

The person is looking for an army:

a) Which has an HQ that is good at killing things in melee.

b) Can have a relatively low model count.

c) Is NOT any of the following:
Space Marines
Chaos
Grey Knights / Custodes
Necrons
Imperial Knights

I was recommending him Tau but didn't fit his first criteria...

Any suggestions?

Tau focused on Suits does fit.

Commander Farsite is a killer in melee.

Even a normal Commander in the Farsight Enclaves can swap their guns for a upgraded version that has both a good shooting profile and a good melee profile.

Suits can be expensive, thus forced low model count.

Harlequins also fit.

Troop Leader/Solitaire and even the Shadowseer all are good in melee. Keeping squads of troops in groups of 5-6 putting them in 'weavers keeps the model count down.

Eldars? Not best h2h things in hq but some options i think but he ruled out almost whole game in that department...

Eldar always fit in to any description of any type of good list.

This is probablly some sort of quad or quint flyer alaitoc build with an autarch running around with a big unit of shining spears that are in an inari detachment, but are sim hannan of course.

Is this for Kill Team or vanilla 40k?

Maybe Tyranids with a focus on HQs and Elite units as opposed to horde. Requirement C really does not leave much to work with, unfortunately.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Sterling191 wrote:
Is this for Kill Team or vanilla 40k?

Pretty sure he means vanilla 40k as Kill Team does not use HQs

A big bug Nids army

Sterling191 wrote:
Is this for Kill Team or vanilla 40k?

Kill Team has Leaders, not HQ?
But with Commanders in KT, it could be either.
I'd guess the question is about 40k.

I'd go for Harlequins, too.

Well, chaos and SM is basically most of the armie in the game already...

Necrons might fit with a destroyer lord HQ, and an elite-oriented build.
Orks maybe will be able to do something? codex is soon. unlikely though.
Monster mash tyrnids?

Big Bugs are an Option.
Harlequins are great.
Farsight +Suits
Biker Orks

harlequins would definitely fit the bill, just can be challenging to paint.
Regular Eldar can work with maybe Prince Yriel HQ (decent in combat). The Yncarne is a reasonable combat killer too.

Craftworlds would be using either a Skyrunner Autarch with the Saim-Hann pointy stick, or one of the Phoenix Lords.

Drukharii could easily take Lilith and work in skimmers + a boatload of Grots and Taloses.

Harlies work straight up, but they're clowns. So its a wash.

Overdose wrote:
Getting some mates to return back into the hobby (Kill Team was the bait!)

I have one person who hasn't been able to make up their mind on an army so I was wondering if anyone could provide some assistance!

The person is looking for an army:

a) Which has an HQ that is good at killing things in melee.

b) Can have a relatively low model count.

c) Is NOT any of the following:
Space Marines
Chaos
Grey Knights / Custodes
Necrons
Imperial Knights

I was recommending him Tau but didn't fit his first criteria...

Any suggestions?

Mono-Assassins

Just kidding.

For serious though, here's a good list:

- Adeptus Mechanicus; Cawl is actually proper mean up close, the list can function with a low model count, and does lots of shenanigans. Most people say they're weak right now in 8th, but so long as you're not a super competitive crowd this shouldn't be an issue.
- Eldar; There are some serious melee builds, and you can use the Phoenix Stone to stay alive too. Zip around with their crazy strong flyers and heavies and be happy.
- Tyranids; Monster Mash is alive and well, and the Swarmlord is one of the scariest close combat beasties out there.

If he's willing to venture out of his comfort zone a bit:

- Thousand Sons, with Magnus the Red, backed by Sorcerers. Yeah, this breaks one of his rules, but it's strong, is a huge melee beatstick that does other things, has few models, and does not play ANYTHING like a standard Marine army. Smite for days!

Sisters of Battle check those boxes.

Between Celestine and BoA wielding Cannoness, theres some killy mellee there.

Throwing units in transports brings model count down.

THEYRE NOT MARINES

If your friend hasn't played in a while, why are they already not wanting to play half of 40k's factions (especially Chaos, since that covers 6 seperate faction: CSM, Daemons, TS, DG, R&H, Renegade Knights, and many more sub factions).

But given the perameters, I'd say Nid monster mash.

Farsight and Commander with fusion blades does seem to fit the bill.

I wouldn't recommend Farsight. If your friend wants a good CC HQ then I'm willing to bet they also want CC elsewhere. Tau don't have it and your friend might be upset when they find that out.

Eldar, led by an Avatar of Khaine! He's as choppy as it gets for us knife-ears.

The army can be mainly mechanized, wraiths, bikers or whatever he wants, and he can easily ally in some harlequins or dark eldar if he wants to.

Tyranids seem like a good choice.

Orks have some fluffy builds that might be good (Dread Mob, Meganobz in Battlewagons, Kult of Speed) but it's hard to know whether they will be competitive until the codex gets released next month.

For grins: IG armored company. Low model count, and your warlord can smoosh things with the Crush Them stratagem.

Screams DE Vanguard style, you can always fill with Mandrakes instead if he starts to drown at lower point values...

Archon ( / or &) Drazhar, ~x Incubi, ~x Tru Born, Voidraven, 2x Ravagers

You could make an inquisitorial stormtrooper force. Basically take a detachment of inquisition (pimp out an inquisitor for his melee HQ).

In another detachment take a whole bunch of scions and add vehicles as needed.

The force would be rather elite.

I think Nidzilla is the only thing that really fits those parameters.

Possibly Orks as well, depending on the new codex. Warboss and Kan army.

NVM

As many have said, he should look at some form of Nid'zilla. If he builds a Leviathan Fleet based on Warriors he has some serious infantry that he can back with Big Bugs.

Simple flow chart.
Is your friend awesome?
If yes: Orks.
If no: Something else.

Tough call.

Maybe AdMech with Guilliman?

Guilliman is probably among the best melee-HQs out there, and while he synergises best with his blue boys, he does buff other Imperial stuff that might allow you to build a reasonable non-horde army without Knights, Custodes, etc..

Tyranids, I think, don't work well atm without at least a little bit of horde, same for Orks (though that might change with the Codex). Avatar of Khaine is great too, but you'll also get the most out of it if you pair him with at least one or two max-sized Guardian blobs.

Yncarne + Shining Spears, some Grotesques and maybe a Black Heart Ravager-Spearhead maybe?

the best thing I can reccomend is snag some BL novels that feature the various factions (I've not read it but Crusade might be perfect) and see if that inspires them,.

BTW does your friend have a reason they've dismissed space marines, chaos, IKs, and custodes?

I'm curious as it might suggest their aesthetical preferances

Given those restrictions, Nids all day with the heavy monsters. But if you make the “chaos” restriction into “no CSM” instead, I’d suggest daemons; mostly cuz it sounds like your buddy hates power armor, and daemons split off from CSM a while ago and became their own faction. All the greater daemons are CC-beatsticks, and you can base a faction on speed, resilience, psykers, or CC specialist brutes.

I would go with GSC.

The patriarch is nasty in melee, and apart from basic troops they have a fair selection of elite infantries and vehicles.