Astra Militarium/Space Wolves Escalation Blog

[Threejacks]

Looks like with the upcoming Escalation league ill finally be able to get my Space Wolves onto the table though I will be using them as Allies to my Astra Militarum forces.

I plan to start out with something along the lines of this at the 1k level-

 

Combined arms detachment from the Cadian 314th regiment:

 

-Tank commander as General in a LR Vanquisher w/bow LC/MM Sponsons

-Squadron mate LR Exterminator w/bow LC/MM Sponsons

I know the Exterminator is not all that widely used but ive had pretty good luck using it against light armor and monsters as it does put out a good amount of reliable higher str hits and giving it the Las and MM`s allows some utility.

-Infantry platoon,stock w/PCS having a flak rocket team

-Vet squad w/flak rocket team.

-Wyvern battery-1 Wyvern

-Wyvern Battery-1 wyvern

-Ministorium Priest--

 

Space Wolf allied detachment from The Drakeslayers(yup really liked the Stormclaw release and the Backround for Krom Dragongaze)

-Rune Priest lvl 1

-6 Blood Claws w /PP

-Wolf guard pack leader w/PF/SB

-Drop Pod for dedicated transport.

 

I plan to run the Ministorium Priest with the Bloodclaws and use them to drop into the back lines for harassment/objective(s).This is a settup I really want to expand on as I get to 2k points as I think the Priests can really add some solid survivability to the Space wolves.

As I build up the list ill likely bring in my Vendetta or Valkryie,possibly another Russ or maybe run my Hellhound.On the Wolf side of things I would like to pod in a Murderfang ive got built or maybe even switch the leadership to Bjorn and pod him in.Also have the Stormraven ready to go(only primed though) and would probably bring that out instead of the LR as its got more utility.

Ive got a good selection of fortifications I like to run with my AM but I know they arent the most competative things to throw down,still fun to "Bunker up" with them:)

And depending on how the meta looks going into the Annihilation I may call for the assistance of the Stormlord"Executis Brutalis" .of course if the Machine God deems my lowly Cadians worthy of that level of assistance.

[WestRider]

I started my SW out as IG Allies, too. They don't combo quite as well as they did in 6th, but they're still two great tastes that go great together :)

[PourSpelur]

Pardon me, you seem to have gotten some pseudo-Latin on your Imperial Guard.

;)

[Psilence]

with tools to deal with armor/horde/heavy infantry the 1k looks like a good take all comers list. You'll have to let us know how you do :)

 

@PS lol. Must. Trademark.. Everything!..

[PourSpelur]

Now that I've made my jokes I realized that I have actual advice to give!

I love the Vanquisher and the Executioner but not together. My rule with Russes is, one isn't enough and three is often too many. Matched sets is usually the sweet spot. Commander in a Vanquisher with hull LC and a matched squad mate is a really good combo. Keep em at the back, point at armour and let it rain. The MM sponsons are great on the "no cover save" variant that I never remember the name of. It's been said a million times but....Pask+Punisher= Awesome.

[Threejacks]

Now that I've made my jokes I realized that I have actual advice to give!

I love the Vanquisher and the Executioner but not together. My rule with Russes is, one isn't enough and three is often too many. Matched sets is usually the sweet spot. Commander in a Vanquisher with hull LC and a matched squad mate is a really good combo. Keep em at the back, point at armour and let it rain. The MM sponsons are great on the "no cover save" variant that I never remember the name of. It's been said a million times but....Pask+Punisher= Awesome.

Ill certainly consider that,thnx:)

 

Ive been running that matchup mainly due to facing Riptides and other transport spam stuff,having those 4 shots usually guarantees at least 2 hits were is I miss with a BS3 Vanq cannon A lot,lol.But I haven't played a lot of 7th edition games and due to the new Vehicle damage table having ap 2 or better is now pretty much a must for reliable vehicle killing so ill probably try out your suggestion and see how it goes.

[Threejacks]

Got my first game in and it was a blast!

 

Played against a Daemon army that seemed pretty solid.A very interesting fight being the first time ive played against that Codex.

 

The Drop pod laden with the Wolves worked pretty well being able to score an obhjective point on turn one as well as tarpit the opponents main force for a few turns.

Wyverns did what Wyverns do but as the game wore on I began to run out of targets,this seems to happen a lot playing against low model count more elite armies but I think ill still be sticking with running the two units of one as they always get their points back regardless.

 

The AM troop base did better than expected but I wasn't really facing a shooting army so I guess that should be expected.Units broke a few times but I was able to rally up and get back in the fight for the most part.

 

I did run the dual Vanquishers in this particular instance but due to the nature of my oponents army they didn't do much at all as there was no armor to deal with...I probably would have done a bit better with the Exterminator pattern in this case.Ill probably still be trying out both setups.

