Black Guardian Defenders

Black Guardian Defenders are the meat and potatoes of the Ulthwe Army. They have surprising staying power when I provide them a Warlock with Conceal or Embolden and cast Fortune on them. When the points are available they get a Weapons Platform. A Missle Launcher, Star Cannon or Bright Lance is provided depending on their intended target.

I tend to screen my expensive, stationery troops like Dark Reapers, Rangers and Support Platforms behind my Defenders. This means that they can't be targetted by most weapons and when an enemy closes in to assault them, I can adjust my living shield of Guardian Defenders to protect them. Since all Defender weapons (including platforms) can move and shoot, I constantly shift them to try and keep 14 to 15 inches between them and the enemy on my turn. Now, if the assauting troups want to carve up my Dark Reapers, they need to make their way through a hail of Shuriken Catapault fire, then combat their way through the Guardians to get there.

If the Black Guardian Defenders become embroiled in a Close Combat and their loss looks imminent (and it usually does), the shielded squad behind them may sacrifice a turn of shooting (since they can't shoot through a close combat anyway) and move to a safe distance behind the melee. This way, if the Black Guardian Defenders lose and run, they won't run past my expensive squad and expose them to an assault.

Most shooting elements in my Ulthwe army will target vehicles (especially fast ones carrying assault troops) first. For this reason I don't worry too much about mobile assault troops. There are other dangers for Guardian Defenders which pose a much greater immediate problem. Long-range ordinance-template weapons can be devastating. Since the Guardian Defenders must be clustered closely together to screen troops behind them, they make a tempting, easily crumbled target. Be careful to spread them out far enough to minimize template damage, but still create a good shield.

The other problem are fast-moving assault squads that can assault the defenders before they get a chance to use their firepower. Stormboyz, Assault marines (and other jump-pack troops) , hormagaunts and Dark Eldar Warp beasts all fall into this category. When you see troops like these getting within 20 inches of the Black Guardian Defenders, move them. Take advantage of that precious ability to move and continue to fire that Star Cannon or Missile Launcher.

For some tips on how to get the most out of Guardian Defenders, Click here.