How to make cult stealers worth it

[hivefleetkerrigan]

I've been doing some thinking on cult purestrain genestealers and how to make them more worth their points. one thing I keep thinking about is how purestrains could actually be good with all the buffs available to GSC. Rerolling wounds, perfect ambush, or exploding hits from the bladed cog strategem could do a lot of damage.

Realistically, I can think of two options either dropping them to 10 points per model or giving them access to cult creeds.

10 points per model:
At 10 points purestrains start to look really attractive. They're still not gaining access to creeds, but they're cheap enough that you'd be tempted to bring them.

Give them access to creeds:
Cult creeds are arguably superior for genestealers compared to hive fleet bonuses. At that point, they'd be worth it at 15 points to me. The synergies I can see:
Bladed cog: 4++ invul? They're suddenly much harder to remove
Twisted helix: strength 5 and +2" advance with swift and deadly, you'd be striking fast and hitting really hard
Pauper princes: rerolling all to hits would be dangerous.

Thoughts?

[kazetanade]

access to Cult Creeds, and Bladed Cog Overthrow, that's pretty much the end of that.

[xsquidz]

Nov 20, 2019 17:11:46 GMT kazetanade said:

access to Cult Creeds, and Bladed Cog Overthrow, that's pretty much the end of that.

Genestealers do have the <Cult> keyword so all buffs like fearless, an iconwards +1S relic, Perfect Ambush should all work on them but the bladed cog strat does since it specifically excludes genestelers (just had to check that), all they fail to get is the cult creed ability.

Having said that, they are too over-costed for what they do is the problem.  Just take acolytes with rock saws and the Vigilus detachement.

[hivefleetkerrigan]

Nov 20, 2019 17:44:22 GMT xsquidz said:

Nov 20, 2019 17:11:46 GMT kazetanade said:

access to Cult Creeds, and Bladed Cog Overthrow, that's pretty much the end of that.

Genestealers do have the <Cult> keyword so all buffs like fearless, an iconwards +1S relic, Perfect Ambush should all work on them but the bladed cog strat does since it specifically excludes genestelers (just had to check that), all they fail to get is the cult creed ability.

Having said that, they are too over-costed for what they do is the problem.  Just take acolytes with rock saws and the Vigilus detachement.

Right... The entire point of the thread was a discussion of what would make stealers worth it. I'm of the position of cult creeds or 10 points per model. Thoughts?

[xsquidz]

Nov 20, 2019 19:00:29 GMT hivefleetkerrigan said:

Nov 20, 2019 17:44:22 GMT xsquidz said:

Genestealers do have the <Cult> keyword so all buffs like fearless, an iconwards +1S relic, Perfect Ambush should all work on them but the bladed cog strat does since it specifically excludes genestelers (just had to check that), all they fail to get is the cult creed ability.

Having said that, they are too over-costed for what they do is the problem.  Just take acolytes with rock saws and the Vigilus detachement.

Right... The entire point of the thread was a discussion of what would make stealers worth it. I'm of the position of cult creeds or 10 points per model. Thoughts?

I think either would work, maybe even just 12 points-same as nids.  Maybe they will get fixed in CA 2019!

[hivemind03]

I think they explicitly said they made them unappealing because they didnt want them to be the focus of the book. We're supposed to use(buy) hybrids. Genestealers are there for fluff.

Really, we have too many things filling the same role in the same force org slot. Genestealers, Abberants and metamorphs are ambushing melee blenders. One of those three will come out more point efficient and be the favored ones and honestly I'm glad its abberants right now.

[xsquidz]

Nov 21, 2019 4:32:37 GMT hivemind03 said:

I think they explicitly said they made them unappealing because they didnt want them to be the focus of the book. We're supposed to use(buy) hybrids. Genestealers are there for fluff.

Really, we have too many things filling the same role in the same force org slot. Genestealers, Abberants and metamorphs are ambushing melee blenders. One of those three will come out more point efficient and be the favored ones and honestly I'm glad its abberants right now.

Everything should be usable tho.  Right now metamorphs and genestealers suck compared to acolyes or abberants.  Especially acolyes because of all the buffs and the fact that they are a troop slot.

Another way to fix or at least help cult genestealers would be to make them troops like with nids and let the bladed cog strat work on them.