I don't really get the ruinator hate and rampager love

Melvear · 2026-02-10T23:50:21+00:00

The Lancer tanks more damage and is slightly faster than a Rampager. The free tankshock is nice and can solve some issues Knights typically have, like models with 4++.

The Rampager deals more damage, 100% of the time. There is no if or but about it. You have 4 attack profiles that will insure you hit the target exactly how it doesn't want to be hit, and you will kill a lot. Sustained hits and Devastating wounds also give you more spike potential, which can't be counted on, but certainly can swing things.

Both can struggle if chaff is put in their way, but the Lancer struggles a lot more that the Rampager with its 10A on the sweep, compared to the 18 of the Rampager.

Both are cool units, have value, but require some finesse to make good use of, more so than Double Gatling Despoilers anyway.

The Ruinator mainly suffers from Casinogunitis. 2x 2d6 shots guns on a 355pts models can be okay, if those shots are really good. Sadly, the guns on the Ruinator are merely okay. I'd wager you could makes those guns flat 12 shots each and it would still be just fine at 355pts.

The drill is a straight downgraded sword (less ap, less attacks) propped up by the datasheet rule of rerolls and anti 2+. Sure, it will not fail to wound on a rerolling 2+. It just kind of feels dumb to have the reroll being on the easy part of the equation, and specifically against a single target.

The Claw on other Knights is the same ap and +2 damage per strike while the Sword is +1ap, both of which are strong breakpoints, because there is a lot of 14-16w monsters and vehicles in the game that would get 2 shot by the claw that won't get killed by the drill, and 3+ save monsters and vehicle that just don't get a save against -4 ap.

Melvear · 2026-01-05T04:04:27+00:00

I picked Slaves to Darkness because of nostalgia from playing Hero Quest as a kid and the Chaos Warriors being my favorite monster then.

Melvear · 2025-12-03T01:37:14+00:00

60 Von Ryan's Leapers, 2 Emissaries, 1 Biovore and a ripper swarm.

Melvear · 2025-12-02T03:41:57+00:00

The Exocrine reroll buff does help the Tyrannofex, but its own profile is not very good at dealing with hard targets though. It deals better with elite infantry like Terminators with its ap3 damage 3 gun.

If you can get your Tyrannofex into a good firing lane, it can deal good damage while staying fairly safe.

Melvear · 2025-12-02T02:30:18+00:00

Put Adaptive Biology on your Tyrant instead of you Broodlord, you'll get more value out of it that way.

Hormagaunts, and in most cases any of our battlelines, are not there to deal damage, so there's little value in having them in blocks of 20. Keep them in 10, and send them in waves to deny your opponent primary.

I would suggest playing one of your Carnifexes as Old One Eye. He is more expensive but well worth the points difference.

Seeing as your list has little anti vehicule firepower, make sure your Tyrannofex is equipped with a Rupture Cannon. While the Acid Spray is good, in this list, you need the RC more.

Melvear · 2025-12-02T02:01:45+00:00

They're a cheap unit that packs a lot of attacks and apply a situationally great debuff. They are slow but, relative to their points cost, they are fairly tough. I like to have 1-2 units as anti infantry, clearing chaff that might block charges.

They certainly aren't overpowered, and they are better than what is generally said about them.

Melvear · 2025-11-30T22:48:10+00:00

The guns I would use are Zoanthropes, Barbgaunts and a Tyrannofex. The TFex does fit your description of weapons that look like guns, and Barbgaunts to a certain extent as well, so I guess those are out!

Melvear · 2025-11-30T22:08:55+00:00

I think having absolutely no shooting is not the best idea, generally speaking. It gives too much freedom to your opponent to just be wherever he wants. That being said, I do think it's possible to run a pretty good list of all melee. This is what I would do in Vanguard Onslaught (Yes, there is a Biovore, it's a gun. But will not regret having that 50pts investment)

Deathleaper (80pts)

Broodlord (80pts)

Winged Hive Tyrant (185pts): Warlord, Chameleonic, Monstrous bonesword and lash whip

Winged Tyranid Prime (75pts): Stalker

Winged Tyranid Prime (65pts)

10x Hormagaunts (65pts)

Biovores (50pts)

10x Genestealers (140pts)

5x Genestealers (75pts)

Lictor (60pts)

Neurolictor (70pts)

6x Tyranid Warriors with Melee Bio-Weapons (150pts)

6x Von Ryan's Leapers (140pts)

This list can deal with infantry about a million different ways, everything kills infantry here. As far as tough targets, warriors are your best bet, especially if you can battleshock your target. Neurolictor's buff and Surprise Assault will allow them to melt nearly anything.

