Today's post is all about introducing a new faction to the blog and sharing the list I've submitted for my first event of 11th Edition.
Adeptus Custodes.
While they're not a new faction to me, having enjoyed some success with them in the past, they are the army I've chosen to focus on for my first year of 11th Edition.
The faction has been given a real new lease of life in the new edition, and I'm genuinely excited to get my golden warriors out of storage and back onto the tabletop.
No Houndpack Lance!?
Sadly, no.
Regular readers will know that I've been almost exclusively running Houndpack Lance since the Chaos Knights Codex released last year. I've documented nearly every event, tournament and practice game since picking up the battleforce boxes and codex.
Moving away from Chaos Knights wasn't an easy decision. I was only a couple of weeks short of achieving my goal of playing Houndpack Lance exclusively for a full year, but with a new edition comes new opportunities.
After the practice weekend I mentioned previously, I found that while the army was still enjoyable, the overall play pattern hadn't changed as much as I had hoped. With 11th Edition shaking up so many aspects of the game, I wanted to experience something different and challenge myself with a completely new style of army.
That's where Custodes come in.
Goals for the 2026-27 ITC Season
Looking back, my last year of competitive 40k was a great success.
I managed to win a couple RTTs, achieved some strong tournament results, and at the time of writing sit 20th globally for Chaos Knights in the ITC rankings. More importantly, I've had some fantastic experiences, met great people, and thoroughly enjoyed documenting the journey here on the blog.
Now my focus shifts to Custodes, and my goals are very similar to the ones I set when I started my Houndpack Lance adventure last year.
Goal 1: Stay the Course
First and foremost, this blog exists to keep me accountable.
My friends know I'm notorious for jumping between factions whenever the next exciting thing catches my eye. This blog is my way of committing to Custodes and sticking with them through the ups and downs.
Goal 2: Compete Consistently
Continue attending tournaments regularly and push for a strong Custodes ITC ranking by the end of the season.
The next few months are all about learning the faction, building experience, and finding my feet before the new ITC season really gets underway.
Goal 3: Master a List
Rather than constantly chasing the next build, I want to settle on a strong Custodes list, learn it inside and out, and develop a consistent, effective play pattern.
Goal 4: Document Everything
Every game, every event, every lesson learned.
Expect plenty of photos, battle reports, and honest reflections throughout the season.
Goal 5: Enjoy the Process
The most important goal of all.
Competitive success is great, but the hobby is supposed to be fun. I want to enjoy the journey, celebrate the highs, learn from the lows, and make some great memories along the way.
The Initial List
After spending far too much time in the 40k app and playing exactly one game with Custodes, I've been experimenting with all sorts of list ideas.
My first game was a narrow 92-93 loss against Tau (deployment pictured above). It was very much a learning game for both players, with plenty of take-backs and rules interactions needing clarification, but I came away feeling positive about the faction.
After reflecting on that game and making a few adjustments, this is the list I've submitted for my first 11th Edition event, using the Purge the Foe Force Disposition.
Armoury RTT - Custodes (1995 points)
Adeptus Custodes
Strike Force (2000 points)
Lions of the Emperor and Might of the Moritoi (3 Detachment Points)
Force Dispositions: Purge the Foe
Attached Units
Attached Unit 1
Blade Champion (110 points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• Warlord
• 1x Vaultswords
Custodian Wardens (210 points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
• 4x Custodian Warden
• 1x Castellan axe
3x Guardian spear
1x Vexilla
Attached Unit 2
Blade Champion (125 points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Vaultswords
Custodian Wardens (230 points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
• 4x Custodian Warden
• 1x Castellan axe
3x Guardian spear
1x Vexilla
Attached Unit 3
Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike (160 points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Interceptor lance
1x Salvo launcher
• Enhancement: Admonimortis
Vertus Praetors (215 points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
• 3x Vertus Praetor
• 3x Interceptor lance
3x Salvo launcher
Attached Unit 4
Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike (140 points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Interceptor lance
1x Salvo launcher
Vertus Praetors (215 points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
• 3x Vertus Praetor
• 3x Interceptor lance
3x Salvo launcher
OTHER DATASHEETS
Venatari Custodians (320 points)
• 6x Venatari Custodian
• 6x Venatari lance
Vertus Praetors (215 points)
• 3x Vertus Praetor
• 3x Interceptor lance
3x Salvo launcher
Witchseekers (55 points)
• 1x Witchseeker Sister Superior
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Witchseeker flamer
• 4x Witchseeker
• 4x Close combat weapon
4x Witchseeker flamer
Why This List?
This build is heavily influenced by what I expect from Purge the Foe mirrors and elite-heavy matchups. I wanted to reduce the overall width of the army and instead ensure that every unit is a genuine threat capable of removing key enemy assets.
Why Lions of the Emperor and Might of the Moritoi?
Lions make this style of list sign! Being able to reload a once per game ability is extremely strong, fall back shoot and charge, reactive move if shot, precision and fight on death. All very strong stratagems for this army. Being +1 to hit and wound if outside of 6" for a relatively small army should be manageable and very powerful, as even if tagged, the units still hit extremely hard and the bikes Salvo launchers are essentially ignoring cover!!
Might of the Moritoi just grants me access to Purge the Foe Force Disposition. Im not running any dreadnoughts, for now.
The Bikes
The headline feature of the list is undoubtedly the 11 Custodes Jetbikes.
These units have received a huge boost from the combination of Take to the Skies and the new Games Workshop terrain layouts. They hit incredibly hard into larger targets, and with 21 Lance attacks per unit, alongside access to Lions of the Emperor bonuses, they provide a serious offensive punch.
For the first time in a long while, Custodes Bikes feel genuinely exciting to put on the table.
Wardens and Blade Champions
Both units are major beneficiaries of the Hidden and Gone to Ground rule changes.
Advance and Charge gives them excellent threat projection, while the shorter engagement ranges in 11th Edition make the Warden Feel No Pain much easier to use effectively. Opponents generally need to commit within 12"-15" to interact with them, making it easier to identify the key turn to activate their defensive tools.
I've also included a single Castellan Axe in each squad as a bit of an experiment. The additional strength and Damage 3 profile can help bridge the gap into mid-toughness targets and pairs nicely with the Blade Champion's output.
Venatari Custodians
I wanted a dedicated Rapid Ingress threat, and the Venatari are here as a test, I feel very light on scoring units and could be taking a large Allarus brick and more sisters of silence.
The ability to Rapid Ingress for free and bring another unit in alongside them creates tremendous flexibility. Combined with their 10" movement and devastating melee output, they can often remove multiple enemy units in a single activation.
Witchseekers
Finally, we have the humble Witchseekers.
At just 55 points, they provide excellent utility. Their flamers offer a credible Overwatch threat into lighter infantry and can cause a cheeky battleshock, while their low cost makes them ideal for early-game screening, objective play, and encouraging opponents to commit resources where I'd like them to.
Looking Ahead
So there we have it, a new army, a new list, and the start of a new chapter for the blog for 11th edition.
I'm incredibly excited to begin this Custodes journey and see where it takes me throughout 11th Edition. There will undoubtedly be mistakes, lessons learned, and list changes along the way, but that's all part of the process.
Here's to a fresh start, plenty of games, and hopefully some strong tournament results.
Let's go, 11th Edition!
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