Detachment Focus: Huron's Marauders

In this series of articles we take a deep dive into a specific Detachment for a faction, covering the faction’s rules and upgrades and talking about how to build around that faction for competitive play. In this article, we’re covering the Huron’s Marauders Detachment for Chaos Space Marines.

The new Maelstrom supplement gives Chaos Space Marines two new Detachments to work with, both modeled after the renegade marines who fled to the Maelstrom. Huron’s Marauders is the more Huron-focused of the two Detachments, pushing players to build around Huron but adding plenty of value and versatility without requiring you to give up Dark Pacts. If you want to play renegades but don’t want to give up Dark Pacts, this may be the Detachment for you.

Thanks to Games Workshop for providing a preview copy of these rules. We were also provided with a preview of the Munitorum Field Manual update, but any points referenced are subject to change until published on Warhammer Community and/or the Warhammer 40k App.

Detachment Overview

The Huron’s Marauders Detachment is designed to model the jaded raiding forces of Huron Blackheart; it’s an infantry-focused Detachment which improves your Infantry damage output with +1 to hit or the ability to fall back and shoot or charge (or both if Huron can see them), and has some solid ways to buff damage on both charging units and Damned units. The real value here however is movement tricks: This Detachment has a ton of different ways to move and position against an opponent, from an Enhancement that gives you Infiltrators to Stratagems that let you auto-advance 6”, make a surge move, or go back into reserves. There’s a ton of value here for veteran players who know how to use movement to their advantage.

Detachment Rule: Tyrannical Motivation

In your Command phase, you pick one of two abilities. Until the start of your next Command phase, all HERETIC ASTARTES INFANTRY units in your army gain the selected ability. At the start of each phase, if one of those units is visible to your Huron Blackheart model, they have both abilities. 

The two abilities are:

• +1 to Hit
• Fall back and shoot/charge

Note that the rules don’t specify when you lose the “dual abilities” effect - that needs errata - but the Rules clarification text makes it clear that it’s a “while” effect, and that you need to be within line of sight of Huron to get the benefit of both abilities.

With that out of the way, this is pretty powerful. Getting +1 to hit is just generically good across the board, especially on units like Obliterators, Legionaries, and Red Corsairs Raiders, and Plague Marines and Noise Marines also really like that bonus. Being able to fall back and shoot/charge is also great and being able to switch to it in key situations but keep +1 to hit active for your army on most rounds gives you just enough flexibility.

Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

Enhancements

There are two real "must take" options here: Raid Leader and Eager for Bloodshed, which let you set up some very nasty strategies. Raid Leader is the more notable of the two, and the one to build around.

• Voice of the Tyrant – Non-DAMNED model only. The bearer’s unit gets both abilities from the Tyrannical Motivation Detachment rule. This is pretty great, as it means your bearer’s unit always gets +1 to hit and the ability to fall back and charge. This can let you skirt some of the restrictions on the Detachment rule - if you give a Lord Discordant or Daemon Prince this Enhancement, they’ll be able to benefit from the effects when they normally wouldn’t. That said, they won’t do much for you with this upgrade, so it’s best on something attached to a unit like Terminators.
• Raid Leader – Goes on a non-DAMNED model. Each time the bearer’s unit is set up after disembarking from a TRANSPORT that made a normal move this turn, they’re still eligible to declare a charge. This is insanely good, giving you the ability to move up with a Rhino, then pop out and charge. Huge on a unit of Raiders, who otherwise lack the sweet Advance and Charge chosen get, and plenty good on Chosen as well. Being able to go 15” before you charge gives you a huge threat range to work with.
• Dread Reputation – Goes on a non-DAMNED model. Each time the bearer’s unit is set up on the table, each enemy unit within 6” of the bearer’s unit - or 12” if you set up with DEEP STRIKE - has to take a Battle-shock test. This is cute, and can hit a lot of units, but isn’t super-reliable and is only like to be used once per game unless you combine it with the ability to go back into reserves.
• Eager for Bloodshed – The bearer has the INFILTRATORS ability. This is very good. There are the standard, boring uses - putting a regular Chaos Lord or Master of Executions with a unit of Raiders, for example - but the real fun is on large solo characters. Think Lord Discordant and Daemon Prince, two big units that would love some easier turn 1 charges. The Daemon Prince in particular can infiltrate and stay close to Raiders to maintain Lone Operative until it’s time to cause problems. You can do a lot with this enhancement.

Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

Stratagems

The Stratagems here are very solid. There’s a lot of good utility in these and more than half of them are movement tricks. 

• Hardened Killers (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Used in your Command phase on a DAMNED unit in your army. Pick one effect from : +1 BS, +1 attack on rapid fire weapons, or +1 to saves. This is a clear nod to the orders that Astra Militarum get, giving the analogous options to Take Aim!, First Rank, Fire! Second Rank, Fire!, and Take Cover!, and these are all really good, especially on units with t-shirts and BS4+. Traitor Guard are the obvious pick for this (and +1 shot will usually be better than +1 to hit), but it’s not bad in a pinch on something like Accursed Cultists if you’re going up against AP0 guns in cover and you can suddenly turn that into a 4+ save. But that’s also a great benefit for Traitor Guardsmen as well, who get cover while they’re within range of an objective and would love to be working with an effective 3+ save. Note that, unlike orders, you can use this, then become Battle-shocked and you won’t lose the effect.
• At the Tyrant’s Command (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Used in your Movement phase on a non-MONSTER, non-VEHICLE unit. That unit can shoot and charge this turn even after it Advanced. This is not the ideal timing for the Stratagem but it’s still insanely strong, even if locked to Infantry. It’s amazing on Raiders, Terminators, Raptors, Warp Talons, and Possessed, all of whom really like the extra speed. It’s also pretty great on Obliterators, who can really use a bit of extra movement before shooting.
• Seize the Prize (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Used in your Movement phase on a non-MONSTER, non-VEHICLE unit that has been picked to Advance. It can automatically advance 6” instead of rolling. This is huge if you can combine it with At the Tyrant’s Command or a unit with built-in advance/charge like Chosen. An extra 6” of movement is a huge boost, and knowing you can reliably press forward an extra 6 can also be great for flipping objectives late in the game.
• Reavers’ Flurry (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Used in your Fight phase on a unit that charged this turn. That unit gets +1 Attacks with its melee weapons. This is really, really good. It flat out improves your output on most models by 25% to 33% and gets better the more models you have in the unit. It’s particularly amazing on Chosen and not too shabby on Raiders, Warp Talons, Possessed, and Raptors. 
• To the Favoured the Spoils (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Used in your opponent’s Shooting phase after one of their units shoots. Pick one of your units that lost a wound from that unit’s attacks and they can make a Surge move, going up to D6”. They have to move as close as possible to the closest enemy unit, and can end up within Engagement Range of that unit. This is another really great tool, and great for threatening opponents with - you’d be surprised how often people will choose not to shoot you at all if it means getting hit off-turn and it forces them to carefully consider their shooting sequencing.
• Encircling Surge (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Used at the end of your opponent’s Fight phase. One of your non-MONSTER, non-VEHICLE units within 6” of the battlefield and outside Engagement range of an enemy unit can go back into Reserves. This is more restrictive than some uppy-downy effects but still incredibly good. Note that you don’t have to be “wholly within,” only within, so a single model just needs to be toeing that line to get your unit back up into orbit. This can be a good way to get insurance with a unit of Warp Talons or make the most out of bikes or Raptors. Also can combine with Dread Reputation if you’re a sicko trying to force multiple tests per game.

Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

Playing This Detachment

This Detachment feels like a variation on the themes of Renegade Raiders, pushing you toward Infantry and transports with lots of Movement tools to help you get around the table and an always-on buff to your offensive output. The Detachment rule only having an effect on INFANTRY means you’ll be pushed to using those units, but the good news is that those tend to be some of the faction’s best units anyways. You can get a lot of power out of Possessed and Warp Talons here, especially when you combine +1 to hit with SUSTAINED HITS 1 from Dark Pacts. You absolutely want Huron here; that “get both abilities while he can see you” effect is very good, and it’s easy to turn on with careful movement and sequencing. 

This is one of the few Detachments which boosts DAMNED units and Traitor Guardsmen in particular get a ton of value here - they can suddenly become pretty nasty when they hit on 3+ with extra Rapid Fire shots and having OC 2 makes them annoyingly good at stealing objectives, especially when you remember that they can auto-advance 6” with Seize the Prize. Having improved DAMNED units gives this army the powerful ability to throw out and trade cheap chaff units - something Chaos Space Marine armies can often struggle with outside of Chaos Cult lists. 

