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Emperor’s Children Specific Strategies
Grey Knights Specific Strategies
RULES / POINTS VERSION:
10th Edition, 2025 – 2026 Chapter Approved
December 2025 Balanced Dataslate and MFM Points Update, with January 2026 500 Worlds Update
MATCHUP:
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Emperor’s Children | Carnival of Excess |
| VS | |
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Grey Knights | Warpbane Task Force |
MISSION:
| GW Mission | C |
| Primary | Linchpin |
| Terrain Layout | GW Terrain Layout 3 |
| Deployment | Tipping Point |
LISTS:
Emperor’s Children:
List
EC – Carnival (2000 Points)
Emperor’s Children
Carnival of Excess
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (230 Points)
• 1x Hellforged weapons
• 1x Infernal cannon
• Enhancements: Empyric Suffusion
Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (215 Points)
• 1x Hellforged weapons
• 1x Infernal cannon
Lord Exultant (80 Points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
• 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Phoenix power spear
• 1x Rapture lash
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
(note: Daemonettes and Seekers not pictured as they are NSFW)
Grey Knights:
List
GK – Warpbane (1990 Points)
Grey Knights
Warpbane Task Force
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Brotherhood Librarian (80 Points)
• 1x Combi-weapon
• 1x Nemesis force weapon
• 1x Vortex of Doom
Brotherhood Librarian (80 Points)
• 1x Combi-weapon
• 1x Nemesis force weapon
• 1x Vortex of Doom
Brotherhood Librarian (80 Points)
• 1x Combi-weapon
• 1x Nemesis force weapon
• 1x Vortex of Doom
Castellan Crowe (90 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Black Blade of Antwyr
• 1x Purifying Flame
• 1x Storm bolter
Grand Master in Nemesis Dreadknight (235 Points)
• 1x Gatling psilencer
• 1x Heavy psycannon
• 1x Nemesis daemon greathammer
• Enhancements: Paragon of Sanctity
Grand Master in Nemesis Dreadknight (225 Points)
• 1x Gatling psilencer
• 1x Heavy psycannon
• 1x Nemesis daemon greathammer
BATTLELINE
Strike Squad (120 Points)
• 1x Justicar
◦ 1x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Storm bolter
• 4x Grey Knight
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 3x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Psycannon
◦ 3x Storm bolter
Strike Squad (120 Points)
• 1x Justicar
◦ 1x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Storm bolter
• 4x Grey Knight
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 3x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Psycannon
◦ 3x Storm bolter
OTHER DATASHEETS
Interceptor Squad (125 Points)
• 1x Interceptor Justicar
◦ 1x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Storm bolter
• 4x Interceptor
◦ 4x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 4x Storm bolter
Interceptor Squad (125 Points)
• 1x Interceptor Justicar
◦ 1x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Storm bolter
• 4x Interceptor
◦ 4x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 4x Storm bolter
Nemesis Dreadknight (210 Points)
• 1x Gatling psilencer
• 1x Heavy psycannon
• 1x Nemesis greatsword
Purifier Squad (250 Points)
• 1x Knight of the Flame
◦ 1x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Purifying Flame
◦ 1x Storm bolter
• 9x Purifier
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
◦ 5x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 4x Psilencer
◦ 9x Purifying Flame
◦ 5x Storm bolter
Purifier Squad (125 Points)
• 1x Knight of the Flame
◦ 1x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Purifying Flame
◦ 1x Storm bolter
• 4x Purifier
◦ 2x Close combat weapon
◦ 2x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 2x Psycannon
◦ 4x Purifying Flame
◦ 2x Storm bolter
Purifier Squad (125 Points)
• 1x Knight of the Flame
◦ 1x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 1x Purifying Flame
◦ 1x Storm bolter
• 4x Purifier
◦ 2x Close combat weapon
◦ 2x Incinerator
◦ 2x Nemesis force weapon
◦ 4x Purifying Flame
◦ 2x Storm bolter
FACTION SPECIFIC STRATEGIES:
Emperor’s Children:
I absolutely love this detachment. It’s not the most powerful or easiest of the Emperor’s Children lists to play, but it is easily the most fun and gratifying when you play it well.
