"The Tainted" Plague Marines Plague Marines are the rock which an enemy assault will break itself against. T5, Fearless and Feel No Pain along with Blight Grenades and the standard CSM loadout makes them the biggest gearheads in the codex and makes them some of the toughest objective holders in the game.
.
Just as I stated in my first article, everything that rates a rhino should have a rhino and Plague Marines are no exception. The rhino is their means of getting across the field and on to an objective without getting whacked by weapons that negate FNP. I recommend taking the rhinos naked or with EA since you will always want to be moving and if you plan to shoot it should be from a firing point.
.
What do you get the Marine who has everything? Plague Marines can only take special weapons, but with the bonus of being able to do so in smaller squads. The short answer to the question is that they can excel with each weapon. 2 Meltas will drop Elite infantry, tanks and walkers alike. Flamers will butcher light armoured troops and Plasma will toast Elite infantry, troops and Most monstrous creatures alike without the danger posed to most firers.
.
I suggest the Double Plasma or the Double Melta layout, giving the unit a purpose. It really is up to what fills the other roles in your army.
.
Other than that, I recommend always giving your champ a powerfist. Yes, I know that is a really expensive guy, but it is key to making these guys really excel: The great thing about Plague Marines is that they are survivable. They can and will put the enemy's units into long, grinding assaults. Adding a powerfist gives your plaguers an answer to harsh units like walkers that can crush plaguers (because, try as you might, the enemy will try to get you with them), but it also makes them more survivable agianst troops. By this I mean, between their two natural attacks and the addition of two Power Fists attacks base from your champ, you will almost always result in a win for you in CC, making you take less damage each turn and also giving you the chance to run them down without the aid of a Daemon Prince or counter assaulting unit.
.
How many do I take? While it may be tempting to take 10 plague Marines, you should save the points. Seven Plaguers are almost always enough to tie up units, defend objective and fulfill any other goals they may have if you are playing them correctly and not sending them to fight walkers and Bloodletters. Take those points and use them on other squads or unit types. And remember, while they are good at playing defense, they are also great at offense, always be moving toward an objective and avois units with large amounts of power weapons!
I'd also note that since you're Fearless, you're in combat until victory or death. That means you're taking either minimal 5-man suicide melta squads, or larger 7+ squads with a fist and specials.
ReplyDeleteI never use my plaguers for suicide, that is what 5 chosen in a rhino are for, but in builds with multiple cult types, I could see plaguers fulfilling that role possibly, but then again even 5 plaguers with a fist have staying power up until you cross 1750.
ReplyDeleteEven with just 5 guys, that's still a big bite to swallow unless you have specialist kit like fists or S8 blasts.
ReplyDeleteYes, S8. The Mark of Nurgle makes them T4(5), not T5, so S8 qualifies for Instant Death and thus negates Feel No Pain.
It's something I didn't notice 'til I double-checked it, but it's worth mentioning. Not that there's a heap of S8 out there, but anti-tank missiles and gunfire that's not AP2 is still not your buddy.