Editing Warhammer 40,000/9th Edition Tactics/Space Marines (section)

===Lords of War===
Well, well, well... The superheavies have seen some changes. For the most part they are all now T8, but their prices have been reduced by half in some cases. Further, fielding these units will heavy tax your command points as they are relics and require super heavy detachments.  

As a reminder, every model in this list will greatly benefit from being Iron Hands with a babysitting Master of the Forge; Chapter Tactics 6+++ FNP and Vehicles double their wounds for the purposes of choosing which stats they have, and the Warlord will heal them 3W per turn. 

*'''Land Raider Variants (Chapter Approved 2017, open play only):''' What happens when Games Workshop meets Build-A-Bear Workshop. It has the typical Land Raider stats and keywords that are common to all official variants. (TC) refers to transport capacity and is modified depending on sponson and hull weaponry. Example; (TC -5) means subtract five from the current capacity. 
**''Primary Sponsons and Initial TC:'' Pick one from the following list. It also determines the starting transport capacity, with all other options being modifiers. Two twin lascannons (TC 10), two flamestorm cannons (TC 12), or two hurricane bolters (TC 16). 
**''Secondary Sponsons:'' Two lascannons (TC -5), two heavy bolters (TC -5), two heavy flamers (TC -5), nothing (TC no effect).
**''Hull Weapons:'' Twin lascannon (TC -5), twin heavy bolter (TC no effect), twin assault cannon (TC no effect).
**''Pintle Weapons:'' None of the following affect your Land Raiders TC and you can have any of them you like in any combination. Storm bolter, hunter-killer missile, or multi-melta. 
**''Abilities:'' If you don't have any lascannons, you have the Frag Launcher keyword. If you have three or more single or twin lascannons, you gain the power overload rule (three or more hit rolls of 1 with lascannons in the same phase inflicts six mortal wounds on the Land Raider). 
*'''Land Raider Terminus Ultra (Legends):''' Now that the Smurfs have stopped being selfish pricks, this unit is available to all Chapters. Inexplicably in the Lords of War section, its statline is no different from other Land Raiders, but it will do a spectacular job of wrecking vehicles thanks to its ''eight lascannon shots per turn''. Three hit rolls of 1 in one turn will cause you to take 6 mortal wounds, but the chances of that are so small that it's unlikely to be an issue. Even if it does happen, it won't be enough to decrease your base stats until you drop to 8 wounds or below, and with the toughness and armour save that comes with being a Land Raider variant that's probably not going to be an issue. Just be sure to watch out for massed Infantry. 
*'''[[Spartan Assault Tank|Spartan]] (FW):''' The Spartan has always been a bigger and nastier Land Raider at heart, and this edition just makes it even meaner. A relic from the Legion days, it boasts an impressive BS3+, S8, T8, W20, and Sv2+. It comes stock with hull-mounted twin heavy bolters (which can be replaced with twin heavy flamers), two sponson-mounted quad lascannons, and anything trying to attack it in melee will have to deal with its crushing tracks, which "swing" at SU, AP-2, Dd3, but it's best not to rely on that since it's only WS5+ and A6/d6/d3. If the eight lascannons don't tickle your pickle, they can be swapped for laser destroyers that strike at 36", heavy 3, S10, AP-4, Dd3+3. The shorter range doesn't hurt it a whole bunch, since it's a transport and should be heading towards the enemy anyway. If you crave even more dakka, you can add a pintle-mounted heavy bolter, storm bolter, heavy flamer, or multi-melta. Finally, the Spartan has an enormous 25 transport capacity, including Terminators, Jump Pack Infantry, and Centurions, but not Primaris. If it explodes after losing its last wound on a roll of 6, it deals d6 mortal wounds to units with d6+6" before any embarked models disembark. 
*'''[[Typhon Heavy Siege Tank|Typhon]] (FW):''' The Vindicator's big brother on steroids is a fierce siege engine, taking the Spartan chassis but dropping the transport capacity and weaponry. As stock, the dreadhammer siege cannon is its only gun, but it drops a 24" heavy 2d6 S10 AP-4 D3 blast attack, making it ''worse'' offensively than a pair of Vindicators, while costing more. The dreadhammer can put a serious hurt on just about anything it's pointed at. In addition to the main gun, it can grab two sponson-mounted lascannons or heavy bolters, and can also take a pintle-mounted heavy bolter, heavy flamer, multi-melta, or storm bolter for extra dakka.  Avoid this.
*'''[[Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer|Cerberus]] (FW):''' An insane Titan-class laser weapon mounted also based on the Spartan chassis. It's exactly the same as the Typhon above, but swaps the dreadhammer siege cannon for a neutron pulse array kicks out 48" heavy 4 S14 AP-4 D2d3, that become D6 if it remains stationary. The longer range and special rule of this gun means it doesn't mind sitting well back from the front line.
