JUMP TO:
Chaos Knights Specific Strategies
RULES / POINTS VERSION:
10th Edition, 2025 – 2026 Chapter Approved
December 2025 Balanced Dataslate and MFM Points Update
MATCHUP:
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Adeptus Custodes | Lions of the Emperor |
| VS | |
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Chaos Knights | Traitoris Lance |
MISSION:
| GW Mission | O |
| Primary | Terraform |
| Terrain Layout | GW Terrain Layout 2 |
| Deployment | Crucible of Battle |
LISTS:
Custodes:
List
Adeptus Custodes
Lions of the Emperor
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Blade Champion (120 Points)
• 1x Vaultswords
Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armour (155 Points)
• 1x Balistus grenade launcher
• 1x Guardian spear
• Enhancements: Superior Creation
Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armour (155 Points)
• 1x Balistus grenade launcher
• 1x Guardian spear
• Enhancements: Praesidius
Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike (160 Points)
• 1x Interceptor lance
• 1x Salvo launcher
• Enhancements: Admonimortis
Trajann Valoris (140 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Eagle’s Scream
• 1x Watcher’s Axe
Valerian (110 Points)
• 1x Gnosis
OTHER DATASHEETS
Caladius Grav-tank (215 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
• 1x Twin arachnus heavy blaze cannon
• 1x Twin lastrum bolt cannon
Caladius Grav-tank (215 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
• 1x Twin arachnus heavy blaze cannon
• 1x Twin lastrum bolt cannon
Custodian Wardens (210 Points)
• 4x Custodian Warden
◦ 4x Guardian spear
◦ 1x Vexilla
Custodian Wardens (210 Points)
• 4x Custodian Warden
◦ 4x Guardian spear
◦ 1x Vexilla
Custodian Wardens (210 Points)
• 4x Custodian Warden
◦ 4x Guardian spear
◦ 1x Vexilla
Prosecutors (50 Points)
• 1x Prosecutor Sister Superior
◦ 1x Boltgun
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Prosecutor
◦ 4x Boltgun
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
Witchseekers (45 Points)
• 1x Witchseeker Sister Superior
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Witchseeker flamer
• 3x Witchseeker
◦ 3x Close combat weapon
◦ 3x Witchseeker flamer
Chaos Knights:
List
Chaos Knights
Traitoris Lance
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Knight Abominant (380 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Balemace
• 1x Diabolus heavy stubber
• 1x Electroscourge
• 1x Volkite combustor
• Enhancements: Tyrant’s Shadow
Knight Abominant (390 Points)
• 1x Balemace
• 1x Diabolus heavy stubber
• 1x Electroscourge
• 1x Volkite combustor
• Enhancements: Veil of Medrengard
Knight Ruinator (385 Points)
• 1x Darkflame lance
• 1x Fellbore
• 1x Terrorpulse missiles
• Enhancements: Malevolent Heraldry
OTHER DATASHEETS
War Dog Brigand (140 Points)
• 1x Armoured feet
• 1x Avenger chaincannon
• 1x Daemonbreath spear
• 1x Havoc multi-launcher
War Dog Brigand (140 Points)
• 1x Armoured feet
• 1x Avenger chaincannon
• 1x Daemonbreath spear
• 1x Havoc multi-launcher
War Dog Huntsman (140 Points)
• 1x Daemonbreath meltagun
• 1x Daemonbreath spear
• 1x Reaper chaintalon
War Dog Huntsman (140 Points)
• 1x Daemonbreath meltagun
• 1x Daemonbreath spear
• 1x Reaper chaintalon
War Dog Stalker (140 Points)
• 1x Daemonbreath spear
• 1x Havoc multi-launcher
• 1x Slaughterclaw
War Dog Stalker (140 Points)
• 1x Daemonbreath spear
• 1x Havoc multi-launcher
• 1x Slaughterclaw
FACTION SPECIFIC STRATEGIES:
Custodes:
This detachment is one of my favorite detachments to play Custodes in. As I have said in prior Battle Reports, the list and detachment rules just seem to align with how I naturally want to play the game with Custodes. Its not the strongest list in the meta, especially with Custodes not doing great as of this writing, but it is one of the lists that I have the most reps with and confidence playing (famous last words).
The list is simple, but can be brutal. The idea is to rush the 3 Warden bricks up the board while peppering the opponent with ranged shooting from the Calladius tanks. Ideally, the opponent gets one round to activate before the Custodes are on top of them in melee. The Allarus Captains then Deep Strike in to sit on Objectives or threaten the opponent’s Deployment Zone (DZ) while the Jet Bike Captain is used as a second wave pressure piece to smash anything that the Wardens miss.
