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Hey guys. I've been struggling with this issue for a while... what is an effective, competitive CSM close combat army? Well, I think I might have made one.
This list runs with a hammer and anvil feel:

1. Infiltrate PM, deal damage/distract
2. Slam with deep strikers and fast, powerful units. (Juggerlord w/ Spawn, Plaguebearers, Maulerfiend, and CCW Marines)

Hopefully, the opponent will be overwhelmed by the speed of the list, and you just let the close combat units go to town!
Also, you have the Herald take Biomancy, hopefully either allowing you to make your close combat units live longer, or make their targets easier to wipe out with a single charge.
Note that Huron would be with the Plague Marines.

What do you guys think? Would this be effective against most lists? (I'm especially thinking about Dark Angles and Dark Eldar, two toughies for us CSM).
Please critique!

::HQ::
-WARLORD: Huron Blackheart: 160 points
-Jugger Lord (Aura of Dark Glory, MoK, Jug, AoBF): 150 points

::TROOPS::
-10 Chaos Space Marines (CCWs, 1 plasma): 175 points
---> Rhino: 35 points
-10 Cultists: 50 points

::ELITES::
-8 Plague Marines (2 plasmaguns): 222 points

::HEAVY SUPPORT::
-2 Obliterators (MoN, VotlW): 158 points
-5 Havocs (4 autocannons): 115 points
-Maulerfiend: 125 points

::FAST ATTACK::
-3 Spawn: 90 points

Daemon Allied Detachment

::HQ::
Herald of Nurgle (Exalted Loci, lesser reward, mastery level 2): 130 points

::TROOPS::
Plague Bearers - 90 points

Just to let you know, you can outflank with the spawn and juggerlord if you wanted. I'm also not a fan of maulerfiends and only having one with a light armored rhino could be dangerous.

Outflank with a Juggerlord? You mean infiltrate with Huron? I figured that wasn't necessary since the Juggerlord is so fast. I think PMs could inflict some damage early on and cause some havoc, saves on a rhino.

I know it might seem a tad flimsy, but the opponent has more options than you think to deal with: Either the back row (Oblits and Havocs), middle row (Jugglord, CSM, Maulerfiend) or front row (PM and later deep striking plaguebearers).
I would have preferred getting another rhino with close combaty space marines in it, but the points didn't allow it. I figured the fiend was the best option.

I was saying with master of deception you could nominate the lord, attach him to spawn and outflank. I wasn't necessarily saying do it- just an option

I think the wording is of the Warlord Trait prevents spawn (beasts) from infiltrating-- "d3 infantry units..." if I remember correctly.

 zumuku wrote:
I think the wording is of the Warlord Trait prevents spawn (beasts) from infiltrating-- "d3 infantry units..." if I remember correctly.

true they cannot be nominated to infiltrate, they can outflank with the lord that is an infantry unit that has been nominated due to the infiltrate USR conferring to the unit that he is in.

Tau, Eldar (black and white) and Space marines will eat this list for dinner, your only fast units being the spawn and juggerlord and the herald if he gets in on turn 2.

Also you have no anti air the oblits can do very little with only two and the havocs have other things to shoot down.

and IMO Huron isn't that great of a HQ i would recommend a Nurgle wizard to go with PM and go for bio and codex powers.

The character nominated would no longer be infantry though, if on a Jugger

 Brometheus wrote:
The character nominated would no longer be infantry though, if on a Jugger

Ahhh my downfall, I forgot he was a juggerlord

I didn't mean to undermine! Just trying to be helpful ^^

 Brometheus wrote:
I didn't mean to undermine! Just trying to be helpful ^^

Haha I know bro! I just over look stuff to often- helpful for new players that might look at this thread and don't know everything about CSM yet. Always feel free to correct me

 Arbiter wrote:
Tau, Eldar (black and white) and Space marines will eat this list for dinner, your only fast units being the spawn and juggerlord and the herald if he gets in on turn 2.

Also you have no anti air the oblits can do very little with only two and the havocs have other things to shoot down.

and IMO Huron isn't that great of a HQ i would recommend a Nurgle wizard to go with PM and go for bio and codex powers.

Perhaps, but I am confused by your comment. The Maulerfiend, Rhino w/ CSM, and Juggerlord with Spawn all move 12 inches. The Plaguemarines are very close as they infiltrate and the Plaguebearers deep strike. There is no slow element to this list except the back line heavy support, and even the Oblits can deep strike if need be.

I agree that the two weak elements to this list are the lack of Anti Air, and the general lack of unit quantity though.

An alternate list might do the following:

Scrap the Cultists
Scrap Huron
Scrap the Plague Marines

Add 10 Zerks in a Rhino
Add 15 Daemonettes

This would add an additional target to the field. I still do not know what to do about the anti air. Any thoughts or suggestions that would not compromise the spirit of the list?
Thanks for the feedback!!