Adeptus Astartes
Angels of Death
A handful of resilient super-soldiers who trade volume for raw quality.
- Role
- Elite Marksman
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Overview
The Angels of Death field a tiny squad of Space Marines — typically five or six operatives — but every model hits like a tank and shrugs off damage that would fold a lesser team. You won't win by drowning the board in bodies. You win by making each activation count, holding key ground with operatives no one can easily shift, and punishing any opponent who overextends. It's the most forgiving elite team for newcomers because small mistakes rarely cascade.
Strengths
- Durability. High wounds and strong saves mean your operatives stick around, contesting objectives turning point after turning point.
- Flexible loadouts. Each operative can take a specialist role — gunner, sergeant, comms — letting you tailor the team to the mission.
- Reliable output. Quality weapons mean fewer wasted shots and fewer bad-luck whiffs than horde teams suffer.
Weaknesses
- Activation disadvantage. With so few operatives, you almost always activate fewer times than your opponent, ceding tempo on objective points.
- No room for error. Losing even one operative is a big chunk of your team — a single bad trade can lose you the game.
- Vulnerable to focus fire. Concentrated enemy firepower can chew through even a Marine if you let them get surrounded.
How they win
Play conservatively and let your durability do the work. Hold the centre with your toughest operatives, force the opponent to come to you, and use overwatch and positioning to make every enemy advance expensive. Bank objective points steadily rather than chasing risky kills, and protect your specialists — they're the difference between a grinding win and a frustrating loss.