In one of the most exciting releases of all time, Magnus the Red has returned, and he has brought his Thousand Sons with him!
The rules presented for these guys in the new Wrath of Magnus book represent their fluff very well. There are all sorts of opinions about the new Thousand Sons rules out there, but today I want to focus on what I think are the real gems in this release.
The Thousand Sons Special Rules:
In light of the release of the Traitor Legions Book, some people are down on the Thousand Sons special rules, but I have to disagree. Plus 1 to your invulnerable save for benefiting from a blessing matches their fluff extremely well and is very powerful. 3++ terminators? 3++ Rubric Marines? Yes Please!
Ahriman: Yes, that’s right. The Chief Sorcerer of the Thousand Sons makes this list. With a new model and updated rules, Ahriman is back in action. The big changes to Ahriman over his previous rules are that he can now take a Disc of Tzeentch, and has access to 6 additional disciplines. With Mastery 4, this makes Ahriman EXTREMELY flexible. His warlord trait, which lets you infiltrate D3 units, also really helps out some of the slower Thousand Sons units. In Addition, The Black Staff of Ahriman, which lets him cast the same Witchfire power up to 3 times, really make this guy worth his high price tag.
Exalted Sorceror: With extra attacks, wounds, and BS over a standard sorcerer, as well as a great bonus shooting attack, these guys are great. They have access to 11 disciplines, including divination, and with Disc of Tzeentch and spell familiar access are the most powerful psykers CSM can use. These have a place in any list that would use a Sorcerer.
Tzaangors: These guys are incredibly good for their points, boasting an extra WS and T over that of a regular cultist. Anywhere you would take cultists, these guys are just better!
Scarab Occult Terminators: When you break down this unit for exactly what you get for the points, it is a steal. A Mastery Level 2 Sorcerer with 2 wounds and a 4 terminator body guard, all of whom have AP3 guns and a 4++ save. That is great! They also have access to really good weapons that, when combined with their psychic powers, can really dish out the pain. Also, with access to 11 disciplines these guys are incredibly flexible.
Magnus The Red: Wow. This model will change 40k. Never before has there been such power in a single model. Magnus is amazingly powerful and can single-handedly demolish enemy armies. He is the most powerful psyker in 40k, extremely good in combat, and quite hard to kill. The thing I like the most about Magnus, however, is that he is so reliable. His powers are not random, he ignores perils of the warp, and can cast his powers more reliably than anything else. This makes Magnus MUCH more tactical than many other 40k units. He is not invincible, but when used correctly I think he is absolutely incredible.
The War Cabal: At first glance you may have skipped over this formation. However, I think it deserves a second look. This is one of the few formations in the codex where it is possible to satisfy the Favored of Tzeentch special rule in an 1850 point game. This rule allows you to reroll failed saving throws of 1. When this is suddenly applied to 15 Rubric Marines, 15 Scarab Terminators, and 4 Sorcerers, then every unit in this formation becomes incredibly good! Your model count is low, but your units are nearly unkillable! I encourage Thousand Sons enthusiasts to try this out. It will surprise you!
The War Coven: This is another great Formation, and is a great way to make your Thousand Sons Sorcerers even better. Just nominate one of the 6 listed psychic disciplines before the game begins and all psykers in the formation can cast powers from that discipline on a 3+. This is a great way to add some extra psykers to any army and make them better at doing their jobs once they are there!
Ahriman’s Exiles: Similar to the War Coven, this formation is a great way to add extra psykers to any army and make them extremely good. Casting ANY discipline on a 3+ is incredible, and makes Ahriman and exalted sorcerers into something you should be afraid of!
Rehati War Sect: This is my favorite formation in the book. This is a great way to use Magnus, and an AMAZING way to make some very powerful daemon princes or Exalted Sorcerers. This generates a ton of psychic dice for everyone to use, and makes everyone extremely good at using warp charge points. This also further improves Magnus when he uses the Siphon Magic power and gains extra dice from all the powers his buddies are casting!
I think that all the rules in the Wrath of Magnus are good, and nothing is bad. There are some other formations that I like a lot, but they are much harder to use in a game under 2000 points. I really like the Thousand Sons Detachment as well, but I feel it does not do as well in games under 2000 points due to expensive core choices. Thousand Sons is an army that will only do better with larger points values. A 3000 point game with this army would be a TON of fun and really let you unlock some of their potent combos.
That being said, Thousand Sons have the units they need to do well on the tabletop at any points level and I look forward to playing both with them and against them!
Check out more articles and tactics from our very own Horton Doughton.
About the Author: Horton Doughton
