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Raven Guard Specific Strategies
Chaos Daemons 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: |
| Raven Guard | Shadowmark Talon |
| VS | |
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Chaos Daemons | Shadow Legion |
MISSION:
| GW Mission | Q |
| Primary | Supply Drop |
| Terrain Layout | GW Terrain Layout 3 |
| Deployment | Sweeping Engagement |
LISTS:
Raven Guard:
List
Space Marines
Raven Guard
Shadowmark Talon
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Aethon Shaan (110 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Claws of Severax
• 1x Heavy bolt pistol
Judiciar (95 Points)
• 1x Absolvor bolt pistol
• 1x Executioner relic blade
• Enhancements: Blackwing Shroud
Kayvaan Shrike (100 Points)
• 1x Blackout
• 1x The Raven’s Talons
Lieutenant with Combi-weapon (100 Points)
• 1x Combi-weapon
• 1x Paired combat blades
• Enhancements: Coronal Susurrant
OTHER DATASHEETS
Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (170 Points)
• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 1x Power fist
• 9x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs
◦ 9x Astartes chainsword
◦ 7x Heavy bolt pistol
◦ 2x Plasma pistol
Ballistus Dreadnought (150 Points)
• 1x Armoured feet
• 1x Ballistus lascannon
• 1x Ballistus missile launcher
• 1x Twin storm bolter
Bladeguard Veteran Squad (170 Points)
• 1x Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant
◦ 1x Master-crafted power weapon
◦ 1x Neo-volkite pistol
• 5x Bladeguard Veteran
◦ 5x Heavy bolt pistol
◦ 5x Master-crafted power weapon
Inceptor Squad (240 Points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Plasma exterminators
• 5x Inceptor
◦ 5x Close combat weapon
◦ 5x Plasma exterminators
Inceptor Squad (240 Points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Plasma exterminators
• 5x Inceptor
◦ 5x Close combat weapon
◦ 5x Plasma exterminators
Incursor Squad (80 Points)
• 1x Incursor Sergeant
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Occulus bolt carbine
◦ 1x Paired combat blades
• 4x Incursor
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Haywire Mine
◦ 4x Occulus bolt carbine
◦ 4x Paired combat blades
Incursor Squad (80 Points)
• 1x Incursor Sergeant
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Occulus bolt carbine
◦ 1x Paired combat blades
• 4x Incursor
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Haywire Mine
◦ 4x Occulus bolt carbine
◦ 4x Paired combat blades
Infiltrator Squad (100 Points)
• 1x Infiltrator Sergeant
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Marksman bolt carbine
• 4x Infiltrator
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Helix Gauntlet
◦ 1x Infiltrator Comms Array
◦ 4x Marksman bolt carbine
Repulsor Executioner (220 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
• 1x Heavy laser destroyer
• 1x Heavy onslaught gatling cannon
• 1x Icarus rocket pod
• 1x Ironhail heavy stubber
• 1x Repulsor Executioner defensive array
• 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber
• 1x Twin heavy bolter
Scout Squad (70 Points)
• 1x Scout Sergeant
◦ 1x Astartes chainsword
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Scout
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 4x Boltgun
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
Scout Squad (70 Points)
• 1x Scout Sergeant
◦ 1x Astartes chainsword
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Scout
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 4x Boltgun
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
Chaos Daemons:
List
Chaos Daemons
Shadow Legion
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Be’lakor (375 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Betraying Shades
• 1x The Blade of Shadows
Bloodthirster (335 Points)
• 1x Great axe of Khorne
• 1x Hellfire breath
• Enhancements: Fade to Darkness
Great Unclean One (250 Points)
• 1x Bilesword
• 1x Plague flail
• 1x Putrid vomit
BATTLELINE
Nurglings (40 Points)
• 3x Nurgling Swarm
◦ 3x Diseased claws and teeth
Plaguebearers (110 Points)
