Start Competing: The Six Best 40k Detachments for Beginners

Last week while I was at the friendly local game store, a relatively new player was stopping in and working on his first army, playing Dark Angels. He was asking for help on how to build his army, and what detachment he should go with. We talked for a bit and I and several others in the room gave him some advice, and at one point I suggested he avoid the Vanguard Spearhead Detachment starting out, as its play style and abilities may be a bit much for newer players.

This then got me thinking: What are the best Detachment options for new players? Are there choices which work better for new players wen it comes to how they play and how easy it is to work with them? What even makes a good Detachment for beginners? That’s a good place to start. Then I narrowed the list down to six because that’s better for SEO. Well, actually seven, but that last one will be an Honorable Mention candidate, as a fun bonus.

The Video Version

We made a video version of this article! If you’d like the cliff notes version, you can find it here, along with the dulcet tones of Campbell “fixed list” McLaughlin and some ska backing music.

What Makes a Good Beginner Detachment?

There are a few things I’m looking for when I think about what makes a good detachment for a beginner to tackle:

A straightforward Detachment rule. The Detachment rule has to be very easy to understand and remember. One of the big challenges new players are going to have is just remembering their rules, so we want something easy to remember. The Orks War Horde Detachment is a great example here – getting [SUSTAINED HITS 1] on your melee attacks is powerful and easy to remember, and it’s just always on. On that note…
Reasonably powerful. I’m not going to recommend a Detachment that sucks. New players don’t need more uphill battles.
Stratagems which are easy to understand and use. While there are a lot of cool stratagems which introduce fancy movement tricks and situational tools, I’m going to prioritize Detachments where the Stratagems have obvious uses, low costs, and are broadly useful. Again, the goal is rules which new players will remember and use.
The Detachment tells you how to build your army. There are so many units in 40k that even with smaller armies, putting together a solid force can be daunting. Detachments can help with that by pushing players in a particular direction.
Doesn’t require insane builds. On the flip side, I’m not going to tell a new player they have to buy 30 Possessed. I’m going to prioritize Detachments that let players build with a large number of units, and encourage building lists that are more like what you’d expect to see running that army. The goal here is transferability – if you build an army for this Detachment, you should be able to do a different detachment later without having to buy and paint too much new stuff.

I think this is a good list, and once I had this in mind it was pretty easy to come up with a small set of Detachments that fit the criteria across multiple factions. As I go through this list I’ll provide some additional thoughts and rankings for each detachment on power, competitive viability,

With that out of the way, let’s dig into the list:

Honorable Mention: Tyranids – Invasion Fleet

Detachment Focus: Invasion Fleet

The basic Detachment for the Tyranids just makes your best units even better, letting you pick one of three abilities to be “on” for your entire army for the rest of the battle. As a new player, the two you’re most likely to pick are going to be [SUSTAINED HITS 1] for attacks against Infantry and swarm units or [LETHAL HITS] against enemy Vehicles and Monsters. Your Enhancements give you some decent buffs for Hive Tyrants, and the Stratagems are pretty straightforward – most of the time you’re going to be using Rapid Regeneration for a 5+ feel no pain and Overrun, which gives you a longer consolidate move.

That longer consolidate move is one of the reasons this Detachment only made Honorable Mention – post-combat movement shenanigans are bit tough for new players, and having to pick an ability before the game isn’t ideal, either since it creates the chance for you to make the wrong pick. And if there’s a downside to making your best units better, it’s that you really need to know what your best units are to get the most out of the Detachment, so that keeps it out of our top 6.

Ryan Karrer's List - click to expand

comp v1 (2000 points)

Tyranids
Strike Force (2000 points)
Invasion Fleet

CHARACTERS

Deathleaper (80 points)
• 1x Lictor claws and talons

Hive Tyrant (225 points)
• 1x Heavy venom cannon
1x Monstrous bonesword and lash whip

Neurotyrant (105 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Neurotyrant claws and lashes
1x Psychic scream

BATTLELINE

Gargoyles (85 points)
• 10x Gargoyle
• 10x Blinding venom
10x Fleshborer

OTHER DATASHEETS

Biovores (50 points)
• 1x Chitin-barbed limbs
1x Spore Mine launcher

Exocrine (140 points)
• 1x Bio-plasmic cannon
1x Powerful limbs

Lictor (60 points)
• 1x Lictor claws and talons

Maleceptor (170 points)
• 1x Massive scything talons
1x Psychic overload

Neurolictor (80 points)
• 1x Piercing claws and talons

Raveners (75 points)
• 3x Ravener
• 3x Armoured Thorax
3x Ravener claws and talons