The idea behind the list is to turbo boost your normally great Emperor’s Children units via nearby Legions of Excess daemons that are used to do actions and act as “buff wagons”. The goal is to get the Noise Marines, Winged Daemon Princes, and Infractors popping off while also being able to use the other units to provide more board control and action economy than a normal Emperor’s Children list. I’ve found that, while it is less powerful than Coterie or Peerless, it is more flexible than those detachments because of those added board control and action economy elements, which makes for a great way to play Emperor’s Children a bit differently.
Emperor’s Children’s Win Condition: This game was my wild card in this team’s matchup as I have no idea how these two lists will play into each other. Both armies are roughly matched in terms of unit count and unit types, with a medium amount of infantry and the NDK’s and WDP’s being roughly comparable. They both also contain similar movement flexibility and killing power, although Grey Knights may have a slight advantage there. For the Emperor’s Children, I think the Win Condition is use their superior model count and model footprint to keep the Grey Knights in front of them. If they can force the Grey Knights to play a patient game that does not allow them to bounce around the board killing units at will, this could be a pretty even game. That kind of strategy also seems to fit the primary mission, which is very much focused on controlling your own Deployment Zone. I’m going to start with the goal being a 10-10 draw but really don’t have a great deal of confidence in it.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos: | 2 x Lord Exultant with Infractors |
| 2 x Lord Kakophonist with Noise Marines | |
| Transport / Infantry Combos: | Lord Exultant with 5 Infractors in each Rhino |
| Strategic Reserves: | None |
| Key Strategems: | Ecstatic Slaughter – Used in your Fight Phase when one Legion of Excess unit destroys an enemy unit to allow one Emperor’s Children unit within 6 inches to make a Charge Move. I am determined to make this work with a Winged Daemon Prince. |
| Dark Apparitions – Used at the End of your opponent’s Fight Phase to place one Daemonettes unit into Strategic Reserves. It can arrive using Deep Strike next turn 6 inches away from enemy units, so long as it is within 9 inches of an Emperor’s Children unit. | |
| Sycophantic Surge – Used in your Charge Phase to give one Legion of Excess unit Advance or Fall Back and Charge. | |
| Key Combos: | Daemonic Empowerment detachment rule + Noise Marines + Lord Kakophonist + Obsessive Annunciation ability + Daemonettes within 6 inches Noise Marines getting Sustained Hits on 5+. Yes!!!! |
| Daemonic Empowerment detachment rule + Infractors + Excessive Assault ability + Lord Exultant + Perfectionists ability + Euphoric Strikes ability + Daemonettes within 6 inches This is used to give your Lord Exultant Sustained and Lethal with full re-rolls to Wound if targeting something on an Objective. Even better if you get it during his “go mode” turn where he gets 3 extra attacks with +1 to AP. | |
| Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings + Daemonic Destruction ability + Empiric Suffusion enhancement OR Ecstatic Slaughter stratagem I am determined to make one of these two work. They provide a way to get access to even more mortal wound output from the Winged Daemon Prince as he can make a Charge move in your opponent’s Charge Phase (via a 0 CP Heroic Intervention using the enhancement) or potentially make two Charge moves in your turn (via the stratagem). I don’t care if this is more of a threat than reality. It’s so cool! |
Grey Knights:
Unfortunately this detachment is really the only proven, competitive way to play Grey Knights. The list is designed to be mobile and lethal with a focus on using the Purifiers to act as mobile batteries to provide Hallowed Ground re-rolls for the rest of your army. The Librarians are there to do actions and fit into small board spaces via teleporting around while the NDK’s are really the only anti-vehicle or monster units that Grey Knights have. Lastly, the entire list is built around Crowe and the 10 man Purifier unit, which is NASTY!
The goal from a play perspective is to play a tempo game that can ramp up quickly when the opponent makes a mistake. It is more reactive than proactive, but also has the fire power to just go out and kill the opponent (although that has been somewhat overcome by other factions as of late).
