Crowe + Purifier: List Analysis Options

Purifier rage is still going on and really, who can blame them? For a measly four points more over a normal Grey Knight you get Ld9 (huge if the leader dies for psychic tests), 2A, Fearless and Cleansing flame instead of Warp Quake. This includes having access to cheaper combat weapons (2 point halberds!?) and two special weapons per five guys. In the end they are the ultimate generalist but die just like any other Marine. Great for an Elite unit but as a Troop? Well they kick ass so yes but it comes at a cost. Crowe. He makes Purifiers Troops but he is rather terrible. In an army filled with force weapons, he rends on a 4+. In an army filled with characters, he stands alone. Get the picture? In the end Crowe simply hides behind Rhinos/in cover and does what he can. In KP missions he really does hide whilst in objective based missions he can be used as a distraction or if you can get him into your opponent's backline, beat up on backline units. Call this the Purifier tax and even with that, they are still an awesome Troop. What then do we support them with? Well there are a lot of options.

First off I'm going to assume this as a base for our Purifiers:

8x Purifiers w/4x Halberds, 2x Psycannon, 2x Hammer, Rhino (270)

We can add more members and halberds + some master-crafting if we wish but since we aren't making the Purifiers scoring via Grand Strategy (which works best when you can combat squad), this is a really good 'all-round' unit whilst not breaking the bank too much.

Dreadnoughts (both Venerable and non)

These would obviously be in the psyfledread format with 2x twin-linked autocannons + psybolts. For a bunch of S8 shots at range, yes please. This helps support the midfield nature of Purifiers and adds some ranged punch to any Grey Knight army. The Venerables are quite expensive at 195 points a pop but with Fortitude + Cover + Venerable status, can ignore ~80%+ of damage results (someone run the math please?). That's pretty friggin awesome. However, is a 6 Dread + Purifier army really scary? The Purifiers in midfield are great but have weaknesses in combat which the Dreads in psyfle form don't help negate. With the Purifiers being our only bodies then...hmmm. Good list but lacks something I feel. That being said, taking some psyfledreads is still a great option for a Purifier based army.

Psyfledreads aren't the only choice either. MM or psybolt Asscannon Dreads with a DCCW are both good options which are much more up close and personal. This can really provide the solid punch Purifiers sometimes need in combat and what better way than to provide it on an AV12 platform with S10 attacks? At the same time not taking Psyfledreads means your army is limited in range so you need to balance these options.

Dreadknights

With the change to T6/5++ I think these guys aren't getting the love they deserve. With scout they really are fearsome but that requires a Grand Master which we may not have points for when our Troops are so expensive. That being said, even without Scout Dreadknights are still very impressive in combat and with a personal teleporter + heavy incinerator, they can move around quickly and really threaten infantry on the go (and since we have lots of psycannons elsewhere, this is important). Taking Dreadknights as combat support for the Purifiers might be a good idea and still allows us to grab psyfledreads through Venerables.

Paladins

Another much maligned unit with the weakness against S8+ weapons. That being said, these guys pack a punch and can really stabilise an army in midfield with good combat and excellent shooting on the go (2x master crafted psycannons? done). They are however expensive and still cry against TH/SS Terminators much like Purifiers (mind you, what doesn't?). These guys are up for consideration if we want to strengthen the combat potential of the list but due to their price, we will likely only be able to take one.

Vindicare Assasin

He has range, he has great utility and anti-tank ability (4D6 pen and hits on 2+ w/4+ re-roll? reliable). Problem is he is very vulnerable so he'd need to hijack a Rhino and sacrifice a turn of shooting and really have some top-hatch fun. Certainly an option to increase the ranged potential of a Purifier based list but is quite pricey for a single model that doesn't really add to the army as a whole (unlike Librarians or Grand Masters).

Librarian

Speaking of which....Librarians are a great option, if you can find a place for him. He either has to walk on foot with a squad, run behind Rhinos or jack a Stormraven. That being said he really benefits the list with Shrouding + Sanctuary improving the midfield presence Purifiers have whilst summoning can be an excellent addition with Dreadknights or more simple mobility in general.


