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So, I haven’t played since like 5th edition and am just getting back thanks to kill team (and elite). I really like the look of the Thousand Sons models for those, but just wanted everyone’s thoughts on them for a larger army too. What should I be looking at getting besides the terminators and marines.

Depends on how competitive your play environment is. Thousand Sons Sorcerers, Daemon Princes, and Tzaangors are strong, but the infantry are middling at best. I usually see other people use Thousand Sons as an element of a Chaos soup list rather than on their own.

Alternately, play 30k, run Biomancy Sekhmet, and sweep the table with your S/T 7 Terminators.

Tbh there are 4 models that are pretty much a must own

Ahriman
Daemon prince of tzeentzch x2
Magnus (if not just because it's a fun model)

Other then that your better off running other stuff because their troops are really meh. That said there was a mono t sons list that did take a tournament in like 2nd I think? It was a lot of min squad rubrics.

So it you are hell bent on rubrics, don't ever take more then the min size, it feels bad losing them to moral.

Scarab occult are pretty good and honestly the best terminators in the game right now.

I would steer clear of tznegors since after the nerf to deep strike.

One of the best ways to play t sons is to spam a lot of cheap HQs and dump out mortal wounds

Alamo GT was just won by pure Thousand Sons, running 8 squads of Rubrics (as well as 58 Tzaangors).

It's probably an outlier, and very meta dependent, but looks like they have their uses.

Rubrics and Scarabs are fun, but people like to gak on power armor "because of the math". Also, Tzaangors are a pain in the ass to paint in the quantities required, but you DO want some sort of front line units, because Rubrics don't do that well there.

Just buy what you like and figure out how to make them work and recognize that people's opinions here can be total bs.

Net listing is bs.
Taking list advice from people who don't use the units regularly is bs and likely 80% of the people here haven't faced a Thousand Sons player on the table.

Just to recap - the internet is bs. Proxy models and find what works best for you.

That list was not only an outlier, and he had some really favorable matchups-its also nightmarish list to play.

In any case...
You can probably get by just fine with a lot of rubrics, and the scarabs CAN be put to good use in good hands-but neither are top of the line competitive.
Daemon princes are a MUST. every TS list should run one if not two. the only reason not to always run 3 is that ahriman is even more of a must.

You'll need some sort of chaff though, either goats or allied daemons. (I prefer brime horrors. so much board clogging for so cheap. they die like flies, but at 3ppm who cares?)


Just be aware, your AT is really lacking, and your "armored division" is inferior to CSM, as you don't get the cool daemon engine tool, your helbrutes practically have no trait, and FW helforged risk you more than anyone.

 Backspacehacker wrote:
Tbh there are 4 models that are pretty much a must own

Ahriman
Daemon prince of tzeentzch x2
Magnus (if not just because it's a fun model)

Other then that your better off running other stuff because their troops are really meh. That said there was a mono t sons list that did take a tournament in like 2nd I think? It was a lot of min squad rubrics.

So it you are hell bent on rubrics, don't ever take more then the min size, it feels bad losing them to moral.

Scarab occult are pretty good and honestly the best terminators in the game right now.

I would steer clear of tznegors since after the nerf to deep strike.

One of the best ways to play t sons is to spam a lot of cheap HQs and dump out mortal wounds

Tzaangirs are the go to troop in Tsons and are not affected by the deep strike Nerf at all. Dark matter Crystal removes then from the board, since they start on the board they can assault turn 1

Can Thousand Sons use anything from the imperial armour (chaos of course). I am specifically thinking about a contemptor dreadnaught or super heavy in the far future.

Gradekthebard wrote:
Can Thousand Sons use anything from the imperial armour (chaos of course). I am specifically thinking about a contemptor dreadnaught or super heavy in the far future.

Most of it, but there are def some exceptions. Contemptors are available to you and also the Decimator is a good dread

Thousand Sons are great, and offer lots of tactical depth, which is a big plus in this game (lord preserve us from point and shoot).

