How are your Custodes doing?

[Ishagu]

I fear the Caladius tanks will get a point bump soon, at the very least.

 

They are very numerous in high level play, the demand is so high 3D printers have started selling knock offs widely available.

 

The fact that they are Beta rules means the change could be significant or the cost adjusted at any time...

[rcoon]

Good to hear. I plan on running the dual Caladius for a good few games as I just bought them but I also quite like the idea of having a reasonably competitive foot list. Are Wardens worth investing in or is a big unit of Allarus better?

I love my axe wielding Wardens. They're worth running in large quantities. I rarely run more than 4 termies, and when I do they are Aquilons and not their inferior Allarus brothers. I've had a squad of 9 Wardens one-shot both Mortarion, a Knight Castigator as well as a Knight Paladin. There's very little they can't kill efficiently. Equally the Aquilons run as a squad of 4 ish with Solarite Gauntlets are fantastic as a backline terror in enemy armoured squads.

Edited July 30, 2019 by rcoon

[Dallas Drake]

I fear the Caladius tanks will get a point bump soon, at the very least.

 

They are very numerous in high level play, the demand is so high 3D printers have started selling knock offs widely available.

 

The fact that they are Beta rules means the change could be significant or the cost adjusted at any time...

Agreed. 1st at the Summer Slaughter & 2nd/3rd at GK open ran 3 x Caladius with IG/Knight soup. It’s almost certainly going to get a slap with the nerf bat.

 

@rcoon. That’s for the reply, yeah I’m drawn to Wardens with axes. Do you drop them in next to a Vexilus or just run them up the board?

Edited July 30, 2019 by Dallas Drake

[burningsky25]

Sounds like you've got the right idea of it but I have to echo - I've run 6 man Warden squads in my past couple of games and they are absolutely monstrous! I believe last game against Tyranids that one squad wracked up kills on two flying hive tyrants, a 6-man hive guard squad, and 3 exocrines.  Most of that wasn't from full-health, but at least half of those were.  Most of my recent matchups with them weren't into pure gunlines, but if your opponent has shooting and your wardens are your major hammer unit then it's worth saving them for a Vexilla drop.  If you have other threats that will last until they get up the board (Caladius or Bikes are about the only things more threatening) then foot slogging is an option.

 

 

I fear the Caladius tanks will get a point bump soon, at the very least.

They are very numerous in high level play, the demand is so high 3D printers have started selling knock offs widely available.

The fact that they are Beta rules means the change could be significant or the cost adjusted at any time...

 

This comes as no surprise to me at all, but it does make me frustrated yet again with the ridiculous state of soup lists and armies . . different codexes should have strengths that complement their weaknesses - Custodes need a reliable tank that has good firepower against a variety of targets, but when that gets abused in a context totally separated from any other Custodian Guard units it's going to be overbearing.  I don't complain because I think AC need the best stuff, I'm frustrated because the things that get punished are usually things abused by cherry picking soup lists, not because people who stick with the codex and actually play the faction regularly are overbearingly strong.  Admittedly that's not a measurable component in the current context - that's why soup needs to be changed.  But I don't want to get further off-topic than that.  

[Kenzaburo]

Two things, I'd like to throw in: Why not drop the Warden blob with FGLTC. It's 9" charge range, yes, but slogging a vexilla up the board in the face of incoming firepower will prove difficult, especially if your opponent knows about the built-in teleport homer wandering towards him. The vexilla always seems to fragile to me as a reliable means to get in the big bads.

 

Second: Regarding soups and a coming nerf for the Caladius, I feel it would be wrong to nerf the Caladius, just because it's an utter beatstick mixed with other soup elements. The current edition allows for mix-and-matching the best of the imperial crop. That doesn't mean that the individual units are overpowered. I think messing with units, because one of the 3 ways to play favors players willing to ignore background and narrative is wrong. Even more so, because the players we are talking about are high-performing tournament players, which should be a tiny fraction of the overall playerbase. Their will to create beatstick armies and leafblowers having that much effect on army nerfs can't be right and is certainly not helping with the balance. Just with an imagined balance in the tournament scene. The problem lies in the option to create soups, something that I enjoy in measures but loathe in the way you see it in netlists.

 

On the other hand, I see less smash captains and loyal 32s in my local meta. But I also stay away from the more competitive scene, anyways. 

 

P.S.: Not trying to bash tournament play or it's players here. :) I'm just saying that maybe the dominance of certain units in tournaments gets blown out of proportion online, while it might not be much of a problem in local scenes overall.

[MeatGrinder]

Have my first game of 40k in nearly a year next week and this is what Im rocking up with. Ive been out a long time so is there anything I should be aware of? I hear there are some serious deep strike blocking nonsense out there.

