Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Space Marines (section)

===Heavy Support===
====Infantry/Nonvehicles====
*'''[[Devastator Squad]]''' - If you take them, 1-2 ablative wounds are mandatory, and <b>never</b> mix weapons. Missile launchers are versatile, but lascannons are more effective against tanks and Monstrous/Gargantuan Creatures, especially ones with 2+ armor (Riptide...). For 5 points more Lascannons are a steal, AP2 and +1S than a ML. Heavy Bolters suck against anything tougher than MEQ unless you are Imperial Fists, which make them decent. Multi-meltas and grav-cannons are too short-ranged, and grav-cannons (which include a grav-amp) cost 35 points each - way too much on a T4/3+ model without Relentless. 7e gave Devastators another upgrade in the form of the Armorium Cherub, which allows one model to re-roll failed To Hits in one shooting phase per game for 5 points. This, coupled with the Devastator Doctrine and the Signum, provides multiple ways to enhance your accuracy over the course of the game.
**'''Vigilator Sergeant Hamath Kraatos (Minotaurs Special Character)''' - FUCKING EXCELLENT: a BS+1, 2-wound, Devastator Sergeant with a Heavy Bolter and Preferred Enemy Infantry/Bikes (this includes jump-pack, jetpack, and jetbikes, so anything not a Vehicle, Monstrous Creature or cavalry/beasts for some reason). Has the added bonus of being able to switch his normal shooting for a special "assassin shell" which is basically a S6 AP3 Sniper rifle.
**Don't forget the Sergeant's Signum! No one ever remembers to use it, which is a shame because BS5 to a single model in the squad can come in handy, especially if you get hit with a Malediction that lowers your BS.
**Four plasma cannons might seem risky, but if your scatter rolls go well, you can obliterate any heavy infantry squad from three feet away. They are the only infantry weapons that can kill multiple TEQs in one shot, and are useful against tightly-packed enemies in general (i.e. hordes). Firing only 1 shot each and having a 3+ armor save means that there's only a 1/18 chance to actually lose a man in a given turn of shooting. A Dev squad firing all 4 plasma cannons every single turn for six turns can expect to take 1.33 casualties from Gets Hot, but if you actually did, imagine the carnage that 20+ plasma cannon blasts would have caused. Ultramarines CT works great here, as you will reroll 1s during at least one turn, more depending on if you are in a Gladius or have Calgar. You can also put your Devs behing an Aegis Defense Line with an Ammo Dump upgrade to further improve their survivability and get them to reroll rolls of 1. That way the risk of suffering "Get's Hot" is very low.
**Devastators can take flak missiles now, but the cost is too much for their relative frailty. Unless you badly need AA in low points games where versatility is important, an Aegis Defense Line or a Stalker trio is far better for your AA needs.
**Take some red shirt boltgun marines if you don't want your fragile Devastator squad heavy weapons dying the instant your opponent glances at it (though this does increase the cost).
**You could do worse than a Heavy [[Bolter]]-wielding Dev squad if you're using the Imperial Fist chapter tactics, with re-rolling 1s To Hit and increased value against AV10 (a typical non-infantry HB target).
**Grav-cannons and multi-meltas are quite useful for Devastators that are part of a Skyhammer Annihilation Force, which gives them Relentless on the turn they exit their Drop Pods - there are few better ways to shred tanks/MCs/heavy infantry than 20 grav shots or 4 melta shots. That's pretty much the only situation where you should ever consider them, however. It's also one of the only times you should ever consider a combi-weapon on the Sarge.
**Mmm... actually a squad of devastarators with 4 grav cans deepstriking in a drop pod in the mid field could take down that riptide, wraith knight or deamon prince with 12 ap 2 shots, just make sure that you have some protection for them like psy powers or something because that unit cost around 240pts on its own! Very expensive for a suicidal squad.
** In Angels of Death, the new terminator captain can wear cataphractii armour. This gives him Slow and Purposeful which is a special rule that affects the whole unit. It's not Relentless, but it does let you move and shoot with your heavy weapons. Something to consider, especially for shorter ranged weapons like the multi-melta and grav cannon.
*'''[[Centurion Squad|Centurion Devastator Squad]]''' - The shooting versions of their punchy brethren. If you seek cheap dakka, go elsewhere, as those guys are expensive as hell, [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|tough as hell, menacing and attract a lot of firepower]]. To justify their cost, you will want to take advantage of their strengths over regular Devs, which are Slow & Purposeful, superior durability (T5 W2 2+), and their special rule that lets them shoot both of their weapons. The Omniscope gives Night Fighting and Split Fire for 10 points, so there's little reason to not grab it. Their biggest combat weakness is that they will get tarpitted by ANYTHING till the end of the game unless you're White Scars - at A1 with no melee weapons and no Overwatch because of S&P, they'll struggle to kill even Fire Warriors in CC. Their cost was reduced going from 6th to 7th - a trio of grav (or LC/ML) Centurions plus an Omniscope puts you at 250 points, a nice round number for those who play in escalating-points leagues or a variety of points values.
