Editing Hellblaster (section)

== Tabletop ==

9th Edition has arrived, and unfortunately a few heavy indirect nerfs have hampered the Hellblasters' viability. Reduced access to reroll auras and changes to how +1 modifiers work with Gets Hot make overcharging a much riskier proposition, while the additional wound granted to the firstborn makes doing so much more necessary if they're to be points-efficient. Worse, the introduction of [[Eradicator|Eradicators]] means that they're no longer the go-to Primaris vehicle hunters, and changes and points drops for Grav-Cannons mean that a unit of Devastators are not only cheaper, but actually better at hunting enemy marines while freeing up aura rerolls for use elsewhere.

They are rough analogues to the [[Orks]] [[Flash Gitz]] in that they are strong but overpriced, other troops do the Hellblaster's jobs better and more efficiently, and like all plasma they require a significant investment of points in nearby supporting units. At minimum, they need a Captain/Chapter Master so they can safely overcharge, and you really want a Lieutenant to give them that re-rollable 2+ wounding against T4 infantry. You'll ''then'' probably want a Librarian to remove invulnerable saves since most things they'll want to shoot will have an invulnerable save, and if you want to put them in a box on turn 1 so they can't be shot straight off the board you'll have to go for the [[Impulsor]], since they're too snobby to ride firstborn transports. All of this comes at a very steep investment in points and ties up two of your limited buff auras, so consider your options carefully.

Their Plasma Incinerators come in three variants, all of which are the same price as on:
*Your stock Plasma Incinerators work basically the same as the classic Plasma Gun, with AP-4 and an extra 6" of range. Unfortunately, in this edition they're comfortably your worst choice; they need to be shooting in Rapid Fire range to have remotely efficient, and you don't want a unit this expensive so close to the enemy. They're also the ones which most desperately need to overcharge, which is far riskier in 9th.
*The Assault Plasma Incinerators lack Rapid Fire, are S6-7 and have their range reduced to 24", but Assault 3 makes them more reliable when not in rapid fire range and the decreased strength doesn't have much effect in practice due to how wounding works. Because of this they're ''extremely'' efficient at mopping up single-wound MEQs, and are probably the best way to use Hellblasters in 9th.
*The Heavy Plasma Incinerators on the other hand are 36" range and S8-9, but are Heavy 1, which makes their use far more situational due to the accuracy nerf from firing on the move and lower average number of shots compared to a Plasma Cannon. 2-3 damage does give them some utility though, as they're the only way to safely one-shot enemy marines and can overcharge to mop up Terminators or Gravis-armoured units.

For those of you running [[Dark Angels]], a circle of these boys is where you will probably end up hiding [[Azrael]]. A big squad of different deadly plasma will attract enemy firepower to match their own, so a big invuln save will help keep them from turning into a point sink, and their two wounds apiece will keep him from getting focused down. Don't forget to use Weapons From the Dark Age, which will make a supercharged Plasma Incinerator capable of insta-killing tough infantry like Paladins and make it far more potent against vehicles.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Space Marines]]

[[Category: Primaris Marines]]

{{Primaris Marine-Forces}}