The Primarchs...Sons of the Emperor, molded from his own flesh to be the pinnacle of Humanity. When the Great Crusade swept across the stars, the Space Marine Legions were at the forefront. Led by the Primarchs, demigods of war. They were Statesmen and Generals, Builders of Civilization, Beacons of Hope in a Galaxy long dark. Until the Heresy, when 9 of the Emperor's Sons turned against their father and set the galaxy and Imperium aflame. Once the dust settled, the Emperor lay mortally wounded and interred within the Golden Throne, while two of his loyal sons were dead as Ferrus Manus fell on Istvaan V and Sanguinius died aboard the Vengeful Spirit fighting Horus. The traitors were put to flight with most retreating into the Eye of Terror after the Death of Horus. Two fled into the Galactic East, but all continued the Long War against the Imperium they had once helped forge...
I love a good science fiction story. You get all the fantastical elements of fantasy, but there's a certain element of realism as it's set in a world that's based on your own. The Horus Heresy is a fantastic example of this. I remember when I first started playing 40K, I was immediate drawn to the T'au for their technology and definitively sci-fi nature. It also helped that at the time they were the "good guys" in a galaxy full of bad guys. But they aren't the focal point of the story, this has always been a story of mankind surviving in the Grimdark and as such the greatest heroes invariably come from the Imperium. When I branched out to start my second army, it was the Blood Angels...the sons of the Angel, Sanguinius. If you don't know their story, I would encourage you to go read the background particularly their origins on Baal and their last stand at the Imperial Palace during the Battle of Terra. You want the hero trope? These guys have it. Nobility, loyalty, martial prowess, respect of peers and love of those below them. The Siege of the Imperial Palace has Sanguinius holding the last gate alone while Daemons and his traitorous brothers attempt to breach the Emperor's last stronghold. It's a story of valor and sacrifice.
For the longest time, I wanted to see this on the tabletop. The greatest champions of humanity squaring off in 28mm scale, how much cooler could it get? Alas, the loyalists were dead or vanished with the exception of Roboute Guilliman who was mortally wounded and preserved in stasis. The traitors were dead or banished to the Eye of Terror (with the exception of Alpharius...maybe) and more concerned with the matters of daemonhood than finishing the fight they started. So we had the stories to sustain us, and the progeny of these demigods to push around the table as they fought out the Long War.
Then Forgeworld began its character series and slowly the Primarchs returned. One by one miniatures were released of the Emperor's Sons during the height of the Great Crusade. We finally had Primarchs in plastic...er...resin! But this series was for their Horus Heresy series and as such we didn't get to see the Primarchs as they exist now. Well then whispers started through the rumor mill. The warp was opening and the lost 13th Company of Space Wolves were returning...the Wulfen. And their return heralded something darker and more exciting, the return of a Primarch - Magnus. This first kit released towards the end of 7th Edition and was met with overwhelming acclaim by players across the spectrum. Not only was it an exquisite model, but the rules were amazing. Magnus was a monster on the battlefield and a psyker beyond compare, he was truly a demigod of war made plastic.
From there, Games Workshop announced a new mini-campaign called the Gathering Storm. This series culminated in the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman, healed of his wound by the technology of Arch Magos Bellisarius Cawl of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Guilliman quickly took command of the Ultramarines and made for Terra. Along the route, the crusade fleet was assailed by daemons of all four chaos gods, headed by his traitorous brothers. Of note, Mortarion and Fulgrim made appearances along the way and Magnus actually dueled with Guilliman on the surface of Luna. This heralded the release of Mortarion in plastic with the release of 8th Edition and the Death Guard as a playable faction. Now the rumor mill is in full swing again that another Loyalist Primarch will return around Christmas in a new Triumvirate set. All very exciting but where has this left the game we all love to play?
Gods of War
Primarchs returning to the 40K universe has been nothing short of revolutionary, both in the fluff and on the tabletop. In 7th Edition, Magnus was monstrous psyker that could seemingly cast powers at will and destroy most everything he touched or Gaze of Magnus'ed at. Guilliman was a juggernaut in his own right, but he really shined as your warlord where he took all of the warlord traits. Guilliman was a force multiplier that could intervene when necessary.
Now for those of you who have been playing 8th Edition, you've likely either played with or lined up against a Primarch. Magnus is still a psyker beyond compare, Mortarion is the Reaper, and Guilliman is the Lord Commander of the Imperium and reroll specialist extraordinaire. Recent majors have seen Magnus and Mortarion team up in a list known in some circles as the Bash Brothers (queue D2: The Mighty Ducks for nostalgia purposes). While they've been doing their tag team thing, Guilliman has been seen in every Imperium army you can imagine, providing all manner of rerolls and morale boosting abilities while also tossing in an extra 3 command points to be used to your heart's content. He really shines in an Ultramarine list where he opens up even crazier benefits.
So what does this mean when we get to the competitive side of things? Well as mentioned above, these are some potent lists. Guilliman Gunlines were one of the dominant forces in the early days of 8th. Magnus has been a staple in Daemon lists, particularly surrounded by his most diminutive of daemons - Brimstones. Mortarion really shook up the meta along with the emergence of his Death Guard as a new faction. Death Guard on its own is a potent force, one might even say it's disgusting. The Lord of the Death Guard provides a centerpiece model that packs a fearsome punch in close combat. Add a Sorceror with Warp Time to run him up and you've got an absolute beat stick model in combat turn 1.