• 1x Plagueridden
◦ 1x Plaguesword
• 9x Plaguebearer
◦ 1x Daemonic Icon
◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos
◦ 9x Plaguesword
ALLIED UNITS
Accursed Cultists (195 Points)
• 10x Mutant
◦ 10x Blasphemous appendages
• 6x Torment
◦ 6x Hideous mutations
Accursed Cultists (195 Points)
• 10x Mutant
◦ 10x Blasphemous appendages
• 6x Torment
◦ 6x Hideous mutations
Cultist Mob (50 Points)
• 1x Cultist Champion
◦ 1x Autopistol
◦ 1x Brutal assault weapon
• 9x Chaos Cultist
◦ 9x Autopistol
◦ 9x Brutal assault weapon
Cultist Mob (50 Points)
• 1x Cultist Champion
◦ 1x Autopistol
◦ 1x Brutal assault weapon
• 9x Chaos Cultist
◦ 9x Autopistol
◦ 9x Brutal assault weapon
Cultist Mob (50 Points)
• 1x Cultist Champion
◦ 1x Autopistol
◦ 1x Brutal assault weapon
• 9x Chaos Cultist
◦ 9x Autopistol
◦ 9x Brutal assault weapon
Dark Commune (115 Points)
• 1x Cult Demagogue
◦ 1x Autopistol
◦ 1x Commune stave
◦ Enhancements: Leaping Shadows
• 1x Mindwitch
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Warp Curse
• 1x Iconarch
◦ 1x Autopistol
◦ 1x Chaos Icon
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
• 2x Blessed Blade
◦ 2x Commune blade
Dark Commune (110 Points)
• 1x Cult Demagogue
◦ 1x Autopistol
◦ 1x Commune stave
◦ Enhancements: Mantle of Gloom (Aura)
• 1x Mindwitch
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Warp Curse
• 1x Iconarch
◦ 1x Autopistol
◦ 1x Chaos Icon
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
• 2x Blessed Blade
◦ 2x Commune blade
Havocs (125 Points)
• 1x Havoc Champion
◦ 1x Meltagun
◦ 1x Power fist
• 4x Havoc
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
◦ 4x Havoc lascannon
FACTION SPECIFIC STRATEGIES:
Raven Guard:
This detachment was nerfed during the last Balanced Dataslate thanks to changes to the Hunter’s Instinct enhancement and a points increase to Devastator Centurions. Luckily, I really dislike the Centurions models and so wasn’t playing many of them in this detachment, so there is minimal impact to my list. That said, I did have to make a few changes to my normal Shadowmark list as a result of the data slate. Specifically, I dropped a Jump Pack Captain and 10 model unit of Vanguard Veterans for another squad of 6 Inceptors. I also dropped the Invictor Tactical Warsuit to upgrade the Gladiator Lancer to a Repulsor Executioner and added in a Ballistus Dreadnought for some long range shooting redundancy.
The idea behind the list is to use cheap scoring units to play the scoring game while keeping my bigger guns back to take advantage of the army rule that gives all units outside of 12 inches Benefit of Cover and Stealth. I then focus my CP on cycling the Inceptors and JPI’s in and out of Reserves to threaten the opponent’s weak spots and ability to score. It’s not a list that is designed to achieve big differential scores. Instead, it is a list that is designed to be very difficult to beat or blow out.
Raven Guard Win Condition: Similar to last game, this matchup is tough because both armies are trying to do similar things. Both have access to rules that make interacting with them via ranged shooting from afar more difficult than usual and access to “uppy downy” stratagems. The main difference is how they seek to win. Raven Guard want to invest just enough to sit on primary while they use their main units like scalpels that slice in and out to take out key units while the RepEx and Ballistus kill the big units from afar. The Daemons are different because they want to spam large model count chafe to plug up the center of the board while 2 Greater Daemons + Be’lakor move around the board killing everything in their path.
For this board and mission, I think Raven Guard’s win condition is using the RepEx and Incursors / Inceptors to clear out the AC-DC units so that they can’t dominate the midfield. If they can do that early in the game, this should free up space to for them to move around, spread out the Daemons, and pick off 1 or 2 Greater Daemons before the end of the game. The goal is a 12-8 if they can go second and a 10-10 if they go first.
