7th Edition 40k is one like no other. Rapid releases, wild rules and lack of FAQs made 7th edition like the wild west. That being said, it is still a great edition and I personally think it is the best yet.
While no edition is perfect, I have had more fun playing 7th edition than I have in any other edition. But 7th is not without its controversies. Today I want to focus on Strength D, and how it relates to the game.
The D
The introduction of strength D into 40k has really shaken things up. MCs, Heavy tanks, and Lords of War all have to be on the lookout for the dreaded “deathblow” result, that delivers a punishing 6+D6 wounds, for an average of 9 wounds or hull points. In case you have not checked, very few things in 40k even have 9 or more wounds and a of people, myself included, don’t like his mechanic as they feel it is too devastating when trying to play 40k competitively. Now, in apoc or a fun game, bring it on, but taking out an 800 point stompa with a single shot is a bit too much for some people. I do not disagree with this being too powerful at range, but today I want to say that I feel this mechanic is ok in combat.
Certain things should be Strength D
To my knowledge, the first thing in 40k to bring close combat D to the game was the knight titan. I was skeptical at first. I knew the rules for D, but was unsure about it having a place, but when I took one look at the Knight titan’s chain sword, I was sold on it. The chainsword it wields is roughly as large as a long as a rhino. “Yep,” I thought, “That really should be Strength D. S10 just would not do it justice.” From a fluff perspective I could totally see the reason it was Strength D, and after playing against it for over 2 years know, I really think it is the right call. Being a bigtime chaos player I have lost many a soulgrinder to the sword of a Knight titan, but with its high points cost I couldn’t complain.
The Bloodthirtser
I have been playing Chaos in some form since 2008, and things have changed a lot since can remember back at the beginning of 5th edition, when a bloodthirster was something truly terrible to behold. The game was not as shooty back then, and the assault units at the time really had to think twice before engaging the greater daemon of khorne. He was not unstoppable by any means, but certainly did a lot of work. But then, something happened that changed everything: the 3+ invulnerable save became commonplace. As this shift took hold in the meta, the Bloodthirster suddenly lost a ton of power, and the introduction of daemonic instability in 6th made this problem even worse. I can remember one game in particular when a charging bloodthirster met Arjac Rockfist in single combat, and all his attacks bounced harmlessly off of Arjac’s stormshield, and arjac in return dealt a single wound. The bloodthirster then proceeded to roll a 12 on instability and be dragged back to the warp. I wish I could say this was a rare occurrence, but between Wraiths, thunderwolves, chapter masters and Command squads I found my bloodthirsters becoming increasingly less effective.
Let me quote for you a piece of fluff out of the 4th-5th edition Chaos daemon codex, the fluff that made me fall in love with the bloodthirster in the first place:
Nothing, on any of the many battlefields of the War-ridden 41st Millennium, can match the fury and fighting prowess of the Greater Daemons of Khorne, the dreaded Bloodthirsters. No one, not even the greater daemons of the other Dark Gods, can hope to defeat a bloodthirster at close quarters. Nowhere, in an entire galaxy of worlds at war can a deadlier opponent be found by glory seeking fools.
When I read this, I thought one thing: If a bloodthirster makes it into combat, then nothing can stand before him. In a sci-fi futuristic wargame I thought that was unbearably cool, and it was frustrating to see this continue to not be the case on the tabletop
Enter the Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage
This all changed when the Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage, the dreaded “D-Thirster” hit the battlefield. Suddenly there was a unit that could engage anything in 40k in close combat, and if he swung that axe, victory was his. I was elated when I read this guys rules because suddenly the Bloodthirster was scary again. With 8 Strength D attacks on the charge it mattered Not how good your invulnerable save or feel no pain was, this guy could take it out. Now, after years of mediocrity, the Bloodthirster was the top of the food chain for Close combat. All the assault units that Walk the tabletop today have to be wary of the D-thirster. I have seen this guy walk through wraiths, thunderstars, and super-characters a like. Now, some of you might think this is unbalanced, but gentlemen, look again at that quote above. The Bloodthirster NEEDS to be scary. It NEEDS to be able to defeat anything, and now it really can.
The D-thirster with unmodified strength D solves a lot of problems for chaos armies that other units simply can’t. Killing wraiths, thundersars, and certain MCs can be next to impossible with the good invul saves, feel no pain, and high wound number they have access to. Because of this I believe that the D-thirster is a crucial part of the meta right now that serves to counter units that chaos otherwise can’t counter.
The D-thirster is far from unstoppable, and can be gunned down by many different things in 40k right now. I am ok with that. That is what guns do. Similarly, he can get bogged down by horde units and never earn his points back, or chopped down in combat before he swings. But having a unit that if it does make it to combat, and does swing, is truly a one-hit-KO delivery systems helps balance 40k overall and helps keep the bloodthirster the scariest thing in 40k.
