Mono cult. Acolyte twisted helix.

[niiai]

I am stil trying to get a monocult army put together. Pure GSC. While there is of course a glass ceiling for mono cult this is what I have put together.

Advice is welcome, but I think I will be attempting this for a while. Need advice on warlord traits and psykick powers though. Am spending 2 CP on magus and ekstra relic. Probably 3CP on a perfect ambush at least one time in the game. But it is not so heavy on the CP.


++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Tyranids - Genestealer Cults) [103 PL, 10CP, 1,995pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points)

Cult Creed: The Twisted Helix

Detachment Command Cost

+ Stratagems +

Grandsire's Gifts [-1CP]: 1 Extra Sacred Relic

+ HQ +

Jackal Alphus [4 PL, 75pts]: The Gift from Beyond

Magus [6 PL, -1CP, 100pts]: Familiar, Power: Mutagenic Deviation, Stratagem: The Cult's Psyche, The Crouchling

+ Troops +

Acolyte Hybrids [6 PL, 160pts]: Cult Icon
. 5x Acolyte Hybrid (Hand Flamer): 5x Blasting Charges, 5x Cultist Knife, 5x Hand Flamer, 5x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Cutter
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Cutter
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Leader: Cultist Knife, Hand Flamer

Acolyte Hybrids [6 PL, 160pts]: Cult Icon
. 5x Acolyte Hybrid (Hand Flamer): 5x Blasting Charges, 5x Cultist Knife, 5x Hand Flamer, 5x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Cutter
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Cutter
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Leader: Cultist Knife, Hand Flamer

Acolyte Hybrids [6 PL, 160pts]: Cult Icon
. 5x Acolyte Hybrid (Hand Flamer): 5x Blasting Charges, 5x Cultist Knife, 5x Hand Flamer, 5x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Cutter
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Cutter
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Hand Flamer, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Leader: Cultist Knife, Hand Flamer

Acolyte Hybrids [9 PL, 195pts]: Cult Icon
. 8x Acolyte Hybrid: 8x Autopistol, 8x Blasting Charges, 8x Cultist Knife, 8x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Autopistol, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Autopistol, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Autopistol, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Autopistol, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Autopistol, Heavy Rock Saw
. Acolyte Hybrid (Heavy Weapon): Autopistol, Heavy Rock Drill
. Acolyte Leader: Autopistol, Cultist Knife

Acolyte Hybrids [9 PL, 164pts]: Cult Icon
. 13x Acolyte Hybrid (Hand Flamer): 13x Blasting Charges, 13x Cultist Knife, 13x Hand Flamer, 13x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Leader: Cultist Knife, Hand Flamer

Acolyte Hybrids [6 PL, 76pts]: Cult Icon
. 5x Acolyte Hybrid (Hand Flamer): 5x Blasting Charges, 5x Cultist Knife, 5x Hand Flamer, 5x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Leader: Cultist Knife, Hand Flamer

+ Elites +

Kelermorph [4 PL, 80pts]: Warlord, Warlord Trait: Bio-alchemist

+ Fast Attack +

Achilles Ridgerunners [12 PL, 210pts]
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser

Achilles Ridgerunners [12 PL, 210pts]
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser

+ Heavy Support +

Goliath Rockgrinder [6 PL, 95pts]: Heavy Mining Laser

+ Dedicated Transport +

Cult Chimera [5 PL, 85pts]: Heavy Flamer, Heavy Flamer

Goliath Truck [4 PL, 75pts]

Goliath Truck [4 PL, 75pts]

Goliath Truck [4 PL, 75pts]

++ Total: [103 PL, 10CP, 1,995pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

[niiai]

Update. First pure GSC winn for me in 9th edition.

The list worked like a charm. I missed 3 important charges in turn two and still won.

I am unsure on 2 of the banners. They could probably be ditched. And the kellorph was not that impressive. So that is 100 points to play around with. But it was very fun. :-)

[kukie]

this looks like about as competitive as GSC can get. I'm sure it depends on your local meta but this list looks like it is optimal for GSC at the current state of the game. I don't have goliaths, and just run more infantry but I can see the use for them. at 75 points a truck it seems worth it... what does the enemy want to shot at? the goliaths with the acolytes inside or the ridgerunners that are shredding with loads of mining lasors.

what army did you play against?

