Dark Angels are Here! and well eh..... (also another battle report)

All right the Dark Angel Codex has finally come out and I have had it for 3 days already.  I have been charged by my ATC team mates with coming up with an army to bring to the tournament in August.  However I can not at the moment find any inspiration.  Now the codex is not bad by any stretch of the imagination I just can't find my muse.  For one thing a lot of the new stuff is either over priced or not super effective.  I really wanted to use the new flyers but they were like well that is either underpowered or over priced.  I also wanted to use a vengeance but once again I was not impressed.  I also wanted to build an all ravenwing force but then I would play a heldrake and watch him just own me..(God forbid two heldrakes!)
So it looks like I am heading towards the Deathwing again.  Or maybe actually gasp... a force with actual green marines in it.  Well I will have to sit down and post ideas after I brainstorm for a bit.  Anyone else looking at the DAs any thoughts would be greatly welcomed and/or stolen....


Well here is another quick battle report from the Christmas break gaming marathon.   This was written up by my opponent and I am too lazy to rewrite it.

His List

HQ - Sorcerer, level 3, spell familiar (both took all telepathy powers)
HQ - Sorcerer, level 3, spell familiar
a Warpsmith has been making an appearance in place of one of the Sorcerers from time to time

El - Helbrute,multimelta
El - Helbrute, plasma cannon

Tr - 10 CSM, 2 plasmaguns, CCW, vets
Tr - 10 CSM, Lascannon, plasmagun, CCW, vets
Tr - 10 CSM, 2 meltaguns, combi-melta,meltabomb, CCW, vets, rhino, havoc

Fa - Heldrake, bale flamer

Hv - Maulerfiend, tendrils
Hv - Forgefiend, ectoplasma head
Hv - Defiler, power scourge Hereto referred to as Django because the scourge looks like he just broke his chains and he's got 6 million weapons and attacks

My List
Coteaz
Grand Master w/Rad and Psychotroke
5 Paladins two hammers and two psycannons
10 Strikes Ammo, Hammer 2 Psycannons
7 Assassins
5 Warriors in Psyback w/searchlight
10 Interceptors Ammo, Hammer 2 Psycannons
Land Raider w/Ammo and searchlight
Dreadknight w/teleporter and incinerator


We rolled up Big Guns Never Tire which meant I had 6 scoring units and Hammer n Anvil deployment. First turn was nightfight and I was going first.

Top of 1

All I had in front of me was a Land Raider full of assassins, 5 walking Paladins with Coteaz hiding behind the LR and 3 cowering henchmen in a psyback. I should have charged forward with 2 dreads, the Maulerfiend, the meltagun rhino squad and Django, but I didn't. I was to worried about the outflanking Interceptors, Dreadknight and Strike squad so I hunkered down on a hill behind a large sphinx and hoped my one Lascannon could take out the Land Riaider. It didn't and my turn stunk.

Bottom of 1

Nothing moves. The Land Raider fires two lascannons and blows the multimelta Helbrute sky high.

Top of 2.

WTF! It was dark out! How did he see my Helbrute. Damn Imperial searchlights. I realize my mistake from turn one and decide to charge a turn late and without a Helbrute and the rhino which is behind my army behind the hill. Basically the Maulerfiend gets invisibility cast on it and moves up to a ruin near the Land Raider and Paladins. The last Helbrute follows along.

Bottom of 2

10 Interceptors, 10 Strikes and a teleporting Dreadknight come in behind my army where I have a rhino with 10 guys who need to meltagun the Land Raider. The Strikes blow up the rhino. The Land Raider shoots the Helbrute, doesn't kill it and just makes it madder. The Paladins shoot at the Invisible Maulerfiend and get one penetrating hit. I fail my 2+ cover save and Greg rolls a 6 to detonate the Maulerfiend.

Rest of game - Highlights

I am hopelessly out maneuvered, outgunned and losing models fast. I am already crying that I lost this game on deployment. On turn 3 I get the Heldrake in and it proceeds to kill 10 Strikes and 10 Interceptors over 3 turns. Nothing can stop it and there is no escape from the Heldrakes wrath. I then realize what all the excitement on the Internet is about. This thing is great, right now, against an elite 3+ save army, which put 20 guys in my backfield who can't hurt It. Just to keep things in perspective.

The Forgefiend activates the daemonforge and strips the remaining hull points off the Land Raider.

The Dreadknights jumps from unit to unit and avoids Django in combat by hiding in challenges I have to accept, but eventually the DK runs out of challenges and an invisible Django cuts down the Dreadknight.

We have very little left on the board at the end. We tie on objectives, but Greg has First Blood and Warlord to get the victory.

The game went very fast I out manuvered Fred but the stupid heldrake came on and I had no answer for it.  Luckily my remaining warriors were so far back and the drake ran out of time to get them.  Another highlight was my Warlord going down to three hits from an exploding vehicle rolling three ones...