My current SW army list

My current army list is scaled at 2K points and I add and subtract points from it depending on the opponent. No matter what, the core pretty much always looks the same. I will always have my 3x Grey Hunter packs in there as well as my Rune Priest.

My current army list:

1984
13 KP

HQ:
Ragnar Blackmane = 240
Rune Priest (Chooser, WTT) = 115

TROOP:
9x Grey Hunters w/ WG (Rhino, PF, cbM, Meltagun, WS, MotW) = 243
9x Grey Hunters w/ WG (Rhino, PF, cbM, Meltagun, WS, MotW) = 243
8x Grey Hunters w/ WG (Rhino, PF, cbM, Meltagun, WS, MotW) = 228

ELITE:
5x WGT (WC/SB, WC/cbM, PF/cbM, CF/cbM, WC/HF) = 225
in LRC (EA, MM) = 275
Lone Wolf (TDA, WC/CbM) = 55

HEAVY:
Vindicator (Dozer Blades) = 120
Vindicator (Dozer Blades) = 120
Vindicator (Dozer Blades) = 120



Now before I say anything, let me first explain the Ragnar Blackmane. Yes, I do realize he's not the most cost effective option.. but every once in a while, you'll find a unit or character that you have a special bond with. I have this bond with Ragnar because he dies in every game I take him; sometimes gloriously in combat with an enemy Dreadnought, and in other times, getting shot in the ass by a gaunt (thanks Jay). No, more realistically, I take him because I think he fits with my personality. His Frostblade does the talking for him and that's just how I like it! At 2K points, I always take Ragnar but at 1750 point games, he's always on the bench. Why? Because I can't justify a lord choice costing the same as a Land Raider leading my army when I'm already choked for points.

Back on the army list - You can see that I have a Rune Priest there. I never leave home without a Rune Priest because he is the lifeforce of the entire codex. I mean, Grey Hunters are really amazing and we'll get to that later, but in every game where you have to take a mandatory HQ, the Rune Priest is that man. He comes with a Force Weapon, can be given anything from 2+ Runic Armor, to Terminator Armor, choices of combi-weapons , sagas, and Taslimans. He's dirt cheap, has a 4+ dispel to any psychic power going off within 24" of him (or the hull of the vehicle you're in), and has access to some of the most potent psychic abilities in the game. I agree, I am a little ashamed that I'm a Space Wolf that has fantastic psychic powers. I mean come on, Space Wolves are supposed to hate magic and arcane sorcery.. they're basically Dwarves in the space.. but 4' taller. My favorite abilities for the Rune Priest is Murderous Hurricane, Living Lightning and on the occasion, Jaws of the World Wolf. I know a lot of players were crying about how overpowered Jaws was when it was first revealed; a 24" line of take an I test or be removed from the table.. but that power is really limited to certain enemies; such as Tyranid bio-monstrocities with horrible initiative. Most armies have the means to survive such a thing.

Something that works against everybody is Murderous Hurricane. At 18", you inflict 3D6 S3 AP- shots that auto-hit and you force that unit to treat open ground as difficult AND dangerous the next turn. That's huge! Against armies that depend on weight of numbers such as Orks and Tyranids, you will inflict some serious headache (through spell damage, him rolling for dangerous every time he moves essentially, and denying him movement with difficult terrain).

Living Lightning is just there because I have a Chooser of the Slain that provides 18" infiltration protection and increases my Priests BS to 5 when shooting in LoS of the bird. D6 S7 shots with unlimited range can touch any light transport on the table so nothing is really safe from it.

Next, you see my troop selection.. all of them looking stale and similar. That's because after many months of playtesting, I found this combination to work the best in my army. The layout is fairly simple, you have your Wolf Guard with a Fist and combi-melta, a Meltagun, Mark of the Wulfen and Wolf Standard. The first 3 are pretty self-explanatory: Meltaguns = dead tanks, Fists threatens anything from Marines to ICs to Dreadnoughts. The last two are wolf speciality items that no other army can field. Mark of the Wulfen trades the model's attacks for 1+D6 attacks that can Rend. This is better than a Power Weapon because it allows something that can't be picked out in combat to potentially throw out more wounds than a Power Weapon. It's also the only thing that auto-wounds/pens things that a S4 Power Weapon can't touch; like a Wraithlord or the back of a AV11 vehicle. The next little item we have here is the Wolf Standard. This thing allows you to re-roll ALL 1s in the unit in the turn the player declares it. 10 points, 1 use only, but worth every penny. Even if you save one Grey Hunter, it will have made its costs back. Re-rolling every 1 means you re-roll all 1s to hit, wound, your failed armor saves, your pitiful roll to run your enemy down, your insane effort to stay in a losing combat, or even Ragnar's +D3 charge bonus (in case you epically fail, like me most of the time). This is great for those moments that you know you'll be taking a beating and you need every man alive to hit back. A must buy in every Grey Hunter pack.

The rest of the list is pretty self-explanatory. You have differently kitted Wolf Guard Terminators so I can play wound allocation games, an LRC that delivers them to their target, and enough cbM's spread out so they can take on the heaviest of vehicles if they need to. Ragnar will go into this unit and sweeten the deal with his robust flavor of awesomeness and the Rune Priest will ride shotgun in the Rhino with an empty seat. The Vindicators are just really there because I like how they feel and sound (play: "Imaginary Loud Sounds"). The thought of S10 AP2 large blast ordnance templates falling on your enemies' exposed troops, transports or even Land Raiders (2D6 pick the highest!) is laughter to my ears. You need at least 2-3 Vindicators to make a large enough influence on the field or you shouldn't even bother.

That's it for now, more later.