Trying to build House Yato

One of the good things about building an Imperial Knight army is that I already have 4 Knights. Knight Crusader, Knight Errant, Knight Paladin and Knight Warden, so I have a very flexible force to swap out stuff here and there. Unfortunately, with the new codex, it seems that I've new stuff to get to expand on my Knights roster and build a more optimal list. Maybe.

So how do I do it?

First, let's look at the new Knights. Which would be best to add to my current roster? The Dominus-class Knights look absolutely amazing, so I'll definitely get at least one. Since my strategy usually relies on shooting with my Knight Crusader or Knight Paladin, it would be better for me to get the Knight Castellan instead of the Knight Valiant. He synergizes better with my Knight Crusader for example, or lore-wise, he synergizes really well with my Shadowsword. I can imagine an anti-Titan force. House Yato's Knight Castellan smashing the void shields apart with his shieldbreaker missiles, and then Colonel Ikeda's Shadowsword driving up to deliver the killing blow with his volcano cannon. Well, fluff-wise, it would be a company of three Shadowswords flanking the Knight Castellan. So Knight Castellan it is, even though I actually like the Knight Valiant a lot. The conflagration cannon seems so awesome. Tough choice, really tough choice. But I like plasma. Besides, my Draconian Armored Defenders is a defensive sige army, so it makes more sense for them to pair up with a Knight Castellan who sits back and fires from long range while extending his Ion Aegis over the squadron of Leman Russ Executioners and armor infantry. Even a traitor Titan Legion would have to be cautious going up against the formidable firepower of a Knight Castellan and a company of Shadowswords!

Next, what other stuff should I add to my Knight list? I was thinking a Knight Preceptor because of his las-impulsor and also because he gives buffs to Armiger-class Knights. Furthermore, he's great at close-range and melee (well, all Knights except the Crusader are good at melee). So it would be fun for me to play around with a Knight Preceptor and stick him with a couple of Armiger bodyguards.

So what Armiger bodyguards do I want? This actually surprised me. I thought I was more inclined toward the Armiger Helverins because they're the shooty version, after all. But as I tried to build a list around them, it appeared that most of the Household Traditions don't benefit them. Of course I have one version where I don't get a Knight Preceptor (which sucks because the Armiger Helverins don't get re-rolls of ones if I don't take him) but a 2nd Knight Crusader instead. So it'll be a Knight Castellan, 2 Knights Crusader and 2 Armigers Helverins in a single Super-heavy Detachment for 6 Command Points. This iteration will take House Hawkshroud as the Household Tradition because that seems to be the most...uh, effective and fluffy Tradition for a shooty Knight army that wants to stay back and fire from afar. It's not that bad, actually, and I do like the list. But I can't optimize my Armiger Helverins without the Knight Prceptor. Oh well. That's fine too.

But if I don't go the shooty House Hawkshroud (Yato) route, then what are the other options and possibilities?

I could rebuild a Questoris Mechanicus or Mechanicus Knights list with my army. Especially with what I have in mind with regards to purchasing new Knights. That would mean getting Forgebane (yay). A Knight Castellan, a Knight Prceptor, a Knight Errant and 2 Armigers Warglaive in a lance, and a patrol detachment of Adeptus Mechanicus.

House Yato Adamantine Lance (taking House Krast Tradition)

Knight Castellan with 2 shieldbreaker missiles and two twin siegebreaker cannons (Warlord Trait First Knight, Cawl's Wrath Heirloom) 604

Knight Preceptor with multi-laser and Stormspear rocket pod 470

Knight Errant with heavy stubber and Stormspear rocket pod 440

2 Armigers Warglaive with meltaguns 177x2=354

Total: 1,868

Draconis IV Adeptus Mechanicus Patrol Detachment (Stygies VIII forge world dogma)

HQ

Tech-priest Enginseer 47

Troops

5 Rangers with 2 transuranic arquebus 85

Total: 132

Grand Total: 2,000 (9 Command Points)

Well, this is the pure Knights list...or was supposed to be pure Knights, but obviously I ended up with spare points for an Adeptus Mechanicus Patrol Detachment. Oh well. But if I want more Adeptus Mechanicus stuff, I could always take out the Knight Errant and squeeze in a Battalion and a couple of Onager Dunecrawlers.