| Category | Description |
| Warlord | Aethon Shaan |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos: | Judiciar with Bladeguard Veterans |
| Kayvaan Shrike with JPI’s | |
| Transport / Infantry Combos: | None |
| Strategic Reserves: | 2 x Inceptors |
| Key Strategems: | Raptorial Vigilance – Used in your opponent’s Movement Phase just after an enemy unit ends Normal, Advanced, or Fall Back move within 9 inches of your unit to make a Reactive Move of D6 inches, or 6 inches if the unit has the Phobos or Scout keywords. |
| Rapid Ingress – Used in your opponent’s Movement Phase to deploy one unit from your army from Reserves. Note that units with the Deep Strike ability can Deep Strike as if it were your Movement Phase. | |
| Feint & Thrust – Used in your Movement Phase to give one unit Advance & Charge and Fall Back & Charge. If the unit is Scout or Phobos, it can also Shoot. | |
| Into Darkness – Used at the end of your opponent’s Fight Phase to put one Infantry unit, or up to two Phobos or Scout units, not in Engagement Range of an enemy unit into Reserves. | |
| Key Combos: | Kayvaan Shrike + Echo of the Ravenspire ability + Trifold Path of Shadow ability + JPI’s + Hammer of Wrath ability + Rapid Ingress stratagem This is used to create a unit that can Rapid Ingress more than 12 inches away from the enemy, gain the Lone Op ability, and then Charge in during your turn to do Mortal Wounds on the Charge, kill something, and then become a Lone Op again to hopefully go back up into Reserves to repeat the process next turn. Its somewhat niche, but means that the opponent can never leave their Home or Natural Expansion Objectives lightly guarded. |
| Aethon Shaan + Inceptors + Meteoric Descent ability + Oath of Moment army rule + Unparalleled Tactician detachment rule + Into Darkness stratagem This is the reason to play this detachment as you can use Into Darkness to keep cycling one unit of Inceptors into Reserves for it to drop down 6 inches away from a new target that it blows up using Oath of Moment for hit re-rolls and +1 to wound while also getting re-rolls to wound thanks to Twin Linked on their guns. |
Chaos Daemons:
This Daemons detachment got a lot of press when it first came out, but has since been overtaken by Daemonic Incursion and Scintillating Legion. Despite it not being the optimal choice, it is my favorite way to play Daemons because I can use up to 1,000 points of my Chaos Space Marines in it. I also get to play Be’lakor and the “Fade-thirster”, which are both awesome.
The idea behind the list is to create a set of polar opposite problems for the opponent to solve. On one hand, the list contains 2 Greater Daemons and Be’lakor that are big, tough, and able to deal a lot of damage if they get into you. On the other hand, the list has 70+ cultist bodies with high OC, the ability to shut down your OC if they tag you, and access to “uppy downy” and surge moves. The goal is to get the opponent either trying and failing to deal with both or focusing on one group while the other group either out kills or outscores them.
Daemons’ Win Condition: As mentioned above, this one is tough because both the Daemons and Raven Guard are trying to do similar things. For the Daemons, the challenge will be that Raven Guard’s detachment rule and key combos make the Havoc + Be’lakor combo way less impactful. The Space Marines as a codex are also better than most at dealing with multiple threat types thanks to their large amount of data sheets and Oath of Moment.
Instead of trying to be to fancy and outshooting the Raven Guard, I think the Daemons will need to focus on trying to out board control the Raven Guard while using the Fade-thirster as a pseudo Distraction Carnifex to keep the Raven Guard tanks hiding. If the Daemons win, it will be on the backs of the AC-DC, Plaguebearers, and Cultist Mob units and their ability to tarpit the midfield to shut down the Raven Guard’s movement. I’m shooting for a 12-8 if Daemons can go second play patiently and am hoping for a 10-10 if Daemons go first.
