As I said in the Faction Focus, this is an army that is incredibly hard to balance. Not as hard as Knights, but then Kinghts are an almost completely different entity. Custodes are supposed to be the most Elite army - the few chosen heroes holding back the tide. Point costs on Custodes need to be high enough that your army looks and feels like a few champions, without being so punitive you can't get the bodies on the board you need. They're an army that almost needs to be balanced in the rules, not the points. So how did GW do?
ARMY RULES
Martial Ka'tah is one of the most flexible Army Rules in the game. It's a flat buff for your entire army that you get select when it will matter most. It's not even much of a skill check, you just pick the buff that will have the most impact given the board state. It's a vast improvement on the previous Ka'tah system, which you practically needed a flow chart to figure out. The Shield Host combines it with a 4+ FNP against mortal wounds, the reason you almost always saw Emperor's Chosen in 9th. Mortals are a critical weakness of Custodes. And though they're not as common as they were in the previous edition, this extra layer of defense will still be quite useful.
STRATAGEMS
Slayer of Nightmares - 1CP
+1 to Wound is a very good buff for trying to take out higher Toughness opponents. So while boring, this is still very good.
Unwavering Sentinels - 2CP
Fights First is one of the best rules in the game. With so few units, being able to defend an objective with only a few models will be crucial. My only complaint here is that depending on points, you might need to use Sisters to hold a lot of the board. So it sucks they can't use this.
Arcane Genetic Alchemy - 2CP
It's a -1 Damage strat. Here, the fact you can't use it on Sisters of Silence doesn't really matter all that much. You want to use this on your golden boys.
Avenge the Fallen - 1CP
+1 Attack at below Starting Strength, +2 if Below Half-strength. Very nice buffs, and Custodes are an army that will lose models without losing the unit.
Vigil Unending - 1CP
Our previewed strat, this is still just amazing. You are going to use this a lot.
Sworn Guardians - 1CP
Sticky objectives. 'Nuff said.
These are all really good strats but also pretty bland. I'm almost wondering if GW sees Custodes as another good entry point into the hobby and wants to make they're as easy to play as possible. It feel pretty easy to know when and how to use these in any given game.
ENHANCEMENTS
I'm using the new version of the Munitorum Field Manual - 1.1. So if anything seem different, that's why.
Unstoppable Destroyer - 25 pts
A bit of a two-for here! This one gives you some mortal wound on a charge, and once per game you can force a Battle-shock test on all nearby enemies after. 25 pts seems pretty good for that. There aren't many consistent sources of mortals now, so giving a Character one sounds potent.
Veiled Blade - 25 pts
Two additional Attacks sounds kinda bland, but those Attacks are probably going to be pretty nice. This one also has a once per battle ability, so I wonder if that's going to be a theme. In this case, it's a way to try and keep an objective you're losing. This will be more useful depending on when the mission has you determine control. If it's a Command phase mission, this will be fantastic! If it's an "end of each turn" mission, you'll need to plan a bit more ahead. Either way, this is probably worth the cost, though not as good as Unstoppable Destroyer.
Inspirational Exemplar - 10 pts
Even Custodes characters are strangely locked to Ld6+. It does at least narrow the difference between armies. But for 10 pts you can get a 5+ Ld and a once per game ability to end Battle-shock. I'd say that's definitely worth it.
Ceaseless Hunter - 30 pts
Fall Back and Shoot and Charge is very good. When combined with the ability to get a free 6" Move when an opponent gets close to you, this gives your Character and his unit incredible versatility. Another very good Enhancement.
These are much more interesting than the Stratagems were. I like all of these, and which ones I would take would be based on what points I have available and my overall battle plan. One of my favorite Enhancement sections so far.
DATASHEETS
Custodian Guard - 180 pts for 4 models (45 pts per model)
And there it is! Custodian Guard are still 45 pts per model and equal or greater in cost than any elite infantry we've seen so far. I think only Exalted Eightbound were higher than this? For that cost, you get one of the best defensive profile for any infantry I've seen and a combat profile to match. Unlike other units, they get two abilities before wargear. The first is a Shock Assault ability for re-roll Wounds. The second gives you a once per game Shoot Again. You can also give them shields for +1 Wound and a Vexilla for more OC. Honestly, S7 isn't that important a break point. So if you're not planning on doing much shooting, I'd take the Shield, though losing Dmg 2 does hurt a bit.
