Dark Angels Nephilim Jetfighter Showcase

After sitting in my table for some months now, the Nephilim jetfighter is finally finished. And boy, it is a great model! it looks very Space Marine with its boxy shape and gothic finishes, but also very Dark Angels. Personally I prefer this model over the Storm Talon any day, it looks more "realistic" and menacing.

Paint-wise, the key to painting black is, well, no to paint black. I know it sounds strange but think about when you've just primed black a model, there is no definition or shapes, and it is indeed very difficult to make out the shapes and details. This is why most areas are painted dark-grey, leaving the black for the final shadows or deepest recesses. This can be seen for example in the nose, than is one of the light points.

The second secret would be the edge highlighting. This model uses 4 different tones, from dark grey to almost white. The idea is that the highlights should be consistent with the color around it. In the case of the nose again, notice how the edges that receive the light have an almost white highlight, while as the line goes down to the heavy bolters it gets darker as the panel is also obscured. Does this make sense?

The reason it's missing the side antennas is just I haven't painted those yet - the model is completely magnetized so I can swap it to a Dark Talon, should I want to play a veeeery casual game.

The brown dirt in the wings is the effect of the oil pants. Alternatively spraying burnt umber is a good way to achieve a similar effect.

 The base... well as much as I love resin bases, especially like those from Secret Weapon Miniatures, the reality is that I didn't want to spend more money in this one so I just created the base with some bits and sand from the park.

The pilot is painted turquoise in an effort to replicate the light from his console. A black pilot in a black ship would be very difficult to spot.

Hope you like it! let me know what you guys think

DA + IG 2000 points

I've been toying for a long time with the idea of a Ravenwing army, and actually using it as motivation to paint the 30+ bikers I'd need for it. Right now I'm only down to 7~8 but hopefully I will speed things up this summer. The first thing that comes to mind is that is beautiful, themed army. The second is that it is quite limited from a gaming standpoint, and this is why I'm striving to fix.

Having never played biker armies, my impression is that the tactics are rather one-dimensional (move up and shoot?), with the occasional outflanking depending on the mission and opponent. I also find the backfield scoring a cause for concern, and leaving a combat squadded tactical unit behind doesn't do much for the army does it? it will not shoot much, if anything at all, and if someone gets close they will die rather quick. And last but not least, flyers. Highly mobile twin-linked plasma talons can be a lever, as it is stealing the opponents quad-gun, but I'd feel more confortable with something more reliable. All in all I think a good way to erase this concerns is looking for allies, and unsurprisingly, IG can help in all 3 points. Let's get to it.

A 30-40 man blob is affordable enough and can dish out some S7 love, perfect to crack light transports for the bikers to shoot down its contents. Hiding behind the Aegis are resistant enough with the 2+ save from GTG and then ordered Back to fight!, and armed with some flamers and a power axe or two are a bit more resilient to assaults than a tacticals. Not by much, but enough. This of course doesn't make a blob but is richer tactically - I can have 1 or 4 scoring units, embark a PCS with 4 flamers in a Vendetta for a turn 5 objective clean up and hopefully attract some bullets from the bikers. The ubiquotous Vendetta is a must, and a Manticore is effective as always.

Not in unless you bring a bike!

On the Ravenwing side, obviously we need to make the bikers scoring and I'm leaning towards Sammael for a few reasons. The first and obvious is that he unlocks the RW command squad, without requiring a biker Libby to do that. The second is to tank some wounds in the command squad, and the third is that it has a very long movement range so I can use him to deny objectives in the late game. OK there is another reason, and is that I absolutely love his model - the jetbike is beautiful and tremendously characterful for this army. Azrael has his merits and could very well be leading a blob of death; my impression is that Azrael can potentially make this army stronger but I'd like to keep the Ravenwing theme stronger. Play testing will determine the winner, as soon as I finish all those bikers.

The aforementioned command squad is the lynchpin of the army, carrying the standard of devastation that gives 4 twin-linked bolter shots to every biker. Combined with the grenade launcher it will make mince meat to most foot units. Given I'm already spending a ton of points in this unit, I will pay the apothecary for the FNP. This unit should be having a 2+ or 3+ cover save most of the time, followed by a 5+ FNP. It's only 5 wounds (8 with Sammael) but hard to bring down, and meanwhile lets the scoring bikers live a little longer. If they survive past T3 when the bolter fiesta should be over, they can use their superior maneuvrability and plasma talons to support other units as needed. 8 TL plasma shots can reliably take down most things in this game.

Speaking of the Ravenwing, the core of the army would be 4 units of 6 bikers with meltaguns. Sammel, the plasma talons, manticore and vendetta provide enough Ap2 and I can torrent down Terminators and Sanguinary Guard with massed bolter fire; what this army needs is melta guns to crack those  transports open and ready to salvo to death its juicy contents.

The icing in the cake is a Darkshroud to provide Stealth to nearby units and help protect them in the early turns.