| Category | Description |
| Warlord | Be’lakor |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos | 2 x Dark Commune with Accursed Cultists |
| Transport / Unit Combinations: | None |
| Strategic Reserves: | 1 x Cultist Mob |
| Key Stratagems: | Encroaching Darkness – Used in your Shooting Phase to give one Heretic Astartes and up to one Daemonica unit that arrived from Reserves Ignores Cover on ranged attacks. |
| Channeled Wrath – Used in the Fight Phase to give one unit the Lance keyword. If the unit has the Khorne keyword, it also gains +1 AP. | |
| Rapid Ingress – Used in your opponent’s Movement Phase to deploy one unit from your army from Reserves. Note that units with the Deep Strike ability can Deep Strike as if it were your Movement Phase. | |
| Binding Shadow – Used at the end of your opponent’s Fight Phase to place one Heretic Astartes and up to one Daemonica unit that are not within Engagement Range of the enemy into Reserves. | |
| Key Combos | Bloodthirster + Relentless Carnage ability + Channeled Wrath stratagem + Fade to Darkness enhancement + Rapid Ingress stratagem + Murderer’s Cowl detachment rule The “Fade-thirster” is one of the main attractions of this detachment. Its CP intensive but results in a unit that can Advance & Charge, gain access to Lance and +1 AP in melee, does Mortal Wounds at the end of the Fight Phase, and, if it kills something in melee, can go into Reserves to Rapid Ingress in next turn. This unit is VERY dangerous if it gets this cycle going. |
| Be’lakor + Wreathed in Shadows aura ability + nearby Havocs + Disciplines of Be’lakor detachment rule + Binding Shadow stratagem + Encroaching Darkness stratagem Another CP intensive one, but this can be used to create a unit that has 4 Lascannons with access to Sustained or Lethal hits, protection via a 18 inch Lone Op ability, and the ability to teleport around the board to gain angles for Ignores Cover shooting. Its very swingy, but very good when it works. |
ROUND-BY-ROUND RECAP:
The game starts with Daemons winning the roll off and choosing to deploy first.
Daemons deploy broadly with the goal being of maximizing their ability to get into the midfield fast. They castle up the Havocs and 1 unit of AC-DC’s near Be’lakor in case the Raven Guard goes first, while also deploying the Great Unclean One (GUO) and Plaguebearers to threaten one flank while the AC-DC with a Scout move is used to threaten the other.
The Raven Guard deploy a bit more strategically as they slant heavily to one side of the board. The thought process is to try to pick off the targets on that side of the board quickly before using their greater mobility to move to the other flank later in the game, if needed. They also aggressively deploy several units with the Infiltrator ability to screen the midfield in order to slow down the Fade-thirster.
It is then determined that the Alpha Objective, which will disappear in Round 4, will be Objective 3 and the Omega Objective, which will disappear in Round 5, will be Objective 5. This is great news for the Raven Guard who bet big during their deployment.
Daemons win the roll off to go first and both sides use their Scout moves, with Daemons moving forward and Raven Guard moving backwards. The Raven Guard then choose Objective 4 for the Combi-weapon Lieutenant’s re-roll Wound rolls of 1 ability. Board state at the start of the battle is shown below.
Board State: Start of the Battle
ROUND 1:
| Phase: | Go First: Daemons |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Secure No Man’s Land and Cleanse for Secondaries -Be’lakor chooses 18 inch Lone Op aura ability -Cultists 2 sticky Objective 2 |
| Movement | -GUO Advances to get onto Objective 5 -Plaguebearers stage behind the GUO and terrain -AC-DC 2 moves onto Objective 3 to Cleanse -AC-DC 1 Advances onto Objective 4 -Be’lakor and Havocs castle up behind, but within aura range of, AC-DC 1 |
| Shooting | -AC-DC 2 Cleanses for 2VP -Havocs shoot Ballistus, who uses Armour of Contempt to tank all shots |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 7 on Secondaries -Incursors 1 and 2 use Into Darkness stratagem to go into Reserves -Shrike + JPI’s use Echo of the Ravenspire ability to go into Reserves -Scouts use Guerrilla Tactics ability to go into Reserves |
| Score at End | 17 |
Not a ton of action that turn but Daemons are definitely coming out strong by trying to establish an early lead through board control and bleeding the Raven Guard of CP. They did expose themselves a bit and will have to eat some fire as a result, but the thought is to try to draw out the Raven Guard and force them to play the game early. The board state in the middle of Round 1 is shown below.
