If you’ve been glued to your dataslates like I have, the recent updates for Raven Guard, Imperial Fists, Lysander, and Aethon detachments are definitely making waves.
Games Workshop has made some significant tweaks that will impact how these armies play on the table. We’re talking fallback shoot-and-charge for Lysander, upgrades to Raven Guard detachments, and some nasty surprises from Aethon. Veterans and casual players alike are buzzing about how these adjustments will stack up against Ultramarine-centric lists, particularly the Lone Operative strategies. Let’s break down what’s happening and why you might actually want to dust off your Terminators and Centurions.
Raven Guard and Fists Detachments: New Tricks, Same Marines
The Raven Guard detachment has received a notable buff compared to the old Codex Phobos version. Think of it as a more polished, flexible detachment that still keeps its stealthy flavor. The enhancements now include movement shenanigans like fallback shoot-and-charge, -1 AP bonuses, and reroll wounds against Oath targets. This detachment is locked to Raven Guard, which means no deepstrike Eradicators or Calgar shenanigans, but it feels tighter and more purposeful. One commenter compared it to the Forgefather Seekers from Salamanders, basically a Firestorm Assault upgrade, and honestly, that’s a fair analogy.
The Imperial Fists also got a surprisingly strong upgrade, though it’s flavor-locked to their First Company rather than spreading across all Fists units. Some players are excited about the +1 to wound, wound rerolls, and AP-boosting strategies for Terminator bricks. The new detachment even synergizes with Terminator Ancients and Lysander, allowing for OC stacking and -1 to wound durability buffs. This can make a 10-man Assault Terminator brick incredibly hard to shift from a point, though some warn it’s still a hefty 450-point investment for limited objectives.
Lysander and Aethon: Single-Character Power Plays
Lysander’s updates are all about fallback shoot-and-charge rather than the older Deadly Prize strat, which is a solid quality-of-life improvement for First Company Marines. Combining him with Terminator Ancients opens up some hilarious combos. Imagine OC3 Assault Terminators with -1 to wound, 50+ wounds, and AoC buffs holding a central objective. If your opponent overcommits, Lysander plus rerolling, high-damage models punish them hard. The trick is making sure your army screens effectively to keep these Terminators doing their thing.
Aethon, on the other hand, is just pure murder incarnate. His reroll charge ability and +1 to wound on Oath targets make him hit like a truck. Twin-linked attacks at Strength 2 AP2 2D, combined with sustained attacks and Fly movement, allow him to reach most targets quickly. Add in the rapid ingress strat, and you can position him perfectly to obliterate a unit before they even react. One infantry model doing this much damage solo is absurd and a ton of fun to pilot.
Conclusion: Worth the Revisit
If you’ve got these armies in your collection, now’s a great time to re-evaluate your army lists. Raven Guard and Aethon are flexible and deadly, while Fists can build some intimidating Terminator formations. Lysander adds flavor and tactical punch for First Company builds. While these aren’t game-breaking, they bring meaningful updates that reward smart deployment, synergistic characters, and careful planning. In other words, break out the dataslates, sharpen those strategies, and enjoy the new toys on the table.
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