**As with Assault Centurions, the Centurion Sergeant/Veteran Sergeant is the only non-HQ character in the Space Marine codex with multiple wounds, and is thus the only non-HQ infantry to benefit from It Will Not Die from Iron Hands Chapter Tactics.
** The stock heavy + hurricane bolter combo is alright for killing hordes, but the ranges of the two guns synergize poorly. The two setups to consider are grav-cannon/hurricane bolter, and TL lascannon/missile launcher. 
***The best option is the former, giving you 5 grav shots per model ''with rerolls To Wound'' (or on your Immobilize roll against vehicles) at 24" range. This mixes well with the range of the hurricane bolter, letting Grav/HB Centurions shoot at any target effectively - even vehicles, as 15 grav shots averages to about 3 Immobilize results thanks to the grav-amp re-roll, killing any vehicle that lacks an invulnerable or cover save (and even then!), immunity to Immobilize, or plain old luck. Another point of note is the utility of these guns against gargantuan and monstrous creatures. With one squad I was able to kill Ta'unar in two turns of shooting. 
***The las/missile loadout has much better range, the opportunity for Instant Death against many non-tank/MC targets, and the chance for penetrating hits against non-AV14 vehicles, but less raw firepower and a bit of a waste of the Centurions' superior durability and Slow and Purposeful.
** The Devastator Doctrine applies to them as well as regular Devs - at least one of their weapons will be Twin-Linked, but re-rolling missile or grav misses is helpful, and it also makes them workable anti-air for that turn. LC/ML Cents are better as makeshift anti-air, as the mobility of fliers makes shooting at them with grav a shaky proposition.
**Drop Pods being Fast Attack in 7e gives you a way to put grav-cannon Centurions exactly where they can do the most damage - it's also a reason to consider using a standard CAD instead of the Gladius formation. There's even a spot for one more guy in the Pod, so you can pair them with a Librarian for buffs (Tigurius!), or an HQ with an invulnerable save to tank the AP2 shots the Centurions will doubtlessly attract.
** White Scars getting Hit & Run makes these guys very difficult to tarpit since Centurions are I4. Disengaging this way also puts you right into hurricane bolter Rapid Fire range, so 11 shots per model is a nice way to show your opponent they can't stop your Centurions so easily.
*** It's a nice idea and if you happened to be playing Scars and taking these guy already then, well, occasionally you'll get that benefit. But let's be real, you aren't picking your chapter tactic just to pull this one trick occasionally, nor are you adding these slowpokes to your awesome bike army just to make use of it. It's a fringe benefit but not much more. Seriously is it so hard to keep your fire support out of combat with guardsmen and gaunts?
*'''Thunderfire Cannon''' - A powerful, cost-efficient and versatile artillery piece. This is now a beast choice in 7th edition, very useful at putting pressure on scoring units, being able to choose 3 different shell types, one at strength 6, one which Ignores cover at strength 5 and the last causes models affected by the blast to move through difficult terrain at Strength 4. Keep this far away as possible with a good line of sight, if you're lucky you can end up with 20 wounds if all goes to plan. MEQ's can buckle hard under the pressure it can fire off. 7th edition buffed artillery staying power by giving it 2 wounds and 3+ save, so it won't die like a bitch to a single krak shot or turn of bolter fire. But it still completely stationary. This doesn't fare so well in small games as it attracts attention quicker, It is forgotten about most of the time in larger games which is great as it will harass your opponent's infantry. Most forget that it even exists in Apocalypse games where you'll have access to units with even more firepower and the sheer amount of dakka that will be tossed around will cause this gun to spontaneously explode. The Thunderfire Cannon ''does'' have one trick up its' sleeve, however: it comes with a free Techmarine with a servo-harness. If you plan on taking Techmarines anyway and have the slots open, you might as well get one cannon round out of it for 25 points. Against armies that are heavily mechanized and must bunch up all their transports, Thunderfire Cannons can cockblock the entire army with the earthquake shells, provided you actually have something else in the list for breaking those transports.
** Three of these in a squadron brings the whole group up to BS6.  Unfortunately, due to the new FAQ this won't grant you re-rolls on your scatter die, since the ability to re-roll 1s (which is how BS6+ is worded) no longer grants such.  
** 7th Edition has made all Thunderfire Cannon shells Barrage. Fun times ahead.  
** If there're no exposed infantry units to fire at, use the Strength 6 shells on the light AV vehicles/APCs that are definitely going to be around.  Remember that Barrage shots hit side armor, so you'll be getting up to four hits on AV10-12 most of the time.

====Vehicles====
All vehicles can now be taken as squadrons of three per slot; this can be pricey, but it grants powerful bonus abilities...at least until one of the tanks dies.  They also get buffs as a squad, so nearby diviners and the like can help the whole crew. 

*'''[[Predator]]''' - A decent dakka unit. They can serve two purposes, infantry killing, or tank/MC hunting. A three-tank squad gets Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter while all three are alive - this greatly improves Tri-Las Predators in particular.
