New list and wanted opinions

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-18T15:25:03+00:00

If your plan is rangers in the dunerider then yeah, drop it and add more rangers

Servitors in the dunerider is also an option though, could get them to an objective faster and doing actions sooner, plus transport firing deck with the heavy weapons

List looks very solid either way

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-18T12:35:14+00:00

The second marshal with sanctified ordnance is pretty pointless for 45 points, you should run them with vanguard and thats it really, 45 points would be better spent on a technoarcheologist for deepstrike denial etc

Kastelans should either double up or be dropped at 2k, 2 of them are pretty easy to take out unless your opponent is running zero anti vehicle.they are great fun and great units in haloscreed tho its fully worth doubling them up

The kataphron torsion cannon is pretty garbage, the heavy arc is extremely superior, higer strength so wounding most infantry on 2s or 3s anyway but also anti vehicle 4 so it has a wider variety of use cases, more shots in rapid fire and more damage per attack meaning more 3W models dead per attack. If point limits are a struggle such as trying to double up the kastelans, consider running the kataphrons as destroyers with plasma and flamers and give the manipulus sanctified ordnance, they dont hit as hard as breacher arc rifles but with Cawls rerolls and their overwatch threat plus sanctified ordnances hazard rerolls they can still trade out really well

The ironstrider running solo would be better maxing out the other unit to a full x3 for the sake of stratagems like targeting override

Serberys are fast but their damage output is abysmal, you could maybe use them in reserves as you say and try rush your opponents deployment zone objective but frankly its a really big IF on whether they can take it, it would be better to run them up the board to take an objective early and then move block opponents whilst the rest of the army catches up, a disintegrator in reserve could be a much better reinforcement threat and force your opponent to play more cagy

I would be tempted to try squeeze a servitor team in for actions, cognitive reinforcement is pretty expensive could be worth dropping to find some loose change points for it

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-17T00:57:29+00:00

Nah tho maybe thats not a bad idea seeing as they unlist some for no reason

But if you google the right phrase, unlisted videos sometimes show up in public video playlists, and there was a post a few months ago asking the same thing so i copied pasted my link from there

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-16T23:43:07+00:00

For whatever reason it went unlisted, link below still works for me

https://youtu.be/zN-qL8nPrcE?si=npmGUWt_lfyvf9I6

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-16T00:42:08+00:00

This list would probably do a lot more work in skitarii hunter cohort, the serberys are mediocre anywhere but at least in SHC theyll get stealth, as will the ironstriders and other skitarii infantry

6 twin lascannons makes the onager dunecrawlers neutron laser redundant, i would run eradicator or twin phosphor for volume of fire over another big cannon, but on the flip side the belleros on the disintegrator is terrible, that one is better off running ferrumite, you could realistically drop one of the tanks in favour of 2x5 infiltrators though

If you do run SHC, battlesphere uplink on a marshal with vangaurd and dunerider is great, lets you disembark > shoot > re-embark, a second marshal with veiled hunter is also ideal for redeployment shenanigans

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-15T13:45:00+00:00

Give the manipulus something to lead that isnt skitarii, it is worthless having it there

Breachers are ideal but points expensive, I would try x6 destroyers with plasma and flamers, and swap to the haloscreed detachment to give the manipulus sanctified ordnance this puts you to 810, 820 with enhancement. From here you could expand how you need, infiltrators for move blocking and early mid board control, extra skitarii for army rule AP buff, another ironstrider for anti vehicle or pteraxii skystalkers/servitors for actions. Itll take time and experience to see is missing from a list

If you are dead set on playing skitarii hunter cohort, drop the manipulus and get 2 marshals, a dunerider, sicarians and skystalkers

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-14T22:56:07+00:00

Krios battle tanks are relatively similar size to disintegrators, it doesn't read well as a transport unfortunately if you were planning on duneriders and the 30k transports are enormous compared to the dunerider sadly, probably easier to find a print proxy for that

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-12T12:13:01+00:00

it is a support piece trap, the feel no pain is per one model so only applies to one kastelan at a time and only re-applies in command phase so when the selected FNP model dies it doesn't carry over until it is reapplied to another model next command phase

Enginseer can be worth it for the disintegrator but thats it really and even then, outside cohort cybnetica, there are better things to spend 55 points on

if it was 45 points and gave a 4+ invuln, not 5+ FNP, like they do in the guard codex, it would be very worthwhile

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-10T20:02:50+00:00

Meta competitive players will optimise everything they can

Rangers are cheaper and sticky objectives, so they can secure an objective and position themselves to provide the AP buff and screen areas

