Hi everyone, Michael here with the first part of my report on taking the Genestealer Cults to a recent Team tournament. For more reviews and analyses, check out the Tactics Corner.
I recently attended the International Team Tournament with my Genestealer Cults. I thought this would be a fun army to play, and could upset some of the strong lists in the meta at the moment. For my list and initial thoughts on the army, check out the link to my original article. NOTE- This tournament took place before the recent balance datasheet.
The team tournament consisted of teams of 5 players, playing 5 rounds over 2 days. My team was running Genestealer Cults, Drukhari, Thousand Sons, Tau and Grey Knights. This was my first time at a team event, so the mechanic of choosing games was really interesting and added a new tactical element to the game in trying to match up lists and tables against your opponent team to give you the best chance of winning games.
My list was:
Battalion Detachment (Twisted Helix)
Patriarch- WARLORD, Familiar, Preternatural speed (Trait), Elixir of the Prime Specimen; Enhanced Resilience (Relic), Might from Beyond, Mass Hypnosis, Mutagenic Deviation
Magus- Familiar, Prowling Agitant (Trait), Might from Beyond, Psychic Stimulus, Mutagenic Deviation
15 Acolyte Hybrids- 4 Heavy Rock Drills, A Trap Sprung
10 Acolyte Hybrids- 4 Heavy Rock Drills
5 Acolyte Hybrids- 5 Hand Flamers, Lying in Wait
5 Acolyte Hybrids- 5 Hand Flamers
5 Acolyte Hybrids- 2 Demolition Charges
5 Acolyte Hybrids- From Every Angle
Kelermorph- A Perfect Ambush
Nexos- Cranial Inlay (Relic)
10 Purestrain Genestealers- They Came From Below
10 Purestrain Genestealers- Our Time is Nigh
10 Purestreain Genestealers
4 Atalan Jackals- 2 Demolition Charges
4 Atalan Jackals- 2 Demolition Charges
Goliath Truck
Goliath Truck
Patrol Detachment (Twisted Helix)
Primus- Exacting Planner, Alien Majesty (Trait)
10 Neophyte Hybrids- 2 Seismic Cannons, 2 Flamers
10 Neophyte Hybrids- Grenade Launcher
10 Neophyte Hybrids
Here is the first part of my tournament report, detailing the first game played.
Game 1- Genestealer Cults vs White Scars and Imperial Knights
My first game of the day was against Colin, running White Scars and Imperial Knights. His army consisted of:
Battalion (White Scars)
Primaris Chaplain on Bike- Mantra of Strength, Benediction of Fury, Chogorian Storm, Tempered Wisdom, Imperium’s Sword, WARLORD
Primaris Lieutenant- Neo-volkite pistol, Master-crafted Power Sword, Storm Shield
5 Assault Intercessors
5 Infiltrators
5 Infiltrators
5 Bladeguard Veterans
3 Outriders
3 Outriders
3 Outriders
3 Eliminators
4 Eradicators- One Multi-melta
Superheavy Detachment (Imperial Knight, Freeblade Lance, Questor Imperialis)
Knight Paladin- Ravager, Meltagun, Reaper Chainsword, Stormspear Rocket Pod, Twin-linked Battle Cannon
The first mission was Abandoned Sanctuaries, which would stop the Jackals and Infiltrators from forward deploying. I think the GSC were heavily favoured in this match up, which is why I was paired against them.
I deployed the two Trucks (with Purestrains and Acolytes inside), the two units of Neophytes, two units of Jackals, the bonus move Purestrains, Patriarch, Magus and Nexos on the table, with the rest in reserve. Colin deployed the Bladeguard, Lieutenant, two units of Outriders, Infiltrators and Knight on his left flank. The Eliminators took the centre with a unit of Outriders, the rest of the army going to the right.
For secondaries, I chose Stranglehold, Deploy Teleport Homers and Psychic Interrogation. Alex chose Oath of Moments, Engage on all Fronts and Retrieve Nachmund Data.
I won the roll off for first turn, which was a great boost for me in this game. On the right flank, the Atalan Jackals advanced to block the Bladeguard and Outriders from moving forward. The Purestrain Genestealers launched themselves up the table, moving into range of the Outriders and Eradicators in the open. One Truck moved up to grab the central objective, while the other moved into the ruins on the left, with the Jackals and Patriarch supporting them. At the end of the phase, I brought in the 5-man Acolytes to start on Teleport Homers for 2 points. The Patriarch scored Mental Interrogation against the Chaplain.
The Purestrains charged the Bikers and Eradicators, killing two in each squad, losing only one or two in reply. At the end of the turn, I scored Stranglehold as well.
In his first turn, Colin moved the Knight up towards the Truck holding the central objective, supported by 2 units of Outriders. The Assault Intercessors and Chaplain moved up to support the White Scars fighting the Purestrains. The shooting took out the Jackals on the right, while the Knight took the Truck down to four wounds. In the charge phase, the Intercessors and Chaplain assaulted the Purestrains, while the Knight charged the Truck.