**Infantry-killing Predators should stick with the default auto-cannon, and grab Heavy Bolter sponsons. It's fairly cheap (95pts) for 8 AP4 shots per tank. Upgrades are usually not necessary: Extra Armor doesn't help much since you will, in 99% of cases, be out of reach of any units with CC anti-tank, and your other guns will outrange a Storm Bolter. The only thing worth considering is the Hunter-Killer missile, but even then, it's only efficient in numbers (like, 7-8 HKMs). Dakka Preds are outclassed by Whirlwinds and Thunderfire Cannons for killing blobs, sadly, and they also waste the special rules mentioned above.
**Tri-Las is the best way to field the Predator(s). Compared to a 4-lascannon Devastator squad, you save 10 points and trade one cannon for superior durability (in particular, safety against small-arms fire), not losing firepower when you do get hit (unless the hit is a Penetrating one), and making one of the guns Twin-Linked. Remember, a three-tank squad gets Monster/Tank Hunter, so consider covering your anti-MC/tank needs with 420 points of tank lascannons that re-roll Wounds/Armor Pen.
***Remember, autocannons equal or exceed lascannons against any toughness in the game that is not 9 (although they don't inflict ID on T4) and AV 12 or less, which is exacerbated by Shred (which is what Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter grant against MCs and Vehicles, respectively), so consider an autocannon turret with lascannon sponsons if you are low on points and want your Predators to do well against light tanks and MCs as well as heavy ones, rather than taking different solutions for each.
**Unlike many other battle tanks in the game, the Predator's side AV is 11, which is glaringly lower than its frontal AV13, and makes its flanks attractive targets. Protect their sides with positioning terrain, Rhinos that have already delivered their passengers, or just staying the fuck away from everything and hide in the backfield like you should do.
*'''[[Vindicator]]''' - This guy has a big, scary gun. Hampered by its short range, this S10 AP2 pie-plate causes most people (especially other marine players) nightmares. It's bound to draw fire, ''lots and lots'' of fire. This is good because it keeps guns trained away from the rest of your army, but bad because it's easily shot down from the side (especially if your opponent deploys his anti-tank in opposite corners) and easily neutralized (glancing hits don't shake/stun anymore, but add up quickly, and EVERY damage result on a penetrating hit makes it useless for at least a turn, if not permanently). Thunderfire Cannons are better at killing blobs, but the Vindicator's niche as a pie-plate that can slag Terminators, bikes and Toughness 5 MCs is unique in this codex. In 7E, it no longer comes stock with a storm bolter, so if you want to try and save the main gun from Weapon Destroyed, you gotta pay 5 pts.
:*Putting 3 Vindicators in a squad lets them give up their individual pieplates for a single Apocalyptic Blast with Ignores Cover. It practically becomes an anti-everything weapon with that option available to it, and you can always choose to just fire three regular pieplates if the foe isn't clustered closely enough for the Apocalyptic Blast to mulch his entire squad at once. Just remember that the 10" Apocalyptic Blast shot is still only 24" range, plus the usual scattering. If anyone is closer than 24", it will probably fuck up your precious 360 point squadron. Besides, if anyone lets a god damn Vindicator squadron get into 24", they deserve an Apocalyptic Blast.
*'''[[Whirlwind]]''' - The Whirlwind is an artillery platform, pretty cheap at 65 points. It has two shooting profiles, both of them Ordnance/Large Blast/Barrage shots: an S5 AP4 shot for hunting troops in the open, or an S4 AP5 shot that Ignores Cover. The squad-buff for Whirlwind goes a long way towards making it relevant in 7E. There are two primary reasons to consider a Whirlwind squad over a Thunderfire Cannon. First, they can move and shoot, allowing you to adjust position or start in reserves (i.e. to dodge an alpha strike) without losing a turn of shooting. The second reason is that their shots have better AP, which is an army matchup-specific consideration.
**Three Whirlwinds in a squad grant all of its missiles Pinning and Shred. Congrats, you're now a better Wyvern.
*'''[[Hunter]]''' - One of the new Space Marine AA weapons. Comes with a massive missile launcher, which is S7 AP2 Armourbane, so rather than glancing enemy flyers to death, like the most flakk tanks, it is designed to blast it in one shot. Hunter's misses transform into missiles on the target's tail that hit REAR armor on 5+ next turn, which is kinda funny and overall useful, especially against IG and Tau flyers. But unlike the previous edition, the missile doesn't hang around forever, so you only get the second attempt once. You don't get the lock-on if shooting at a non-flyer, but remember, skyfire still allows full BS shooting at skimmers. Use one to pop eldar, tau, deldar and necron vehicles of all sorts.
**With three Hunters in a squad, you can re-roll the Savant Lock rule on each of their missiles, which makes up for the loss of being able to troll flyers with endlessly seeking missiles, since you're already throwing more missiles than most fliers could reasonably handle.
*'''[[Space Marine Stalker|Stalker]]''' - The other new Space Marine AA weapon, packing a pair of three-shot autocannons. Different from a Hydra Flakk tank, it has better side armor, Ballistic Skill and the ability to fire at two different targets. And yes, it is as cheap as a Hydra. The 7E codex changed how their weapon systems work; now they have Interceptor as well as Skyfire, so squadrons of Stalkers become the premier first-strike AA guns in the entire game! Furthermore, if they fire at a single target then the squad gets Twin-Linked. If you split your fire, you simply use the weapon profile - no more BS2 penalty.