So to recap this is the list

Sammael

1x RW Command Squad
5 Black Knights including RW Champion (<--5 points to make precision shots and a EW? sold), Apothecary and Standard of Devastation

4x Ravenwing Attack Squads
6x Bikers, 3 squads have 2x meltaguns


1x Darkshroud

IG allies:

CCS, 3 meltaguns (<-- to shoot down drop podded dreads, monoliths or any other heavy armour that gets too close)

PCS, 4 flamers (<-- rides in Vendetta or stays back to protect the platoon)

3x Infantry Squads, 2x Autocannons, 2x Flamers

ADL with Quad-Gun

It's an army to likes to go first, turbo-boosting to get a 2++ cover save on the command squad/Darkshroud and 3++ on the bikes. The infantry platoon stays on home objectives and the manticore goes after high toughness/AV objectives. The RW grenade launcher can reduce the toughness of many nasty units to 5 (Wraiths and the like), making them susceptible to insta-death.

The worst match-ups that I can foresee would be going second against very shooty armies like Venom-spams or Tau / IG gunlines. The bikes should be deployed either out of LOS or range, and  reserved / outflanked if I can't protect them reliably.

Flyers... well I have decent AA. Not nearly enough to counter flyer-heavy armies but hopefully we'll be seeing less of those as more AA options are made available. And if come across 6 Scythes, well, at least I will enjoy a fun T1 :)

Not the most competitive of armies but something I'm really keen on fielding. I would appreciate feedback while I'm painting / building this army - any blatant weaknesses or suggestions for improvements?

On the painting table: Dark Angels Dark Shroud / Vengeance

I'm making good progress in the Ravenwing army project. That's an optimistic view of course as at the moment I only have about 8 bikes and some 20 tacticals, but at least I'm getting there. In the meantime I'll indulge myself to some Doublewing games, which is not an army I particularly like but is the only that I can field at the moment.

This Land Speeder is merely minutes away from being added to the completed list. It is aesthetically, uh, disruptive so to say, with an stange atrium at the front, 4 engines protruding from the sides and a chapel glass next to the pilot. What were the designers thinking about? well I've long given up trying to make complete sense of 40k, that's why it is the grim dark future and bla bla.

So preferences aside, I like this model both from a gamer and painter standpoint. In the tabletop will help me grant a 2+ cover to the command squad, which is the lynchpin of the army, and a 3+ to the other biker squads during that crucial T1. T2/3 is the dakka festival of course, but a biker army has a limited headcount and I need as many bikes alive as I can. Enter the Darkshroud. After that T2, if it's still up and running will just try to hit side armour with the assault cannon, or go after small infantry units. I feel in the event it makes it past T2, a Heavy Bolter would make it nigh useless so I'm happy to pay the 20 points for the AC. If it dies, well it dies.

Very easy to swap configurations

The other variant included in the kit is the Land Speeder Vengeance which I feel is a big missed opportunity. A large plasma blast is cute but in a 2HP model? without twin-linked? and a 24" range? I can't even hide this thing behind a Land Raider, or move it back to cover after shooting a la Tau. It doesn't need much really, just make it twin-linked, as the weapon suggests, or give it 3HP, or at the very least give it some more range than just 24"! as it is now however, it's the first thing that would go down in a game, and without requiring massive firepower. For the time being, the plasma guns won't leave the foam tray.

In any case, I felt it was worth 5 minutes of my time and 2 magnets to make sure I can swap both configurations! sooner or later GW will fix the Vengeance, praise the Emperor...

The painter view

This type of models are extremele rewarding for the hobbyist. You could be tempted to just give it a black basecoat, paint some highlights and call it a day. Certainly I have done as much in the past with things like the Death Company. This time I went for something different though. I painted clear highlights in some areas with the airbrush, then highlighter with very dilluted grey and white tones. The other element that stands out of course is the OSL with Hawk Turquoise. This is one of my favourites tones from the GW line and certainly I can see it in many power weapons around. In this case I have tried to project the light from plasma guns, gunner controls and glass to the elements around it. Notice the right side of the driver and front of the gunner have some light reflections over their black armours.

If you have an airbrush this isn't very complicated to do. If a dull economist like myself can do this, well imagine people with actual artistic talent lol!

The technique goes around applying a light tone, like a soft grey, on the areas you want to apply the reflection. Take the gunner for example; we want his chest and helmet to reflect the light from the controls in front of him, so we'll just lightly spray the grey from the same direction in which the light comes. This will shade the black and when we apply the turquoise, it will naturally be lighter in these areas we have previously sprayed in grey. The magic of the airbrush is both making this fast and easy, but especially creating the color graduation with little effort.

Then it's just a matter of creating more contrast by applying dilluted black to the recesses (all of them), and highlight again with grey/whites. Hope you liked it!

The Ghosts' project and digressions on painting faces

Now that I made up my mind to paint some Tanith Ghosts for my increasing IG army (the Emperor never stops recruiting!) it's time to consider the faces. Painting faces can be one of the most dauting tasks when putting together a new unit or army. It's one of the focal areas, where the eyes tend to go, and therefore it's important to get it right. I'm still in the process of learning (I don't think you can ever stop learning) but I think I can paint pretty decent faces. Considering the Ghosts are rather monochromatic - dull black matte fatigues, dull camo cloak and no color accents at all - I need to make the rest of elements particulary good, and faces are amongst the most important here.

