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The question is simple:

Gameplay wise... is there a best Space Marine Chapter to play?



(Ignore background/fluff and chapter esthetics, just focus solely on playing 40k)

The (maybe unsatisfactory) answer would be "your own successor chapter of unknown origin". Which let's you canonically get away with using whatever the best unit to spam currently is, without having to argue why your Sanguinary Guard marches alongside blue Marines with a white U on their shoulders.

Well, right off the bat, you can eliminate any chapter that doesn't have some special rule.

For ex: Mantis Warriors are inferior to White Scars. All the MW have is a paint named after them. The WS have a unique character and a single special faction rule.

White Scars in turn lose to Ultramarines. Because there's numerous UM specific characters with unique rules.

Ultramarines? Are worse than Blood Angels, Dark Angles, Space Wolves, Bkack Templars, Deathwatch & Grey Knights - all of whom have unique mechanics, strats, detachments, & units/chsracters

Grey Knights & Deathwatch are worse than BA, DA, SW, & Black Templars - because while they each have cool stuff, they lack the shear # of unit options of the others.

And so the choice narrows to Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, & Black Templars.

I think as of now Raven Guard is at the top, due their unique Detachment and rules combined with the enhanced Oath of Moment.

Ultramarines and Black Templars are close behind, but most of the other chapters have some winning lists too.

But it changes all the time, either due to rules changes or meta shifts. Can rarely go wrong with the poster boys Ultramarines though.

Right now, it's hard to argue against the Ultramarines, given how ubiquitous Guilliman and Calgar are. Raven Guard and Black Templars are making pretty solid cases, though.

Thousand Suns seem to have some of the strongest recent meta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FJNq07WRPA

For loyalist only it looks like Black Templar.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
The question is simple:

Gameplay wise... is there a best Space Marine Chapter to play?



(Ignore background/fluff and chapter esthetics, just focus solely on playing 40k)

the only correct answer is also a joke, the angry marines.

 Jammer87 wrote:
Thousand Suns seem to have some of the strongest recent meta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FJNq07WRPA

For loyalist only it looks like Black Templar.

The low play rate of the Thousand Sons is probably skewing the data.

The most ideal way to get a sense of Chapter-specific performance would be to separate out all... ::starts counting:: ...eleven (?) playable chatpers based on which units were included in a list (and/or detachments used). For example, if you use ANY Raven Guard units or use the dedicated Raven Guard detachment, you're a Raven Guard army. Then you would need a 12th listing of players who use a core-codex detachment and don't use ANY Chapter-specific models/units.

I'd have to assume that play rate skews heavily towards the Ultramarines.

Is it me, or does it look like most Space Marine players just use the generic Gladius Detachment?

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Is it me, or does it look like most Space Marine players just use the generic Gladius Detachment?

Most of the other detachments don't provide enough ROI, and/or "require" more "thematic" building. For example, The Dark Angels detachments rarely work well with the Lion because the Lion doesn't have the right keywords. For example, the Lion is not in the Deathwing - so all the stratagems and detachment rules in the Lion's Blade Task Force can't target the Lion. Only one Gladius strat can't target the Lion.

 Tallandra wrote:
I think as of now Raven Guard is at the top, due their unique Detachment and rules combined with the enhanced Oath of Moment.

Ultramarines and Black Templars are close behind, but most of the other chapters have some winning lists too.

But it changes all the time, either due to rules changes or meta shifts. Can rarely go wrong with the poster boys Ultramarines though.

This sounds about right. Assuming we're talking loyalist marines. Ultramarines might edge them out thanks to the double-Oath trick, but RG get a lot out of their new detachment *and* get the +1 to-wound from being "vanilla" marines.

ccs wrote:

Ultramarines? Are worse than Blood Angels, Dark Angles, Space Wolves, Bkack Templars, Deathwatch & Grey Knights - all of whom have unique mechanics, strats, detachments, & units/chsracters.

Assuming we're just talking about loyalist SM here, Ultramarines have consistently been either the best or at least in the top 3 SM chapters since the start of the edition.

They have more special characters than any other chapter except SW, especially after DA and BA had a bunch removed with their Codices. At various points in the edition those character have broken certain aspects of list building and detachment synergies - Ventris in Vanguard, for example. Until fairly recently they generated the equivalent of 20+ CP through Guilliman, Calgar and generic captains.

Other SM chapters are often at the very top for brief periods. RG are currently probably the best, and DA or BT have had moments in the sun too. If you want a consistently good, often overpowered, SM force, Ultramarines would be the best pick.

https://40kstats.goonhammer.com/#ft4

Looking at top 4 placings in tournaments since 1st September or 1st October if you wanted to just look at the last few weeks it seems fairly equal between the Marine factions.

Which would suggest its largely an aesthetic choice. What do you want your army to consist of and how will it play?