**Three Stalkers as a vehicle squadron grants their guns Ignores Cover. That's right - fuck you, Jink. Also, remember Skyfire shoots at Skimmers full BS (looking at you, Eldar, Necrons and Tau).
*'''[[Land Raider]]''' - The biggest metal box of all. Can carry termies, and lets them assault after disembarking. Comes in eight flavors, three in the codex and five from Forgeworld:
** '''Classic''' (or '''Phobos-pattern''') Land Raider - 2 sets of twin-linked lascannons and a twin-linked heavy bolter. Carries 10 (it was 12 in 5th edition). You'd think it's good for tank hunting...on its own, no way. It's just too expensive for that. Land Raiders need to be transporting stuff, and running forward at great speeds. This Land Raider is a confused beast, best left alone. If you want a little bit more reasoning for why the classic Land Raider is comparatively useless, here's a bit more explanation: for the cost of having it on the table, this Land Raider needs to be able to do both of its roles effectively at the same time, but since transporting soldiers doesn't work well with standing up front and shooting too, there's no real way to make this one as effective as it needs to be. It's not ''completely'' useless thanks to Power of the Machine Spirit, which allows an additional weapon to be fired at a different target (even while shaken/stunned), theoretically allowing you to move 6" and destroy two enemy tanks (if you're lucky). This tactic works quite well with Antaro Chronus as his BS 5 makes this more likely. Overall, this Land Raider is not recommended except in a Land Raider Spearhead formation with two other Classic Land Raiders, good for super heavy/gargantuan monstrous creature hunting in high points games/Apocalypse.
** '''Crusader''' - 2 sets of "hurricane bolters" (3 twin-linked regular bolters) and 1 twin-linked Assault cannon. With a 16-model capacity, this is the standby transport for Terminators. The multi-melta is a nice addition for pot-shots at tanks. The Crusader WANTS to be up close, where its short-ranged, anti-infantry guns work wonders to support the squad it was escorting. Hurricane Bolters kinda suck, unfortunately, so consider moving forward 12", PotMS the Assault Cannon and snap fire those Bolters. Give it Extra Armor, nothing sucks more than a stunned Land Raider. This used to be the ultimate in Terminator delivery, but recently a challenger has appeared...
***It should also be that black templar crusader squads can take a land raider crusader as a dedicated transport, meaning if you're playing with a CAD then yes, indeed, your land raider has objective secured. My favorite thing to do with this is take a 15 man unit (10 initiates, 5 neophytes), give them all cc weapons, stick a Melta and 2 power fists in the unit, baby sit them with a chaplain and throw them in a land raider. Whilst not exactly the best unit, it is (in my opinion) the most fun to use in 40k, by itself.
** '''Redeemer''' - Keeps the twin-linked Assault Cannon of the Crusader, but replaces the side-mounted Hurricane Bolters with a pair of Flamestorm Cannons, nasty S6 AP3 flamers. Carries 12. The only other Land Raider you should even consider, even if it doesn't fit as many Terminators. Far nastier against infantry than the crusader, but it needs to be up closer to be effective... which means melta-range. Whoops. On the flip side, now that unit is also VERY close to that nasty CC unit that was inside the aforementioned Land Raider, and are bound to get their faces ripped off in revenge. Also, it doesn't help that Flamestorm Cannons being mounted on the side means that the Redeemer can have difficulty hitting things directly in front of it. Nice thing that 14/14/14 AV does not require specific facing. Multi-Melta optional, but nice. And the cherry on top: 10 points cheaper than the other two Land Raider varieties. Remember, you may not be allowed to snap shot templates, but power of the machine spirit means you can move 12" and still make someone extra crispy. One little advice when assembling the Redeemer is to mount the Flamestorm Cannons in the forward position. That way the templates gain additional reach.
** '''Terminus Ultra (Apocalypse)''' - Leman Russes and Baneblades got you down?  Are Hammerhead gunships making you throw fits?  Tyrannofexes slaughtering your tanks? Titans kicking your ass when you have none of your own? Do Predator Annihilators simply fail to cut it for you? Are your desperate, suicidal charges against a Monolith with only two tactical marines, two Predator Destructors, and three Land Speeders proving to be totally ineffective?  Then the Terminus Ultra is a tank for you!!! Coming equipped with three(!) twin-linked lascannons and two single lascannons, it's only a measly 50 points more expensive than the standard Land Raider and has no troop carrying capacity. It is extremely effective against enemy armour, the Land Raider's special rule allows the Terminus Ultra to easily take out 2 light vehicles in a single shooting phase or completely annihilate one heavy vehicle, I once managed to destroy a Warhound Titan with this thing. But some unlucky rolls can lead to the tank blowing up, through overheating of the lascannon batteries (like REALLY unlucky, about a .3343% chance or 13 in 3888 odds). Best used at long range, picking off the enemy vehicles one by one, or two by two. Pretty much, it causes enemy vehicles to suffer critical existence failure to an even greater degree than the Redeemer causes enemy infantry to spontaneously combust (probably because the Redeemer doesn't have an additional two weapon mounts.) If you could stick on a multi-melta or an additional Lascannon, all your anti-vehicle problems could be fixed but not even Matt Ward is willing to go that far. Antaro Chronus turns this into pretty much the final word in Imperial tank destroyers.  
