Previous Pause Next

Blood Angels Unit Breakdown: Blood Angels Characters... Lesmartes.

Posted by Jawaballs at 12:41 PM
So, the question that came in today was quick and to the point...

how come u never use lemartes??

Great Question. Here are some LM pros and cons.

First of all, as far as chaplains go, he is a steal. He has better stats then a Codex chaplain, and a jump pack. For 125 points, he is a bargain. But that is not all! He has a Death Mask! With his Death Mask, units within range of him must take a -1 to leadership roles. This is great for trying to break units in assault, or using him to help tank shock. We all know that chaplains are insane in that they help squads with Litinies and make them fearless. And that Death Company require the use of a Chaplain, or Brother Corbulo to keep them under control. So, when taking a squad of Jump Pack Death Company, Lesmartes is a great choice!

Having said all this, the question still remains. How come I do not use him? Well, here is the answer... Brother Corbulo and Dante combo. Using my tactics, if there is an assault going on, Dante is probably in the thick of it. That means that all Blood Angels within 12", not just the ones in the squad he has joined get Litinies. But ALL THE TIME! Litninies only works on the charge. Since I always use Dante, that alone is reason enough to find another way to spend that 125 points I would use on LM. But also, I take Corbulo because he grants every one within 12" Furious Charge. If I had LM, only the Death Company will have it, and not even he can take advantage of it.

I prefer that 1-2 punch of Dante and Corbulo any day. Plus, if Dante rolls a 1 when being shot by a guardsman lasgun, can LM allow him to ignore the wound?

So, it is not that LM is not good. It is that CB and D are better. Even if I were to just play one commander, I would take CB. For 100 points he is one of the best special characters in the game. Sorry LM. You are just not good enough. Perhaps if he granted a fearless bubble instead of only to the squad he joins he would be worth taking. But until then...

7 comments:

eriochrome said...

CB and D are a deadly combination. Ofcourse at 300 points they need to be. What level game do you use both at 1500-1750.

Monday, July 27, 2009 at 1:22:00 PM EDT
Pacific said...

I think its worth having Lemartes just to add a little variation. If you have a limited gaming group although Dante/Corb is very powerful, it is putting all your eggs into one basket and someone used to this combo will get used to counter it.

I think it makes sense to use Dante/LM to give a bit of breadth in assaults in some games, and save the quite horrible (for your opponent!) Dante/CB for games you know are going to be tough.

Monday, July 27, 2009 at 3:21:00 PM EDT
Jawaballs said...

CB and D are just about the best combination I can think of for any space marine list. But you are right, they are costly. 1500 and below I suggest just going with Corbs. At lower games, Lesmartes may be good. Going all jump packs could be a big advantage in small games, and he is a deal at 125. But once you get higher, you gotta upgrade to the big boys. And yes, if you want to be competitive in tournaments... CB/D all the way.

Monday, July 27, 2009 at 4:04:00 PM EDT
Tim said...

Yeah this is exactly how I feel about lesmartes. he just doesn't measure up to the other special characters in the list. Plus model makes him look a like a clown. hey Jawa, could break down Mephy for us? i'd love to hear your thoughts on him. IMO, he doesn't match up to Dante, but he is an interesting choice with different benefits to the army (psychic hood).

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 10:26:00 AM EDT
Pacific said...

Hmm yes, thats something I would be interested in also!

This convo is also forgetting of course the odd apocalypse game where you get to field Dante, Corbulo, Lemartes and Mephiston alongside each other in some hideously dangerous version of the Villiage People :)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 2:06:00 PM EDT
Jawaballs said...

I will do a Mephiston post soon. And Pacific, that made me lol. I drool at the chance of playing them all!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 3:40:00 PM EDT
Unknown said...

I am a great fan of Mephiston since 2nd edition. But, Mephiston will keep till another day. The question is, "What combination is best for your playstyle". A chaplain brings litanies to his squad. CB brings an area of furious charge. Dante brings an area of favored enemy. Mephiston brings deadly melee, hood, ride in transport then fly...but I digress.

My whole point being that a chaplain brings benefit to an army that is largely overlooked (also frees CB up to be somewhere other than with DC). They also free up some points from the D/CB combo.

Saturday, August 1, 2009 at 2:10:00 AM EDT

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)