Warhammer: Making Data-Psalm Conclave Work

While the history of the Adeptus Mechanicus in Warhammer 40k’s 10th edition has been fraught with peaks and valleys in winrate, one fact has been abundantly clear — the Skitarii section of the army is, by a wide margin, the mainstay of its competitive force.  Whether that was spamming chickens when the army had no damage, but a high efficiency of points-per-wound, or now, where spamming chickens instead provides solid anti-tank fire and formidable chassis (with that same great point-per-wound flavor), the military wing of Mars reigns supreme.  All jokes aside, Skitarii have nearly everything in order to be a competent faction at this point, with a high-quality Infiltrate unit, great action monkeys, and Battleline you’re actually excited to take.

In the experimentation undergone by Games Workshop to broaden the viability of the codex, however, the dataslate with a large portion of changes also provided a few buffs to the more forgotten-about half of the Mechanicus, being the Cult Mechanicus.  As I’ve become more practiced in the army, these zealous devotees of the Machine God have become my favorite thing to do with the army, and I’ve worked tirelessly to try and bring them to the same level as their Skitarii counterparts.  With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at how you can best pilot their preferred detachment: The Data-Psalm Conclave.

Via Miniset.net

Data-Psalm Conclave (DPC) is defined by two major things — its detachment ability (Specifically, Citation in Savagery) and the Temporcopia enhancement.  DPC urges pilots to play three primary units, to benefit from these aspects, being Heavy Arc Rifle Kataphron Breachers, Fulgurite Electro-priests, and Technoarchaeologists, all units that serve similar roles to other units in Admech, but here find special merit.  Citation in Savagery provides an extra Attack and Strength on the charge for relevant units, which frankly is insane; while DPC is a bit more of a glass cannon than its counterpart detachments, the damage output it can provide in melee can be truly shocking.  This turns Fulgurites into super-Incubi, Technoarchaeologists into Thunder Hammer-wielding 45pt heroes, and Breachers (alongside Temporcopia and a Manipulus) into a truly unshakeable firing block.  Moreover, if you stretch this bonus to include Vanguard led by Technoarchaeologists, or Corpuscarii Electro-Priests, the value accrued from units like these is jaw-droppingly potent.

Critically, there’s a few units that are good but not great, that require special mention.  Cawl actually has the Cult Mechanicus keyword, meaning you give his axe the Citation bonus in melee, as well as stratagem access, but at 150pts he’s likely just barely too expensive to be taken when this faction has trouble popping transports in the shooting phase.  The Dominus, meanwhile, suffers a similar fate, as while giving your crucial Fulgurites a 4+ Feel No Pain is incredible, paying an additional 50% cost per unit to have such a bonus doesn’t math out.  I’m also not especially high on Kataphron Destroyers, which can provide solid enough Plasma fire, but generally lack a real role in the army despite their buffs.

The things I know I want out of a DPC list are as follows: 3 units of Fulgurites (likely in 10s), 6 Breachers + a Temporcopia Manipulus, and 3 Technoarchaeologists.  Whether you’re planning to put the archaeologists in with the Fulgurites, or with Vanguard, and whether you aim to take MSU Fulgurites alongside Corpuscarii, can radically alter how these lists play out.

The lists are going to diverge based primarily on whether you intend to commit to Fulgurites, or spread out value using Multiple Small Units (MSUs).  In the committing context, you’ll aim to stick 3x10 Fulgurite + Dominus units in boats, stage them properly, and deliver these expensive elite melee blenders into the enemy frontline.  You can also, if playing seriously, instead use Technoarchaeologists in that slot, creating 195pt missiles that will trade up against anything you throw them at 99% of the time.  Lists like that will certainly need ways to chunk out transports (the enemy of all elite melee units which can’t take a counterpunch), but luckily 2x1 Ferrumite Disintegrators can crack any transport in the game reliably, and sometimes can spike them on their own if the dice are hot.

The middle ground between this and true MSU lists is something like 1x10 Fulgurites with a Dominus, and then 2x5 more often alongside either 2x5 Corpuscarii or Rustalkers.  This gives you the well-appreciated melee blender as an option, as well as a few solid trade pieces for the flanks. 

Via Games Workshop

MSU lists, on the other hand, reckon with the fact that 10 Fulgurites and a Technoarchaeologist are still turned to paste by most relevant threats, especially if caught out of position, instead opting to take as many 5-model units as is legal.  This often entails 3x5 Fulgurites, 3x5 Corpuscarii, and 3x10 Vanguard + Technoarchaeologist, as both OC bombs to supplant entrenched enemies, and a shockingly flexible melee threat on the charge.  These lists will sometimes take 3x Infiltrators or Taser Lance Dragoons, as a means to push forward as you boatswap turn 1.  These lists aim to start Vanguard in boats, move them up, disembark, and then embark equal parts Fulg and Corps for next round, staged safely inside Duneriders.  The failings of these lists often comes down to a lack of true anti-tank, and no single units that can change the course of the battle alone.  Still, as can be seen with Chaos Cult lists, taking enough trade pieces that are just annoying enough to remove can stop an enemy in their tracks.

DPC is not a detachment where everything affects everything, in short.  You’re likely aiming to make ~1000pts of your list very good, and use the rest of your points flexing into transports, vehicles, and infantry toolbox units like Infiltrators and/or Skystalkers to score VP.  What does get the benefit often is able to radically shift the flow of battle, but by that same token, DPC legally cannot take more than 6 total units of Electro-priests, much to our collective dismay.  Being 5++/5+++, these are fragile 1W units that still pack a punch, and cause this detachment to play more like Drukhari than Admech at times, forcing hotswaps on transports, and glass cannon melee blenders for days.

Via Reddit

In order to make DPC work, confronting its failings is the first step, and learning how best to utilize Fulgurites is the second.  I haven’t had as much fun in 40k as I have with the staff-wielding believers of the Motive Force, and I do strongly urge players to try them out!

In that regard, I likewise recommend converting them, as you’ve seen above.  You’ll want to pick out a unit that comes in units of 10, rather than 5, and that looks reasonably distinct compared to your standard rank & file troops.  The Cult Mechanicus, after all, is a different group than the militant arm of Skitarii.  I’ve chosen to use Tarantulos brood, but many of the Warcry or AoS options might suit this purpose well!  Flagellants could be a classy choice, or something like Cypher Lords for a royal forge, and Rotmire Creed might be ideal for the magos seeking to find technology on a wild planet.  Frankly, the possibilities are endless!

Via Reddit

This has been a brief look into the ways you can approach Data-Psalm Conclave!  I’ve still got lots to learn about this detachment, but I look forward to brushing up!  What have you been doing with the ranks of the Cult Mechanicus? I’d love to hear what you’ve been brewing in the comments below!