** '''Achilles (Forge World)''' - Oh hell yes. For the same price as the Terminus Ultra, this beast sports a Thunderfire Cannon and twin-linked multi-melta sponsons, has immunity to the Melta and Lance special rules, puts a -1 penalty on most other attacks, can carry six models, and doesn't go 'splodey.  Put a scout squad and a techmarine in it, plonk it down on an objective, and watch your opponent throw a shit fit. Eldar and Dark Eldar will really [[Rage]] at it since that don't have much anti-tank outside of meltas and lances. Tthough, they have haywire/D-weapon, and you really should beware them, as hawks, wraithguards, witches and scourges would blow your "expensive but invincible" tank in eye blink, once they came in threat range. (Another option is to take a iron hand character, which gives the achilles IWND. Then ally in a cheap DA librarian with a bike and Powerfield generator for a 4++ (divination for rerollable inv save shenanigans). Just try and destroy that platform of death, I dare you...)--Make it worse? Put an Iron Hands Master of the Forge in it with the Relic that gives IWND on a 4+. So, get your repair shot (w/Iron Hands bonuses) + IWND as well. Unless they can take out the HP in one round, this thing isn't going down. 
** '''Ares (Apocalypse)''' - This is for when a Vindicator just won't cut it. Comes standard with a Demolisher cannon, twin linked Assault cannons, twin-linked heavy flamer sponsons, and a siege shield, can take extra armour for +15pts, and always do have extra armour on it, the whole point of this tank is to get to the enemy lines as quickly as possible, therefore as soon as it's stunned, it's losing an entire turn of blowing the enemy apart as you'll reach them a turn later. When it was released there were those who questioned the point of the Demolisher cannon (By 'those', I mean Idiots, who wouldn't want a demolisher cannon...), as it's an ordnance weapon, no other weapons can be fired. Remember PoTMS allow to fire one additional weapon, and you will snapshot with all guns if Ordance is fired, so ultimately it allows 1 Ordance + 1 full BS weapon firing per turn. Costs as much as two-and-a-half Vindicators, but a hell of a lot more survivable, and has more close-combat attack options into the bargain. This tank is the absolute final word in terminal close quarters battle, the demolisher cannon will annihilate half a unit, many more will be mown down by the Assault cannon, then move in to mop up with twin-linked heavy flamers (re-roll to wound), so... it's pretty good its Armour can stand up to the punishment it will no doubt sustain on it's way to the enemy front lines.
***Irritatingly, there is no way to buy a kit for this vehicle, Forgeworld or otherwise, so you have to build it from scratch.
** '''Helios (Forge World)''' - A Whirlwind on steroids, which comes stock with twin-linked lascannon sponsons.  More survivable and versatile than the Whirlwind, but is not worth the points cost. Also carries six models for some insane reason. If you ask us, it'd probably be better off not being able to transport infantry in exchange for two more gun mounts, probably autocannons. ''Mais c'est la vie''.  Not bad if you're only transporting six models anyways (i.e. command squad) since it's basically ten points to upgrade the heavy bolter to a whirlwind launcher, which can be PotMS fired at at infantry while you hit something with lascannon.  Not that a command squad needs a LR, but this could be an awesome choice for them if you do it anyways.
***Despite your uber metal box having AV14 all around and 4HP there are a lot of things that could kill it for like 1/4 of it's cost. Lances and S10 weapons should make you worry. Be afraid of melta and armourbane weapons. Haywire grenades are scary, but less so after the FAQ clarification that it's one per unit in assault. Necrons would eat your Land Raider alive without any problems, unless they go for full tesla and no scarabs (highly unlikely). If your opponent try to squeeze a Titan loaded with D-weapons into 40k game per new Escalation rules feel free to beat him to death with your old reliable metal dreadnought.
*'''[[Stormraven]] Gunship''' (Attack Flyer) - Basically, a flying Land Raider. It costs 200 points base, has AV12 all around and meltaguns don't get the extra D6 for AP when shooting at them. It's also bristling with guns; it has a twin-linked heavy bolter, a twin-linked assault cannon, and four Stormstrike missiles (72" S8 AP2, Concussive, one shot each), and that's only standard issue. It can replace the heavy bolters with a twin-linked multimelta for free or a Typhoon missile launcher for 25 points, and replace the assault cannon with a twin-linked plasma cannon or a twin-linked lascannon for free. And if ''that's'' not enough dakka for you, it can take hurricane bolters in side sponsons. It can't deep strike anymore, but it can take a locator beacon. The real gravy is its transport capacity; it can carry 12 guys (or 6 Jump Infantry/Terminators) ''AND'' one Dreadnought '''ANND''' it's an assault vehicle. Watch your opponent cry tears of bitter [[rage]] as your Vanguard Veterans with power weapons come out of fucking nowhere to ruin his day, along with a rampaging Ironclad dreadnought. It'll cost you an arm and a leg, but you certainly get what you pay for. And speaking of 7th edition it's a flyer. You need it.