Board State: Middle of Round 1
| Phase: | Go Second: Raven Guard |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Extend Battle Line and Recover Assets for Secondaries -Oath of Moment on AC-DC 1 |
| Movement | -RepEx peeks out to shoot the GUO and AC-DC 1 -Shaan Advances to the other side of Objective 1 -Bladeguard move onto Objective 5 -Combi-weapon Lieutenant moves onto Objective 5 and the Raven Guard now out OC the Daemons -Incursors 1 deploy out of Reserves to shoot the GUO -Incursors 2 deploy out of Reserves to shoot AC-DC 2 -Scouts 1 deploy out of Reserves near Objective 1 to Recover Assets -Scouts 2 deploy out of Reserves near Objective 5 to Recover Assets -Shrike + JPI’s Deep Strike behind terrain to threaten Objectives 3 or 4 |
| Shooting | -Scouts 1 and 2 Recover Assets for 3 VP -Incursors 1 marks the GUO for +1 to Hit for the rest of the phase -Incursors 2 kills 2 Mutants in AC-DC 2 and marks the unit for +1 to Hit for the rest of the phase -AC-DC 2 makes a 2 inch Surge move -RepEx split fires and does 6 Damage into the GUO while also killing 10 Mutants, both Blassed Blades, the Mindwitch, and 1 Torment in AC-DC 1 -Ballistus kills 4 Torments in AC-DC 1 -AC-DC 1 makes a Surge Move to stay own Objective 4 -Bladeguard whiff into the GUO |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 7 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 17 |
Raven Guard step out to engage the Daemons and do a TON of damage with the RepEx. Daemons definitely did not anticipate losing that much of AC-DC 1 in a single phase. Also, the Raven Guard chose an interesting tactic by not Charging the Bladeguard and instead choosing to simply stand on the Objective to score Extend Battle Lines. They should be OK because Fights First protects them a bit and Daemons don’t have any serious shooting on that side of the board, but we’ll see. Lastly, I was a bit sloppy when deploying the Incursors 2 and 1-2 of the models aren’t within 6 inches of the board edge. That was cleaned up after the picture was taken and did not impact the game state. The board state at the end of Round 1 is below.
Board State: End of Round 1
ROUND 2:
| Phase: | Go First: Daemons |
| Score at Start | 17 |
| Command | -Draw Extend Battle Lines and Recover Assets for Secondaries -Pass all Battle Shocks -Be’lakor picks 18 inch Lone Op aura ability -Score 10 on Primary |
| Movement | -Advance Fade-thirster to Charge the Bladeguard or Scouts -Scouts 2 use Raptorial Vigilance stratagem to Reactive Move 6 inches backwards -GUO moves to Charge Bladeguard -Combi-weapon Lieutenant Reactive Moves off Objective and towards Objective 4 -Plaguebearers move onto Objective 5 -AC-DC 2 moves to Charge Incursors 2 -Cultists 3 Deep Strike onto Objective 3 |
| Shooting | -Incursor 2 uses Haywire Mine to do 2 Mortal Wounds to AC-DC 2 -Havocs fail Dark Pacts and lose their model with the melta -Havocs shoot RepEx, who uses Armour of Contempt to tank all but 4 Damage -Cultists 1 and Plaguebearers Recover Assets for 3 VP -Fade-thrister and GUO shoot Bladeguard and kill 1 model -AC-DC 2 kills 1 model in Incursors 2 |
| Charge | -AC-DC 2 into Incursors 2 -GUO into Bladeguard -Fade-thirster into Bladeguard |
| Fight | -Bladeguard choose to use Shields of the Chapter ability to re-roll Saves of 1 -Bladeguard + Judiciar do 2 Damage to GUO -AC-DC 2 kills 2 models in Incursors 2, who rolled a ton of 5’s to Save and tank the attacks -GUO kills 1 model in Bladeguard, who make 4 of 5 saves -Fade-thirster kills 3 Bladeguard models, who yet again make the majority of their saves -Incursor 2 kills 2 Mutants in AC-DC 2 -Fade-thirster uses Relentless Carnage ability to kill final Bladeguard model, but Judiciar lives |
| End of Turn | -Score 7 on Secondaries -Scouts 1 use Guerrilla Tactics ability to go into Reserves -Scouts 2 use Into Darkness stratagem to go into Reserves |
| Score at End | 34 |
