Detachment Focus: Eradication Cohort

As chaotic forces surge from the Eye of Terror, new Detachments and datasheets arrive for traitors and loyalists alike. This article dives into the Eradication Cohort Detachment for the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Flesh is weak, and sometimes you’ve just got to purge it. This, to the AdMech, is a very loyalist and pro-Imperium position. The Eradication Cohort provides the Skitarii forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus with new tools to eviscerate their foes, focusing on pure lethality and destruction. How does it stack up to their existing options? Let’s find out!

We’d like to thank Games Workshop for providing us with a preview copy of these rules for review purposes. Any points referenced in this article are subject to change until published on Warhammer Community or the 40K App.

Detachment Overview

Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii Marshal by Pendulin

Skitarii Marshal. Credit: Pendulin

In case it wasn’t already super clear from the name and the introduction, this Detachment is about killing stuff, and almost every rule pulls in that direction. AdMech already have lots of tools that augment their killing power, but this Detachment introduces some new ones, and can make the army exceptionally deadly, even compared to the army’s existing strong Detachments. The trade-off is that it provides significantly fewer defensive or mobility options compared to Haloscreed or Hunter Cohort; your plan here is to win by killing enough of the opponent’s models that they can’t contest the table any longer.

That leaves it as a little bit of a blunt instrument, and probably behind those competitor Detachments for high-end play, but if you really want to just take out your frustrations on whatever popular unit you hate the most, there’s some uniquely nasty stuff available here.

Detachment Rule: Murderous Imperative

Skitarii units in your army get some extra lethality based on the Doctrina Imperative that’s active:

If Protector Imperative is active for the unit, re-roll Hits of 1.
If Conqueror Imperative is active, re-roll Wounds of 1.

If a unit somehow contrives to be in both Imperatives at once (perhaps through Thulia’s ability or one of the Enhancements in this Detachment) then you’ll get both re-rolls.

This is, obviously, a pretty good Detachment rule - historically almost all rules providing wide re-roll 1s have been competitive, and this is no exception. There is a little bit of tension in it though; AdMech have plenty of ways of getting hit re-rolls already (Cawl in particular, also Skitarii Marshalls), so you can get more value from activating the Conqueror option but that means you’re not getting your extra BS if you’re using that for shooting. However, if you’ve packed in lots of guns, then there’s still lots of generic upside from the Protector version even if you’ve brought Cawl - it’ll often let you dedicate his re-rolls to whatever you’re planning to murder in melee, then the guns of your army can lean on the Detachment’s re-rolls to get stuff done. If you need to go all-out on a melee turn then combining Conqueror with adding Lance via one of the Detachment’s stratagems can be really good as well.

Theoretically this also ups the value of Thulia Ghuld significantly, as being able to hand out multi-doctrines is really strong with this. It’s still a tough sell to take her over Cawl, but if you’re going to do it anywhere then it’s this Detachment; the Protector re-rolls reduce your reliance on Cawl oaths to make your shooting land, and she can take a turn off providing multi-Doctrines to give something Advance/Charge, which this Detachment is otherwise conspicuously missing.

Enhancements

A somewhat mixed bag of Enhancements here; one absolute must-have, then some which are a bit questionable on rate.

Omnicogitator (25pts): Upgrades a Skitarii Marshall to provide both Imperatives to their unit (which obviously turns on both parts of the Detachment rule). This nearly doubles the cost of the model, so it better be good and…maybe? The big thing that’s questionable here is that a Skitarii Marshall already provides full hit re-rolls, so turning on the re-roll 1s to hit from the Detachment rule doesn’t actually do anything; functionally what it’s achieving is switching on the Wound re-rolls (and extra AP from Conqueror) at the same time as +1BS. You do sort of want all that together on the new Hastarii Exterminators, and if this sees any use, that’ll be where, but 195pts ends up pretty steep for a fragile unit. It also costs 30% as much as just buying a Skorpius Dunerider, and get this, you can put a second unit of Hastarii in that thing.
Martial Signatum Amplificator (15pts): A Tech Priest gives their unit the Skitarii keyword. Obviously extremely good, as it allows you to opt a Kataphron unit into all of this Detachment’s rules (and all of Thulia’s too, for what it’s worth). You could also use this on Kastelan robots via a Cybernetica Datasmith, and that can be pretty funny, especially if you’ve decided to bring Thulia. A big unit of Breachers is probably the correct choice (especially as it enables them to use the Analytic Reprisals stratagem), but if you’ve wanted to get Robots out, this is one of the ways to go about it.
Belicosa-Class Capacitor Vanes (30pts): Available to any AdMech Character and provides +6” range and +1S to their unit’s ranged weapons. In a weird place where this is objectively quite a powerful ability, but contextually it hits the tension that nothing already Skitarii is worth investing the extra 30pts in, and with almost anything else in this Detachment you want to use the Amplificator in their Enhancement slot. You can sort of squint and see it working on Corpuscarii Electro-priests, but the overall package there ends up way too pricey.
Omnissiah’s Fury (10pts): Boosts a Skitarii Marshall’s melee profile to be 6A, AP-2 and D2. You’re never going to build around this, but it’s perfectly fine as a way to spend some leftover points, being able to occasionally club a couple of Space Marines to death is no bad thing.