** If you're going Iron Hands, take a Techmarine with a servo harness and stick him in there to regain your hullpoints. You will be targeted so it's always important to bring these guys to make sure your Stormraven stays up in the air. In the end you will have a IWND Storm Raven with a 3+ (4+ if not Iron Hands) Blessing of the Omnissiah rolls. Trust me, nothing can easily take it down with all those dice rolls that keeps it up. Take both if you got the points to spare. 
** Take one of these full of power weapon VV's (Or any CC deathstar. Honor Guard work well if your HQ can't take a jump pack)/dread and a Stormtalon escort. Drink your opponent's tears. Bonus points for being Raven Guard.
**'''Alternative take''' It's a 200 point unit that can swap its stock weapons out for twin-linked lascannons and multimeltas for free. In other words, use it as an anti-flyer with the transport capacity coming in as a bonus. However, unless you're expecting to see mostly AV12 flyers, the assault cannon might actually work better. Death by hull point depletion is still death, after all.

====Supplemental or Forgeworld====
* '''Deimos Predator''' - Stock, a Deimos Predator is identical to a vanilla predator. Same stats, same weapons, same points cost. The difference is in the toys the Deimos has as options. Along with the regular heavy bolters and lascannon sponsons, the Deimos can bring heavy flamers. For the turret, you get to choose between replacing the autocannon with a flamestorm cannon, a magna-melta, a plasma destroyer, or a heavy conversion-beamer (though the tank becomes a relic of the armoury if either of the latter two are taken). All in all, the Deimos can be equipped to deal with a wider variety of targets and situations than the vanilla pred, though the Deimos can’t be squadroned.
**Predator Executioner - With the 3-shot plasma destroyer (THAT DOES NOT GET HOT) this thing would blast MEQ and TEQ from the table next turn they come in range. The heavy conversion beamer would only work on high distances, and force you to move or shoot, but a 48-72" S10 AP1 big blast would retake the price of tank in a single shot - think of it like a long range Vindicator.
**Predator Infernus – While the flamestorm cannon is highly devastating at close range it's just too slow. Slow flamer tanks sucks. If you want one that bad, just take allied Blood Angels with a Baal Pred. If this thing come close to any non-TEQ infantry, it would ruin their day, and then die to a single melta shot, or hail of krak grenades. But most commonly it would just die, [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|because a big scary flamer approaching your lines attracts a LOT of fire]]. The MAGNA-MELTA (R18 S8 AP1 Heavy1, Large Blast, Melta), transforms it into a wannabe-Vindicator.
* '''[[Vindicator]] Laser Destroyer''' - The ultimate tank killer, this beast spots a souped-up Laser Destroyer, found on Rapiers, except better. Now this twin-linked ordnance lascannon have a proper 48" range (so it's no longer outranged by things it's supposed to kill) and AP1 (so thing would go boom on 5+). But there's more. If it doesn't move, it can shoot up to THREE times (two normally, and one more with a slight risk of overheating). As a reminder, Ordnance allows you to roll two dice for Armor Penetration, and pick the better one to add to the weapon's Strength. This tank arguably packs more anti-armor punch than Terminus Ultra and Spartan, while being cheaper than Predator Annihilator, with the only three downsides of being more vulnerable to weapon destroyed, being less mobile, and the aforementioned slight chance of overheating. Frankly, unless it's on its last Hull Point, it's probably a good choice to just fire off that third overcharge shot if you reckon you need it to finish off the target, because it's far more likely to put a way bigger hole in the enemy tank, than the risk of losing one Hull Point on yours.
*'''[[Spartan Assault Tank]]''' - Forgeworld takes the old multiple personality disorder Land Raider, and pumps it up with steroids. Fucking '''five''' hull points, two twin-linked two-shot lascannons (it almost gets off as many lascannon shots as a terminus ultra while still being able to carry troops, doesn't go boom when you roll badly, and gets way more goodies), TL heavy bolters, transport capacity of '''25''', in-built extra armor, good-old 14/14/14, PotMS and Assault Vehicle. You even can take frag launchers (which got far more awesome with the new grenade rules) and ceramite shielding (bubble you, meltaguns) for a marginal increase in points. Meaning it can do the roles of the Terminus Ultra, the Achilles, and the Ares all at the same time, all it really needs are some burny weapons. But what are the drawbacks you ask? This uber metal box can not be taken as a dedicated transport at all. Also, as a Forgeworld model, it will cost you a unicorn's soul.
**At only 45 points more, there is no reason to take the Godhammer landraider over this beast ever again.
**Your opponent might hate your guts if you field this.
**Want to make your opponent cry or perhaps even strangle you? Take this beast, the Armoured Ceramite upgrade (when you're 14 AV all round, people WILL try to melta your ass), the Iron Hands Chapter Tactics, a Master of the Forge and with a few Servitors (One should do), and if you have the points add a techmarine with a servoharness as well. If you do all that you will end with HP 5, It Will Not Die and Melta Immune Spartan Assault Tank (That's AV 14 all around no less) and a MotF with a 2+ Blessing of the Omnissiah Rolls with a 3+ roll of insurance from the Techmarine. Make sure those guys are in the vehicle as of the recent faq, Techs can repair while in the vehicle.  This will only cost you 440 points. 
