Good day everyone! Time to review another Warhammer 40k Detachment. The Blood Angels are getting a new Codex soon, so I have to do them next and then we can see what changes!
So let's get right into it!
Army Rule Recap
Blood Angels are Space Marines, Adeptus Astartes and thus gets Oath of Moment. Full rules HERE but basically, they choose one enemy and get to re-roll to Hit against that enemy unit until the start of the next turn.
Now added to that is this Detachment:
Detachment Review #2 - Sons of Sanguinius
When using the Sons of Sanguinius Detachment, you cannot include units from any other Space Marine Chapter in your army.
This army gains the following:
The Red Thirst
When an unit from this army is selected to Fight in melee, if they had made a Charge move, add 2 to Strength and 1 to the Attacks on the Profiles of melee weapons wielded by these units.
Thoughts
This is a simple and effective rule. +2 Strength means that you are often overpowering things that were usually medium to take on and gives you a decent chance at hurting things that would be above your punching weight. Plus an additional attack to make it even more likely that you deal more damage!
Enhancements
Every Detachment has access generally to 4 Enhancements. You cannot Enhance an Epic Hero, but you can buff another Character unit. All these enhancements can be given to any (non-Epic) Character that is Adeptus Astartes in your army.
Artisan of War - 20pts
Increase the AP of weapons wielded by this model by 1 and this model as a 2+ Save.
This gives a Power Armor guy what we used to call Artificer armor.
Plus Ap -1 meaning an AP -3 Powerfist or Relic Weapon and many more combinations. Great at increasing damage output.
Icon of the Angel - 10pts
When enemy units (but not Monsters and Vehicles) perform a Fall Back from this unit, they need to take a Desperate Escape test as though they were Battle Shocked. If they ARE Battle Shocked, then subtract 1 from the roll on those tests.
Usually this means rolling a Dice for every model in the unit and on 1 or 2, a model dies. With a Battle Shocked unit it would then be 50/50. 1,2,3 = dead.
Visage of Death - 15pts
While in Engagement Range of this Model's unit, the enemy unit must halve their OC (Objective Control)
This is a great way of denying some units from being able to hold objectives with a higher OC.
Archangel's Shard - 25pts
The Bearer's melee weapons have Anti-Chaos 5+ and Lance.
This means on the Charge he gets +1 to Wound.
Anti-Chaos 5+ means that it critically wounds a unit with the Chaos Keyword on a 5+ instead of a 6+
I would totally try that with a Thunder Hammer so you can Dev Wound on 5+ against Chaos!
Thoughts
Mostly Close Combat orientated. Buffs to Damage Output, stopping enemy units from running away and having enemy OC. Some great options there!
Stratagems
Armour of Contempt
1CP - This Strat is used in either the opponent's Shooting or Fight Phase and you select one unit that has just been targeted by an attack.
Worsen the AP of that attack by 1.
This is the one Stratagem that is shared by all Space Marine Detachments and it is universally useful. When you need to keep a unit alive from an attack that is AP-1 or AP-2 then this is the thing to use.
I think it is a bit futile to use AoC when there is a lot of attacks with AP-3 and AP-4 because even then, your Power Armor models will end up with a 5+ or 6+ save and die anyway. Terminators have a 4+ invul... so maybe a Gravis unit or a Tank would need this.
Also remember that if its shooting, you can stack this with Benefit of Cover, where you add 1 to Armor Saving throws. Thus: Your Space Marines have a 3+ save. They get hit by Ap-2 weapons and you are in cover. You activate AoC and the weapons go to AP-1. You now have a 4+ save but with Benefit of Cover BoC, rolls of a 3 count as a 4. Thus... the AP-2 is completely nullified!
Red Rampage
1CP - One unit gaings Lethal Hits and Lance on their Melee attacks.
Thus, you charged, the Detachment Bonus gives you +2S and +1A, now with Lethal Hits and Lance. Lance on the charge gives you +1 to Wound rolls.
Lethal hits auto-wound on a 6! So... if you used this on Death Company or with Oath of Moment... Extra Attacks, re-roll hits to get more Auto Wounds, then Lance with a minimum of S6 Astartes Chainswords or S10 Power Fists WITH +1 to Wound!
This means Chainswords need 2+ to Wound T1-T5 (Up to Terminators), 3+ to Wound T6 (Custodes), 4+ to wound T7-11 and 5+ to Wound T12+. Though remember the Lethal Hits will auto-wound.
Aggressive Onslaught
1CP- After combat, instead of a 3" Consolidate, the unit gets a 6" Consolidate as long as they end up in Engagement with another enemy unit!
Good for keeping yourself in the battle!
Angel’s Sacrifice
1CP - When a Characcter dies, you can use this Stratagem.
