I've been thinking about what to write about these last few days, and really I have given up on trying to review every new Legion and it's different impacts on how Chaos Space Marines work on the tabletop and what combinations there are. I doubt I could even list them in order or which is the best one, but I will give my opinions in what I could see Chaos players bringing to the table. So here we go.
Disclaimer - Although I have ranked them 1-9 on my preference I do not think any Legion are shit, they all have their bonuses but some just have a lot more than others.
1: Thousand Sons - This is Thousand Sons, but I think it should be Magnus or Rehati War Sect. With 13 Magni turning up to the Caledonian Uprising at the start of the year, it is clear he is a popular guy, if the popularity continues or if Magnus goes away then we will know if he is all that or not.
2: Black Legion - Ok, it's the Cabal. A small boost to an otherwise regarded "best formation" for Chaos Space Marines before the new legion book. There will still be Cabal players in 40K and now with their slight buffs them players will be a little happier. If the Cabal didn't exist then this one would find itself tumbling down the ranks.
3: Death Guard - Possibly the most beefed out Legion in the new book, now MoN and free Vets give your army Relentless, +1 Toughness, FnP and Fearless means that your average marine will be a tough nut to crack and only 90 points for 5 instead of 120.
Adding the Decurion bonuses I can see Death Guard being great at the MSU game.
4: World Eaters - World Eaters/ Bezerker armies are extremely popular in 40K communities. We all have one devotee to the blood god in every gaming group, and they will be happy about the decurion of "I get to actually play a game and not just die all the time" which actually can be quiet a deadly surprise for unsuspecting players.
5: Emperors Children - Kakophoni is what it is all about. I find Emperors Children players a rarity as their models are usually over priced, their guns never seem to get solid rules - Salvo Blasters are not really all that - and the packs for the extra weapons are extra £££. The Kakophoni, however, does manage to sort out some problems with the way the units work whilst simultaneously giving them a boost. I do also like the Decurion for these guys, the possibility of BS5 or T5 is always a good thing. I am currently working on my Kakophoni at the moment, but it will not be finished for some time.
6: Alpha Legion - Ok, Alpha legion should be up their above Death Guard in slot 3. However, due to the FAQ that essentially makes the Decurion useless I doubt we will be seeing many players bother with this army. I was collection all the Cultists I could get my hands on for a 180 cultist infiltrate fest who always come back after death, but now I have lots of cultists and not a lot of awesome formations for them. Infiltrate on lots of units is awesome for MSU and Maelstrom games, but lack of anything to really keep you alive, there isn't much stopping you getting blown off the board in chunks. If GW fix the FAQ, the Serpents will definitely rise.
8: Night Lords - I really didn't want to put night lords here, I wanted
them to be much higher up as they are probably one of the coolest
legions around. Unfortunately their new rules don't give much to be
desired in the current climate when put against other legions. Fear & fear bonus's are good, managing to wreck your opponents LD value through formation uses are also good. Yet when you go against KnF marines, Stubborn Guardsmen, Mob rule or Instinctive Behavior and Fearless units, you don't do anything extra to your opponent. If 8th makes Fear and anti fear rules change, perhaps these guys will be getting a boost.
7: Iron Warriors - Playing Iron Warriors myself as a casual army I can tell that they do not get much in face of lot's of extra rules. I only have 3 Oblitorators mind you, the guys with 12 of them are going to be delirious. Anyway, Iron Warriors do have brilliant rules for knocking down tanks and fortifications, however when not many armies are bringing tanks and you will probably be the only guy with fortifications your bonuses only go so far. They are fun to play with, but your marines are the same old marines.
9: Word Bearers - For all the Legions another really cool legion is further down the list than it should be. The only real bonus is the 3+ cast on conjuration powers, which will see a allied detachment of 1 sorcerer and 1 set of cultists being used but that is about it in my opinion. There is not much else to be had for these guys as every other marine is just another renegade marine who many Chaos players don't really like. It is a shame because I love the Novels following Marduk and Burias through their trials and tribulations and I feel that Word Bearers have been dealt a bit of a short hand.
Hope you have enjoyed my list, do you agree with my rankings or do you have your own?
