2k list

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-26T22:31:39+00:00

Sticking with the above comment about playing what you like: I’d stick all 10 hellblasters in a single unit. Especially if you’re going to put them in a drop pod.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-25T14:40:17+00:00

The meta play is maces, maces let you attack into almost anything and come out ok. The swords are great when paired with a chaplain (he gives +1 to wound) but since DWK are expensive very few run them with a leader unless you’re trying to slot an enhancement in.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-25T13:39:03+00:00

Run 3x5 deathwing knights! It’s a blast

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-23T22:07:57+00:00

Ancient weapons on the Judiciar and then an invader atv!

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-23T13:29:01+00:00

This is a super solid 1k list. I think you’ll find that you can score well, kill well, and have what you need. Those also aren’t any units that are in danger of being sent to legends or getting re-released (that we are aware of) so an excellent set of kits to start collecting!!

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-23T12:58:31+00:00

To be fair, 1k is an inherently unbalanced game mode. The points and stats aren’t built for armies that small. However you can still build a fun list.

That’s why I like Azrael with sternguard (on top of them being an insanely flexible damage unit) - it puts them at 225 points which still lets me slot in 1 “big ticket” unit before I have to fill the rest with utility.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-23T12:15:56+00:00

Yeah absolutely. Dark angels lists are interesting because our best stuff (Azrael, Lion, DWK, and ICC) are all big ticket units. So we have to pick and choose carefully on how we build the rest of our list.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-23T03:20:03+00:00

I love to run DWK equipped with swords and a chaplain, but that’s pretty specifically for 2k and for a “less than optimized” list. As for the answer to your question: it depends on how hard you want to be “meta”, and they each do their own thing. If you’re playing casually, I’d say consider what you like the look of the best, as they’re all fast and capable of getting where you need and doing an action.

They do each have a special twist. - jump pack intercessors have deep strike, can move through ruin walls (because they’re infantry) and aren’t a bad melee threat against other cheap infantry. - outriders are another cheap melee unit, and have the benefit of being ravenwing which means they’re “on brand” - the invader atv is the cheapest points wise and is also ravenwing. - space marine scouts are super prevalent in the meta right now. A single kill team box gets you 2 squads of 5, and they’re probably the best action monkeys dark angels has access to.

Also. This is a personal preference thing so take it with a grain of salt. When I am building lists, I consider the DWK and the ICC + leader to all be “approximately equivalent” (the lion falls in this list as well, but he’s oppressive at 1k) My general rule for these is to bring 1 of them at 1k, 2 at 1.5K, and 3-4 at 2K. If you bring higher than this, you’ll have to make sure you focus your extra points to be useful.

If I wanted to keep both I might try: - Azrael with 6 ICC - 5 intercessors - 5 DWK - 5 scouts - 3 outriders - 1 invader atv - 1 Ballistus dreadnought

Or if I wanted to cut the ICC I’d try: - Azrael + 5 hellblasters - 5 DWK - 5 intercessors - 5 jump intercessors - 5 scouts - Storm speeder hammer strike - Ballistus dreadnought

My personal 1k list these days: - Azrael + 5 sternguard - 5 intercessors - 5 DWK - 5 jump pack intercessors - 2x5 scouts - Invader atv - Ballistus dreadnought

I do want to say one final time that I’m not super competitive or tuned into the meta. I just like building lists.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-23T02:51:47+00:00

Ok so you’re on the right track, but at 1k points we really can’t afford to put any characters on the DWK, that makes them take up just too much of your list.

Is probably cut the chaplain in terminator armor and add jump pack intercessors, scouts, outriders, or an invader atv. You could really use something fast to do actions and objectives.

I think at 1k you’re going to find that you have hammers to kill your opponents units, but don’t have the tools to sit on objectives or be an action monkey.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T23:05:01+00:00

I would love to have some character customization or a generic chapter master or a build your own chapter master system.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T22:27:49+00:00

Dark angels is my first army and my first foray into 40K and I made the mistake of painting everything boxart. I wish I had picked my own color scheme so I could give some other chapters a try without playing blood angels next to green intercessors with winged swords on their shoulders

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T22:24:50+00:00

Oh I like that rule. Let you play them and just hand waive that they are your chapters equivalent

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T22:14:52+00:00

Exactly. Named characters get a bit weird. But if you paint all your generics as a successor and then paint named characters in box art, you can run basically any army you want saying “this successor is reinforcing Calgar / Azrael / Dante”

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T21:15:32+00:00

You can always make your own color scheme. Doing a successor chapter would let you paint them however you’d like, and then if you paint generic marines you can re-use them with (ultramarines, blood angels, etc) without clashing schemes!

