Your army’s latest codex has dropped. The internet and Reddit is abuzz about the latest “broken combos.” YouTubers have dubbed the army S-tier.
The truth is, many players don’t really understand how to properly evaluate a codex. They will copy a netlist and hope for the best or get lost in Reddit white noise and never build an effective army that works on the tabletop.
Learning how to properly evaluate a 10th edition 40K codex can prepare you for success on the tabletop. Let’s get into it.
Step 1: What is the Army Trying to Do
Every faction in Warhammer 40K has a core “identity” which is established through its Army Rule, Detachments and Datasheet abilities.
The very first step is looking at the Army Rule for the faction. This is your army’s “rule” which functions no matter the detachment you choose in the Codex. Take Space Marines for example. Their Army Rule is Oath of Moment, which allows them to pick an enemy unit at the start of their Command Phase giving full re-rolls to hit against that chosen unit for their army until the start of their next Command Phase.
Looking at an Army Rule for a faction isn’t enough to fully evaluate the army’s strengths however. In order to maximize your army’s value on the tabletop you need to understand how this Army Rule works in tandem with everything else in the Codex from Detachment rules, Stratagems, Enhancements and Datasheets.
The Army Rule sets the tone for the playstyle of the Army Faction.
Step 2: Review the Detachments
Detachments work in tandem with a Faction’s Army Rule and gives you an understanding of how the army is intended to play on the tabletop in that particular build.
Things to evaluate with each Detachment:
- How does the Detachment work with your Army Rule?
- What units are best supported in the Detachment (many provide bonuses to specific unit types)?
- Is the Army Rule Conditional (needs certain conditions to be met to use) or Passive (works all the time)?
- What Stratagems and Enhancements can be beneficial to the Army?
Let’s take the Blood Angels Liberator Assault Group as an example to evaluate. We know Space Marines have the Oath of Moment Army Rule. The Liberator Assault Group Detachment ability gives all Space Marines units in your army +1 to their Attacks Characteristic and +2 to their Strength Characteristic in the Fight Phase if the unit Charged that turn.
We can see this is a conditional detachment rule (requires a unit to have made a Charge Move to use) and greatly benefits Blood Angels close combat units. So, when you select an enemy unit as the Oath of Moment target (your Army Rule), and Charge that unit you get to reroll your hit rolls and get extra attacks with added Strength making your combat units more efficient than their basic Datasheets.
Evaluating Stratagems and Enhancements in a Detachment
Stratagems are extra abilities you can use at the cost of Command Points (which you gain at the start of each Player Turn.) When evaluating Stratagems in your Codex here are things to consider:
- What Stratagems work best with the Detachment rule?
- What is the CP cost for each?
- What are the conditions to use these Stratagems?
- Do any of these Stratagems answer a weakness in the Army?
- Identify the “core Stratagem” in the Detachment (that is, the Stratagem you expect to use most often that can amplify your Army’s efficiency)
Stratagems are awesome abilities you can unlock to ramp up your Army’s potential on the tabletop but come at the cost of your CP resources which you must balance carefully.
Tip: Avoid building around Stratagems that have multiple specific conditions to unlock. The best strats are those you can use across multiple unit types throughout the game that don’t require multiple layered conditions.
Looking at the Liberator Assault Group as an example, the Detachment has a great suite of Strats to choose from, however the “core Stratagem” is Red Rampage, which is used in the Fight Phase to give a unit Lance (+1 to wound) or Lethal Hits (auto-wounds on a Critical Hit roll) or both if you choose to Battleshock the unit. Red Rampage works in tandem with the Detachment rule and Army Rule to amplify the unit’s output in combat and can be used across a variety of units throughout the game.
Enhancements are additional items you can equip on your Characters. These Enhancements range from working as force multiplier buffs to simply boosts to the Character itself. When evaluating the Enhancements in a Codex, look first for those that are providing you force multiplying benefits, or those that combine well with specific Character Datasheets.
One example of this that has become a staple in Liberator Assault Group is the Rage-Fueled Warrior Enhancement. It allows the bearer to get Sustained Hits 3 once per battle on their close combat attacks. This combos nicely with the Blood Angels Captain Datasheet ability to also once per game give his attacks the Devastating Wounds ability. Which, in turn combos well with the Oath of Moment army rule to get rerolls to hit rolls to fish for 6s to hit and pop the Sustained Hits 3 ability.
Most Enhancements in a Detachment are just filler and have minimal impact, but usually one or two of them are intended to work within the framework of your Army Rule and Detachment. Evaluate them and determine which are most useful and on what Character Datasheets.
