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Total Points: 2000
Army Analysis
Strategic Analysis
Summary
This is a classic Astra Militarum infantry horde list designed to win through superior numbers and board control. The game plan is to flood the board with dozens of infantry models, leveraging their high OC values to dominate primary objectives. A powerful suite of characters, led by Ursula Creed, provides critical buffs and synergies through the Voice of Command army rule, turning cheap Guardsmen into effective tools for attrition and objective play.
While it excels at controlling the board and playing the mission, the list is dangerously light on anti-vehicle and anti-monster firepower. Its success will hinge on its ability to out-score opponents and tie up key threats with bodies, as it lacks the tools to efficiently eliminate high-toughness targets.
Army Strength
The list's undeniable strength is its overwhelming board presence. With over 200 models, the vast majority of which have OC2, this army is built to dominate the primary objective game. The sheer number of bodies makes it incredibly difficult for many armies to shift, especially with the resilience of Death Korps of Krieg and the ability to return models via medi-packs.
A robust and layered command structure, led by Ursula Creed, significantly enhances the effectiveness of the infantry. The ability to issue multiple orders, grant sustained hits, and provide CP discounts turns cheap infantry into efficient, mission-focused assets. Gaunt's Ghosts and the scout units also provide excellent utility for scoring secondary objectives and controlling the early board.
Army Weakness
This army has a critical, glaring weakness: a severe lack of dedicated anti-tank firepower. The primary sources of high-strength damage are two units of Attilan Rough Riders on the charge and a single Scout Sentinel with a lascannon. Against lists with multiple heavy vehicles or monsters (T10+), this army will struggle to inflict meaningful damage, forcing it to rely solely on out-scoring the opponent on objectives while ignoring major threats.
Furthermore, the army is extremely vulnerable to high-volume, anti-infantry firepower. Blast weapons and torrent weapons will be highly effective against the tightly packed T3 infantry squads. Elite armies with good saves (2+ or 3+) will also be able to weather the storm of low-AP lasgun fire with relative ease.
List Balance
The list is intentionally and heavily skewed towards one archetype: infantry-based board control. It has an extreme number of Battleline and Character units at the expense of any significant vehicle or heavy support presence. This creates a highly specialized force that is very strong in its chosen game plan but has a massive, exploitable vulnerability to armor-heavy opponents. The balance between ranged and melee is also heavily tilted towards ranged, with only the Rough Riders providing any meaningful melee punch.
Statistics
- Total Units: 23
- Total Models: 209
- Army Archetype: Horde Army
- Key Composition: 12 Battleline Squads, 8 Characters
Critical Units (Auto-Includes)
- Ursula Creed: The heart of the command structure. Her triple orders, ability to grant a unit two orders, and CP discount are indispensable.
- Scout Sentinels: The Daring Recon ability provides a crucial army-wide buff (re-roll hits of 1) that significantly increases the efficiency of the low-skill infantry.
- Gaunt’s Ghosts: A premier utility and secondary scoring unit. Their Lone Operative, Infiltrator, and redeploy abilities make them exceptionally versatile for mission play.
Anti-Vehicle
- Attilan Rough Riders (with melta-tip hunting lances on the charge)
- Scout Sentinels (with lascannon)
Anti-Elite
- Cadian/Krieg Squads (with plasma guns and volume of lasgun fire under orders)
- Cadian Castellan (provides Sustained Hits 1 to his unit)
- Attilan Rough Riders (goad lances are S6 AP-2 D2)
Elite
- Attilan Rough Riders (Function as the list's fast-moving 'hammer' unit)
Infantry
- Cadian Castellan (x3)
- Cadian Command Squad (x3)
- Gaunt’s Ghosts
- Ursula Creed
- Cadian Shock Troops (x4)
- Catachan Jungle Fighters (x2)
- Death Korps of Krieg (x6)
Role - Fire Overwatch
- Any 20-model infantry squad (especially with flamers)
- Catachan Jungle Fighters (often forward deployed and likely to have flamer options)
Role - Screening & Chaff
- Catachan Jungle Fighters (excellent scouts for forward screening)
- Any 10-model infantry squad (cheap and expendable)
Ability - Scout
- Catachan Jungle Fighters (Scouts 6")
- Scout Sentinels (Scouts 9")
Ability - Infiltrators
- Gaunt’s Ghosts
Ability - Lone Operative
- Gaunt’s Ghosts
Overwhelming Board Control
With 12 large Battleline squads and over 200 models, the army excels at controlling objectives. High OC values and the Cadians' ability to make objectives 'sticky' mean you can dominate the primary mission against most opponents.
