Supreme Commander is a new keyword in 9th Edition 40k and we’re waiting to see what units will get this. Here are some good candidates…
With 9th edition, 40k has seen a restructuring of the Supreme Command Detachment, which requires you to have the “Primarch, Daemon Primarch or Supreme Commander” keyword. That leaves us with a super limited list with no Supreme Commanders currently in the game.
So who should we see get this keyword?
Supreme Commander Keyword: Who Should Get It in 40k?
As of right now, the only characters that can take advantage of the Supreme Command Detachment are:
- Roboute Guilliman
- Magnus the Red
- Mortarion
Not really a lot there to say of…But more importantly, none of them have the “Supreme Commander” keyword.
So how is this going to evolve? Well, I am sure with each Codex release we are going to see those books contain one or two of their choices gain this keyword. But that would mean that some armies would have an inherent CP/HQ advantage over others, using the Supreme Command Detachment to bring some awesome characters and leaving spots open in their Patrol, Battalion, or Brigades.
There is some thought that this should only be saved for truly large, Primarch-level models. But, in my opinion, this creates an in-equity in the game and excludes certain factions. It also means we are all waiting for those epic models to release, and the detachment will be relatively useless overall. Finally, why would GW have made it optional for HQs instead of making it LOW only?
The Gothmog Solution: GW should release an Errata that grants the Keyword to a list of characters, much like they did for Blast Weapons.
And here is the list of people that should get it I believe
The Imperium
- Strategem- Codex Space Marines “Chapter Master” should have a line added where it adds the Supreme Commander keyword.
- Blood Angels- Commander Dante
- Dark Angels- Azrael
- Ultramarines- Marneus Calgar
- Raven Guard- Kayvann Shrike
- Space Wolves- Logan Grimnar
- Flesh Tearers- Gabriel Seth
- Black Templars- High Marshal Helbrecht
- Crimson Fists- Pedro Kantor
- Carcharodons- Tyberos the Red Wake
- Minotaurs- Lord Asterion Moloc
- Raptors- Lias Issodon
- Lamenters- Malakim Phoros
- Deathwatch- Watchmaster
- Grey Knights- Grand Master Voldus
- Grey Knights- Lord Kaldor Draigo
- Grey Knights- Grand Master/Grand Master Nemesis Dreadknight
- Custodes- Trajann Valoris
- Adeptus Mechanicus- Belisarius Cawl
- Astra Militarum- Lord Castellan Creed
- Astra Militarum- Commissar Yarrick
- Adeptus Sororitas- Saint Celestine
- Adeptus Sororitas- Junith Eruita
- Death Korps of Krieg- Marshal Karis Venner
- Inquisition- Lord Inquisitor Hector Rex
- Inquisition- Lord Inquisitor Solomon Lok
- Inquisition- Inquisitor Torquemada Coteaz
- Inquisition- Inquisitor Karamazov
- Inquisition- Inquisitor Greyfax
Chaos
- Chaos Space Marines- Abaddon the Despoiler
- Chaos Space Marines- Huron Blackheart
- Chaos Daemons- Aetaos’rau’keres
- Chaos Daemons- An’ggrath the Unbound
- Chaos Daemons- Scabeiathrax the Bloated
- Chaos Daemons- Zarakynel
- Chaos Daemons- Kairos Fateweaver
- Chaos Daemons- Rotigus
- Chaos Daemons- Skarbrand
- Chaos Daemons- Shalaxi Helbane
- Death Guard- Typhus
- Thousand Sons- Ahriman
Aeldari
- Craftworlds- Asurman (only Pheonix Lord to warrant it IMO as he is the first and chieftain of them. Whereas the rest would be too focused on their Aspect)
- Craftworlds- Autarchs
- Craftworlds- Eldrad Ulthran
- Ynarri- The Visarch
Necrons, Tau, Orks, Nids & GSC
- Necrons- The Silent King
- Orks- Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka
- Tyranids- Hive Tyrant
- Tyranids- The Swarmlord
- Genestealer Cults- Patriarch
- Tau- Commander Shadowsun
- Tau- Commander Farsight
So all of these people should, in theory, have access to the Supreme Commander Keyword. They are Chapter Master and their equivalent or greater in other factions. You’ll notice very few generic HQs, but those that are there really define the idea of a supreme commander IMO. The Eldar Autarch is the perfect example of this.
As commanding an entire Craftworld’s Army is literally what they have trained their whole life to do. Other things like Hive Tyrants were literally spawned out of genetic soup for that purpose.
Of note, I didn’t include Carab Culln of the Red Scorpions… because he’s in a Leviathan Dreadnought now. (But could still totally be one of those Supreme Commander choices because he is technically an HQ).
Another thing though. Since a Supreme Commander HAS to be your Warlord, by limiting it to mostly named characters, this is locking in what is usually NOT the optimal Warlord Trait for the army. SO it becomes a matter of picking your poison. Do you want to free up that HQ slot or do you want to save your warlord trait (or the CP you’d spend on a 2nd)? Your choice.
What I would like to see as the edition evolves is the following (not listing Primarchs, as if they show up at some point in 9th they are already covered in the detachment requirements).
Imperium
- Astra Militarum– New Datasheet “Warmaster”. These guys lead crusades in the fluff and are kind of a big deal. Also opens up a whole new realm of orders or stratagems
- Space Marines– Should be standard for any chapter master that gets made. EG- if Lysander gets upgraded from a Captain as he should be.
- Custodes– Constantine Valdor. Be super sweet if he came back, and he would obviously warrant this.
- Adeptus Sororitas– A Canoness Superior stratagem, like Space Marines have the Chapter Master one. Put a Canoness from another order on par with Junith Eruita. A normal Canoness is like a SM Captain but they need their Chapter Master-equivalents too.
- Archmagos– Just something above a Tech-Priest Dominus that isn’t Cawl. Maybe its a stratagem as well, like Chapter Master and the Canoness Superior one above. Maybe it’s a new datasheet. Either is fine.
Chaos
- Emperors Children– Eidolon. Be cool to see the Soul-Severed in the game. And if he came back, as the Lord Commander Primus, he would necessitate the keyword.
- Word Bearers– Kor Phaeron. While Erebus may be the worst person in the Galaxy, he is not really up for “Supreme Commander”. That’s where Kor Phaeron comes in though. Now at the head of the Dark Council, this would be neat and fitting.
- Chaos Daemons– Bel’Lakor. Needs a new model, needs to be reinvented. But the 1st Daemon Prince should be near Primarch levels and treated as such.
- Chaos Daemons– Kugath. Bring back the Plague Father. ‘Nuff said.
Other Xenos
- Drukhari– Asdrubael Vect- Drukhari are the only race not listed above, and that is because Vect is missing in the game still. And frankly, he shouldn’t be. But no other Dark Eldar commands the attention of his race as he does, and frankly (again), it makes no sense to give the keyword to just a random Archon when the race is known for their Treachery. He is the only person that deserves this for DE.
- Orks– A Stratagem or new Datasheet to make a Warboss one. The generic Warboss is a little too lackluster for this as is IMO, but it wouldn’t need to be something on par with Thraka. But it should be an impressive Ork, to say the very least.
So what do you think? Did we miss anything? Is there anything you want to see? Or do you think all of this goes WAY too far and that keyword and detachment should be super limited?
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About the Author: Gothmog
