As I have been focusing more on my SoB and getting them repainted, I have also been toying in my head with different builds. Now there are not alot of options for Sisters, but there are a few I think are getting over looked.
I am definitely going to run a double conclave list. This much I know for sure! Death cult assassins and crusaders are just that good. This means I'm taking the required Jacobus and Kyrinov.
Jacobus is stupid good and an automatic choice. The +1 attack and fnp he brings his unit is awesome. Overlooked is the fact he makes them stubborn and ld 10 while alive. Sisters suffer from bad leadership and getting swept like all non-space marine armies. The old man also lets you reroll the faith point roll. While my army does not rely on it, it is useful.
Next up is arch-confessor Kyrinov. This is where I stray from the internet lists. Most SoB armies are taking Saint Celestine, and while she is really good, she does not make other units better. Kyrinov, while not the hand to hand beast the Saint is, makes others around him fearless and allows another squad of DCA to be taken. Point for point, another conclave is better and more consistent than the Saint. The fearless bubble is so important though, I have started to take a priest for the conclave in stead of risking Kyrinov to combat.
My list will be taking a couple squads of Battle Sisters as it is the only choice. I will also be taking Dominion squads in Immolators with twin multimeltas. I have played with scaling them down to 2 squads though instead of the original 3. 1-2 exorcists will also be in the list, to be determined by points and force org slots needed.
Ok, now onto what I'm toying with. So the thought is my army has good short ranged shooting and 2 hard as nails hand to hand units. What units can fill voids or enhance what I'm already taking?
What I'm lacking.....
I'm lacking lots of long range anti tank. I have multi meltas and meltas galore but over 36 inches, I'm a fail cat. I can not bring more than 3 exorcists and nothing else has that range. I don't want to run more than 2 exorcists, because in my opinion they have limitations. Weapon destroyed and they are useless, and the more I see today's current meta being alot of missile launchers, the more I don't like vehicle spam. So it looks like I need something up close and personal to help my hand to hand or short range shooting.
The divine guidance!
If it works, don't change it. A great saying that has merit. Divine Guidance was always a game changer for me. From Chapter Approved SoB codex to Witch Hunters, divine guidance was always able to kill meq easily. In the new WD codex it can only be found in the heavy support slot of Retributors, but it is there. Most of the internet are loving heavy bolter retributors, and so do I, but I think the expensive heavy flamers might have merit. Right now I'm toying with a squad of 5, with 4 heavy flamers, and a power weapon on the sarg. Mount them up in an Immolator with twin MM and they are set. Now I want my rending faith to go off, and to do that I need a sacrum imperialis, but they are spendy at 20 points and I'm paying premium prices for HFs already.
This is a great spot for Kyrinov to ride! He comes with a sacrum for free, and makes the faith go off on a 3+. With 2 models with power weapons and rerolls on the charge, they should finish anything the 4 heavy flamers miss. I think they would be a good compliment to a Conclave and the fearless bubble has to be center of my army.
The substitute teacher?
So I'm putting Kyrinov in with the retributors. That means he is not with his conclave, and I still want them to have righteous fury. So I need a substitute that is cheap. I'm out of HQ slots but I could pick up a priest from the elites. At 45 points plus equipment he is pricey, but he makes the unit so much better on the charge.
Crazy Train....
My last unit I'm experimenting with is Repentia. Yip, the crap unit the internet hates. At 90 points they are almost the cheapest unit in the game. I could have them steal a Battle Sister squad's rhino to counter rage, and with power whips and evisorators, they are nasty in hand to hand. I have also thought about leaving them in reserve and saving them for the late game vs opponents that come at me. I just think with 2 conclaves, the repentia and retributors will get overlooked till it is too late.
I have also thought about dropping an Exorcist for a couple Penitent Engines. I think Sister's of Battle have the tools to be formidable in hand to hand. Well those are my current thoughts on the Sisters and what I like. As I test games with them, I'll revise my thoughts and post the good the bad and the ugly.
Repentia are OK, not great, not horrible. They will do well for you sometimes, just OK, and then just die horribly another time.
ReplyDeleteSeemed like having more than one unit worked better, and having them supported directly with other squads.
