Goatboy here again and let’s talk about where 9th Edition is headed, the Monday before we have a huge GW update this weekend.
The Meta seems to be in an interesting place with a lot of lists showing up in the undefeated podium section with lists we expect, different ones that are brand new, and even some older ones that show up from time to time. Right now I still think there are some “best” lists but it isn’t as end of the world as some people say.
Grey Knights Rising
The newest big bad on the block is the Grey Knights. Probably the best “marine” build currently with Dread Knights pulling the power for the army. Of course as an army that lives and breathes with psychic powers, bad dice rolls can really hamper winning when they fail you (Last game I played I think I did 3 perils in a row… super strong right?). The big power of the army is that you have a very strong and easy secondary ability mixed with teleportation tricks to over power flanks and cause rough trades for your opponent. I think it isn’t an easy army to play as there is a lot of stacks to try and figure out – but it does reward smart players due to not simply relying on overpowering your dice or a unit to crush your enemy. Interestingly enough, it is one of the cheaper armies too as you don’t need a ton of weird stuff with just 4-5 Dread Knights mixed with Strikes/Interceptors.
Dark Horse Tyranids
I think an interesting Dark Horse army right now could be Tyranid builds especially with the updated rules coming out. Hive Guard seem really good in this environment of events having a decent amount of terrain and these guys ignore it. I think depending on how the upcoming update is for Match Play we will see how this army might be a rough one for a ton of lists to deal with. Plus – they can easily cover the board in stuff to control objectives, do damage, and just win the game.
Durable Death Guard
On the bad guy front Death Guard seems to still do well enough. It seems if the Plagueburst Crawlers are doing good you do well but if they are failing to put out damage it starts to be hard to climb out of the hole. I am wondering if will end up seeing the big Zombie Horde show up from time to time as again while it isn’t designed to murder you it is designed to play the game and mission. A ton of bodies, hard terminator candy in the middle, and board control could end up being a powerful choice. I am surprised I haven’t seen it as much but I wonder if players just don’t like the idea of pushing all those Zombies around.
Orky Freebootaz
The Orks are in a weird stop because the Freeboota buggy spam/flyer seems really good for the current meta. It is sad that the Squigs are left sitting on the sidelines and I expect we’ll see some kind of response to all the flyers and other things to change up how Orks play. I plan on making a ton of Squiggies in my list and be damned if I want to play all those flyers. Sure I will probably be behind the curve but I just love the idea of monsters running around on the table top.
Dartardly Drukhari
The Drukhari still are probably the best army there is. They have an ease of play mixed with hitting above their weight that makes them a dangerous army. Now when I say ease of play I mean they can suffer some “bad choice” damage and still pull it out as they easily can control the mission with speed, pinpoint damage, and powerful options. They hit so hard in the beginning and can easily “race” to the end with powerful scores in the first 3 turns to ride out the victory till the end. I am wondering if will see another update to bring them in line either with more point tweaks or just removing some of the damage 2 flamer options with the Cronos.
Awesome Ad-Mech
Most high end players think the Ad Mech are probably the best book out there but I think its a hard list to run effectively that it ends up leaving a ton of players not wanting to jump in. I also think it is a pretty expensive army with the good models not being very exciting (the Flyers). It again shows how GW doesn’t know what to do with Flyers as the current builds just feel too powerful when compared to other armies flying options. The book has so many stacks too so it just gets difficult to keep up with it at times and really demands you play a lot to understand. Of course some of the best players piloting it is rough as hell so I expect them to show up if they bring the best knife to the knife fight.
Sassy Sisters
Finally we have Sisters of Battle and they just seem about right. They are powerful, good abilities, but they are not overwhelming. They emphasize smart game play as you have a lot to think about as you move them across the table. You also mix in an army that looks good too – so it ends up being a fun list to try out. The army floats towards the top a lot of the time and again reward those strong players willing to throw down with the Sisters.
The Future?
Are we going to see Black Templars show up when all the options come out? I don’t know as the last marine builds that did well seemed to rely on some robot action, protection for their robots, and powerful synergies. The Marines just feel a bit out of place right now and I am not sure where to go with them. I love the idea of using Dreadnoughts and while that seems powerful for Marines it doesn’t always seem to fit into the current Meta.
What do you think they need to bring them back to the podiums? Are Grey Knights the best Marines right now?
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
