40k Kill Team Factions In-Game: How do They Play?

By Wesley Floyd | August 15th, 2018 | Categories: 40k Kill Team, 40k News & Articles

Now that 40k Kill Team is out, I’ve had some encounters with different Kill Teams that I’d like to talk about. Let’s dive right in.

Some Kill Teams should be stronger than others. Just like factions in 8th edition. At the moment, Grey Knights can’t even compare to something like Guard or Cultists. So how do some of the 40k factions play in Kill Team?

Orks

From what I’ve seen, Orks are “up in the air” in terms of competitiveness They do have some solid units like Nobz and flamers. But of the Orks I’ve seen on the board, they fizzle out. At first, they’re very strong and can dominate the board because of the sheer amount of models, but their crappy armor save is what gets them.

The Nob is strong because he’s a two wound model and can really bring the pain in close combat. Grots are a little up in the air in terms of usability. They’re dirt cheap and you can use a stratagem on them called “Grot Shield” to help protect your Boyz but it’s never really been a game-changing thing.

Harlequins

Harlequins are still frighteningly fast in Kill Team. They are a little bit neutered in terms of movement, but if they weren’t, they’d be too powerful. Rules say that instead of moving and an enemy is within 12″ you can charge. Harlequins can instead charge 3D6 and from 18″ away. You’ll usually be within 12″ of the enemy regardless so the extra D6 is just good insurance that you’ll make your charges.

They are T3 and only have a 4++ save so you’d be surprised at how quick they fall over. But boy do they bring the pain. They can take fusion pistols and swords with -2 AP D3 damage. With the way the game works, they can charge, shoot one unit with a -4 AP gun, and then dice up another with an Eldar power sword. They’re pretty hard to deal with.

Adeptus Astartes

Space Marines lucked out in Kill Team from what I can tell. They don’t just fall over like they do in 8th edition. They ignore the penalties of taking the first flesh wound because they’re big and meaty. That means they can take a hit and not be -1 to everything after. They have great weapon options as well. From the sergeant being able to have a plasma pistol and a power sword, he’s an AP monster. You can also load up on two plasma guns or even melta if you really don’t like armor. They’re decently cheap and you can fit about 6-7 marines in a Kill Team.

Perhaps the best part about Space Marines is that they all have pistols. That means that if you know you’re getting charged, they can not move and choose to ready up. If they ready up, they’ll get to shoot the charge with a bolt pistol in close combat before anything happens. Reivers are even scarier with -1 AP pistols.

Grey Knights

Grey Knights are alright. They’ve got a psychic power that only one person can cast a turn and it’s basically a nerfed smite. It’s good against things with high armor but it’s nothing game-changing. They do have twice the amount of firepower from a normal tactical marine and everyone gets a power weapon which is nice.

But where they hurt is model count. Maxing out a list of 100 points will get you five Strike Marines. They’re horrifying in combat but you have to get them there first and every loss on a Grey Knight’s team is pretty brutal. Going from five models down to four against a Kill Team with 10+ models can seal your fate.

They’re not nearly as bad as they are in 8th edition and they have a fantastic weapon selection to choose from. But I don’t see them being incredibly competitive.

Imperial Guard

Guard are strong by their sheer model count alone. They double in scariness when you start putting flamers on people. cheap models carrying S4 auto-hitting guns forces the opponent to try and skirt around them. Guard still get their orders like they do in 8th edition. Even though they’re a little different, they are still very powerful.

One weakness to Guard is their leadership. Once you lose half of your squad (sometimes eight or more) you’ll have to take a leadership test. If you fail it, you’ll be -1 to everything you do. You’ll also need to roll and see if each model is shaken. If they are shaken, they can’t do anything until you pass the test. Guard are strong because of their firepower they carry early game. But once they start losing models, leadership will come to haunt them. The player will be -1 to his roll for every model he’s lost in the game. Pretty brutal for horde teams.

40k Kill Team Factions In-Game: How do They Play?

These were just a few factions that I’ve gone up against since Kill Team has come out. What do you think about some Kill Teams out there? What Kill Team do you play? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.