Faction Focus and Preview Games
Where I guess at what is good before anyone knows anything about point costs...
Chaos Knights Focus
So to start, our new faction and detatchment rules are pretty cool. They kept the same theme as we had last eddition but made it simpler. The pain of having to weigh going within 12” for dread range and staying out of it for -1 to be hit is now gone, as we just plain get it for shocked stuff. The things that end up being shocked will fluctuate a lot in game and probably dictate how well we are going to be doing, but things feel like we will consistently be doing at least averagly. The standard space marine will fail 42% of the time by us. If they are below half, they take two tests by us and have a 66% chance of failure. That is massive. And it is some of the average to better leadership in the game. I am very excited for this.
Now, some bad news is that war dogs have bad leadership and need a despoiler with them to not fail BS tests. We want those OC8 bodies to stay in the fight, so we may need to bring them along. I do like the melta cannons, especially with anti-tank being rarer nowadays. The despoiler may outshine it though, so we will have to wait and see.
I did notice the votann conversion beamers which are likely to be directly translated onto the moirax. I really like the idea of some “new” toys in the form of previously never taken wargear suddenly being interesting.
But the two best things so far? The two big knights most taken, the despoiler and the abominant are both looking very strong. The despoiler laser is horifying, and the abom throwing tests out left and right will probably keep both of these models in the top CK lists for quite a while.
Demons Focus and Preview Game
Including 500 points of Daemons in our army can help fill gaps and provide additional benefits. Certain daemon combinations can create overlapping aura buffs that enhance the performance of units. For example, pairing a Great Unclean One (GUO) with a Nurgle Daemon Prince (DP) can increase the GUO's life by 33% and the DP's life by 20%, assuming they have a 3+ saving throw. Additionally, any units accompanying them can receive a significant 59.6% boost in durability. Facing such a combination can be daunting due to the available heroic intervention options. Capitalizing on these overlapping buffs is key. Always look for multaplicative benefits.
The deep strike stratagem that allows units to deploy 3" away from enemies is exceptionally strong and versatile. It can be particularly effective when used to secure behind enemy lines. The charge bonus from the banner will greatly benefit the army. Furthermore, Horrors can become incredibly resilient, as they now require a significant number of casualties to be reduced below half strength. With the addition of teleportation and advanced charging strategies, the faction shows great promise. Not to mention the exciting possibilities offered by the Rapid Ingress ability.
While it's uncertain whether this will be addressed in future FAQs, Belakor seems to cast the demon shadow thing despite being an ally. According to detachment rules, he may enable units to deep strike within 6" of enemies near him, making 5" charges quite feasible. Belakor can also force additional tests, enhancing the effectiveness of spamming Ballistic Skill tests. Moreover, his ability to remain untargetable adds another layer of tactical advantage. That assumes that the allied demon detatchment gets the detatchment rule.
Other Things That Make Me Nervous
I have a strong aversion to consigning most Forge World (FW) models to the legends category. The argument of having options that applies to Space Marines doesn't quite hold true for Chaos, resulting in the loss of a significant portion of our daemon engine choices. However, I am somewhat willing to accept this trade-off if it means that my FW knights will supposedly remain viable. I possess a considerable number of knights, which have been stored away in boxes for quite some time. With the introduction of new plastic kits, I am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to bring them to the forefront once again, and this prospect brings me great satisfaction. You win some and lose some.
And I don’t like black templars and greyfax. 4+ to wound any psycher and do mortals is bad for abominants. And whichever demons I take. I really dislike mixing anti- and devestating wounds.
But unless there are any further releases prior to datasheets, points, and mission packet, there really isn’t much left to discuss until we have more info. I will try to get a battle report in of a send off game for the edittion.