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

===Elites===

*'''Slaves to Darkness''': This is where your Rubric, Plague, and Berzerkers went. Each of their datasheets are available wherever their Legion’s rules are. In order to take them, you ''must'' buy their Mark, but they do not benefit from your Legion trait despite getting your Legion keyword and {{W40Kkeyword|CORE}}, so they benefit from auras and the like. Best thing is that they gain '''Let the Galaxy Burn''' even though their parent legion doesn’t (this is best on Rubrics). 
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<tab name="Rubric Marines">
Walking Dustbins led by a Mage, who enchants their weapons to be AP-2. Unlike their brothers who’ve stayed loyal to Prospero, they can only use the Hereticus Discipline, but are still otherwise full psykers. They are tanky, but in a different way from Plague Marines: whereas Plague Marines are toughness 5, and treat S5 and 10+ weapons as if they were weaker, Rubrics get +1 to their armor against D1 weapons, giving you 2+ Save against bolters  and the first failed save for the unit each turn is coerced to D0. Benefit '''greatly''' from Let the Galaxy Burn, as you now have D6+2 S4 AP-2 autohitting flamer shots at only 3 pts more, which means every model in the unit should be packing a flame weapon.
*Sadly, the Icon of Flame they can buy from their own codex does NOT confer the {{W40Kkeyword|ICON}} Keyword, so no lulzy AP-3 bolters.  In fact, the Icon does ''nothing whatsoever'' since you can't field an all-TSons army using the CSM codex, so never buy it.
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<tab name="Plague Marines">
Walking pus-sacks that are too oblivious to pain to die. T5 ''and'' their Mark means that these guys will shrug heavy bolters like they’re nothing and fair a little bit better against Demolishers than their DG brothers. Speaking of, since you’re using the Death Guard datasheet and points values, ''all of your weapon options are free'' (because that's how GW balances things these days)
*Plague Marines under Undivided can benefit from CSM stratagems, like '''Grandfather’s Blessing''', which gives them Transhuman. It’s a bit overkill, though, because the Mark already makes S5 wound on 5s, and S10+ wound on 3s rather than 2s, and the stratagem can be applied to anything with the Nurgle keyword. Cloud of Flies, though, can make them untargetable, which is a lot better when you’re throwing Cultists at the enemy and parking Nurglites on an objective. 
*Plague Belchers and Spewers aren't flame weapons but automatically hit, so they gain no benefit at all from Let the Galaxy Burn.
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<tab name="Noise Marines">
Take the 8E Noise Marines [[Meme|And crank it up to 11]]. All Noise Marines come with boltguns (which you'll obviously be replacing with the Sonic Blaster (Assault 3 S4 AP-1 D1), pistols, and the Mark of Slaanesh for fight-first. One guy can take the Blastmaster, for either an Assault 6 S5 AP-3 d1 (Varied Frequency) or 48" Heavy 3 s8 ap-3 3D. The Champion can take the sonic blaster, a doom siren (12" Assault D6 S5 AP-1 autohits), and one weapon from the Melee Weapons chart. 
*What makes Sonic Weapons so good now is that whenever a Sonic Weapon is shooting at something within half-range, you get to add 1 to the Damage Characteristic, making your Blastmaster and Sonic Blasters all the more potent, and giving you lots of incentive to get close. Thus, Noise Marines will be advancing for most of the game.
*Doom Sirens aren't flame weapons but automatically hit, so they gain no benefit at all from Let the Galaxy Burn.
**Sonic Blasters are Assault weapons, meaning Noise Marines are on the very short list of units you can field where every model has an Assault weapon for benefiting from Let the Galaxy Burn on every turn after the first.
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<tab name="Khorne Berzerkers">
Same problems with the chosen: weapon choices are removed in favor of a generic profile that limits what they can fight, and have plentiful attacks should they enter combat.  Fortunately, their AP-2 chainblades can be supplemented by adding heavy-duty S+3 AP-4 D2 eviscerators in case you need to demolish anything harder than a marine. Luckily for them, the only thing they lose from replacing their Legion Trait for Let the Galaxy Burn and a Mark is the extra attack when charging.
*New with their codex, they also gain a special reaction that lets them move d6" towards whoever is closest, ideally to get stuck in. The issue with this all occurs AFTER your red guys take their damage, severely limiting the value of this power the further away they are. 
**Taking an Icon merely lets you pull this off without foiling your ability to perform objective actions on top of the AP boost given. If you aren't bothering with any secondary objectives where this will matter, you'll be okay with leaving the Icon at home.
