Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Chaos Space Marines (section)

===Troops===

*'''Black Legionnaires [Blackstone Fortress]''': A two-man unit of Chaos Space Marines found in Blackstone Fortress. These guys must take the {{Template:W40kKeyword|BLACK LEGION}} keyword. Such a small squad means they are effectively immune to morale, because you can't run away when you are dead. Problems arise though as the pair costs 26 points - meaning they cost more base than normal CSM's, they may actually be useful hiding out of LOS in your back-line as a Deep-Strike screen. Your opponent is either going to try to track them down, or have to waste long-range shots to kill a pair of marines. If you are Black Legion and find yourself a few points free, give them consideration.  You also need Obsidius Mallex as well, to prevent them from rendering their detachment no longer battle-forged.
**These guys also have the unique drawback of not taking up a force organisation slot in a detachment when Obsidius Mallex is in it, so they won't help you complete a detachment to qualify for its CP.

*'''Chaos Space Marines''': Seems these dudes are now 11 points, a damn honest cost considering the bonus rules they've been getting. Yet they are still struggling to be the first choice troops in most lists. CSM's are... okay and getting more attractive with each micro-buff (eg. Bolter Drill, New Renegade Traits, Stratagems, new weapons like the Reaper Chain-cannon and a minor reduction in points per model in CA2019), and from tweaks to other units (eg. Mere Mortals for Cultists). They are best deployed for a specific purpose - either as a camping unit, bodies to support horde killers (thanks to Bolter drill) or to chip in with a wound or two to bring down a vehicle (thanks to special and heavy weapons). However they still don't bring enough to the table to build your wider plans upon. Part of the problem is that Havocs and Chosen do a similar job, but with easier access to weapons - so if you don't need Troop slots filled, take those instead. Also, compared to their loyalist counterparts, CSM's come out worse overall unless you're actually fighting '''IMPERIUM''' forces, In which case they <may> be better assuming you can get to combat and roll well. MSU's are better than a large unit, you aren't vulnerable to morale, while still being able to get two special weapons (one in the unit, one on the champion). Get a Pair of MSU squads with combi-melta/flamer and a regular melta/flamer and chuck them in a Rhino, Since most opponents won't pay attention to them, they can reliably support your better stuff, chip in all around the field and at the end of the day threaten an objective with Ob-Sec. As for the Icons a squad can take are, they are all lack-lustre, but the most helpful are an Icon of Despair for when your other guys win combat, or an Icon of Vengeance if you are going larger squads. With Bolter Drill, the Chainsword/Bolt-Pistol option for these guys is obsolete, as you can achieve far greater damage output by rapid firing; instead of charging into combat and giving the enemy the chance to attack back. If you really want a melee legion, then make them Slaanesh and give the Champion a Power Fist. Combined with some form of aura re-roll, he's likely to deal at least some damage before he and his squad gets wiped out. 
**The current state of affairs means that CSM's tend to tote around a Reaper Chaincannon, as this turns them into a nice little objective camping choice. Give the champion a combi-bolter and you've got a squad that can deal with light and medium infantry fairly well, dealing 10 bolter shots and 8 heavy bolter equivalent shots out to 24" if you don't move. Given that a unit of Havocs will get focused down really quickly at close range, these guys have a good use in toting around extra chain-cannons for later rounds.
**Take 10 and bring 2 lascannons. 3 squads in a battalion garners you pretty good anti tank with 8 ablative wounds each, allowing the rest of your army to run around and chop bitches up.
***Boltguns get you 2 S4 shots with rapid fire up to 24" if you did not move, then 2 S4 attacks on the charge. '''4 S4 altogether''', though at range.
***Chainswords get you 1 S4 attack at 12" with your pistols, then 3 S4 attacks on the charge. '''4 S4 altogether''', yet your still getting 3 total S4 attacks in subsequent turns, while also being attacked in retaliation. There could be use for a having single 20 man blob with chainswords, Mark of Khorne and Icon for 210 points and hurled at your enemy with warptime, but its normally better to give them boltguns and take squads of ten with special/heavy weapons and camp. 

