With events and the local competitive league starting back up in the new year, it was time to lock in some meaningful practice.
Ahead of Round 3 of the league, I wanted to get a proper test game in, so I scheduled a matchup against White Scars Marines. A fast, aggressive army felt like a good benchmark for where the list currently sits.
My opponent’s list
Khan with 6 Outriders and an ATV
Apothecary with 6 Eradicators in a Repulsor
Judiciar with 6 Bladeguard in an Impulsor
3x Redemptor Dreadnoughts
5 Intercessors
5 Scouts
1 ATV
My list
2x Karnivores
3x Stalkers
6x Huntsman
2x Brigands
10 Plaguebearers
The main focus of this game was giving Karnivores another run out. It’s been a while since I’d played them, and I wanted to see if they still had a place in my Houndpack builds.
As the scorecard shows, the game ultimately came down to secondary cards.
With the Houndpack able to push aggressively, I established early board control and maintained significantly better scoring potential throughout the game. That pressure really told as the turns went on.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photos during the game, so a full turn-by-turn breakdown isn’t really possible. Instead, I want to focus on the key takeaway from the match: the Karnivores.
Simply put, I’m still not a fan.
While they can operate independently, I strongly prefer the combined shooting and combat threat that Stalkers and Huntsman bring to a Houndpack list. The flexibility and layered pressure they provide just feels far more reliable.
To be fair, the Karnivores did have moments. One managed to chew through half of the large Outrider unit when it overextended, and another put meaningful damage into a Redemptor on the charge.
However, in both cases Armour of Contempt blunted their output, and more importantly, neither survived to do anything meaningful the following turn.
My opponent was able to fall back first, wait to see if I would reactive move, and then simply line up the counterpunch.
With Eradicators and remaining Redemptors able to draw line of sight regardless, the Karnivores were left standing in the open and died without offering any threat of shooting on death.
That monophase nature is still a deal-breaker for me. This game was a good reminder of just how fallible Karnivores can be once the initial charge is over.
On a more positive note, I continue to be extremely impressed with what Huntsman bring to the table. Six feels like the sweet spot, and I don’t see myself moving away from that any time soon.
List submissions for both upcoming events are due soon. Karnivores won’t be making the cut, so it’s back to tweaking what is now my standard Houndpack list.
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