Getting started with simple faces

This is my version of Azrael, Grand Master of the Dark Angels. Still a work in progress but what matters is his face is finished ^^I think he would look better without the bionic eye but nevermind. The process was something like:

• Black basecoat
• Tallarn flesh basecoat, leaving a very thin black line around the hair.
• Layered 50/50 dwarf and elf flesh for a middle tone.
• Added some elf flesh to the mix and layered, almost glazed, a few prominent areas like the nose tip, chin, etcetera
• Washed with Ogryn flesh.
• Painted the eyes:
• Painted the eyes area black.
• Filled that space with pure white, leaving a small line surrounding the eye.
• Painted the iris with a small dot.
• Back to the face, went over it again with the original dilluted mix, leaving the dark
• Added red glazes to the brow and cheeks.
• Added purple glazes to the area below the cheeks.
• Had a beer.

It isn't as slow as it can seem, when painting the Ghosts I'll just line a squad of them and go over the steps - everybody black basecoated, then everybody tallarn basecoated, etc. Only one beer at the end though :)

Adding camo

Now that I think about it, these scouts were the first time I attempted to add camo to the faces. Not unusual considering I mainly have a ton of power armoured dudes, and most of my IG are Kriegs with rebreathers.

Essentially I painted the faces as usual, then added some dilluted green stipes. I doesn't look that bad but I need to improve it. Am I going to use it in the Ghosts? well many of the faces I have now have beards or other facial hair so probably not. That said, I might use it to reinforce certain characters, like scouts or snipers.

Adding tattoos

While I'm not a big fan of blue moon tattoos in a face, it will help to make the Ghosts more recognizable and will give it a much needed contrast to an otherwise dull black/green minis. I haven't yet made my mind on how exactly I'll do this, but it needs to work for both the faces and the arms. 

Oh and just before my trip to the States last week I managed to finish those Knights below. Pretty happy how they turned out and given they are fully magnetized, I can swap the mauls for bolters and plasma cannons for a completely awesome standard Deathwing squad. Hope you like them!

Alternative Primarch models

Am I the only one finding the pace of Primarch releases from Forge World to be unnerving? the Angron model looks great and captures all the ferocity of the World Eaters Primarch, but costs a hefty £50 and so far he is the only one of his brethren to have a model.

Many, many years ago GW released a Leman Russ model (!!) and that was up to date the only Primarch model. Now after Angron I'm pretty sure we'll see more Primarchs coming down the line as more Horus Heresy books are released from FW. But consider this - can we expect to see the 18-21 (depending on how you count them) Primarchs to be produced? unless the warp claims (Emperor protects!) the current GW management, no. All right. Let's lower the expectations. Can we expect the main ones, say pick your top 5-7, anytime soon? again, most likely not. Whew. What about 2 or 3 more Primarchs, and not necessarily the most popular ones? well that is more reasonable. Don't ask me why there are no Sanguinius, Perturabo or Russ models out there,  because they would be top sellers. Or why the price is more akin to silver than resin. Just imagine a line of Primarchs like these below. I'd be buying GW shares like crazy if I knew that was going to happen.

Fortunately, there are a few models outside of GW/FW that look pretty good. Scibor has some nice models for the Lion and Sanguinius. Hitech miniatures has some of my favourite unofficial Primarch models, like this Perturabo ("Proturbo" lol). The look of it seems definetely inspired by this Black Library cover:

Mortarion, with his trademark scythe:

Or the Lion, with his trademark Lion's helm and Caliban sword FTW:

Do you guys know any other good Primarch models out there?

Deathwing WIP

Moar Deathwing! The Command Squad, Knights and DV terminators are almost finished. Well the Dark Vengeance ones were completed but I went back to them to apply something I did for the other squads - the turquoise contrasts! as you can see I've applied it to the powerfists, but also to the lights beneath the arms and very lightly onto the eyes. I'm quite pleased with the effect as it helps to break the brown/bone tones; I also like how the powerfist looks energized without the usual ethereal glowing. 

By the way, I built the command squad with a combination of spare pieces from the DW kit and the vanilla assault terminators, which is not only cheaper but gets you all the hammers you need :) Without further ado let's have a look:

The apothecary - notice all the arms are magnetized, same as with the terminators torsos. I did the bases for the Command Squad with cork, balsa wood and a few spare pieces. Not ideal but at least have a base now.

The DW champion has a half energized weapon. I need to find some time to finish the airbrushing work here.

A hopefully subtle OSL on the plasma cannon - again trying to move away from a shiny look.

My favourite of the Dark Vengeance set with a now charged power fist. Try hitting that ferrocrete wall again :)

The DW Knights - these will be sitting on some Secret Weapon bases very soon. I have kept them more clean than the other DW as they look busy enough.

Stay tuned for the final version! feel free to leave comment with your opinion.

Dark Angels Veterans Showcase

Sternguard veterans are amongst my favourite Space Marine minis. They are essentially what a Space Marine should be, wearing ornamented power armour with different replacement parts, scrolls, necklaces, service studs and other blings to make each one stand out. Probably because of my love for Space Wolves, I just find the bog-standard vanilla squads boring, where the only difference is that the occasional skull in the helmet or chst plate. Now Dark Angels don't get Sternguard vets but I just couldn't resist to paint 5 for the greenwing. In game I will either use them as Tactical marines, or as allied SM sternguard.