With an infantry focus, one of your big challenges here is going to be how you handle armor and harder saves - CSM struggle to get better than AP-2 with their melee output and don’t have much damage 3, either. You can cover some of these gaps with Obliterators and Havocs, both of which benefit from the +1 to hit in the Detachment rule and can make good use of At the Tyrant’s Command Stratagem to advance and shoot.

I really like Obliterators in this Detachment, where the ability to go back into reserves with Encircling Surge means they can drop in near a table edge, shoot something, then pull back up at the end of your opponent's turn, making them ready to drop in again and light up another target. The +1 to hit also helps them maximize their damage output and the ability to fall back and shoot in a pinch stops them from getting into too much trouble.

Strengths

• Movement. You have a ton of movement tricks here, from built-in fall back and shoot/charge to Advance and Charge, uppy downy, and auto advance 6”, plus if you’re taking Huron he comes with his own built-in reactive move. You have a ton of ways to get around the table and move out of phase.
• Offensive output. A flat +1 to hit across your army is really good. It’s like having Sustained Hits 1 on all the time for your units that hit on 3+ and will frustrate armies relying on -1 to be hit. Reavers’ Flurry further boosts this.
• Damned units. It’s not often you see a Detachment which can help out Damned units and Traitor Guardsmen in particular are great in this Detachment, getting both passive buffs and a Stratagem tailored to evoke the powerful Orders rules for Astra Militarum.

Weaknesses

• Vehicles. There’s almost nothing here to help Vehicles, and you’ll still likely want one or two of those to handle bigger threats.
• Anti-Armor Output. On a similar note, your ability to take out heavier threats is going to be a bit limited - most of your melee infantry have AP-2 attacks and no way to improve that in this Detachment, which can make taking down bigger threats an issue. 
• Infantry-focused. There are some good buffs here for infantry - but the game is pretty lethal right now for armies of 2W and even 3W infantry, and the same lists that are tooled to kill Victrix are going to do just fine into Possessed, Chosen, and Raiders.

Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

A Sample List

Here's a sample list built around the Detachment. I've tried to build around the army's strongest infantry units, with an eye toward getting more value out of Traitor Guardsmen squads. 



There's a lot going on here. There are two Rhinos - one for Huron, his Masters of the Maelstrom, and his five chosen, and the other for ten Chosen and a Chaos Lord, packing the Raid Leader Enhancement to be able to get out of the Rhino and charge same turn. One of the fun benefits of this Detachment is that the Chaos Lord can actually hit on 2+ with his Daemon Hammer, so be sure to swing at full value when you make that charge.

The Warp Talons and Raptors are also here as deep strike threats, with the former doing their standard move of "Rapid Ingress, move up, charge something, kill it, and then go back into Reserves" every turn. There's an added wrinkle here in that you can Advance and Charge if needed, and in a pinch if you have 2 CP you can auto-6 and charge. If your Warp Talons get stuck on the table, you can use the Encircling Surge Stratagem near to board edge to leave, but I like it more on Bikes and Obliterators as a way for the former to position for actions or the latter to drop back in and do damage.

The big question marks here are the Traitor Guardsmen - figuring out the right number of those will take time and it may be that the list wants Accursed Cultists or some other DAMNED units instead but right now I like the guardsmen because they have the best shooting output and the ability to go to 2+ to hit. That said, three units feels like it may be too much but having units that can actually be bad trades for an opponent isn't common in Chaos Space Marines armies and so it feels worth trying to make them work.

Final Thoughts

A lot of chatter is going to be had around which of these two detachments - Huron's Marauders and Renegade Warband - is the stronger. And while I think Renegade Warband certainly has more raw offensive potential, I'm not convinced it's a stronger option than Huron's Marauders. The sheer number of movement tricks you have on offer here lets you do some crazy things, and the ability to turn Traitor Guardsmen and other DAMNED units into viable, cheap killers gives you a ton of versatility to actually trade cheap pieces and harass enemy units without giving up valuable elite units. There's a ton to like here and I think we'll end up seeing some successful lists come out of this Detachment soon.

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