Playing Deathwing the BCS Way-Part 1

Introduction
In this article, I will explain how I approach playing Deathwing army, both on the table and in list building. Deathwing sounds like a very one note army (just spam terminators) but there are actually a lot of way to play it. There are lists built around Deathwing Assault, footslogging with all storm shields, mechanized in Land Raiders, and many variations in between. For my part, I use a mix of the styles. However, that will come just a bit later.

First of all, let me establish that I know what I'm talking about. That sounds egotistical, but there are numerous tacticas out there (in general, not just Deathwing) from players that do not have good success. For my part, I have reached 'Ard Boyz Finals twice with Deathwing, have won multiple local tournaments, and have maintained well above an 80% win to loss ratio in tournaments. The majority of those wins were by massacre or tabling.

Now I do not mean to say that my way of playing Deathwing is the only way to do so. Each style can be successfully utilized. It all comes down to how well the strategy used matches the playstyle of the player behind the army. So for all you guys starting Deathwing, experiment and try out a lot of different builds. Eventually you'll settle into what works for you. This article is to give you some things to think about and tactics to try.

That being said, let's get to it. The first consideration made when playing an army is determining how you'll use it. Is it a scap el to slice the enemy up piece by piece? Or is a hammer to crush the enemy where they are strong? Maybe it's a rock, shrugging off the blows of the enemy and remaining immovable. When playing the BCS way, the answer is yes to all of the above. Seriously though, all these strategies are valuable in different situations. If I was to make an analogy for how it plays overall, it's an obsidian blade. It is incredibly sharp and deadly as long as the force is directed properly. Use it wrong, and it shatters. Those small pieces remain individually deadly, but lose the power of the whole. On the table, each unit must work together. Your numbers are small, so each unit must be used effectively. In addition to the obsidian blade, Deathwing must work like a pack of hunting animals; do not fight fair fights. A fair fight means you'll lose models you dont have the luxury to lose. Instead, you must overwhelm the enemy and limit return damage. So now that we are in the proper mindset, let's move to list building.

Deathwing armies have a surprising amount of variety in their units and vehicles. It can be tempting to focus on one or two choices to the detriment of the others, but we want to make sure we have all roles and possibilities covered, meaning we're going to want to use a variety of options.

Headquarters
First, the HQ section. Belial is a must for Deathwing lists (literally). In terms of equipment, there's a bit of a split here. The power sword and bolter are worthless. Leave that option at home. However, both the Lightning Claws (LCs) and the Storm Shield and Thunderhammer (TH/SS) have their benefits. LCs make use of Belial's Initiative 5 while also giving him a surprising amount of attacks when combined with a banner. It also gives you a chance to cut down powerfists before they can swing. My personal choice for his equipment is TH/SS. Belial lacks the 4++ of a captain, meaning with the LCs you are relying on a 5++ save. With only 3 wounds, he won't last long when going up against any serious threat. With the TH/SS combo you get that ever so nice 3++. Belial becomes quite survivable with this, and this opens the optional of allocating plasma shots or Rending hit to him instead of a terminator.

Belial also comes with the option of upgrading 2 terminator models in a unit. These upgrades are completely worth it. 30 points for Feel No Pain on terminators is a steal. If it works even once, it paid for itself. The banner increases the units attack output greatly, and helps make a Death Stars (a strong combat unit that is not easily dealt with). In the current meta, a Death Stars is almost required, if only to counter other Death Stars.

The other HQ choices available are an Interrogator-Chaplain in terminator armor, or a Librarian in terminator armor (or a special character if you're willing to get away from pure Deathwing). I have used an Interrogator-Chaplain in the past and he makes Belial's unit a monster. If you regularly face up against Death Star II units (nerd joke, the Death Star II was more powerful than the first) than a Interrogator-Chaplain comes very much in handy. Not only does he give you rerolls on the charge, he has a good number of attacks (especially with that banner), and gives you another multi-wound model to allocate non-Instant Death wounds too. He will also force at least 1 enemy model to attack him and not the squad, protecting the ever important banner bearer and Apothecary longer. Lastly, any model attached to Belial's unit gains the benefit of the Apothecary and the banner, increasing their value.

For your other option, you have a Librarian in Terminator armor. I've seen this option touted before, but I don't find him very useful. His psychic powers are substandard, and while a table-wide psychic hood is nice, being Leadership 9 means he rarely stops powers. Instead what I advocate is taking Ezekiel for you librarian needs. For only 25 points more, you pick up a master-crafted weapon, a better statline, keep the 2+, and most importantly he's Leadership 10 for his hood. I used to not advocate taking him, but with the meta shift he's incredibly handy against Grey Knights, Blood Angels, and Space Wolves. When I take him, I rarely run him with Belial's unit. He doesn't have the survivability to get stuck in with a Death Star, and you want to protect him for that hood. Instead, I'll run him with a second Terminator squad to add bite in close combat, or add him to a shooting squad to soak up plasma hits with his psychic save power. Depending on your meta, I would say Ezekiel is definitely worth looking at for casual play. In a tournament he's a great choice, as your selection pool is weighted towards psyker heavy armies.

