Need help with a roster against custodes

[acidblood]

First off I was encouraged to tailor this list by my opponent.

The last game we played I was pretty much steam rolled

I brought

Kraken Battalion

HT with wings,andrenal glands, 2x monstrous scything talons. Took Murderous size on him
Swarmy

3x 20x Hormagaunts

Lictor

2x Dimacheron one had murderous size

Kronos Patrol

Neurothrope

11 Hormagaunts
unit of 3 rippers
1 of 6x hive guard with impaler cannons
1 Exocrine

He brought from what i can remember 
Walking Shield Cap
Banner guy making everyone minus 1 to hit
2 units of 5 shield guard
1 unit of 5 Ventari
2 telemon heavy dreads with double fists and flamers. He spent the cp to give them the extra attack and a fnp
1 galatus same cp for extra attack and fnp
1 achilus cp for extra attack and fnp
I may have missed a unit but thats pretty much everything. He started with 2cp. His ventari got lucky and murdered my HT before he did anything. And the Telemon Dreads marched through my lines because it was nearly impossible to harm them. Dimas' were essentially useless as was the swarmlord. Anything they touch dies. I could possibly ignore them but they are impossible to tie down with their flamers that they can shoot in combat. 

Any help would be appreciated

[purestrain]

Aug 17, 2021 1:58:34 GMT acidblood said:

First off I was encouraged to tailor this list by my opponent.

The last game we played I was pretty much steam rolled

I brought

Kraken Battalion

HT with wings,andrenal glands, 2x monstrous scything talons. Took Murderous size on him
Swarmy

3x 20x Hormagaunts

Lictor

2x Dimacheron one had murderous size

Kronos Patrol

Neurothrope

11 Hormagaunts
unit of 3 rippers
1 of 6x hive guard with impaler cannons
1 Exocrine

He brought from what i can remember 
Walking Shield Cap
Banner guy making everyone minus 1 to hit
2 units of 5 shield guard
1 unit of 5 Ventari
2 telemon heavy dreads with double fists and flamers. He spent the cp to give them the extra attack and a fnp
1 galatus same cp for extra attack and fnp
1 achilus cp for extra attack and fnp
I may have missed a unit but thats pretty much everything. He started with 2cp. His ventari got lucky and murdered my HT before he did anything. And the Telemon Dreads marched through my lines because it was nearly impossible to harm them. Dimas' were essentially useless as was the swarmlord. Anything they touch dies. I could possibly ignore them but they are impossible to tie down with their flamers that they can shoot in combat. 

Any help would be appreciated

More exocrines, double fire all of them into the fastest/greatest threats and bring simbiostorm on a neruo with +1 cast to make sure it goes off.

if you're getting the horms into combat on his shield guard remember to acid blood to help thin them out, if by some unnatural garbage rolls they survive so that the custodes (if they do so) back out, dont forget to use cut them down.
Thats all I got, custodes are hard

[acidblood]

Aug 17, 2021 2:08:33 GMT purestrain said:

Aug 17, 2021 1:58:34 GMT acidblood said:

More exocrines, double fire all of them into the fastest/greatest threats and bring simbiostorm on a neruo with +1 cast to make sure it goes off.

if you're getting the horms into combat on his shield guard remember to acid blood to help thin them out, if by some unnatural garbage rolls they survive so that the custodes (if they do so) back out, dont forget to use cut them down.
Thats all I got, custodes are hard

Against Telemons Exocrines would be wounding on 5's since they are tough 8 minus 1 damage. They will delete his normal guys but the Telemons will laugh at them. Ill try to remember acid blood and cut them down. That could really help.

[Hive Bahamut]

Nids have lots of counters but usually tailoring isn't allowed. If you are I propose something a little more.. Stalling.

Exocrines and Hive Guard are the only shooting worth putting their direction as they shrug off most armies small arms. That being said, mortals are your friend.

Tons of gaunts with acid blood, smite, psychic scream, mental onslaught, Biovores, Mines etc. Drown them in mortals which is usually weak, but strong against Custodes.

You should never expect to pick up more than 1-3 per activation. They are absurdly durable for their cost but don't do TONS of damage.

Prioritize Bikes, Sisters with Flamers (strat for 4 shot min) and leave the Dreads alone. They are impossible to kill, without pouring exponentially too many resources into.

[No One]

acidblood said:

I may have missed a unit but thats pretty much everything. He started with 2cp.

You've definitely missed something: both illegal (not enough HQs/too many elites), and is also only down 4 CP for penitent. Edit: As below, for some reason forgot vanguard.

(The strat gives +1 A and rr charges, not a FNP: the dreads just all have a 6+++ native).

Just bodyblock the dreads into uselessness with gaunts: ideally stay out of HI, take the objectives with obsec, and maybe tag a dread occasionally to make shooting/clearing them awkward.

Shooting/other melee to clear their other units, and maybe the achillus (dima murders it if they don't have the CP for defensive stats, especially with something to soften it up a tad: with size, it almost kills even with strat). Once you've cleared out the venetarii, it can't kill much more other than the squad in their face: keep chucking 10-20 man forward, they don't have any reach to target anything useful, and will just slowly make it's way forward while not really scoring much. Just don't give them free kills for no reason.

I'd just drop one dima for it (edit: actually, maybe exo. Doesn't like shooting dreads, doesn't like shooting into -1. Depends on if you think you could target the other units or not), make sure flyrant has res barb, drop rippers for 2nd lictor.

[beetlejuice]

Aug 17, 2021 5:46:44 GMT No One said:

acidblood said:

I may have missed a unit but thats pretty much everything. He started with 2cp.

You've definitely missed something: both illegal (not enough HQs/too many elites), and is also only down 4 CP for penitent.

(The strat gives +1 A and rr charges, not a FNP: the dreads just all have a 6+++ native).

Just bodyblock the dreads into uselessness with gaunts: ideally stay out of HI, take the objectives with obsec, and maybe tag a dread occasionally to make shooting/clearing them awkward.

Shooting/other melee to clear their other units, and maybe the achillus (dima murders it if they don't have the CP for defensive stats, especially with something to soften it up a tad: with size, it almost kills even with strat). Once you've cleared out the venetarii, it can't kill much more other than the squad in their face: keep chucking 10-20 man forward, they don't have any reach to target anything useful, and will just slowly make it's way forward while not really scoring much. Just don't give them free kills for no reason.

I'd just drop one dima for it (edit: actually, maybe exo. Doesn't like shooting dreads, doesn't like shooting into -1. Depends on if you think you could target the other units or not), make sure flyrant has res barb, drop rippers for 2nd lictor.

maybe custodes ran a vanguard det? Would explain lack of CP and tax units.
I’d think hard before dropping the exo. +1D strat = 1 dead custode for every failed save.
Consider swapping a dima + change for 5 man zoanthropes. They are pricey and don’t do enough in any other meta matchup but vs custodes they shine as tarpits with catalyst for the 3++/5+++ and dishing out mortals in the process.

[No One]

Vanguard would fit (I don't know why I seem to forget it), but wow does going vanguard only seem really bad when you've already got troops and are only taking 3 elites, especially if (presumably) taking extra relic/WLT/captain commander to drop down to 2 CP. Dreads without defensive strats are way easier to kill. A size dima with voracious almost kills a telemon if you can't shadowkeepers or no rerolls.