Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I've played Eldar since 3rd edition, was and always will be my first love, and started playing necrons in 2000. I want to add an 1850 point SM list to my collection and I'm not really sure where to go. The sheer number of options available to SM atm is staggering, between supplements, formations, FW, allies etc, it's bordering on Cheesecake Factory menu overwhelming. I'll say up front I like specialist armies (obviously) with clearly defined strengths and styles, thus I am really off-put by the SM jack-of-all master of none all around decency without much vision or definition, coupled with fairly expensive units overall to boot. Being intrinsically TAC in nature is not a good starting point in the competitive meta, imo, you need to be doing something defined and powerful. With that said I've put together three lists that I think sufficiently do something "defined" and "big" and are in theory a tournament level of competitiveness. I'm asking for people to simply say which of the three is the strongest in there opinion. You don't need to critique each individual list, because that would probably take forever. If I've completely botched a particular list, please ignore the botching and simply declare a winner among the three for strongest tournament list. Let me say up front that I'm not interested in collecting all the razorbacks necessary for a fully spammed gladius, hence why it's not presented here. I've added a small blurb for each list to try and give a little insight into the design philosophy without being too long-winded, hopefully. Thanks a lot for your time!

List 1: Iron Hands Fist of Medusa Strike Force: In a nutshell, force multipliers, this combination of chapter tactics and formation benefits overlaps enough to create some powerful and durable combos. CM with 2+ 3++ 2+ FnP, Techmarines repairing hull points on 2+, command squads with 3+ FnP, Vindicators that can move full 12" and still fire there demolisher cannons at full BS and ignore crew shaken and stunned results, 5+ IWND on characters and vehicles. Five fast moving str 10 pie plates at BS 4 on very durable chassis are going to do some serious work, thunderfire cannons are a concession to no infantry and provide great ignore cover dakka against opposing infantry. The two command squads are meant to create road blocks between the the opponent and your gunline.

Fist of Medusa Strike Force

Command - Strike Force Command

Chapter Master w/ Bike, Artificer, Power Fist & the Gorgon’s Chain
Command Squad w/ Bikes, Apothecary & 4x Grav Guns

Command - Strike Force Command

Chaplain w/ Bike
Command Squad w/ Bikes, Apothecary & 4x Melta Guns

Core – Armored Task Force

Techmarine w/ Bike & Servo-harness
Vindicator
Vindicator
Vindicator
Vindicator
Vindicator
Thunderfire Cannon
Thunderfire Cannon
Thunderfire Cannon

Auxiliary – Honored Ancients

Dreadnought w/ Power Fist & Assault Cannon

List 2: White Scars + Space Wolves Drop Pod Centurions: Khan + 19 scouting melta bikes will all the typical stat bonuses and three grav cent squads with hit & run arriving in the opponents face on turn 1. SW CAD is there to enable the cent drop, the two piddling troop choices can land on backfield objectives late in the game. The hurricane bolters + bike bolters give anti-horde insurance despite being mono anti-armor/mc kitted. Obviously the idea is to cripple the opponent turn 1 and keep the punishment coming through hit & run to avoid the classic tarpit conundrum. This list and the next fall into the classic alpha strike model, with the next being more expected and cheesy. It's probably just straight better than this list, but I think this list will both look cooler on the table, and represent a lot more flare lol!

Double Combined Arms Detachments

SW HQ – Wolf Guard Battle Leader
WS HQ - Kor'Sarro Khan w/ Moondrakken
WS Elites - Command Squad w/ Bikes, Apothecary, 4x Melta Gun & Melta Bomb
WS Elites - Command Squad w/ Bikes, Apothecary, 4x Melta Gun & Melta Bomb

SW Troops – 5x Blood Claws
SW Transport – Drop Pod
SW Troops – 5x Blood Claws
SW Transport – Drop Pod
WS Troops - 3x Bikes w/ 2x Melta Guns & Melta Bomb
WS Troops - 3x Bikes w/ 2x Melta Guns & Melta Bomb
WS Troops - 3x Bikes w/ 2x Melta Guns & Melta Bomb

WS Heavy Support – 3x Centurion Devastator Squad w/ Grav-Cannons & Hurricane Bolters
SW Fast Attack – Drop Pod
WS Heavy Support – 3x Centurion Devastator Squad w/ Grav-Cannons & Hurricane Bolters
SW Fast Attack – Drop Pod
WS Heavy Support – 3x Centurion Devastator Squad w/ Grav-Cannons & Hurricane Bolters
SW Fast Attack – Drop Pod