 

 

BATTALION

Trajann

Sc on DJB, bolter, auric

 

3x 3 custodes w/ 2 spears, 1 shield

 

4 vertus w/ bolters

 

VANGUARD

SC in Alarus

 

Vexillus w/ magnifica

3 allarus w/ axes

3 Aquillon w/ fists and bolters

 

Operative sanctioned

 

Rounds out to 1998 and 6 CP. Goal is to have all the terminators come down t2 and hit anything exposed/concussion grenade stuff about to be charged.

[rcoon]

 

I fear the Caladius tanks will get a point bump soon, at the very least.

 

They are very numerous in high level play, the demand is so high 3D printers have started selling knock offs widely available.

 

The fact that they are Beta rules means the change could be significant or the cost adjusted at any time...

Agreed. 1st at the Summer Slaughter & 2nd/3rd at GK open ran 3 x Caladius with IG/Knight soup. It’s almost certainly going to get a slap with the nerf bat.

 

@rcoon. That’s for the reply, yeah I’m drawn to Wardens with axes. Do you drop them in next to a Vexilus or just run them up the board?

 

I typically have 4 Aquilons, Trajaan and 9 Wardens in Deep Strike. The Aquilons drop with Trajaan to one-shot whatever they drop against and Trajaan is there to ensure it dies and split off once the target is down. The Wardens either drop their standard 9" away, or if my Vexilla can advance fast enough, I drop the wardens as close as the vexilla will allow. In both of the last two games I've played with pure Custodes, I've managed to drop the Wardens 3" away from a priority target - Mortarion and a Knight Castigator. Neither have survived past a single phase of melee combat.

[rcoon]

Finished painting the telemon. This time I tried painstakingly basing the model with White Scar and then washing with a 3-1 mix of Seraphim Sepia and honestly I'm not very happy with it. Next time I'll just stick with a Corax White base and wash. This method made the armour plates look exceedingly messy and dirty. Can't be bothered to strip and paint it again, but the Caladius when they arrive will be done properly... Still waiting on a custom base I ordered to glue it onto something a bit different.

 

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Very dynamic.

[Nemisor]

Tried 2 caladius tanks for the first time. Wow they are good.

[burningsky25]

I got together with some friends last weekend and played a good round robin going 2-1 overall.  One list was a Double Supreme Command mixed demon list, the second a double battalion 3x Fire Prism 3x Crimson Hunter + 18 scatter bikes Alaitoc Eldar, and the last was a mean IK + AM list. 

My first opponent was IK and with low enough model count lists we managed to play two games while the others played out demons vs eldar.  I lost both times, see writeup below.  Next game I got a solid win against demons while eldar got an equally strong win against the IK, and the last game the IK easily dealt with the demons while I managed to maneouver a victory against the eldar. 

 

His list was roughly:

Knight Valiant with Traitor's Pyre Relic

Knight Crusader with Endless Fury Relic

Knight Errant with Paragon Gauntlet

AM Battallion

3x 10 man guard squads

2x company commanders

2x Hellhound

 

My list included:

Assassin of my choice.

Trajan

Shield-Captain on Dawneagle with Auric Aquilis, Warlord, Radiant Mantle

Custodian Guard Squad x3

Achillus Dreadnought x2

Custodian Wardens x5

Praetor with Magnifica

Caladius Grav-tank

Sisters of Silence x3

 

First game I expected he would stay back to shoot and placed wardens on the board closer up to try and get a charge as soon as possible onto the knights, he got first turn and moved a little closer, killed a dreadnought and some troops, I ran everything forward, tried to shield from charges with expendable squads, his turn he killed the wardens in shooting and some more troops, charged with his Errant and amazingly he missed or I saved all of his attacks onto my dreadnought, however he used a strat to grab Trajann and squeeze him to death.  I hit back and did decent damage into the Errant.  My next turn I moved everything forward and charged but he used another stratagem to overwatch with his Valiant when I charged with my bike captain, I survived to make the charge but it hurt.  After I did my first attacks with my charging units he interrupted and killed my dreadnought before I could get attack with the dreadnought.  I found that interaction really frustrating - even though it was my turn I was required to activate a charging unit first, and this allowed my opponent to activate the most important combat first before I could, on my turn.  I'm sure it made no big difference to that game but with that I lost my last chance of killing any of the knights.

 

With time to spare before our next games I figured I'd try again with wardens in reserve. Otherwise I played mostly the same except I shielded the front line from charges better with Custodian Guard.  This made no significant difference.  By his turn 2 he was able to shoot and kill all of my screening guard and charge Trajann, Praetor, and Dreadnought again with the Errant.  AGAIN he either whiffed all his attacks into the dreadnought or I saved them and he missed his grab stratagem onto Trajann! I hit back with those models and killed him - then he used a strat and exploded on a 4+, outright killing Trajann and the Praetor and dropping the Dreadnought a bracket.  Things turned from good to ill in a hurry.  My next turn I dropped my wardens, I charged his Crusader with my dreadnought but he used the overwatch strat from his Valiant and killed it, at least the Wardens managed to still make a 9" charge onto his crusader but without any buffs they weren't enough to kill his crusader.  His next turn he effectively wiped me. 