Tyrannofex (200 points)
• 1x Powerful limbs
1x Rupture cannon
1x Stinger salvoes

Zoanthropes (100 points)
• 1x Neurothrope
• 1x Chitinous claws and teeth
1x Warp Blast
• 2x Zoanthrope
• 2x Chitinous claws and teeth
2x Warp Blast

Exported with App Version: v1.29.1 (74), Data Version: v581

Ryan’s list has a great mix of different Tyranid units, but focuses mainly on medium- and big-sized bugs (other recent lists like Kayu Orellana’s tend to include a few horde units as well).

6. Blood Angels: Liberator Assault Group

Detachment Focus: Liberator Assault Group

The “standard” Blood Angels Detachment, the Liberator Assault group gives your marines +2 Strength and +1 Attacks to their melee profiles in any turn they charge, supercharging your army to punch up into almost anything in the game. This Detachment gives you a ton of flexibility with its stratagems, giving you different ways to kill things and a way to supercharge those Stratagems by opting to Battle-shock your units for an additional effect. The whole thing lets you really lean into an aggressive, charge-first-and-ask-questions-later play style. That said, there are a lot of tricks here and Blood Angels are a fast army, so as you improve you can adjust your army and style to take better advantage of the army’s tricks.

That said, the “Battle-shock to get both effects” mechanic is a bit much for new players, though they can just ignore that part by only using the half of the Stratagem they like. If you just want to mash space marines into the opponent, this is the Detachment for it.

Borja FM's List - Click to expand

2nd place, II GT Hispalis – March 28, 2025

What’s the deal with airline food? (1995 points)

Space Marines
Blood Angels
Strike Force (2000 points)
Liberator Assault Group

CHARACTERS

Blood Angels Captain (115 points)
• 1x Inferno pistol
1x Power fist
• Enhancement: Rage-fuelled Warrior

Captain with Jump Pack (110 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Relic Shield
1x Thunder hammer
• Enhancement: Speed of the Primarch

Chief Librarian Mephiston (135 points)
• 1x Fury of the Ancients
1x Plasma pistol
1x Vitarus

Commander Dante (130 points)
• 1x Perdition Pistol
1x The Axe Mortalis

BATTLELINE

Assault Intercessor Squad (75 points)
• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant
• 1x Plasma pistol
1x Power fist
• 4x Assault Intercessor
• 4x Astartes chainsword
4x Heavy bolt pistol

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Impulsor (80 points)
• 1x Armoured hull
1x Ironhail heavy stubber
1x Shield Dome
2x Storm bolter

OTHER DATASHEETS

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (90 points)
• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack
• 1x Hand flamer
1x Power fist
• 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs
• 4x Astartes chainsword
3x Heavy bolt pistol
1x Plasma pistol

Baal Predator (135 points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Baal flamestorm cannon
2x Heavy flamer
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Storm bolter

Sanguinary Guard (260 points)
• 6x Sanguinary Guard
• 4x Angelus boltgun
6x Encarmine blade
2x Inferno pistol
1x Sanguinary Banner

Sanguinary Guard (130 points)
• 3x Sanguinary Guard
• 2x Angelus boltgun
3x Encarmine blade
1x Inferno pistol
1x Sanguinary Banner

Scout Squad (70 points)
• 1x Scout Sergeant
• 1x Astartes chainsword
1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Scout
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Close combat weapon
3x Combat knife
1x Missile launcher

Vindicator (185 points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Demolisher cannon
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Storm bolter

Exported with App Version: v1.29.1 (74), Data Version: v581

Liberator Assault Group armies tend to combine a variety of different units – you don’t need to go all-in on melee – allowing new players to build them without having to triple up on anything and overcommit. They also let you make good use of the faction’s sickest character models, and any Detachment that encourages you to bring Mephiston and Dante is a winner for Blood Angels.

5. T’au Empire: Experimental Prototype Cadre

Detachment Focus: Experimental Prototype Cadre

It’s difficult to call any T’au Detachment “easy to play” – the army typically requires quite a bit of care with positioning and sequencing to ensure you have the right spotters acting on each of your shooting units – but if there’s an easiest choice, it’s the Experimental Prototype Cadre. While the other Detachments only work in the first or second half of the game or require you to get perilously close to the enemy, the Experimental Prototype Cadre gives your units additional range to work with and supercharges your Crisis Suits, giving you some additional power on your shooting. It’s a powerful effect that plays into your key instinct with T’au: Staying the hell away from opponents and shooting them to death.