Recommended Choices:
Belial- TH/SS or LCs, Banner and Apothecary upgrade 185 points
Interrogator Chaplain- Terminator Armor, combi-melta 150 points
Ezekiel 170 points

Elites
On to the Elites. In Elites, we find the ever useful Venerable Dreadnought. Our basic Dreadnought is more expensive than the regular Space Marine dreadnought by 20 points. However, we have some cheap weapon options, and most importantly for Deathwing the Venerable upgrade is much cheaper. While we miss out on the stat upgrades, with the right weapons this is not as large of a factor. For example, a Venerable Dreadnought with a Plasma Cannon and combat arm is 30 points cheaper for Dark Angels than it is for Codex: Space Marines. I'd say the tradeoff is worth it. Plus, with that setup, the point of BS is not as big of a deal.

Now that we've discussed the facts of the Dreadnought, let's talk about usage. First of all, it increases your armor saturation. Armor saturation refers to the ability to field more vehicles than the enemy can reliably destroy with anti-tank weapons. If I only have 1 vehicle in my list, every anti-tank weapon will shoot at it and it will likely be destroyed. If I deploy 4 vehicles however, the enemy is forced to distribute his shots, raising the survivability of all my vehicles. Another important consideration for armor saturation is that the best weapons for killing terminators are usually anti-tank weapons. Therefore, every shot at a Dreadnought is a shot not aimed at a terminator. Secondly, Dreadnoughts can engage units your Deathwing would want to shy away from. A unit of Bloodletters will shred a Deathwing Squad, even with Storm Shields. Those same Bloodletters will be useless against a Dreadnought. While the Dreadnought will most likely be locked for the rest of the game, it protects the more valuable Troops and removes one of the opponent's weapons. Also, Strength 10 is very nice for instant-killing tough units. Ogryn can be a bother for Terminators as they will lock them for a while as you try to eat through the wounds. A Dreadnought however will instantly kill models in the unit and be immune to the blows back, meaning you can easily win the combat. Lastly, a Dreadnought can bring firepower that you would be lacking otherwise. Deathwing does not have a good way of handling heavy infantry outside of close combat. However, a Dreadnought with a Plasma Cannon can bring much needed AP2 shots. You should use your Dreadnoughts to fill roles lacking in the rest of your army. For me, that means Multi-Meltas and Plasma Cannons. Unlike regular marines, I do not think the Autocannon is a good upgrade for a Dreadnought. You will have plenty of long range firepower from your Terminators.

As a last piece of advice, follow the rule of pairs when it comes to Dreadnoughts. If you take one, take two. They can work together in concert to do more damage and it also means you have a backup if one gets taken out.

Recommended Choices:
Venerable Dreadnought with Plasma Cannon 145 points
Venerable Dreadnought with Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer 150 points

Troops
Well, what else to talk about here other than the meat of the Deathwing army: the Terminators. Deathwing Terminators are one of the most flexible and survivable terminator units in the game, really only getting outclassed by Space Wolves (though SW termiantors get much more expensive for TH/SS) and maybe Grey Knights (they have more flexibility, but no access to storm shields). It can be somewhat daunting to approach outfitting a Deathwing unit, as many choices in one unit can lead to an unusable mess. So some basic rules: 1) each unit should have a purpose. While you can do everything, that doesn't mean you should. 2) Lightning claws should only go in squads with a delivery device (LR or LRC) as they give you no bonus in anything other than close combat. 3) Every squad not mounted in a LR or LRC should have a heavy weapon. 4) When in doubt, give it a Storm Shield. Seriously though, every squad should have at least 2.

So, those rules being laid down, let's talk about what Deathwing Terminators do in a Deathwing list. The short answer is everything. The long answer slightly more complicated. Deathwing Terminators are your close combat specialists, your long range anti-tank, a portion of your medium range firepower, your objective holders, and often the rock your enemies break upon. Let's take those in order.

