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I've never played Chaos before and the Night Lords are, by far, my favorite Traitor Legion. Yes, I know they're not the most competitive in 40K, but there's no other Chaos Space Marine faction that I'm interested in, so please no recommendations on switching Legions. I'm not going to do that. What I will do is tweak the list to be better within the confines of still being a Night Lords army. Without further ado, this is the first 1,000 points I've come up with. Any feedback or suggestions are appreciated.

Patrol Detachment

Headquarter: Chaos Lord: Jump Pack, 2x Lightning Claws, Claws of the Black Hunt, Warlord - Killing Frenzy
Troop: 5x Chaos Marines: Reaper Chaincannon
Troop: 5x Chaos Marines: Reaper Chaincannon
Fast Attack: 5x Raptors: 2x Lightning Claws on Champion
Fast Attack: 5x Raptors: 2x Lightning Claws on Champion
Elites: Hellforged Contemptor: 2x Butcher Cannons, Havoc Launcher
Elites: Hellforged Contemptor: 2x Butcher Cannons, Havoc Launcher
Heavy Support: 5x Havocs: 4x Lascannons

I'm thinking of deep-striking in the Lord with the Raptors, while using the Chaos Marines and Dreadnoughts to hold back and mid field objectives. The Raptors are a bit of a fluffy choice, but they're built-in leadership de-buff could stack nicely with the legion trait. I considered Warp Talons, but they seem far too expensive for what they'll be doing. I'm not married to the Raptors, but think an alternative reserve threat would need to take their place. Any recommendations are welcome and any tactical advice from experienced Night Lords players would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Its a fluffy list and a solid start. If were talking about right now then I wouldn't expect much from those raptors, I feel they're pretty bad honestly. But after the 2w ap1 updates then I think they get much more interesting depending on points.. so if your planning on building this army then I guess you can play them on hard mode and then enjoy a nice buff in a few months/years whenever we get it.

Warp talons were solid before and still are now but as you noted they are fairly pricey and can be fragile for their points. They do compare pretty decently to berzerkers though considering their transport is built into their cost/movement.

The contemptors are fluffy but in this edition the BC actually feels over costed crazy as that sounds. I've started running both mine as twin dreadclaws with ep blasters instead. Something to think about since moral shenanigans matter even less now and the blasters are perfect for being aggressive and blasting PEQ.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I've heard that Raptors are just bad. They look bad on paper. With 2 wounds and better Chainswords though, I can see them being worth their current points. Warp Talons will also probably get 2 wounds though. I only chose Butcher Cannons for the additional Leadership de-buff, but I suppose going all-in on that plan is not the most practical approach in 9th edition. Here is a revised list. Dropping the Butcher Cannons for Ectoplasma Blasters, freed up the points to replace the Raptors with Warp Talons:

Headquarter: Chaos Lord: Jump Pack, 2x Lightning Claws, Claws of the Black Hunt, Warlord - Killing Frenzy
Troop: 5x Chaos Marines: Reaper Chaincannon
Troop: 5x Chaos Marines: Reaper Chaincannon
Fast Attack: 5x Warp Talons
Fast Attack: 5x Warp Talons
Elites: Hellforged Contemptor: 2x Hellforged Deathclaw, 2x Ecoplasma Blasters
Elites: Hellforged Contemptor: 2x Hellforged Deathclaw, 2x Ecoplasma Blasters
Heavy Support: 5x Havocs: 4x Lascannons

I like it. As a basis to build on its solid and fluffy. And at 1k those double tapping havocs should be sufficient and take pressure off the contemptors to need the longer ranged weapony.

BCs were amazing last edition. And not bad still, but if your facing marines with proper terrain they will feel worse than before. At least for now.

Anyway when you grow this list definitely consider a heldrake. I think its fitting and draws quite a bit of heat away from your other units.

GL