Saturday 7 August 2021

Ta-da! Preview codex battle report: Thousand Sons vs Grey Knights

 Exciting times - the new Thousand Sons codex is up for pre-order, and I got to play it!

Winters SEO battle report - Warhammer 40k - 9th Edition - Thousand Sons vs Grey Knights - 2000pts - Grand Tournament 2021 - Sweep And Clear Mission

On Friday, I visited the recording studios (spare room) of Winters SEO, or the Deployment Zone, and found myself presented with a brand new Thousand Sons codex, a very large cup of tea, and an hour to wrap my head around it.

And here's the fight: an epic psychic duel between Thousand Sons and Grey Knights!



Winters SEO battle report - Warhammer 40k - 9th Edition - Thousand Sons vs Grey Knights - 2000pts - Grand Tournament 2021 - Sweep And Clear Mission

In terms of my army selection, the plan was basically to take a little bit of everything to showcase what can be done with the army (and the new Infernal master HQ).

Thousand Sons

  • Montu Atash, Exalted Sorcerer on Disc (HQ)
    Prosperine Khopesh, Force Stave, Inferno Bolt Pistol, Paradigm of Change
    Warlord: Otherworldy Prescience
    Psychic powers: Time Flux, Twist of Fate, Swelled by the Warp
  • Scynthius Ekurah, Exalted Sorcerer (HQ)
    Force Stave, Inferno Bolt Pistol
    Sorcerous Arcana: Umbraelific Crystal
  • Psychic powers: Time Flux, Presage, Temporal Manipulation 
  • Hathor Marduk, Infernal Master (HQ)
    Force Stave, Inferno Bolt Pistol
    Psychic powers: Time Flux, Weaver of Fates
    Infernal Pacts: Bladed Maelstrom, Glimpse of Eternity
  • 10 x Rubric Marines (Troop)
    Force Stave, Warpflame pistol, 4 x Inferno Boltgun, 5 x Warpflamers, Icon of Flame
    Psychic power: Time Flux, Pyric Flux
  • 5 x Rubric Marines (Troop)
    Force Stave, Inferno bolt pistol, 3 x Inferno Boltgun, 1 Soulreaper Cannon, Icon of Flame
    Psychic power: Time Flux, Tzeentch's Firestorm
  • 5 x Rubric Marines (Troop)
    Force Stave, Inferno bolt pistol, 3 x Inferno Boltgun, 1 Soulreaper Cannon, Icon of Flame
    Psychic power: Time Flux, Psychic Stalk
  • 10 x Tzaangor (Troop)
    Brayhorn, Tzaangor blades
  • 10 x Tzaangor (Troop)
    Brayhorn, Tzaangor blades
  • 10 x Scarab Occult Terminators (Elite)
    Force Stave, 8 x Inferno Combi-Bolter, 9 x Prosperine Khopesh, 2 x Hellfyre Missile Rack, 2 x Soulreaper Cannon, Protégé
    Psychic power: Time Flux, Glamour of Tzeentch
    Protégé psychic power: Weaver of Fates
    Aspiring Magister relic: Stave Abominus
  • Mildraed, Tzaangor Shaman (Elite)
    Force Stave
    Psychic power: Cacodaemonic Curse
  • 4 x Tzaangor Enlightened (Fast)
    Fatecaster Greatbows
  • 4 x Chaos Spawn (Fast)
    Hideous mutations
  • Mutalith Vortex Beast (Heavy)
    Enormous Claws, Betentacled Maw
  • Chaos Rhino (Transport)
    Inferno combi-bolter, Inferno combi-melta
  • Chaos Rhino (Transport)
    Inferno combi-bolter, Inferno combi-melta

Points: 1999 | Battle-forged - Aspiring Magister - Sorcerous Arcana: 10 CPs

Grey Knights

  • Grand Master In Nemesis Dreadknight
    Powers: Gate of Infinity, Empiric Amplification
    Relic: Sigil of Exigence
    Heed the Prognosticar: Servant of the Throne
  • Brother-Captain (Warlord)
    Trait: Psychic Epitome, Vortex of Doom
    Heed the Prognosticar: Gem of Inoktu
  • 5 x Strike Squad
    Nemesis Daemon Hammer, 4 x pairs of Falcions
    Power: Hammerhand
  • 5 x Strike Squad
    Nemesis Daemon Hammer, 4 x pairs of Falcions
    Power: Hammerhand
  • 5 x Strike Squad
    Psycannon, 4 x pairs of Falcions
    Power: Hammerhand
  • 5 x Terminators
    Force swords, force halberds
    Power: Hammerhand
  • 5 x Terminators
    Force swords, force halberds
    Power: Hammerhand
  • 5 x Interceptors
    Incincerator, 4 x pairs of Falcions
    Power: Ethereal Castigation
  • 5 x Interceptors
    Incincerator, 4 x pairs of Falcions
    Power: Ethereal Castigation
  • Venerable Dreadnaught
    Twin lascannon, Missile Launcher
    Power: Armoured Resilience 
  • Venerable Dreadnaught
    Twin lascannon, Missile Launcher
    Power: Armoured Resilience 
  • Nemesis Dreadknight 
    Psilencer, Heavy Incinerator
    Power: Hammerhand
  • Nemesis Dreadknight 
    Psilencer, Heavy Incinerator
    Power: Hammerhand
Points: 1995 | Battle-forged: 12 CPs


Winters SEO battle report - Warhammer 40k - 9th Edition - Thousand Sons vs Grey Knights - 2000pts - Grand Tournament 2021 - Sweep And Clear Mission

Although I will say, this doesn't even scratch the surface of what can be done with this army. There are so many combinations of psychic powers, cults, traits, relics, stratagems, legion commands, infernal pacts and cabalistic rituals that it melts my brain. 

I can't speak about how competitive it is, which doesn't particularly interest me, but with the range of options on offer, I'd say it is a fantastic codex, and I am going to have a lot of fun mixing up these combinations in future battles.

Winters SEO battle report - Warhammer 40k - 9th Edition - Thousand Sons vs Grey Knights - 2000pts - Grand Tournament 2021 - Sweep And Clear Mission

Now, where are those Space Wolves hiding?

2 comments:

  1. How did the vortex beast play out I've always wanted to buy him but he was so bad in the last codex

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    Replies
    1. His vortex powers are more reliable, and a little less nuanced, than the previous version. More about pumping out mortal wounds and being a tough monster to shift.

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