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*'''Chaos Terminators''': The 9E codex that Chaos Players waited 2 years for rewards their patience with...whatever this is. 3W 3A, each Terminator is armed with a combi-bolter and an "Accursed Weapon," which is a power sword that gives you +1A. All of your customization is now very limited.
**One Terminator can swap his combi-bolter for a Reaper Autocannon or Heavy Flamer (you'll pick the flamer every time).
**Another can switch his for a combi-plasma.
**...but up to two guys can swap theirs for combi-meltas, and another two guys can do combi-flamers ([[Derp|so you can have all combiweapons, just not all of the same type, and only combi-plasma once for some reason]]).
**One guy (and only one guy, [[Rage|so fuck you in particular if you built lightning claw termies]]) can quit guns entirely and take an extra accursed weapons for +2 power sword attacks, but can't dual-wield Fists and Swords.
**Three Guys can replace their swords with Power Fists.
**And one guy can replace his sword with a Chainfist.
**In effect, you can take a smorgasboard of combi-weapons and have 4-5 attacks with your accursed weapons, but only ever have 4 chainfist attacks at most (well, base; better fish for those 6s). The Traitor Legions, who are supposed to have the ''freedom'' to not be bound by some [[Roboute Guilliman|pencil pusher's]] [[Codex Astartes|book]], have more limited (and convoluted) weapon options than the Loyalists; one can hope that all Champions can take a wider variety of weapons. Even the [[Thousand Sons|nerds]] get at least master-crafted/force swords for that sweet, sweet damage 2. In terms of meta, it appears Games Workshop attempted to curb the effectiveness and prevalence of termicide bombs, forcing you to choose a wide array of weapons instead of spamming combi-plasma, melta, or flamers. However, their gimping pales in comparison with what they did to...
*'''Chosen''': GW really hated how no one took Legionaries in 8E, so their solution was kneecapping Chosen. They've got 3 wounds, which is great, and can take Chaos Icons for the Keyword and gain more from Marks (and +1 to combat attrition, I guess, but you have Ld 10 anyway). But, as with Chaos Terminators, all you get is your boltgun, a bolt pistol, and all your melee weapons are now Accursed Weapons and that's it, <s>unless the Champion have their own separate armory</s> Champion has no separate armory and shares options with rest of the Chosen unit. At least the accursed weapon gives you 4/5 attacks base. 
**For every 5 models in this unit (so double this at max): you can take two plasma pistols over bolt pistols, and two guys (who can be the same guys, if you're feeling stupid) can strap on a combi-weapon to their bolters. One guy can dual wield “accursed weapons” (and a pistol) for maximum failure, and one can wield a bolter-and-power fist and a pistol for substantially less failure.  One model in the entire unit (no scaling per 5) can take a Chaos Icon for a fully functional Mark of Chaos. [[rage|After 2 years and a new kit chock full of weaponry and choices, and this is what we have to play with?]]
**Should this unit destroy another unit, they count as having Wanton Destruction, Massacre, and Slaughter for the rest of the game.
*'''Fallen''': [[fail|Completely missing from the codex despite Cypher being included. Maybe if you shelled for the White Dwarf you would have some rules]]
*'''Helbrute''': No more penalties to move and shoot! The Helbrute is one of the best [[Distraction Carnifex]]es Chaos can field for its price. It's ''expendable'', durable, and scary, as it takes a decent amount of applied firepower to be put down and doesn't degrade as it gets wounded. Can serve as a semi-mobile gun platform (keep a lord nearby for re-rolls) or it can be kitted out for melee to protect a back line from hard hitting deep-striking units (though the very things that you want it to fight will probably tear it multiple new assholes in no time). That being said it is possible to make this a very threatening harassing unit, as they do have good options, gain Legion traits, and have their own stratagem.   If you have the CP for it, you should ''strongly'' consider a Chaos Contemptor Dread, which will outperform your Helbrute at ranged no matter what. 
**For Ranged Builds: To start off, NEVER use the '''missile launcher'''; they're significantly worse for their stats right now with their weaker ap than a multi-melta. Lascannons have much longer range and higher strength, but are costly and best paired with the Scourge. The reaper autocannon is alright, whilst the twin heavy bolter remains the superior anti-infantry weapon of choice. The helbrute plasma cannon is a tradeoff for a potential to hurt yourself, but what’s the point of fun without a little risk?
**For Melee Builds: The default Helbrute Fist can take a heavy bolter or a heavy flamer for free, so dual wielding can result in some intense close-ranged combat. Helbrutes can also opt to bring two power scourges, allowing you to fulfill your dreams of turning your helbrutes into wacky octopus monsters or waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men (do this if you know you're up against T4 W2 models and watch them melt). Bring one in an Emperor's Children or World Eaters Army for [[rip and tear|maximum carnage]].