Stratagems

Adeptus Mechanicus - Ironstrider Ballistarii
Credit: Pendulin

Shockingly enough, this Detachment’s Stratagems are all about killing stuff, and they’re pretty great at that, both at range and up close.

Servo-Driven Charge (1CP): Gives an Adeptus Mechanicus unit Lance in the Fight Phase. Obviously very good with either flavour of Sicarian, for all purposes on Infiltrators and to help Ruststalkers that have taken the anti-Infantry option (currently popular, and even better in this Detachment) to punch up into Vehicles.
Unrelenting Aggression (1CP): Fall Back and shoot for any AdMech unit, Fall Back, Shoot and Charge for Skitari. Very useful to have in your pocket, and especially good with a Skitarii-fied unit of Kataphron Breachers.
Unshackled Wrath (1CP): Pick Lethal Hits or Sustained Hits 1 for a Skitarii unit when they shoot, or both and Hazardous. Good, again, on Skitarii-fied Breachers, but also very solid for either flavour of Hastarii with a Marshal. Can also be popped for a big Skystalker unit to apply some chip damage with Lethal Hits.
Thread-Cogitation Targeters (1CP): Provides a Skitarii Vehicle unit Damage re-rolls against VEHICLE or MONSTER targets until end of the phase. Very obviously designed for lascannon Ironstriders specifically, as they will usually already be re-rolling hits (whether from Cawl or the Detachment rule) and Wounds (twin-linked). If you need something turbo-dead, go for it.
Precision Onslaught (1CP): Use on a Sicarian unit when you declare a charge, and after they finish a Charge move, pick a unit they’re in engagement range of, and roll a dice for each model in the Sicarian unit that’s in engagement, dealing a Mortal on a 4+. This is pretty good, but with some qualifiers. First off, it’s agonisingly painful that you have to use this when you declare a charge, so you can fail the charge and have it do nothing. Second, for maximum value you need to get lots of your unit into touch, and that can be tricky unless you’re going all-in. Realistically, that’s when you use this - some Ruststalkers are right in the enemy’s face, at which point it’s fine.
Analytic Reprisals (1CP): After your opponent shoots one of your Skitarii Infantry units and kills a model, you can shoot back. Skitarii-fied Breachers stay winning. Can also be decent if your opponent messes up and kills a single model out of an Exterminator squad with some incidental shooting.

Playing This Detachment

Skorpius Disintegrator with Voltaic Belleros Energy Cannon. Credit: Rockfish

Kill stuff. Hard. This is not a particularly subtle Detachment - you want to pack in tools for murdering every kind of target, then apply those tools liberally. This Detachment prods you towards using larger units where you can drop the Stratagems to greatest effect, and also legitimately incentivises the use of Thulia Ghuld over Cawl, as she adds a bit of flexibility and access to Advance/Charge that it’s otherwise missing.

Now, having said that, and because AdMech players love to get mad at me - I do not think this is better than taking Haloscreed or Hunter Cohort with Cawl. This is a decent Detachment, but it’s a classic case where it has to work a bit harder than others to achieve the same level of flexibility and all-round capability, so if you’re going for pure optimisation, why make life harder for yourself. In particular, it really needs you to invest in big bricks to get the most value, which constrains you a bit in list construction, and while Thulia is good here, she isn’t as good as Cawl is in other Detachments. However, there is some fun stuff here, and it’s always good to engage with what a Detachment is trying to do, and what it’s encouraging you to field.