Of course I still need to base them, but I'm still undecided. For me the bases need to fulfill 2 roles i) enhance the army by providing a rich contrast and ii) set said army in a context, for example a campaign I've read in a book. Now I'm fairly new to DA lore and as such I don't know much beyond them fighting greenskins, and color-wise I'd like to use the same bases for the Death, Raven and Green wings. Any ideas and recommendations are very appreciated!

Also here's a sneak peek at what's in my desk right now - the mighty DW Knights! alas I need to replace the needle on my airbrush so there will be limited progress this week. What do you guys think?

Protecting the bolter banner

At this point, one of the biggest questions for Dark Angels players and opponents alike is around the increasingly popular Standard of Devastation, aka bolterbanner. For those travelling the warp during the last few weeks, this is a nifty piece of wargear that turns boltguns onto salvo 2/4 weapons. So a static Tactical squad pours 40 shots at 24", and a 6-man Ravenwing squad 24 twin-linked shots at 24", after moving 12". This is all good but has two main problems: mobility and survivability. Mobility can be solved to a certain extent by using Ravenwing bikers who are relentless and thus can move and shoot 4 times at full range.

But this solution only complicates more the issue of survivability. Let's see. The standards can only be carried by Command Squads (m'kay), and said squads can not be increased in number. So bog-standard and Deathwing will always have 5-man, Ravenwing only 3 bikers. Wait a minute. That's 200 points in 3 T5, 3+ save models. Houston we have a problem. Now the question is, can we get around it? Let's see.

The squad can't be increased in numbers, but this doesn't prevent ICs from joining it. Given that Sammael is a must for running Ravenwing (unless you're taking Azrael, but since he likes to foot slog it, we'll leave him in the Rock), we are already investing in a IC that can join the command squad and help tank wounds. Sammy has Eternal Warrior and a 4++, so can take a few shots. Now I'm not proposing to sacrifice Sammael in this role, as he becomes very valuable in the late game to contest objectives (24" turbo-boost woo-hoo), but rather suggesting that he can be there to escort the bikers T1, then move on to other role.


Small but important note here: the bolterbanner is not meant to be used 5 turns out of 6 in a game; it is rather an ace down your sleeve to decimate the opponent's troops and devs for a turn or two. Use the Attack Bikes / Land Speeders multi meltas to de-mech, then shoot it's juicy contents. But then move onto other things - the Ravenwing is short and numbers and quite fragile. It needs to be on the move, using its superior mobility to harass the opponent at distance. If the RW gets bogged down in CC, odds are it will bend.

4 twin-linked shots with just the left hand, huh!

Sammael aside, Dark Angels have access to two good, cheap and versatile ICs that can take a bike in the shape of the Librarian and Techmarine. A level 1 Libby in a bike is a bargain at 85 points; Divination is not really needed since all the boltguns are already twin-linked and well, seems a waste to use it in a couple of melta or plasma guns alone, although it will serve us well if we get in CC. Anyway, our Libby can select his powers from 4 disciplines and I'm sure we can get some good utility out of it. He can also access the armoury for a cheap auspex (-1 to cover saves) or a generator field for a 4++. Very very good.

The techmarine is even cheaper, at 70 points in a bike, and comes with a 2+ save default. An additional bonus is boosting the cover save of a ruin, which is handy for our small home unit or devs. His ability to repair HP will most times be wasted, I'm afraid. But the point is he can take a few hits and save them like a champ with his 2+. Bless the Omnisiah when he is no more :)

Interrogator-chaplains could also be used, but these are markedly more expensive HQs and we can get re-rolls from a Libby for half the price. Better pass.

On top of that first layer that is the IC save, we can get up to a 2+ cover save if going first, thanks to combined effects of jink, turbo-boosting, skiller rider and a nearby Dark Shroud. Yes Helldrakes and Dreadknights will ruin your day, but keep in mind these have to start in reserve and can't touch us T1. And most heavy support teams in the game will have to face the 2+ wall anyway.

Ravenwing Command Squad aside, the banner could also find other placements. I find these to be subpar options but are doable nonetheless:

Power armoured Command Squad in a Land Raider Crusader: This is an expensive proposition, but one that serves a few purposes. First of all, we can transport Azrael and his retinue with certain protection. Second, the hurricane bolters add up to the bolter fiesta. Third, many armies struggle with AV14 nowadays. Fourth, Land Raiders are bulky and can block LOS to our bikers behind it. I wouldn't field Land Raiders, but at least this is an idea.

Power armoured Command Squad in a Drop Pod: now this is more to my liking. It is very aggressive but could work if supported by other elements, like Deathwing armies. Again it solves the issue of moving Azrael around, as 215 points is a lot to be left behind, or be carried in a Rhino. The Drop Pod also opens the door of having a terminator armour IC tanking wounds; Libbies and Chaplains are good candidates here.

