# Challenge: Building cost-effective Allies for CSM



## Sephyr (Jan 18, 2010)

Since allies are here to stay, I felt it was time to fire up the builder and start playing around with some fun and useful additions to Chaos Marines. Some results:

-Firepower Package (375)
*HQ *
Company Command Squad 

*Troops *
Veteran Squad, Veteran Sergeant (CCW, laspistol)

*Fast Attack*
Vendetta 2 TL Lascannons

*Heavy Support *
Basilisk 

Under 400 points, it bring a flyer for tank-busting and artillery to either threaten parking lots or punish the passengers of cracked transports. It's meant to fill trop gaps in the CSM roster: flyers and true long-range artillery, while also bringing some base-sitters. Works best combined with obliterators/vindicators/Defilers in the heavy slot for fire saturation and multiple threats. 

Psyker Coven Pack: (315)

*HQ*
Primaris Psyker

*Elite*
Psyker Battle Squad (x8), Chimera

*Troops*
Veteran squad, 3xflamers

Meant for Thousand Sons armies or those that want to spam psykers. Veterans get flamers for overwatch while the huddle in cover somewhere.

-The Armor Company (570)

*HQ *
Company Command Squad 

*Troops* 
Veteran Squad, Veteran Sergeant (CCW, laspistol)

*Heavy*
3xLeman Russ Battle Tank Squadron

Expensive, but spamming AV14 and battlecannons to go with your MEQs can help you against hordes, crack transports and give you range for those Hammer&Anvil maps!

What are your top Allied Detachments for CSM?


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## paolodistruggiuova (Feb 24, 2010)

HQ
Shas'el - TL-Plasma, Flamer, HW-Sunglasses - 87
ELITE
Shas'vre - TL-Plasma, Flamer - 177
+ 2 Shas'ui - TL-Plasma, Flamer
TROOPS
6 Fire Warriors - 60
6 Fire Warriors - 60
tot 384

HQ
Shas'el - TL-Missile Pod, Flamer, HW-Sunglasses - 75
ELITE
Shas'vre - TL-Missile Pod, Flamer - 141
+ 2 Shas'ui - TL-Missile Pod, Flamer
TROOPS
6 Fire Warriors - 60
6 Fire Warriors - 60
tot 336

2 cheap home objective camping troops and some anti TeQ/Transport fire support for 384/336 pts
I think they make good allies for CSM since our troops are really expensive and spending 200pts just for sitting on your objective is not point effective imo, also we lack some high rate of fire shooting so the missile pods (should we call them autocannons?) helps with that (and they are TL so they help even with anti flyers).

HQ
Big Mek - KFF - 85
TROOPS
29 Orks - shootas, 3 Big Shootas - 235
+Nob - PK,bosspole
FA
Dakkajet - 120
HS
3 Big gunz - 3kannonz, 6 additional crew - 78
tot 518

1 hard to shift troop for home objective (or even for advanceing), 3 artillery pieces with a total of 15 T7 wounds, all with a 5+ cover save (but you could have it anyway and decide to take a big mek with SAG or even naked for just 35pts, or maybe you prefer to add a nob biker unit with warboss...it's kinda easy to adjust) and a flyer for some str6 waaghoplane madness 

I'll add other ideas as I have them  (oh ofc there's the nurgle daemon+CSM list with epidemius that could be fun but that's not just an allied detachment, you have to create it as a whole)


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## Iron_Freak220 (Nov 8, 2009)

HQ: Bloodthirster-275
Troops: 5x Horrors w/ Bolt-95
Heavy: Soul Grinder w/ Phlegm-160

Works really well if you're running dual Princes and Defilers. You can send the Soul Grinder down first turn and it will draw fire away from your Defiler and Princes because it can deep strike close to the enemy. Then by the time the Princes have made it across the board the Bloodthirster will have arrived from Reserve, meaning you've now got 3 big nasties tearing into the enemies ranks.


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## Sephyr (Jan 18, 2010)

That does seem like a good "Chaos-zilla" alternative, Iron_Freak. Do you get any upgrades on the Thirster? And do you just sit the Horrors back or drop them on an objective?


