Well, this being my first post, I thought I’d start off with an introduction to my current army. For the last several months I’ve been building, painting, refining, etc. my Space Wolves, and with the sudden upwelling of murmurs regarding their new codex, I’m getting more and more into the build. It seems likely that I will only be playing this particular list for the remainder of the spring and summer, as the new codex will likely drastically change the army. (Read the rumored 60 point/6 attack terminators with lightning claws) Currently, the Space Wolf army list has a number of overpriced and easily killable options along with an armoury full of unusable equipment. I like to think of this list as a pretty streamlined version that will transition into the next codex without too much pain.
So here goes: (1849 points)
Wolf Lord: 2 Fenris Wolves, Bolt Pistol, Frost Axe, Runic Armour, Belt of Russ, Frag Grenades.
-All of the SW leaders are dead killy, and with the Frost Axe, this guy’s a beast. The runic armour allows him to take on whole units if necessary, while the Fenris Wolves and Belt of Russ help him survive Dreadnoughts, Carnifexes, and the like. I always take Frags as the last thing you want is those 6 power attacks coming too late.
*Note: I prefer the Lord to the Wolf Guard Battle Leader for the Ld 10. The wound is also nice but not nearly as important in my opinion.
Wolf Priest: 1 Fenris Wolf, Bolt Pistol, Runic Charm, Frag Grenades.
-Almost as deadly as the Lord (S4 vs S5), I take the Priest for the pre-existing invulnerable save and the leadership of 10.
Venerable Dreadnought: Assault Cannon, Extra Armour, Smoke Launchers.
-The uniqueness of the SW Venerable makes this a mostly fluffy choice. He’s proved annoyingly easy to shoot to death, though he is quite good at holding up infantry, and the re-roll has proven invaluable for set up. (I’m afraid we’re going to lose the re-roll in the new codex or that he’s going to become too expensive to make viable.
Wolf Scouts x4: 2 Power Weapons, Meltagun, Meltabombs
-I’ve only recently started using these guys, and I’ve found them to be a very interesting addition. They’re not going to turn a game single-handedly, though they will kill small, objective holders and suicide into Heavy Weapons teams and the like, but they seem to mess up the plans of many armies with their ability to always come in off the back edge. They get opponents to inch that much closer and within range of my plethora of assault troops.
Grey Hunters x6: Meltagun, Bolters, Rhino
-I use these guys almost exclusively to hold objectives in my deployment zone. I favor the slavering wolf horde mode of play, and these guys are too methodical for me. I feel that the blood claws give you more death for the points. Despite the extra killpoint, I like them in the Rhino because it makes them that much more difficult to get rid of.
Blood Claws x8: Power Weapon, Power Fist, Meltagun, Rhino w/Extra Armour
-BCs form the bulk of my army. Coupled with a hero or a well-equipped Wolf Guard they can take down dang near anything on a charge or counter-charge. I take the PW and PF so that I can kill both infantry and armour effectively. I tend to run these guys toward the thick of things, so I can typically use the meltagun to take out a tank, with a somewhat lucky shot, or to guarantee a wound on tougher targets. I give the Rhino EA because it is nothing more than a BC deployment device, and I want to make sure they get there. The Wolf Priest and his wolf run with these guys.
Blood Claws x9: Power Weapon, Power Fist, Meltagun
-This is my largest unit of BCs, and I run it with my Wolf Lord and his wolves. They are transported in the Land Raider Redeemer.
Blood Claws x8: Power Weapon, Power Fist, Flamer, Rhino w/Extra Armour
Wolf Guard: Lightning Claws, Frag Grenades
-This is a unit I haven’t played with yet. I moved some points around to fit it in. I see it as a troop killer, with the flamer and lightning claw Wolf Guard. I have included the Wolf Guard for the leadership and given him LCs because I have the incredibly cool Special Order Model GW recently produced.
Attack Bike: Multi-Melta
-It’s a very fast tank killer and a wonderful distraction. You’d be amazed how many lascannon shots this little sucker can endure with a little cover.
Land Raider Redeemer: Multi-Melta, Extra Armour
-I usually use a Crusader, but I’ve decided to try out the Redeemer. I’ve found the Hurricane Bolters to be largely ineffective at any range, and since I’m going to be driving down their throats anyways, I might as well have those lovely S6 AP3 flamer templates.
Predator: Autocannon, Lascannon Sponsons
-I added this recently to work in tandem with my Vindicator. Ideally this would pop transports and the Vindi would destroy the troops. Thus far, it hasn’t worked out that way (Vindis die quickly), but the Predator has proven quite adept at neutralizing as least one tank a turn.
Vindicator: Siege Shield
-This was the first tank I got painted, so by God, it’s going to make it into the dang list despite the fact that it usually only lasts one turn. It’s also a wonderful fire magnet, which allows my LR to make it into assault range.
Well, that’s about all I have for now. I’ll try to post about tactics I use, such as they are, or post a battle report after this weekend. Later, Monkey.