Well that turn was lackluster from a Daemons perspective. The Raven Guard made an insane number of saves during both the Shooting and Fight Phases and now the Daemons have their Fade-thirster stuck in combat within full view of a mostly healthy RepEx. The goal had been to kill the Bladeguard and then either Consolidate behind terrain and into the Scouts or to disappear into Reserves. Obviously, neither of those happened. The score, board control, and continued bleeding of the Raven Guard CP are all good but the Fade-thirster being stuck is not good at all. Board state in the middle of Round 2 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 2
| Phase: | Go Second: Raven Guard |
| Score at Start | 17 |
| Command | -Draw Assassination and Storm Hostile Objective for Secondaries -Pass all Battle Shock -Oath of Moment on Fade-thirster -Score 0 on Primary |
| Movement | -Incursors 1 Advance to within 3 inches of Fade-thirster -JPI + Shrike use Feint & Thrust stratagem to Advance and still be able to Charge AC-DC 2 -Combi-weapon Lieutenant Advances onto Objective 4 -Shaan moves to Charge Fade-thirster -Ballistus inches up to see AC-DC 1 -Inceptor 1 Deep Strikes near Fade-thirster -Inceptor 2 Deep Strikes into Daemons’ DZ to shoot Plaguebearers or GUO |
| Shooting | -Incursors 1 mark the Fade-thirster -Judiciar and Incursors 2 whiff -RepEx splits fire and kills AC-DC 1 for 9 VP and then does 9 Damage to the Fade-thrister -Inceptor 1 Supercharges their plasma and kill the Fade-thrister, but then lose 2 to Hazardous -Inceptors 2 kill 4 Plaguebearers -Ballistus kills Cultists 3 |
| Charge | -JPI + Shrike into AC-DC 2 and do 4 Mortal Wounds |
| Fight | -JPI’s kill the remaining Mutants, 1 Torment, and both Blessed Blades in AC-DC 2 -Shrike kills the entire Dark Commune in AC-DC 2 thanks to Precision -AC-DC 2 fails Dark Pact and loses a Torment -AC-DC 2 kills 5 JPI’s -Judiciar does 3 Damage to the GUO -GUO kills Judiciar -Incursors 2 do 2 Damage to AC-DC 2 |
| End of Turn | -Score 9 on Secondaries -Cultists 2 use Binding Shadow to go into Reserves |
| Score at End | 26 |
That turn went about as well as the Raven Guard could have expected, but not nearly as well as they wanted. The Fade-thirster and AC-DC 1 are both down, which takes away 2 of the Daemon heavy hitters. Unfortunately, AC-DC 2 is still up and managed to kill more than expected of the JPI’s. Also, the Daemons still control most of the Objectives that matter and are up in CP and on the score board. It’s not bad, but the Raven Guard are going to need to have another big turn in Round 3 to come back. Board state at the end of Round 2 is below.
Board State: End of Round 2
ROUND 3:
| Phase: | Go First: Daemons |
| Score at Start | 34 |
| Command | -Draw Bring It Down and Sabotage for Secondaries -Drop Sabotage for Overwhelming Force -Pass all Battle Shocks, GUO regains 1 Wound -Plaguebearers sticky Objective 5 -Be’lakor chooses hit rolls of 1 re-roll ability -Score 5 on Primary |
| Movement | -Nurglings move to Charge JPI’s -Be’lakor moves onto Objective 4 -Combi-weapon Lieutenant Reactive Moves behind terrain -GUO moves towards Shaan -Shaan Reactive Moves 6 inches back -Pleagubears move to Charge Inceptors 2 -Cultists Deep Strike behind terrain |
| Shooting | -Incursors 1 Haywire Mine the GUO for 3 Mortal Wounds -GUO kills 2 models in Incursors 1 -Havocs use a CP re-roll to kill the RepEx for 7 VP (it was touching Objective 1) -Be’lakor does 2 Devastating Wounds to the Ballistus |
| Charge | -Plaguebearers into Inceptors 2 -Nurglings into JPI’s -GUO into Incursors 1 -Be’lakor fails a “long bomb” into Ballistus |
| Fight | -Plaguebearers kill 1 model in Inceptors 2 -Nurglings do 1 Damage to JPI’s -GUO kills Incursors 1 and Consolidates back to Objective 5 -Incursors 2 do 2 Damage to AC-DC 2 -AC-DC 2 whiffs -JPI’s + Shrike kill 2 Nurglings -Inceptors 2 kill 1 Plaguebearer |
| End of Turn | -Score 7 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 46 |
Now that’s the turn the Daemons have been wanting to see. The RepEx went down and, bonus, killing it scored the Daemons 7 VP on Secondaries. Even better, the Daemons maintain control over most of the midfield and managed to tag anything and everything that the Raven Guard might want to pickup. The Raven Guard now have yet another turn where they have to dig themselves out of being tarpitted instead of moving around and scoring. They’ll probably kill their way out of the tarpits in their turn, but it does buy the Daemones breathing room on the scoreboard. Even better, the GUO and Be’lakor are both still up with plenty of CP for Save re-rolls. Board state in the middle of Round 3 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 3