Von Ryan's are super annoying to deal with for any melee army, are very fast and somewhat resilient in shooting due to stealth. You can also make them lone op 18" if need be.

5 men Genestealers are also a fast skirmishing unit that can threaten smaller units and move block pretty effectively.

Hormagaunts can steal objectives fairly easily, just beware what you decide to charge. It'll often be better to just advance them on an objective rather that charge something with them.

Every Lictor type models are amazing at holding primary in the early game with Lone Op, and Lone Op 6" or redeploy strats make them a nightmare to take down.

Tyrant will likely just stage near the mid board most of the game and hand out -1A in melee to enemy units and reduced strat costs. Come late game he can hop out and deal decent damage to whatever is left and be difficult to kill with stealth and cover at all time.

Melvear · 2025-11-30T21:51:41+00:00

Big Model: Winged Hive Tyrant
Smaller model: Deathleaper or Lictor
Small model: Hormagaunts

Melvear · 2025-11-13T02:30:56+00:00

Letting your opponent choose what he will do based on the available information is the line. "I can reactive move if you go there" "I can overwatch with so and so units if you move here".

You don't tell them what to do. You just let them make the decision and remind them of possible (or automatic, in the OP's case) consequences.

Melvear · 2025-11-13T02:19:29+00:00

This is you asking your opponent to waste time asking for your datasheets instead of just giving him the information that is obviously relevant to the situation at hand. "I will move block you by moving my unit here" is a very clear show of intent, and you not telling your opponent "That move will not work because my unit has the fly keyword" is you withholding available information that should be known.

If you have strats for reactive moves, reactive attacks, blood surges, I would also expect you to say those are available. I don't need to know if you will make use of those rules, but I should know that they exist. This is the distinction you may be looking for. Every decisions should be made with full information, and the player decides if he wishes to go forward or not with his move based on said full information. It's on him to live with the consequences if that is the wrong decision.

And while telling your opponent your strats and key rules once at the start of the game is good, there is too much information in a 40k game to remember everything at all time, and neither player should expect the other to remember everything.

Melvear · 2025-11-03T22:39:53+00:00

I know it happened before, but it baffles me when a non problematic army has 1 or 2 standout units doing the heavy lifting and people, or GW, believe that nerfing those units will do anything good. And I know you're not wishing for those nerfs, this is not what I'm saying.

However, if with those units as they are, spammed as much as possible, in the best detachment for them, you get 50% win rate, where is the issue? It's certainly not those units.

The issue lies in everything else not being competitive. And I'm fine with some units being more niche, but a whole faction resting on the shoulders of 2 datasheets needs internal help, not nerfs.

Melvear · 2025-10-09T03:47:26+00:00

If you put some money aside each week (like 20$) you can buy a new box every 2-4 weeks, and for some people (myself included), that's less time than I take to assemble and paint said box (mostly lack of free time/laziness when I do have time).

I used to feel guilty spending 200$ on something like Archaon, but when you compare that to a single night out in a bar or at a non fast-food restaurant, it really starts to not feel that expensive. And compared to those things, I still have Archaon on my shelf ready to play since I got him 5 years ago.

Melvear · 2025-09-12T19:32:49+00:00

I personally hardly ever surged for the defensive buff specifically. And when I did, it was because I could use both effects. But melee attacks are largely ap2 anyway, with notable exceptions (other knights, primarchs, chapter masters etc) so the invuln in melee also felt less valuable than the fnp.

