Email in: DA list (needing to be submitted by Jan 31st)

"Hi Kirby (and team)

I think you are really really awesome and like lords of the internet or something. No really, I think your blog's fantastic.

The reason I'm writing is that I built (and painted) a 1750 DA list for tournaments this year. I literally just finished painting last week. My build was -
Belial,
Command squad, (2x melta guns, 1 x apocathary, 2 x power weapons)
6 x terminator squads. (one squad with wound allocation and apocathary, 4 squads with assault cannons).
All of the squads had sarg with powerweapon, and every one else (except for apcoathary squad) was storm bolter and p/fist.

The generaly strategy was to use the two apocathary's to cover the army (and each other) allowing me to ignore 2 failed saves each turn (via the old feel no pain rule, which had a 6' radius and just ignored one wound in this radius per round). This mean that I took very very few casualties until I reached the 12' range. One (or two) squads hung back on my objectives and went to ground. I'd played a number of test games with this army and I really liked it.
Now I've entered and paid for a tournament here in NZ running 12-13 of Feb and I have til 31 Jan to submit a list.

My old army really functioned around the old feel no pain rule. So I need to devise something new. I have 10 thunderhammers (on sprues) and I don't really want to spend more than I have to. (also my army is highly kitbashed, it's made up of 2 x Chaos Termi boxes, 1 x Space wolves, 3 x standard termies (one ass box, 2 x standard). This gives it a unique looks, so for every new terminator I buy I probably have to buy one 1 Chaos & 1 standard. (ouch!)

One idea I had -
Belial, (lightning claws)
Ezekial (for universal psychic hood)
1 x squad of termies (all with thunderhammers, 1 x standard, 1 x apoc, 1 x CSM, 1 x chainfist)
1 x squad of termies (all with thunderhammeres, 1 x CSM)
2 squads of termies ( Stormbolters x 5 in each, 1 x CSM in each)
1 squad of termies (2 x thunderhammers, sarg with p/weapon, 2 x pfist)
1 squad of termies (2 x thunderhammers, sar with p/weapon, 2 x pfist).

Which probably is only a minimal change. My thinking is -
Thunderhammers are more oblative wounds. It does lessen my bolter output (and that bolter output was great against hordes).
Again a squad sits on objectives and just goes to ground if shot at by anything dangerous.
I have more anti tank firing.

Questions -
1) Do you think it would be worth dropping 1 CSM for chainfists? Dreadnoughts were difficult to deal with.
2) Do you think I should mix/match the weapon configs in the squads, or do you think it should be 3 squads of thunderhammers, 3 of shooty marines.
3) Can you think of anything better?
4) I could drop Ezekial for a chaplain (or a librarian but at LD9 the librarian seems a bit useless) and pick up some chainfists, do you think that this is better?

Aside from the models I mentioned I have 5 more basic marines and nothing else in the marine codex.

I'm sorry this is short notice but I need to get started.

John W"

1) no. I'm assuming CSM = cyclone missile launcher and Deathwing need as many of them as possible to be a viable list.
2) mix and matching has benefits whilst going pure has benefits as well. Baiscally though, every squad needs a CML. Deathwing has issues killing things, even with the update. CML helps this.
3) in terms of pure Deathwing? Not really but you don't need Ezekial.
4) I'd just drop Exekial, get some chainfists and more CML. Again, every Termie squad needs a CML.

Something like this would be 'best' for Deathwing:

6x Terminator squads w/CML
Belial + Banner + Apoth

And you're sitting on 1595 points so go crazy from there. You can add in a few chainfists to each squad and I'd try and make as many more Thunder Hammer/SS but know you are restricted by model count. You still have some leftover points so an upgrade character for one of the squads or a command squad (potentially in a Pod?) for some more killing power so your Terminators can access the goodies inside a vehicle is a plausible option. Again I'd stress the importance of having a CML in each squad.