*'''Chaos Cultists''': Your 'cheap' Troop choice. Cultists can now be set for melee or range with no changes in points, though like CSM's you achieve the same damage from shooting as getting into combat without being punched back. In honesty, don't bother running them as melee as other units are always going to be much better at it. The unit is also pretty much calling out to be ranged too, since Cultists have access to special range weapons but not special melee weapons. As far as these choices go, Flamers make them a bit more reliable when up close, while Heavy Stubbers are a cheap upgrade if you plan to camp objectives or push out enemy Deepstrikes with them. As a GEQ, unit they come with alot of problems: first they're T3, 6+ save means that they die, frequently and often; whilst the current cover systems guarantees anything larger than a MSU is going to struggle to get the benefit. Also, more are going to run away the moment they start dropping, as with their terrible Ld of 5 (6 with the Champion) you shall find them wanting, especially if they are left alone somewhere without support. However it's not all negatives; Cultists easily snowball into a real threat when under the various buffs that other Chaos units can provide; and especially synergise well with Dark Apostles who fix their low leadership. This can be improved further with them acting as a body-guard to a Cold and Heartless Iron Warriors Warlord or to Abaddon who'll make them Fearless and provide re-rolls too. You can then also use Prayers to give the unit -1 to Be Hit, +1 to Hit with Shooting and a 5++. A Sorceror nearby can then throw on Prescience, and if you mark them as Slaanesh, you can also throw on Delightful Agonies onto them for a 5+++, or if Tzeentch up their invulnerable save to 4++, or with Nurgle make them -2 to be hit. Finally add in the Veterans of the Long War Stratagem and a seemingly harmless blob of cultists is now an incredibly real threat to nearly all MEQ infantry in rapid fire range, and even models above T6 as they are wounding on 4's and 5's most the time and forcing saves (though TEQ will largely laugh at this). It's also becomes incredibly difficult for your opponent to get rid of them and even then, if they do commit the firepower, it's just a Blob of Cultists anyway and if you have the CP spare they can come back on a table edge at full strength. 
**Thanks to '''Mere Mortals''' the cultists listed here are now objectively inferior to those in the Renegades and Heretics list. If it's CP your after, the Unworthy 32 (x2 Commanders, x3 Renegade Militia) basically provides everything you want them to do for under 200 points.
**Received a 20% reduction in points in CA2019. It's only 1ppm but that adds up quickly in large blobs. Even one 30 model unit will save you 30pts and with the price increase of Thunder Hammers for characters in CA2019, you're going to need those savings elsewhere.
*'''Daemons''': Technically not part of Chaos Space Marines but worth mentioning because Daemonic Ritual can summon them. Quick PSA about Instruments and Banners: One odd quirk about all the Troop choices is that you're given the option to take 1 Instrument and 1 Banner ''per 10 models in the unit.'' However, your unit can only benefit from one of each of them. What's the point of this, you may ask? Summoning rolls and reinforcement points in matched, that's why. You see, you still have to spend the points on the models, but nothing says you have to decide what models are in each unit. This means you can have a 30 model unit ready just in case you roll that 15 for summoning, but can bring them in one 10-man unit at a time if you only get a few 5+ rolls and they can all still have those extra goodies to help them out. Food for thought.

**Summoned units do not count as part of your detachment and therefore cannot receive Legion Traits.

*'''Bloodletters''': Still the same glass cannons they've always been, they're an assault infantry unit that is very good at butchering multi-wound heavy infantry like the Primaris Marines and Terminators. 2 attacks each on the charge, at AP -3, hitting on 3+, wounding on 3+ (against MEQ) and potentially dealing 2 damage with one swing? These guys are brutal. Deep Strike these guys next to an unsuspecting unit of Primaris Marines and engage troll-face. Then cry as they all get shot down in overwatch.

**'''Daemonettes''': The Daemonettes were the best daemon at ripping up armour until 8th came along and made Bloodletters more reliable at it. This isn't to say these girls aren't good at the job but they have been overshadowed, especially now that TEQs tend to have multiple wounds. They still have more attacks (and if you have a unit of 20 or more, you add 1 to their attack characteristic), higher speed and strike before anyone, which would make them great as a MSU... if only they weren't so frail! Instead, use them like you would Genestealers - send these girls to overwhelm some camping shits in cover. Daemonettes rely on getting into combat ''fast'' so be sure you buy an instrument and use your loci to get them into it. 

**'''Horrors of Tzeentch''': Greatly changed from their previous incarnations, when a Horror is killed it splits into smaller horrors and also stays as part of the same unit. Unfortunately for matched play, the "new" horrors come out of your "reserved for summoning" points allotment, fully utilizing this increases the relative cost of Pink horrors by 120%, although its "summoning" is always a success. Thankfully those points don't have to be reserved just for Horrors and can can be used for other summoning purposes as well. While this does reduce the overall size of your force, you could easily use this to keep bodies in the unit on objectives or in high-threat positions. Similarly, the threat of having whatever your opponent kills in a charge splitting off might be enough to make them think twice about it.
***'''Pink Horrors''': (Note: This Unit had its Power Rating reduced by 1 in Codex: Chaos Marines 2.0) Expensive at full bore - 7 base, but 17 if you want to afford its blues, and 23 to afford full splitting, so it's just about never worth spending the necessary points on split, but if you want an Instrument for speed, taking 1 (without paying for split) to upgrade to Iridescent for free to carry it can be justified; ''never'' take an Icon unless you bring at ''least'' 7 Pinks, as the Icon can't bring back any other color, even though its shitty Morale immunity on a 1 will still work. Another interesting note, their guns are Strength "User" so if you park them next to a Herald their shooting jumps from up from 3 to 4. Given the way wounding works in 8th this can make a huge difference, more if you can find a way to bump it further to 5 (either cast Boon of change and hope for the best or bring a Mutalith to boost their Strength, or bring multiple, as their effects are cumulative).
***'''Blue Horrors''': Like a Pink Horror without the 'gun' and worse BS/WS, but also does not really cost anything either, at 5 points (8 if you want to be able to afford to split them). Not a good idea, don't use them unless hey come from Splitting Pink Horrors.
***'''Brimstone Horrors''': The cheapest troop choice chaos (or anyone) has access to, so useful for filling out big detachments with low points investment, otherwise they're not worth it as they die like mosquitos to a can of raid.

**'''Plaguebearers of Nurgle''': Slow but tough and okay in melee with their re-rolls to wound. If you want to hold the line, they are the right choice especially in packs of 20+ (so get 30 to keep the bonus for a while). Two or three blobs of 30 can flood the field and can be surprisingly (disgustingly) resilent and soak up a lot of fire and damage.