Noah Keeth's Experimental Prototype List - click to expand

Rocky Mountain Open 2025

eeppy cadre (1990 points)

T’au Empire
Strike Force (2000 points)
Experimental Prototype Cadre

CHARACTERS

Cadre Fireblade (50 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Fireblade pulse rifle
2x Gun Drone

Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit (95 points)
• 1x Battlesuit fists
4x Missile pod
2x Shield Drone

Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit (100 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Battlesuit fists
1x Marker Drone
1x Shield Drone
4x T’au flamer
• Enhancement: Thermoneutronic Projector

Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit (105 points)
• 1x Battlesuit fists
4x Fusion blaster
2x Shield Drone
• Enhancement: Fusion Blades

Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit (90 points)
• 1x Battlesuit fists
1x Cyclic ion blaster
3x Plasma rifle
2x Shield Drone
• Enhancement: Plasma Accelerator Rifle

BATTLELINE

Breacher Team (100 points)
• 1x Support turret
• 1x Breacher Fire Warrior Shas’ui
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Guardian Drone
1x Gun Drone
1x Pulse blaster
1x Pulse pistol
• 9x Breacher Fire Warrior
• 9x Close combat weapon
9x Pulse blaster
9x Pulse pistol

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Devilfish (85 points)
• 1x Accelerator burst cannon
1x Armoured hull
2x Seeker missile
2x Smart missile system

OTHER DATASHEETS

Crisis Fireknife Battlesuits (130 points)
• 1x Crisis Fireknife Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit fists
1x Gun Drone
1x Marker Drone
2x Missile pod
• 2x Crisis Fireknife Shas’ui
• 2x Battlesuit fists
2x Gun Drone
4x Missile pod
2x Shield Drone

Crisis Fireknife Battlesuits (130 points)
• 1x Crisis Fireknife Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit fists
1x Gun Drone
1x Marker Drone
2x Plasma rifle
• 2x Crisis Fireknife Shas’ui
• 2x Battlesuit fists
2x Gun Drone
4x Plasma rifle
2x Shield Drone

Crisis Starscythe Battlesuits (110 points)
• 1x Crisis Starscythe Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit fists
1x Gun Drone
1x Marker Drone
2x T’au flamer
• 2x Crisis Starscythe Shas’ui
• 2x Battlesuit fists
2x Gun Drone
2x Shield Drone
4x T’au flamer

Hammerhead Gunship (145 points)
• 1x Armoured hull
1x Railgun
2x Seeker missile
2x Twin smart missile system

Pathfinder Team (90 points)
• 1x Pathfinder Shas’ui
• 1x Close combat weapon
2x Gun Drone
1x Pulse carbine
1x Pulse pistol
1x Recon Drone
1x Semi-automatic grenade launcher
• 9x Pathfinder
• 9x Close combat weapon
3x Ion rifle
6x Pulse carbine
9x Pulse pistol

Stealth Battlesuits (60 points)
• 1x Stealth Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit fists
1x Fusion blaster
1x Homing Beacon
1x Marker Drone
1x Shield Drone
• 2x Stealth Shas’ui
• 2x Battlesuit fists
2x Burst cannon

Vespid Stingwings (65 points)
• 1x Vespid Strain Leader
• 1x Neutron blaster
1x Stingwing claws
• 4x Vespid Stingwing
• 4x Neutron blaster
4x Stingwing claws

Exported with App Version: v1.29.0 (73), Data Version: v579

Experimental Prototype lists aren’t the strongest way to run T’au – Mont’ka and Retaliation Cadre are both more powerful options – but a good Experimental Prototype Cadre list will employ most of the same units as those, so if you start off playing Prototype and want to switch later, you won’t have a ton of hobby work to do. As a new player your biggest challenge will be that it’s very easy to blow yourself up using your fancy new weapons, but the good news is you have a Stratagem to heal them.

4. Adeptus Custodes: Shield Host

Detachment Focus: Shield Host

The updated version of the Custodes’ Index Detachment, Shield Host received a lot of flack upon the book’s publication – and rightfully so – but has since been improved substantially by the Balance Dataslate. What you’re left with is the army’s best melee detachment, built to encourage armies of brutally efficient melee threats which charge across the board and blend anything they come into contact with, usually led by a Blade Champion. The most you’re asked to do with the Detachment is pick between Lethal and Sustained Hits for your army rule and +1 AP or Crits on 5s for the Detachment rule, and most of the time those have obvious answers (Sustained + AP against most things).