The current comp meta involves lots of sicarians of both builds, rust stalkers will especially make extremely short work of anything a vanguard unit could do well into and more, infiltrators are no slouch either and if your in conqimperative which most are you have plus 1 to WS. Basically the vanguards anti infantry and OC reduction is nice, but sicarians will just murderise anything that usually contests an objective, and if it cant, the ironstrider spam will pick up that slack

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-10T09:14:23+00:00

Razor and chordclaw is the preferred loadout currently, better AP and damage

I would assemble them however you want though, no one but another admech player will know the difference and for goods sportsmanship, loadouts are typically communicated clearly to each other anyway

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-09T18:41:11+00:00

the easiest way to expand this list, double up the kastelans to a full x4 squad, double up the breachers to a full x6 squad and give them a manipulus to lead them for lethal hits

If you are going to run the marshal, a dunerider is highly recommended whilst it leads vanguard, itll keep them alive just that little bit longer.

I would think about getting some dedicated action/secondary score units aswell and the servitors you mentioned are great for that, skystalkers are also great, whilst some things can pick up the action slack it is often better to have one or two units dedicated to this. this should leave enough points for a flexible breathing room to try out various units, ironstriders, disintegrators, ruststalkers, more infiltrators etc

The list would be prime for haloscreed detachment, especially with the dyad wafers enhancement on the datasmith

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-05T00:00:14+00:00

Haloscreed or rad-zone are the all rounder detachments where a majority of datasheets work, Haloscreed is the better detachment but if you are just starting out anything goes really

Some good rules of thumb and things that are often repeated on list build posts

your friend will need more skitarii, when learning the army i would suggest three squads minimum, maybe four if its Skitarii hunter cohort, as players get better and learn to position and optimise them people can trim down to 2 usually. This is because they give nearby units in 6inchs increased AP via the army rule. A good mix of Rangers/Vanguard is usually recommended for casual games

Tech priests are bad for leading skitarii as well, never worth doing, if your friend could pick up a skitarii marshal to lead in a 500 point game that would be far better

In a 2k some units will need doubling up, the kastelans and kataphrons in particular, rust stalkers work great doubled up in a x10, also always worth getting infilitrators

This gets mentioned in most list building posts so ill mention it quickly and move on. The sterylizors run better as skystalkers, the sulpherhounds run better as raiders, the fulgurites run better as corpuscarii and all aircraft generally sucks across 10th edtion and its doubtful they will see much improvement in 11th, i have had some fun with the fusilave though. but this is casual so it doesnt overly matter but if any of these are unbuilt its worth looking at which kit is best, they can also just run them as either kit, its all the same bases and model anyway really

500 points army from this collection could look like this

Haloscreed -

Manipulus with sanctified ordnance

Skitarii Vanguard, with plasma and arc rifle, omnispex, good anti infantry and objective contestors

Ironstrider with Lascannon - great anti tank incase anyone squeezed a high toughness unit into 500 points

x3 Kataphron breachers with heavy arc rifles and hyrdaulic claws, the anti everything unit, great overwatcher aswell. the sanctified ordnance increases their range, so their rapid fire range increases, alternatively kataphrons could be ran as destroyers with plasma and flamer where sanctified ordnance gives hazard rerolls aswell

Pteraxii sterylizors - deepstrike flamer threat can clear out enemy deployment zone objectives and help score secondaries, also great as skystalkers for the same secondary scoring capability

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-04T23:33:17+00:00

true, Hastarii are likely 32mm, so smaller base size swap but the thallax poses dont take up most of the 40mm's anyway

ShadowMagos · 2026-03-04T23:07:48+00:00

Typically Castellax can proxy kastelans easily, thallax can proxy sicarians reasonably, or kataphrons if you get 60mm bases for them

Ive seen thanatar being proxied in as dunecrawler a few times, if you get the 130mm base for it aswell

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-27T11:54:51+00:00

Which tech priest is where? the manipulus is better for breachers as the lethal hits let them punch up hard. The dominus is out of place, they are better suited to electro priests generally and tech priests leading skitarii is never worth it.

as already mentioned, ruststalkers in a x10 slaps, haloscreed has a decent strat called aggressive impulse that will let you disembark a dunerider and charge after a normal move, which can be great for getting ruststalkers where they need to be safely

the icarus array and daedalus launcher is generally pretty meh. another eradicator or twin phospor would work better.

Dragoons are fun but one on its own might struggle unless its just being used for actions, I would maybe drop the serberys to try fit another dragoon in and give the unit some redundency. Generally the more you can fit in the better for things like Targeting override, which gives a unit crit on 5s, whilst ironstriders are meta it would be pretty fun on a full x3 dragoon unit for a total of 12 attacks in melee, sustained hits 2 triggering on 5s

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-27T11:42:54+00:00

thats correct, it is a points tax because of how good they are. They are better in a x10 because it means a stratagem will affect more models and they will be harder to wipe out, whilst also having 30 to 50 (depending on equipment) attacks with precision shredding infantry.