 

No doubt I could take a list with better anti-tank, I was thinking that double achillus may not have been amazing but they're quite a bit quicker than infantry and can hit very hard if they make it into combat.  I also don't want to take a list just to fight IK.  In many ways IK seem like the best counter to us.  Excellent anti-elite shooting, difficult to wound at T8 with almost all our weaponry, and not afraid to get into combat if they get the charge and can back out without penalty.  With that in mind, should it be even be an expectation that a balanced Custodian Guard list can threaten an IK list without resorting to soup?  

[Charlo]

So feeling :cuss bummed out on Custodes. They just seem to have a bad rep or you're pidgeonholed into using very few units to do super well.

 

What are some out there builds or units people use to keep it interesting?

[Kenzaburo]

I think, that as long as you avoid the classic bike spam and surprise your opponents with the not so standard Footstodes list with lots of Wardens for example (I think rcoon uses those a lot), you will have something a bit more different. You also get to play with a bit more iconic Custodes models than the dreaded bikes. 

[rcoon]

So feeling bummed out on Custodes. They just seem to have a bad rep or you're pidgeonholed into using very few units to do super well.

 

What are some out there builds or units people use to keep it interesting?

Battallion with Trajaan and a Bike Captain, 3 x 3 spears (or 2 spears and 1 shield), then a Vanguard with Aquilons (retrofit your Allarus into Aquilons using Space Wolves fists and storm bolters), a vexilla and a HUGE blob of Wardens. It's intensely fun, and you have numerous units that will straight up delete anything they come in contact with.

 

As the resident Imperium player in my meta, I am universally hated by my play group. I run the above Warden blob as one army, and a then Catachan Brigade with a Shadowsword as an alternative list and I have yet to be beaten. I used to spam bikes but frankly I don't find them anywhere near as good against the wide variety of lists I play against compared to troops. I play against, AdMech, Death Guard, Space Marines, IK, Eldar, and the occasional Nid army.

 

I'm moving towards the Telemon + 2 Caladius list soon however, so we'll see how it fares compared to the Warden Blob.

[Photon]

 

I typically have 4 Aquilons, Trajaan and 9 Wardens in Deep Strike. The Aquilons drop with Trajaan to one-shot whatever they drop against and Trajaan is there to ensure it dies and split off once the target is down. The Wardens either drop their standard 9" away, or if my Vexilla can advance fast enough, I drop the wardens as close as the vexilla will allow. In both of the last two games I've played with pure Custodes, I've managed to drop the Wardens 3" away from a priority target - Mortarion and a Knight Castigator. Neither have survived past a single phase of melee combat.

 

 

 

Hello! I'm sorry, but i have a question. 4 aquilion with fist and bolter- 312 , Trajann - 185 and 9 warden - 549. Total - 1046 points in deep strike. In 2000 point game is not correct. Do your typically games have more than 2000 points or i wrong reading rule "Tactical reserves"?

[rcoon]

 

 

I typically have 4 Aquilons, Trajaan and 9 Wardens in Deep Strike. The Aquilons drop with Trajaan to one-shot whatever they drop against and Trajaan is there to ensure it dies and split off once the target is down. The Wardens either drop their standard 9" away, or if my Vexilla can advance fast enough, I drop the wardens as close as the vexilla will allow. In both of the last two games I've played with pure Custodes, I've managed to drop the Wardens 3" away from a priority target - Mortarion and a Knight Castigator. Neither have survived past a single phase of melee combat.

 

 

 

Hello! I'm sorry, but i have a question. 4 aquilion with fist and bolter- 312 , Trajann - 185 and 9 warden - 549. Total - 1046 points in deep strike. In 2000 point game is not correct. Do your typically games have more than 2000 points or i wrong reading rule "Tactical reserves"?

 

It appears I made an error in my reserves 

[Dallas Drake]

 

 

 

 

 

I typically have 4 Aquilons, Trajaan and 9 Wardens in Deep Strike. The Aquilons drop with Trajaan to one-shot whatever they drop against and Trajaan is there to ensure it dies and split off once the target is down. The Wardens either drop their standard 9" away, or if my Vexilla can advance fast enough, I drop the wardens as close as the vexilla will allow. In both of the last two games I've played with pure Custodes, I've managed to drop the Wardens 3" away from a priority target - Mortarion and a Knight Castigator. Neither have survived past a single phase of melee combat.

