Two changes totaling 20 points doesn’t seem like a lot, but for Admech specifically, it might just have a massive impact. While the Spring Dataslate & Munitorum Field Manual is a massive shake-up for every faction, the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus got off fairly light, with merely a touch to two of the clergy that already stood on the precipice of playability. That being said, Admech exists in the context of the armies that surround it, and with the changes coming to various other factions in this update, especially that of Marines, I have a feeling Admech might be positioned in an interesting spot for the spring season, and I wanted to delve into the potentially massive alterations that come with the light discounts arriving this past week. Let’s dive in to what Admech might look like, after the March Dataslate.
Via Green Stuff World
First and foremost, what changed for the faction? Well, the Tech-Priest Dominus went down 5 points, and Belisarius Cawl himself went down 15 points; there weren’t any nerfs, but this also isn’t a massive alteration to what the roster provides. Units like our flyers, Kataphron Destroyers, and Serberys Sulphurhounds remain at an all-time unplayable, but 15 points on Cawl is more than it may seem. 15 points in Admech, for the astute among our readers, is broadly the difference between our utility objective play pieces, like Sicarian Infiltrators & Pteraxii Skystalkers, and our meat, being more Battleline like Rangers, or a transport like the Skorpius Dunerider. Being able to fit in another means of sharing Battleline buffs is massive, and moreover, lists like the one I’ve been playing have been getting by with just 2 Duneriders for a whopping 5 Battleline squads, so having the extra is a huge boon. While every list is going to have at least 1 unit of Infiltrators, and 1 Skystalkers, the third between those two being able to be a Dunerider now is huge.
Via Warhammer.com
Cawl himself has also been on the fringes of play for the past few months, and at 135 he’s looking like a shoo-in for nearly every list. With a defensive profile akin to a transport, and reasonable damage output, the ability to take him as your 4th, 5th, or even 6th Battleline unit is great, and in missions where Battleline receive buffs (Such as free Heroic Intervention), he truly becomes monstrous. Moreover, Cawl is a huge upgrade in math for already-good units like the Skorpius Disintegrator, by far our most ubiquitous anti-tank piece. Normally, lists will run Conqueror for ~4/5 battle rounds, meaning you’re hitting on at-best 3s for your main gun, and 4s on the rest, albeit with extra AP. With Cawl around for the first few shots, as he moves up the board, reroll 1s is a crazy uptick in consistency for the ‘casino cannon’. In Haloscreed especially, I have a feeling a 135 point Cawl is an auto-include, and most other lists are going to look at him as well.
Via Faeit 212
Speaking of other lists, what Cawl & the Dominus have in common is the Cult Mechanicus keyword, and that means it’s time to talk about the Data-Psalm Conclave. Conclave has been my absolute favorite list to play…on a casual level, in 10th. Having a horde of electro-priests surge up the board and zap the opponent to kingdom come is just a blast, but it’s always been dragged down by how middling the core combo of the strategy has been, being Dominus-led Fulgurite Electro-Priests. Having 4++/4+++ 1W -1 to Wound models is a great time, and for Data-Psalm, 5 points off the Dominus is actually closer to 15 points off, given you’ll be taking 3 most of the time. Moreover, Cawl himself is the beneficiary of Citation in Savagery, adding an extra Attack to his Axe, and extra Strength to every single melee profile, bringing his Mechadendrites to S5, wounding Marines on a 3+. While I don’t think Data-Psalm is going to sit at the top tables anytime soon, it warms my heart to know the March Dataslate essentially gave it 30 more points to play with, even if that isn’t likely enough.
Via Golden Demon
On the topic of wounding Marines, Admech is very happy to see much of the Marine silliness dealt with following the clarification to Oath of Moment’s benefit to wound. Now, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, and Space Wolves can’t play their own detachments with 0 keyworded marines for the +1 to wound; this effectively kills the current meta lists for…all of those armies, and core Marines are going to rethink their lists as well, with Vanguard Ultramarines also given the nerf bat. The expectation is that Aeldari of some flavor is going to be the best army in the game, and a functionally infinite number of stubber shots is going to be delicious into such a force. Of course, you’ll need to position well, and play around the copious amount of Fights First, but Haloscreed is extremely happy to see a scoring meta.
Moreover, with Custodes potentially positioned as the second-best army, Ruststalkers are eating good, as their profiles match up gorgeously against the golden hosts of the god-emperor’s chosen. Admech is all about the right tool for the right target, and I think that between a far more appetizing Cawl, and generally competent tech pieces altogether, Admech could have what it takes.
Via FrontlineGaming
Below are two lists making use of some of the point drops, namely the fact that you can take more Battleline & Transports than previously. Admech’s bread & butter is its capability to make use of some of the best stock Battleline in the business, and here they each get used to the fullest extent, boosting up the showcase unit in each list. For Data-Psalm, finally the bomb of Fulgurites can be fit alongside 3x Battleline, Cawl, and triple transport, meaning you can stage these ferocious monks to ensure 2+ to hit and +1AP. The leftmost list, what I’ll be playing personally, makes use of my favorite Manipulus+Vanguard combo, triple Marshal, and Cawl himself, on top of an ungodly amount of just good Admech pressure. A lot of Admech right now is asking how one best beats threats that reduce damage, or shrug, and the answer is almost always “More Vanguard, more Ruststalkers”, as Devastating Wounds & Damage 1 provides the consistency you need.
While it may have seemed unexciting, I’m quite happy to see Admech sitting decently following the March Dataslate! While not a huge amount of changes, the faction is in a pretty good spot, and rewards player skill now more than ever. What will you be playing after the balance update? I’d love to hear what you’ve been using in the comments below!