Strengths

Extremely high damage potential.
Strong synergy with Thulia Ghuld.
Rewards you for going big.

Weaknesses

No Native Advance/Charge railroads you towards Thulia.
Mediocre Enhancements outside the Amplificator.
Good synergy for large units cuts both ways, as it constrains list construction.

A Sample List

Eradication Nation - click to expand

Eradication Cohort (2000 Points)

Adeptus Mechanicus

Eradication Cohort

Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Thulia Ghuld (210 Points)

Warlord

Skitarii Marshal (35 Points)

1x Control stave
1x Mechanicus pistol

Skitarii Marshal (35 Points)

1x Control stave
1x Mechanicus pistol

Tech-Priest Dominus (80 Points)

1x Macrostubber
1x Omnissian axe
1x Volkite blaster
Enhancement: Martial Signatum Amplificator

BATTLELINE

Skitarii Rangers (85 Points)

1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha

◦ 1x Alpha combat weapon

◦ 1x Close combat weapon

◦ 1x Galvanic rifle

9x Skitarii Ranger

◦ 1x Arc rifle

◦ 9x Close combat weapon

◦ 1x Enhanced data-tether

◦ 6x Galvanic rifle

◦ 1x Plasma caliver

◦ 1x Transuranic arquebus

Skitarii Rangers (85 Points)

1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha

◦ 1x Alpha combat weapon

◦ 1x Close combat weapon

◦ 1x Galvanic rifle

9x Skitarii Ranger

◦ 1x Arc rifle

◦ 9x Close combat weapon

◦ 1x Enhanced data-tether

◦ 6x Galvanic rifle

◦ 1x Plasma caliver

◦ 1x Transuranic arquebus

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Skorpius Dunerider (85 Points)

1x Armoured hull
1x Cognis heavy stubber array

OTHER DATASHEETS

Ironstrider Ballistarii (255 Points)

3x Ironstrider Ballistarii

◦ 3x Ironstrider feet

◦ 3x Twin cognis lascannon

Hastarii Exterminators (135 Points)

Hastarii Exterminators (135 Points)

Kataphron Breachers (320 Points)

6x Kataphron Breacher

◦ 6x Heavy arc rifle

◦ 6x Hydraulic claw

Pteraxii Skystalkers (150 Points)

1x Pteraxii Skystalker Alpha

◦ 1x Flechette blaster

◦ 1x Taser goad

9x Pteraxii Skystalker

◦ 9x Close combat weapon

◦ 9x Flechette carbine

Sicarian Infiltrators (75 Points)

1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps

◦ 1x Flechette blaster

◦ 1x Taser goad

4x Sicarian Infiltrator

◦ 4x Flechette blaster

◦ 4x Taser goad

Sicarian Infiltrators (75 Points)

1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps

◦ 1x Flechette blaster

◦ 1x Taser goad

4x Sicarian Infiltrator

◦ 4x Flechette blaster

◦ 4x Taser goad

Sicarian Infiltrators (75 Points)

1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps

◦ 1x Flechette blaster

◦ 1x Taser goad

4x Sicarian Infiltrator

◦ 4x Flechette blaster

◦ 4x Taser goad

Sicarian Ruststalkers (165 Points)

1x Sicarian Ruststalker Princeps

◦ 1x Transonic razor and chordclaw

9x Sicarian Ruststalker

◦ 9x Transonic razor and chordclaw

Exported with App Version: v1.49.0 (1), Data Version: v757

Again, you kill stuff. Thulia pals around with the Kataphron unit souping them up, and you keep a Ruststalker trailed back to her so they can Advance/Charge if needed. The Ironstriders line up on the biggest target they can, and let it bark. The Dunerider packs in the two Exterminator/Marshall units and acts as an extra vicious staged alpha strike piece, which you can split over two turns if the situation requires it.

Final Thoughts

This Detachment suffers the classic fate of dropping into a faction where there are two existing ones at very high power level, so it may struggle to get too much airtime, but for people who crave the simplicity of extreme violence it's definitely an option.

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