Kill Team previews are finally coming to a close just as the releases go on pre-order. Which faction will you be bringing to the tabletop?
Warhammer Community hasn’t been wasting any time on revealing the factions for Kill Team. Players will be able to choose between 16 different factions and equip their Kill Team in any way they want.
40k Kill Team: Final Faction Previews & More
As of this writing, we’ve still got Harlequins and Thousand Sons to preview so stay tuned for their previews as well.
Adeptus Mechanicus
Ad Mech Kill Teams are keeping with the rest of the Mechanicum; being extremely good at shooting with high-tech boomsticks. They’ll also get to use Blessings of the Omnissiah in-game. They can either pick or roll on a table to get a bonus to the team for a turn. Players can also take Rangers, Vanguard, Ruststalkers, and Infiltrators in their Kill Team.
Looking at their stratagems, they can get even better at shooting and scan their terrain to make sure they don’t snag any tripwires. Those are bad for business.
Space Marines
Right off the bat, one very cool thing about the Space Marine Kill Team is that you have the option to take Scouts and Tactical Marines with Primaris Marines. That’s the first time we’ve seen any kind of affiliation between Primaris and non-Primaris models. Kit your squad out with Scouts, Tacticals, Reivers, and Intercessors.
Instead of the whole squad fighting like in 40k, it’s just one model. But hey, just kit one guy out to be a beatstick in combat.
Masterful Marksmanship is a nice cheap helping hand when you really need to take down a certain model.
Genestealer Cult (GSC)
If you’re a fan of cunning tricks and ploys, you’ll love the Genestealer Cults – whether closing in on the foe at speed with their Cult Ambush rule or drawing on their various underhanded Tactics.
Sadly, you can’t take a Patriarch as part of your Kill Team. But you do get Neophytes, Acolytes, Hybrid Metamorphs, aberrants, and Genestealers.
We don’t know how good GSC shooting is, but this is definitely helpful. Especially if your opponent is trying to inch up the board and stay behind cover.
This is a cheap little tactic to help get a one-up on your opponent. You may just be able to kill that model trying to get froggy with your Neophyte.
Orks
The getting started set for Orks only comes with Burna Boyz but you can give your Kill Team a whole new composition. You’re able to take Boyz, Burna Boys, Lootas, Kommandos, and Gretchin. I know what you’re thinking; why would anyone want to fill up a slot on their Kill Team for a Gretchin. Well, they have a neat little stratagem.
You can basically turn one of your Orks into a character form 8th edition. The enemy will have to shoot at the Gretchin instead. It may be kind of pricey for what it does though. We’ll have to see it on the table.
Because Orks are notoriously….bad at shooting, they gave them a stratagem to shoot again. Plus it’s only one command point. That’s nice if you take an auto-hitting weapon.
Astra Militarum
Astra Militarum are getting some love in Kill Team and seem like they’ll be pretty dang strong. You know those orders that your enemy can’t stand in 8th? They’re also in Kill Team. Your Kill Team leader can issue orders to your squad and take normal Guardsmen, Scions, and Special Weapons Gunners.
This seems like the most powerful stratagem yet. Even though it’s only at 1 model and not the whole Kill Team, giving something -1 to hit is brutal. Especially to Orks.
Issue two commands because one just isn’t enough! If you find yourself in a bind and your Kill Team is knocking on Death’s door, pop the stratagem and give your team some commands to fight harder.
Tyranids
You won’t be able to bring any big bugs to Kill Team but you will be able to play Hormagaunts, Termagaunts, Warriors, Genestealers, and Lictors.
This is some of the CP farming we’ve all come to know and love in 8th edtiion. Just Lurk, kill something, gain D3 CP, rise and repeat.
This one is very similar to the Astra Militarum “Get Down” stratagem. Tyranid players will be using this a ton if Genestealers still have that T-shirt save.
Dark Eldar
We all know that Dark Eldar love nothing more than going into combat with nothing more than a T-shirt. They have crappy armor saves but are extremely mobile and have access to combat drugs and even the power from pain rules.
