RULES / POINTS VERSION:

10th Edition, 2025 – 2026 Chapter Approved

September 2025 Balanced Dataslate and MFM Points Update

MATCHUP:

Faction: Emperor’s Children

Detachment: Carnival of Excess

VS

Faction: Necrons

Detachment: Annihilation Legion

MISSION:

Primary: Supply Drop

Terrain: GW Terrain Layout 1

Deployment: Hammer & Anvil

RESULT:

98 – 37 Win for Emperor’s Children

OVERALL TAKEAWAYS:

• Overall game
  • A few weeks back I wrote about how I am usually VERY good with Annihilation Legion despite the general consensus that it is awful.  This time, I think I ran into its limitations pretty hard.  EC was simply faster and more deadly than Annihilation Legion.  Combine those factors with a few dice rolls falling in favor of EC and this game became a blowout by the end of Round 2.
  • Necrons went first and had a great Round 1.  They pushed out aggressively and took all 3 objectives with Flayed Ones and the C’Tan Shard of the Nightbringer.  They also staged up the Skorpekhs well to hide them from the Noise Marines and maxed out secondaries.
  • The EC countered by staging pretty much their entire army Round 1 while also zoning out any Necrons Deep Strikes or Strategic Reserves.  While killing the Flayed Ones in Round 1 didn’t seem all of that impressive, it proved to be a valuable trade for EC as it forced the Necrons to commit the Skorpekhs earlier than they wanted to.
  • Round 2 is what broke the Necrons back.  EC lost both Rhinos and a unit of Daemonettes but the Lokhust Destroyers with Gauss Destructors whiffed HARD when shooting at the Dameon Princes and the Nightbringer failed to kill an Infractor squad (left 1 model plus the Lord).  EC then cracked back and wiped out pretty much everything in the midfield with a massive “go turn” that left the Necrons with only their Ophydians, the 6 model Skorpekhs, and their Reserves.  These weren’t enough against 1500 points of EC and the Necrons got tabled in Round 3.  
• Emperor’s Children
  • This game went really well but I still feel like there is so much more than I could be getting out of this detachment and list.  I’m still working out the sequencing and spacing to crack off an effective use of Ecstatic Slaughter with the Winged Daemon Prince and have yet to use Dark Apparitions.
  • I’m going to keep working on this one as I love how it adds another dimension to how I can play EC. I’m tempted to drop an Infractor + Lord Exultant squad for another Noise Marine unit to go all in on Sustained with Critical Hits on 5+ but probably we’ll see.
  • The Noise Marines actually rolled super bad this game and the Daemonettes, Seekers, and Daemon Princes ended up doing the majority of the damage for EC.  At first this had me worried but turns out that Daemonettes are good into anything if you are good at rolling 6’s for Sustained Hits and Dev Wounds and Winged Damon Princes are just awesome.  Also, this list is just SO FAST. 
  • Key Combos:
    • Slaanesh Daemon units within 6 inches of EC units in order to give each other Sustained Hits.  This was extra good when the EC unit in question was a Noise Marine + Lord Kakophonist squad which leveled up to critical hits on 5+ (although they unfortunately rolled terribly all game).
    • Winged Damon Prince + Uncanny Reactions to give -1 to hit in either shooting or melee.  This sounds simple, but it turns out that the combination of a 4+ invulnerable save, -1 to Damage due to Stimulated By Pain ability, and -1 to Hit makes them super annoying to kill (just ask the Lokhust Heavy Destroyers).
    • Winged Damon Prince + Dameonettes charging the same target + Daemonette’s using Fight First to kill the target + Ecstatic Slaughter stratagem for the Winged Damon Prince to charge and do mortal wounds to again thanks to the Daemonic Destruction ability.  I want to see this one happen SO BAD, but unfortunately the stupid, clever Skorpekh Lord used timely Heroic Intervention to lock down the WDP and shut this one down.
  • Key Stratagems
    • Uncanny Reactions – See above
    • Ecstatic Slaughter – Sigh.  One day…..
    • Dark Apparitions – Just the threat of an Uppy Downy Daemonette or Seeker unit kept the Necrons holding their DZ.
    • Sustained By Agony – Allows the Daemonettes and/or Seekers to heal as the EC units (Winged Daemon Princes) kill enemies.  I used this 3 times to keep the Seekers topped up.
• Necrons
  • It was a good run Annihilation Legion but I knew at some point that we would run into an opponent who played the “be fast and aggressive” game better than we do.  Once EC was able to out speed, out shoot, and out fight the Necrons, this one got ugly fast.  
  • My game plan was to try to hold the middle with the Nightbringer while using Flayed Ones to bait out charges on the flanks that I could then shoot with Lokhusts or Lokhust Heavies before charging the 2nd wave with Skorpekhs, all while doing actions with Ophydians and Lexmark’s.  
  • On paper, the plan was good.  In practice, the Nightbringer died about 1.5 Rounds too early, the Flayed Ones traded down and got wiped by Daemonettes who then made just enough 5+ saves to force the Skorpekhs out to finish them off.  This made it easy for EC to mass charge everything and eliminate anything that mattered by the end of Round 2.
  • Key Combos:
    • Not a true combo, but 3 Lokhust Heavy Destroyers with Enmitic Exterminators coming out of Strategic Reserves is VERY nasty to any infantry in the area.
    • I didn’t get to execute it in this game, but 5 – 10 Flayed Ones charging into a Below Half Strength target and then popping Spoor of Frailty for +1 Hit and +1 to Wound while getting all hits as Critical Hits and Sustained thanks to the Flesh Hunger ability is NASTY.
  • Key Stratagems
    • Spoor of Frailty – See above combo.
    • Pitiless Hunters – I used this in Rounds 2 and 3 to Pile In and Consolidate 6 inches instead of 3.  It made my Skorpekhs super fast and helped them move from cover to cover and avoid the Forgefiends.
    • Lokhust Destroyers’ Hardwired for Destruction (full Hit rerolls against the nearest enemy unit on an objective) and Gauss Cannons (Lethal Hits) + Lokhust Lord’s  Destroyer Cult ability (Critical Hits on 5+) + Annihilation Protocols detachment rule (+1 AP vs the closest enemy target) = 18 shots with Lethals on 5+ and full rerolls at AP -3, 2 damage.  Big time damage!!

WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:

• Emperor’s Children
  • Not a change, but I still need to work to pull off some of the more fancy combos in this detachment.  Specifically, I REALLy want to charge a target with both a Daeon Prince and Slaanesh Daemon unit, kill the target with the Slaanesh Daemon unit, and then use Ecstatic Slaughter to combo into another Dameon Prince charge (and therefore another round of mortal wounds).  I almost had hit this game and want to keep chasing it.   
• Necrons
  • I think I put too much into Strategic Reserves, specifically the 3 Lokhust Heavy Destroyers with Enmitic Exterminators.  EC ended up screening off the sides of the boards and I was left with no good place to put them until it was too late for them to matter.  I would start them on the board next time.

EARNED HIMSELF A NAME: Winged Dameon Prince.  Both of these guys were so good.  One killed a 6 wound C’Tan Shard of the Nightbringer thanks to a hot roll on his charge mortals and the other tanked a Skorpekh charge only to smash them back and then fall back and charge into a squad of Lokhust Heavies next turn.  These guys basically won the game for the EC.

MAGNUS OF THE GAME: C’Tan Shard of the Nightbringer.  It was more user error than his fault, but my favorite C’Tan died way quicker than I anticipated.  I had hoped to use him to hold the center objective for the majority of the game, but instead he ended up dying in Round 2 after failing to kill and Infractor unit in melee.

LISTS:

Emperor’s Children

Carnival of Excess

Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (215 Points)

  • 1x Hellforged weapons

  • 1x Infernal cannon

  • Enhancements: Empyric Suffusion

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (200 Points)

  • 1x Hellforged weapons

  • 1x Infernal cannon

Lord Exultant (105 Points)

  • 1x Bolt Pistol

  • 1x Close combat weapon

  • 1x Phoenix power spear

  • 1x Rapture lash

  • Enhancements: Possessed Blade

Lord Exultant (110 Points)

  • 1x Bolt Pistol

  • 1x Close combat weapon

  • 1x Phoenix power spear

  • 1x Rapture lash

  • Enhancements: Warp Walker

Lord Kakophonist (70 Points)

  • Warlord

  • 1x Close combat weapon

  • 1x Screamer pistol

  • 1x Screamer pistol

Lord Kakophonist (70 Points)

  • 1x Close combat weapon

  • 1x Screamer pistol

  • 1x Screamer pistol

BATTLELINE

Daemonettes (90 Points)

  • 1x Alluress

     ◦ 1x Slashing claws

  • 9x Daemonette

     ◦ 1x Daemonic Icon

     ◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos

     ◦ 9x Slashing claws

Daemonettes (90 Points)

  • 1x Alluress

     ◦ 1x Slashing claws

  • 9x Daemonette

     ◦ 1x Daemonic Icon

     ◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos

     ◦ 9x Slashing claws

Daemonettes (90 Points)

  • 1x Alluress

     ◦ 1x Slashing claws

  • 9x Daemonette

     ◦ 1x Daemonic Icon

     ◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos

     ◦ 9x Slashing claws

Daemonettes (90 Points)