Deathwind Command Squad: this boosts the standard bearer survivability (remember you can give him a shield) but really hinders mobility i.e. the banner will only affect a small area, vs. the Ravenwing's standard bearer ability to affect 12" banner aura + 12" turbo-boost move + 12" banner aura again = 36" of banner goodness.

Conclusion

The Ravenwing seems the best candidate to utilise the standard or Devastation thanks to their superior mobility and relentless, twin-linked bolters, but the standard needs to be protected carefully so it can make it to T3/4 when it will have fulfilled its purpose. To do so we can't add more marines to the command squad, but we can use ICs and 2+ cover saves to protect it. To recap, some possible placements for the bolter banner are:

1. RW Command Squad + Sammael.
2. RW Command Squad + Sammael + Libby
3. RW Command Squad + Techmarine.
4. RW Command Squad + Chaplain.
5. Command Squad in a Land Raider Crusader
6. Command Squad in Drop pod + Azrael / 2+ toting IC.
7. DW Command Squad

What about you guys, have you used the bolter banner in a different set up? have a different perspective to share?

Space Wolves - How to defeat Dark Angels

So Dark Angels have won the seemingly first "big" tournalment after the new codex. It's still early to see where exactly DA will fall, if at Necron /Chaos Demons power level or if will be more in line with the other Imperial armies.

We Space Wolves players have seen many armies rise and fall and we've always find a way to crack the hardest armies, so let's have a look at how can SW deal with those pesky Dark Angels! the interwebs may be going crazy with their 40 bolter shots per tactical squad and cheesy monk Terminators, but the answer is the same we've had in the past - cunning tactics, flawless execution and of course, lots of grey hunters and long fangs! there's nothing we can't bring down in combat, nothing we can't smack down to pieces with ranged fire if we do things right. Let's dive straight onto it:

Know thy enemy

For all their blings and new toys, Dark Angels aren't very different to what they used to be. They have great Terminator armies, excellent biker armies, and now will also make great hybrid armies plus some new gadgets - auspexes to reduce cover saves, Ravewing grenade launchers and son on. The below is a taxonomy of the builds that I think will become popular:

Deathwing - this is an army composed of some 25~30 scoring terminators, usually in squads of five with one heavy weapon. I would expect to see less hammenators than in 5th and rather mixed squads with a couple of storm bolters/power fist guys, a chainfist, a hammenator or two and the heavy weapon guy. Their Deathwing assault rule allows the controlling player to choose when each squad will enter by DS (if T1 or T2), and the first turn they will have twin-linked guns, so the alpha-strike potential is considerable. Now this army has good AI potential with lots of storm bolters and a decent AT via CML. Leaving the cheap home scoring unit or two aside this is a small and elite army, and such armies are taken down through sheer mass of bodies or shots. The key here it to take one unit at a time, and keep all the grey hunter packs together. 4 plasma shots per pack + 16 bolter shots, perhaps twin-linked with divination, will take a heavy toll on the DW. If the units have storm shields, try to land the plasma shots in those without it and send the bolter shots to the hammenators.

Plan the game in advance - once the Terminators are in the board, their mobility will be limited. Select the best placement for the grey hunters (usually close together, supporting each other and from a centered situation) and make sure that your Long Fangs have good lanes of fire. Now, in 6th Edition is a good thing to add a plasma cannon or two in the army as we see more and more foot hordes, and the split fire rule allows us to shoot each weapon to the right target.

In terms of target priority, DW Command Squads (perhaps with a revered Standard) and DW Knights make for juicy targets but keep in mind they do not score. If you have a chance to take one of those units down of course don't miss it, but in the most frequent case of having several targets to choose from, go for the scoring units. Last but not least, the terminators will be nicely packed together after deepstriking, ready to be jawsed to the pits of hell.

Ravenwing - where the DW has superb durability and limited mobility, the RW has a fragile nature but excellent mobility. All the bikers are scouts and have hit and run, which means we can't bog them down in combat and drown them in a mass of grey hunters. In top of that, the combination of jink, skilled rider and the nearby Darkshroud means they will enjoy a 2+ cover save to get to our lines, then shot the hell out of that with their TL bolters and plasma talons. Sammael will probably join the fragile RW command squad if there is any (and in that case they will carry the Standard of devastation for a lol-sy 4 bolter shots per rider), and will turbo boost 24" in the last turn to claim or contest objectives.

The first thing to consider is the objectives placement - RW are skilled riders but don't climb to the second floor of ruins, so use that to your advantage. Also keep in mind they outmaneuveur us, so the objectives need to be as close as possible - we want to play in the smallest court possible. Don't forget they all are Skilled Riders and as such pass all dangerous terrain tests. Second is we have the advantage of numbers. We need to drag the RW to a certain area and again hit a unit at at time, as hard as we can. The RW is a shooty army that wants to dance around us and shoot us at distance. The bikes are T5 but there will be  limited numbers, and a Grey Hunter charge is likely to win the combat. Keep in mind they will flee after the combat, so make sure there are no survivors (a full squad is 6 bikers, 6 wounds with a 3+) or combat squads with 3 bikers; nothing that can sustain a combat. As for the DA home objectives, expect to see a small unit or two, something like 5 man with a flakk ML; they can be easily dealt with either with the Long Fangs (no point in wasting missiles in a 2+ save unit), or with small outflanking or drop-podded unit. Now, considering the challenges to mobility in 6th edition for Space Wolves, this isn't an easy match-up and mistakes will be paid dearly, but one grey hunter alive is all that you need to claim an objective that your opponent cannot reach, so clench your fists and be ready for a long fight.

