GSC In A Rocky Meta

If you are even slightly plugged in to competitive 40k it is obvious that the game has gone off the rails in the last few months. I have yet to play into the new Harlequin madness, but I have played my GSC into Tau, Custodes and pure Craftworlds indirect fire. All of these games left me coming away with the feeling that some things about the game just need to be changed. Indirect fire has gotten out of hand and needs an adjustment from a core rules perspective, the bodyguard rule should probably just be changed to work like the old Tau Drones used to operate and some of the newest Codexes are in serious need of points hikes. Games Workshop needs to step in and address some of these more erroneous problems quickly (more quickly than a 3 month balance update). It is not all bad news for the game of 40k though! Tournaments are still seeing excellent attendance, and not ALL of the newest armies are completely busted. My favorite army, the Genestealer Cults, are an excellent example of a solidly balanced Codex. This book really shows GW is capable of putting out a Codex that is fun to play and balanced both internally and externally. I know some of my gaming group has taken a break from competitive 40k until things fall more into line , but I am excited to take my Pauper Princes to The Battle to End Alzheimer’s in Westminster, MD next weekend.

In almost any other meta this GSC book would be a top tier Codex, and I would feel extremely confident in doing well with it at any sized event. Unfortunately with the increased popularity of Tau/Craftworld indirect fire, Custodes resiliency and Harlequins insanity the new GSC book doesn’t come out looking very good in comparison. The harsh reality is that Tau, Custodes and some form of Aeldari will be a large part of tournaments these days and army lists need to be constructed around how to deal with these meta nightmares.

Tech To Be Resilient (For GSC)

The GSC aren’t exactly known for their ability to stick around on the table. With the majority of units having a base 5+ save planning to have a lot of units left by Turns 4 or 5 is most likely a mistake. In almost all of my practice games my army has been decimated by the late game, and it has come down to how well I was able to keep my units on the table while still scoring points. My Cult Creed choice for this tournament is a direct response to all of the indirect fire in the current meta. The Pauper Prince’s Relic gives all Core units a 5+ invulnerable save which boosts the survivability of Neophytes and Acolytes through the roof (well the GSC roof, they aren’t Custodes). This 5++ save isn’t designed to keep a unit of 20 Neophytes alive who are sitting out in the open, but it can keep a unit alive who is out of line of sight long enough to restore D6 models with their Icon.

Another resiliency tech piece I have included in my army is the Biophagus. This helpful doctor has all the upgrades that allow me to give a 5+ ignoring wounds save on my large unit of 15 Metamorphs before the game, while also handing out the 5+++ to units through an Action each Movement Phase. By hiding some of my units in the early stages of the game, while things like Purestrains and Rockgrinders annoy my opponent, I can make my Core units surprisingly tough through the combination of a 5+ Invulnerable Save and a 5+ ignoring wounds save. Hopefully this is enough to let me sit on Objectives throughout the game.

I have also included a unit in this army that I was very low on when the GSC Codex first released. 10 Abberants come in at a harsh 300 points, but they are one of the only units in the army that can move out into the open and have a chance of being there after my opponent’s turn. While these biohorrors can’t benefit from the Pauper Prince’s Relic since they do not have the Core keyword, the +1 to hit in the first round of combat is extremely devastating on a unit with S8 AP2 D3 attacks. They have proven to be extremely resilient even without the 5++ save with their T5, 3 wounds, 5+++ from the Biophagus, -1 to all incoming damage and the use of a Stratagem that only lets them be wounded on a 4+.

Now might be the time for other off meta armies out there to delve back into their Codexes and find some of the odd unit choices that might help weather the storm of meta madness.

Play To Win The Mission

GSC are not going to go toe to toe with the meta armies and win right now. Custodes resiliency skews the math too hard to play the trading game, Aeldari tricks can ensure a GSC attack falters and is followed up by a game winning counter attack and Tau armies have units to spare for screening out their guns while they blast their enemies off of Objectives. GSC can do one thing better than any of these other armies, and that is scoring Secondary points. A good GSC player can almost guarantee a better than average score for their Secondaries by being able to reliably score Deploy Teleport Homers, Behind Enemy Lines, Broodswarm, Psychic Interrogation and Pierce the Veil. The trick to winning games will be keeping the Primary close while out scoring opponents on the Secondary scoring.

Some GSC tricks can really help in keeping the Primary close. Lying In Wait is an excellent example of a GSC ability that can cause an opponent who was comfortably holding two Primary Objectives to hold just one or none by the end the GSC players turn. Reviving Neophytes with an Icon onto Objectives during the Command Phase is another great way to stick on those Primary Objectives since Primary scoring doesn’t happen until the end of the Command Phase. Your opponent knock you off an Objective but didn’t leave any Objective Secured units on it? String out those D6 respawning Neophytes and earn those extra Primary points!

Winning a straight up game of 40k against the top performers right now is just not going to happen. There are plenty of content creators out there right now putting out the win percentage of Harlequins/Tau/Custodes/Aleldari and these numbers don’t look good. Players who are not playing one of the powerhouse armies right now need to look at the game in terms of scoring points. What Secondary Objectives can you score while interacting with your opponent’s insane rules as little as possible? Which of these can you achieve while still keeping the Primary score close? These are, unfortunately, the questions off meta army players will need to ask themselves before each game.

All of this strategy still does not fix that some armies are just stronger than others right now. If (when) my GSC match into Tau/Custodes/Aeldari it is going to be a tough game, but hopefully some of these ideas can help the GSC pull it off. If I go 3-2 at this event I will be very happy. Next week I will actually break down the list I am taking to The Battle To End Alzheimer’s and look at some of the more scary lists that are going to be at the event. Even in the rough state of the game I am sure I will have an awesome time playing 40k with some cool people.