So, Chapter Approved has dropped for 2018 and the Astra Militarum have had a bunch of points changes. Lets dive in and see how the grunts of the Imperium will be affected for the coming year!
2018 An Overview
Well 2018 started quite well for the Astra Militarum, we were still top dog on the tournament scene, CA2017 had dropped and 8th Edition was still running Index armies. Fast forward to CA2018 and we now have only three or four Index lists left.
How have the Astra Miltarum gone over the year with the new Codex’s coming out and the Meta (yeah, we all hate that word!) changing significantly in that time? Personally I think we’ve coped quite well, the Guard codex has survived and seems to be quite flexible as 8th Edition has progressed.
Codex creep still seems to be an issue with three big Codex’s this year really knocking the competitive scene around. Drukhari, Imperial Knights and just recently Orks have pressed and pushed Guard armies around and we’ve had to adapt quickly.
Chapter Approved 2018 – What were we expecting?
2018 saw the rise of the cheap Guard battalion, 180pts at its absolute cheapest to farm Command Points for your expensive allies. We were expecting that to take a hit both from the Big FAQ 2 and CA2018, and in a way it did in the FAQ with the changes to CP farming, but I think we were expecting Infantry Squads and Company Commanders to also see a points increase.
What else, well Hellhounds, Bullgryns, Mortar Heavy Weapons Squads, Shadowswords, Artemia Hellhounds, Leman Russ Conquerors and Colonel Straken have all been seen in a number of top lists and were quite possibly in for some increasing points.
Chapter Approved 2018 – What we got!
Wow, where to start! I wasn’t expecting so many points savings. Literally everywhere across the Codex got a break or dodged a nerf bullet in some way, shape or form.
What I liked is that far from putting points up of the above units, they dropped points elsewhere to make some units much more tempting. This also has the added affect of actually allowing the Codex to keep up with Codex creep.
The Good…actually rather Excellent Bits!
Old man Yarrick is now a steal, especially with the rise of Ork lists. Dropping enough points to be almost an auto include. Leman Russ turret weapons got a saving too that should see a few more Executioners and possibly Demolishers too.
Tank Commanders got a nice point drop too along with Chimera’s too (finally!). Other winners would have to be Lord Castellan Creed too, at just over 50pts and with his special abilities might see him be taken a lot more now.
Along with the above we got a a bunch of points changes for our wargear options too that overall help out the Guard. A point saving here or there really adds up quick in a Guard army. Scions for example, no longer have to pay any points for their Hotshot Lasguns, effectively giving them a 5pt saving, which along with the reductions for Melta and Plasma Guns gives them a nice little bonus! This also applies to things like the Taurox too, it’s points didn’t change, but it’s Autocannons did drop in points.
Missed Opportunities
Deathstrikes seem to have been completely overlooked again. I really love this model, but in it’s current form it’s still just not worth it. Devil Dogs need a few extra points off or a change to the Melta Cannon, give it 2D3 shots or some additional range. Wyverns still seem overpriced when compared to what you get for 3 Mortar Heavy Weapon Teams. I’d like to have seen them bump the strength of the Stormshard to S5 or even -1AP. Something to make it tempt us!
Looking at Forge World, I’d have liked to see them look at the Malcador Infernus. I seriously love this tank! It’s just a little underwhelming right now, it just needs a little extra something for the points. To be honest, they could’ve looked at the whole Malcador and Macharius range. Right now they just don’t shoot as much as the equivalent Leman Russ tanks and seem overpriced. The poor old Vendetta Gunship too. The absolute beast of an aircraft in 6th Edition is still sitting at around 230pts, and hit’s on 5’s if it moves.
Wrapping Up
Overall, I think Guard dodged some some serious bullets with this years Chapter Approved. We got to keep our Battalions, our Leman Russ’ got cheaper along with a host of other handy units too. Our wargear got some welcome reprieves and savings too that’ll keep us at the sharp end of the tournament scene.
It’ll be interesting to see what else the coming year gives the Imperial Guard. With the return of Formations (sorry, Specialist Detachments!), we’re already seeing some tasty new rules and items!