This weekend I am taking my beloved GSC to a large (almost 100 player) GT at Tables and Towers in Westminster, MD. While trying to determine what kind of list I should bring in the meta of Tau firepower, Aeldari indirect and general Harlequin hilarity I crunched some numbers on which Cult Creed could stand up the best to my opponents fire power. The harsh reality is that any unit in the game that exposes itself to concentrated fire right now is most likely dead against the likes of Tau or Aeldari, but with some cleverly placed terrain and some GSC trickery I hope to survive long enough to score points. With their ability to easily score Secondaries GSC are one of the few armies where winning with no models left on the table at the end of the game is actually a possibility. By killing all of my Cultist my opponents are falling right into my trap.
More seriously, I wanted to share my thought process in selecting my GSC army list for this large event. The meta is terrible right now, and there are a few things players can choose to do about it. I wanna go and roll dice with my buddies so throwing my models in a firepit is a no, bringing the same old army list that worked prior to this nightmare meta will feel like smacking my head into a brick wall, so there was just the option of taking a long look at the GSC Codex to find something that might actually work.
Bladed Cog:
At first I really thought I was going to come to this tournament with a truly out of left field list compared to what I had been taking before. Bladed Cog offers a universal 6+ Invulnerable Save for the entire GSC army, a psychic power that grants +1 Save against Damage 1 weapons and a Stratagem that allows you to upgrade units pre-game to a 5+ Invulnerable Save. Bladed Cog really loves units of Abberants with the 5++ and the 5+ ignoring wounds buff from a Biophagus to make these bio-horrors extremely resilient. Unfortunately, a unit of 10 Abberants comes in at a substantial 300pts. Sure, it takes a ton of firepower to kill the fully buffed up unit, but that ton of firepower absolutely exists in the game right now. Eventually those Abberants are going to have to expose themselves to hold Objectives, and when they do they will not stick around long.
By spending 600-900 points of your total army on some Abberants the list loses other tools that are important. A ton of Objective Secured bodies is one thing you are losing since Abberants don’t get that important rule. Custodes are another top army in the meta right now and they are extremely popular. Abberants fighting over Objectives with Custodes is a lose lose situation for a GSC player. Sure, Abberants may kill some Custodes, but they aren’t going to kill all of them. Just a single Objective Secured model surviving on an Objective ruins any scoring advantage.
Myriad Cults:
Speaking of ObSec bodies, last weekend I noticed a Cults list sporting 100 Neophytes that really caught my eye. The player taking this list just brought a question to the table. Can you kill all of these before I score my Secondaries. Oh, and I am real good at scoring Secondaries as GSC. Unfortunately, I think the answer for some of the top tier armies is that they sure can kill all of those Neophytes, no problem. Tau players are now teching into beating Harlequins by taking some Flamers and Burst Cannons on their Crisis Suits. These guns are pretty good at getting rid of Harlequins, and they are REALLY good at killing things like Neophytes.
I do think there is a place in the meta for this list. GSC are in a unique place with their Ambush shenanigans that they can pick Secondaries every game where interacting with your opponent isn’t really necessary. The trick is just staying alive long enough to keep scoring Primary points while your army racks up the Secondary score, and with Tau teching for Harlequins, Aeldari massed firepower and Custodes excellent ability to stick on Objectives with their own ObSec bodies this can be a tall order.
Pauper Princes:
At the end of the day I decided to stick with the Cult that I rode to a rocky 2-1 finish at my last tournament. Crunching the numbers just shows the Relic of Saint Tenndarc giving 5+ Invulnerable saves to all Core units around the bearer cannot be beat. Sure, Bladed Cog Abberants are more resilient than anything the Pauper Princes can put on the table but by not spending 600-900 points on Abberants a Pauper Princes list can be packed full of Objective Secure units that are needed to steal Primary points from an opponent.
This army is going to get tabled against the big hitters in this meta. I have accepted that, and it is part of my plan that has been generations in the making. The advantage this army has is with it’s ability to score Secondaries like no other Codex in the game right now. GSC are excellent at scoring things like Broodswarm/Stranglehold, Teleport Homers and any of the Psychic Secondaries.