From then on, for the rest of the game anytime your Blood Angels target the unit that killed that Character, they can re-roll to Hit. Thus permanent Oath of Moment on a unit.
Only in Death Does Duty End
1CP - You use this ability when your unit is targeted by unit in melee.
Until the end of the phase, your models in the target unit gaid auto-Fights on Death.
You know the AP-3/AP-4 problem above? Well in that case, this Stratagem would be a better pick, making sure your squad does damage even though they are going to take plenty casualties, they will deal their damage back!
Relentless Assault
1CP - Gives a unit the ability to Fall Back and Charge in the same turn.
No shooting, but this gives you your Charge bonus of +2S and +1A again!
Thoughts
All of these starts are super useful and most of them scream for Aggressive Combat! The Blood Angels players should lean into that and gear up to take advantage of these abilities!
Summary and End
I have Blood Angels and knowing all this in so much detail I get why some of my friends play Blood Angels/Sons of Sanguinius!
I look forward to seeing what the new Codex brings them!
Thank you for reading!
Warhammer Review Library
Army Rule and Detachment Rule Reviews
| Faction | Detachment | Review Number |
|---|---|---|
| Agents of the Imperium | Army Rule #2 | |
| Astra Militarum | Army Rule #1 | |
| Astra Militarum | Combined Regiment | Detachment Rule #1 |
| Space Marines | Army Rule #3 |
Datasheet Review list (Alphabetical)
| Faction | Unit | Review Number |
|---|---|---|
| Adeptus Custodes | Prosecutors | #1 |
| Adeptus Custodes | Knight-Centura | #54 |
| Adeptus Custodes | Shield-Captain | #61 |
| Adeptus Custodes | Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armor | #70 |
| Adeptus Custodes | Trajann Valoris | #40 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Archaeopter Fusilave | #13 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Archaeopter Stratoraptor | #14 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Archaeopter Transvector | #15 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Belisarius Cawl | #53 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Corpuscarii Electro-Priests | #97 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Onager Dunecrawler | #110 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Serberys Raiders | #55 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Serberys Sulphurhounds | #56 |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Technoarcheologist | #104 |
| Aeldari | Guardian Defenders | #64 |
| Aeldari | Maugan Ra | #87 |
| Aeldari | Night Spinner | #65 |
| Aeldari | Shadowseer | #80 |
| Aeldari | Prince Yriel | #92 |
| Astra Militarum | Kasrkin | #60 |
| Astra Militarum | Tank Commander | #90 |
| Astra Militarum | Wyvern | #81 |
| Black Templars | Black Templars Gladiator | #102 |
| Black Templars | High Marshall Helbrecht | #38 |
| Black Templars | Marshall | #46 |
| Black Templars | The Emperor's Champion | #63 |
| Blood Angels | Astorath | #131 |
| Blood Angels | Baal Predator | #2 |
| Blood Angels | Brother Corbulo | #132 |
| Blood Angels | Captain Tycho | #133 |
| Blood Angels | Chief Librarian Mephiston | #134 |
| Blood Angels | Commander Dante | #135 |
| Blood Angels | Death Company Dreadnought | #136 |
| Blood Angels | Death Company Intercessors | #137 |
| Blood Angels | Death Company Marines | #138 |
| Blood Angels | Death Company Marines with Jump Packs | #139 |
| Blood Angels | Furioso Dreadnought | #140 |
| Blood Angels | Gabriel Seth | #66 |
| Blood Angels | Lemartes | #32 |
| Blood Angels | Librarian Dreadnought | #141 |
| Blood Angels | Sanguinary Guard | #93 |
| Chaos Daemons | Beasts of Nurgle | #98 |
| Chaos Daemons | Daemonettes | #29 |
| Chaos Daemons | Lord of Change | #75 |
| Chaos Daemons | Nurglings | #82 |
| Chaos Knights | Knight Abominant | #94 |
| Chaos Knights | War Dog Brigands | #30 |
| Chaos Knights | War Dog Executioners | #31 |
| Chaos Knights | War Dog Huntsman | #77 |
| Chaos Space Marines | Abbadon the Despoiler | #50 |
