And so...
Having delved into the many cults, their possibilities, their features and their benefits, some small bit of tactica and list building, we finally reach this: The Black Crusade.
The Black Crusade brings all the pure Cults together and is the ultimate expression of the Chaos gawds displeasure with someone if they are unleashed. Thirteen such crusades have gashed the Imperium irreparably before being turned back, each time etching away the defenses of Mankind.
First among the Traitor brethren were the Black Legion, hidden away in the gigantic dust nebulae at the edge of the Eye of Terror. They orchestrate the downfall of Mankind under the command of Abaddon himself, the embodiment of the Chaos Gawds favor.
How are we to look at Chaos Undivided lists? Through the lens of Abaddon's eyes of course. He is a must have choice for the Black Legions of Chaos. He is harder than nails, incredibly fast and dangerous to his enemies and he's well stocked with weapons you can't fathom. Impossible to kill and resoundingly productive in combat. He posesses the Black Crusader Warlord Trait, making his army twice as dangerous.
265pts Abaddon the Despoiiler
With Abaddon come his Chosen as troops choices. Loyal to him and his cause, plus bereft of the curses that have befallen the Cults, they lead with him as exemplars. Their dread numbers are a serious threat to enemies and can score! This fell combination spearheads his forces.
265pts 10 Chosen (5 Plasma, Champion w/ Combi-Flamer and Melta bombs)
40pts Chaos Rhino (Dozer)
265pts 10 Chosen (5 Plasma, Champion w/ Combi-Flamer and Melta bombs)
40pts Chaos Rhino (Dozer)
The units can literally kill entire Terminator Squads, wash away hordes and are hale enough to withstand return fire. They are swift enough to reach their intended target and if someone wants to stand toe to toe with them, you could do worse. I don't think it's a bad idea to throw a Power sword into the mix, but obviously it is not a great idea to force them into close combat unless there is no choice. With 3 attacks apiece, 4 on the charge, it will be the mightiest of melee opponents that will want to mess with them even so.
With troop and an HQ taken care of, we can get down to business as far as making sure the troops are getting where they need to be and that the cults are adequately represented in all their horrifying majesty.
The Black Crusade is a Crusade of combined force of arms, Cultist arms. As such, it must be filled with all its representative members and there are four cults, One of them must be led by a second HQ since there are only three Elite slots, plus you DO NEED at least three troops choices in most armies anyways. One of the cult units may be made into a troop choice via a Chaos Lord or Sorcerer. I chose the Sorcerer but you could go either way on that for about the same points. I think having the might of a Psyker in your force is never a bad thing since you already have butchers in your list who can take care of business in melee.
150pts Chaos Sorcerer (Mark of Tzeentch, Level 3, Terminator Armor+Force Weapon)
202pts 6 Noise Marines (5 Sonic Blasters, BlastMaster, Doom Siren, Icon of Excess)
208pts 7 Plague Marines (2 x Plasmaguns, Icon of Despair)
231pts 8 Khorne Berzerkers (8 Chainaxes, 2 Plasma Pistols, Icon of Wrath)
40pts Chaos Rhino (Dozer)
257pts 9 Thousand Sons (Icon of Flame)
35pts Chaos Rhino
That pretty much dries up your points! It goes shockingly fast in such an elite army with so specific a build as the old and new fluff would require now. I'd lean towards taking the Icarus, but leave that to your play style. Perhaps you acknowledge that against certain air forces, the one cannon will be points you might have spent better on other things if its killed in round 1. These are the decisions a General must make! I would probably recommend an Aegis+Icarus Cannon, at the expense of 5 Chosen, just to cover that base but...
As for bases, how are we doing as far as covering them if we DO choose to play the Black Legion in this new Codex?
Well from an Anti-tank standpoint, it's pretty strong. A Land Raider or two are your main concerns, but other armor types really are not going to bother you that much. Naturally, if one wanted to, one could easily add a Melta into the mix of the Chosen. I like this option, because they can be fired from inside the Rhino on the approach round 2, and kinda scare its occupants into getting out and handling the threat...which is exactly where this list is hoping Land Raider contents will be: out in the open! The Meltabomb is really meant as an emergency measure, not to actually kill the Land Raider, since LR's are an Assault vehicle and blowing the unit out of it might not stop them from charging. However... A meltagun in each of those Chosen squads would not be a bad idea at all to cover this weakness.
Against Hordes, we have a LOT of close combat attacks, abaddon and of course bolters of great power to bring to bear. I have little doubt that hordes will do no more than wilt against this force, as they can bring a ferocious combination of attacks and firepower to the horde's doorsteps. Tervigons and Termigaunts alike will be in no excited hurry to face off.