You’ll be able to take Wyches and Kabalites together in any combination for Kill Team.
We mentioned speed earlier, but we weren’t kidding about how fast they are. Shoot and get a free movement out of a unit. You can completely make one model disappear out of LOS and make it that much more annoying for your opponent.
You just have to hit your target to do a mortal wound. Getting 3D6 to roll higher than their leadership should be easy to do more than half the time. You could outright kill a model with this stratagem assuming you roll hot enough.
Deathwatch
We can’t just talk about all different kinds of Xenos races without the Deathwatch dropping in. Deathwatch will be a nasty Imperial thorn in the Xenos players side.
Deathwatch Veterans are the single most customisable unit in kill team – with a single kit, you’ll be able to build anything from heavy-weapons troops and backfield snipers to melee juggernauts. Even their bolters can fire several types of Special Issue Ammunition.
You’ll be able to take Veterans, Reivers, and Intercessors in your Kill Team. You better believe they didn’t forget their Special Issue ammunition at home for this mission.
one CP to have up to two models reroll ones? That’s some insane value. Since you can use that stratagem even in the shooting phase, why wouldn’t use this every turn?
Deathwatch are good at what they do and that’s getting results. Take a melee Reiver and throw him at the enemy leader. He may not even need the Decapitation Doctrine stratagem but it’s a good way to get a leg up on the opponents that are a bit harder to take down.
Harlequins
Harlequins aren’t just fast – they’re elite, too. Your kill team will consist of about six or seven tooled-up Players – each a deadly champion in their own right.
You’ll be able to take about six-seven kitted out players in your Kill Team. Zoom across the sector and seize control.
You can basically always advance your Harlequins without any penalty at all. For just one measly CP, you can give a player a 3++ save. Get him up the board and use the stratagem for protection.
2 CP to shoot at the unit you haven’t quite killed off. This is extremely powerful because your opponent is basically “damned if they do, damned if they don’t.” in terms of falling back.
Tau
Tau are still good at shooting and can still Overwatch for each other. That’s brutal considering Kill Team is a lot smaller scale and you’ve only got light infantry units going against others. A good Overwatch can be the turning point of the game for a Tau player.
You’ll have access to Fire Warriors, Breachers, Pathfinders, XV25 Stealth Battlesuits, and Drones for your Kill Team.
It’s just like the stratagem in 40k. Markerlights seem to be a lot more Valuable in Kill Team, however. Having a lot fewer guns to throw markerlights means this stratagem will help you maximize your results.
Breachers are a great area denial unit and are fantastic up close and around corners. Their gun gets a lot stronger up close so use them as the middlemen for the rest of your army. If an enemy model tries to get froggy, send him back to where he came from with a plasma shotgun.
Necrons
Necrons aren’t just great at shooting – they’re also very, very hard to kill. Every time you make an Injury Roll to see if a Necron goes out of action for good, there’s a chance that they’ll be fully restored instead. Nasty!
The Necrons will be able to field Warriors, Immortals, Deathmarks, and Flayed Ones in their Kill Team. Not too sure how comfortable the other Necrons are having a Flayed One on the team.
Imagine seeing an Immortal pull out a scarab and underhand toss it right onto your buddy’s face…and then proceeding to take cover from your buddy because he’s now shooting at you. That’s what we’ll be seeing when we go against Necrons in Kill Team.
Necrons may have ancient weaponry but their Army-wide AP capability is no joke. Especially in Kill Team when a model can get it’s shots up to AP -3!
Just a side note. Of the stratagems previewed so far, it looks like Necrons have the most expensive ones. Both cost 2 CP but let’s be honest. They’re both really powerful.
Heretic Astartes
The Chaos Space Marines have access to all manner of sinister powers granted to them by the Dark Gods – from insidious Tactics to Marks of Chaos and Icons that provide deadly in-game benefits.
The Heretic Astartes Kill Team is going to have access to Chaos Marines or Cultists. Double down on Cultists or go more elite and take some special weapons on your Marines.