  • 1x Alluress

     ◦ 1x Slashing claws

  • 9x Daemonette

     ◦ 1x Daemonic Icon

     ◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos

     ◦ 9x Slashing claws

Infractors (85 Points)

  • 1x Obsessionist

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

     ◦ 1x Rapture lash

  • 4x Infractor

     ◦ 4x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 4x Duelling sabre

     ◦ 1x Icon of Excess

Infractors (85 Points)

  • 1x Obsessionist

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

     ◦ 1x Rapture lash

  • 4x Infractor

     ◦ 4x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 4x Duelling sabre

     ◦ 1x Icon of Excess

Tormentors (85 Points)

  • 1x Obsessionist

     ◦ 1x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Power sword

  • 4x Tormentor

     ◦ 2x Boltgun

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Icon of Excess

     ◦ 1x Meltagun

     ◦ 1x Plasma gun

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Chaos Rhino (80 Points)

  • 1x Armoured tracks

  • 1x Combi-bolter

  • 1x Combi-bolter

  • 1x Havoc launcher

Chaos Rhino (80 Points)

  • 1x Armoured tracks

  • 1x Combi-bolter

  • 1x Combi-bolter

  • 1x Havoc launcher

OTHER DATASHEETS

Noise Marines (145 Points)

  • 1x Disharmonist

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Sonic blaster

  • 5x Noise Marine

     ◦ 2x Blastmaster

     ◦ 5x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 3x Sonic blaster

Noise Marines (145 Points)

  • 1x Disharmonist

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Sonic blaster

  • 5x Noise Marine

     ◦ 2x Blastmaster

     ◦ 5x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 3x Sonic blaster

Seekers (80 Points)

  • 1x Heartseeker

     ◦ 1x Lashing tongue

     ◦ 1x Slashing claws

  • 4x Seeker

     ◦ 1x Daemonic Icon

     ◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos

     ◦ 4x Lashing tongue

     ◦ 4x Slashing claws

Seekers (80 Points)

  • 1x Heartseeker

     ◦ 1x Lashing tongue

     ◦ 1x Slashing claws

  • 4x Seeker

     ◦ 1x Daemonic Icon

     ◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos

     ◦ 4x Lashing tongue

     ◦ 4x Slashing claws

Necrons

Annihilation Legion

Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

C’tan Shard of the Nightbringer (305 Points)

  • 1x Gaze of death

  • 1x Scythe of the Nightbringer

Hexmark Destroyer (75 Points)

  • 1x Close combat weapon

  • 1x Enmitic disintegrator pistols

Hexmark Destroyer (75 Points)

  • 1x Close combat weapon

  • 1x Enmitic disintegrator pistols

Lokhust Lord (90 Points)

  • 1x Resurrection Orb

  • 1x Staff of light

  • Enhancements: Ingrained Superiority

Skorpekh Lord (90 Points)

  • Warlord

  • 1x Enmitic annihilator

  • 1x Flensing claw

  • 1x Hyperphase harvester

Skorpekh Lord (90 Points)

  • 1x Enmitic annihilator

  • 1x Flensing claw

  • 1x Hyperphase harvester

OTHER DATASHEETS

Flayed Ones (120 Points)

  • 10x Flayed One

     ◦ 10x Flayer claws

Flayed Ones (60 Points)

  • 5x Flayed One

     ◦ 5x Flayer claws

Flayed Ones (60 Points)

  • 5x Flayed One

     ◦ 5x Flayer claws

Lokhust Destroyers (180 Points)

  • 6x Lokhust Destroyer

     ◦ 6x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 6x Gauss cannon

Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (110 Points)

  • 2x Lokhust Heavy Destroyer

     ◦ 2x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 2x Gauss destructor

Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (165 Points)

  • 3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyer

     ◦ 3x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 3x Enmitic exterminator

Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (55 Points)

  • 1x Close combat weapon

  • 1x Gauss destructor

Ophydian Destroyers (80 Points)

  • 3x Ophydian Destroyer

     ◦ 3x Ophydian hyperphase weapons

     ◦ 1x Plasmacyte

Ophydian Destroyers (80 Points)

  • 3x Ophydian Destroyer

     ◦ 3x Ophydian hyperphase weapons

     ◦ 1x Plasmacyte

Skorpekh Destroyers (180 Points)

  • 6x Skorpekh Destroyer

     ◦ 2x Plasmacyte

     ◦ 6x Skorpekh hyperphase weapons

Skorpekh Destroyers (90 Points)

  • 3x Skorpekh Destroyer

     ◦ 1x Plasmacyte

     ◦ 3x Skorpekh hyperphase weapons

Skorpekh Destroyers (90 Points)

  • 3x Skorpekh Destroyer

     ◦ 1x Plasmacyte

     ◦ 3x Skorpekh hyperphase weapons