1850 Blood Angels - Road to Adepticon

[Soups]

The List

HQ
Librarian 125
-Jump pack (Shield of Sanguinius, Unleash Rage)

Elite
Sanguinary Priest 160
-Power armor on a bike
-Power armor w/ Jump pack

Troop
Assault Squad 235
-x10, Fist, Meltagun x2

Assault Squad 235
-x10, Fist, Meltagun x2

Scouts
-x10, camo cloaks, sniper rifles, missile launcher, melta bomb

Fast Attack
Bike Squad 290
-x8, Attack bike w/ Multi-melta, Fist

Land Speeder 90
-Cyclone missile launcher

Land Speeder 90
-Cyclone missile launcher

Heavy Support
Predator 135
-Lascannon sponsons

Predator 135
-Lascannon sponsons

Vindicator 170
-Extra armor, siege shield

*****

The Words

No, sadly, I will not be going to Adepticon. However, I will be going to 2 "prep" tournaments. And one of them is a local store's yearly grand tournament with quite a bit of prize support, so it is actually inspiring me to bring something that can "win" that isn't a gimmicky fun army. I shy away from razorspam, so if possible, keep suggestions away from having any razorbacks.

The meta, which is the reason I am not running DoA or Dante Wing*sniff sniff*, is Grey Knights. I can tell you are shocked. One tournament has 6 out of 22 being Knights. So I figure, might as well bring a well rounded army that can shoot, as well and provide a fast base to assault guard and some unlucky dark eldar.

So, my terminator hate is primarily the Vindicator and Preds. I figure I can safely roll on from reserve with all my anti-tank (Vind, pred, and land speeders) against guard and Deldar. Guard and gunlines are the reason I decided to bring sniper scouts. I know assaulty scouts is a better idea, but lets say I get to play Dreadnoughts(grey knights) or a nid player. I'll have some unit in the backfield actually holding an objective that can fire more than one missile launcher or lascannon.

My big worry is my bike squad. I had some really good success with them in 1500 games. T5 with Feel no Pain, and the ability to turbo boost at that gunline, and not too shabby in the assault phase, due to the rapid fire and assault bolters. I really don't know how bikes are any better than 2 tactical squads without a rhino. Another option I have is Vanguard Vets. x10, 1 fist, 5 power weapons and jump packs. The internet says they are better, but without another Priest near them, they don't do what I want them too. Basically, I'm tied to the idea of having 3 scoring units at 1850. Bike Squad. Yes or something else?

[FortheEmperor!]

I would drop the scouts and put in some Death Company in a rhino with a chaplain. You only need about 5 or 6. Give them 2 power weapons and a power fist. Run them aggressively forward.

I don't like scouts because of their crappy BS.

Do use Sanguine Shield very often? I have never tried it because a 5+ save is too untrustworthy! I can barely pass 3+ armor saves! I'd like to hear if you use it alot and if it gives you much success. How do you use it??

[Wolfshade]

The scouts are good, everyone likes rending weapons, plus with the sniper rule makes wounding high toughness things slightly more easily.
As for bike squads I tend to run two five man squads, one with plasma guns and HB attack bike and the other with metla guns and MM attack bike, meltas go tank hunting and plasma/HB goes heavy infantry hunting.
Vanguard Vets I find slightly over priced, they are useful for the heroic intervention, but I just find them slightly too expensive. I also prefer to run death company instead and I've found it not the wisest of moves to field both.

[Soups]

Do use Sanguine Shield very often? I have never tried it because a 5+ save is too untrustworthy! I can barely pass 3+ armor saves! I'd like to hear if you use it alot and if it gives you much success. How do you use it??

I use Shield of Sanguinius almost every game. The local meta has turned hyper aggressive into AP2 AP3 to the exclusion of all else. Feel no Pain is given out like candy now-a-days (anyone remember when honor guard/command squads were super awesome, because it was the only way to get FnP? *sigh*) and when GK came out, terminators popped out of the ground like corn. Mostly because the GK codex closely followed the Stormshield FaQ across all old space marines codex's. So Greyknightaters, death wing ect. everywhere.