Grey Knights Win Condition: This detachment kills the opponent at a pace! Their win condition is a very straightforward “if you stand on objectives I will kill you and if you don’t then I will stand on them and then kill you.” For this particular matchup, there is the added wrinkle that they are playing an enemy that might be as mobile and deadly as they are. The Emperor’s Children also also have weapon’s profiles in the Noise Marines that will kill the Purifiers and Strike Marines very efficiently. Same with the mortal wound output from the Winged Daemon Princes, as mortal wound protection is something that Warpbane lacks. Based on all of this, I think the objective for the Grey Knights will be to play a very patient game and to focus on reacting to what the Emperor’s Children do instead of trying to push the pace themselves. The starting point is a 10-10 draw, but I am hoping Grey Knights can push for better than that.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos | Castellan Crowe with 10 Purifiers |
| Transport / Unit Combinations: | None |
| Strategic Reserves: | Grand Master in Nemesis Dreadknight with Paragon of Sanctity |
| Key Stratagems: | Repelling Sphere – Used in the opponent’s Charge Phase to subtract 1 from their Charge roll, subtract 2 if the unit you unit is within your Hallowed Ground. |
| Fire Overwatch – Used in your opponent’s Movement or Charge Phase just after an enemy unit is setup or starts or ends a Normal, Advance, Fall Back or Charge move within 24 inches of your unit to shoot, with the caveat that you only hit on unmodified 6’s. | |
| Hallowed Beacon – Used in your Movement Phase to setup one non-Terminator Infantry unit within 6 inches of the enemy as long as it is setup within your Hallowed Ground. Note, the unit setup can still Charge. | |
| Key Combos | Castellan Crowe + Champion of the Order of Purifiers ability + 10 Purifiers + Sanctity of Purpose ability + Hallowed Ground detachment rule This is why you play this detachment. This unit can drop out of Deep Strike and automatically be in your Hallowed Ground. This means that, depending on the weapons load out that you choose, you are potentially pumping out over 70 ranged shots re-rolling hits and, if your target is on an Objective, wounds. This pairs great with Overwatch and also potentially gives you a nasty Charge threat if you pair it with Hallowed Beacon and a nearby 5 man Purifier unit. |
ROUND-BY-ROUND RECAP:
The game starts with Grey Knights winning the roll off and choosing to have Emperor’s Children deploy first since they really want to see where the Winged Daemon Princes are being deployed.
Grey Knights deploy as I normally would deploy them, with Crowe’s brick ands the Librarians starting by screening but ready to teleport should the opportunity arise, the Strikes and Interceptors out front to do Actions and grab Objectives, and the 5 man Purifiers standing near the NDK’s in order to help buff them up. Grey Knights are hoping to go second but have the Strikes and Interceptors ready in case they go first.
Emperor’s Children deploy in a new way that I am trying out for this game. The biggest change is starting the Infractors inside the Rhinos in order to give them a Scout move, while the Noise Marines start just behind the Rhinos. Usually, I will start the Noise Marines inside the Rhinos and then cycle the Infractors into the transports when the Noise Marines disembark. I’m trying this new way to see if the added Scout move is worth it and how it changes the play style. From there, the Daemonettes are also deployed very differently as they are used mostly to screen the Emperor’s Children DZ, while the Seekers and Winged Daemon Princes are paired off to move together. Emperor’s Children is deploying in a way that leaves them able to go first or second without feeling bad.
Grey Knights wins the roll off to go first and both sides make their Scout moves. The board state at the start of the game is shown below.
Board State: Start of the Battle
ROUND 1:
| Phase: | Go First: Grey Knights |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Bring It Down and Cleanse for Secondaries -Strike 1 stickies Objective 2 |
| Movement | -Strike 2 moves onto Objective 3 to Cleanse -Interceptor 2 moves onto Objective 4 to Cleanse -NDK moves into shooting range of Rhino 2 -all others stage or screen the Grey Knights DZ |
| Shooting | -Interceptor 2 and Strike 2 Cleanse for 5 VP -NDK takes Rhino 2 to 1 Wound |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 5 on Secondaries -Hold Bring it Down |
| Score at End | 15 |
That turn went pretty close to the plan for the Grey Knights. They can complain about the Rhino 2 making more saves than it should, but have 5 points on the board and 4 more almost in the bag for next turn. They also really only exposed 2 minor units while grabbing 2 midfield objectives. The onus is now on the Emperor’s Children to come do something about it. The board state in the middle of Round 1 is shown below.