Close Combat Specialists:
There's no denying the power of a close combat terminator squad, especially with HQ support. Belial and his upgraded can dish out up to 31 lightning claw attacks. That is slightly more than overkill, but there's no doubting the offensive potential of it. On defense, FNP and 6 terminator models with Storm Shields can survive quite a lot of punishment. They will slog through regular squads and combat specialists alike. So where is the optimum balance? It depends on your meta. If you see a lot of Death Stars, all Storm Shields can be a great way to survive and then punish. Against units like Sanguinary Guard or Paladins, you're unlikely to swing first with Lightning Claws anyways, so it's better to double your survival chances. If your local meta lacks high initiative power weapon squads, Lightning Claws will clean units up fast. Against hordes of Orks or Gaunts, nothing works better than some 8-bladed justice. However, do not forget rule #4. Each squad should have at least 2 Storm Shields, if only for the low AP shots you'll take when out of combat. I like to take 2 units of close combat oriented terminators. It allows me to gang up on units that might be hard to take down, or I can use the units separately and double my CC killing potential. If the second unit is not mounted in a LRC, it will be all Storm Shields (rule #2) and carries a Cyclone Missile Launcher (rule #3). That allows them to contribute to anti-tank or anti-horde duties as well if there is nothing for them to immediately engage.

Long Range Anti-Tank:
Cyclone Missile Launchers are beautiful weapons. With their choice is missiles and two shots, they are a flexible and valuable weapon. In a Deathwing army, they are where most of your anti-tank will be found. Two Strength 8 shots goes a long ways towards de-meching an enemy force, and when you have multiples of them, you can decimate light vehicles or bother medium vehicles. Heavy vehicles like Land Raiders, Leman Russ variants, or a Monolith will give you trouble. CMLs should be used on nothing higher than AV13, and even then only if you have too. The lighter the vehicle, the larger impact your shots will make. Due to the long range of the CML, it pairs well with squads designed to sit on objectives. My objective grabbers always take a CML and sometime deep strike onto the objectives across the table to get side armor shots on vehicles. Be careful not to do this too close to the enemy or against CC armies, as you want this squad unengaged and shooting while not taking too much firepower back. Ideally, the focus of your enemy should be drawn away from these squads so that they can remain as effective as possible. While it may hurt to lose a CC terminator or two, they'll have nothing to fight if the enemy is hiding in his transports.

Medium Range Firepower
Never underestimate the humble Storm Bolter. Against horde armies, the Storm Bolter is incredibly useful, and it allows squads to contribute to the battle at ranges longer than 12" (for CC terminators). Combined with an Assault Cannon, you can put out a respectable number of shots, weakening or finishing off squads so your CC terminators can focus on larger targets. The Assault Cannon is another matter altogether. I phased them out of my lists for a good while, as I did not see the value of them over CML. Now, the meta shift with Grey Knights and Necrons has caused me to reconsider. The Assault Cannon is very useful against heavy vehicles with Rending. While it takes some luck, with the high number of shots you get from an Assault Cannon you have a good chance of getting one. In lists with over 4 terminator squads, I would recommend taking an Assault Cannon squad to contribute to anti-horde and anti-heavy vehicle (yes the assault cannon is good against light and medium tanks too, but you're already shooting for Rending. You might as well make the most of it.)

Objective Holders
This one is pretty straightforward. In a Deathwing list, the only Troops you have are terminators, meaning in 2/3 of the game, you will need to rely on them to win the game for you. This is not a bad thing though. It is incredibly hard to shift a Fearless terminator squad with a mix of Storm Shields and hiding in cover. The enemy will really need to concentrate on them, meaning less fire put into your other Terminators. For my objective holders, I usually try to combine the Long Range Firepower and Medium Range Firepower roles. That means a CML-carrying Terminator with Storm Bolter and Powerfist, Sergeant with Power Sword and Storm Bolter, terminator with Storm Bolter and Power Fist, and two terminators with TH/SS. (Again, rule #4). This squad will fire 6 anti-infantry shots that can be combined with 2 frag blast templates, or it can go light vehicle hunting. Just remember to keep them in cover, and use the Storm Shields as much as you can against low-AP shots. Armor saves go on the Sergeant and regular terminator, invulnerable on the storm shields. Easy!

The Rock Your Enemies Break Upon
Very often, you will encounter enemies that are more maneuverable than you. In this case, it is likely that they will get an assault off first. In this case, you will rely on Storm Shields and your 2+ to carry you through. The important thing is to not offer your opponent multiple squads at once. If a squad moves into the engaging range of an enemy squad, position Dreadnoughts and/or other terminator squads to get them out. The one squad will get assaulted, and will likely lose members. However, you can crush the enemy squad your next turn. Venerable Dreadnoughts are incredibly useful for this purpose. You can use them to threaten the enemy and draw the response, relying on their AV12 and Venerable to carry them through. Or you can intersperse them in your line and discourage the enemy from getting close. The lesson here is to not let your squads get isolated in range of enemy units. Your main army should stick together so that they can overwhelm threats.

In closing, when it comes to Terminator Squads, I like 4-5 squads at 2000 points. It gives me options to work with, while also ensuring I will have scoring models left at the end of the game. Each squad is designed with a purpose, and contributes differently to the battle. How I outfit my squads is determined by their role.

