After seeing a few 9th Edition 40k tournaments conclude over the past few weeks, it looks like Terminators are back. Are they the new Intercessor?
Terminators and Intercessors both have a fairly common statline. They’re S4, T4, and have multiple wounds. Differences like wargear and mobility are where they’re really set apart. Looking at a few list’s use of Terminators, they could very well be the new Intercessor.
Meta Watch: Are Terminators The New Intercessor?
The first list we’ve got is of some Dark Angels. This army came in 2nd place and spammed a mix of Terminator-armored units as well as some Bikes. We’ve got the full breakdown of the list here if you’re interested.
From the same tournament, a Space Wolves list also ran two thick squads of Terminators and placed 3rd. So why are Terminators making a resurgence in 9th Edition?
Meta Watch: Are Terminators The New Intercessor?
It’s important to note that in both of these lists, they brought Intercessors AND Terminators. We’re not saying that Terminators are going to replace Intercessors across every list. But we can see where there’s newfound usefulness for the THICC Marines.
- An Intercessor (including a standard bolter) is 20 pts. A squad of 5 is 100pts.
- A Terminator with a storm bolter/power fist is 36 pts. You can take a squad of 5 for 172 pts. (sergeant taking a power sword)
For Terminators, keep in mind that with wargear like lightning claws, thunder hammers, storm shields, etc. thrown in, things may get more pricey. But keeping things simple, we’re looking at the most basic wargear for both units.
Looking toward Intercessors, they have very basic wargear with the Sergeant only able to take something gross like a thunder hammer. In terms of mobility, they have an Impulsor or Repulsor. Although the Repulsor is debated as being way too expensive for just using as a transport. The bottom line is, you have to pay more points to get these guys up the board in a timely fashion.
For Terminators, they’re almost double the cost of Intercessors but hear us out. However, you’re getting the same amount of wounds with a 2+ Sv/5++ invuln, and the same amount of attacks as an Intercessor squad but most of them at S8 (ty power fist). Plus, they come with their own deepstrike ability which means you don’t have to pay points for a transport to get them up the board.
If you’ve got points to play with, you can also equip these guys with all different kinds of wargear depending on the faction you play.
UPDATE: Terminators may be getting EVEN BETTER with a new datasheet revealing boosted wargear stats and three wounds per Termie model.
We saw this datasheet making rounds across the web earlier and it looks like GW plans on setting them further apart from the Primaris stuff. Before, they were basically slower, tankier Primaris Marines with better wargear options. However, now that they look to be getting three wounds and +4″ to the Heavy Flamer/flat 2-dmg on powerfists just to name a few, they’re shaping up to be even spicier than before.
A Point About Detachments
Finally, with detachments COSTING CP in 9th Edition and a Battalion only giving you the option to take a Dedicated Transport, it might be more appealing to take some Terminators in a Vanguard and not having to dump points into Troops or an extra HQ.
9th Edition’s meta is definitely still in its infancy so it’ll take some time to really see what the most popular units in most armies are. But it seems like a few players out there are gravitating toward Terminators again which is something we never saw in 8th Edition.
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What do you think about Terminators in 9th? Are they worth their points for a 2+/5++ plus wargear options? If they get bumped up to three wounds and have their wargear buffed like the datasheet shows, will they be the new Primaris Marine?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
