Three new detachments have just entered the Warhammer 40k arena, introducing new ways to build Tyranid, Dark Angels, and Chaos Space Marine armies. The Tyranids Subterranean Assault is all about tunnelling terrors; the Dark Angels’ Wrath of the Rock pairs up the lightning fast Ravenwing with the rock solid Deathwing; and the Chaos Space Marines’ Cabal of Chaos revels in the power of the warp. Here’s why they’re cool.
Games Workshop uploaded the three new 40k detachments on Wednesday, June 4, alongside the Warhammer 40k balance dataslate, which provides substantive overhauls to just about all of the Warhammer 40k factions. The last time GW did this it added the absurdly overpowered ‘More Dakka’ detachment for the Orks, which was a true terror in tournaments until it was hit with the nerf thunderhammer.
You can download the new detachments, and the latest balance dataslate, from the Warhammer Community website.
Tyranids Subterranean Assault
The Tyranids’ Subterranean Assault is based around Burrower units, Raveners, Trygons, and Mawlocs; up to two Trygons can become characters, giving them access to Enhancements. When a Burrower pops up from Reserve, you get to place a tunnel marker, which allows other units entering from reserve to be deployed closer to your opponent’s lines than usual. And as a special treat, units get to re-roll hit rolls of one.
This force is going to want a spread of infiltrators (to push your board control forwards and secure deep strike zones), ranged units or durable objective monkeys to hold your deployment zone, burrowers, and some nasty payloads to follow them out of the tunnels.
The enhancements seem really excellent for this game plan: Synaptic Strategy allows the bearer to enter via Rapid Ingress at no cost, even if you’ve already used it this turn. This lets you pop two burrowing units onto the board at the end of your opponent’s turn, creating two tunnel marker beachheads, ready for your tunnellers to appear from reserves even closer to the enemy next turn.
Dark Angels Wrath of the Rock
The Dark Angels’ Wrath of the Rock provides a simple and incredibly potent buff – when Infantry and Mounted units in your army are targeted by an attack, if the Strength of the attack exceeds their Toughness, subtract one from the wound roll. Add that to the -1 Damage reduction on Deathwing Knights and they are once again the most hideously durable infantry unit in the game.
With a Deathwing Knight anvil, the 40k Stratagems for this detachment are all hammer. Relics of the Dark Age costs 1CP and lets you add two to the strength of ranged weapons equipped by an infantry or mounted unit, putting Black Knights’ overcharged Plasma Talons up to Strength 10; and for one CP, Tactical Mastery allows a unit to Charge after Advancing (and after Falling Back, in the case of Ravenwing units). There’s also a cheeky little enhancement that allows a Deathwing unit to arrive by deep strike on turn one.
Chaos Space Marines Cabal of Chaos
The Chaos Space Marines’ Cabal of Chaos is, fittingly, more flexible and fluid. Your units get a choice of two buffs each time it makes a Dark Pact – either +1 Strength on ranged attacks while it’s within nine inches of a friendly 40k Psyker, or -1 AP on melee weapons while within nine inches of a Daemon Prince. Build around one or the other, or mix and max for a little flexibility.
This detachment turns your Psykers and Daemon Princes into buffing machines. Want a melee Psyker? The Mind Blade enhancement gives the bearer’s unit’s melee weapons the 40k ability Lance. Need to repair a damaged vehicle, or need more infantry on the point? The Stratagem No Rest In Death lets you heal D3+1 wounds, or return D3 battleline models, to a unit within nine inches of a Daemon Prince or Psyker.
If we had to predict one of these to receive a good solid nerfing, it’s the Dark Angels’ Wrath of the Rock: it seems absurdly tanky. What do you think? Are you excited to try any of these detachments out? Come and tell us about it in the official Wargamer Discord community!
While the balance might prove to be off, we do like that Games Workshop is providing extra content for armies after their Warhammer 40k codex release. Though we’re still massively in favor of the firm moving to a free rules model… one day.
Source: Wargamer
