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I'm looking to go to a local tournament next week that's got a pretty steep competitive meta.
This is the list I'm kicking around:

Batallion Detachment (C) CP:+5
Captain
- G. Spear
- (Redeployment relic)

Praetor
- M. Blade 4
- Vex mag 30

Custodian Terminators
- G. Spear
- C. Axe x2

Custodian Guard
- G. Spear x3

Custodian Guard
- G. Spear x3

Custodian Guard
- G. Spear x3

V.C.Dread
- M.Melta
- C.C.W.
- Combi Bolter


SH Detachment (UM)
Bobby G 400 WL


Battalion Detachment (A.S)
Canoness
-Plas Pistol
-Chainsword

Sisters Squad
- S. Bolter x3
- Bolter x2

Sisters Squad
- S. Bolter x3
- Bolter x2

Sisters Squad
- Bolter x5


Total: 1750pt, 95pl, 16CP


Sisters mostly hold the backfield, and act as CP batteries. My primary concern is that Guilliman and the Dreadnought are the only real anti armor units. with 16cp (23.7 with bob) to spend on custodes abilities I intend to use them alot to fill any gaps.

Thoughts? Ideas? Any feedback is appreciated.

Thousand Sons and if Grey Knights weren't garbage wpuld make you their play thing. I do like the list though but a Cuelexus/Sisters of Silence (maybe) would be quite the difference.

What units do you own before we start telling you to swap stuff around? Specifically, what other Custodes units do you own and do you own any IG?

I have some other custodes, but they're either heresy or beta rules units. I have another box of alarus terminators but I've found that there are not many (non-primarch) warlords that can stand up to the 3. Although I have greatly enjoyed running 6 (blind grenades to 6 different squads/characters is a hell of a drug) They're a bit pricey for this. As for IG I've got 4 squads of tempestus and a prime, but the bolter babes are nearly the same price (1pt more with a storm bolter). Plus 32 (3+ rr1) bolt rounds in a turn from a squad that costs 51pt is always fun. As for other units I've got tones of space wolves and orks....

I do have a colexus and a single squad of SOS but I can't include them because of the beta rules. You need 3 and they're a bit pricey for that.

Everything is dodging mortal wounds from psychics on a 6 and the sisters have a small (1d6) chance to block powers. Plus there's the custodes deny the witch stratagem for 1cp. And the sisters deny the witch for 1cp.

 MattKing wrote:
I have some other custodes, but they're either heresy or beta rules units. I have another box of alarus terminators but I've found that there are not many (non-primarch) warlords that can stand up to the 3. Although I have greatly enjoyed running 6 (blind grenades to 6 different squads/characters is a hell of a drug) They're a bit pricey for this. As for IG I've got 4 squads of tempestus and a prime, but the bolter babes are nearly the same price (1pt more with a storm bolter). Plus 32 (3+ rr1) bolt rounds in a turn from a squad that costs 51pt is always fun. As for other units I've got tones of space wolves and orks....

I do have a colexus and a single squad of SOS but I can't include them because of the beta rules. You need 3 and they're a bit pricey for that.

Everything is dodging mortal wounds from psychics on a 6 and the sisters have a small (1d6) chance to block powers. Plus there's the custodes deny the witch stratagem for 1cp. And the sisters deny the witch for 1cp.

If these are the only units you have then I can't really give you much help.

I would have said:
1. Drop Guilliman because he's not nearly worth his points in a non-Ultramarine army.
2. Swap out your Captain for a bike Captain (though I've just realised you only have one Captain and you need two for a Battalion).
3. Give your Guard at least one Shield each.
4. Swap the Dread for Vertus Praetors.
5. Grab a min IG battalion for +5CP and CP regeneration.

Good point about the batallion. Not sure how I managed to miss that, but now with 2 cannonesses and 2 captians Guilliman is REALY useless. I mostly wanted him for cp, the +1 charge/advance range and mortal wounds anyway.

Guard looks good (espically now that I need more CP). As does mixing in a few shields.