Against MEQ, it is amply prepared. Nearly every unit in the army can shred power armor, yet it does not abandon its volume of shots to do it. It still can torrent the marines as well. 56 models isn't an enormous force, but given its composition, it's an impressive one when facing Bikes, or MEQ.
The Airforces of the universe will not be stopped by just one Icarus cannon, but that would be true of most any kind of Chaos Force or any non-Chaos force for that matter. Airforce type armies just are not easy to kill for anyone. Monstrous Creature versions of them wont be a problem. All the firepower needed to ground and kill them is present in the list. Heldrake lists, or Vindetta lists won't like the plasma storm this army brings but can weather it better. The fact that they must reserve and can at least be anticipated can help and should let the Rhinos gt into position bfore the Airforce shows up and as long as you focus on enemy troop killing first, the Airforce may not have much to say about the outcome of the battle. Hee I recommend remembering that the enemy troop choices, once dead, make a whole lot of other things irrelevant. Going first would be key so you can attempt first blood and gt in good position before the Air Raid sirens blare. Hopefully the Icarus can at least even the odds if yuo took one and it survived.
Objectives should be no problem. The troops are mobile, hearty and dangerous. You don't have a ton of kill points to give up, so you should be reasonably well off against MSU armies in KP related missions. You're giving up neither Heavy nor Fast Attack slots to enemies in Big Guns Never Tire and the Scouring, so you have the advantage in those missions. Your Warlord is a beast to kill and if you play your cards right, he alone can give you First Blood and much more.
Playing the Black Legion in 6E means committing to style of play that is a little conservative in the early going. The Slaanesh troops, the Icarus (if you have one) and potentially the Sorcerer will be the only things causing any real damage in round 1, while everything moves up + Runs behind a wall of Rhinos and into killing position with Abaddon. protecting the exposed troops is Abaddons job. He would likely be inside the Plague marine unit. The enemy will be spread out no doubt, to stay shootting as long as possible. In round 2, it will be mostly moving to spread out also and to start killing transports and troops, so obviously, not as much damage being done to the enemy globally, albeit the exchange will be favorably balanced just bcause of the sheer number of high powered shots. There is no much plasma in these units that to approach them with ANY troop choice would be suicide for the unit doing it, so the enemy is likely to try and gun down the inferior number of troops and kill their transports. It is in the third and subsequent phase that so much carnage will occur the likes of which the Imperium has never witnessed. At this range, the army is an unstoppable wave of triumph. but terrain and a steady advance are likly tomark how it fights.
The thing to remember is to kill all the troops, wholesale. target them and relentlessly keep at them. Other targets matter a lot less here. Your ability to wreak havoc is good, but you must remember that attrition happens and it happens fast sometimes when the enemy is free to ignore tanks to some extent. You must while you still CAN, kill their ability to score and then protect yours second. The Thousand Sons may often be your winning card, as the others will be embroiled in bloody fighting and contesting, with the Chosen a close second for the honor. Your expendable Elites are there to keep your scoring units clear of troubling close combats, and to get into them as well!
To summarize my thoughts on an appropriate Black Legion build, here you have it, with the proviso that 5 Chosen could be converted to an Aegis Gunline and perhaps should be. Should be interresting to see how it does.
265pts Abaddon the Despoiiler
265pts 10 Chosen (5 Plasma, Champion w/ Combi-Flamer and Melta bombs)
40pts Chaos Rhino (Dozer)
265pts 10 Chosen (5 Plasma, Champion w/ Combi-Flamer and Melta bombs)
40pts Chaos Rhino (Dozer)
150pts Chaos Sorcerer (Mark of Tzeentch, Level 3, Terminator Armor+Force Weapon)
202pts 6 Noise Marines (5 Sonic Blasters, BlastMaster, Doom Siren, Icon of Excess)
208pts 7 Plague Marines (2 x Plasmaguns, Icon of Despair)
231pts 8 Khorne Berzerkers (8 Chainaxes, 2 Plasma Pistols, Icon of Wrath)
40pts Chaos Rhino (Dozer)
257pts 9 Thousand Sons (Icon of Flame)
35pts Chaos Rhino
Points: 1998
Kill Points 12
Models: 56
Armour: 4
You can see the other articles on this series here:
http://40kunorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2013/03/6th-edition-chaos-space-marine-cults.html
http://40kunorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2013/02/40k-chaos-tournament-lists-aeronatica.html
http://40kunorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2013/02/40k-chaos-space-marines-cult-of-tzeentch.html
http://40kunorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2013/02/6th-edition-chaos-space-marine-cults_18.html
http://40kunorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2013/02/6th-edition-chaos-space-marine-cults.html
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