The Impact on the Meta
In short, there are a lot of very good lists built around these Primarchs. Looking at Warzone Atlanta, there was one Bash Brothers list in the Top 5 Overall and at least one Magnus List piloted by Robert Chandler. I don't recall seeing Guilliman in one of the Top 5 but he's been showing up in high ranking lists since his release. What we've seen with these three models in particular, are very similar army styles (for each respectively) that are becoming more and more prevalent. From following some of Chandler's posts, his Magnus list faced off against multiple other Magnus lists over the course of the event. While I don't believe the meta at large is suffering due to the prevalence of these armies, it does lend itself to a repetitive cycle when you start seeing the same list over and over at events.
It's usually the same culprits. Magnus will be seen lounging around with the Changeling and lots of Brimstones. Mortarion will be surrounded by Poxwalkers, Nurglings and Bloat Drones. Both will likely have some Malefic Lords hanging around along with a scattering of daemon princes. Tzeentch and Nurgle armies featuring these Primarchs will likely be similar based off the patron god of choice. Guilliman will have more variety to his lists, but will largely be centered around a potent firebase of either Astra Militarum or Space Marines. Early variants were based around Razorback's toting lascannons or Stormravens with Guilliman at the center granted rerolls.
The tag team list of Magnus and Mortarion is another beast altogether, but you'll still see the Changeling and Brimstones added in as the screen. Mortarion will usually be running the opposite flank with a Sorceror casting Warptime. I've seen variations on this list but the bulk of it is fairly set in stone.
Basically these are solid lists that must be prepared for, much in the same way that you have to prep for Astra Militarum if you're intending to compete in a tournament environment.
How to Beat a Primarch
So that leads us to the pay off, how do you beat a Primarch? Each Primarch requires a different touch as they're very different in what they're attempting to achieve.
Magnus: The original plastic Primarch is arguably the toughest to deal with by virtue of his invulnerable save rules and the presence of the Changeling. If you give Magnus a Psychic Phase, he'll likely have a 3++ with rerolls of 1 and will have a -1 to hit with the Changeling nearby (this second one will be in effect regardless). With Magnus already being extremely tough, the odds of wounding him are severely hampered due to these defensive buffs. So there are two recommendations for dealing with him: 1) if given the opportunity, alpha strike him 2) pile on the mortal wounds. These options aren't mutually exclusive but if you're going second the odds of being able to pull off a successful alpha strike dimension greatly. Mortal wound are the most reliable way I've found of removing him from play. The Changeling still causes issues with many standard units but if you can pick up any sort of reroll or BS boost, then it becomes much more manageable.
Mortarion: For a model with a special rule called Disgustingly Resilient, it may be surprising to some that he's not nearly as resilient to incoming fire as Magnus. The reroll 1s and boosted invulnerable save aren't present leaving Mortarion with a 3+/4++/5+ defense. In my experience, the best way to deal with Mortarion is massed amounts of fire. If you can squeeze in some high damage shots, go for it but the goal when dealing with Mortarion is force as many wounds on him as you can. Eventually statistics will take over and he'll succumb. Keep in mind, you're probably going to have to sacrifice a unit or two to the Reaper.
Magnus/Mortarion: This one deserves special entry. Don't take this game like you would a game against Imperial Knights. Target priority is essential here and my recommendation is deal with Magnus first and deal with him as quickly as possible. The guidance above still holds true, but what you don't want to have is two Daemon Primarchs flying into your lines. Deal with Magnus before he can get his defenses up, then turn your attention to Mortarion (who will likely be very very close). Now obviously if Magnus is just hanging out in the back not doing much, shift your attention to the Grim Reaper flying at you. Just make your shots count, remove one of these guys as quickly as possible.
Roboute Guilliman: Ah the Lord Commander of the Imperium. Guilliman presents an entirely different dynamic in that he's protected by the Character rule and 9 wounds. For Guilliman, I'd recommend playing around him. Your opponent will have valuable (and targetable) units surrounding him that are doing the bulk of the damage. Remove these and force Guilliman to come to you. The alternative is that when Guilliman decides to move up the field, he's almost certainly going to kill some things. He's too good not to, but if you can take apart the army around him then you stand a good chance of winning.
Obviously this is all easier said than done, but that's what makes the game fun. Finding ways to overcome the odds and emerge with victory...or die in the attempt.
Final Thoughts
Primarchs are a pretty polarizing addition to the game. Some people love that the Emperor's Sons are returning while others see it as a significant step up in power creep for the most popular armies. I know for my part, it's tough seeing powerful centerpiece models for Chaos and the Imperium while the rest of us have nothing even close to that level. It would be nice to see different army builds featuring the Primarchs. How cool would it be to see competitive lists featuring Magnus, Ahriman and the Rubric Marines? Or Mortarion and Typhus leading the Deathshroud to battle surrounded by an army of zombies? Guilliman heading up the First Company Veterans of Ultramar like we saw in the Gathering Storm? Perhaps this goes back to GW's need for balance as the lists above simply wouldn't be as efficient as those I mentioned higher up, they would be awesome to see though.
All in all, I feel like Primarchs have added a level of grandeur that had been missing from the game. The heroes and villains of old returning for the End Times is a story I can get behind. Hopefully their introduction, as well as the rumored Loyalist returning at Christmas, bodes well for the rest of our armies down the line. If nothing else, my hobby queue will remain full.
Tau'va
No comments:
Post a Comment