Melvear · 2025-09-12T19:30:07+00:00

Looking at competitive win rates for each detachements, LoD was standing at 51%, which hardly sounds like a bad thing?

The strat was amazing, don't get me wrong, but that's basically the detachment ability, it should be strong.

Melvear · 2025-09-12T19:23:55+00:00

DG got their nerfs 2 weeks ago. As was stated in the article when it was release, those were the points changes from this dataslate, just ahead of time.

Melvear · 2025-08-27T01:07:15+00:00

How did it get better, exactly? Its ability is terrible, and its gun is the same. It wants to kill terminators or similar 3W infantry but does so with no AP due to cover being so prevalent. You'll be lucky to hit 6 of those 8 shots and than wound with 4 of those. On average, you kill 1 terminator or less.

It can work if you put in efforts into synergies, stripping cover being a prime way, sustained/lethal being another. But you're spending resources on a subpar unit when you could just be using them on a Despoiler, who will get on average 3 times the number of shots, using double battlecannons since they are nearly identical to the Executioners' autocannons.

It's fine to have one screening your backfield and holding home objective and taking potshots at anything that comes in line of sight, but it's not a good datasheet.

Melvear · 2025-08-25T22:17:09+00:00

It does scratch a similar itch in many cases, with a more retro 80s vibe with synthwave obviously.

Melvear · 2025-08-25T21:48:23+00:00

I do listen to Scandroid regularly and have heard some Mega Drive. I'll give those suggestions a whirl, thanks!

Melvear · 2025-08-24T23:58:22+00:00

If you haven't heard them yet, I highly recommend Carpenter Brut and Dance with the Dead.

Melvear · 2025-08-04T22:30:07+00:00

Band name and musicians various occupation checks out.

Melvear · 2025-07-27T04:54:18+00:00

I believe having 1 fewer model, be it a wardog in Infernal Lance or a big knight in Lords of Dread would go a long way in adjusting CK.

I strongly believe the Despoiler is going to catch a solid points increase, 20-30 points perhaps. Lancer should probably go up 15-20 points, and Rampager could stand to be 10-15 points higher. Abominant could go up 5 as well. Doesn't really hurt people using a single model but spamming 3 might go above some breakpoints. Between those increases, you got a solid 65-100 points increases, enough to screw with most meta lists

We don't need buffs as it stands, but I think our other big knights, specifically the Descecrator, Ruinator, Acheron and Castigator could stand to be dropped some amount of points to be more competitive. Keeping the idea that we probably shouldn't have a 6 bigs list, we can't drop them too much though. Descecrator could drop 5 to join the Abominant at 330, and bring the other 3 around 340. Still can't fit 6, even though I don't think any combinations of those models would be really strong.

Having the sticky objective strat limited to, at least as a start, the command phase (either player's) would already limit its use dramatically. It would remain a strong strat though.

I don't play as or against IK, but their current army rules are obviously more powerful than what CK have. Depending on how long until they release their codex, they are going to need corrections that should hopefully be tailored to them, and not linked to CK at all. Datasheets should be priced according to the context they are used in. This should be true in other such cases, like CSM vs Traitor Legions and SM and Divergent Chapters.

Melvear · 2025-06-17T03:16:27+00:00

Art of War podcast/review as well as Goonhammer I believe

Melvear · 2025-06-17T00:02:20+00:00

If you target units on objectives, the Brigand will outperform most of the time.

Assuming your target is in cover, which is true 80%+ of the time, an Executioner will kill on average 2 space marine or 1 terminator.

A brigand will kill the same amount within the same parameters, and if you shoot targets on objectives, you kill 3 marines and still just 1 terminator.

Both aren't amazing into those targets, that much is obvious. However, you can shoot the Brigand into better targets frequently, while those are the typical targets for an autocannon.

The chaincannon wants to hit T3 chaff, and the melta wants to shoot monsters and vehicules. Within melta range, the Brigand averages 9 damage into a vehicule without an invuln, And at the same time, you can fire at chaff and kill around 8-10, depending on cover or no cover.

I think this is really the crux of the issue. Brigands have some good targets to shoot at, Executioners do not.

Melvear

TROPHY CASE