 

I think my next addition will be more Blood claws with a dedicated transport in the way of a Rhino with a Dozer Blade,after that I think I need to beef up my Psykic stuff a bit maybe adding a Primaris and possibly boosting a lvl one to a lvl 2 or something.

[Threejacks]

Got a fun game in against Steel Angel and his custom SW army,Very cool models!

 

My first mistake here was misreading the rules oh how to use the cards thinking that we were only allowed one card per turn,DURRR...yeah with 8 of 11 units in my army being objective secure and only pulling a total of 5 cards the whole game,2 of which were impossibles, that pretty much sealed my fate,lol

 

Anyhow we played it out and it ended up being rather close with a loss by 2 points..if only my LR Tank Commander hadn't been DS`d on and Melted with one shot to the rear on turn one..yeah 2 points right there,well played Steel :tup

 

The army as a whole did pretty well with my opponent bringing 3 walkers and 2 mid armor vehicles.The Executioner AC Russ definitely got its points back and I think I will be sticking with that configuration.

The Podding BLood Claws and company once again ravaged their board area ,this time taking out a walker, a vehicle and pinning some rival Grey hunters on their objective while the Wyverns worked them over.I really like how this group is working out and plan to scale it up as the points allow.Probably the biggest change will come as I near tournament point levels and plan to switch their dedicated transport to the Stormwolf.

 

The AM infantry did well,I even outflanked one squad and they came in to finish off a wounded priest then secure an objective..no card for it though and thus,no points either,heh.

 

The two ML teams didn't do much this game as I think I forgot to shoot them a couple times anyway...no biggie,they were in there as some minor anti air threat at the low points level anyway.

 

Now that we are up to 1200 points I may just be calling on some support from the Imperial Navy...also there is rumor of a Space Wolf Ancient in sector...

[Threejacks]

Had a fun game against Disruptive Conduct`s Tyranids:)

 

Another close game with my side coming out on top this time,first win with the army!,w00t!

 

His list had some surprisingly strong shooting to it but like my Vendetta,had problems getting all reserves in the fight with each of us bringing models in on turn four.

 

The scenario was from the Eternal War mission set,"Emporer`s Will",the one with only a single objective on each side of the field.Interesting to see how my spam of objective secured units would work out for this.I planned to move my troops toward each objective throughout the game rather than setting up with a static troop defence on my side and a "wall of bodies" type push on the opponents bunker.I think this worked out well even though the game ended with starting count of 8 objective secure units being reduced to only 4 with the main Bloodclaw force in control of the opponents objective and remnants of an infantry squad locked in combat at my objective location to contest it.

 

Moving forward and up now to the 1300 points level I think ill be boosting up the Blood Claw force with an increase in the Wolf Priest`s psyker lvl and probably adding a Pack leader to the ground assault unit along with and upgrade on the Rhino to a Razor back with a TL LC,plus adding a few more melta bombs to squad leaders in the army.Im seeing more Knights and walkers taking the field and I think the addional anti armor abilities are going to come in handy.

[generalripphook]

I really personally enjoy a squad of Tempestus with meltas, deep strike them behind a vehicle and bam

[Threejacks]

I would like to try a Tempestus force someday as the models are really cool,plus I actually like the Taurox..especially the prime(just ordered one for my current list but it will of course be ran as a basic one).The issue I have with the new Storm troopers is that they are toughness 3 behind 4+ armor and the cost is 12+ per model..for that price they just don't have the staying power,especially if run in a small group.

 

With my current army direction they probably wouldn't fit well as Im looking to have all of my infantry class troops to be objective secure and the only way to do that with Tempestus is to give them the Allied detatchemnt slot.Unless of course theres a formation out there that has OS Tempestus units.

[generalripphook]

Well just take them in the elites slot of the Astra Militarious 

[Threejacks]

Havent updated in a while so,,

 

Played 4 league games and have only managed 1 win so far so im not sure if im going in the right direction with this army combo,the games have all been pretty close though.However after seeing an AMSW army make the finals in the LVO I am encouraged a bit,especially since his army premise is pretty much what mine is though hes using pods for all transports.I would probably try it with more pods but I like having more mobile ObjSec transports that dont scatter off the board.

 

Anyhow I think im ready to throw down again so this will be my 1700 points for next week;

 

AM CAD:

 

CC squad/4 vets/Warlord Commander/Officer of the Fleet.

Trying out the specialist here due to my 2 flyers MUST come in on turn 2 since they pack most of my hard target ordinance and my recent experience with reserves has been having my Vendetta come in on turn 4 in 2 of the 4 games ive played so far...This also gives me a chance to mess with heavily reserved opponents especially if I go second like I prefer to do most of the time.