Board State: Middle of Round 1
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Overwhelming Force and Area Denial for Secondaries -Tormentors sticky Objective 1 |
| Movement | -Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 Advance out of Rhino 1 and setup a Charge into Interceptors 2 -Daemonettes 2 move onto Objective 4 and setup a Charge into Interceptors 2 -Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 use Warp Walker to auto-Advance 6 inches out of Rhino 2 to setup an easy Charge into Strike 2 -Both Noise Marine units embark in the Rhinos -Rhino 1 moves onto Objective 5 -All others screen or stage, making sure that both Rhinos have a Daemon unit within 6 inches of it |
| Shooting | -Rhino 1 uses Firing Deck 2 to kill 2 models in Interceptor 2 -Rhino 2 uses Firing Deck 2 to do 9 Damage to the NDK -Infractors 2 kill 1 model in Strike 2 but lose a model thanks to failing a Hazardous roll on the supercharged Plasma pistol |
| Charge | -Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 into Strikes 2 -Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 and Daemonettes 2 into Interceptors 2 via two big rolls (10+) |
| Fight | -Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 use “Go Mode” to kill Strikes 2 (barely thanks to low rolling and lack of Sustained) -Daemonettes 2 roll hot and kill Interceptors 2 -Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 then Pile In to Purifiers 2 and Interceptors 1 -Lord Exultant uses his “Go Mode” to kill Interceptors 1 and Infractors 1 kill 2 Purifier models before dying in the crack back |
| End of Turn | -Score 10 on Secondaries -Grey Knights pick up Strike 1, Librarian 1, and the Crowe brick |
| Score at End | 20 |
The Emperor’s Children come out swinging and were able to punish the Grey Knights for being a bit careless in how close to the middle they staged. Grey Knights lost way more models than anticipated that turn and got blown off of all the midfield Objectives. They are feeling slightly on the back foot, but are also aware that the Emperor’s Children had to trade 2 of their bigger units, the Lord Exultants + Infractors, in order to do that damage. Looks like this is going to be an interesting game where Emperor’s Children tries to push the pace while Grey Knights tries to play the long game. The board state at the end of Round 1 is below.
Board State: End of Round 1
ROUND 2:
| Phase: | Go First: Grey Knights |
| Score at Start | 15 |
| Command | -Draw Storm Hostile Objective to go with Bring it Down for Secondaries -Pass all Battle Shock tests -Score 3 on Primary |
| Movement | -NDK moves towards Objective 3 to setup an easy Charge -GMNDK 1 inches out to gain Line of Sight on Objectives 3 and 4 -Purifier 2 moves to setup a Charge into Daemonettes 2 -Librarian 2 moves to gain Line of Sight on Objective 3 -GMNDK 2 Deep Strikes to Shoot either Objective 3 or Rhino 2 -All others return to screening the Grey Knights DZ |
| Shooting | -GMNDK 2 splits fire and kills Rhino 2 for 4 VP plus 2 models in Infractors 2 -Librarian 3 kills Infractors 2 -Librarian 2 pops off and kills Lord Exultant 2 -GMNDK 1 split fires and kills 6 models in Daemonettes 2 plus Lord Exultant 1 |
| Charge | -Purifiers 2 into Daemonettes 2 |
| Fight | -Daemonettes 2 use Fights First to kill 1 Purifier -Purifiers 2 only kill 2 models in Daemonettes 2 thanks to the Daemonettes making four 5+ Invulnerable Saves |
| End of Turn | -Score 4 on Secondaries -Hold onto Storm Hostile Objective since no model made it to Objective 3 and Objective 4 is still held by the two OC 2 Daemonettes |
| Score at End | 22 |
Sigh. The little mistakes continue to impact the Grey Knights. In this case, it was miscalculating the damage the Librarians could do to the Infractors + Lord Exultant on Objective 3 and then the Emperor’s Children high rolling to keep Objective 4 when Grey Knight should have been able to wipe those Daemonettes out. Board state in the middle of Round 2 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 2
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 20 |
| Command | -Draw Marked For Death and Behind Enemy Lines for Secondaries -Grey Knights mark Librarian 1 and 3 and Strike 1 -Emperor’s Children mark Purifiers 2 -Drop Behind Enemy Lines for Secure No Man’s Land -Use Insane Bravery on Daemonettes 2 -Score 13 on Primary |
