With my wife and daughter going away for a weekend with relatives gave me the weekend off with no plans. Then I was invited to play in Titans of War, a three man team tournament that has historically drawn some of the best players in the country to its halls.
Now, I haven't played much in the way of 40k this year, playing a small 40k tournament with Tau, and a few pick up games here and there...
But not a lot. Not enough.
Leading into this tournament, I was well aware that I'm not likely to do well (half the Aussie Tournament Team are attending, and let's be honest, my skills are simply not of that calibre), so I decided to make the most of the event and play five games and challenge myself to get better at the game.
This left me with my biggest decision; which army to take to the event. While I briefly entertained the idea of taking Tau or even Orks, I wanted a codex that I was completely comfortable with, as I didn't want to be learning the ins and outs of an army in a time-poor setting like a competitive tournament. With that in mind, my choice was a simple one with only one right answer.
The mighty Grey Knights!
My list was heavily determined by what I already owned and had built, so it wasn't as crazy as it could have been, but I'm comfortable with the list that I have assembled.
The interesting thing about team tournaments that I've discovered (this being my first) is that it's not about writing a well-rounded all-comers list that has the ability (but perhaps not the unquestionable competency) to handle any threat. Match-ups are vital to winning and losing, and your list should be designed to do one thing very well! Deathstars will be commonplace, and while Grey Knights possess the building blocks for one of the best Deathstars in the game, I was determined to control the board with speed and mobility. And I think this is reflected in my list.
Without further ado, let's chat about what's on the roster in this, my most recent project to distract me from all others.
First off the mark was HQ, and in a Psyker-heavy army such as Grey Knights, it's hard to go past a Librarian. With Mastery Level 3, Terminator Armour as stock and a Warding Staff, he is a serious asset in attaining psychic superiority. Not only that, but combining his equipment with the Aegis, he is denying warp charges on a 3+ re-rolling 1's for all within 12", thanks to his hood. All for 135 points. Bargain.
I opted to go with the Nemesis Strike Force organisation chart, as it only requires a single Troop choice, which I filled with a 10-man Terminator unit. I spent the points on a pair of Daemon Hammers and Psycannons to give myself some added punch in both shooting and combat, while the rest of the squad were equipped with Halberds to make sure they could handle business, even without Hammerhand and other augmenting abilities.
The last element of my "brick" was the O.G. deathdealer, Draigo himself. This guy is among the toughest and scariest characters in the imperial arsenal, and for good reason. He's got a hefty price tag, but for what you get, he's worth every penny! As an added extra, he comes stock with Gate of Infinity, giving me that vital mobility.
Speaking of mobility, now that I had a good foundation, it was time to build upward with some hard hitting elements. The first were two full-strength units of Interceptors. These teleporting jump infantry can cause no end of strife if left unchecked, and I planned on sewing carnage wherever they materialised. Each squad sported two hammers, two Incinerators and a ton of Falchions to maximise damage in combat! While I will more often than not combat squad to benefit from not only more Shunts, but also more Warp Charges, I'm not shy of keeping them in big units to conserve kill points or survive a tough match. These units are my fix-it crews. Being able to launch 30" across the board is invaluable, especially considering their Incinerators spell imminent doom for difficult to catch units such as Eldar Jetbikes. And let's not forget Psyk-out Grenades. Got a Daemon problem? Farseer getting you down? These guys have an express delivered head-implosion coming right up!
The last piece of the puzzle are two hulking Dreadknights! These guys aren't impossible to kill, but hot damn, do they take some poor souls with them on the way down! Teleporters, Heavy Psycannon and Hammers (scraping points off the bottom of the barrel on these gents) are pretty standard kit, but I veered away from the obvious choice of Heavy Incinerator for the Gatling Psilencer. This perplexed another Grey Knight player I recently talked to, who had complete faith in Incinerators, but I chose the Psi option for two reasons.
1: I already have plenty of Incinerators elsewhere in the list, and Torrent is nice but not an obligatory purchase.
2: Force. Gatling Psilencers have Force. From 24" away, I can pump 12 shots into a character or MC (or multiple wound anything, Plague Drones, Spawn etc), and while there is no AP to speak of, one failed save out of twelve shots can spell disastrous doom! I can and have one-shorted Daemon Princes with not a moments hesitation, and have complete faith in these weapons! And let's be honest, these boys are going after the biggest, baddest foes already. I'm resistant to assign them to infantry-torching duty.
The list is small, but packs a punch! With only 34 models, I'll have to be careful about how I play, but I cannot wait!
I have played a grand total of one practice game against a very Grav-oriented Marine army, and let's just say, things did not go well. Thanks to a combination of misplaced confidence, bad advice and truly awful rolling, I charged into the teeth of the Lion and got chewed up and spat out without ceremony. It was a tough lesson, but I learnt from it.
Grey Mnights are an army I want to get really good at! They have a low profile in the game, and you don't see many GK players about the place, but the codex has some really powerful elements! I think with practice, I can become a very adept player with this under appreciated codex!
I'd love to know your thoughts on my army. I know it's not as bonkers as it could be, but I'm comfortable with throwing the dice on the table.
Thanks for reading,
Gabe
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