Grand Master

We don't need Grand Strategy as much with a Purifier based list as we've already got some awesome Troops. That being said being able to make Paladins, Dreadknights, Dreadnoughts, Interceptors or Purgation squads as scoring is a huge bonus and importantly, we can hand out scout to units like Interceptors and Dreadknights (shunt punch!). All that being said I think the Grand Master loses out here to the Librarian unless you're taking Dreadknights to actively use scouting with his other options being simply bonus utility.

Stormravens

An excellent anti-infantry option with psybolts + associated weapon upgrades which offer a great place to stick Crowe and add some mobility. General issue here is with some many stormbolters and psycannons you often don't need extra anti-infantry in a Grey Knight army. However, it is mobile and does pack some anti-tank and the plethora of anti-infantry it brings frees up your psycannons to focus on tanks and high Toughness targets. Expensive as a gunboat but certainly a support option. You could ferry some MM Dreads along or Purifiers as an active assault unit though they are much better as a midfield unit IMO.

Inquisitors + Henchmen

Coteaz (not him again!) is a cheap option which can combine Purifiers and Henchmen as Troops. This can help take the pressure off Purifiers to be the scoring and firepower of a list but I really feel a Coteaz list with Purifiers as Elites works better. If you're not using at least four Purifier squads you probably should consider running them as Elites regardless and only two Troop slots for henchmen (unless of course Coteaz does allow infinite henchTroops then there are quite a few options here) isn't really going to lend much support to the Purifiers. You could however take some Monkeymobiles or MSU acolyte RBacks (with ranged guns like LasPlas) for some backfield scoring.

Otherwise a single Inquisitor + Henchmen squad is unfortunately not going to do much though they could potentially load themselves in a Stormraven for some semi-decent combat prowess (i.e. Crusaders + Death Cult Assasins). The Inquisitor itself also offers up some excellent utility options such as psychic communion and special wargear.

Grey Knight Strike Squads

You'd have to think long and hard before you take these guys in a Purifier list. They are after all 'worse' for all intents and purposes and you've paid a hefty tax to get them as Troops. That being said, being able to get reliable scoring and more MEQ bodies on that table which aren't Purifiers does have its merits. Warp Quake is as well a very under-rated utility spell against certain armies. However, I'd rather just spend more points on Purifiers. 295 gets you a nice 10-man Strike squad whilst 270 gets you the 'cookie-cutter' gold standard of Purifiers. Two less bodies and minorly less shooting output (no S5 stormbolters) but much better in combat.

Interceptor Squads

These guys are really only a viable option IMO with the Grand Master to make them scoring or give them scout. What Interceptors bring to the table is a little mobility without needing Rhinos/Razorbacks and the 30" shunt is great utility early or late game. Personally, even with a Grand Master (I'd rather make Dreadknights scout/scoring), they are too expensive. The same price as  Purifier with a Halberd with the same statline as basic Grey Knight? Eh, leave them for other lists I think and get your mobility through Rhinos, Stormravens or summoning.

Purgation Squads

I'd use these squads in conjunction with Venerable psyfledreads to ensure the list still has ranged firepower. You then use the Purgation squads almost as an aggressive screen for the Purifiers. Whilst they aren't scoring or good in combat, four special weapons at five men means they can create really good duality (two psycannons + two incinerators) and break up enemy advances in Rhinos (whilst top-hatching). This means your Purifiers aren't going to overextend themselves and have a layer of Grey Knight + mech protection. Astral aim is cute as well meaning you can create a wall of Rhinos and still have the Purgation squads shoot for an extra defensive setup in midfield.

Summary

The biggest issue with a Crowe list is overcoming the 150 point tax and filling out the list around the Purifiers. They are a great unit but being particularly good at most things and scoring makes them a huge target. Remember, they are only Marine statlines in terms of survivability in the end. For that reason anything which takes firepower away from them or increases their survivability is good. Other Troops (or troop movements) are really attractive options as well to ensure the Purifiers are not the only scoring options.

I know I haven't covered all the options available to a Purifier army list but these are the best ones IMO. You can make a lot of lists using a combination of the units above and I'll go through some of them over the coming days (we all hate to use him but Crowe will see play-time!). Just to get the ball rolling though what unit combinations would you like to see a workable list for? My personal favorites are Psyfledreads + Pally + Libby and a Crowe + Coteaz list (even though I only get two 2 Hench Troops).