Hey everyone, Devin here to talk to you all today about the new Indomitus units and how they and 9th edition will work out for Blood Angels armies. Blood Angels have always been a melee-focused chapter and there’s a lot of melee-focused units in Indomitus. Let’s take a dive into the new units and see what’s in store for the new marines.
Assault Intercessors
First of these new units for Indomitus Blood Angels are the Assault Intercessors. These intercessors trade the standard bolt rifle for a heavy bolt pistol and an Astartes Chainsword. The Astartes Chainsword is a new weapon in 9th, boasting AP-1 instead of the regular Chainsword’s AP0. These guys are great in a Blood Angels army. They fill up the troop slots you will need for a battalion with a hard-hitting melee unit. How hard-hitting?
Well, a squad of 5 in the assault doctrine with Sanguinor around will put out 31 attacks with +1 to wound on the charge and at AP-2. Not bad for a 5 man troop unit. 5 man squads will also fit in an Impulsor, giving them a durable and fast transport to get them up the board. Furthermore, they can buffed to strength 5 if there is a nearby Sanguinary Priest. On the charge, they wound the Necron Starter Army half or other marines on 2s.
Outriders
Finally, we get Primaris bikes. Iron Hands Bikers aren’t the only chapter to appreciate them. Outriders are a cut above their non-Primaris brothers. The normal bike bolters are replaced with bolt rifles and they are 4 wounds each compared to the normal 2. In short, they are more durable and have better shooting thanks to the bolt rifle’s AP-1. But Outriders can put out an insane number of attacks in melee.
Their special rule, devastating charge, gives them 2 additional attacks if they charged that turn. This stacks with the regular marine shock assault. They are also equipped with the new Astartes Chainswords that the Assault Intercessors have. Before Blood Angel buffs Outriders will have 6 attacks on the charge. After Sanguinor’s aura and Savage Echoes, they will have 8. This unit is fast and hits very hard. I see them as a Blood Angel player’s new best friend for screen clearance.
Judiciar
One of the brand new characters in Indomitus, the Judiciar is a combat specialist character with a bit of a twist. The twist comes in the form of the Tempormortis. This hourglass that the Judiciar is holding forces one enemy unit within 6” of him to fight last in the fight phase. This is basically a Vexator Mask for Space Marines, with the added benefit of not being a relic. This guy is huge for Blood Angels for two reasons.
First is that he’s an elite choice, so he won’t eat into your precious HQ slots. Second is that he basically makes you unchargable. Why do I say this? 9th changed the fight order after charges to the person who’s turn it isn’t from the person who’s turn it is. This means that an enemy unit that gets hit by the Tempormortis will get attacked by your units before it has a chance to attack itself. Blood Angels have many powerful melee units, after all, not much can take a full round of attacks from the Sanguinary Guard and survive.
Bladeguard Veterans
The Primaris version of Vanguard Veterans, without jump packs. At 3 wounds a guy with the same sword and shield as the Lieutenant they certainly hit hard but mobility is a problem for them. Similar units such as Death Company or Sanguinary Guard have jump packs, which gives them a high movement and the innate ability to deep strike. Bladeguard lack this. To compensate, put them in an Impulsor or into Strategic Reserve
Bladeguard Ancient
A Bladeguard Veteran with a banner. The banner has the same rule as the normal Primaris Ancient with the addition of giving Bladeguard units within 6” +1 to hit. If you’re taking a few units of Bladeguard this guy will be good. He can also hold the Standard of Sacrifice to make your units more durable.
Indomitus Blood Angels Captain
The Primaris Captain in Indomitus has a new loadout but is otherwise the same as the old one. He has a master-crafted power sword (which now provides +1 Strength), heavy bolt pistol, and a relic shield. The shield gives +1 to his armour save (now a 2+) and confers a 4+ save to mortal wounds. Previously Blood Angels favoured the smash captain, which was very CP intensive. With the game seemingly moving to MSU using this Captain in an Impulsor with some Assault Intercessors might be a better idea.
Indomitus Blood Angels Lieutenant
There are over a dozen of these guys floating around by this point, so we know what they do. The new Primaris Lieutenant has a special Volkite pistol, a master-crafted power sword, and a storm shield. Interestingly the storm shield was changed from a 3++ invulnerable to a 4++ with +1 to the model’s armour save. It will be interesting to see if all storm shields will be changed to these new rules. As for the Lieutenant, Blood Angels armies didn’t usually take them because the Sanguinary Ancient does much of the same thing while being an elite instead of an HQ. I expect this trend to continue.
Eradicators
Gravis armour marines that hold assault multi-meltas. They don’t tie into the usual Blood Angel playstyle too much as most BA anti-tank is handled by melee units. The best use for them would be as transport crackers, blow open a transport vehicle then charge the guys that were inside.
Indomitus Blood Angels Summary
There’s a lot to love for Blood Angels players with Indomitus. Assault Intercessors in Impulsors to round out compulsory troops choices combined with the new Captain and Judiciar will be an excellent core for an army. With the game moving more towards MSU and HQ slots becoming scarcer I can see the smash captain falling off in popularity. That said though, Sanguinor and 30 Sanguinary Guard remain an excellent hitting force. While some parts of 9th have hurt them (nerfs to tri-pointing and multi-charges) I feel that there are enough buffs between the updated terrain rules, removal of overwatch, and new units to keep the Blood Angels viable in the new edition.
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