How Good Are Chaos Knights In This Edition?

A competitive evaluation of the faction in 10th

How Good Is The Edition?

The gameplay experience is enjoyable overall, although there are occasional hiccups. Some players have expressed dislike towards the towering mechanic, and devastating wounds become a significant issue. Additionally, indirect firepower has received a noticeable boost, which has been problematic in the past, and engaging squads of models in close combat is significantly harder. Re-rolls have become quite prevalent across the board, despite promises otherwise, which reduces the effectiveness of the new toughness scaling. And on top of that, lone operative can sometimes lead to just not being able to even interact with models on the table.

In terms of our army, there is still some debate regarding the number of BS tests inflicted on nearby (below half) units, but the consensus seems to be that we only impose a single test. As a result, our mechanic doesn't have a significant impact on the game in many instances. While shocking a target can affect stratagem usage and objective control, it doesn't provide us with defensive or offensive advantages until later turns, often when our model count has been significantly reduced. We also don’t have many options to even shock the enemy with unless we turn to allies. On the positive side, we have various tools to navigate cover effectively, and our large knights now have improved visibility towards enemy units, which is a notable improvement. However, we have lost the ability to fall back and charge, although we can still shoot while engaged in combat, but must remain stationary and have negatives to hit. It is a very mixed bag which necessitates a play style shift.

How Good Are We?

As a skew list, we sometimes face opponents who haven't brought sufficient anti-tank capabilities. On the other hand, there are certain weapons that are so versatile that they can effectively target both tanks and hordes (like wraithknights), posing a significant threat to us. Unfortunately, we have lost a significant amount of resilience, especially with the scaling of toughness. While the new scaling feels like we may have a -1 to wound modifier, the abundance of rerolls in the game somewhat nullifies this advantage. It feels like we are more vulnerable to shooting than before, as even a single Terminator squad armed with two krak missile launchers and bolters can eliminate a small knight in a single turn thanks to oath of moment. Our ability to counter such threats feels limited.

We possess some fantastic stratagems at our disposal, but ultimately, it's the movement tricks that truly win games. Knights of Shade stands out as our most valuable asset, although it may not always measure up to other tricks available to different factions. For instance, spending CP to enhance a squad's movement can allow a 6" moving unit to cover over 20 inches for the eldar. Thousand Sons employ a similar tactic, but only during their turn. The timing of movement tricks for Eldar can happen on our turn, enabling them to move out of our range or line of sight after our movement phase, or rendering our charges nearly impossible.

We face limitations when it comes to CP tricks, as they are mostly restricted to certain Forge World models. Additionally, the inability to fall back and shoot puts us at a disadvantage. While I appreciate the effectiveness of the Battle Cannon Despoiler, it becomes problematic if it becomes engaged in close combat and is unable to eliminate the opposing squad. To address this issue, I'm considering experimenting with a chain cannon arm to provide better close-range firepower. It's difficult not to draw comparisons with Eldar, but their ability to generate CP and run very similar models to us that just outclass us keeps drawing me to do so. For example, if we attempt to tie up a Wraithknight, it can simply auto-pass its shock test, fall back, and still unleash devastating firepower due to the 2 CP generated with an Autarch in their command phase.

One of the significant drawbacks we face is the potential for giving up a substantial number of static secondary points. If we include too many characters in our army, the enemy can easily score over 32+/40 secondary points without having to maneuver for unique objectives throughout the game. This compels us to bring as few characters as possible, which may not be a bad thing considering the strength of our Dogs. The Brigands have become even more dangerous than they were in the previous edition. With cover only affecting armor saves and our allies stripping cover, our increased ballistic skill gives us up to a 66% higher hit rate against targets in cover. Additionally, we have cheaper access to exploding hits, potentially triggering explosions on a 5+ and gaining extra AP on our top gun and melta arms when unloading on the nearest target. Compared to last edition, our Brigands can output almost double the damage. If the enemy fails to eliminate us in a single turn of combat, the Dog retaliates with devastating firepower at point-blank range, hitting on a 3+s. Even Custodes would think twice about that. This significant buff compensates for the loss of the Helm of Dogs, easily. With this improvement, our army is shifting towards a peculiar fast but short-range shooting force that appears resilient but feels somewhat less so.