For the matchup, the Custodes wanted this matchup more than the Knights did. Their +1 Wound from their detachment rule does good work into Knights and Mission / Terrain combo aren’t terrible for the Custodes either. The goal here is to run up as big a score as possible as their team is depending on this one being a blow out after CSM got destroyed by the Ultramarines.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos: | Trajann Valoris with 4 Custodes Wardens |
| Blade Champion with 4 Custodes Wardens | |
| Valerian with 4 Custodes Wardens | |
| Transport / Infantry Combos: | None |
| Strategic Reserves: | Both Allarus Shield Captains |
| Key Strategems: | Gilded Champion – Used in Any Phase once a Character from your army uses their “once per battle” data sheet ability to allow that Character to use it one more time. Can only be used once per battle per character. I spam this stratagem pretty much as often as possible. |
| Manoeuvre and Fire – Used in your Movement Phase after a unit Falls Back to give that unit the ability to Shoot and Charge. | |
| Defiant to the Last – Used in the Fight Phase to give a unit Fight On Death on a 4+, that goes to a 2+ if the model has the “Character” keyword. | |
| Key Combos: | Any of the Shield Captains + Strategic Mastery ability + Gilded Champion Used to “re-rack” their once per game ability for 0 CP once per game. This is very powerful if you can stagger the use of across multiple rounds as “Strategic Mastery” comes with the caveat that it can only be used once per round. |
Chaos Knights:
This is not a meta list and is probably the third best way to play Chaos Knights, at best. That said, I just think this detachment is really cool. The idea of getting access to the majority of your debuffs by Round 3 is really intriguing to me and I really enjoy playing this detachment. Also, I play two Abominants in it as they are my favorite Chaos Knight models.
From a play style perspective, this list is all about trying to buff up your War Dogs while de-buffing your opponent with constant Battle Shock tests. It’s not consistent and the stratagems are OK at best, which is why it’s not a great way to run Chaos Knights, but when it works it can be really fun.
From a matchup perspective, this is not looking good for the Chaos Knights. I already have a prior Battle Report where the same Custodes list tuned up Infernal Lance and this Traitoris Lance list is not as strong as Infernal Lance. The terrain and mission look really beneficial to the Chaos Knights, but they really would have preferred a matchup into a lower Leadership army like Orks in order to make their rules work better. The starting point here is a 3-17 loss but it could be way worse.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos | None |
| Transport / Unit Combinations: | None |
| Strategic Reserves: | Both War Dog Huntsman models |
| Key Stratagems: | Pterrorshades – Used in Any Phase after an enemy unit within 12 inches of your unit fails Battle Shock. Roll 6 D6 and, for every 4+, they take a mortal wound and you gain 1 wound. |
| Conquerors Without Mercy – Used in the Fight Phase to give 1 unit +1 AP in melee. If any enemy units were destroyed, all opponent units within 6 inches must take a Battle Shock test. | |
| Imperious Advance – Used in your Movement Phase or Charge Phase to allow 2 War Dogs to Move, Advance, or Charge through terrain or models. | |
| Key Combos | Knight Abominant + Vortex Terrors ability + Harbringers of Dread Army Rule It’s not great, but you can use this to spam Battle Shock tests on the opponent. You also can get some good stacks with your Dread abilities late game (if you live that long). |
ROUND-BY-ROUND RECAP:
The game starts with the Chaos Knights winning the roll off and choosing to have the Custodes deploy first since neither side has Infiltrators. The Chaos Knights then deploy both Abominants on the line, with the rest staged further back. The idea is that they need to get out quickly to Terraform objectives early since Titanic units can shoot and action. The goal is to create an early points floor to try to close the gap in the matchup. Meanwhile, Custodes deploy predictably, with the Calladius tanks in shooting lanes and the Warden bricks ready to stage behind terrain Round 1. Chaos Knights then win the roll off to go first, which they really wanted. Lastly, Chaos Knights roll for their army rule’s Dread abilities and get Doom (+1 to Wound vs Battle Shocked units) and Delirium (enemy units below Half Strength and within 9 inches of a Knight suffer D3 mortal wounds when failing Battle Shock tests). They then choose an extra one, Darkness (-1 to Hit when targeted by units outside of 18 inch range or Battle Shocked units), for the detachment rule The board state at the start of the game is shown below.