[niiai]

I think the army could be more optemised.

Not sure all the banners are needed. Not sure about 2 saws and 2 scissors, might cut one of them to bring it down to 3 power weapons. The chimera and possible the kelkermorph can be cut. Not sure about the 15 deep strike acolytes. They might be better in a truck or rockgrinder. (I failed the charge with a perfect ambush, and rerolling the charge.) But the general idea is there.

I can not empesise how good handflames where. It is like night and day. Finaly some reliable shooting.

I played against orks. A non competitive list. He insists on running 10 flashgits. They are way overpriced. But if you do not kill them they will wreck your army. Usually he runs boys with da jump and a morkanaught. Instead he tryed the deep strike gorkanaught. Also, since I am running GSC he limited himself to one Dakkajet. He usually runs 2, but they just shred me.

I think the morkanaught build is quite good.

But trucks is a game changer. They need to kill the trucks to get at what is inside. Instead of just killing the troops. And beeing able to drive up turn one and get charges turn two without spending a lot of CP on everything is very nice.

Only problem is acolytes and trucks are super expensive to buy with cash.

[wound]

I have a question, whats the porpuse of the Chimera?

[niiai]

Mainly the 2 heavy flamers. I think it is fairly durable and dangerous for 85 points. But it and the kelkermorph felt like the weaker parts of the list.

It does have a secindery role as holding objectives though. I do not feel like I can trust that job to acolytes. Acolytes are glass cannons and must be used offensively. They can not stand around or they just die to shooting. While the 12" heavy handflamer is nose you are really looking for new charges with 8+3d6 threat range with the advance and charge stratagem + twisted helix.

Ridge runners are to flimsy to hold objectives with T5. Perhaps another truck. But trucks do very little on their own IMHO. But 2 heavy flamers can kill objective holder and they are good at owner watching. (In fact with so many flamers this entire list is good at overwatch.)

[kazetanade]

My last exp with trucks is that they die very easily. The contents die very easily. So usually they'll spend time to kill 2 trucks and 1 content, then charge the 2nd content, to wipe 4 units for free.

But my meta has relatively low objec holding power in general and just plays high levels of damage threat or tanky threats you can't charge.

Trucks + Ridgerunners at the same time might work though. Might just work.

[niiai]

I do not understand your argument there. What do you suggest as an alternative to units in trucks and ridge runners for survivability? For T3 5+ did very little survival for me. Even with 90 of the models on the table.

[kazetanade]

I'm saying Trucks themselves are squishy, whereas 6++RRs + 3++Trucks might be enough of the same profile range to get things done.

My last set of games found high number of S5 and S6 2D guns - both horde and weak vehicles get popped without much issue. But high volume of such vehicles that also belly damage and also can hold points - it might work if there's too many to kill.

Alternatively I would honestly just look at mix army, which I know is not in your consideration.

[purestrain]

Highly contested, but I give my kelermorph the dagger of swift sac, 4 3+ attacks wounding on 2+ at ap-2 2d.

Shoot the chaff and fight the character yourself, they never see it coming.

[kazetanade]

Jun 13, 2021 18:25:58 GMT purestrain said:

Highly contested, but I give my kelermorph the dagger of swift sac, 4 3+ attacks wounding on 2+ at ap-2 2d.

Shoot the chaff and fight the character yourself, they never see it coming.

Tbf this is not actually the worst idea, other than the constant 3++ or 4++ that characters tend to have nowadays. Also sadly because there's only 4A...

[No One]

I'd be more concerned about never getting to fight: 9" charge or no charge, and you're not surviving a counter punch.

[purestrain]

Jun 17, 2021 10:05:26 GMT No One said:

I'd be more concerned about never getting to fight: 9" charge or no charge, and you're not surviving a counter punch.

Typically never lives anyways, t3 just gets wiped out and I use them as a vanguard to attack their backfield or flanks to target hqs, I pop cp for fire out of deepstrike if there is chaff in the way beforehand, but his gunfire along with if you make it in (or if others do for you) typically has the punch to deal with the situation.

Its also helpful that any wounds suffered by the blade causes them to take d3 mortal wounds, so you have a pretty decent chance at 2+ wounding to get a medium to high tier HQ with it if you can get stuck in