| Movement | -Lord Kakophonist + Noise Marines 2 Advance onto Objective 3 -Daemonettes 4 move up to buff Noise Marines 2 -Daemonettes 2 Fall Back from Purifiers 2 -Rhino 1 shifts to within 6 inches of Daemonettes 2 while still staying on Objective 5 -Seekers move up the Objective 5 flank to setup a Charge onto Objective 2 -All others screen |
| Shooting | -Rhino 1 uses Firing Deck 2 to kill Purifiers 2 for 2 VP -Emperor’s Children use Sustained By Agony to bring back 5 models in Daemonettes 2 (mistake discovered after the game as this stratagem is Fight Phase only) -Lord Kakophonist + Noise Marines 2 split fire into NDK and GMNDK 2 -NDK tanks all incoming fire by making six 3+ Saves while GMNDK 2 takes 6 Damage |
| Charge | -Seekers use Sycophantic Surge to Charge through Repelling Sphere into Purifiers 1 |
| Fight | -Seekers do 3 Wounds to Purifiers 1 and then die in the clap back |
| End of Turn | -Score 7 on Secondaries -Grey Knights pick up Librarian 1, Purifiers 1, and Strike 1 |
| Score at End | 40 |
That turn was a bit of a whiff for the Emperor’s Children. The plan for the turn was for Noise Marines to take down NDK and do some damage into one of the GMNDK’s and they only accomplished the latter part of that. Also, charging the Seekers onto Objective 2 was a mistake as the idea was to tag the Purifiers to pin them in place. The hope was that 1-2 Seeker models would live but the Purifiers rolled hot and killed the squad. Board state at the end of Round 2 is below.
Board State: End of Round 2
ROUND 3:
| Phase: | Go First: Grey Knights |
| Score at Start | 22 |
| Command | -Draw Recover Assets to go with Storm Hostile Objective for Secondaries -NDK fails Battle Shock -Score 3 on Primary |
| Movement | -NDK moves onto Objective 3 -Librarians 2 and 3 move to gain Line of Sight on Noise Marines 2 -GMNDK 2 moves towards Objective 3 -GMNDK 1 moves onto Objective 2 to protect it -Librarian 2 Deep Strikes in to move block in front of Objective 2 -Purifiers 1 Deep Strikes in near Objective 3 -Strike 1 uses Hallowed Beacon to Deep Strike next to Purifier 1 and 6 inches from Noise Marines 2 |
| Shooting | -Librarians 2 and 3 each kill 1 model in Noise Marines 2 -NDK split fires and kills 6 models from Daemonettes 4 and 3 from Noise Marines 2 -GMNDK 2 kills Daemonette 2 -Crowe brick and Purifiers 1 Recover Assets for 3 VP -GMNDK 1 does 7 Damage to Rhino 1 thru Smoke -Librarian 1 whiffs |
| Charge | -Strike 1 into Noise Marines 2 via a CP re-roll -NDK into Noise Marines 2 |
| Fight | -Strike 1 kills Noise Marines 2 -NDK kills Lord Kakophonist 2 |
| End of Turn | -Score 7 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 32 |
Grey Knights continue to play a deliberate and conservative game of clearing and securing specific parts of the board while also trying to deny Emperor’s Children primary when possible. There is a win path in this strategy, but I am starting to worry that they waited 1 turn too long to start implementing the plan and may run out of turns in the game before they are able to pass the Emperor’s Children in points. Board state in the middle of Round 3 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 3
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 40 |
| Command | -Draw Display of Might and No Prisoners for Secondaries -Rhino 1 passes Battle Shock -Score 8 on Primary |
| Movement | -Noise Marines 1 Advance out of Rhino 1 to shoot Strikes 1 and GMDNK 1 -Rhino 1 moves onto Objective 4 -Daemonettes 4 Advances to buff Noise Marines 1 -Winged Daemon Prince 1 Advances to setup a Charge into Librarian 1 -Winged Daemon Prince 2 to Objective 5 |
| Shooting | -Noise Marines 1 split fires to kill Strike 1 for 2 VP and does 3 Damage into GMNDK 1 -All others whiff |
| Charge | -Winged Daemon Prince 1 into Librarian 1 and does 3 Mortal Wounds |
| Fight | -Winged Daemon Prince 1 kills Librarian 1 for 2 VP |
| End of Turn | -Score 8 on Secondaries -Grey Knights pickup the Crowe brick, Librarian 3, and GMNDK 2 |
| Score at End | 56 |
Emperor’s Children continue to rack up points and control the board. They are, however, starting to run low on resources and it looks like Grey Knights might be setting up for a mini “Go Turn”. At this point, Emperor’s Children simply want to hang on as long as possible as they are in a winning position and have last turn. Board state at the end of Round 3 is below.