** Fully kitted out Spartan is a textbook definition of Cheese - if your opponent has no answer to it, it'll going to run around wreak havoc unopposed, but if he has - it's you who's screwed, as you pretty much sunk more than a quarter of your points into a giant metal box, that just got blown up in a single turn by a cheap haywire-equipped unit, or a Railgun, or anything Necron, or just fucking Nurglings. At least with this tank-light edition you may hope your opponent had left his anti-vehicle guns at home in favor of moar plasma (because, God knows, you need all the plasma in the world against all these MCs roaming around).
* '''Relic Sicaran''' - A high speed assault tank that is a halfway between a Land Raider and a Predator. For 135 points you get A MURDER MACHINE with 13/12/12, Fast, and the Herakles pattern Accelerator Autocannon, which is R48", S7, AP4, Heavy 6, Rending, and Twin-linked....and no jink saves allowed. This tank makes the Eldar cry. Even Wave Serpents will fall before this (sadly you can only have one (unless you've got a Techmarine HQ) while the Eldar player will spam Wave Serpents.) The Sicaran can also take ceramite plating, making it very durable. This tank absolutely eats light-to-medium armored vehicles and walkers. You will kill a chimera or dreadnought every time your fire its main gun, and with Twin-linked and Space Marine BS, you'll be connecting with almost every shot.
*'''Whirlwind Hyperios''' - This thing is supposed to be your main ground based anti-air, but it sucks. One skyfire/interceptor krak shot per turn, even twin-linked is just don't cut it, and you can not squadron this thing, like IG player squadron their Hydras.
**With the introduction of the Stalker and Hunter, and then now Stalker and Hunter SQUADRONS with squadron bonuses, and the anti-air formation, there is zero reason to even give the Hyperios a sideways glance anymore.
*'''Relic Whirlwind Scorpius''' - Unlike the standard Whirlwind, the Scorpius fires a small blast, but at S8 and AP3 it eats MEQs for breakfast. And if it stands still it can fire D3+1 templates (allowing it to have them for lunch and dinner too).
*'''Space Marine Sentry Gun Battery''' - From IA:12 you get a battery of up to three immobile twin-linked Heavy Bolters for the bargain cost of 15 points each and swap them for a Multi-melta for five or pay ten for TL Lascannons. Being automated, you have very little control over what they actually do in the battle, they select their own targets based on pre-set criteria, you basically just get to choose at deployment what their arcs are: 360 degrees but at 18" range, or 90 degrees at 36" range, so you're rarely going to be blasting things across the table with these things. You DO get the ability to deep strike them for a laugh or give them camo netting for stealth if you can set them up in a good spot to make them invulnerable to most shooting. (while you can pay the cost for both, just don't because it you deep strike into cover you are waiting for a mishap.)
**DON'T EVER mix and match guns or targeting criteria, nowhere in the rules do they say they deploy separately or behave any differently from any other artillery battery, meaning they should all be firing at the same target, which is still the one they select for themselves...
**As a added bonus though, you can instead swap the guns for a '''Hyperios Missile Launcher''' (see Fast Attack section).
*'''Space Marine Rapier Carrier Battery''' - Almost identical to its Imperial Guard counterpart, with the same cheap price and the same awesome weapon, except with Space Marine ballistic skill, toughness, Chapter Tactics and And They Shall Know No Fear.
*'''[[Storm Eagle]]''' - Your transport Flyer. ''(IA12 moved it to heavy)'' Occupies the middle-ground between the [[Stormraven]] and the [[Thunderhawk]]. Transport capacity of 20, with terminators and jump infantry counting as 2 models each. Impressive arsenal of weaponry, standard armament: Hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolter, Hull-mounted Vengeance Launcher (Range:48"|Str:5|AP:4|Heavy 2, Large Blast). Optional armament includes: Switching Heavy bolters for Multi-meltas or a Typhoon missile launcher, and adding 4 Hellstrike Missiles or 2 Twin-linked Lascannon under the wings. Also get ceramite shielding, and the 'Power of the Machine Spirit' special rule, along with 12|12|12 armour. Can also deep strike, and disembarking infantry can assault in the same turn.
** Same with the Stormraven. Motf/Tech with a servo Harness put them inside and stay up.
*'''Fire Raptor Gunship (Forge World)''' - Official rules in IA2:2nd. Comes naked with a TL Avenger Bolt Cannon ''(being a proper [[Fist of the North Star|manly]] S6 AP3 7 shots'', 4 '''Stormtrike Missiles''' ''(S8 Concussive, NOT Ordnance, YAY)'' and two Independent-Turret Quad Heavy Bolters ''(which can be replaced with TL Autocannon for free)''; the latter which aside from firing at their own targets as rumored, don't count towards the number of weapons fired! With all the twin-linked goodness, Strafing Run and PotMS/Independent-turrets; this bastard can dump its entire payload on [[Cheese|FOUR SEPARATE TARGETS]] in a single turn and hit almost every time. It is a relic vehicle, so if you want to take more than one ''(or any other relic vehicle)'' remember to grab a Techmarine as one of your HQ choices.