| Chaos Space Marines | Haarken Worldclaimer | #41 |
| Chaos Space Marines | Khorne Lord of Skulls | #37 |
| Dark Angels | Asmodai | #16 |
| Dark Angels | Azrael | #17 |
| Dark Angels | Belial | #4 |
| Dark Angels | Deathwing Knights | #20 |
| Dark Angels | Deathwing Terminator Squad | #99 |
| Dark Angels | Lazarus | #62 |
| Dark Angels | Land Speeder Vengeance | #101 |
| Death Guard | Biologus Putrifier | #5 |
| Death Guard | Blightlord Terminators | #10 |
| Death Guard | Chaos Lord | #36 |
| Death Guard | Lord of Contagion | #52 |
| Death Guard | Tallyman | #39 |
| Death Guard | Malignant Plaguecaster | #71 |
| Deathwatch | Corvus Blackstar | #72 |
| Deathwatch | Deathwatch Terminator Squad | #112 |
| Deathwatch | Deathwatch Veterans | #114 |
| Deathwatch | Fortis Kill Team | #116 |
| Deathwatch | Indomitor Kill Team | #118 |
| Deathwatch | Kill Team Cassius | #120 |
| Deathwatch | Proteus Killteam | #57 |
| Deathwatch | Spectrus Kill Team | #73 |
| Deathwatch | Veteran Bike Squad | #84 |
| Deathwatch | Watch Captain Artemis | #122 |
| Deathwatch | Watch Master | #124 |
| Drukhari | Grotesques | #45 |
| Drukhari | Haemonculus | #8 |
| Drukhari | Raider | #35 |
| Drukhari | Scourges | #7 |
| Genestealer Cults | Aberants | #47 |
| Genestealer Cults | Hybrid Metamorphs | #58 |
| Genestealer Cults | Reductus Saboteur | #33 |
| Grey Knights | Brother Captain | #25 |
| Grey Knights | Grand Master | #48 |
| Grey Knights | Strike Squad | #51 |
| Imperial Agents | Callidus Assassin | #9 |
| Imperial Agents | Culexus Assassin | #69 |
| Imperial Agents | Eversor Assassin | #105 |
| Imperial Agents | Exaction Squad | #111 |
| Imperial Agents | Imperial Navy Breachers | #113 |
| Imperial Agents | Inquisitor | #115 |
| Imperial Agents | Inquisitor Coteaz | #117 |
| Imperial Agents | Inquisitor Eisenhorn | #119 |
| Imperial Agents | Inquisitor Greyfax | #121 |
| Imperial Agents | Inquisitorial Henchmen | #123 |
| Imperial Agents | Inquisitor Karamazov | #125 |
| Imperial Agents | Lord Inquisitor Kyria Draxus | #126 |
| Imperial Agents | Rogue Trader Entourage | #127 |
| Imperial Agents | Subductor Squad | #128 |
| Imperial Agents | Vigilant Squad | #26 |
| Imperial Agents | Vindicare Assassin | #129 |
| Imperial Agents | Voidsmen-at-Arms | #130 |
| Imperial Knights | Canis Rex | #76 |
| Imperial Knights | Armiger Helverin | #22 |
| Imperial Knights | Armiger Warglaive | #43 |
| Imperial Knights | Knight Castellan | #83 |
| Leagues of Votann | Brôkhyr Iron-master | #27 |
| Leagues of Votann | Brôkhyr Thunderkyn | #78 |
| Leagues of Votann | Cthonian Beserks | #86 |
| Leagues of Votann | Sagitaur | #3 |
| Leagues of Votann | Ûthar the Destined | #44 |
| Necrons | Obelisk | #11 |
| Orks | Battlewagon | #34 |
| Orks | Hunta Rig | #28 |
| Orks | Zodgrod Wortsnagga | #89 |
| Space Marines | Kayvaan Shrike | #23 |
| Space Marines | Marneus Calgar | #42 |
| Space Marines | Razorback | #21 |
| Space Marines | Vanguard Veteran Squad with Jump Packs | #103 |
| Space Wolves | Arjac Rockfist | #68 |
| Space Wolves | Fenrisian Wolves | #91 |
| Space Wolves | Wolf Guard | #74 |
| T'au Empire | Breacher Team | #88 |
| T'au Empire | Darkstrider | #12 |
| T'au Empire | Kroot Carnivore Squad | #19 |
| T'au Empire | Pathfinder Team | #79 |
| T'au Empire | Piranhas | #107 |
| T'au Empire | Razorshark Strike Fighter | #95 |
| T'au Empire | Stealth Battlesuits | #67 |
| Thousand Sons | Ahriman | #108 |
| Thousand Sons | Ahriman on Disc of Tzeentch | #109 |
| Thousand Sons | Exalted Sorcerer | #59 |
| Thousand Sons | Magnus the Red | #49 |
| Tyranids | Barbgaunts | #6 |
| Tyranids | Lictor | #106 |
| Tyranids | Raveners | #96 |
| Tyranids | Screamer Killer | #24 |
| World Eaters | Lord Invocatus | #100 |
| World Eaters | World Eaters Chaos Spawn | #18 |
| World Eaters | World Eaters Daemon Prince | #85 |
Thank you for reading!
** Images in this post are from the Warhammer app, or Warhammer.com or otherwise referenced.
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