Board State: Start of the Battle
ROUND 1:
| Phase: | Go First: Chaos Knights |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Secure No Man’s Land and Assassination for Secondaries |
| Movement | -Ruinator toes in to terrain and onto Objective 1 -Brigand 1 and 2 stage in shooting lanes near the Ruinator -Abominants 1 and 2 use Super-Heavy Walker to move through terrain and onto Objectives 4 and 5 -Stalker 2 to Objective 3 -Stalker 1 stages |
| Shooting | -Both Abominants and Stalker 2 Terraform -Custodes pass all Abominant Battle Shock tests -Abominants 1 and 2 use Titanic to shoot while actioning and take Jet Bike Captain to 2 Wounds |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 5 on secondaries -Terraform completes on all 3 midfield objectives |
| Score at End | 15 |
At this point, the Chaos Knights have pushed out VERY aggressively with the Abominants on two Objectives and a War Dog on the other. They were able to stay far enough back to make the charges difficult for the Custodes, but are exposed to the Calladius tanks. It’s going to be a nerve wracking Shooting Phase during the Custodes turn. The board state in the middle of Round 1 is shown below.
Board State: Middle of Round 1
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Secure No Man’s Land and Bring It Down for Secondaries -Jet Bike Captain fails Battle Shock |
| Movement | -All Warden units stage behind terrain -Jet Bike Captain moves onto Objective 5 to setup a Charge into Abominant 1 -Witchseekers stage in terrain and Prosecutors move onto Objective 2 |
| Shooting | -Calladius 1 and 2 take Abominant 1 down to 3 Wounds -Jet Bike Captain whiffs |
| Charge | -Jet Bike Captain FAILS a 4 inch Charge and cannot re-roll as he is Battle Shocked -Valerian + Wardens fail a 9 inch Charge into the Stalker 2 -Blade Champ + Wardens fail a 12 inch Charge into Abominant 2 |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 0 on Secondaries -Drop Secure No Man’s Land for 1 CP |
| Score at End | 10 |
So that was bad. Everything was setting up perfectly for the Custodes during the Shooting Phase. The Calladius’s did their job and brought the Abominant down to 3 Wounds. The Jet Bike Captain then had an almost impossible to fail Charge into Abominant 1 to score an easy Bring It Down. He then could activate Sweeping Advance to scoot behind the nearby terrain. Instead, he fails the Charge and can’t re-roll thanks to being Battle Shocked. He’s now sitting in the open as a juicy Assassination target and the Chaos Knights are positioned really well to max Primary for a turn, while getting off 1-2 turns of Terraform points, and pushing the Custodes back to their DZ. It’s not game losing, but definitely a major setback. As Steve would say to his Einhyr Champ, “You had one job!!!” The board state at the end of Round 1 is below.
Board State: End of Round 1
ROUND 2:
| Phase: | Go First: Chaos Knights |
| Score at Start | 15 |
| Command | -Draw Defend Stronghold to go with Assassination for Secondaries -Score 12 on Primary |
| Movement | -Abominant 1 moves towards center -Abominant 2 moves towards Custodes DZ -Stalker 2 sets up a Charge into Calladius 2 -All others screen -Huntsman 1 comes out of Reserves and onto Objective 3 |
| Shooting | -Abominants’ Battle Shock ability works on both Trajann and the Blade Champs’ units -Abominants’ Mortal Wound ability fail -Brigand 1 pops the Jet Bike Captain for 5 VP -Abominants target Trajann’s Wardens, who activate their 4+ Feel No Pain -Abominants kill 2 Wardens -Brigand 2 kills 2 Prosecutors models with indirect -Caladius 2 tanks to melta shots from Stalker 2 |
| Charge | -Stalker 2 into Calladius 2, Tank Shock for 3 Mortal Wounds -Valerian + Wardens Heroic Intervention -all others fail |
| Fight | -Stalker 2 whiffs into Calladius 2 thanks to the Calladius rolling three 6’s to save -Valerian + Wardens and Calladius 2 bring Stalker 2 down to 1 Wound remaining |
| End of Turn | -Score 5 on Secondaries -Score 3 on Primary for Terraform |
| Score at End | 35 |
Looks like it’s going to be “one of those games” where dice do wacky things. On one hand, the Calladius 2 should be grieviously wounded, if not dead. On the other, Abominant 1 should also be dead and Trajann and the Balde Champ should not be Battle Shocked. The dice influencing the game is good news for the Chaos Knights, as is the board state, and the big turn of primary scoring that they just had. Let’s see if the Custodes can dig themselves out of this “target rich environment”. Board state in the middle of Round 2 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 2