While I may sound somewhat pessimistic in this section, I want to emphasize that I am actually quite optimistic about my overall experience. Despite the mentioned shortcomings, I have been performing well thus far. Initially, I had some doubts about the upcoming Tacoma GT, but I am now confidently sticking with my Knights for the tournament.

How Do We Interact With The Various Boogeymen And Standout Factions?

Wraithknights pose a significant threat to us and can easily eliminate one or more of our large Knights with their powerful guns. Fire Prisms are also incredibly cheap, although not as problematic as Wraithknights. When we try to engage them aggressively, the fate dice can often save them, nullifying our shooting and leaving us at a disadvantage for a crucial phase. Blanking our first turn of damage can be reducing our damage output by over 30% throughout the entire game, particularly during the initial and most impactful shooting phase. If the Eldar player takes the first turn, they can decimate our forces in our own deployment zone before we even have a chance to retaliate. It's worth noting that the Eldar players themselves may not necessarily be enjoying these games either, as such matchups can create a less enjoyable experience for both parties involved. With the amount of outrage in the community, I expect a fix fairly soon.

Space Marines with their re-rolls and the prevalence of units like Desolators, Eradicators, and Hellblasters pose a significant threat to us, especially considering the reduced range of our dogs. Oath of moment makes it easier for opponents to target and eliminate our knights, even with cover providing us protection now. However, despite these challenges, I believe that with some adaptation and careful target selection, we still have a chance to perform well in battles against Space Marines. It's important to note that as the meta develops, this match up could become more challenging.

Thousand Sons possess a wide array of tricks and can be highly lethal on the battlefield. However, they lack durability in my opinion, and our Knights don't suffer much when their armor is stripped off at range because we can utilize Diabolic Bulwark. While Thousand Sons can still be a formidable opponent, we have the capability to face them effectively. It's worth noting that Magus and Mutaliths pose significant threats and are very commonly seen in their armies.

The Chaos Daemons' monster mash list presents an interesting match-up as they prefer close-quarters combat, which aligns with our own strategy now that our guns have shorter ranges. While it may seem like they have the upper hand, we can still capitalize on our ability to inflict shocks and leverage exploding 5s. By pressuring them with our potent Melta 4 spears and tearing them apart with our claws, we can force them to make challenging saves and FnPs. Even against the greater demons, our big knights can hold their ground, except when facing formidable opponents like Shalaxi, Skarbrand, or a Bloodthirster wielding a great axe.

Genestealer Cults pose a significant threat to our dogs with their shotguns. It is crucial for us to carefully consider their buffs and find ways to neutralize their sources, whether by forcing stratagem usage or hunting down their characters. Havocs can be particularly effective in this regard. While they are strong and capable of obstructing our movement, if we can overpower them on our turn, they will be out of action for some time, allowing us to regain control of the board. It's important to avoid killing their units on their turn. Additionally, we can utilize our movement abilities and Knights of Shade to swiftly eliminate any respawn tokens and maintain our advantage on the battlefield.

Imperial Knights look like us, but they possess stronger buffs for their large Knights. While I haven't had the opportunity to face them directly yet, we do have the means to eliminate their crucial big units, which may be the key to victory in this matchup. By focusing on neutralizing their key threats and buff sources, we can potentially tip the scales in our favor. The datasheets do however feel like we are just running a worse version of them.

Custodes with their formidable invulnerable saves have always posed a challenge to me, despite my success against them, but with the reduction in armor penetration across the board, their invulnerable saves are less impactful. While they can still handle us in combat, they can only effectively present a limited number of threats. Our firepower is certainly potent enough to handle them, but we may need to prioritize sacrificing a turn of scoring primary to fully unleash our offensive capabilities against them. We might also need to strategically position units to block their movement and ensure that we can continue to engage them in subsequent turns. Even Trajan and his accompanying brick will struggle when faced with a chariot stripping cover and a barrage of exploding hits, backed by Desecrator re-rolls. If they manage to survive, they will likely find it challenging to eliminate an Armiger in a single fight phase.

