Fenris breeds heroes like a bar breeds drunks - loud, proud and spoiling for a fight.
Since the drop of the 7th edition Space Wolf codex, the Wolf Guard Battle Leader has become even more of a budget power house. In my view earning his place as a must take Thunderwolf HQ.
In this blog post I am going to discuss a few of my Favorite Wolf Guard Battle Leader load-outs accross both Codex: Space Wolves and the Champions of Fenris suppliment.
CODEX: Space Wolves
Wolf Guard Battle Leader #1
(Thunderwolf mount, Armour of Russ, Helm of Durfast, Plasma Pistol, Fangsword of the Ice Wolf)
Needless to say, the Thunderwolf adds +1 S, T, W & A to an already above average statline. The Armour of Russ providing a 2+/4++ and -5 to your enemy's initiative when in a challenge so this is where this guy tends to work best. Helm of Durfast becomes a must take, allowing you to reroll all failed hits (shooting and combat) and ignore cover (great for the plasma pistol).
The Fangsword is the icing on the cake, often overlooked by weblists by the more favourable Black Death, but 6 S6 Ap3 Rending attacks is pretty decent especially as it forces a S test on your opponent for every wound inflicted otherwise remove from play.
It's worth bearing in mind 'Remove From play' ignores 'eternal warrior' and being able to drop your opponents Initiative in a challenge means you have a good chance of inflicting a few wounds and subsequently forcing a few S tests before they strike back (unless your opponent is base I10 or has similar wargear to reduce your initiative in turn).
Wolf Guard Battle Leader #2
(Thunderwolf mount, Runic Armour, Storm Shield, Helm of Durfast, Black Death, The Wulfenstone)
If you're goin for damage output this is your guy! Thunderwolf as per above, boosts the statline nicely and gives Rending. The Runic Armour/stormshield combo gives a nice 2+/3++ which on T5 makes him a pretty tough Cookie; essential as Black Death is an unwieldy weapon meaning you can't take advantage of the Wolfguards High Initiative). Helm of Durfast, again, as per above.
The fan favorite wargear Relic here is the Black Death - essentially it's a frost axe, which if the Bearer is outnumbered, grants +3 attacks on his profile for the duration he is locked in combat, knocking him up to 7 attacks at S7 Ap2.
The Wulfenstone I have mixed feelings over - on one hand it grants the bearer Rage giving him +2 attacks on the charge. The fact it also grants him and his squad furious charge sees him an extra +1S. Each Turn he charges, this guy is dishing out a whopping 9 rerollable attacks at S8 ap2. The downside is it's a 40 point piece of wargear which will push this guy a bit over 200points. But, Hell if you got the points spare - take it!!!
Champions of Fenris (codex: space wolves suppliment)
Wolf Guard Battle Leader #3
(Thunderwolf mount, Runic Armour, Storm Shield, Krakkenbone Sword, Fellclaws Teeth)
This Guy is very similar to Wolf Guard Battle Leader #1 however if you plan to use a 'Champions of Fenris' detachment you lose access to the Codex: Space Wolves Relics and must pick from the Champs selection. In my view there are some pros and cons in doing this: no access to armour of Russ which means you need to take a Storm Shield to obtain a good invulnerable save and miss out on your two CC weapon attack bonus.
The big differences here is the Krakkenbone Sword - knocks your WGBL up to S6 with AP2. A big pro/con of Champions of Fenris is that all Wolf Guard & TWC leaders must always issue and accept challenged wherever possible. This is offset by the fact your WGBL gains 'Prefered Enemy (characters)'when in a challenge which is a handy advantage especially as you'll be striking at I5 with S6 Ap2.
Fellclaws teeth Relic item is not a nessecity but a handy back up allowing you to reroll all failed hits in combat. All it takes is for your opponent to decline the challenge and your Preferred enemy buff doesn't come into effect, so still being able to reroll failed to hits outside if a challenge is worth it especially as they're striking with S6 Ap2.
All in all the Wolf Guard Battle leader allows for some pretty beastly Budget builds and is a great HQ to have as part of your space wolf army. Although he's pretty Tough, he's not tough enough to go it alone and requires his battle brothers by his side to truly cause havoc!
I will fire up a few more Tactics articles over the next few weeks with my thoughts of getting the most out of the new Space Wolf builds.
Hope you enjoyed the first instalment
Eindridi
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