With 8th Edition settling in to all of our brains, the wondrous assault of codexes has begun. Games Workshop has promised ten before the end of the year, and we've already got three of them! Space Marines was, of course, the first to drop; and with it came the select few who moaned about Marines getting all the attention, like they're not some kind of super-popular user friendly poster boys that spearhead the 40k universe and in turn, the game. But we've become accustomed to this after literally every space marine release.
To be honest, I wasn't overly stressed about picking up the new Space Marine codex, as there were three others that had my attention. Specifically, i was extremely excited for Grey Knights, Chaos Space Marines and, of course, Death Guard (hit the shelves already, Morty!). Thankfully for me, unfortunately for my wallet, both the GK and CSM codexes hit shelves yesterday, and while I will be dedicating a significant amount of content to CSM in the future, tonight I want to focus solely upon Grey Knights, look at whats changed, and what new tech we have at our disposal!
First thing's first. If you've been keeping track of the 40K scene, you would know that there are four new unit entires in the codex. The first two are the Stormhawk Interceptor and the Stormtalon Gunship. This is actually a pretty big deal for Grey Knight players, as one of the biggest shortcomings of the army is ranged high-strength, high-damage shooting. Storm bolters and Psilencers, while insane against a lot of things, just can't get the job done against things like Land Raiders and Knight Titans. Even Psycannons really struggle, only having AP-1… This left most GK players having to sort out their issues in close combat, which is much easier said than done in a lot of cases. Nemesis weapons are brutal, especially when combined with Hammerhand, but with the addition of the two fliers, we now have access to very mobile, very powerful gun platforms capable of crippling even the most powerful of units!
My personal pick of the two is definitely the Stormhawk Interceptor. Not only is it a little more durable at T7, but it packs significantly more firepower and gains plenty of bonuses against units with the FLY keyword; perfect when dealing with threats that can outmanoeuvre footslogging ground forces.
The third unit is the mighty Chaplain. As if we weren't spoilt enough already with support characters, we now have access to Terminator Chaplains! With a 6" LD9 bubble, a 6" Re-roll To Hit bubble, a 4+ Invulnerable save and all the standard Grey Knight perks (packing Psyk-out Grenades, being a Psyker, Daemon Hunters and so on), the Chaplain actually looks like a fantastic utility character that will get plenty of mileage! He's great at buffing those around him, he has full access to the new Psychic discipline and can punch on with the best of them. A definite winner from this codex!
Lastly, and probably most anticipated, is the inclusion of a Grand Master in Nemesis Dreadknight armour. Holy wow! Talk about bringing a gun to a pillow fight. While Grand Masters are amazing, and Dreadknights are a force to be reckoned with, the blending of the two together has single-handedly created one of the most terrifying HQ choices in the game so far! Don't believe me?
This T6, 12-wound monster rocks a 2+ save, an absolutely brutal combat weapon (if you go the Greatsword, you're hitting on 2's re-rolling 1's at S10… Yikes!), two ridiculous shooting profiles, and if that wasn't enough, he can cast and deny two psychic powers each phase and rocks an improved 4+ Invulnerable save. Pretty amazing, right? That being said, all of this doesn't come cheap. A fully equipped GMiDKA weighs in at a whopping 285 points! But as you'll see later, he's worth every point with the right combination.
The rest of the unit entires remain largely unchanged.
Now, we get into the really cool, army specific stuff. Firstly, if I run a Battleforged Grey Knight army, all Troops gain the equivalent of Objective Secured (awesome!), and every Psyker in my detachment receives +1 to cast and deny Psychic Powers… WHAT?!? Suddenly, this Psyker-heavy army has become incredibly dominant over the psychic phase (as if it wasn't already!). Fantastic.
New warlord traits are pretty handy! While there are a few minor buffs and auras, I think the two standouts are Nemesis Lord (add 1 to the Damage characteristic of your Warlord's melee weapons) and Lore Master (your Warlord knows an additional Psychic power). Voldus comes with this as standard, giving him some serious mental abilities.
It wouldn't be a Codex without some Relics of Titan, and they did not disappoint. While there are a few in there that are… let's say, less than mind-blowing, all have their uses. The Fury of Deimos is a nifty Rapid Fire 3 relic Storm Bolter that offers some added punch. The Banner of Refining Flame is perfect for all of your Plaguebearer-toasting needs. And the Soul Glaive has returned as one of the most potent melee weapons in the Grey Knight Arsenal. There's also a pretty sweet Relic hammer in there, that if combined with Nemesis Lord, has a damage profile of 5!! No D6, no variables. One hit from this is gonna straight up obliterate most infantry characters!
I do want to give special mention to the Cuirass of Sacrifice, which essentially gives you a 5+ "save-after-your-save" against wounds and mortal wounds. While its not a sure thing, it may keep your prize hero alive for a smidge longer!
The new Sanctic Discipline is pretty special too! While Purge Soul, Hammerhand and Gate of Infinity were carried over directly from the Index, we see the return of Vortex of Doom (for some juicy mortal wound output!), Astral Aim (line of sight-blocking terrain? What line of sight-blocking terrain?) and the golden power to rule all powers; Sanctuary. Sactuary is amazing. If it's cast on a unit, that unit gains a 5+ Invulnerable save. If it already has an Invulnerable save, add 1 to that save. You already know where I'm going with this, but theres one more piece to the puzzle.
Stratagems.
Sixteen of them. And while a few are very situational, there are at least five or six that are insanely good! These range from being able to Combat squad a unit mid-game, casting an additional power with one of your units, piling in twice in the combat phase, shunting twice with Interceptors, even a cheeky Orbital Bombardment, the list goes on… but there are three I want to focus on.
The first is Psychic Onslaught, which adds 1 to the Strength and AP of all Psycannons, Heavy Psycannons, Psilencers and Gatling Psilencers in a GK unit (read Dreadknight).
The second is Only in Death Does Duty End, which allows you to shoot or fight with a GK Character after he's been slain (go down swinging!).
And lastly, and easily my favourite, Heed the Prognosticars; at the start of your turn, and lasting until the start of your next turn, add 1 to a GK character's Invulnerable save.
Heed the Prognosticars.
Sanctuary.
Grand Master in Dreadknight Armour.
Suddenly, the very expensive beatstick has a 2+ invulnerable save. You can increase his damage output in shooting with Psychic Onslaught. You can increase his damage output in combat with Nemesis Lord. And if someone manages to kill him, you can punch on or shoot both your amazing guns on the way out!
And that is why I think the Grand Master is the absolute shining star of this Codex! The amount of support and buffing you can give him, with pretty incredible mobility, is actually obscene.
But you know what they say; the best laid plan rarely survives contact with the enemy. I'm very keen to try out the codex with a couple of different builds before I get too carried away! All in all, it's a fantastic release, and as a GK player, I could not be happier!
I'll be doing a review of the CSM book soon, so if you're a little more inclined toward anarchy and carnage, I'll be catering to you too!
Thanks for reading,
Gabe
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