The actual list I am taking is below, and I will do my best to pilot it well. Next weeks article will be a full run down of all 5 of my games, so I am really putting myself out there for some sadness if I go 0-5!
The meta is in a real bad place right now, but there is hope coming next week in the form of an official GW balance patch. Let me be definitely not the first to say: GW this balance patch better be on point. I wanna cry at the balance this thing creates. You owe us after putting these last three books into the world.
GSC Pauper Princes Battalion:
Patriarch: Xenoprophet, Unwilling Orb, Mass Hypnosis, Mental Onslaught, Last Gasp
Magus- Amulet of the Voidworm, Might from Beyond, Psychic Stimulus, Last Gasp, Focus of Adoration
Primus- Relic of St. Tenndarc, Alien Majesty
10x Acolytes- 9x Hand Flamers, Lying in Wait
5x Acolytes- Excavate
2x 5x Acolytes
2x 20x Neophytes- Icon
10x Genestealers- They Came From Below
2x 10x Genestealers
Biophagus- Familiar, Alchemist Supreme
10x Abberants
10x Metamorphs- A Trap Sprung
2x 4x Jackals- Demo Charge
1 Goliath Truck
Dude no offense but why are your articles always so down about GSC? Why bother playing them or try and drive discussion around them if you’re always talking about how rough the meta is, or how difficult the army is?
You talk about custodes being a struggle for aberrants? they absolutely annihilate custodes. The list itself is a direct counter to the custodes lists. Please tell us what important tools we’re missing if we’re spending 900points on aberrants, because essentially it sounds like you don’t understand the list.
You talk about a myraid cult with 100 neophytes asking the question “can you kill me before i score all my secondaries” but again that’s not how that list works, it’s about board control and preventing shooting on a mass scale and in the current meta of VOIDWEAVERS yes, it absolutely can work.
I’m sorry but your articles are too negative and too down about GSC and you need to change your tone, because new players could read this and a) believe your incorrect opinions on how some lists work and b) think we’re in a worse competitive place as you make out, than we actually are.
A defeatist attitude is why people often lose and if you keep thinking “oh i will be tabled with this list” you will be. Instead maybe throw out ideas on how you will prevent yourself from being tabled (no, a 5++ on neophytes isn’t the answer – but using neophytes to charge, wrap, fall back and shoot is) and maybe your readers may learn something positive other than you may go 0-5 and your list will get tabled.
It’s just not an encouraging read.
Thanks for the thoughts! I don’t mean to sound negative but this meta is not great to be very very nice about the current status of competitive 40K. Rest assured I love this army and will have an amazing time this weekend at a very competitive and well run event! If I go 3-2 I will be pumped in this tough meta!
For the new players out there who may want to run 100 Neophytes to tie down your opponents shooting. Please keep in mind that the top tier armies all have ways to fall back and shoot, remove Neophytes with close combat, shoot units arriving from Ambush, heroically intervene, shoot into close combat etc. 100 Neophytes will be hard pressed to stop any shooting from Tau or Aeldari through Charges.
Oh and let’s not forget Desperate Breakout is still there in case of emergency.
My list is solely focused on staying alive long enough to score points. GSC are fragile. They will die to the top tier meta armies out there. Knowing this and planning for it is the way to win tough matchups.
No Nexos to double dip into your primus Aura? I thought it was one of the most interesting aspect of your theory crafting.
You know, you can use Jackals as target for that sweet 5++ aura since they are core. They are way better sponges then Neophyte for the points. Better Toughness, -1 to hit, better movement, more wounds for just 6 more points. And they make a better target then the Abby’s for that 5 FNP. When you use the ability on Abby’s you can choose the buff so it’s always better to use Alchemist Supreme on a Core unit so you can choose.
You can use them to easily tie up a shooting unit in CC in turn 1 since they move like crazy. Not sure it’s what you are going for, but I would look into it.