You'll need at least two boxes of tzaangor though. Make your peace with the feathered herd.

Enlightened are also legit, although harder to use, as they die like flies to D2 weapons! Don't glue the arms, because both profiles are superb. To begin with I thought it was all about the bows, but spears are an amazing turn-one-warptime candidate, meaning you can drop two big cc units on your opponent on turn one - I don't think there's many factions that can do that. Our added range for warptime (9") opens up the power, making it more flexible than usual. For that reason I quite like a mauler fiend or vortex beast too, with Ahriman placed so he can warptime either the beast or the enlightened.

Rubrics are actually pretty good now, if you run them in 5-man squads. The sorcerer gets the mini flamer (because why not, 3pts, and can really help against chaff.) They sit and shoot and smite spam from cover, ideally.

Your prince gets gaze of fate for a bonus reroll in your psychic phase, as two perils is pretty common - you'll be casting around 14 powers in early turns, if you go full Sons. Remember Chaos familiar if you need a clutch death hex. Ahriman should always try and stick close to rubrics or princes or other sorcerers to unlock the excellent +2 cast Strat, for when you really need your 18" death hex to go off, or you want to go fishing for 1d6 smites.

Feel free to get yourself a Magnus, but equally leave him in the shop if you want. He's not competitive in a pure-Sons list. He was one of the most nerfed units in early 8th, and really needs other insanely-high threat models on your team to have a chance of surviving - a Castellan or Morty ideally. Otherwise, if you can't get him buffed by going first, he's almost certainly dead against most decent lists. Every gun on the table points at him and a smoking crater is all that's left of your primarch on your turn.

Good luck and good choice!

 quickfuze wrote:

 Backspacehacker wrote:
Tbh there are 4 models that are pretty much a must own

Ahriman
Daemon prince of tzeentzch x2
Magnus (if not just because it's a fun model)

Other then that your better off running other stuff because their troops are really meh. That said there was a mono t sons list that did take a tournament in like 2nd I think? It was a lot of min squad rubrics.

So it you are hell bent on rubrics, don't ever take more then the min size, it feels bad losing them to moral.

Scarab occult are pretty good and honestly the best terminators in the game right now.

I would steer clear of tznegors since after the nerf to deep strike.

One of the best ways to play t sons is to spam a lot of cheap HQs and dump out mortal wounds

Tzaangirs are the go to troop in Tsons and are not affected by the deep strike Nerf at all. Dark matter Crystal removes then from the board, since they start on the board they can assault turn 1

While yes dark matter crystal does allow them to teleport over the big problem is, you still need to make an 8 inch charge, and you won't be able to get in with all your tzengores, it you are running a big blob of them. On top or that you are now forced to take a relic just to make the bomb good, and if you don't go first, they are going to die very quickly as they are only t4 with a 5++. So once you take out 7 of them, your loosing D6+ unless your burn 2 CP on a unit that is already going to need 2 CP for cycle or slaughter to be worth useing.

I have tried it multiple times since the deep strike nerf, and the warp time nerf, and tzengore bombs are just not good, that's not to say don't take like a 10 man because that's fine but they are not worth dumping CP and points into anymore.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
If you want a dick head thousand sons list start with this and go from there

Ahriman
D prince
D Prince

Slopity bag Piper
Plague herald (or what ever they call them now)
Nurglings x3
Nurglings x3
Plague barers x30

Then what ever else you want from t son, I suggest Magnus, but enjoy having a 30 man -2 to hit, with a save that's statistically the same as a 3++ against damage 1 weapons.

I played a pure tsons list at a local tournament recently and won 1 game, lost 1 game by 1vp at the end. What others have said is true. Protecting tzaangors is easy enough, just hide them as best you can as far away from your opponent as you can, your going to dmc them anyways so they dont need to be at the front.

