The Triple Threat: 1850 CSM List

[Caitsidhe]

The following list is one I'm musing about. I might try it out at an upcoming Tournament. I am going to put a second variation below the first. I am interested in feedback, although I add the caveat that this is for a tournament where I pay to play and prizes are on the line. Save your indignation for people who might use this in pick up games.

The Triple Threat

Primary Detachment (CSM):

HQ Slots
Be'lakor (Warlord) 350pts
Winged Nurgle Daemon Prince w/Mastery Level-3 Psychic Powers, Black Mace, Spell Familiar and Combat Familiar 350pts

Troop Slots
Chaos Cultists x10 w/No Upgrades 50pts
Chaos Cultists x10 w/No Upgrades 50pts

Heavy Slots
Nurgle Marked Obliterators x2 152pts
Nurgle Marked Obliterators x2 152pts
Nurgle Marked Obliterators x2 152pts

Fast Attack Slots
Helldrake w/Baleflamer 170pts

Allied Detachment (Black Legion) *Black Legion Book states they can be allies which overrides the basic rule book which would force combined arms.

HQ Slot:
Winged Nurgle Daemon Prince w/Mastery Level-3 Psychic Powers and The Eye of Night 365pts

Troop Slot
Chaos Cultists x10 w/9 Autogun upgrades. 59pts

Obviously this army is built around the Daemon Princes, all of which are Winged and Shrouded which means that all three have a 2+ Cover save at all times. Be'Lakor brings Invisibility and massive Armour killing potential. He became an auto-include in my lists with the arrival of the Super-Heavies in standard games. The DP w/Black Mace (or Krampus as I call him) specializes in killing pretty much everything else. The Black Legion DP (or Tahissess as I call him) brings the Eye of Night which I find is really a great option in nearly any encounter. Between the three Daemon Princes, I have (9) Warp Charges and can, thus, get Invisibility (guaranteed by Be'Lakor) off every Turn. All the other leftover Biomancy powers on the other two DP are just icing on the cake. They have excellent odds of either getting Eternal Warrior or a Toughness high enough to protect them from instant death.

The Obliterators do what they always do, the Swiss Army Knives of Heavy Support. The Helldrake (only one is necessary in this list due to heat that will be taken off it by the Daemon Princes) is for killing power armour and digging ticks out of cover. The three Cultist units are simply there to camp objectives. The list is Battle Forged and thus the Cultists do have Objective Secured. They aren't likely to do much else, but on the positive side, they aren't likely to ever be threatened as nearly everything in opposing armies will be trying to kill the Daemon Princes. From a "narrative" point of view the list is actually internally consistent. Each of the Cultists worship and called upon one of the respective Daemon Princes to aid them.

An alternate version of this army changes only the Black Legion Allied Detachment. It replaces the third Daemon Prince with a Sorcerer and the Cultists with a unit of Melta-Gun Chosen.

Alternate Allied Detachment (Black Legion)

HQ Slot
Sorcerer w/Masterly Level-3 and the Eye of Night (no Marks)

Troop Slot
Chosen x6 w/5 Melta Guns and the Champion packing a Combi-Melta. Unit also has Rhino w/Dirge Caster and Extra Armour

*The variation still provides (9) Warp Charges and a wider selection of possible Psychic Powers. Moreover, it provides an additional Armour killing unit.

[Mad Cat]

Tau (with markerlights) and wave serpents will kill off your princes rather easily. Plenty of S6/7 shooting which will ignore cover and you haven't even purchased 3+ armour save as seconday insurance.

Yes you can make one invisible in which case the enemy just shoot the others that turn. You could fly but then you don't get into combat very often and you have little else to do damage if you do. Having to give your opponent 2 turns warning that you intend to charge isnt great in 7th edition.

I would take daemon allies with a unit of 11 horrors, a tooled up MoN prince and 20 fleshhounds in place of some of your oblits (or the helldrake). Make the scouting hounds invisible and they are much more of a problem for the enemy.

[Caitsidhe]

Tau (with markerlights) and wave serpents will kill off your princes rather easily. Plenty of S6/7 shooting which will ignore cover and you haven't even purchased 3+ armour save as seconday insurance.

Yes you can make one invisible in which case the enemy just shoot the others that turn. You could fly but then you don't get into combat very often and you have little else to do damage if you do. Having to give your opponent 2 turns warning that you intend to charge isnt great in 7th edition.

I would take daemon allies with a unit of 11 horrors, a tooled up MoN prince and 20 fleshhounds in place of some of your oblits (or the helldrake). Make the scouting hounds invisible and they are much more of a problem for the enemy.

I was wondering if anyone was left on the Forum to comment. Activity is certainly down. Tau are the only tough match up I have had for it so far, but even that isn't certain death. Position has helped me a great deal. Since all three can stay on the ground (thus assaulting as soon as they are in range), it is only the cover ignoring stuff that hurts and that is far from guaranteed. I'm running 50/50 against the Tau match ups with it so far. I've beaten the tar out of everything else that has played against it. Both of the games I lost to Tau were close too. It always comes back to how quickly I can take out the Marker Lights and how many my opponent spammed. The Eye of Night was particularly useful against Tau, as I use it to reduce the threat from the hard hitting vehicles.

[deviant_cadaver]

You might be better of with some nurgle spawn over the drake. Just because it is one more threat that is coming at them sooner. It would also be a hell of a tar pit with invisibility.