**Hey guess what? 9th edition brought back marks for your <s>Chaos Dreadnought</s> Helbrute - remember when that was a thing? Obvious stand-outs are Tzeentch or Nurgle as they buff the survivability of the brute. Mark of Tzeentch is way better considering it allows you to ignore the damage from the first unsaved hit, which is amazing considering the amount of anti-tank punishment Helbrutes attract. MoN meanwhile requires a hit of at least S14 to only dial down the to-wound roll from 2+ to 3+, which isn't terribly common and doesn't prevent any damage. Marks of Khorne or Slaanesh are both okay for CC Brutes, but the MoK is more for Brutes with two Fists while the MoS is for a more flexible loadout.
*'''[[Master of Execution]]:''' Similar to Exalted Champions, he is meant to be a character killer. Has a greater heroic intervention range of 6" if there are any enemy characters within 6" and can re-roll all wound rolls when fighting them. His Axe of Dismemberment is basically a power-fist without the penalty to hit and on a 6 to wound those hits are considered MWs.
** A Slaanesh Master of Execution with the Intoxicating Elixir will become somewhat a formidable threat. First, good luck killing him that phase he uses it, as he'll only take three wounds. Second, that axe is making an additional d3 attacks, which only increases his odds of shitting out mortal wounds.
** Now cheaper and more efficient along with rhinos, now even more attractive as a character hunter especially with all the factions getting cuts to their characters as well.
*'''Mutilators''': Are now gone. If you bought the old models, [[fail|you’re shit outta luck.]] Might as well run them as [[Counts as]] Obliterators.
*'''Possessed''': With 3 wounds, 5 attacks at S5 -2 AP dealing 2 damage a pop, this new squad of glow-up marines will rip and tear with more raw damage than the Chosen or Terminators above. They may not be able to shred TEQs in the era of Armour of Contempt (not even with MoP help) but the sheer volume of attacks and damage output will see Possessed overwhelm almost anything in close combat - and on top of that, will also subtract a leadership from whatever they slam into. They don't ''need'' a Master of Possession as much as they did in 8th edition to pull out their potential and now that they have a 9" move, they will quickly leave him behind. However, the new spells from the MoP can jack them up with either a 4++ save, auto-wounding hit rolls of 6, an increase in their strength and/or toughness, [[Awesome|respawn whole models lost]] or even a free +1 to wound against a specific target. Overall, anyone running their these models, old or new (or you [[Neckbeard|kitbashed your own like many have in the past]]), will be happy to see this unit become more powerful than they were before, now with a little more independence.
*'''Gellerpox Infected''': Kill Team Annual 2022 brought back these zombie mutants as a special unit available only to the Death Guard and other Nurgle-aligned marine detachments as not-quite Agents of Chaos. This unit in particular is split between the S4 T4 mutants with frags and AP-1 melee weapons and the three Nightmare Hulks, each toting S5 and 5 wounds and wielding even meaner melee weapons, with one of them also getting an S4 AP-1 gut-flamer as well. This alongside the old 5+ FNP save makes these guys a touch more effective than the poxwalkers the Death Guard use, but those zombies are far more numerous. Also an issue is that the Elites Slot has always been rather overcrowded for Chaos between Termies, Dreads, and special characters as well. 
**'''Mutoid Vermin''': The hordes of chittering insects and cyber-Nurglings are their own separate unit, but they won't take up a slot if you also took the Gellerpox. Naturally, these swarms are utterly pathetic and only get a 6+ save and 6+ FNP to protect them, but you can resurrect d3 of the buggers each Command phase, making them more of a hassle to get rid of.
*'''Traitor Enforcer:''' The evil Commissar and his pet Ogryn are a separate unit from the rest of the traitor guardsmen from the Kill Team Moroch box. The Commissar gets his power fist and a 5++ Invuln as well as the ability to force one squad of Traitor Guardsmen within 6" (and ONLY the guardsmen, meaning he's useless to your normie cultists and muties) that fails their morale check to auto-pass any attrition checks they need to make (effectively making this a non-Commissarial {{BLAM}} because one model already fled from bombing the morale check).
**Taking the Ogryn is a costly option, but it gives you quite a lot besides a big beefy dude. Not only do all attacks target him first, any hits must roll to wound against the Ogryn's Toughness and he degrades the AP of any attacks hitting him by 1, making him the ultimate meatslab. He's also pretty good in combat, as he has an S+! AP-1 D2 maul he can use for most fights and a single swipe from his AP-2 D3 mutant claw in case you really needed one more dead marine.