Command Synergy & Force Multiplication
The combination of Ursula Creed, Castellans, Command Squads, and the Scout Sentinel provides powerful buffs. Orders turn cheap infantry into credible threats, and army-wide re-rolls from the Sentinel increase efficiency significantly.
Critically Low Anti-Tank
The list has almost no reliable way to deal with high-toughness vehicles or monsters. This is a major vulnerability that vehicle-heavy armies will exploit, potentially leaving you unable to interact with their biggest threats.
Low Durability
The vast majority of the army consists of T3 models with a 5+ save. They will die in droves to dedicated anti-infantry firepower. While you have the numbers to absorb losses, a concerted effort from the opponent can wipe squads off the board with ease.
Mission Dominance
Your strength in board control allows you to focus heavily on the mission. You can afford to trade units to score points, knowing you have more bodies to throw onto objectives. Units like Gaunt's Ghosts are purpose-built for scoring tricky secondaries.
Movement Blocking & Board Denial
Use your numerous, cheap infantry squads to physically block enemy movement. You can create walls of bodies to protect key characters, prevent charges on more valuable units, and deny areas of the board to deep-striking enemies.
Armour-Skew Lists
Opponents running multiple tanks, knights, or monsters present a severe threat. Your inability to efficiently remove them means they can operate with impunity, picking your army apart from range while you struggle to score enough points to win.
Elite Infantry Armies
Armies like Custodes, Chaos Terminators, or Deathwing Knights can be problematic. Their high toughness and excellent saves (often with invulnerable saves) allow them to shrug off your volume of low-AP fire, and they will carve through your Guardsmen in melee.
Overview
You are facing a classic Astra Militarum infantry horde. Their strategy is to win on points by flooding the board with an immense number of bodies, controlling objectives, and using a powerful network of characters to buff their troops. Expect them to play for the primary mission relentlessly.
Their main weakness is a severe lack of anti-tank firepower. High-toughness units can be a major problem for them to deal with. Your goal should be to leverage this weakness while managing their board presence with efficient anti-infantry tools.
Army Rule
The core army rule is Voice of Command. Their numerous OFFICER units will be issuing Orders to their REGIMENT infantry squads. These orders provide significant buffs, such as improving their Ballistic Skill (+1 to hit), granting Lethal Hits, or allowing them to move after shooting. Eliminating their Officers is key to neutralizing the effectiveness of their infantry.
Detachment Rule
Playing the default Combined Regiment detachment, their rules enhance the Voice of Command system. They have access to stratagems that allow units to receive orders even if an officer isn't nearby, or the crucial 'Reinforcements!' stratagem which can bring back a destroyed infantry squad for 2CP. Ursula Creed can make this stratagem cheaper, making it a constant threat.
Top 3 Priority Targets (Kill Order)
- Scout Sentinel: This single walker is a lynchpin. Its 'Daring Recon' ability grants the entire Guard army re-rolls of 1s to hit against a target it can see. Killing it early significantly reduces the army's overall damage output.
- Ursula Creed: As the Warlord and primary order-issuer, she is the brain of the army. Eliminating her unit cripples their command structure and removes the threat of her CP-discount ability.
- Gaunt’s Ghosts: This unit is a slippery secondary-scoring tool. Their Lone Operative and redeploy abilities make them a constant nuisance. Removing them forces the opponent to use less efficient units to play the mission.
Ability - Infiltrators
- Gaunt’s Ghosts
Ability - Scout
- Catachan Jungle Fighters (Scouts 6")
- Scout Sentinels (Scouts 9")
Ability - Lone Operative
- Gaunt’s Ghosts
Role - Fire Overwatch
- Any 20-model infantry squad (especially with flamers)
- Catachan Jungle Fighters (often forward deployed and likely to have flamer options)
Core Flaws
The army's most significant flaw is its inability to deal with high-toughness targets. Any vehicle or monster with Toughness 10 or higher is nearly immune to the bulk of their army. Bring your tanks and monsters and they will struggle to respond. Secondly, the army is composed almost entirely of T3, 5+ save models. High-volume anti-infantry weapons, especially those with Blast or Torrent, will inflict devastating casualties and can quickly clear objectives.
Counter-Deployment & Movement Cues
Deploy to counter their forward elements. They have two squads of Catachans (Scout 6") and a Scout Sentinel (Scout 9"). Use your own infiltrators to zone these units out and prevent them from getting an early foothold in the midfield. Focus your firepower. Don't spread your shots across their numerous squads; concentrate on removing one or two key units from objectives each turn. Their infantry blocks are slow (6" move), so if you can punch a hole on one flank, they will be slow to redeploy and respond.