Hey all, Kevin here to talk about Codex Space Marines. We all know by now that they have won the FOB: Open (and I believe another smaller GT earlier this month but I cannot remember which one). Now we can debate over whether it was a good first true test of the codex since it was the Open and not the Invitational. Yet as a player at the event I can say that most of the Marine White Scars lists were in the Open and not the Invitational and a player did win the third bracket, no small feat saying that players like Alan Bajramovic were all the way down in the 6th bracket as well as everyone else being technically a tournament winner. I can say that through my time in the Invi. and in the 5th bracket I did not play a Space Marine player at all. There were only 9 SM players in the Invitational total of the 110 players.
Although none of the names we are use to reading were in the Open, it is no small feat to come to the top of a GT. I have played a few of the Open players before and they are not push overs. It also saw quite a few Eldar and Tau players bringing the "Top Lists". Also although the terrain did vary, in some cases was better that the Invitational IMHO, the missions were still all Book Missions. So we know the list can do well when we are playing straight out of the book.
Before going any further lets look at the winning list....Beating out 49 other players to win the Open is....
Dan May's White Scars/Dark Angels
WHITE SCARSKhan on Moondrakkan Chapter Master on Bike, Artificer Armor, PF, Shield EternalCommand Squad on Bikes w/ Apothacary4 bikes w/ 1 Attack Bike w/ MM, 2 Gravguns, 1 Combi Grav 4 bikes w/ 1 Attack Bike w/ MM, 2 Gravguns, 1 Combi Grav4 bikes w/ 1 Attack Bike w/ MM, 2 Gravguns, 1 Combi Grav4 bikes w/ 1 Attack Bike w/ MM, 2 Gravguns, 1 Combi Grav5 bikes w/ 2 FlamersStormtalon w/ Skyhammer Missiles Stormtalon w/ Skyhammer MissilesThunderfire CannonThunderfire CannonDARK ANGEL ALLIESLibrarian lvl 1 on bike, Power Axe 5 Scouts, Snipers, Missile Launcher, Camo Cloaks
Now we do know how good Khan and gang is a good list concept, but how did it do well?
Well it has 6 scoring options that can move 24" in a turn. It is made up of bodies that have T5, 3+/4+C, hit and run, etc. It is boasting gravy and melta. so it can deal with any tank or tough unit.
It also has two Talons to deal with flyers as well as thunderfire canons because.....they are just thunderfire cannons and are auto takes right now.
Other than that it is quite simple. One factor it also has is the Biker command squad, a unit many know I am a fanboy of. It hides in it the ideal Chapter Master set up as well a a prescience libby. This unit, in my opinion, is one of the best deathstars in the game right now. Alone that Chapter Master is a beast yet FNP on him is ever so sweet. I personally like to load out the squad a bit more myself. Yes its a points sink but is very underestimated by anyone I have played against with it.
He did use Dark Angels for the Token Prescience libby, but hey at least now we can say Dark Angels helped win a GT.......I still like a Space Wolf Rune Priest on bike with runic armor better to help out with the last real psychic denial marine option.
Overall this is a simple and effective list I believe can win a number of GT's right now. Although we still need it to win one of the bigger GT's competitive track tournaments signs are looking good right now. It has excellent awnsers to both Eldar and Tau as well as Daemons. So only more time and more GT's can tell if this is the Meta breaker army we want. I kow I will be dropping my Eldar to play this army here on out.