*'''[[Fellblade]] (FW):''' The Baneblade's exponentially meaner cousin and the king of the battlefield. If you get first turn with a Fellblade in your army and your positioning is good, you WILL win. Absolutely bristling with guns, it has a massively impressive statline of BS3+, S8, T8, W26, and Sv2+. Its enormous and versatile Fellblade accelerator cannon sports two shell types: HE shells slap heavy infantry with 72", heavy 2d6, S8, AP-3, D2 (FAQ on 7th Jan 2021 reduced the damage), blast shots and AE shells are 72", heavy 2, S14, AP-4, D6 to cripple tanks. As for secondary weapons, it has a hull-mounted demolisher cannon (24", heavy d6, S10, AP-3, and Dd6) and sponson-mounted quad lascannons that can be swapped for laser destroyers (36", heavy 3, S10, AP-4, Dd3+3). It also has the usual Marine Lord of War pintle options with a storm bolter, heavy bolter, heavy flamer, or multi-melta. Finally, it's crushing tracks attack in melee with SU, AP-2, Dd3, but they only hit on a 5+ and you get less attacks as you get crippled. 
** It's debateable if the AE shells or HE shells are better against Vehicles and Monsters. The AE shells are high S and D, but you only make two hit rolls and Captain Aura's no longer allow them to re-roll hit rolls of 1 since they lack the core keyword. AE shells will be better off against T7 or below models (Carnifex's, Eldar and Tau Vehicles, Imperium Transports, etc) since the S14 wounds them on a 2+, but against T8 models (Leman Russ, Wraithknights, Wraithlords, etc) the sheer amount of attacks from the HE shells that wound on a 4+ will be better than two attacks that wound on a 3+. 
*'''[[Falchion]] (FW):''' A Fellblade variant which shares the same statline, keywords, and sponson/pintle weapons, but swaps the demolisher cannon and Fellblade accelerator cannon for the twin Falchion volcano cannon; 120", heavy 2d3, S14, AP-5, D6, re-roll failed wound rolls against Titanic units. 
** The Imperial Guard Shadowsword has a much better volcano cannon (heavy 3d3, S16, and D2d6), so you do rely on your sponsons to take up the anti-tank slack. The stock Shadowsword is 470pts vs the Falchions 600pts, and the Catachan <Regiment> Doctrine (re-roll one die used when determining the number of attacks made with a Vehicle weapon) is one of the best Vehicle rules in the game, although it's pretty challenging putting a Doctrine bonus on a Lord of War now. 
*'''[[Mastodon]] (FW):''' If the Spartan is a Land Raider with the dial turned up to 11, the Mastodon has broken the dial off and eaten it. One of the few T9 models in the game, with W30 and Sv2+, as well as two Void Shields that grant it a 5++ while they're still active. Each Void Shield has three "shield points" and each failed saving throw knocks off one shield point for each point of damage, in a similar way to wounding normally. Any excess damage is '''not''' carried over to the other Void Shield or the model itself (e.g, a lascannon that rolls a five for damage against a full Void Shield knocks off all three shield points, but the remaining two damage is not carried over to the other shield or the model itself). Once a Void Shield is gone, it does not return, but any remaining Void Shields with less than three shield points at the start of your Command Phase is returned to having three shield points. As for weapons, it has two heavy flamers, two lascannons, and crushing tracks. It also has two unique weapons: a skyreaper battery (48" heavy 8 S7 AP-2 D2, gains +1 to hit rolls and becomes D4 if the target is an Aircraft) and the siege melta array (24" heavy 6 S8 AP-4 Dd6, becomes Dd6+2 against a target within 12"). It also carries a whopping forty models, with Terminators, Jump Pack, and Wulfen models counting as two, Centurions counting as three, and can also carry ''up to two Dreadnoughts which count as ten models each''. It still cannot take Primaris, and cannot take Deredeo or Leviathan Dreadnoughts, but any other Dread is fair game, regardless of Wounds, unlike a Dread Drop Pod. 