| Phase: | Go Second: Raven Guard |
| Score at Start | 26 |
| Command | -Draw Cull the Horde and Sabotage for Secondaries -Pass all Battle Shocks -Oath of Moment on GUO -Score 5 on Primary |
| Movement | -Use Feint & Thrust stratagem to Advance Shaan to Objective 5 and maintain ability to Charge -Inceptors 1 move up to shoot GUO -Ballistus moves up to shoot Cultists 2 -Scouts 1 deploy from Reserves onto Objective 2 -Scouts 2 deploy from Reserves into terrain in Daemons’ DZ to Sabotage |
| Shooting | -Scouts 2 Sabotage -JPI’s kill Nurglings -Incursors 2 whiff -Combi-weapon Lieutenant does 1 Dev Wound to GUO -Inceptors 1 Supercharge and kill GUO thru a CP re-rolled Save and pass all Hazardous tests -Inceptors 2 kill Plaguebearers -Ballistus split fires and kills 7 models in Cultists 2 while also whiffing into Be’lakor |
| Charge | -JPI’s into AC-DC 2 and do 3 Mortal Wounds |
| Fight | -JPI’s kill AC-DC 2 for 5 VP |
| End of Turn | -Score 5 on Secondaries -Daemons use Binding Shadow stratagem to place Havocs into Reserves |
| Score at End | 36 |
As expected, the Raven Guard killed their way out of being tar pitted. They did get a little bit lucky by drawing Secondaries that perfectly aligned with what they wanted to do, but also took full advantage of it. This is where the Raven Guard comeback starts. Let’s see if they can catch the Daemons. Board state at the end of Round 3 is below.
Board State: End of Round 3
ROUND 4:
| Phase: | Go First: Daemons |
| Score at Start | 46 |
| Command | -Draw Marked For Death and Behind Enemy Lines for Secondaries -Raven Guard mark Shaan, Scouts 1, and Infiltrators -Daemons mark Ballistus -Pass all Battle Shock -Be’lakor chooses hit rolls of 1 re-roll aura ability -Score 8 on Primary |
| Movement | -Be’lakor moves to Charge Ballistus -Cultists 1 and 2 Advance to dump as much OC as possible on Objective 4 -Havocs Deep Strike into Raven Guard DZ |
| Shooting | -Havocs do 2 Damage to Ballistus and use CP re-roll to increase it to 4 Damage -Be’lakor does 2 Dev Wounds to Ballistus |
| Charge | -Be’lakor into Ballistus |
| Fight | -Be’lakor obliterates Ballistus with 29 Damage for 2 VP |
| End of Turn | -Score 5 on Secondaries -Raven Guard score 6 on Secondaries -Raven Guard use Echo of the Ravenspire ability to put JPI’s into Reserves -Raven Guard use Into Darkness stratagem on Inceptors 2 |
| Score at End | 59 |
I really debated dropping Marked For Death as a Secondary here but ended up going for the guaranteed points. Otherwise the turn worked out as expected with Be’lakor annihilating the Ballistus. It’s looking the game is going to come down to a Be’lakor vs Shaan or Shrike showdown for Objective 4. Can’t wait to see how it plays out. Board state in the middle of Round 4 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 4
| Phase: | Go Second: Raven Guard |
| Score at Start | 42 |
| Command | -Draw Area Denial and Engage On All Fronts for Secondaries -Pass all Battle Shock tests -Oath of Moment on Cultists 1 -Score 8 on Primary |
| Movement | -Combi-weapon Lieutenant moves onto Objective 4 -Shaan moves to Charge onto Objective 4 -Inceptors 1 move into Daemons DZ -Shrike + JPI’s Deep Strike behind terrain to setup a Round 5 Charge onto Objective 4 -Inceptors 2 Deep Strike near Objective 4 |
| Shooting | -Inceptors 2 kill 6 models in Cultists 1 -Combi-weapon Lieutenant kills 2 models in Cultists 1 -Shaan kills 1 model in Cultists 1 |
| Charge | -Combi-weapon Lieutenant into Cultists 1 -Shaan into Cultists 2 |
| Fight | -Combi-weapon Lieutenant kills Cultists 1 -Shaan kills Cultists 2 |
| End of Turn | -Score 9 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 59 |
And here come the Raven Guard charging back (literally). It’s definitely going to come down to an Epic Hero showdown. Super excited for this ending. Board state at the end of Round 4 is below.
