Editing Tactical Squad (section)

==On the tabletop==
[[File:Lords of macragge by majesticchicken.jpg|500px|thumb|right|A tactical squad displaying a surprising amount of CQC ability against Orks]]
As of 9th edition, Scouts have been shuffled off to the Elites section and replaced with various flavours of [[Primaris Marines|Primaris]]. This means that if you're still stubbornly anti-Primaris, you'd better get used to tactical squads. They're now your ONLY firstborn option for Troops.

Offensively, a bare-bones tactical squad is on the wrong side of mediocre. The classic bolter suffered from losing its AP in the move to 8th edition, and even bolter discipline isn't enough to offset its low fire rate, making their shooting surprisingly anaemic. They're little better in melee, where at best they can expect to dish out two S4 attacks, again without AP.

Defensively, tacs have benefitted from moving to 2W, doubling their resistance to most small-arms fire, and T4 with a 3+ save makes them reasonably durable. Unfortunately, there's nothing about them that really puts them in a sweet spot of resilience like lots of wounds, high toughness or FNP, and 9th has increased the number of weapons which are D2, so while the extra wound is nice in practice there are plenty of ways for opponents to mop them up quickly.

Beyond the classic flavour, one the main reasons to use Tactical Squads is their access to heavy weapons. Most heavy weapons have seen a points drop in 9th edition, and can be fired after moving at a small penalty when rolling to-hit. Adding a heavy weapon to a tactical squad can ''dramatically'' boost their effectiveness; for just a measly 10pts, adding a grav-cannon will more than triple your average outgoing damage against enemy marines, while either a lascannon or multi-melta makes for a viable anti-vehicle punch. Even the missile launcher is a good choice here, allowing tactical squads to remain flexible and plug holes that emerge in your offensive options as the battle goes on and more important units get wiped out. [[Salamanders]] in particular love this because their free wound re-roll is most efficient when the good guns are spread over multiple squads.

If your opponent wants to get rid of them, they need to go through 8 T4 3+ wounds first, meaning they [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|need to focus on completely destroying the unit with firepower that could be pointed at your other, more important units - and all they're removing is a unit that isn't really all that dangerous anyway.]] However, if they just ignore the tactical squad, so long as you choose the appropriate targets a heavy weapon will usually more than pay for itself over the course of the battle.

Another merit the Tactical squad has over [[Primaris Marines]] is mobility. Primaris troops will need to hitch a ride in either the [[Impulsor]] or [[Repulsor Tank|Repulsor]], while the Tacs can take either a [[Rhino]] or [[Razorback]]. The Rhino is by far the cheapest option and carries 10 models, so is ideal if all you want is a cheap, speedy box with no expensive frills, while the pricier Razorback holds just 6 but makes up for it with access to heavier guns. By contrast, the Impulsor costs the same as Razorback and carries the same number of models; it's very marginally tougher and slightly faster, but has a notably weaker ranged armament. The Repulsor is most akin to a Land Raider, and like a Land Raider, using it to ferry bog-standard Troops around instead of more valuable units is a completely waste of potential and points.

Paradoxically, the main strength of a tactical squad therefore lies in the fact that it's ''kind of a shitty unit''. For this reason, always take a heavy weapon; the worst-case scenario is that it'll be shot off the board before it can fire, and since you have to take troops as a tax anyway you're only paying the cost of the weapon, which is low enough to be expendable. Remember, every wound you suffer here is one fewer for your devastators, veterans or centurions - and if the heavy weapon marine survives then your opponent's shooting until that point is basically wasted.