I recently played a very close and tactical practice game against Iron Hands Gladius Task Force Space Marines, using my updated Houndpack Lance list — the same one I discussed after the September RTT.
That means 13 War Dogs backed by Daemon Allies, just as before.
This game was super tactical (Terraform can really play that way), but today I want to focus on the Daemon Allies — specifically how they performed and what I learned from the experience.
Daemon Allies – First Impressions
It’s always a bit early to rate units after just one game, but I definitely noticed a few things — especially some unexpected weaknesses with Nurglings..
And it turns out, if you actually read the rules instead of assuming you know them, you get better at the game. Who knew?
That’s exactly why practice games matter.
Learnings
1. Nurglings cannot perform Actions.
Totally news to me. I had assumed that even with 0 OC, they could still do Actions — they cannot.
That massively reduces their appeal. Sure, they’re still great for screening and for early-game secondary objectives like Engage on All Fronts or Area Denial, but overall their usefulness took a big hit in my eyes.
2. Swarms cannot move through walls.
Another revelation. I’d assumed Beasts, Infantry, and Swarms could move freely through walls — not the case!
This makes Nurglings even slower and clunkier, given their 5" Movement.
So… What Does This Mean for Nurglings?
Are Nurglings in the bin?
Not yet. It would be foolish to write them off completely after one game.
They still have their uses — mainly as cheap screens and objective blockers — but their value definitely dropped for me. And with points being so tight, every inefficiency matters.
Beast of Nurgle
On the other hand, the Beast of Nurgle was fantastic.
It didn’t really have any interactions this game — which, honestly, is perfect. Its job is to sit back, hold the home objective for 65 points, and free up my 13 War Dogs to push forward. Exactly what I needed it to do.
I’d love to run a second Beast, but the army construction rules make that tricky: I’d need one Battleline Nurgle unit for each non-Battleline, which means keeping both Nurgling squads. Points just don’t line up for that right now.
So for the moment, my Daemon Allies remain:
2×3 Nurglings
1× Beast of Nurgle
The Practice Game
My opponent ran 3 Redemptors, 2 Lancers, Speeder with Oath of Moment with +1 to Wound.
I managed to pull off a win on WTC Medium terrain, it was an extremely close, grindy matchup.
The key was trading efficiently and not overcommitting early. Going second really helped here.
The big challenge was getting guns into position — and that lone op Lieutenant caused way more problems than expected. Definitely something to remember for next time.
It was also one of my first games running Huntsmen, and full rerolls to wound really came through in the late game into some of the vehicles that pushed forwards.
Final Thoughts
All in all, it was a great learning experience. The game reinforced the importance of patience, careful trading, and — most importantly — not assuming you know every rule by heart.
Lots learned, tactics refined, and onwards to the next game.
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