Board State: End of Round 4
ROUND 5:
| Phase: | Go First: Daemons |
| Score at Start | 59 |
| Command | -Draw Assassination and Engage On All Fronts for Secondaries -Drop Engage On All Fronts for Establish Locus -Be’lakor picks hit rolls of 1 re-roll ability -Score 0 for Primary |
| Movement | -Be’lakor moves to Charge onto Objective 4 -Combi-weapon Lieutenant Reactive Moves behind terrain -Shaan uses Raptorial Vigilance stratagem to Reactive Move backwards 3 inches |
| Shooting | -Be’lakor brings Shaan to 1 Wound |
| Charge | -Be’lakor into Shaan |
| Fight | -Be’lakor kills Shaan for 5 VP |
| End of Turn | -Score 9 on Secondaries -Raven Guard use Into Darkness stratagem on Inceptors 1 to place them into Reserves |
| Score at End | 68 |
And it all comes down to this. Can the Raven Guard kill Be’lakor and take away the Center Objective to win the game? Board state in the middle of Round 5 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 5
| Phase: | Go Second: Raven Guard |
| Score at Start | 59 |
| Command | -Draw A Tempting Target and Overwhelming Force for Secondaries -Daemons choose Objective 4 as Tempting Target -Oath of Moment on Be’lakor |
| Movement | -Combi-weapon Lieutenant moves onto Objective 4 -JPI’s move out of terrain to Charge Be’lakor -Be’lakor Overwatches JPI’s and kills 2 models -Inceptors 1 Deep Strike to shoot Be’lakor |
| Shooting | -Inceptors 1 and 2 both Supercharge to do 12 Damage to Be’lakor -1 model in Inceptors 1 dies to failed Hazardous check -Combi-weapon Lieutenant Grenades Be’lakor for 2 Damage -Combi-weapon Lieutenant does 1 Dev Wound to Be’lakor -JPI’s whiff, thanks in part to a CP re-rolled save against Shrike’s shooting |
| Charge | -JPI’s into Be’lakor and do 1 Mortal Wound |
| Fight | -Shrike kills Be’lakor thru a CP re-rolled save, which failed |
| End of Turn | -Score 4 to max out on Secondaries -Score 15 on Primary |
| Score at End | 78 |
Final score for the game is 78-68 or a 12-8 win for Raven Guard. Board state in the end of Round 5 is below.
Board State: End of Round 5
RESULT:
Singles Format: 78 – 68 Raven Guard WIN
WTC Teams Format: 12 – 8 Raven Guard WIN
GAME REVIEW:
This was easily one of the most fun games that I have played in a while. I love it when the game is really tight and it feels like either side could win. Also, while I tend to play competitively, I love it when a game can come down to what feels like a narrative ending. It just feels right and adds to the game being a fun and immersive experience.
From a Raven Guard perspective, this is the best that I have played this list. I was able to stay patient and disciplined despite the pressure that the Daemons were applying. I stuck to my Win Condition and it ended up paying off.
From a Daemons perspective, this game ends with a “what if?”. Specifically, what if the Fade-thirster and GUO had been able to kill the Bladeguard in Round 2 to allow the Fade-thrister to start cycling in and out of Deep Strike? Given how close the game was, it feels like that would have swung the games to Daemons. Either way, I’m still very excited with how the list played and with the result.
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:
- Daemons
- Potentially pick an easier target without an Invulnerable Save for the Fade-thirster to guarantee that he can start cycling. I may start him in Deep Strike next time just to see if that helps me deliver him better. I also have a few “what if’s” about not calling the AC-DC’s Dark Ritual ability to apply more pressure, but those are minor.
- Raven Guard
- Not a ton here as I am very excited by how this game turned out.
EARNED THEMSELF A NAME:
The Inceptors. Once they came down out of Deep Strike, both did solid work into the GOU, Plaguebearers, Fade-thirster, and Be’lakor. They were the MVP’s of the game.
MAGNUS OF THE GAME:
The Fade-thirster. Killing 3 Bladeguard and then dying in the next turn does not please Khorne.
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