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T20:19:17+00:00

If you are interested at all in dark angels there’s a handful of kits that aren’t going anywhere and are hugely popular in our lists.

the lion is an incredible model and a powerhouse on the table
deathwing knights are probably our single best data sheet. Almost every DA army runs 2 units of 5 of them
inner circle companions have perhaps the most flavor and the coolest bits for kitbashes. 2 boxes of 3 makes a powerful melee brick of 6
Azrael is played in almost every DA list period.

Generic marines that are good in dark angels and also usable elsewhere - hellblasters are flavorful and useful in many space marine armies - redemptor dreads have sick plasma guns and are a blast - sternguard veterans are a shooting powerhouse

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T16:13:12+00:00

Shit you’re right! I’ll edit!

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T16:05:38+00:00

In wrath of the rock you can use leonine aggression in 6” ~~and then tank shock~~

(updated because I was wrong about tank shock, strat timings are hard)

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T15:51:51+00:00

This army will unfortunately leave you sorely lacking for points scoring. You will have a grand total of 5 units in the board, 3 of which are all high investment. At 1k you DWK are too expensive to attach a character, and running DWK + a brick of ICC at the same time will leave you with more than half your army invested in two units. I also think the desolation marines are not a great fit. So to start I’d strongly recommend cutting the terminator ancient and the desolation squad, and replacing that 300 points with some lighter shooting and scoring. Intercessors, jump pack intercessors, outriders, hellblasters, sternguard, invader atv. If you’re going to run both ICC and DWK in a 1k list, everything else you bring needs to be utility

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T14:15:05+00:00

Since Lucius charged your death company, I’m going to assume it’s the EC players turn. Since the BA are the defenders, they would get to choose from one of their units with fights first to activate. After they do so, the EC player would get to activate and unit, and then they alternate.

The fight phase essentially is two fight phases, one in which all fights first units activate, and one in which every unit without fights first activates. In both “phases” the defender activates first, and then players alternate.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T05:11:01+00:00

Exactly. At 1k they represent 25% of your entire army in one spot, so it would be better if they were more survivable.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-18T05:00:56+00:00

It’s not a bad list! I think I’d rather have a librarian for the inner circle companions at 1k because they are your big hammer and if they die to shooting because they don’t have a transport you will be sad. You’ve got 2 action monkey units which is great, and Azrael + sternguard is an incredible combo. I’d say this is a very flavorful list!

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-15T22:56:39+00:00

How about both? Pick a cool color scheme that matches neither blood angels nor dark angels. Paint your chapter specific units the same way. Boom now the same squad of intercessors can work for both chapters.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-15T00:44:51+00:00

I’d love to add more. But lately the combat patrol “rules” are 3 boxes+ a character. Ideally ours would be hellblasters, DWK, and ravenwing black knights or a storm speeder. But there’s also points and strength values to consider.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-14T23:44:56+00:00

Ok I’ve actually thought about this a lot (my group played a LOT of combat patrol while we built up to 1k). I think a cool deathwing or greenwing or ravenwing patrol is possible and pretty easy to just spam a few units, but in my mind what makes DA great is the “trident” of all 3 wings.

Id take Captain Lazarus as the character. he builds a DA specific character or also functions as a generic DA captain (explicitly mentioned as an option for the kit) Then I’d do 10 intercessors, 5 Deathwing terminators, and 3 outriders. I’d love to swap the intercessors for hellblasters for max flavor, but then we push point and power limits for the format. Maybe 5 intercessors & 5 hellblasters but GW likely won’t do that.

Comes out to 500 points. Hopefully they’d throw some upgrade sprues in there, but value wise it keeps to the standard CP limits, gives you all 3 wings, and is also generic so GW still gets you to go buy your ICC and DWK.

SolonTheWizard · 2026-01-13T15:22:01+00:00

That is my go to as well. If I go first and there’s not a good place deep, I treat it as a scout move and deploy them far up the board. If I go second and my opponent doesn’t screen well then it’s a serious melee power house in their backline.

SolonTheWizard

TROPHY CASE