If the army has Land Speeders, let the Long Fangs have sport with them; even with cover saves, a few missiles is all we need to take down an open-topped, AV10 vehicle with 2 hull points.

Hybrid armies - this is where I suspect Dark Angels will be at their best. Azrael makes both DW and RW squads scoring, aside of providing a small suite of army buffs (Ld10 across units, select the warlord trait, 4++ to the unit he is with, etc). The standard hybrid army will feature a couple of DW units that will deep-strike close to our lines, a couple of biker units with locator beans, supported by some tacticals, devs and perhaps a Flyer. The good news is that Azrael can't DS with the DW or ride a bike, so he will have to foot-slog his way, come in a pod, or just keep his head behind the Aegis Defence line. In any case, their battleplan will be something like turboboosting the bikes T1 to help bring the DW T2, then hit with both hammers.

Playing to the Wolves strenghts 

The Dark Angels excel at their First and Second companies, which are composed of small elite units. One on one the Space Wolves will lose every single match-up, so it is important to keep the Grey Hunter packs together and have each unit supporting each other. Combined, the firepower or CC abilities of 2/3 packs can take anything the Dark Angels have to offer. Just make sure to protect them as much as you can from the initial strike that the DA are surely going to have (Deep-striking terminators or 2+ cover save bikers); careful placement of your rhinos or wolf guard terminators will soak up the brunt of the DA attack, then the Space Wolves are loose to counter-attack with everything else!

The rest of units -the "greenwing"- aren't as effective as our units and these are the engagements we want to take 1 on 1 - 5 scouts with bolter and 1/2 special weapons can decimate the small home objective unit (and if not will finish them in CC) and a Grey Hunter pack will eat a Tactical squad any day of the week. So make sure to not dedicate more resources than needed - we'll need them to deal with the Death and Raven wings.

For once, the Flyers play to the Space Wolves advantage - our ADL can take down their AV11 Flyers easily, and the points invested in flakk missiles are essentially wasted.

Dark Angels also don't have access to Sternguard vets that would be deadly to our troops, and heavy flamers aren't as popular. Iron clads or Furiosos aren't available as well, and when the odd multi-melta dread  in a drop pod comes across from time to time, well it's not a big deal to let it pop a Rhino and get some point-blank melta love in return.

Sniping is an important component of 6th Edition - make sure you go after heavy/special weapons, standard bearers and Ravenwing grenade launchers. Speaking of sniping, Jaws doesn't want to hear about your 2+cover save and will be happy show its teeth to any line of bikers or closely packed terminators.

Target priority should be fairly simple - DA can place hard-hitting units very close to our lines, leaving no room but to engage them. Always keep in mind 5/6 missions are objective-based, and all that matters is that by the end of the game we can have a lone Grey Hunter winning us that point.

Conclusion

The Dark Angels have a solid codex and some excellent elite units that can (and usually will) be made scoring, and have several interesting combinations. These units have excellent synergies and careful planning needs to be put in place to avoid being alpha striked and to be in a good situation for the counter-attack. The Space Wolves have to use their advantage of numbers, leverage the 2 special weapons per unit and their versatility to take on the DA units as they come, focusing to eliminate one unit at a time.

The Lion's blob

One of they key axioms to understand 6th Ed is that anything is better when allied to Imperial Guard. This is because IG has all that the primary army might need, and at a very reasonable cost. 130 points Vendettas (and in squadrons of 3!), manticores and especially, lots of cheap scoring bodies.

Now consider the new Dark Angels codex. Azrael makes both Death and Ravenwing scoring, and provides the unit he is with a 4++ and fearless.

So for a bit more than the cost of Deathwing Squad, DA can instead ally to IG and have Azrael lead an IG blob. S That's 50 fearless bodies with a 4++, a few power axes and melta bombs, quite a nasty propositon. It is very difficult to deal with such a deathstar while it's surrounded by his Death and Ravenwing squads, that not only have a serious offensive potential but are also scoring.

Analysis: Which is best: Dark Talon or Nephilim?

Dark Angels got not just one but two new shiny Flyers. This begs the question - are the Dark Talon and Nephilim any good? what is the best way to use them? and ultimately, should we use them at all? let's take a look at the flying monastery and the winged StormTalon and see what they have to offer.

Before we look at the rules and use, let me just say the hobbyist in me really likes the model and I have ordered one nevertheless. A few magnets here and should suffice to switch all weapon types.

Dark Talon

This is the odd-looking flyer with the gothic imagery and funky cannon. The Dark Talon is mainly an anti-infantry platform, designed to wipe out the opponent's scoring troops. If it's any good at that, we'll see in a moment. Its main gun is a Dark Rift cannon (see a pattern in the names?) that dishes a Whilwind style pie with Blind. The Hurricane bolters are a natural complement and add up to the dakka. On top of that it carries a one use per game Stasis Bomb that reduces WS and I by -3.