It's also a nifty way to save some vehicles when you get the seize the initiative roll your opponent got for the 90th time against you :P

[Chumbalaya]

It looks interesting, but a hybrid army would really benefit from having some Rhino hulls to hide behind. 5 Assault Marines with a melta and infernus in a Rhino is only 140 points and gives you a nice, cheap scoring unit that can block LoS, provide cover and "safely" melta problem units without risking a subsequent charge.

The solo Vindicator seems kinda wasteful. It can be ignored early and it's incredibly vulnerable to even glancing hits (shaken, stunned or weapon destroyed).

[DarkLink]

The solo Vindicator seems kinda wasteful. It can be ignored early and it's incredibly vulnerable to even glancing hits (shaken, stunned or weapon destroyed).

Nah, he's got 3 FA 13 vehicles, a couple Land Speeders and should, as you mention, have a couple Rhinos. That'll give him cover and even if they shoot everything at the vindicator his other vehicles will still be able to threaten stuff. Just because he doesn't copy/paste multiple vindicators doesn't mean there isn't redundancy. It's just as easy to stun 3 vindicators as it is to 2 predators and 1 vindicator.

Though, yes, in general vindicators aren't that special. A single gun with a large blast isn't all that scary unless you happen to be running, say, Paladins that don't like str 10 ap 2. But the problem is with the vindicator itself as a unit, not really with the fact that he doesn't have multiples of it.

[Soups]

So, after a adepticon practice tournament at fantasy flight, I got rolled hard.

The bikes preformed just as I thought they would. A tactical squad that moves fast, so I will definitely be making them go away. I might actually repaint my Veteran Vanguard into assault marines. It won't be that bad, since my marines are very plain jane the earlier I assembled them. Sure, I could always buy 2 more boxes and what have you, but 2 weeks and another practice tournament happens.

Another option is to play to the strengths of the codex. a cheap DC in a stormraven.
I'm thinking of...

HQ
Librarian 125
-Jump pack (Shield of Sanguinius, Unleash Rage)

Elite
Sanguinary Priest 125
-Power armor
-Power armor w/ Jump pack

Troop
Assault Squad 235
-x10, Fist, Meltagun x2

Assault Squad 235
-x10, Fist, Meltagun x2

Assault Squad 165
-x5, meltagun
---Razorback w/ LasPlas

Assault Squad 165
-x5, meltagun
---Razorback w/ LasPlas

Death Company 315
-x7, Powerfist, add Lemartes


Heavy Support
Predator 135
-Lascannon sponsons

Predator 135
-Lascannon sponsons

Stormraven Gunship 215
-Extra armor

***

Yeah, the tournament made me face reality. You really should have 4 static troops. So, I will cry into my paint as I remake some razorback turrets, and demote some Veteran Vanguard into assault squad dudes.

The vindicator drew fire really good...and that's all it did. From what I saw what is going to Adepticon, Deathstars are, not quite dead, but not built as the linchpin they used to be. So after being given a 3rd huge crushing defeat, my opponent was kind enough to tell me what the heck I am doing wrong. It boils down to having enough fast assault units to break the opponent's brick through numbers while maintaining firepower. So 2 razorbacks that score will be "replacing" my landspeeders.

I'll grab some playtesting in the next week, but, decisions for anyone to help me consider?

My target is actually 6 DC. As you can see, I didn't really post that. My BA oracle at the tournament suggested adding powerweapons to the priests and infernus pistols. And, depending on any horrible things that you guys might think be better, I picked myself up a Lucius pattern landradier (godhammer pattern? Double Lascannon). So, I can always trade the Stormraven, and lemartes for a landraider/crusader and a chaplain OR reclusiarch.