Always seemed like the Rage foot-slogging part of them made them too much bother though. I am taking them back out of my lists for awhile. AFter playing without them I may add them back in to try again.
I am also intrigued by the 2xDCA squads, and am going to give them a try.
I am also looking at the 20 member BSS with Uriah part time in it. Would be durable and objective holding, but not convinced it would be worth it.
If priests were cheaper by a lot, I would get some with eviscerators to put in various squads. They cost 70 points though and only have A1.
I'm only thinking of running one priest and it is just for the rerolls on the charge. If I have points, I'll take the evisorator, otherwise I'll go cheaper with power sword or just melta bombs even.
Delete20 member BSS are interesting. Vehicle spam is dead with KP denial being huge. As long as they are stubborn or fearless, they should work.
Hmm just stumbled on your blog and Im digging the sisters love. Just bought an army of them and have yet to start painting. That heavy flamer squad sounds nasty though. It just costs a lot of point. I have been thinking about the same squad but kyrinov is a good addition. I think I will have to use celestine though she is just damn good for 115 points. I suppose a lot of play testing will be in order. Playing deathcultists in gk armies though I know they are just sick. WIshing they could take a land raider though :P
ReplyDeleteThe heavy flamer squad is nasty. I have been running rending flamers since they got the rules in chapter approved. Just going back to what works and trying to get the points to work out is the trouble.
DeleteSaint is good, but I find she tends to bog down in hand to hand to often. DCA conclaves rarely bog down, just die to shooting. I really like Saint Celestine in 1500 games. I run double conclaves at 1750+.
Repentia also aren't as good killing as you might think for some of the units you might be putting them in your army to deal with, namely MC and units with high T. That S6 doesn't wound very often after dying to opponents, missing with attacks, and semi-unreliable faith power to units with a high T. They do well against vechicles, walkers, and TH/SS Terminators though.
ReplyDeleteThe army as a whole can have a bunch of melta though so some of those targets they do good against aren't much of a problem for the rest of the army. I was mostly thinking of those times a sisters squad gets into assault with walkers, MC, etc. as the original reason to have them in the army.
They will die horribly to another CC based unit or shooting, so I kind of cooled on them. Though they are pretty resilient to poison weapons also due to FNP, as another plus to them. It is sweet as an army to negate DE poison weapons with an army of T3 models, haha. See nothing is so shitty it doesn't have some kind of up-side.
I was thinking mostly to handle my bane, dreadnoughts. I can see them handling MSU marines.
DeleteI don't need them to be a major assault threat, that's what the conclaves of DCA do.
Hey there,
ReplyDeleteThis is the Sister player from CotN. I have experimented and 2 Penitent engines following up the rhinos is killer. No one likes the DCA coming towards them but fears the armor 11 in your face Engine, 4 hvy flamers, so they spend everything they have on those two units. Leaving the rest of the army to move and get in position of 24" or less for maximum effectiveness. I run with 2 exorcists to fill the other Heavy choices.
I agree with Anon above, I run 2 x penitent engines in my sisters list and they are the most hated unit any of the regulars from my club hate fighting. Dominion units make sisters a fast army. I run two units, 5 with double melta in a twin melta immolator, and 10 with 4 flamers in a rhino. These two units not only disrupt the opponents battle plan and cause them to think on the fly, but also present a sizable resistance which must be dealt with. This gives the sisters units, supported by Penitents and Repentia, a chance to advance to midfield. once you have 2 penitent engines sat in and around your sisters blocks, nothing will dare advance within 12" of the block for fear of rapid fire / penitent charge. This leaves your opponent no choice but to attempt to deal with the Penitents whilst the remainder of my hard hitters (DCA unit, Celestian unit) have almost free reign of the board.
ReplyDeleteAnother unit overlooked in this edition is Celestians. Alone, they can be quite weak but supported with Jacobus they become durable and able to deal out high levels of damage from shooting and combat (three attacks basic, passing faith on 3+ to gain Str 4 and fearless in combat, plus two special weapons and a combi weapon gives good shooting damage output w/ rapid fire).
I'm leaning towards repentia and a couple PE's. I'm waiting for 6th to buy anything more though.
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