Joel Larsson's Shield Host List - click to expand

2nd place, Fantasia Fanatic XLVII GT – March 28, 2025

Shield Host

Blade Champion (120pts): Vaultswords, Warlord
Blade Champion (120pts): Vaultswords
Blade Champion (120pts): Vaultswords

4x Custodian Guard, Spears (170pts)
4x Custodian Guard, 3 Spears, 1 Shield + Banner (170pts)

2x Allarus Custodians, Spears (130pts)
5x Custodian Wardens, Spears & Banner (260pts)
5x Custodian Wardens, Spears & Banner (260pts)
5x Custodian Wardens, Spears & Banner (260pts)
4x Prosecutors (40pts)
4x Prosecutors (40pts)
3x Venatari Custodians, Spears (165pts)
4x Witchseekers (50pts)

Inquisitor Draxus (95pts): Dirgesinger, Power fist, Psychic Tempest

Shield Host lists are still very competitive in the current meta, and while most run at least one unit of Venatari, the model counts needed for these are pretty light. Some lists – like the one above – go super heavy on Blade Champions and Wardens, but with Custodes that’s a bit more forgivable. On the other hand, you don’t have to run the list this way – Stephen Box’s list earlier this year used more Vertus Praetors and Jetbike Shield-Captains instead.

3. Noble Lance

Detachment Focus: Noble Lance

The Detachment Rule for the Imperial Knights is simple and powerful, giving you a 6+ Feel No Pain that ups to 5+ if you’ve killed the enemy Warlord. It’s easy to remember and implement. And while knights aren’t the easiest army to play well – you need to pay a lot of attention to your positioning and make do with a small number of units – they’re a popular choice for beginners and only having a few units means not having to remember a ton of datasheets.

Benjamin Hauser's List - Click to Expand

Canis Wrecks (2000 points)

Imperial Knights
Strike Force (2000 points)
Noble Lance

CHARACTERS

Canis Rex (450 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Chainbreaker las-impulsor
1x Chainbreaker multi-laser
1x Freedom’s Hand

BATTLELINE

Armiger Helverin (130 points)
• 2x Armiger autocannon
1x Armoured feet
1x Questoris heavy stubber

Armiger Warglaive (140 points)
• 1x Questoris heavy stubber
1x Reaper chain-cleaver
1x Thermal spear

ALLIED UNITS

Callidus Assassin (100 points)
• 1x Neural shredder
1x Phase sword and poison blades

Sisters of Battle Immolator (115 points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Heavy bolter
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Immolation flamers

Sisters of Battle Squad (115 points)
• 1x Sister Superior
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Inferno pistol
1x Power weapon
• 9x Battle Sister
• 9x Bolt pistol
7x Boltgun
9x Close combat weapon
1x Meltagun
1x Multi-melta
1x Simulacrum Imperialis

Exported with App Version: v1.29.1 (74), Data Version: v581

Competitive knights lists today tend to run Canis Rex – the army’s best unit – and a bunch of Armigers, eschewing the builds with three big knights for something smaller, faster, and a bit more forgiving. In addition to the knights, you’ll typically want a smattering of Imperial Agents to help hold objectives and do actions, and that usually means a squad of Battle Sisters or Arbites and an assassin or two.

2. Orks: War Horde

Orks: War Horde

Your melee weapons get [SUSTAINED HITS 1]. That’s it. That’s all you need, really – the War Horde takes something that’s already good – Ork melee – and makes it batter, improving your output and helping you get over the hump when it comes to taking down bigger threats.

Jensen Goh's list - click to expand

3rd Place, the Phuket Open

Fireball Greens (2000 points)

Orks
Strike Force (2000 points)
War Horde

CHARACTERS

Beastboss (100 points)
• 1x Beast Snagga klaw
1x Beastchoppa
1x Shoota
• Enhancement: Headwoppa’s Killchoppa

Beastboss (105 points)
• 1x Beast Snagga klaw
1x Beastchoppa
1x Shoota
• Enhancement: Follow Me Ladz

Ghazghkull Thraka (235 points)
• 1x Ghazghkull Thraka
• Warlord
• 1x Gork’s Klaw
1x Mork’s Roar
• 1x Makari
• 1x Makari’s stabba