The Chaplain struck first. Despite having 11 attacks, only one Purestrain was slain! That 4+ invulnerable is incredible at times. I spent 2CP to interrupt with the Genestealers, killing the last Outrider in the squad, one Eradicator and taking out the Assault Intercessors before they could strike. The Knight killed the Truck, allowing the Acolytes inside to spill out onto the objective. The Knight consolidated into them, and they managed to put 8 wounds on it in reply.
In my second turn, I picked up 12 on the primary. I moved the Purestrains out of the truck to target the Infiltrators on the left. The Acolytes fell back from combat, while the Jackals moved up to the central objective. I brought in one unit of 5-man Acolytes to deploy Teleport Homers in the enemy deployment zone. The Magus got Mental Interrogation again.
The Jackals threw a demo charge at the Knight doing a few wounds. The Patriarch and Purestrains took out the Infiltrators, while the other unit of Purestrains took out the Chaplain and Eradictors.
In his turn, Colin moved the Bladeguard up to the 5-man Acolytes on the objective. One unit of Outriders went after the 5-man squad, while the other went after the unit from the Goliath Truck. The Knight moved up on my home objective. The Knight shot at the Neophytes, wiping them off my objective, with only the Nexos left to hold it. The Outriders fired at the Acolytes, killing a few, then wiping out the squad in combat. The Bladeguard charged and killed the 5-man squad on the objective. The Knight failed a charge on the Nexos (fortunately for me!). I was able to interrupt with the 5-man Acolytes on the other Outrider squad and killed two before they could strike. The reply attacks only managed to kill three of the squad, leaving me on the objective.
In my third turn, I scored another 12 pts on the primary. The Purestrains moved up on the remaining units, while the remaining Acolytes fell back from combat. In the reinforcement steps, the Neophytes came down to screen the Nexos, while the Acolytes and Purestrains went after the Bladeguard. My shooting from the Neophytes managed a couple of wounds on the Knight.
I then made all my charges. The Purestrains went into the central Outriders, while the wounded squad went into the last Outrider on his home objective. On the right flank, the Acolytes and Purestrains surrounded the Bladeguard. The fights were quick and brutal, with all the White Scars units I charged getting wiped out.
In his turn, the Lieutenant fell back towards his lines, while the Knight moved up on my home objective. The Knight fired at the Neophytes, killing a few, then charged in and killed all but two. Morale took care of the last two, leaving the Nexos on the objective once more.
In my fourth turn, the Acolytes on the right went after the Infiltrators, while two squads of Purestrains went to take on the Knight. The Patriarch cast Might From Beyond and Mutagenic Deviation on one squad. In the charge phase, the Purestrains charged the Knight, destroying it with their massed attacks. The Acolytes killed the Infiltrators on the right flank.
In his fourth turn, Colin had only the Eliminators and Lieutenant left. He was unable to score much. In my fifth turn, I got the final points for Mental Interrogation, and maxed out my other secondaries.
The game ended with a win for the Genestealer Cults, 100-23.
After Battle Thoughts
Colin was a relatively new player, and did not have the tools to deal with the Genestealers. It was a comfortable win for the Cult. The rest of the team got 2 wins and two losses, meaning we won the round.
I think this was always going to be a tough match for him going into it. The Knight wasn’t really too much of a threat to the army. It was only going to threaten the Goliath Trucks, and losing them wasn’t too much of an issue.
Getting the first turn meant that I could essentially block much of Colin’s force into his own deployment zone. Stopping the Bladeguard from getting into combat until turn 3 meant that they were going to struggle to have much impact on the game. Neutering the Outriders also made it more difficult to score Engage on all fronts.
I would perhaps have deployed one unit of Infiltrators on his deployment zone objective. This would have stopped me from deep striking in to steal it from him on turn 2, and allowed him to focus on taking the central objective. This is key in this mission, as it would score him both primary points as well as Oath of Moments.
This game further reinforced some lessons in using the cult. The GSC are great at scoring the secondary missions. Deploy Teleport Homers is almost a given 15 pts thanks to the Ambush options for the Cult, as you can use cheap units to come in and automatically do it each turn. Psychic Interrogation is also great, as long as you don’t mind losing the powers on the Magus. I was actually considering taking a second Magus in the army, simply to be used for Psychic Interrogation.
The Cult are also great at denying primary points on your opponent. The ability to come in over 3″ away with one of the Acolyte units means you can steal an objective if your opponent is not careful with their deployment. Also, getting to deep strike over 6″ from your opponent is great for squeezing into corners to get actions, or for stealing objectives that your opponent is only on the edge of.
Overall, a great start to the event. I’m sure there were tougher match ups on the way!
