My first Dark Angels list

Since the Dark Angels codex was released I've been working on what I had.  I had 20 infantry built from before 8th when I was making a Lion's Blade.  10 tacticals, 5 assault and 5 devs with a grav cannon.

Well I changed things around, making the devs 2x lascannon instead and the Assault marines became plasma vets.

I also ended up with a couple of the easy to build intercessors, and after a DA upgrade and carving off the shoulder pads, they were built.

Lastly I got a land speeder and combined with bits from the Ravenwing Command box ended up with a talonmaster.

So now I have enough models to field a list I want to try. I do plan on adding a Darkshroud as soon as I can afford it, as well as maybe some Hellblasters.


Battalion Detachment
HQ: Azrael
HQ: Primaris Lieutenant, power sword
HQ: Sammael on Corvex

Troop: 5x Tacticals, Missile Launcher
Troop: 5x Tacticals, plasma, combi-plasma, Razorback
Troop: 5x Intercessors

Heavy: 5x Devastators, 3x Lascannon
Heavy: 5x Devastators, 3x Lascannon

Outrider Detachment
HQ: Talonmaster, Havenfall blade

Fast: 5x Black Knights
Fast: 5x Black Knights
Fast: 6x Ravenwing Bikes, 2x plasma, chainswords

Elite: Ravenwing Apothecary

1997pts, 107PL, 8 Command points

So it's pretty simple. Azrael and the Lt sits back with the devs and missile launcher, giving everyone a 4++ and re-rolls, while the ravenwing exploit speed of the raven and weapons from the dark age to kill just about anything.

I haven't won yet, but I've had a lot of fun with extreme amount of plasma damage.  I just have to be careful about where the black knights are so they aren't charged too easily.

The Ork Horde - Tournament viable?

Green Tide is a popular way to play Orks under 8th edition, and I can't disagree with the effectiveness.  Now there are a lot of pros and cons to the list.

First, let's start with what I've been playing:

Battalion Detachment 1
HQ: Warboss, Attack Squig, Headwoppa's Killchoppa
HQ: Wierdboy
HQ: Boss Snikrot

Troop: 30 slugga boyz, nob w/pk
Troop: 30 slugga boyz, nob w/pk
Troop: 30 slugga boyz, nob w/pk

Elite: Painboy

Battalion Detachment 1
HQ: Big Mek, KFF
HQ: Big Mek, KFF
HQ: Wierdboy

Troop: 30 Shoota boyz, 3x rokkit, nob w/pk
Troop: 30 Shoota boyz, 3x rokkit, nob w/pk
Troop: 10 grots

Elite: Painboy
Elite: 15 Kommandoz, 2x burna, Nob /pk
Elite: Nob w/waggh! banner

Heavy: 2 KMK
Heavy: 3 lobba

1999pts, 123 PL, 9 command points
The plan seems obvious.  Boys sit under the KFF/Painboy and then move forward with the option of jumping to back up the kommandos.  Killing that many models is a problem for most, but not all armies.

So far my toughest matchup was Mortarian, which in CC can pretty much guarantee 17-18 dead boys a turn (18 attacks, hitting and wounding on 2+, both with re-roll 1s) plus auto mortal wounds and debuffs.

The question of taking out big models.  Sure, 100+ attacks sounds good but when wounding on 6's there is a limit.  The KMK seems the best way so I might change out the lobbas for more of them.  Or drop the rokkets in the boys mobs and lobbas for a unit of tankbustas hiding in the mob. But that kind of tweaking is also a matter of personal preference.

The biggest problem with this list is the number of drops. Almost always guaranteed to go second, which in 8th is a problem.  The 2nd biggest problem only applies to ITC, where the list seems to actively try to give up points to my opponent with 7 units of 10+ models and 9 characters!

I would also like to add another unit of kommandos for mob up purposes, a unit of 25 with a snikrot buff and jumping the banner (maybe a 2nd banner?) for a lot of goodness.

Anyway, what tweaks to be made?

Ravenwing Talonmaster conversion.

One of the new units in the DA codex is the Ravenwing Talonmaster.

It gives re-rolls of 1 to wound to ravenwing units, has a power sword (and thus can get the relic) and has a ton of shooting. Not a bad unit.

I had the twin weapons from a ravenwing sprue and the rest is from the Ravenwing command box. Very easy yet rewarding conversion!

Still working on DA, will get to the Kommandos soon.

More Dark Angels for now

Continuing to work on my DA a bit, starting with a Master. 

Magnetized for a chainsword and power axe.  The axe is pretty cheap so I'll probably use that more often than not.  The idea is to have a master, lieutenant and 8 vets with plasma in a drop pod...for when something just has to die.

I have 5 vets mostly done, but I lost my decals - a giant bag of them - so I can't quite finish them and it's very annoying. I don't want to have to spend money on replacement decal sheets!!!

I'm still not gung-ho about starting the kommandos but soon. I just want to finish all the DA stuff I have first.  I have the vets done except for one decal and varnish, and a unit of Devastators with 2 Lascannons are well on their way.