*'''[[Thunderhawk]] Gunship (FW):''' The standard air support and transportation workhouse of the Space Marines, in the fluff anyway, since this monstrous flyer will cost you an arm and a leg (in both points and real $). It has a big M20-50" stat, and the Airborne, Hard To Hit, Hover Jet, and Supersonic rule from the Codex Flyers. T8, W30, and Sv2+ also makes it one of the toughest Aircraft in the Imperium, if not the game. Weaponry is two lascannons and four twin heavy bolters, on top of the Thunderhawk heavy cannon (48", heavy 2d6, S8, AP-2, Dd3+2, blast) and Thunderhawk cluster bombs (pick a unit this model moved over, roll 6d6 if you picked a Monster or Vehicle or 1d6 for each model in a unit up to 18d6, and each 4+ causes one mortal wound). The cannon can be swapped for a turbo-laser destructor to wreck tougher Vehicles with 96", heavy 3, S16, AP-5, D6, and the bombs can be swapped for a hellstrike missile battery so you don't have to move over your target to hit them with 72", heavy 4, S8, AP-3, D3, and against Aircraft it becomes Dd3+3 and gains +1 to hit rolls. As for Transport, '''it can carry thirty FIRSTBORN AND PRIMARIS models!''' Wulfen, Terminator, Mk X Gravis, and Firstborn Jump Pack models count as two, Centurion, Firstborn Bikers, and Primaris Jump Pack count as three, and Primaris Bikers take up a whopping four.  For a Small Price of 800 Points!.
*'''[[Thunderhawk]] Transporter (FW Legends):''' A Thunderhawk variant designed for airlifting tanks. This unusual vehicle shares the statline of the Thunderhawk, but only carriers the hellstrike missile battery and four twin heavy bolters. In addition to fifteen models with the same restrictions as the Thunderhawk above, it can carry two Rhino-based Vehicles (Rhino, Razorback, Predator, Hunter, Stalker, Whirlwind, Whirlwind Scorpius, Vindicator, Vindicator Laser Destroyer) or one Land Raider (any flavour), Sicarius (any flavour), Spartan, Typhon, or Cerberus. Any embarked models do not count towards the fifteen-model transport capacity. These vehicles act exactly like other passengers and are subject to the usual restrictions for embarking and disembarking, meaning they can detach while in Supersonic mode at the end of the Movement Phase. It's much cheaper than the Thunderhawk Gunship, but its usefulness is somewhat questionable, cool as it may be. 
*'''[[Stormbird|Sokar Pattern Stormbird]] (FW):''' The largest Flyer Forge World offers to the Marines, but still dwarfed next to the Tau Manta. T8, W40, and Sv2+, with two Void Shields (see the Mastodon unit entry). It can carry half a Marine company, with a fifty-model capacity. Like the Thunderhawk, it can split those between Firstborn and Primaris models with the same restrictions according to armour type. Unlike the Thunderhawk, it can carry one Rhino which counts as twenty-five models (models embarked in the Rhino do not count towards the fifty-model capacity). Carries a hellstrike missile battery (72", heavy 4, S8, AP-3, D3, and against Aircraft it becomes Dd3+3 and gains +1 to hit rolls), three twin heavy bolters, and four twin lascannons. 
*'''[[Astraeus Super-Heavy Tank|Astraeus]] (FW):''' Your Titanic grav-tank and a common sight on the competitive scene. T8, W30, and Sv2+ with two Void Shields (see the Mastodon unit entry) are your main defensive stats. Fly gives you vulnerability against certain weapons but the Repulsor Field gives you the stratagem for defence against charges. The main gun is the twin macro-accelerator cannon, with a mean 72", heavy 12, S8, AP-2, D3 statline. Secondary weapons are two Astraeus las-rippers (36", heavy 2, S9, AP-3, Dd6) that can be swapped for two plasma eradicators (36", heavy d6, S7, AP-4, D2, blast and can gain +1S and +1D but hit rolls of unmodified 1 inflict a mortal wound against the Astraeus). Tertiary/defensive guns include a twin heavy bolter (swappable for a twin lascannon), storm bolter, and one ironhail heavy stubber (with the option to take a second). 
** Compared to the Fellblade, its main gun is almost strictly better under mathhammer due to the high number of S8 and D3 shots. Against a Knight the Fellblade's AE mode barely does 6 damage, with a fair chance of doing 0, vs the Astraeus' more consistent 6-9 damage. The TMAC is also a better version of the Fellblade's HE mode; guaranteed 12 shots vs 2d6 with one less AP and blast. Very effective against light/medium Vehicles (especially the usually flimsier Aircraft), as well as W3 Infantry such as Gravis and Terminator Marines, Tyranid Warriors, and Custodes. The secondary armament is only inferior with the eight Lascannons and Demolisher Cannon of the Fellblade outgunning the Accelerator Cannon itself when combined. It's a mixed picture in melee, with the Repulsor Field stratagem making the Astraeus harder to engage and hit but it lacks the option to mount any flamer for point defence; the Fellblade can mount up to three heavy flamers which will inflict significant overwatch casualties on attacking Infantry as well as crushing tracks to deal some damage back. The Void Shield gives it an important defensive tool that the Fellblade and most superheavy tanks lack so it ends up out-living the Fellblade in the long run by effectively having ~29 wounds. Most importantly, it's much cheaper than the Fellblade since it's not a Relic you don't have to pay the CP tax.