Adeptus Custodes are a new up and comer in 9th Edition giving Marines a run for their money- check out their top 40k army lists so far!
Custodes were good in 8th Edition but they’re even more spicy in 9th. Check out what these players are bringing in Custodes lists to stomp out Space Marines have been owning the top tables.
Thanks to Best Coast Pairings we are able to look back at the event as if we were there ourselves.
Vanguard Tactics: Adam Shepherd-Jones- Custodes
Starting with this Custodes list, a Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike and a Shield-Captain on foot (who was the Warlord) led a single small Troops squad of spear Custodians. Taking the rest of the points and dumping them into a bunch of different faction workhorses, some Allarus Termies walked up the board. Supported by a Contemptor Achillus Dreadnought, these guys had a ton of melee damage output.
For one of the most unique unit options we’ve seen in a Custodes list, some Forge Wold Venatari also hit the board all armed with spears. These guys were straight up anti-Primaris getting two shots at S6 -2AP 2 damage a pop. Plus, if they got caught in melee they could slap just as hard.
To finish everything off, some Vertus Praetors added a contingent of speed to the list and a Telemon acted like a walking gun platform that could also pop open a tank like a sardine can with his Caestus fist. A Vindicare was also thrown in to force the opponent’s characters to keep their heads down. Awesome list.
Skyslammer III: Erik Sjogren- Custodes
Next, we had a Dread Host Custodes list running Trajann and a Dawneagle Captain as the Warlord. Packing all of this into a single Patrol Detachment, he was able to start the game with max CP and put most of his points exactly where he wanted them. To have some super tanky objective holders, some regular Custodians all armed with storm shields were brought. The melee punch of the list came in the form of some Aquilon Custodes. These guys all had four wounds each and were able of dropping four S10 D3 damage swings apiece. Plus, some S5 bolter fire was just icing on the cake.
For anti-armor, Jetbikes were taken with Salvo Launchers on each. These guys could shoot a single melta profiled shot or a scattered D3 damage burst which was some nice utility. Plus in combat, they still got an absurd amount of attacks with lances with high AP on the charge.
Finishing everything off, a Telemon with a blaster and fist made him usable in every phase of the game and a Vexilla Magnifica made everybody he stood close to (probably the Aquilons mostly) -1 to hit in the Shooting Phase.
Warzone Giga-Bites: William Lewis- Custodes
This list started off with Trajann and a Sheild Captain in Allarus armor as the Warlord. Forming a Battalion, these two led three squads of Custodian Guard all with storm shields to make for super tanky objective holders. Just like the last list, a Telemon was taken (except with double the Primaris-killing dakka) as well as a vexilla Praetor with the -1 hit aura.
But trading out the Aquillons and Jetbikes from the list above, this list put 700 pts worth of Allarus Custodes on the table. Each one was armed with a S4 grenade launcher that could eat straight through most power armor and a Castellan Axe that pretty much hit like a power fist. When you consider that each model gets to make four attacks apiece, you can see how potentially nasty these guys are. Great job!
The overarching theme to all of these lists seems to be some kind of Terminator-armored football team supported by a -1 to hit Vexilla and a Telemon using a mix of wargear.
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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.