Board State: End of Round 3
ROUND 4:
| Phase: | Go First: Grey Knights |
| Score at Start | 32 |
| Command | -Draw Sabotage and Establish Locus for Secondaries -Drop Establish Locus for No Prisoners -Use Insane Bravery on NDK -Score 8 on Primary |
| Movement | -NDK to Objective 4 -GMNDK 1 sets up an easy Charge into Winged Daemon Prince 1 -Librarian 2 moves onto Objective 3 -Purifiers 1 move out to gain Line of Sight onto Objective 4 -Crowe’s brick uses Hallowed Beacon to Deep Strike 6 inches from Noise Marines 1 -GMNDK 2 finds a gap in the Emperor’s Children’s screens and Deep Strikes between Objectives 3 and 1 -Librarian 3 Deep Strikes into terrain near Objective 3 to Sabotage |
| Shooting | -Librarian 3 Sabotages -GMNDK 2 kills Rhino 1 for 2 VP and 1 Tormentor model -NDK split fires and kills Daemonettes 4 for 2 VP and 3 models in Noise Marines 1 -Purifiers 1 kill the remaining Noise Marines for 1 VP -GMNDK 1 whiffs |
| Charge | -Crow brick into Lord Kakophonist 1 -GMNDK 1 into Winged Daemon Prince 1 -GMNDK 1 Tank Shocks for 2 Damage -GMNDK 2 fails, with a re-roll, into Tormentors |
| Fight | -GMNDK 1 brings Winged Daemon Prince 1 to 2 Wounds -Crowe kills Lord Kakophonist 1 -Winged Daemon Prince 1 whiffs in crack back |
| End of Turn | -Score 5 on Secondaries -Emperor’s Children use Dark Apparitions to pick up Daemonettes 3 |
| Score at End | 45 |
Grey Knights finally land a haymaker on the Emperor’s Children and have taken back control of the game. At this point, it’s unclear how much damage Emperor’s Children can do or if Grey Knights can catch them on the score board. Board state in the middle of Round 4 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 4
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 56 |
| Command | -Draw Sabotage and Extend Battle Lines for Secondaries -Pass all Battle Shocks -Score 8 on Primary |
| Movement | -Crowe brick uses Fires of Covenant -Winged Daemon Prince 1 Falls Back deeper into the Grey Knights’ DZ -Seekers move to protect Objective 1 -Daemonettes 1 Advance on to Objective 5 -Tormentors move block GMNDK 2 from Objective 2 -Winged Daemon prince 2 Advances on to Objective 4 and takes 1 Mortal Wound -Daemonettes 3 Deep Strike into Grey Knights DZ to Sabotage in terrain |
| Shooting | -Daemonettes 3 Sabotages -Winged Daemon Prince 2 kills 1 Purifier with Crowe -Tormentors sneak a Melta shot thru and do 5 Damage to GMNDK 2 |
| Charge | -Winged Daemon Prince 2 into Crowe brick -Crowe brick Overwatches and does 5 Damage -Winged Daemon Prince 2 does 2 Mortal Wounds |
| Fight | -Winged Daemon Prince 2 kills 2 Purifiers -Crowe claps the Winged Daemon Prince back and kills him |
| End of Turn | -Score 4 on Secondaries -GK scores 3 for Sabotage -GK picks up Purifiers 1 and NDK |
| Score at End | 68 |
Well. That turn was poorly played. Emperor’s Children was too aggressive with the Winged Daemon Prince 2 and lost him for no good reason. Also, I am second guessing whether I should have cycled Sabotage instead of going for it as those Daemonettes 3 look like sitting ducks. Board state at the end of Round 4 is below.