5 man squads can put out a lot of dmg with mini smites going off. But 10 man get the soulreaper cannon, its a toss up as to what's worth it.

Mutalith vortex beasts can be quite amazing, i always run 2 because 1 will die.

We really do need help in the anti tank dept. I run a defiler with twin laz and scourge and he does very well when powered up. 1cp for full rerolls, prescience for 3+ to hit, flickering flames for +1 to wound, then glamor and weaver for protection because when this guy starts 1 shotting your opponents tanks he is going to become a huge target. But other than that i havent found a good anti tank unit yet and that only works as long as your using 1 defiler. 2 do not have the same effect. I am probably going to try hellbrutes and see how it goes.


Gl with getting into tsons!

 Daedalus81 wrote:
Rubrics and Scarabs are fun, but people like to gak on power armor "because of the math". Also, Tzaangors are a pain in the ass to paint in the quantities required, but you DO want some sort of front line units, because Rubrics don't do that well there.

Just buy what you like and figure out how to make them work and recognize that people's opinions here can be total bs.

Net listing is bs.
Taking list advice from people who don't use the units regularly is bs and likely 80% of the people here haven't faced a Thousand Sons player on the table.

Just to recap - the internet is bs. Proxy models and find what works best for you.

I wish I could upvote this 100 times.

But yes, Rubrics are quite good. Having AP-2 bolters (with Bolter Discipline) and ignores AP-1 on a power armor body is quite good, I have a very hard time dealing with Rubrics when I face them, and when I run them myself as an AUX in my CSM force, people get quite annoyed.

Oh rubrics are great imo don't buy them in squads bigger then 5. Because as I have said, loosing a model that's as expensive as a rubric to moral feels really bad man.

Also SoT are great to have a 5 man of to destory the loyal 32 that everyone runs, plus with bolter drill change they are the best terminators.

Another few tips for you:

1) abuse cabal focus strat. 1 cp, first spell gets a +2 to the cast if you are near 2 other psyker HQs, giving Magnus a +4 then casing infernal gate way is bonkers.

2) absolutely abuse the hell out of chaos familer. Use said SoT, drop them in, pop chaos familier to unlearn smite, since faq allows that, and learn prescience, and use it on yourself. You now have rubrics that are hitting on 2s

how many different spells besides smite can 1ksons cast, because it seems to be more then 6?

Karol wrote:
how many different spells besides smite can 1ksons cast, because it seems to be more then 6?

They have access to 3 different spell lores.

 quickfuze wrote:

Karol wrote:
how many different spells besides smite can 1ksons cast, because it seems to be more then 6?

They have access to 3 different spell lores.

Specifically its the Tsons spell list, Deamons of Tzeentch spell list, and the standard CSM spell list.

I like to run 10 man squads of tsons and Spawn. If my opponent isn't familiar with Spawn they learn the hard way you don't let them near you. I also like to run a deamon patrol with a Herald on Disk and a 20 man unit of Pinks in Deep Strike. Other fun deamons I like to bring and Flamers, Screamers, and occasionally a Flaming Chariot.

 quickfuze wrote:

Karol wrote:
how many different spells besides smite can 1ksons cast, because it seems to be more then 6?

They have access to 3 different spell lores.

Ah, that is nice. thanks. And they don't have to decide for one for the whole army, they can use all 3 in the same detachment right?

Karol wrote:

 quickfuze wrote:

Karol wrote:
how many different spells besides smite can 1ksons cast, because it seems to be more then 6?

They have access to 3 different spell lores.

Ah, that is nice. thanks. And they don't have to decide for one for the whole army, they can use all 3 in the same detachment right?

Yep, just make sure you read their data card on which ones they can take. For example, sot and rubrics can only take powers from the t sons list, they can't take CSM powers or daemon powers BUT they can use familiar to unlearn a spell to learn one from CSM and or daemon tree

Magnus and ahriman can take any of the spells

Run pure Tsons with 60 tzaangors and as many Smites as you can fit.