With all these weaponts being AP4 or worst it has a limited damage output, nowhere near a true AI specialist like the Helldrake that can decimate a squad per turn. And this is where the key of the issue lies - where a Helldrake is designed to operate solo, speeding forward towards a Troop unit in cover (probably sitting by an objective), the Dark Talon moves with the rest of the Ravenwing, adds its dakka to the rest of the spearhead to force saves rolls, and uses the stasis bomb to give the RW chargers a significant combat advantage - attack before it's MEQ opponents and hit them on 3's. Its Hurricane Bolters can also benefit from the Retribution Standard and dish out 24 twin-linked shots, but this is too unreliable to count on it. It can hover though, and benefit from an improved jink save of 4+ if near a Dark Shroud and especially from the saturation of objectives. It isn't especially killy so your opponent might just prefer to shoot the bikers, especially if they are scoring - and very often they will be through Azrael or Sammael.

Is it worth the 160 points? I would say no. A similar damage output can be achieved by adding more bikers, terminators or simply a couple of Predators. And the Ravenwing Grenade Launcher can create similar advantages. That said, it is not as bad as some have put it and can have it's place in many lists.

Nephilim Jetfighter

This is a more stylized flyer without the blings and stone of its flying cousin. Its weaponry is likewise more akin to imperial standards, featuring a twin-linked lascannon, a twin-linked heavy bolter and 6 one-use Blacksword missiles. To come to think about it, it's weapons and armour are similar to a Razorback, with the added durability. If the Dark Talon is an AI platform, then the  Nephilim goes after its AV10-11 transports. And this is one of the issues - there are several units in the  Dark Angels codex that can do this role more efficiently, and from T1. Multimelta toting land speeders and attack bikes will be a common sight in the DA lists, and naturally so since are cheap, spammable and can benefit from increased cover saves, saturation of targets, FNP auras (bikes only)... Other units such as missile laucher Devs, Riflemans or even Whirlwinds can also take this role.

If equipped with the Avenger Mega Bolter it gains some AI duality, supressing the enemy with 10 S5-6 shots (5 Avenger, 3 HB, 2 missiles per turn during 3 turns); for some reason GW has kept the main gun and missles only AP4 so again has a limited damage output. When considered in the context of the army, well again these are wounds that stack up with the TL botlers of the bikes or the storm bolters/heavy weapons of the terminators. The army can also have plenty of AP2 weapons to deal with MEQs/TEQs.

As an antiair platform, it is somehow disappointing. First of all, the TL lascannon will hit 9/10 times (roughly) and cause an internal hit 50% of times vs. AV11. The other 4 S5/6 shots can help getting additional glancing hits. As for the internal hits, its FP2 and can substitute a weapon destroyed resul by an inmobilized. So yes, it can take down a flyer but it can also just take a hull point or two and leave it still functional. Now again, there should be some more AA in the form of quad gun and flak missiles to help take it down.

Wait what about the points cost?

There's wide consensus in the Vendetta being severely undercosted, but even the comparison with the Storm Raven, a 200-250 points beast, is not good. For 30 more points the Storm Raven has better armour, better weaponry, PoTMS and the capacity to transport 12 units plus a Dreadnought. More often than not this is not a good idea but at least the 'Raven can do it. And it has an assault ramp. If we were to use the Storm Raven as refernce and reduce its point cost as we strip these upgrades, we would very likely end in Vendetta-levels of cost. As it stands now, there's nothing in the DA flyers that justify their currents points cost. Let's see what happens with the rumoured Dark Eldar and Tau Flyers coming soon.

Conclusion

The expectations were certainly higher - hopefully not to be as broken as Night Scythes are  but to be more deadly like Helldrakes are. The DA Flyers are not killy by themselves and what is worst, don't really add anything that the army has elsewhere. Top it with a high points cost for what they do and the result is, it is difficult to justify their inclusion. The firepower the DA flyers dish is merely acceptable, and they pale in comparison with their imperial counterparts.

In tournament games it is not a lesser factor that the flyers have to start and reserve to enter the board alter. Many times the more you will play is 5 turns, further diminishing the return of your investment.

To close, I wouldn't go as far to say they are unplayable; they are useful after their own fashion and fit well with what the rest of the army do, so please go and field them if you like their look, fluff or just because you own the model. But efficiency-wise I would be tempted to invest the points somewhere else.

Dark Angels: It's all about synergy

So Dark Angels are finally here and the codex has been out enough days to start making some early analysis. The codex looks solid, with several interesting builds, dirty cheap HQs (65 point for a divination Libby? count me in thanks), good terminators and bikes and an assortment of special rules/equipment that open up a lot of possibilities. So while I await the ton of stuff I ordered at Wayland to arrive, let's get onto the aspect that dictates the way this codex is meant to be played: sinergy.