*'''Decimator <sup>[Forge World]</sup>''': The Decimator has essentially become an oddball Helbrute, It's weaker in melee against everything T5 and above (despite the extra attack) while better against everything T4 and lower, it's sort of better at range in that it has fantastic options. As a Daemon Engine, it can spend to CP to re-roll its hits and wounds. For the weapon options, the Soulburner Petard is a downright fantastic anti-everything weapon, and even the Mortal Wounds it causes to the Decimator aren't a concern since it can just naturally heal those off. You can even take two since you can only hurt yourself once per gun. The Butcher Cannons no longer provides a leadership debuff, now it's just a vanilla gun similar to an autocannon. It's not a bad weapon by any means, but the other options are much better. The conversion beamer is a viable option now that space marines have 2 and 3 wound units everywhere. Long range, flat 3+ damage is hard to come by. Finally, the storm laser is pure anti-GEQ. In short, take Decimators if you need Mortal Wounds, and durability without Warpsmiths/Hellwrights following them around, get Helbrutes for everything else. 
**Also, remember that its +1D Heavy Flamer is a flame weapon, so Let the Galaxy Burn turns it into 5.5 shots on average with D2.  Still not as awesome as Soulburner Petard (unless you've gone down your wound track), but still something to remember.
*'''Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought <sup>[Forge World] [Martial Legacy]</sup>''': The Contemptor remains as good as it ever was. It has a huge amount of options and can be kitted out to whatever role you want without much issue especially since lets it swap both fists for ranged weapons. The '''Twin Heavy Bolter''' remains cost-effective, however, the '''Kheres Assault Cannons''' may be a better choice overall when facing tougher elite infantry such as [[Adeptus Custodes|Custodes]]. Melee wise take the ChainFist over the combat weapon and a Shooting weapon. 
**Now that heavy bolters are D2 they have to be the default option you compare against. Decent range, good (non-variable) rate of fire, and a solid strength means that it will do work against any target short of Space Marine dreadnaughts with their -1D effect. If you have a specific target in mind, specialize, but you can't go too far wrong with this workhorse.
*'''Chaos Deredeo Dreadnought <sup>[Forge World] [Martial Legacy]</sup>''': Chaos finally got the Dorito Dreadnought! A lot of people have wanted this for a while and rightfully so, it kicks ass. is A copy and past of the marine version with the inclusion benefiting from Chaos markets and legion bonuses.
*'''Chaos Leviathan Dreadnought <sup>[Forge World] [Martial Legacy]</sup>''': Whatever was sacrificed in the name of Chaos to make these available... it was worth it. This super-dreadnought is a monster and priced very well for what it does. Since all FW Dreadnoughts received the 'Dreadnought' keyword this bad boy can be buffed by your legion traits - Emperor's Children always fights first comes to mind. As for valid weapon options, all are nasty and downright deadly in the right circumstances but are very expensive on an already expensive model. Often the Leviathan Dread is a brilliant distraction unit, but unless you have a foolproof way of getting it into combat quickly he's unlikely to really make his points back. Place him at the front of your army in the middle and use him to make your opponent sweat whilst havocs and obliterators pop heavier targets.
** Weapon choices have changed with the new FW Compendium. Gone are the days of the Butcher Cannon and Hellflamer, but on the bright side our leviathan is finally on par with the loyalist one (in fact other than keywords they are exact copypastes of each other). Every weapon option on the leviathan is free except for Storm Cannons (10 pts per), Cyclonic Melta Lances (20 pts per) and Hunter Killer Missiles (5 pts per). Storm Cannons are now just 4 autocannons glued together, the cyclonic melta lance gives you d6 S9 melta shots at 18" (which at the 20 pt premium really makes this option not that attractive). The Grav Flux bombard is probably the best choice for a ranged weapon, delivering 2d3 S8 -3 D2 shots at 24" range that get upped to D3 when targeting anything with a 3+ save or better. The melee weapon options are both decent, coming free with a built in melta gun; the claw gives you another attack at S14 -3 D3 while the siege drill gives you an extra AP and a whopping 2d3 dmg that increases to flat 6 when hitting a vehicle. Finally for the carapace guns you have a choice between two heavy flamers and two volkite calivers (both free), the volkite is the more interesting choice, giving you 4 shots at S5 0AP 2dmg with the potential to do mortal wounds on 6's to wound. Then the hunter killer missiles are a one use only S10 krak missile, which are nice to own if you have pts to spare but aren't mandatory by any means.