Warboss (90 points)
• 1x Attack squig
1x Kombi-weapon
1x Power klaw
1x Twin sluggas
• Enhancement: Supa-Cybork Body

Zodgrod Wortsnagga (80 points)
• 1x Da Grabzappa
1x Squigstoppa

BATTLELINE

Beast Snagga Boyz (190 points)
• 19x Beast Snagga Boy
• 19x Choppa
19x Slugga
• 1x Beast Snagga Nob
• 1x Power snappa
1x Slugga

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Trukk (65 points)
• 1x Big shoota
1x Spiked wheels

OTHER DATASHEETS

Battlewagon (160 points)
1x Deff rolla
1x Lobba
1x Zzap gun
1x ‘Ard Case

Breaka Boyz (140 points)
• 1x Boss Nob
• 1x Choppa
1x Rokkit pistol
1x Smash hammer
• 5x Breaka Boy
• 4x Smash hammer
1x Tankhammer

Flash Gitz (160 points)
• 1x Ammo Runt
• 1x Kaptin
• 1x Choppa
1x Snazzgun
• 9x Flash Git
• 9x Choppa
9x Snazzgun

Gretchin (40 points)
• 10x Gretchin
• 10x Close combat weapon
10x Grot blasta
• 1x Runtherd
• 1x Runtherd tools
1x Slugga

Meganobz (70 points)
• 2x Meganob
• 2x Killsaw
2x Power klaw

Stormboyz (65 points)
• 4x Stormboy
• 4x Choppa
4x Slugga
• 1x Boss Nob
• 1x Power klaw
1x Slugga

Exported with App Version: v1.29.0 (73), Data Version: v579

Any War Horde list starts with Ghazghkull Thraka and some Meganobz to support him, but beyond that you have a ton of options – the Ork army is full of units that are good in melee and the newer Tankbustas unit only adds another solid entry. On the table, your plan is simple: Get stuck in with the punchy melee units and use a mix of Stormboyz and Grots to hold objectives and bounce around doing actions.

1. Space Marines: Ironstorm Spearhead

Detachment Focus: Ironstorm Spearhead

Finally we come to our top choice. The Ironstorm Spearhead isn’t the most powerful way to run Space Marines – that honor right now likely belongs to the Gladius Task Force – but it’s one of the easier ways, giving you a simple rule to re-roll a hit, wound, or damage roll each time you activate a unit to shoot or fight. This doesn’t explicitly push you into vehicles but it does do its best work on single-model units with a small number of high quality shots, and the Detachments Enhancements and Stratagems do very much push you into Vehicles supported by Techmarines.

The result is a Detachment that can run many different small marine units but also encourages you to take the faction’s tanks and dreadnoughts in large numbers to support them. And that’s both easier from a hobby standpoint (fewer, big models), and a lot more forgiving on the table – your army can be tough to take down and will be able to pick enemy units off at a distance. And your stratagems here are all about buffs to durability and shooting, or just spitefully firing off shots or exploding after you’re hit.

Narongsak Lumleatwiput's Ironstorm List - click to expand

Red Ultra Phuket (2000 points)

Space Marines
Ultramarines
Strike Force (2000 points)
Ironstorm Spearhead

CHARACTERS

Lieutenant with Combi-weapon (90 points)
• 1x Combi-weapon
1x Paired combat blades
• Enhancement: Master of Machine War

Marneus Calgar (210 points)
• 1x Marneus Calgar
• 1x Gauntlets of Ultramar
• 2x Victrix Honour Guard
• 2x Victrix power sword

Roboute Guilliman (345 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Emperor’s Sword
1x Hand of Dominion

BATTLELINE

Intercessor Squad (80 points)
• 1x Intercessor Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Bolt rifle
1x Power fist
• 4x Intercessor
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Bolt rifle
4x Close combat weapon

OTHER DATASHEETS

Ballistus Dreadnought (140 points)
• 1x Armoured feet
1x Ballistus lascannon
1x Ballistus missile launcher
1x Twin storm bolter

Company Heroes (105 points)
• 1x Ancient
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Bolt rifle
1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Company Champion
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Master-crafted power weapon
• 2x Company Veteran
• 2x Bolt pistol
2x Close combat weapon
1x Master-crafted bolt rifle
1x Master-crafted heavy bolter

Invader ATV (60 points)
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Multi-melta
1x Twin bolt rifle