Custodian Wardens - 150 pts for 3 models (50 pts per model)
For 5 more pts per model you can take axes, get the new Transhuman while they're a Bodyguard, and can proc a once per game 4+ FNP. I think they're good at their chosen role, but that's it. I don't like the axes. I think with the worse WS and AP, you're better off taking the spears and using Slayer of Nightmares if you're fighting something bigger than T7.
Allarus Custodians - 130 pts for 2 models (65 pts per model)
Our previewed Unit still looks awesome with that incredible profile and fantastic set of rules. Despite being Terminators, they still get OC2, so they can actually help you hold objectives. These seem pretty good to me.
Vertus Praetors - 180 pts for 2 models (90 pts per model)
I'm sorry, what? Roll a D6 for each model and deal 2 mortals on 2s? Do you have an elite unit you need to kill? Bam, it's dead! Forget how mobile they are, you are definitely taking these.
Prosecutors - 40 pts for 4 models (10 pts per model)
Although their rules set them up as anti-psyker, these are a steal at 10 pts per model. We might legitimately see Custodes fielding these as bulk infantry now.
Vigilators - 60 pts for 4 models (15 pts per model)
Vigilators are a little less auto-include at that cost, but they're still good. With re-roll 1s to Hit, they're going to punch very hard.
Witchseekers - 60 pts for 4 models (15 pts per model)
Okay, these are great. With Scout, you can push them quickly into a place you want to deny access. While they're short range, if your opponent goes anywhere near them, you Overwatch and punish them. Then that unit has to test Battle-shock, and if it fails its Battle-shocked for almost the entire battle round. I like these.
Shield-Captain - 120 pts
You're definitely paying the Leader premium here, but those are two great rules. His unit is always going to be receiving two useful buffs in the Fight phase, and someone gets a free strat each round. Again, I think I take the Shield for the extra wound.
Blade Champion - 100 pts
I freaking love this guy! The only way he could be better is if he had Fights First. But he's still an incredibly versatile fighter and Leader.
Aleya - 80 pts
Speaking of Fights First! Aleya will definitely help you get some extra work out of some Vigilators. With Fights First, they're going to be a pain for anyone to deal with.
Anethema Psykana Rhino - 75 pts
A great way to get your Sisters where you want them, I love the fact it gets their Daughters of the Abyss rule. But can I just say, that has got to be the most boring paint job the 'Eavy Metal team has ever produced.
Knight-Centura - 75 pts
This is an interesting set of abilities to bring to a Unit. First off, the unit is just flat faster while she's Leading it. Second, she can force Desperate Escape tests in combat. While I think you definitely spend 5 pts more and take Aleya first, if you want multiple Sister units in your army she's very good.
Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armour - 120 pts
For the same cost you get one of the best defensive profiles in the game and a revive on death mechanic. Plus, you know you're taking Allarus Terminators.
Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike - 145 pts
For 25 more points, you can grant some Vertus Praetors some cool movement tricks. This definitely shows the premium GW puts on movement some times, but I do think it's worth it. That once per game ability to just peace out of combat is really nice.
Trajann Valoris - 145 pts
And buy! I think an additional Wound, that Watcher's Axe, a 5+ FNP, and two great abilities are definitely worth the extra 25 pts.
Valerian - 115 pts
So I didn't notice this before, but Custodes still didn't get Armour of Contempt (though they did get -1 Dmg). But this guy does, so that alone will make him worth it. Gnosis is pretty good too. But his version of Perfectly Adapted giving him the ability to fix one dice per game is really nice.
Venerable Contemptor Dreanought - 185 pts
We already knew this, but yes, Custodes get to keep all their cool Heresy patterns. I'm a little underwhelmed here, but the revive mechanic and the 5+ Invuln are definitely nice. This may be the Ork player breaking free of the Hive Mind's control, but needs more dakka.
Venerable Land Raider - 260 pts
What? Why is the Custodes Land Raider cheaper? Is it because everything already has Deep Strike? This is still a good way to get your units into combat. And at a 15 point discount, it's great.
No comments:
Post a Comment