Email in: Nurgle Biker Build Viable?

"Hey kirby,

Flicking through the CSM Codex I was wondering why CSM Bikers of Nurgle Mixed with Mech wasn't a playable or rather common build? Toughness 6 highly mobile melta delivery units at 33pts each (T5 once that banner goes, sigh) isn't too bad. With Nurgle Marked lords on Bikes or Sorcerers on Bikes you'd have fast and solid HQ's as well to buff the units/paths of attack. With small units like Noise Marines to camp on home objectives and meched units to move in support alongside Auto/Las and Dread support as well as supporting DS'ing Obliterators, the concept looks interesting on paper if a bit expensive and limited due to that. The option to add a mini daemon bomb into the list as well as a Greater Daemon delivery system is also intriguing. So what are your thoughts? How would you run the army at say 2,000pts?

Cheers mate,

Auretious Taak."


Simply: they are too expensive and way too inefficient. The mark is 50 points so you need to take as many Bikes as possible to get the bonus from that and you only get T4(6). No FNP. No special Nades, etc and GWvsJohn has already established how expensive CSM Bikers are and thus inefficient. Whilst T4(6) and 2A is pretty decent, for what is essentially 33 points + 50/x where + specials is very expensive though let's see if we can't add them to a Rhino based list as filler. Sorc + 3x Chosen w/meltaguns, + 6x CSM w/meltagun + 3x Havocs w/mgun&flamers all in Rhinos w/Havocs = 1805. Once MoN is paid for that leaves 145 points for Bikes and that's really inefficient I'm afraid. 4 T6 wounds isn't hard to get rid of of without FNP and it doesn't really add anything to the list and it would be better to add bodies/guns instead.

So my thoughts: don't bother. If you really want Luke I can put one together for you but...eh it's going to be crap I'm afraid. CSM Bikers are already inefficient and paying more points to make them a wee bit more survivable doesn't help unless you get a bunch of bikes which is just inefficient anyway.