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## clever handle (Dec 14, 2009)

call me crazy (or a dick...) but I'm a fan of including Heralds of Slaanesh with Pavane.... this mini-lash allows us to adjust the positioning in units to ensure we're able to snipe special characters and remove tank models from the front row. Added bonus is that you can pull two heralds into your allies list.

Coupled with a unit of Fiends for some good ol' S5 rending CC torrents and take your pick of the allies troops (i run emperor's children so I'm taking a unit of 12 daemonettes, but bloodletters would work also) and you've got a pretty cheap assault based ally contingent which allows you to take 10-man, double special weapon shooty CSM squads to control the midfield.

I believe that two Pavane heralds (2x70=140), 6 fiends (6x35?=210) and 12 (12x14=168) daemonettes runs at or around 500 points (can't remember how expensive fiends are...)

so at a 1500 pt game you still have plenty of points for a solid CSM contingent....

my proposed list is something like:

lash sorc

2x 10-man double plasma CSM c/w champ w/ combiplas & PW
1x 10-man double melta CSN c/w champ w/ combimelta & PW

1x 5-man havoc w/ 4 autocannons

Allied contingent consisting of:
2x Pavane heralds
1x 6 Fiends
1x 12 daemonettes.

You have 4 troops, plenty of rending for armor & light vehicles
strong melta unit
autocannon team can chew through AV12 (& flyers due to weight of fire)
Plasma for anti armor
3 different casters with the ability to change your opponent's model's configuration....

alternatively you could take 5-man plague marine units & stick them in rhinos for the same price...


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## clever handle (Dec 14, 2009)

Iron_Freak220 said:


> HQ: Bloodthirster-275
> Troops: 5x Horrors w/ Bolt-95
> Heavy: Soul Grinder w/ Phlegm-160
> 
> Works really well if you're running dual Princes and Defilers. You can send the Soul Grinder down first turn and it will draw fire away from your Defiler and Princes because it can deep strike close to the enemy. Then by the time the Princes have made it across the board the Bloodthirster will have arrived from Reserve, meaning you've now got 3 big nasties tearing into the enemies ranks.


I used to love my defilers... give them the battlecannon, claws and double rape-ropes and throw one into a unit of marines & watch as it slowly grinds them into paste.... now that grenades hit on a 3 due to WS3 that tactic doesn't work anymore. Losing 1-2 hull points per turn due to krak grenades means the marines are able win that combat in two rounds of combat (usually 3, leaving them unengaged for their shooting phase....) Now the chaos decimator being AV13 on the front laughs at those krak grenades....


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## paolodistruggiuova (Feb 24, 2010)

clever handle said:


> I used to love my defilers... give them the battlecannon, claws and double rape-ropes and throw one into a unit of marines & watch as it slowly grinds them into paste.... now that grenades hit on a 3 due to WS3 that tactic doesn't work anymore. Losing 1-2 hull points per turn due to krak grenades means the marines are able win that combat in two rounds of combat (usually 3, leaving them unengaged for their shooting phase....) Now the chaos decimator being AV13 on the front laughs at those krak grenades....


and with ''Our weapons are useless'' rule they now can run away the same turn he charge and kiss him with some melta 2minutes later  Shoot marines with your battlecannon (i mean pleghm...oh come on they just ate a basilisk a couple years ago) and charge vehicles/termies/genos or anything that can glance you but not kill you


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## Iron_Freak220 (Nov 8, 2009)

Sephyr said:


> That does seem like a good "Chaos-zilla" alternative, Iron_Freak. Do you get any upgrades on the Thirster? And do you just sit the Horrors back or drop them on an objective?


I get the obligatory Blessing of the Blood God and Unholy might.

As for the Horrors they do whatever they can to help me win. If the opponent has a lot of GEQ then I'll use them to torrent the enemy. If my Princes and the Monsters can handle things then I'll drop them back on an objective, hopefully out of sight.




paolodistruggiuova said:


> and with ''Our weapons are useless'' rule they now can run away the same turn he charge and kiss him with some melta 2minutes later


It's not guaranteed. You still have a chance to catch them and keep them in combat, although your I3 doesn't help a lot there. However, I've found that if a Soul Grinder makes it to combat, he usually wins.


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