Board State: End of Round 4
ROUND 5:
| Phase: | Go First: Grey Knights |
| Score at Start | 48 |
| Command | -Draw Assassination and Defend Stronghold for Secondaries -Pass all Battle Shocks -Score 13 for Primary |
| Movement | -GMNDK 1 moves to gain Line of Sight on Winged Daemon Prince 1 -Crowe bricks moves to gain Line of Sight on Daemonettes 1 -NDK and Purifier 1 Deep Strike in to shoot Daemonettes 3 |
| Shooting | -Crowe bricks kills Daemonettes 1 -NDK + Purfiers 1 kills Daemonettes 3 and sticks EC with Sabotage -GMNDK 1 kills Winged Daemon Prince 1 for 5 VP -GMNDK 2 kills Seekers |
| Charge | -GMNDK 2 into Tormentors |
| Fight | -GMNDK 2 kills Tormentors to table EC |
| End of Turn | -Score 5 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 66 |
Emperor’s Children paid for their Round 4 mistakes and just got tabled. At this point, the score is pretty much locked in. Emperor’s Children will eke out a singles win at 71-69 but the teams game will be a draw. Board state in the middle of Round 5 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 5
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 68 |
| Command | -None |
| Movement | -None |
| Shooting | -None |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 0 on Secondaries -Score 3 on Primary -GK scores 3 for Defend Stronghold |
| Score at End | 71 |
The game ends with a score of 71-69, which is a 10-10 draw using teams scoring. Board state in the end of Round 5 is below.
Board State: End of Round 5
RESULT:
Singles Format: 71 – 69 EC WIN
WTC Teams Format: 10 – 10 DRAW
GAME REVIEW:
This game turned out as predicted, but I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. It’s not because it wasn’t a good game or because of the outcome. It is because neither army played a complete game.
Emperor’s Children played a great first 2 rounds of the game and was running up the points. They then misread the inflection point of the game and played very poorly as a result in rounds 3 and 4, which is why they never made it to round 5. In this particular case, they missed when the game state was telling them to stop being so aggressive and instead to focus on board control and hanging on to what they had already grabbed. Instead of charging Seekers 1 or the Winged Daemon Princes in rounds 3 and 4, they should have instead continued to focus on zoning out their deployment zone and protecting Objectives 1 and 5 while spending their CP to cycle cards that could be achieved with minimal risk. In fairness, this is very counter intuitive for how Emperor’s Children usually plays which is why the micro-errors in rounds 3 and 4 occurred.
From a Grey Knights perspective, they were almost the inverse as they were too conservative in the first 2 rounds and had a series of micro attack sequencing errors that cost them primary points. They barely “kicked it into gear” in time to catch Emperor’s Children and probably should have started pushing the pace a full round sooner.
Regardless, I learned a ton from this game and it was super entertaining to play, especially since it featured 2 of my favorite factions.
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:
- GK
- I covered most of it above, but I made a series of attack sequencing mistakes in the first 2 rounds that cost me the ability to Charge units that I accidentally killed in Shooting. Those mistakes cost me a full round or 2 of primary scoring and probably cost the Grey Knights about 10-15 total points.
- Emperor’s Children
- The entire second half of the game, specifically how I played my Winged Daemon Princes and Seekers. I left points on the table by throwing them away for marginal gains.
EARNED THEMSELF A NAME:
Castellan Crowe. It took until Round 4 for him to get going, but once he did by was he lethal. His unit was the reason the Emperor’s Children fumbled the last 2 rounds and him solo’ing a Lord Kakophonist and a wounded Winged Daemon Prince didn’t hurt.
MAGNUS OF THE GAME:
Late game Emperor’s Children general. Talk about falling asleep at the wheel and letting auto-pilot take over. I’m disappointed that I lost sight of my win condition and instead defaulted back to “this is what this unit is supposed to be doing” mode when the game wasn’t calling for it.
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