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Engage On All Fronts to go with Bring It Down for Secondaries -Score 4 on Primary |
| Movement | -Valerian + Wardens use Manoeuvre and Fire to Fall Back towards Objective 3 -Trajann + Wardens to Objective 5 -Blade Champ + Wardens to Objective 4 -Allarus Captain 1 Deep Strikes into Chaos Knights DZ |
| Shooting | -Trajann kills Adominant 1 for 4 VP -Calladius 2 kills Stalker 2 -All others whiff |
| Charge | -Valerian + Wardens into Huntsman 1 on Objective 3 -Blade Champ + Wardens into Abominant 2 on Objective 4 -Trajann + Wardens fail |
| Fight | -Valerian + Wardens leave Huntsman 1 on Objective 3 on 2 Wounds -Blade Champ + Wardens kill Abominant 2 through Disdain for the Weak Feel No Pain -Huntsman 2 does 2 Wounds to Valerian’s Wardens as they use their 4+ Feel No Pain |
| End of Turn | -Score 6 on Secondaries -Chaos Knights score 3 on Secondaries and 3 for Terraform |
| Score at End | 20 |
It continues to be a game where the dice are doing some weird things. In this turn, it was Valerian’s Wardens completely whiffing into Huntsman 2, which was immediately followed by Valerian rolling 4 Sustained and doing 12 Wounds by himself. Custodes are clawing back board position and points, but Chaos Knights keep running up the score board thanks to the early game push. Board state at the end of Round 2 is below.
Board State: End of Round 2
ROUND 3:
| Phase: | Go First: Chaos Knights |
| Score at Start | 41 |
| Command | -Chaos Knights roll two 4’s followed by another 4 to add Dismay (enemy units within 9 inches must take Battle Shock if below Starting Strength) to their Dread abilities -Draw Marked For Death and No Prisoners for Secondaries -Huntsman 1 fails Battle Shock -Ruinator selects Trajann + Wardens as its target -Score 4 on Primary |
| Movement | -Stalker 2 to Objective 3 to retake it through OC -Ruinator rotates within terrain to gain Line of Sight on Trajann -All others castle up in Chaos Knights DZ -Huntsman 2 deploys out of Reserves and into Chaos Knights DZ near Objective 3 |
| Shooting | -Ruinator + Brigand 1 kill the Wardens with Trajann for 2 VP -Brigand 1 kills another Prosecutor -All others whiff |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -Valerian kills Huntsman 1 |
| End of Turn | -Score 2 on Secondaries -Drop Marked For Death for 1 CP -Score 3 for Terraform |
| Score at End | 50 |
At this point, the Chaos Knights aren’t trying to win the game. Instead, they are trying to protect their lead, while also denying the Custodes points, in order to minimize the differential for when the Custodes eventually win. It’s a weird way to play, but also an interesting intellectual challenge that requires a different way of looking at the game. I’m quite enjoying it. Board state in the middle of Round 3 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 3
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 20 |
| Command | -Draw Overwhelming Force and Behind Enemy Lines for Secondaries -Prosecutors fail Battle Shock -Score 8 on Primary |
| Movement | -Witchseekers to Objective 3 to Terraform -Valerian + Wardens Advance towards Chaos Knights DZ -Blade Champ + Wardens Advance towards Chaos Knights DZ -Trajann sets up 2 inch Charge into Stalker 1 -Allarus 1 sets up a 3 inch Charge into Huntsman 2 -Calladius’s move into Line of Sight of the Ruinator -Allarus 2 Deep Strikes onto Objective 4o to Terraform |
| Shooting | -Calladius’s do 15 Damage to the Ruinator through Disdain for the Weak -Allarus 2 and Witchseekers Terraform -All others chip minor damage |
| Charge | -Trajann into Stalker 1 -Allarus 1 into Huntsman 2 |
| Fight | -Trajann uses Moment Shackle to kill Stalker 1 -Trajann uses Gilded Champion to re-rack Moment Shackle -Allarus 1 and Huntsman 2 both whiff |
| End of Turn | -Score 6 on Secondaries -Score 2 for Terraform -Chaos Knights score 1 for Terraform |
| Score at End | 36 |
Custodes have taken control of the board and the Chaos Knights are on their way to being tabled. That said, they have a path to scoring or denying enough points to prevent a 20-0 for the Custodes. Board state at the end of Round 3 is below.