 

Ministorium priest---this guy goes in the Stormwolf with the Blood claws and Rune priest

 

Vet Squad/2 meltas/Taurox

 

Platoon-

PCS- Stock

 

1st Sqd-Stock

2nd Sqd-Stock/Chimera w/dozer blade

 

LR squadron- LR Exterminator/LC bow/MM Sponsons/Relic plate

 

Still like the multiuse of the Exterminator,its a reliable source of mid/high str wound dealing

 

Wyvern battery 1- Wyvern

 

Vendetta Squadron 1-Vendetta

 

SW Allied Detatchment;

 

Rune Priest lvl1/PA/MB/PH/PP

 

5 Grey hunters 1melta/Add CC weapon

Pack leader Melta bombs

Rhino with Dozer blade

Im into Dozer blades because if I don't use one I will...roll ones when I move.

 

10 Bloodclaws Stock

Pack leader w PF

Stormwolf w/MM`s

 

Murderfang w/Pod

 

So this list gives me my Obj Sec spam at 10 units(4 transpors,6 troops choices) so I can spread out and be annoying.The ongoing problem im having is no real hard hitting units or alpha strike capability.Also this list is sticking with the Highlander theme on purpose so I can try to get a few games in before that event.I will probably work in more Tauroxe`s and drop the Chimera for a regular tourney build.

 

I wanted to plan on running my Knight but im already up to 2 detatchments so that's out.

 

Was also considering one of the Baneblade/Stormlord variants but I don't think that fits in well with what im trying to do here.

[Threejacks]

Up to 1850 now,this is what ill likely run in the upcoming Highlander event.

 

Copied from above with a few additions/changes;

 

AM CAD:

 

CC squad/4 vets/Warlord Commander/Officer of the Fleet/Astropath

Trying out the specialist here due to my 2 flyers MUST come in on turn 2 since they pack most of my hard target ordinance and my recent experience with reserves has been having my Vendetta come in on turn 4 in 2 of the 4 games ive played so far...This also gives me a chance to mess with heavily reserved opponents especially if I go second like I prefer to do most of the time.Adding in the Astropath for one bite at invisibility and an additional die.

 

Ministorium priest---this guy goes in the Stormwolf with the Blood claws and Rune priest

 

Vet Squad/2 meltas/Taurox

 

Platoon-

PCS- Stock

 

1st Sqd-Stock

2nd Sqd-Stock/Chimera w/dozer blade

 

Special weapons sqd-3 snipers

Had some points left over so im gonna try these guys as an objective sitter,cheap and expendable.

 

 

LR squadron- LR Exterminator/LC bow/MM Sponsons/Relic plate

 

Still like the multiuse of the Exterminator,its a reliable source of mid/high str wound dealing

 

Wyvern battery 1- Wyvern

 

Vendetta Squadron 1-Vendetta

 

SW Allied Detatchment;

 

Rune Priest lvl2/PA/MB/PH/PP

 

5 Grey hunters 1melta/Add CC weapon

Pack leader Melta bombs

Rhino with Dozer blade

Im into Dozer blades because if I don't use one I will...roll ones when I move.

 

10 Bloodclaws Stock

Pack leader w PF

Stormwolf w/MM`s

 

Venerable Dread w/Blizzard Shield/Fenrisian Great Axe/Pod

Hoping for some early game distraction and mid game annoyance with this guy and his 3+ invuln.

 

Vindicator w/Dozer blade

Need to fill the void from going Highlander and loosing a Russ and a Wyvern so it was this or a Wirlwind.Gonna try this one out first and I could really use the top end damage from the pie plate.

 

 

Im now sporting 11 ObjSec units but still lack any hard hitting units.But I feel like the list has its threats spread out across many units so I should be able to stay competitive till the end in each game I play.

[fluger]

I think the snipers are going to seriously underwhelm you.  For cheap objective campers, I like a platoon command squad with a mortar.  Hide it and just forget about it while it pops off shots here and there.  

[Threejacks]

I think the snipers are going to seriously underwhelm you.  For cheap objective campers, I like a platoon command squad with a mortar.  Hide it and just forget about it while it pops off shots here and there.

Yeah I wouldn't doubt that.However I could easily plop a Mortar into the PCS.

 

That would leave me about 50pts to play with,what should I get?...ive got a Sentinal I could run as a Las,ot just add in a few more Heavy weapons teams..how about making my Vets Demo?

[fluger]

I think you should give your two platoons some heavy and special weapons before you do anything else.  

[PourSpelur]

Mortar sniping is awesome! Not game breaking but really usefull. Plink shots down on special weapons, buffing guys like priests or soft units that are vulnerable to ld checks. Now your opponent has to either choose to spend resources on getting rid of a hidden five man squad or put up with the shots. I've found them to be a good distraction that occasionally does great things.