Outrider Squad (80 points)
• 1x Outrider Sergeant
• 1x Astartes chainsword
1x Heavy bolt pistol
1x Twin bolt rifle
• 2x Outrider
• 2x Astartes chainsword
2x Heavy bolt pistol
2x Twin bolt rifle

Scout Squad (70 points)
• 1x Scout Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Boltgun
1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Scout
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Boltgun
4x Close combat weapon

Storm Speeder Hammerstrike (125 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Hammerstrike missile launcher
2x Krakstorm grenade launcher
1x Melta destroyer

Vindicator (185 points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Demolisher cannon
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Storm bolter

Exported with App Version: v1.29.1 (74), Data Version: v581

On the generic marines side, Ironstorm lists like to run Vindicators and Ballistus Dreadnoughts supported by Guilliman and scouts, but it’s very possible to build them with Gladiators, Predators, or Repulsors. And as an added bonus, you don’t even need to run Ultramarines – there’s value here for the other chapters as well.

Clark Welch's Ironstorm Space Wolves - Click to Expand

Iron (2000 Points)

Space Marines
Space Wolves
Ironstorm Spearhead
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Lieutenant (65 Points)
• 1x Master-crafted power weapon
• 1x Neo-volkite pistol
• 1x Storm Shield

Lieutenant with Combi-weapon (70 Points)
• 1x Combi-weapon
• 1x Paired combat blades

Murderfang (170 Points)
• 1x Heavy flamer
• 1x Storm bolter
• 1x The Murderclaws

Ragnar Blackmane (90 Points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
• 1x Frostfang

Techmarine (90 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Forge bolter
• 1x Grav-pistol
• 1x Omnissian power axe
• 1x Servo-arm
• Enhancements: Adept of the Omnissiah

Wolf Guard Battle Leader on Thunderwolf (90 Points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Crushing teeth and claws
• 1x Relic weapon
• 1x Storm Shield
• Enhancements: The Flesh Is Weak

OTHER DATASHEETS

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (90 Points)
• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 1x Power fist
• 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs
◦ 4x Astartes chainsword
◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol
◦ 1x Plasma pistol

Ballistus Dreadnought (140 Points)
• 1x Armoured feet
• 1x Ballistus lascannon
• 1x Ballistus missile launcher
• 1x Twin storm bolter

Bladeguard Veteran Squad (160 Points)
• 1x Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant
◦ 1x Heavy bolt pistol
◦ 1x Master-crafted power weapon
• 5x Bladeguard Veteran
◦ 5x Heavy bolt pistol
◦ 5x Master-crafted power weapon

Firestrike Servo-turrets (75 Points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Twin Firestrike las-talon

Predator Annihilator (135 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
• 1x Hunter-killer missile
• 2x Lascannon
• 1x Predator twin lascannon
• 1x Storm bolter

Predator Destructor (140 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
• 1x Hunter-killer missile
• 2x Lascannon
• 1x Predator autocannon
• 1x Storm bolter

Thunderwolf Cavalry (240 Points)
• 1x Thunderwolf Cavalry Pack Leader
◦ 1x Crushing teeth and claws
◦ 1x Heirloom weapon
◦ 1x Storm Shield
• 5x Thunderwolf Cavalry
◦ 5x Crushing teeth and claws
◦ 5x Heirloom weapon
◦ 5x Storm Shield

Exported with App Version: v1.29.1 (1), Data Version: v581

Will you always need all of those vehicles if you decide to switch to another Detachment later with your space marines? No, probably not. It’s easy to go too hard on hulls with Ironstorm and get something with low transferability. But I’m also loosening up a bit on that criteria to account for the fact that this is Space Marines, and new players love to buy big tanks. Hell, who doesn’t?

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Start Competing: The Six Best 40k Detachments for Beginners

The Video Version

What Makes a Good Beginner Detachment?

Honorable Mention: Tyranids – Invasion Fleet

6. Blood Angels: Liberator Assault Group

5. T’au Empire: Experimental Prototype Cadre

4. Adeptus Custodes: Shield Host

3. Noble Lance

2. Orks: War Horde

1. Space Marines: Ironstorm Spearhead

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Related

Start Competing: The Six Best 40k Detachments for Beginners

The Video Version

What Makes a Good Beginner Detachment?

Honorable Mention: Tyranids – Invasion Fleet

6. Blood Angels: Liberator Assault Group

5. T’au Empire: Experimental Prototype Cadre

4. Adeptus Custodes: Shield Host

3. Noble Lance

2. Orks: War Horde

1. Space Marines: Ironstorm Spearhead

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