*'''Deathstorm Drop Pod (Forgeworld)''' - Expecting the drop pod that just landed to contain troops or a heavy weapons platform you don't have to worry about until next turn?  SURPRISE! Whirlwind missiles!  For you!  In the face!  When this modified drop pod lands, it immediately attacks every unit (friend or foe) in 12" and in line of sight d3 times, then attacks normally every subsequent turn. It can also be upgraded to assault cannons for an extra 20 points, but this should only be done if you expect it to survive more than one turn (and you really shouldn't). ''Very'' situational, but if your opponent fields lots of small units relatively close together, dropping this in the middle of them is almost guaranteed to ruin his day. Can't take a locator beacon, though.
*'''Contemptor Dreadnought (Angels of Death)''' - The Angels of Death supplement's take on the Contemptor is a bit of a different beast from its Forge World cousin. It's taken in Heavy Support instead of Elites, has BS 5, 4 attacks, is 5 points cheaper, has Atomantic shielding as wargear instead of as a special rule, has a power fist with a '''combi-bolter''' instead of a dreadnought close combat weapon with a storm bolter, has Chapter Tactics, and can be squadroned. AoD Contemptor Dreadnoughts can also be taken in any Formation in place of normal, Ironclad or Venerable Dreadnoughts. This makes them far easier to take in normal games (unlike FW units which are harder to fit anywhere other than a CAD). 
**The trade-off for the squadrons, better stats, lower cost, and Chapter Tactics, however, is far fewer weapon options than the Forge World version ''(see Elites)''. As in, if you want more options than simply replacing the Multi-Melta with an Assault Cannon, you'll still have to use the IA2 rules, because that's the '''only''' option you got with Angels of Death. The AoD Contemptor also inexplicably lacks the built-in searchlight and smoke launcher of the Forge World Contemptor.
*'''Relic Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought (Experimental Rules online)''' - This is the great-great-great(20x) Grandfather of the Rifleman Dreadnought. At 185 points base, you get a weapon platform with WS4, '''BS5''', S6, AV:13/12/11, [[Lolwut|A1]], and a 5++ save. It's equipped with an Arm-mounted Twin-Linked Anvillus Autocannon Array, which has 4 shots at S8 AP4 Sunder('''Reroll to Penetrate'''), and a Sarcophagus mounted Twin-linked Heavy Bolter (or Heavy Flamer for free). For 35 points more, you can also get the Aiolos Missile Launcher, which is essentially a 3-shot Javelin Missile that ignores Line Of Sight, Intervening Terrain, always hits the top of a tank(Side Armour), and can splitfire at a different target. For same cost as the Aiolos the Deredeo can exchange the Autocannons for a Twin-linked Hellfire Plasma Cannonade. This reduces range to 36", STR to 7, and it loses Sunder. However, it has AP2 with two firing modes: Heavy 4 for Plasma Cannon hits without Gets Hots or Heavy 1 Large Blast (5") & Gets Hot. Take the Plasma Cannonade if there is a heavily armored vehicle or TEQ squad you want to give the metaphorical middle finger. Otherwise stick with the Anvillus.
**Make no mistake, BS 5 TL is the same as BS10. With its extreme accuracy and sunder, it can pretty much [[Rape|eat a light or medium tank for breakfast '''each and every turn''']]. And while it's slamming the medium tanks with the Anvillus Cannons to statistically strip 3 hull points a turn, it's also stripping 2 hull points a turn off another light tank, or threatening a MEQ squad. If its ability to remove tanks like a serbian removes kebabs isn't enough, it's also the ultimate anti-air unit, with the ability to remove a flyer from the board on the turn it comes in with a 95% chance of success. 
**Overall, it's expensive as hell when given the Aiolos, but you get exactly what you pay for. Always take the Aiolos Missile Launcher, because it helps to strip hull points off of your opponent's transports to make them easier to kill. And be sure to park this thing near some LOS Blocking terrain to ensure it can pick its targets with impunity.
*'''Relic Leviathan Dreadnought (Forge World)''' - For about double the price of an Ironclad, you get a rounder Dread with S8, AV 13/13/12 with a 4+ Invul that adds d3 to both the range and strength of its death-explosion, two heavy flamers on his body, total immunity to Maledictions powers, and two claws with meltas, Wrecker, and the odds to inflict d3 extra wounds. When this dads to the fact that it adds +1 to its initiative and 2 HoW attacks on the charge as well as a mandatory sweeping advance, you see that the goal of this thing is to touch anything that runs near it. For it's cost, it might have been better off with AV14 or some better tools. The claws can become drills so you get Armourbane for pennies. You could also make it shooty by replacing a claw with a Leviathan Storm Cannon, that is Heavy 6 S7 AP3 hits with Sunder or a Cyclonic melta lance (not actually a lance weapon), which is a Heavy 3 S9 AP1 18" Meltagun. You could give it Ceramite to cure it of its fear of Melta and three HKs to help pop tanks, but you've already got so much for that goal.  To add to that, this thing counts as a Relic of the Armoury, but can't take a Legacy of Glory, nor can it ever score or benefit from a detachment or formation, so taking this requires extra care. However, with the right loadout it can be an annoyance to any player fielding a Lord of War.