This Cadians vs Space Wolves game is a rematch against Matt’s Space Wolves who I played recently in the three-game, 1-day event at Boards and Swords.

Never miss an article? Subscribe!

Cadians 2,000 Points List

This game was at Boards and Swords, in Derby. It was a few weeks ago now, so details are lacking. I have lots of pictures though!

Cadian Battalion Detachment

Command Points

• Imperial Commander’s Armoury 1CP
• Whiteshields 1CP
• Arbiter of the Emperor’s Will 1CP
• Tank Ace 1CP
• I will be starting on 8CP

Agents of the Imperium

• Psyker Malleus Inquisitor with Arbiter of the Emperor’s Will for a Warlord Trait and Power Sword Relic, Tainted Blade. Psychic Powers are Smite, Psychic Fortitude and Warding Incarnation

HQ

• Plasma Executioner Pask with Multi Meltas and Lascannon
• Battle Cannon Tank Commander with Kurov’s Aquila, Plasma Cannons and Lascannon
• Battle Cannon Tank Commander with Plasma Cannons and Lascannon

Troops

• 20x Whiteshield Conscripts
• 20x Whiteshield Conscripts
• Infantry Squad

Elites

• Veterans with 3x Meltaguns
• Nightshroud Astropath
• Psychic Barrier Astropath
• Mental Fortitude Astropath
• Warlord Platoon Commander with Gifted Commander Warlord Trait
• Platoon Commander with Power Fist, Plasma Pistol and Laurels of Command (and Grand Strategist Warlord Trait once the first Warlord is dead)

Heavy Support

• Demolisher Leman Russ with a Heavy Bolter and Multi Meltas
• Demolisher Leman Russ with a Heavy Bolter and Multi Meltas
• Full Payload Manticore with Hunter Killer Missile

Dedicated Transports

• Taurox

I forgot my Autocannons so swapped out the Veteran’s Autocannon for a Power Fist and Plasma Pistol on my Platoon Commander. So I could use this guy that I painted this time last year.

My Catachan Colonel from October 2020

Cadian List Summary

This is very similar to the list that I used against Matt’s Space Wolves before. I swapped out the rather useless Imperial Defence Line, added in some Veterans and a Manticore. I also removed a Demolisher, the Scions and the Hellhound and added in an Infantry Squad and Taurox.

The remaining Demolishers got Multimeltas and a Heavy Bolter instead of just three Heavy Bolters – which are extremely meh.

I have also swapped Coteaz out of a regular Inquisitor for two reasons;

1. He is fewer points, 35 fewer I believe and he still knows two powers and Smite, and can cast two powers. Thanks to the Arbiter of the Emperor’s Will Warlord Trait. Coteaz can cast three though, but in the event when I played Matt I forget to cast Smite in every Psychic phase of every game I played! So, it will not be missed.
2. I wanted to use this nearly painted Psyker/Inquisitor model.

The Manticore will be useful for clearing the enemy off backfield objectives. I did do this against Matt in the last game by Deep Striking my Scions and using Battle Cannons to reach right across the table. It worked well as it forced more expensive units back to deal with the threat and retake the objective. Having a unit of Marines move back just to gain 5VP for the Primary and not moving forward is really handy.

The Veterans will sit in my backfield for Deep Strike denial. The main reason for them is to just have some BS3 Meltaguns in my backfield, for the inevitable Eradicators. They can also do an action on the first turn I think as they sit and await their orders.

The Taurox and Infantry Squad are also a new addition to this force. I have had good success with this before against the Blood Angels. It can speed forward and the infantry can do Retrieve Octarius Data on the second turn. Also, remembering how Matt deployed in the last game it was either flank, if I can clear one flank and then get the Taurox onto that flank I will be in a good position.

We shall see…

Space Wolves 2,000 Points

• Wolf Lord
• Wolf Guard Battle Leader
• Redemptor
• Gladiator Reaper
• 10x Assault Intercessors
• 2x units of 10x Regular Intercessors
• 3x Aggressors
• 3x Eradicators
• 2x units of 3x Outriders
• 5x Bladeguard

The Mission – Scorched Earth

Neither of us took the mission-specific Secondary.

Deployment

Space Wolves split up with very little on my right flank, just some bikes, everything else went on the other flank. Eradicators and Aggressors were in Deep Strike.

I spread out and along my Deployment Zone with Conscripst on either side and most of my Leman Russ in the centre. The Taurox went on the right flank opposite the lone Bikers. One of my Demolishers went into Strategic Reserve thanks to Gifted Commander.

Turn 1

Space Wolves got the first turn. They all moved forward and the only shooting was the Redemptor. So, you know how the Leman Russ got a 2+ Save? Great yeah? Nope! Not when a Redemptor comes along with an AP -5 weapon on turn 1 and kills Pask in one volley. So that sucked and meant I had lost a major unit and over 15% of my force’s points instantly.

In my first turn, I did as I had intended and went for one flank while hiding on the other. I sped the Taurox forward using the Full Throttle Tank Order to take it right over the other side of the battlefield.

As usual with the Guard these days I just lacked the punch in firepower to do any real damage. Pask was gone which did not help.

Turn 2

The Space Wolves were able to press themselves into me now. With almost zero damage being done on my first turn I was charged by bikes and Assault Intercessors.

The Conscripts did well against the arriving Aggressors and the charging Bikes. These Toughness 3 dudes are ironically more durable than a Leman Russ when played correctly.

It was now a game of trying to survive as the waves of Space Wolves arrived, I fell back and shot. Rinse and Repeat.

Turn 3

The game was done by now. Relentless charges and the Guard’s inability to effectively shoot has sealed the deal.

Turn 4

All is lost.

Summary

Unfortunately, my win against the Space Wolves a few weeks ago was short-lived and lucky it seems. The Guard are back to where they are used to being.

This game got me on a bit of a downer I am afraid, which sadly is reflected in this summary. It is hard to paper over the gaping holes in 8th Edition Codexes when we have no tools to even stand a chance. Maybe, maybe we do if we go infantry, Lord of War and Tanks Commanders.

Poor Deployment

I did deploy Pask poorly in hindsight which enabled the only in-range shooting the enemy had to one-shot him. But it speaks volumes to where the Guard are at the moment when the whole rest of my force cannot remove a single enemy unit from the table on turn one. Coupled with losing Pask, it was a loss from turn 1 I think.

Manticore

Utterly useless again. I honestly do not know why I take this thing, it is so unreliable at every point of an attack.

• Shots? Sure, here is 4.
• Hits? Never heard of them.
• Wounds at Strength 10? Nah, let us Transhuman that.
• Damage 3 – let us make that 2 for you.

Granted the 2 Damage would be against the Redemptor, which cannot Transhuman – but you get the idea.

Too Few CP

I am slowly coming to the realisation that the things we are good at in the game cost CP. But the things that can make us good in the game also cost CP before the game.

I am hamstrung from the get-go because I spend CP on Whiteshields, Tank Ace, maybe a Spearhead Detachment and extra Relics – but then when it comes to the game I have run out of CP by turn 2. This removes my ability to make the OK units good; like Relentless, Cadia Stands, Hail of Fire and Overlapping Fields of Fire.

The Guard just do not have the reliability or tools to get stuff done baked into them like other factions now do.

Final Score

Astra Militarum – 61
Space Wolves – 94

Space Wolves Victory