Recommended Choices:
Close Combat Deathstar (5x SS/TH, Apothecary, Banner, Belial with SS/TH) 215 points for squad, 400 points for squad and Belial
Close Combat mix (3x SS/TH, 2x LCs, usually CML) 235 points
Anti-Horde Close Combat (2x LCs, 2x Storm Shields, Heavy Flamer+Chain Fist) <-This option only ever goes in LRC (rule #2) 225 points
Mid-Range Squad (Assault Cannon+Chainfist, 4x Storm Shields) 245 points
Long-Range Objective Holders (CML/SB/PF, SB/PF, SB/PW, 2x SS/TH) 235 points

I will usually take 1 or 2 combat squads, a mid-range squad, and 1-2 Long-range squads.

Fast Attack
While there is nothing for a pure Deathwing army in Fast Attack, for competitive play there is a very valuable choice here: the Land Speeder Typhoon. Land Speeder Typhoons contribute to your missile count, and your armor saturation. Also, they can take Multi-Meltas for more heavy anti-tank firepower. Definitely a great choice, though they will add easy Kill Points to your list. Luckily if there's anything Deathwing is good at, it's Kill Point denial.

Recommended choices:
Land Speeder Typhoon w/Multi-melta 75 points

Heavy Support
Here we get a glut of options. First of all, for the pure Deathwing player, we have the ever-important Land Raider Godhammer and Land Raider Crusader. Of the two, I much prefer the Crusader. Not only does it bring valuable anti-horde firepower with it's Hurricane Bolters and Assault Cannon, the Multi-Melta and Assault Cannon mean it is quite good at anti-tank as well. Not only is the added firepower from the Crusader very nice, it also carries your Death Star. Use 1 or 2 to deliver your units into combat exactly where they are needed. With a 22" threat range (12" move+2"disembark+2"bases+6"assault) it also nigh guarantees Belial and his squad will be assaulting, not assaulted. After delivering it's cargo, the Crusader can then be used to block line of sight and charge angles to protect the squad. In other words, I would always recommend at least one Land Raider Crusader. The Land Raider Godhammer can be useful, but that comes down to your personal choice. While the lascannons help in medium vehicle hunting, they don't do much against heavy vehicles.

For the non-pure Deathwing players, the Heavy Support slots offer up more goodness. The Vindicator is always a good choice. With a large AP2 template, it can clear out heavy infantry easily. Also, it can hunt heavy vehicles well with the ordnance rules on a Strength 10 shot. I very commonly take two in my lists. It only takes one good shot to make its points back.

The Whirlwind is worthless. Don't use it. Pay the extra points for a Vindicator. The Predator however, can be good if used right. A Dakka pred (Twin-linked Autocannon+Heavy Bolters) is cheap and effective. A Pred with a Twin-Linked Autocannon and Lascannon sponsons is more expensive, but can also be good. However, unless you find yourself having problems with hordes or medium vehicles, I would steer away from these choices. Their roles are already covered by other models.

Recommended Choices:
Land Raider Crusader w/Extra Armor 265 points
Vindicator 125 points

List Writing
So with all that being said, where does it leave us list wise. Well we know we need Belial for sure. Add in the 4 terminator squads at the very least, and a Land Raider Crusader for Belial's squad. That still leaves many points left. Roles we have covered are combat, some long range firepower, and a good amount of anti-horde. We could still use more anti-tank and anti-heavy infantry. That means some Dreadnoughts and Vindicators. Add it all up and you get this (for example):

[HQ]Belial- Banner, Apothecary, TH/SS ........................................185 points

[EL]Dreadnought- Venerable, Plasma Cannon ...............................145 points
[EL]Dreadnought- Venerable, Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer ................145 points

[TR]Terminators- 5x SS/TH (plus Banner and Apothecary) .............215 points
[TR]Terminators- 5x SS/TH, CML ................................................23 5 points
[TR]Terminators- 4x SS/TH, Assault Cannon+Chainfist ..................250 points
[TR]Terminators- 2x SS/TH, CML/SB/PF, SB/PF, SB/PW ................235 points

[FA]Land Speeder Typhoon- Multi-Melta .......................................75 points

[HS]Land Raider Crusader- Extra Armor .......................................265 points
[HS]Vindicator .................................................. .........................125 points
[HS]Vindicator .................................................. .........................125 points

Total: 2000 points

That list can handle most match ups very well. Frag templates, Assault Cannons, Hurricane Bolters, and Demolisher shots all kill horde. 6 missile shots+2 Multi-Meltas+2 Assault Cannons+2 Demolisher shots can handle vehicles. A plasma cannon, 2 Assault Cannons (rending), and 2 Demolisher shots work well against heavy infantry. The list includes 6 vehicles, as well as Terminators to eat anti-tank shots.

This concludes part 1. Part 2 will cover playing the list above on the tabletop in a multitude of situations.