Give one of your models an unholy blessing and make them better at basically everything. It’s two CP but it lasts until the game ends and you get a really scary model out of it. Just don’t roll a 1.
This stratagem is a little hit or miss. Costing two CP already and then needing a 4+ for just one mortal wound sounds like there’s so much that could go wrong for a little reward. We’ll have to see how many CP players get at the start of the game. Maybe Cultists will have a way of massing CPs to spam this stratagem.
Asuryani
In the close-quarters of Kill Team, the Asuryani are lethal, using short-ranged shuriken weapons to cut down foes, or keeping their distance with rangers and heavy weapons platforms.
You’ll be able to field Guardian Defenders, Storm Guardians, Rangers, and Dark Avengers in your Kill Team. Try all the different combos! Will you spam Rangers for longe range firepower or mix and match the different units to have an answer for everyhting.
2 CP to show your opponent that you’ve still got Line of Sight on their leader before the game even begins. Not bad considering you can start sniping people from the side and force your opponent to react.
We may see an auto-include Dire Avenger Kill Team list pop up. 1 CP to let a model reroll all failed hit rolls is nothing short of solid.
Death Guard
These Nurgle-blessed kill teams are among the most durable in the game, with a single Plague Marine being incredibly tricky to shift – if you’re looking to play a slow and steady game where you win through attrition, these are the guys for you
As the player, you’ll be able to mix and match Poxwalkers and Plague Marines into one disgusting Kill Team.
Turn the enemy into a mindless disease carrier with Nurgle’s Gift. There’s a 50/50 chance it could go off but it’s only one CP so it’s not too shabby.
If you really need to protect one model holding an objective or cut down on all the focus-fire, Cloud of Flies can help with that. It’s two CP but it’s a pretty nasty ability. (No pun intended)
Death Guard are notoriously annoying to go against on the large-scale tabletop battles of 40k because they DO NOT die. Kill team shouldn’t be any different. Draw the game out and win with attrition with Death Guard.
Grey Knights
Even without their guns, the Grey Knights are deadly, thanks to Psybolt. Kill Team, like Warhammer 40,000, features a psychic phase where units can smite one another with warp-magics – and for now, the Grey Knights are one of only two kill teams that can take advantage of it, with every member of their team being a psyker. (Don’t worry – you can only cast it once a turn!)
In Kill Team, every Grey Knight is a hero – a champion who can go one-on-one with pretty much anyone in the game and win. If you’re looking for a super-elite team that can deal damage in every phase of the game (barring movement – although you’re welcome to try running into people) then these are the guys for you.
You’ll only be able to take the Strike Squad variant of Grey Knight’s in the Kill Team (Who would’ve thought).
One CP for a 4-shot Heavy Bolter that ignores the Heavy. This is arguably one of the best stratagems in the Grey Knights codex. It’s great since it’s so cheap.
Hopefully, Grey Knights have access to things like Vortex of Doom and Gate of Infinity. You wouldn’t want to use this stratagem on something like a baby smite. We’ll have to see everything Grey Knights can cast before we call this stratagem competitive.
Grey Knights are the elite of the elite and they are coming to a small skirmish game. They may perform better in this game than 8th edition 40k. All the Kill Teams seem like they may be on the same playing field.
Thousand Sons
The Thousand Sons are one of only two Kill Team Factions (so far…) that can take advantage of the Psychic phase, smiting enemies with the deadly Psybolt power.
You’ll be able to take an Aspiring Sorcerer, Rubric Marines, and Tzaangors as a part of your Kill Team.
One CP to max out your burning possibilities against those dirty non-psyker Kill Teams. This is definitely strong considering how cheap it is.
two CP to save your model at the cost of him having some complications later on. Not bad in a pinch. It’s also fluffy which is always a bonus!
Don’t forget that Grey Knights and Thousand Sons are the only Kill Teams with a psychic presence. That’ll give them a serious edge over other teams.
Which team seem the most powerful to you? It’s already been announced that Kill Teams will be in groups of three to twenty models. Will Cultist spam bleed over into this game from 40k as well?
What are your opinions on Kill Team? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
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.