Step 3: Analyze the Datasheets
This is often the point where players struggle the most. Codexes are full of Unit Datasheets and finding the most efficient combinations of units, leaders, Detachment rules and stratagems/Enhancements can be a challenge.
Review each Datasheet carefully. Look at your Character units and the units they can lead. How can you maximize their use with your Army and Detachment Rules? What are the Battleline units? What are the elite “damage dealing” units. Compare their datasheets and look for those that are doing similar jobs and choose the most efficient one based on the unit’s point costs vs their abilities.
This is the point where you will form the “core” of your Army List to build around. For example, in Blood Angels Liberator Assault Group, the core units that players will typically build around include Death Company Marines with Jump Packs, Sanguinary Guard, Chaplains, Captains, and some of the Epic Heroes like Dante, Lemartes, or The Sanguinor. These units form the core of the list in that, in tandem, they benefit the most from the Army and Detachment Rule because they are close combat units, have great stratagem support and are the most efficient at the role they occupy for their points.
Think of it like this; what units are going to benefit the most from your Army and Detachment Rule and how can you maximize their value in the game?
Your units should be composed of those that synergize the most with your Army and Detachment Rule for the most cost-effective value point.
Step 4: Identify the Codex Counters
There is no Army Faction in Warhammer 40K that exists without any counters. Every Army has certain weaknesses. For example, a Blood Angels Liberator Assault Group list is going to mostly revolve around fast moving, hard hitting close combat units that are not very durable. They are a glass cannon in that sense. They will lack in shooting power compared to some other armies and are very reliant on being able to use their speed to maneuver and stage for charges.
When evaluating your Codex, look for areas that are weak points and think of strategies to minimize their impact in your games. For example, again looking at Blood Angels Liberator Assault Group. This Detachment is highly centered around close combat melee units. But what about when you go against other melee oriented armies like Orks, World Eaters or Custodes? How can your build get an edge on those? There are several units in the Codex that offer Fights First abilities like Mephiston and The Sanguinor. Further there is an Enhancement in the Detachment called Speed of the Primarch that grants the bearer and his unit a once per battle Fights First. Those types of units in your list can leverage the melee matchup so it’s not solely based on who gets the charge off first.
Perhaps your units and Detachment Rules are built to handle more elite type threats and lack the unit count or attack volume to handle horde-style armies. Evaluate and identify your Codexes weaknesses as well as their strengths to further help you evaluate a plan to face these counters.
Don’t try to mitigate for every possible opposing army. Lean into your army’s strengths and build around those.
Step 5: Build Test Lists
Your test lists should be built around your core with strong supporting units that can accomplish mission goals such as holding Primary Objectives and scoring Secondaries. Every unit in your list needs to occupy a specific role. How can your support pieces compliment your core units in terms of scoring potential? Can those support pieces also value from the Detachment rule?
One example of this in Blood Angels Liberator Assault Group would be Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs. This is a standard Space Marine unit, but when added to the Liberator Detachment, suddenly they gain a big boost in increasing their attacks volume and their Strength. They go from having 4 attacks each with the Chainswords at Strength 4 to 5 attacks each at Strength 6 which is a big boost to their basic Datasheet. For this reason, they make a great support unit for Blood Angels in Liberator Assault Group.
Build your test lists with your core and support pieces in mind and look for the most value you can get in combination. Don’t be afraid to evaluate and make changes after games, but avoid major shifts in your core without thorough testing first.
Final Thoughts
Evaluating a 10th Edition Codex for Competitive 40K can be tricky, but with the right understanding of how to properly breakdown a Codex, you can start building for success. Focus on process over results. Evaluate the Army Rule, Detachments, Stratagems and Enhancements and Unit Datasheets and try to maximize your value out of your army. Find your army’s “core” and build around it with support pieces. Build test lists, practice, evaluate and make adjustments. Don’t focus on meta so much as learning your Army’s strengths and weaknesses.
If you’re newer to tournaments or trying to understand how all the competitive pieces fit together, I put together a complete resource guide on getting started in competitive Warhammer 40K that walks through the core rules, missions, tools, and learning resources used at events.
If you’re new to the game or want to improve quickly, then don’t forget to grab my FREE eBook: Forging Your Path to Victory: A Beginner’s Guide to Competitive 40K. A great starting point for those looking to jump into Competitive 40K. Subscribe and get your free copy!
Want personalized help evaluating your own codex and building a list for success? My coaching program is designed to help give you the tools and understanding to breakdown a Codex and maximize it’s potential on the table. I’d love to help you one-on-one level up your game.
See you on the tabletop.