 

 

 

 

Hello! I'm sorry, but i have a question. 4 aquilion with fist and bolter- 312 , Trajann - 185 and 9 warden - 549. Total - 1046 points in deep strike. In 2000 point game is not correct. Do your typically games have more than 2000 points or i wrong reading rule "Tactical reserves"?

It appears I made an error in my reserves

Meh we all make mistakes. 46 points is hardly game breaking. I like this tactic, will probably stick with bikes over aquilons but it’s good to know wardens are a legit choice.

[MeatGrinder]

Took the opportunity of the pound crumbling to pick up some aquillon terminators. Have a game against the new chaos knights set up to try them out already.

[Riot Earp]

Going to a tournament on Saturday with this list. I see many tau lists. How should i handle them? First shoot the drones?

 

++ Outrider Detachment +1CP (Imperium - Adeptus Custodes) [65 PL, 1,247pts] ++

 

+ HQ +

Shield-Captain [7 PL, 107pts]: Sentinel Blade, Superior Creation, Warlord

. Eagle's Eye

 

+ Fast Attack +

Pallas Grav-Attack (Beta) [5 PL, 100pts]: Twin Arachnus Blaze Cannon

 

Venatari Custodians (Beta) [10 PL, 198pts]

. Venatari Custodian

. . Kinetic Destroyer and Tarsus Buckler: Kinetic Destroyer, Tarsus Buckler

. Venatari Custodian

. . Kinetic Destroyer and Tarsus Buckler: Kinetic Destroyer, Tarsus Buckler

. Venatari Custodian

. . Kinetic Destroyer and Tarsus Buckler: Kinetic Destroyer, Tarsus Buckler

 

Vertus Praetors [20 PL, 360pts]

. Vertus Praetor: Hurricane Bolter

. Vertus Praetor: Hurricane Bolter

. Vertus Praetor: Hurricane Bolter

. Vertus Praetor: Hurricane Bolter

 

+ Heavy Support +

Caladius Grav-tank (Beta) [10 PL, 210pts]: Twin Illiastus Accelerator Cannon, Twin Lastrum Bolt Cannon

 

Telemon Heavy Dreadnought (Beta) [13 PL, 272pts]: Arachnus Storm Cannon, Arachnus Storm Cannon, Spiculus Bolt Launcher

++ Total: [65 PL, 1,247pts] ++

[librisrouge]

Yes. Shoot the drones first. Otherwise, he'll just pass off wounds from his important things and you'll regret it. Your hurricane bolters will be especially useful in this regard.

 

Then get in his face and stab him.

[duz_]

Yes definitely shoot drones first

They'll probably be hiding out of LoS so will have to go find them

Remember saviour protocols only work for drones within 3"

[Riot Earp]

Thanks guys. Should i bring them per deep strike or does tau have nasty Stratagems to shoot ds units. I will stay out of their shooting range with my grav units and the telemon.

[Aothaine]

Thanks guys. Should i bring them per deep strike or does tau have nasty Stratagems to shoot ds units. I will stay out of their shooting range with my grav units and the telemon.

 

I'm not sure. I would also make a post in the T'au forums. You could get some really good insight from the T'au players as well.

[dice4thedicegod]

That’s a very different 1250 point list to the one I just fielded in my Friday night fight tournament (I had foot custodes battalion and a loyal 32 battalion). Faced off against new codex marines (amazing amounts of dakka with annoying extra ap) and ork horde (who tend to bounce, but there are so many of them!)

 

Didn’t finish any games due to time limits (marines and orks just take too long for quick evening games) but oh boy, our custodes are resilient! Definitely felt that given a full game, opponents would have been tabled.

[Riot Earp]

So its over. I made 3 interesting games. First vs Astra Militarum. He was a natural born slow player (he looked a little stoned also) that was realy annoying as we didnt came to round 5.

 

He had 3 Leman russ (Pask ,relic sundance lr and the conquerer) and 5 bullgryns. I mangaged to kill his bullgryns with the biker and got rid of that nasty relic lr. 

He managed to bind my telemon and destroyd my grav tanks so i was hiding and makin points. won 26:19. 

 

Second game against tau with broadsides  and riptide. Managed to get rid of most of his infantry and the breachers. He wiffed after turn 3. He disliked my nearly pure Forgeworld list and wanted to fight me an real good player. 80:20

 

Ended up against tyranids and i could smell the tournament win with this but he got 1st turn and his genestealers ate my bikers. Had a strugle to get rid of his stuff. CC and shooty mixed in kraken battalion. He made more points till i managed to get rid of his scary stuff. Ate his list down to two termangants squads but he scored more. 23:40 loss.

 

Placed 8 out of 32 tho.