[Threejacks]

Humm..ive always wanted to try a heavy weapons unit of 3x mortars,theres some orders that could make them quite annoying,heh

[fluger]

Why not just add two mortars to your naked platoons?  It's only 10 pts and doesn't really change anything about them other than giving them something to do. 

[Threejacks]

Why not just add two mortars to your naked platoons?  It's only 10 pts and doesn't really change anything about them other than giving them something to do.

Was just going through my bits this morning and it appears I can only make one more anyway.

 

So yeah Ill probably just put the one I have built in the PCS and add in a couple other teams to the squads.

[Threejacks]

Wrapping this up now that the Annihilation is done.

 

Had a great time in the Highlander finale!

Lots of great food,drink and gaming opponents:)

 

I ended up with 1 win and 2 losses.The games were all called at the end of turn 3 or 4 due to time running out.This is becoming a big issue for me as I would like to attend more tournament events but it seems many have a 2.5 hr or 3.0 round limit and Im not sure if I can ever play fast enough to complete an entire game in that amount of time.I don't really want to have to make lists with less models as I like to have all options on the table when working up list ideas.It is true that in many instances a winner can be determined in 3-4 turns(like in the case of this events games) but I cant help but to think back and wonder "what if" when a game is cut short.I suppose I just need to work more on planning my turn ahead while my opponent is doing his.

 

Anyhow,things that worked;

I decided to switch out my Runepriest for a Primaris lvl 2 and ran him with the CC Squad.He rolled invisibility all 3 games and kept it on the Squad,though this didn't help much against Necrons that still wailed on the unit in melee.

 

For the Space Wolf HQ I took Bjorn in a DP,he did pretty good each game exept the first one against Space Marines were he was just shy of destroying a scout squad by 1 man then ended up getting blown out the next turn.Still he draws a ton of attention,can shoot pretty well and is a hard pipe hitter in melee.At 255 points I dont think he ever got his points back fully but the attention he draws makes up for the shortfall I think.

 

The basic Taurox is now my favorite transport in the game,50pts for a dozer blade and the hvy2 TL str7 shot every turn is more than worth it.I ran it with Melta Vets(2 Melta guns due to the 2 ports on each side) and they were a pain every game.Actually running transports with basic squads worked well as a whole making the opponent have to blow the transport first then deal with the troopies.

 

The Vindicator was a nice addition for its price and I plan to use it again or perhaps add another instead of the Russ.

 

Things that didn't do so hot;

 

The Stormwolf is certainly a sweet transport with its great shooting,certainly a threat but my luck with getting reserves into a game has been horrid(see below).I ran it with 10 Blood claws and a Pack leader with PF inside,in the first game I had the Primaris in with them too.This makes the unit over 475 points as a whole and except for the 3 times the entire tournament that it got to shoot( and get a lucky explosion on a Morkanaught)the unit was pretty much a no show...the Blood Claws never made it onto the table(Excepting when the thing crashed and blew up,lol).With the speed that I play at I dont think I can take a unit like this and count on it being a game changer like it needs to be at that points total.

 

I tried out a Master of the Fleet to try and manipulate reserves a bit as I really need help with this,I just cant seem to stop rolling ones and twos on this!.I was able to disrupt reserves once and it did help once getting my Vendetta in when I rolled yet another 2 .However,even with successful orders going off in my final game...I STILL rolled 2 ones in a row trying to get the F`N Stormwolf out!!!..that's the 400+ points of asskickery noted above.And by that time the game whas going to be called so yeah,,,

I think I need to go the no reserve route or just go with one pod and one flyer,then not unpack the flyer or something.

 

I ran a single Wyvern trying to stick with a true Highlander format even though I could have ran a group of 2-3 with no problems.It didn't do much at all and I think my lists from now on will have 2.

 

 

Moving forward with this army combo I think I will be switching the Space wolves to the primary detatchment,taking a Battle leader on a Thunderwolf then running him with a unit of TW`s.Ill probably keep trying Bjorn but wont run him as warlord still.then tone down the AM side of it but still running a base infantry platoon but taking 3 Tauroxes as their transports and maybe dropping the LR.

 

Looking forward to the next club event!

[WestRider]

Reserves issues are definitely the big drawback to the StormWolf. Anymore, I run it just as a Dedicated Transport for 5 Blood Claws with a Flamer, so it's not as many Points off the table (and most of what it's going to do, it can do as soon as it arrives), but it's still Objective Secured. I pretty much always take some sort of Reserves buff as well. Another option is to put something like 5 GH with the Wolf Standard, a Culexus Assassin, Ulrik the Slayer, or something else with an Aura effect that would get measured from the Hull in there.