Blackshields are cool and it’s a damned tragedy that they’re not seen more on the table top. I’ve looked at Blackshields for years, but making a list that makes any sense with them is a challenge. The Wrought By War choices, while fluffy and uniquely appealing, are often restrictive or come with de-buffs of their own. Below you’ll find my favorite of the Blackshield lists I’ve written so far. It uses the Outlanders Wrought by War and the Nemean Reaver as its warlord.
The Nemean Reaver 180 pts
Knight Errant + narthecium + Librarian + 2x psychic mastery 190 pts
Vet squad + 1x vet + melta bombs + 5x power weapons + 3x combi-weapons + pariah Flamer + nuncio vox + power fist + rad grenades 262 pts
Marauder squad + 10x marines + 3x pariah flamers + 11x shotguns + power fist + combi-weapon + melta bomb + rad grenades 326 pts
Marauder squad + 10x marines + 3x pariah flamers + 11x shotguns + power fist + combi-weapon + melta bomb + rad grenades 326 pts
Breacher squad + melta bombs + 2x melta guns + nuncio vox + breacher charge + combi weapon 310 pts
Breacher squad + melta bombs + 2x melta guns + nuncio vox + breacher charge + combi weapon 310 pts
Fire Raptor gunship + reaper autocannons + hellstrike missiles 230 pts
Whirlwind Scorpius 115 pts
Land Raider Battle Squadron:
Land Raider Proteus + twin-linked lascannon + armored ceramite + dozer blade + pintle-mounted multi-melta 250 pts
Land Raider Proteus + twin-linked lascannon + armored ceramite + dozer blade + pintle-mounted multi-melta 250 pts
Land Raider Phobos + armored ceramite + dozer blade 250 pts
2999 pts
The plan here is to put your Breacher squads in the LR Proteus and the Vets in the LR Phobos along with the Knight Errant and Nemean Reaver. Keep the Marauders in reserve and use your nuncio voxes to Deep Strike them exactly where they can do the most damage. The really dangerous part of this list is how many Pariah Flamers are in it. Having faced Will’s Blackshields back in the day, the number of hits that a Torrent flamer can lay down is in a word: impressive. I based this on the Dark Brotherhood fluff from Book 6. With Outlanders having the Shadow of Oblivion rule go into effect once half their infantry units are destroyed, I figure the Dark Brotherhood would make an effort at protecting their guys, hence the Land Raiders.
The LR Phobos contains a deceptively effective Death Star unit. Seeing as Garro and the Knights Errant venture to the Pale Stars to retrieve The Nemean Reaver, I figured it only appropriate to include one in this list. Even basic KE are great support characters with conferring Preferred Enemy(Traitors) to their unit. Add two levels of psychic mastery and a narthecium, and you’ve got the most versatile character in the game. Now with any KE, it’s important to choose a fitting Oath of Moment. Choose poorly and you’ve handed your opponent a victory without doing anything else. I figure the best choice for this list is the Protector. You select the Nemean Reaver as the character to be protected, being that he’s T5 with Eternal Warrior, Fearless, 2+ 4++, with Void Hardened Armor, there’s a solid bet that he can survive a game and give you 2 VPs.
I’m slowly gathering models and bits for this labor of love type list. Hopefully by 2020 it’ll be the army I bring to NOVA. As always, thank you for your time.
-Jared
Neat list, love it!