That is, sinergy. While most units are rock-solid on their own, the codex is at its best when several units are used together with an specific aim. 1+1>2 when it comes to the performance of the DA. Now this is true of most armies, where individual units usually fulfill specific roles and it is the conjunction of each unit work taht brings to success. So for example, Devs remove transports and tactical squads move up to rapid range fire, etc. In the case of Dark Angels, the synergies seem to be stronger as the different units not only complement each other, but enhance their performance. Here are some examples:

Ravenwing + Deathwing.

 Both units have a set of rules that are very good on their own but excel when used together. The Ravenwing can start in the board at the edge of your DZ, then scout 12" to get to the middle of the board. T1 they can move (and turbo-boost if needed) to be in your opponent's gunline. T2 the Deathwing arrives within 6" from the teleport homer, so no scatter and use their now TL guns to beat some face.

At this point we have a solid anvil in the form of the Terminators, with storm bolters/heavy weapons and power fists, and a mobile anvil with the hit and run bikers, especially in the case of the Knights with their relentless TL plasma talons and S5 rending CCW.

This allows us to 1) move the Ravenwing up the board with a 2+ cover save, 2) bring the Deathwing exactly where we need them, and when we need them (use DW assault to select what comes in T1 and T2), 3) alpha strike when the DW comes (remember TL guns and split fire), 4) put a lot of pressure in your opponent and 5) overall dictacte the direction of the game.

Ravenwing bikers + Dark Shroud

This is an obvious one, the combination of the bikers' jink saves, skilled rider and the dark shroud aura give them a 2+ cover save, perfect to cover the space and get deep in your opponent's DZ. Unless they have weapons that ignore cover, the Ravenwing will get there intact. If there are, put Sammael in front of the unit spearheading the attack and let him take the hits. 4++ and Eternal Warrior will help.

Tactical Squad + Ravenwing + Devastation Standard

The thin green line

The Devastation Standard turns all nearby boltguns onto Salvo 2/4 weapons, meaning a static Tactical Squad will make 40 bolter shots at 24"... bring in a 65 point Divination Libby and said Tactical Squad does no longer have an anemic damage output. The problem is they need to stay static to do so, so deploy an Aegis Defence Line as fast forward as you can, then put the gunline behind. A couple of tactical squads, a command squad to carry the Standard and a Libby. More than enough to secure a couple of home objectives. The rest of the army will have to de-mech your opponent, and that is where these attack bikes and double-melta speeders from the Ravenwing come to help. Once the troops are in the ground, few will resist 80 bolter shots.

It is also worth mentioning the Rad Grenades from the RW Grenade Launcher that reduce -1T to the unit they hit, so these S4 shots wound MEQs on 3s, and insta-kill eldars and GEQs!! say hi Yriel :)

Ravenwing bikers + Devastation Standard

The problem with the previous approach was that the Tactical squads needed to remain static, which can be a tactical disadvantage sometimes. Another way to use the Standard is with the Ravenwing squads - a standard squad with 6 bikers and an Attack Bike will make 28 twin-linked S4 shots at 24", even with moving (Relentless, remember?). The overwatch fire would be quite spectacular if someone dares charge onto that, and if not, well they should have a 3+ cover save with a Dark shroud nearby. The problem here is that the Standard needs to be carried by the RW Command Squad, which can't have more than 3 members. That said, I wouldn't be too concerned about their survibability as this unit can turbo-boost and get the 2+ cover save, plus Sammael can always join and help tank any wounds coming through.

Belial + Deathwing

Belial has been designed to spearhead the Deathwing Assault, and does this very well thanks to his teleport homer and his special rule to never scatter when deep striking. Send him T1 along with a tough squad, and T2 the rest of the DW will arrive with no scatter. He also carries a nifty AP3 fleshbane sword (wounds everything on 2s) that strikes at I5, and makes precision shots on 5+.

Azrael + DA

As the DA Chapter Master it is only fitting that Azrael has great synergies with most of his army. Let's see. First of all unlocks the Doublewing, although this has its own problems (this goes for another post, but basically you can't have both wings with a significant strenght due to the points limit, unless you're playing above 2000 points). Strangely enough Azrael can't join neither Death or Ravenwing, but he does conferr his 4++ to the unit he is with. Enter veterans or tacticals and a drop pod to take him wherever he needs to be. Alternatively he can also stay home behind the ADL, manning the gun and helping supress any infiltrators/outflankers behind your lines.

On top of that, Azrael provides Ld10 army wide, which with Stubborn means leadership is not going to be a problem, gets to select the Warlord trait that he wants from the DA table and is a beatstick himself with his 2+/4++, 4W (wtf) and S6 AP3 precision power sword.

Librarians

With access to 4 psychic branches, including the coveted Divination, 65 points base and the ability to get special gear, well Librarians are a very interesting choice. With Terminator armour they can join the DW party and since they have access to special equipment, well they can purchase an auspex and reduce the cover of an enemy unit by -1, right before the RW Knights unleash a storm of plasta.

Conclusion

The Dark Angels are looking like a very solid codex that will have its peak performance when the different units work in perfect synergy. Hybrid builds will probably outperform themed armies like the very popular pure Deathwing as the codex seems built with the idea of combining a few DW/RW units with other support units and scoring troops. The special characters work in a similar way and even the new units excel at supporting others.