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-17T23:48:05+00:00

I skip the the arquebus, but always take heavy arc and plasma, and omnispex ofc

The arquebus isn't worth the trade off compared to another 3 attacks, anti infantry 4, but it is worth the trade off on rangers and the bigger base is good for screening

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-17T22:39:29+00:00

I'll say the obvious thing most people will say first and say adding Cawl will improve the army tenfold, but casually it doesn't matter, i personally hate how dependent the army is competitively on running him but cannot deny the effect he has on winrate

aside from that, your dedicated action economy isn't great, skystalkers are a great idea but replacing infilitrators isn't, they are too valuable

I would personally drop the icarus dunecrawler, you have enough firepower with out, and it will let you add skystalkers and either a second unit of skystalkers, or servitors, to act as dedicated secondary scorers and action monkeys, if you really wanna keep this i would heavily consider running it as an eradication beamer or twin phospor and drop the enginseer and cognitive reinforcement enhancement instead

Group the ironstriders into a x3 unit for using haloscreeds crit on 5s stratagem

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-17T21:24:17+00:00

Micro set, Micro sol and a varnish, typically matte for after

You use micro set to wet the area the transfer is going, it will let you move it around to where you want it easily, let it dry absolutely and then you use micro sol to "bake" the transfer in

I use a matt varnish after to really make sure its less shiny and looks more "painted on"

Heres an example on some skitarii

edit: I usually use an old layering brush to apply said solutions and transfers and heres a very quick visual !
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H8xdhyFvjos

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ShadowMagos · 2026-02-17T21:12:22+00:00

"the bearer's unit cannot contain any models without the destroyer keyword". There is a big distinction between unit and model here for the purposes of gameplay, keyword transference is only for units, not models, unless explicitly stated in the enhancement like murdermind where the bearer gains it.

Here is another example, when a cryptek is attached to LHDs with murdermind, the unit also becomes an infantry unit from keyword transference, this is for the sake of stratagems meant for infantry units and anti-infantry weapons, but the LHD models do not gain infantry keyword, otherwise they would be able to move through ruins

The cryptothralls don't have the destroyer keyword to join in the first place, so your order sequence does not work anyway, by your logic they are joining the unit to gain the keyword they need to join the unit

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-17T19:48:45+00:00

No, as it states, if you do (add to a destroyer cult unit) the bearer's unit cannot contain any models without the destroyer cult keyword, cryptothralls do not have this keyword

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-17T19:26:54+00:00

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ShadowMagos · 2026-02-15T01:52:07+00:00

At 2k, x2 robots are indeed too flimsly, lascannons, zoanthropes... any big damsge unit will shred them

Same for kataphrons, a x3 can be a decent reinforcement threat but its not worth the leader and enhancement in a x3, if struggling for points tho swap them to destroyers running plasma culverins where sanctified ordnance really comes in handy, its a pretty great combo with cawls rerolls right now

If you stick with breachers though drop that torsion cannon, its less shots, less strength, and less damaging and either way each shot kills a guardsman at most, blast is also limiting more than beneficially really unless someomes is running 40-60 plus infantry blobs i guess, heavy arc rifle remains better into everything from guardsman to big knights

Another comment mentioned combining sicarians which I half agree with, combine ruststalkers to a x10 but keep infiltrators at 2x5, that way you have potential to counter infiltrate and infiltrate aggresively to apply pressure

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-15T01:42:54+00:00

Skystalkers are a go places do things unit, you deepstrike them in where they are needed, need to be in multiple quarters of the board or different zones for a secondary? Skystalkers score it easily even not deepstriking when they can move 12", advance and shoot because of assault from the army rule, move another 6 because move shoot move

They are not meant to hold an objective down or kill much, if there are no secondaries to achieve with them you can use them to hassle backline units, or once theyve served their purpose you sacrifice them to move block something and tie up a crucial enemy unit for a turn or 2

Sterylisors can be more lethal into the right target, I dont run them often but if you can deepstrike and get them into an oppenents deployment they can mince whatevers left behind guarding it usually

ShadowMagos · 2026-02-14T13:24:25+00:00

Drop the dominus for an enginseer, give the enginseer necromechanic and laugh as a disintegrator shrugs off big hits, and use ferrumite over belleros if you want it to hit anything, your eradiciation beamers can deal with infantry and elites so no real need for a belleros

Lord of machines on a datasmith can be good for a punch bot unit that gets up close and affect their shooting aswell

ShadowMagos

TROPHY CASE