Playing Dark Angels: Building a Better Battleforce

One of the hallmarks of the very best players in 40k is their ability to bring an army that looks like a random sample of units from a codex, and continually trounce upon opponents of all skill levels. I don't consider myself quite that good at the moment, but I'd like to think I'm approaching that direction, especially with my primary army: Dark Angels. This actually isn't something that every codex is capable of, at least not in the most competitive scenes. Sure, great generals can take weak codices and do some significant things, but it's almost always due to vast amounts of player skill and an understanding of the army's strengths and weaknesses. Armies with better tools, more efficient tools, and multiple units with similar roles are much more able to pull this off. Right now, I'd probably limit just a few codices in the game to pulling this off really well. Space Marines, Necrons, Imperial Guard, and Dark Angels are the best, with Chaos Space Marines and Space Wolves coming in just behind them (in my opinion). Other codices are extremely competitive, but have very few competitive options.

So what's required to make and play one of these amazing "battleforce" armies? Let's take a look:

Works in Progress: Ravenwing

I'm just showing off my latest work as I'm getting my Ravenwing ready for CAGE 2013. I've off to a good start, and though I'll be extremely busy for the next 2 weeks, I shouldn't have a problem getting these done in time. These are the test models for my Black Knights (left) and Ravenwing Attack Squadrons (right). Let me know what you think!

Playing Dark Angels: Emerging from the Warp

I've been silent on the hubbub of Dark Angels tactics and strategies for a while as I absorb the codex, test some things out, and get myself to a point where I can give advice and have it mean something, rather than just spout stuff from having skimmed the book a few times.

Starting this week, my FLGS will be doing a Crusade of Fire campaign with modifications. I play a DA Successor Chapter, and this campaign is going to tell their re-emergence story, as their solar system emerges from some raging warp storms. I'm gonna use the opportunity to try out very weird or unusual things with my lists, so I'm sure I'll find some awesome new tactics to share with everyone.

Also on the agenda is preparing my Dark Angels army for the 2013 CAGE Match Finals taking place February 9 &10, just 3 weeks away. I'm focusing on the most immediate competitive builds, and there are a few things going around right now that are worth building around:

• Ravenwign Command Squads/Black Knights
• Azrael with Guard Blob
• Standard of Sevastation
• Power Field Generator + Land Raider Crusaders
• Flakk Missile Spam
• Drop Pod Assault + Deathwing Assault
• Support Speeders in squads of 5

I will be posting somewhat regularly over the next few weeks with insights from the campaign and playtesting. We're getting our team set up for ATC this year too, so expect some information on that!