List 3: Imperial Fists Double Skyhammer Annihilation Force: Deciding that Tank Hunters and Bolter Drill are where I want to be given the utility of this much hated formation, the Imperial Fists chapter tactics just dovetail with the skyhammer nicely. Tactics are obviously straightforward, mini cad for a little peppering of obsec, combat squaded full size dev squads for maximum pinning, varied loadouts for different jobs allowing for a mix of anti-armor and anti-horde, assaults are there to tarpit with a few of them kitted for a little extra anti-armor. The list puts a surprising amount of marines behind enemy lines turn 1 (70) and is obviously designed to effectively end the game on turn 1, but unlike the previous list, has the potential to pin up to 8 squads turn 1, which is probably just a whole lot stronger than cents.

Combined Arms Detachment

HQ – Chaplain w/ Combi-Grav
Troops – 5x Tactical Squad
Transport – Drop Pod
Troops – 5x Tactical Squad
Transport – Drop Pod 35 pts

Skyhammer Annihilation Force

10x Devastator Squad (Combat Squads) w/ 4x Grav Cannons & Grav Amps
Drop Pod w/ Locator Beacon
10x Devastator Squad (Combat Squads) w/ 4x Heavy Bolters
Drop Pod w/ Locator Beacon
10x Assault Squad (Combat Squads) w/ Jump Packs
10x Assault Squad (Combat Squads) w/ Jump Packs

Skyhammer Annihilation Force

10x Devastator Squad (Combat Squads) w/ 4x Multi Melta
Drop Pod w/ Locator Beacon
10x Devastator Squad (Combat Squads) w/ 4x Multi Melta
Drop Pod w/ Locator Beacon
5x Assault Squad w/ Jump Packs, Power Fist & Eviscerator
5x Assault Squad w/ Jump Packs, Power Fist & Eviscerator

All the lists are weak to flyer spam, and the alpha strikes are definitely week to null deployment and tau, but with all that said, I think they're all powerful and all do something big, which is where I want to be in this meta. Thanks for taking the time to read through, and I look forward to the analysis.

All three list are good. I think list 2 and 3 looks quite competitive with a little adjustment. List 1 looks fun and maybe competitive but not very confident in a full vehicle list. Even with these many buff to space marine vehicles formations, the current gaming system and meta still makes AV13/11/11 not very strong.

A few thought on the three list:

For the IH list, consider add a lighning claw to the CM, it offers an additional attack and the choice of attacking at inititive 5 against Sv3+ and T5 or lower. Also, consider swap the second strike force command for a Librarian Conclave it should be roughly equal in points. But it opens up awesome buffs to those tanks and your CM deathstar.

For the WS and SW army, first and foremost is change all those fast attack droppods from SW detachment into WS detachment. You cannot start the battle in battle brother's transports anymore as per the new FAQ. 2nd, try grab a libby with Hunter's eye to go along with one of the grav cents, in order to get rid of toe in cover with shrouding support MC stupidness. For the SW part, I do think you missed the most powerful part -- the TWC. The best configuration for SW and WS alliance army might be the WS bikers go for shooty, and SW TWC do the choppy. In such sense, a Deathpack formation may be your better SW choice than a CAD.

The IF list, it looks good as an overwelming alpha strike army. It would be better to consider getting some supports for those strikingunits, especially try find some way tolet you reroll to hit. You might run into some poor luck situation like you pour 20 grav cannon shots into a WK, and get 13 to 15 1s and 2s the rerolls will at least give you a second chance. Also, drop the locator beacon from the droppod, it won't work on the turn droppod come in. So it will NOT help your skyhammer assault marine deep striking. Furthermore, I don't think you need to worry about null deployment. Since you have control on which turn your hammer falls. So if you go first, you have the potential to table your opponent if he only put a few guys on table. If you go second, you can choose to come in 2nd turn, after your opponent's reserve come in. Another thought is change those Tac squad to scouts with bolter, go for ture "Null deployment" by infiltrate them, making an effectively "deployed second, but go first" potential. The points saved might be even able to let you take a scout biker squad with locator beacon, letting your assault squad deep strike accurately.