I don't understand the love of custodes bikers though. It's always been something that puzzeled me as they really don't seem that good for their points. With either weapon they've got shooting that marine troops laugh at, their movement isn't any better than a normal bikes. Hell, dominion squads can jump 21 to 36 inches a turn (with AOF),and still unload with 5 meltas, and they cost 45 points base.
The bump from t5 to t6 isn't even that good in this edition. Sure it's great against guards, but Doesn't matter to any of the soups, necrons or plasma spam, or even orks. Even a captain with the eye, the 5+++ WLT and victor of the blood games is a beat-stick tailored only to fight other beat-sticks (for a loony amount of points) and he'll still get crumped by anyone out of his weight class (Primarchs, demons and most war machines). It just doesn't seem to be the be-all end all that everyone says. 3++ and rerollable wounds is nice, but if that were really great assault terminator squads would be seen once in awhile.

 MattKing wrote:

I don't understand the love of custodes bikers though. It's always been something that puzzeled me as they really don't seem that good for their points. With either weapon they've got shooting that marine troops laugh at, their movement isn't any better than a normal bikes. Hell, dominion squads can jump 21 to 36 inches a turn (with AOF),and still unload with 5 meltas, and they cost 45 points base.
The bump from t5 to t6 isn't even that good in this edition. Sure it's great against guards, but Doesn't matter to any of the soups, necrons or plasma spam, or even orks. Even a captain with the eye, the 5+++ WLT and victor of the blood games is a beat-stick tailored only to fight other beat-sticks (for a loony amount of points) and he'll still get crumped by anyone out of his weight class (Primarchs, demons and most war machines). It just doesn't seem to be the be-all end all that everyone says. 3++ and rerollable wounds is nice, but if that were really great assault terminator squads would be seen once in awhile.

It's for three reasons:
1. They're 2+/4++ 4W T6 targets which means you have to dedicate some heavy fire on them to take them out, I've had a Tau player dedicate his whole army to taking out one squad.
2. 14" movement + FLY keyword means they can really get around fast and don't have to skirt around units like other bikes. Plus FLY means they can tie something up/get charged and jump out and shoot next turn.
3. Damage output: each bike does the equivalent of 6 marines worth of shooting in the shooting phase (and has an easier time getting into rapidfire range) and they do 4 S6 AP-3 Dd3 re-rolling to hit and wound on the charge if you're near a captain.

Captains on bikes are slightly better but bike Captains are one of the best units in the game right now.

1. Regular custodes are 2+/4++ 3W T5 at half the cost. Again unless you're playing against guard you're facing S4, S7, S8, S9 or poison rounds. T6 is only better against heavy bolters (which suck), lasguns, and tau infantry.

2. Fly is nice. but not worth doubling the cost of the unit. There are other, cheaper units that can move twice as far at half the cost (see dominions), and still have obsec.

3.) It's strictly worse than a tactical squad in range. you can get 10 marines for the cost of one of thees. that's 20 shots, and 10 wounds on a 3+. And they're one of the worst units in the game. The charge is nice, but if that nice t6 is going to come into play they you're facing bubble wrapped tanks and with only 4 attacks per model it's going to take you awhile to get through the wrap (including with the 12 bolter shots).

Better to get 7 regular custodes or a pair of dreadnoughts instead. Or an entire brigade of guard. Or a land raider.


They're not BAD they're just not good for the cost.

It's 5 Marines for 1 bike, not 10.

You might make all these points but in truth they are one of the best units in the game, the winner of LGT ran a full bike list.

7 actually. Unless you take a salvo launcher then it's 8.1

What I was thinking of though was a sisters squad, not a tactical (I messed up somewhere in my brain's language center) they're 9 points to your 90 (80+10) and if you take a salvo launcher you get 11.7.

Spamming something doesn't make it the best unit in the game. It just makes it situationally good or unexpected.

Thank you for your advice though.

Just letting you know that there's a reason that a load of the top tournament armies all contained some form of Custodes bike.