The matchup against Necrons thus far has felt like a race to outpace their healing abilities, especially if they are utilizing the Resurrection Orb. While I haven't had extensive experience with this matchup, I believe we have the potential to manage it. Their tricks that I have seen feel manageable.

List Progression:

I initially built my list based on what would have made sense in the previous edition: a Desecrator, Abom, 2x Karnivores, and 3x Brigands, with Demon allies consisting of Crushers and their accompanying character. In my first game, I faced off against another Chaos Knight player who brought Skull Cannons, a Rampager, a Bullet Hell Despoiler, and mostly Karnivores, with the addition of an Aura Stalker. The game turned out to be incredibly enjoyable, with failed BS tests happening frequently. The final score ended up being 43-33 in my favor, mainly because both of us struggled to score any points due to OC0. This experience also highlighted just how vulnerable our knights can be without any defensive buffs. Since I was tabled on the bottom of turn 5, we also didn’t know if who technically won for a bit, since the core rulebook mission only cared about points if both players had models left on the table and the mission cards weren’t actually out yet.

In my most recent game, I faced off against a fairly well-optimized Ultramarines list featuring a Desolator blob with Bolter Discipline, a full unit of Hellblasters, Guilliman, Calgar, Bladeguard, two Lancers, and several objective-focused units including Incursors. My opponent did an excellent job managing the randomized secondaries and only failed two Battle Shock tests throughout the game, successfully passing one with IB.

My own list had undergone some changes, now consisting of 6 Brigands, a Despoiler, 2 Karnivores, and 2 Skull Cannons along with a Burning Chariot. My strategy revolved around stripping cover and completely obliterating a target or two, as I've felt the edition leaning more towards a deathstar approach with the focus on leaders.

Despite my opponent's strong performance, I managed to pull ahead in the game. The higher scoring randomized secondaries made it a close match, with the final score ending at 84-77 in my favor. I found the Assassinate secondary particularly effective, as my opponent relied heavily on buff characters to enhance their combo pieces. There are more than a few enemy characters that stand back up and count twice. Additionally, my experience with Chaos Space Marines last edition prepared me well for Storm Hostile Objectives.

With the addition of Imperial Armour options, I've been pondering the inclusion of the Castigator in my list. Its sustained hit aura offers increased output over the buff of the Desecrator on a faster and more survivable chassis. Additionally, I've been contemplating the idea of including Nurglings to perform actions on the battlefield. This would help alleviate the burden on our knights, as we certainly don't want them being tied up with secondary objective actions. The firepower they possess is crucial for us to maintain our board control.

Conclusion

Overall, I've been holding up well in the chaos of the new edition, despite some perplexing balance choices. It seems our army hasn't been completely overshadowed. While I don't anticipate achieving an average win rate of 55% or dominating every event, I believe we'll perform similarly to how we did in the previous edition. We may not claim numerous supermajor victories, but we'll remain a competitive force on the mid to upper tables. The inclusion of demons in our army provides a fallback option when we need to fulfill certain roles, and demons tend to perform well in the metagame. Initially, I was concerned about bringing my knights to the Tacoma event, considering my preparations for Thousand Sons. However, I've decided to focus on completing skull cannons and a burning chariot instead. While going undefeated at the event may be impossible, achieving a 7-2 or 6-3 record would still be more than satisfactory, especially with an army that many of the top teams rank quite low. I recall nearly making it into the top bracket at NOVA last year with an Abominant in my list, even when Tyranids were utilizing dual harpies and the relic weapon had no cap. If we could succeed then, I'm confident we can still perform decently now. It won't be easy, but I'm committed to sticking with Chaos Knights for as long as I can.