Iron Hands seem to make every old Space Marine unit good again. So what 40k units should you field with Iron Father Malkaan Feirros?
It’s no question that the Iron Father Malkaan Feirros is going to be played on the table. But what units compliment his rules best?
Looking at his rules, we’ll be going over some food for thought when it comes to picking which units you’ll want to have hanging around him during your whole game game. In case you haven’t seen all of his stats and goodies, we’ve got them all here for you:
Malkaan Feirros: Iron Hands Full Rules
Fierros is a beast. Coming in hot at a smooth 110 points, he has the Student of History Warlord Trait. He’s not that expensive so you can squeeze him into pretty much any Iron Hands list.
Looking at Feirros, he was a normal Space Marine for quite some time but was selected to cross the Rubicon Primaris. After making the switch, his new suit of armor has two servo arms and a heavy bolter named Gorgon’s Wrath! But we can’t forget about his named axe Harrowhand either.
He’s on the slower side combat wise, but being T5 with 7 wounds and a 2+ save, he’ll be more than just a speed bump for the enemy. He’s also decked out with multi-damage wargear. Gorgron’s Wrath is his shoulder-mounted souped-up Heavy Bolter and he’ll also be able to get 6 attacks on the charge with a S7 axe. (Don’t forget about those other two servo arms we mentioned earlier, either.)
For his aura ability, he’ll be able to lend a 5++ invulnerable save to models within 6″ of the model. What’s even better, he’s also coming stock with a 5+++ FNP.
With his presence alone, Feirros will anchor any Iron Hands line – not only does he ignore wounds on a 5+ thanks to his Artificer Bionic ability, but he provides an invulnerable save to nearby units.
And for the last few cherries on top, Signum Array sets the friendly units’ ballistic skill to a 2+. Note that it’s not just +1 BS.
On another hand, he can repair vehicles like any tech marine, but he automatically heals 3 instead of D3 which is a nice touch. This is in a combination with both his Blessing of the Omnissiah and Master of the forge abilities.
Min/Maxing Iron Hands Malkaan Feirros: Tactics & More
Now that you’ve got a good idea of the character, it comes down to picking the units that he’s going to be rolling with all game. Based off Stratagem support and other Doctrine rules, it’s no question that Leviathans are going to be an amazing pick for an Iron Hands force. However, not with Feirros. The Leviathan already comes with a base 4++ invuln. You can bring one, but let him play somewhere else and hold a flank on his own.
For Feirros, you’ll want to bring something that doesn’t already come with an invulnerable save to make use of his 5++ aura.
The Repulsor Executioner
When it comes right down to it, the Repulsor Executioner is probably the top option you’ll want to go with. It’s T8 and doesn’t already have an invulnerable save. Feirros can use his Signum on it to bring its BS to a 2+. And perfectly enough, the Repulsor Executioner also has an innate ability that lets it fire twice if it doesn’t take its full move. That compliments Feirros’ 5″ movement extremely well as you’ll just be creeping up the board if you ever even have to move. If the combat gets a little hairy, Feirros can always hop in the Executioner and drive away too.
Redemptor Dreads
As we’ve seen with most competitive Primaris lists, the Redemptor Dreadnought is another solid choice. It doesn’t have an invuln and has plenty of shots to make use of a 2+ BS. Bubbling up three of these around Feirros as a mid-field screen clearer might not be a bad option either. Each one is getting 18 heavy bolter-profile shots and are all vehicles. Feirros will just have to juggle healing damage taken between the three through the duration of the game. You probably won’t be needing to move much with these guys either as the enemy can’t ignore a triple-Dreadnought platform unloading all game.
Assault Cannon Razorbacks
The trick for Razorbacks is to kit them with assault cannons. While there’s no real bad option, you’re probably getting the most versatility of assault cannons over las cannons or heavy bolters. With that said, those Razorbacks are a Dedicated Transport which means you can bring as many as you want. The assault cannons on the razorback pump out 12 shots at S6 -1AP 1 damage.
However, thanks to Calculated Fury, The Devastator Doctrine bonus rule, You can move your full distance with these guys, dump 12 shots at your normal ballistic skill, AND reroll 1’s. Don’t forget that those assault cannons also get a bonus AP (now at -2AP). But it gets even better.
Being that they’re vehicles, Feirros can offer them a healing hand on top of the 5++ Invuln and 2+ BS just like the other units from above. What’s also great is that since you can bring as many of these as you want, you can effectively cut off LOS from certain models by pushing a couple of these together.
Stormtalon Gunship
Carrying two assault cannons on its nose, you can still only take three of these in a game. However, you’re also able to put these guys just about anywhere you want to on the map. Seeing that they check all the boxes of what you want for Feirros to give maximum benefits to, if things get hairy and you need to draw the enemy in another direction of the map, then you can boost them behind the enemy lines.
Feirros is definitely a monster for his points. But his value really comes down to what’s around him. Play in true Iron Hands fashion and bring plenty of vehicles!
What do you think about Feirros’ rules set? What is your personal favorite option to roll with? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and sign up to get your free hobby updates newsletter (with discount coupon codes) each morning as well!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
