Ciaphas Cain's Blog of Doom

Codex: Blood Angels

Point Total: 2000 pts

HQ

-Mephiston, The Lord of Death - 250 pts

-3x Sanguinary Priests - 225 pts

-3x Jump Packs

-Furioso Dreadnought - 175 pts

-Librarian Upgrade (Wings of Sanguinius, Blood Lance)

-10x Assault Squad - 235 pts

-2x Meltaguns

-Power Fist

-10x Assault Squad - 235 pts

-2x Meltaguns

-Power Fist

-10x Assault Squad - 235 pts

-2x Meltaguns

-Power Fist

-5x Death Company - 200 pts

-4x Bolters

-Power Fist

-Razorback

-Assault Cannon

-5x Vanguard Veterans - 215 pts

-Jump Packs

-Glaive Encarmine

-2x Power Weapons

-2x Hand Flamers

-Baal Predator - 115 pts

-Baal Predator - 115 pts

-Mephiston - Ah Mephiston. Or if you read Swallow's novels, Brophiston. I swear I don't know what this guy is on in those books, but he has got to be the most laid back Space Marine ever. But I digress. Mephiston is, at first, a little overwhelming to consider. He carries a hefty 250 pt price tag, no invulnerable save, and he lacks the Independent Character trait. Looking beyond that, there is a reason Mephiston is called The Lord of Death. His statline makes him essentially a Daemon Prince on a 25mm base (T6 with W5? Yessir!), and once you add in his rules and the fact that he is indeed a Librarian (And thus provides the invaluable psychic hood and force weapon), one realizes his true potential. Properly moved through cover, and with good use of the Wings of Sanguinius power (He can cast 3 a turn!) and Fleet, Mephiston is one of the most deadly characters in any codex. Did I mention if he uses his ability Transfixing Gaze, he has a chance to reroll all rolls to hit AND wound? Able to go toe to toe with the strongest characters and creatures in the game, and able to neutralize psychic powers, Mephiston gets my vote for the best character in this codex easily.

-Sanguinary Priests - Best unit in this codex. Hands down. The Sanguinary Priests are the Apothecaries of the Blood Angels, and where Chaplains disavow the Red Thirst, the Sanguinary Priests embrace it as a weapon to be used to fight back the slow death of the Chapter. Sanguinary Priests confer both Feel No Pain and Furious Charge to any unit with 6", conferring a +1 Initiative and +1 Strength bonus on the charge, and an extra 4+ save after taking their armor save against most weapons in the game. While they're not any more survivable than a regular marine, careful use of them in the back of a deepstriking or charging squad can be invaluable, and bring out the true strength of the Blood Angels.

-Furioso Librarian - At first, the Librarian upgrade might seem like a bad choice to put on a unit that has access to items like the Magna Grapple and Blood Talons, but through careful use and examination, this upgrade is easily the best choice to make for a Furioso. With access to two psychic powers and a Force Weapon, a Furioso Librarian is all kinds of deadly. Taking this unit, Wings of Sanguinius are an absolute must. With it, the Dreadnought can fly. I'll give you a moment to process that. A Dreadnought. That flies. My second choice for powers is the Blood Lance, which with it's S8 AP1 Lance hit provides an invaluable ranged weapon of the Furioso to pound vehicles with during it's advance, or if it is ever immobilized. Carrying along the S10 Blood Fist for that vehicle wrecking fun that everyone loves, the Furioso Librarian is enough to inspire fear in any enemy you face.

-Assault Squad - I'm going to start this off by saying that those of you who are using Blood Angels without Jump Packs are doing it wrong. Heh, just kidding. Personally, a Blood Angels list just doesn't seem right to me, and the ability to have accurate deepstriking with the Descent of Angels special rule just reinforces my opinion. Equipped with twin meltaguns and a power fist, this unit starts off a game by deepstriking into enemy lines and scrapping a vehicle, followed by charging into the thick of things with all the advantages of Furious Charge and Feel No Pain to allow them to tear through enemies like so much paper. If you should chose not to deep strike these squads, Feel No Pain will ensure they can survive a hail of fire that almost no other troop unit could weather.

-Death Company - When one thinks of Blood Angels, one invariably thinks of the Death Company at one point or another. These brothers have fallen to the ancient curse of the Black Rage, and seek to die in battle with their honor intact. With a 2 attack base, weapon skill 5, Furious Charge and Feel No Pain, this squad is one of the most deadly units in the codex. However, it does well for a player to remember that the Death Company of 5th Edition are not the Death Company of 4th Edition. No longer can Lemartes or another quell the Black Rage that thrives within these Battle-Brothers. Rather, one should look to their other benefits. I equipped this unit lightly with bolters and a Power Fist in an Assault Cannon Razorback so that they might serve their purpose of cutting through priority targets and not be caught up in the Rage and wasted. With Relentless, the bolters are perpetually rapid firing, and a Power Fist allows the squad to take on a Monstrous creature if need be. Combined with the back up of an Assault Cannon, this unit is both powerful and able to avoid most of the negative effects of the Black Rage.

-Vanguard Veterans - As I examined this list, I began to notice that I was lacking a dedicated anti-horde/rapid response unit. While the entire army ideally has Furious Charge, I felt a squad specifically for rapid response and to cut through large hordes was vital to the success of the list, and fit the fluff of the Blood Angels to a T, considering the Blood Angels 1st company always possesses a high proportion of Vanguard Veterans. The key to success with a unit of Vanguard Veterans, I find, is to equip them lightly. With the free Glaive Encarmine and simple armament of two power weapons and two hand flamers, the Vanguard Veterans are kitted powerfully but efficiently, and combined with the Descent of Angels special rule almost assuring Heroic Intervention will be successful, this unit is ideal.

-Baal Predators - Bringing the list home is the insurmountable Baal Predators. A design unique to the Blood Angels, the Baal Predator is a powerful, fast unit that is very deadly. With it's twin linked Assault Cannon, Fast ability, and access to Scouts, this vehicle is light weight, heavily armed, and able to zip around the battle field offering anti-horde/MEQ support, and taking down light vehicles with the ever useful Rending. I decided on this unit over Speeders for a few reasons, first of which, is the fact that no Blood Angels list is complete without Baals. Giggity. Next, the ability to Outflank is extremely useful in terse tactical situations. Facing a unit of Nob Bikers you don't want reaching your force? Want to get to that gunline without having to weather the hail of fire they present? Outflank near enemy lines and tear them apart before they ever pose a threat. Lastly, Baals offer vastly superior armor against incoming fire, Speeders being rather "squishy" and not something to risk in a low armor list.

-Closing Thoughts - This list was one of the most fun to design, and it really reawoke my passion for the IX Legion. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! Stay tuned tomorrow for the implacable Iron Hands!

Also, once again, thanks to the ever invaluable Starminer for his aid with this list and project as a whole. You rock Star, though i'm getting tired of saying it over and over!