Want to build a good 40k army list without being “that guy”? Check out the3 key competitive elements that every list should have to do well on the tabletop.
If you’re wanting to get into competitive 40k without following the cookie-cutter go-to lists out there, here are a few elements that every list should have regardless of what faction/point limit you’re playing.
#1: A Firing Platform/Base
Regardless if you’re playing Tyranids, GSC, Guard, or Space Marines, you need to have a firing base. A firing base is a group of units (or one big unit) that can hang back all game next to your objective in your deployment and blast things. The key thing with your firing base is that it needs to be relevant all game with a punishing shooting statline. That means having 36-48″+ range is ideal and if it ignores LOS it’s even better. You also want to make sure it’s got some heat behind the shots (Bring the -AP multi damage weaponry).
Some popular options are:
- Hive Guard
- Leman Russ Tank Commanders
- Riptides
- Skorpius Disintegrators
- Custodes Caladius/Pallas Grav-Attacks
#2. Screen Clearers
90% of the armies are running some kind of screen. And if they aren’t, they probably have some annoying, low-toughness unit that sits out of the way and caps objectives. For that, you either need a fast-moving unit that can deal with them or buckets of dice from more shooty units.
Some popular options are:
- Death Company
- IG Mortar squads
- Custode Bikes with Hurricane Bolters
- Leman Russes with Punisher Cannons
- Repulsors
- Guardians
- Genestealers
- GSC Flamer Acolytes
With Abaddon/ fearless Cultist lists, Castellan/Guard screen lists, Termagaunt spam lists, Plaguebearer Daemon spam lists, screen clearers are mandatory. The whole mindset behind a good screen-clearing unit is that it can effectively delete a squad of screens leaving a hole open for melee units to get past. Which brings us to our next point.
Yes, you can have fly and jump over, but don’t forget you still have to place your models to make the charge.
#3. Bring Multiple Hammers
The goal of the “hammer” is to be a heavy-hitting mobile unit that can slap in combat. These are units that you want to dump most of your points into. But don’t bring just one. Three waves of hammer units one behind the other is ideal. Some great hammers are:
- GSC Aberrants
- Custodes Jet Bikes
- Mortarion
- Thunder Hammer Wulfen
- Dark Eldar Grotesques
- Sanguinary Guard
- Bullgryn Melee Squads
While the goal of the hammer is to make it into combat and tie-up/kill whatever it touches, there’s a bigger picture to look at. You want to bring multiple hammers one after the other so that you force your opponent to constantly react. If you bring in one squad of Death Company for example, into melee on turn one with Forlorn Fury, your opponent will be forced to dedicate some firepower to clean them up.
However, on your next turn, you can bring in some Custode Bikes that were just mid-field and connect with tanks (thanks to the Death Company for wiping out the screens turn one). You can see where we’re going with this.
While all of that is happening, your firing platform in the back of your deployment has never stopped firing and your opponent can’t deal with them because they’ve got bigger fish to fry in front of them. All in all, we’re seeing this with Chaos, Imperium, Xenos, and everything else under the sun. Just take a look at what units are mobile, what units have decent range/firepower, and begin to experiment!
What do you think about 40k’s meta? Do you have any other tips to share for competitive list building? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and sign up to get your free hobby updates newsletter each morning as well!
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.