Board State: End of Round 3
ROUND 4:
| Phase: | Go First: Chaos Knights |
| Score at Start | 51 |
| Command | -Draw Area Denial and Behind Enemy Lines for Secondaries -Drop Behind Enemy Lines for Engage On All Fronts -Score 4 on Primary |
| Movement | -Brigand 1 to Objective 1 to steal it from Trajann -Brigand 2 moves to block Valerian -Huntsman 2 Falls Back to move block Blade Champ |
| Shooting | -Brigand 2 Indirects the Prosecutors to death -All others whiff |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 1 on Secondaries -Score 1 on Terraform -Custodes score 2 on Terraform |
| Score at End | 57 |
Mission accomplished for the Chaos Knights. They’re about to be tabled but should come in at a 59 for total score and that is good enough to guarantee at least a 2-18, if not better. Thats exceeding the goal in this teams matchup. Board state in the middle of Round 4 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 4
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 38 |
| Command | -Draw Storm Hostile Objective and Sabotage for Secondaries -Score 12 on Primary |
| Movement | -Blade Champ and Valerian move their Wardens to charge the Chaos Knights last castle of units -Allarus 1 moves into terrain to Sabotage |
| Shooting | -Calladius’s kill Ruinator through Disdain for the Weak -Allarus 1 Sabotages -all others whiff |
| Charge | -Trajann into Brigand 1 -Valerian + Wardens into Brigand 2 -Blade Champ + Wardens into Huntsman 2 |
| Fight | -All Chaos Knights die |
| End of Turn | -Score 4 on Secondaries -Score 2 for Terraform -Chaos Knights score 1 for Terraform |
| Score at End | 56 |
The Chaos Knights are officially tabled and Custodes can do whatever they want Round 5. That said, I don’t think it will be enough for more than a 16-4. Thats a good block for Chaos Knights in this teams format. Board state at the end of Round 4 is below.
Board State: End of Round 4
ROUND 5:
| Phase: | Go First: Chaos Knights |
| Score at Start | 58 |
| Command | -None |
| Movement | -None |
| Shooting | -None |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 1 on Terraform -Custodes score 2 on Terraform -Custodes score 6 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 59 |
Board state in the middle of Round 5 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 5
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 64 |
| Command | -Draw Recover Assets and Assassination for Secondaries |
| Movement | -None |
| Shooting | -Calladius 1, Allarus 1, and Allarus 2 all Recover Assets |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 10 on Secondaries -Score 12 on Primary -Score 3 on Terraform |
| Score at End | 89 |
The game is over. Board state in the middle of Round 5 is below.
Board State: End of Round 5
RESULT:
Singles Format: 89 – 59 Custodes WIN
WTC Teams Format: 15 – 5 Custodes WIN
GAME REVIEW:
This was a great game into a bad matchup for the Chaos Knights. They gambled with how they deployed and played the first turn 1 and it paid off on the way to a decent block of a Custodes list that was looking for a 20-0 blowout. The combination of playing very aggressively in the first 2 Rounds and then turtling up in that latter part of the game was definitely an interesting experience, but it worked as it forced the Custodes to move across the entire board in order to dig the Chaos Knights out.
From a Custodes perspective, this kind of feels like they got diced a bit. The Jet Bike Captain failing an early charge really set them back and probably cost them a total of 3 differential points. Not a lot that you can do about it, but it was super frustrating.
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:
- Chaos Knights
- Not much. This game was super gratifying from a Chaos Knights perspective.
- Custodes
- There was a minor mistake in Round 2 of only leaving the Prosecutors on Objective that ended up costing the Custodes 4 points when they died to Indirect. Thats an obvious fix. Other than that, some minor second guessing about using Insane Bravery on the Jet bike Captain or not dropping Secure No Man’s Land Round 1.
EARNED THEMSELF A NAME:
The Calladius Grav-Tanks. They were absolutely lethal on this board and did most of the killing for the Custodes.
MAGNUS OF THE GAME:
The Custodes Jet Bike Captain. Failing a Battle Shock followed by failing a 4 inch Charge when an easy kill and scoot was setup on a platter for him is not a good feeling. It’s especially bad when the failure to do that immediately gets converted into 5 points for Assassination for the Chaos Knights. All told, his failure to make that Charge probably cost the Custodes 4 points and probably gained the Chaos Knights around 16 points due to the Abominant being able to get Assassination, Sticky that Objective, and then have it be Terraformed for the Chaos Knights until Round 5.
Leave a Reply