House Yato Adamantine Lance (taking House Krast Tradition)

Knight Castellan with 2 shieldbreaker missiles and two twin siegebreaker cannons (Warlord Trait First Knight, Cawl's Wrath Heirloom) 604

Knight Preceptor with multi-laser and Ironstorm missile pod 441/Knight Errant with heavy stubber and Stormspear rocket pod 440

2 Armigers Warglaive with meltaguns 177x2=354

Total: 1,399/,1398

Draconis IV Adeptus Mechanicus Battalion Detachment (Stygies VIII forge world dogma)

HQ

Tech-priest Dominus with volkite blaster and macrostubber 125

Tech-priest Enginseer 47

Troops

5 Skitarii Vanguard with taser goad and 2 plasma calivers 72

5 Skitarii Vanguard with arc pistol, arc maul and 2 arc rifles 56

5 Skitarii Vanguard 40

Heavy Support

Onager Dunecrawler with Icarus Array 130

Onager Dunecrawler with Icarus Array 130

Total: 600

Grand Total: 1,999/1,998 (11 Command Points)

This gives me a bit more Command Points and a lot more dakka (I think?). Honestly, I would prefer to go the shooty route and give my Onager Dunecrawlers neutron lasers and get Armigers Helverin instead but House Krasts's Household Tradition doesn't benefit them well. Armigers Helverin don't have melee weapons, so Cold Fury doesn't benefit them as much as say, Armigers Warglaive who have the Reaper chain-cleaver that allows them to re-roll all hit rolls in the fight phase in the turn they charged, or was charged or performed a Heroic Intervention. On the other hand, I don't really need the Knight Preceptor so I can just replace him with my Knight Errant instead, since everyone gets to re-roll hit rolls in the fight phase regardless. And with the range, I doubt House Vulker's Firestorm Protocols benefit the Armigers Helverin much, plus I have the Knight Preceptor to re-roll ones anyway. The point is to maximize the use of the Armigers Warglaive and Knight Preceptor's melee capabilities with House Yato/Krast's Cold Fury. I have half a mind to just make my Skitarii Metalica, but I think I prefer Stygies VIII. Actually, I prefer Mars, but whatever. Lucius might not be a bad choice either, given the amount of AP -1 weaponry (bolt rifles, heavy flamers, heavy bolters, Custodes' spears, etc.). But they're just there...to provide infantry and anti-air support for my Knights. So cool beans...I think?

However, it is entirely possible to swap the Knight Castellan out for a Knight Valiant and go House Raven so that I can advance everyone and shoot without penalties. That would be cool and I could swap the Icarus array on one of the Onager Dunecrawlers for a neutron laser. The Knight Valiant would get either Ion Bulwark or Blessed by the Sacristans Warlord Trait (you can bet I'll use it on the conflagration cannon) and the Mark of the Omnissiah Heirloom. Everyone would be advancing and firing, so that will be awesome. I would replace the meltaguns on the Armigers Warglaive with heavy stubbers and take away the arc pistol so that I can upgrade the Ironstorm missile pod into a Stormspear rocket pod. That sounds like a great option too. If I go this route, I'll make my Skitarii Metalica to go along with the whole House Raven and Metalica forge world pairing (never mind it's House Yato and Draconis IV forge world in my case). In either case, I can make the Tech-priest Dominus my Warlord and give him the Necromechanic Warlord Trait and either Autocaduceus of Arkhan Land or the Lucius Solar Flare Relic. The Solar Flare will teleport my Tech-priest Dominus to wherever my Knights are and repair whoever needs repairing (heal 2 wounds, use Tech-Adept Stratagem to heal another 2 wounds on my Knight!). If need be, I can use it to repair up to 8 wounds on my Onager Dunecrawler, especially with the Autocaduceus of Arkhan Land allowing me to re-roll repair rolls! Of course, if I go the House Raven and Metalica route, I don't mind taking Ordered Efficiency Warlord Trait and Raiment of the Technomartyrs to...utterly destroy assault armies. That would be fun. Maybe. I don't know. We'll see! In either case, I'll spend an extra 2 Command Points to give my main Knight (Knight Castellan or Knight Valiant) a Warlord Trait and a relic, if necessary. Combined with Mark of Omnissiah, and healing 4 wounds a turn, my Knight Valiant might just never die. Probably the Lucius relic Solar Flare here works better for my Knight Valiant adopting the House Raven tradition.

Of course, there's the Imperial Knight route or Questoris Imperialis. So instead of doing Mechanicus, I go down the Imperial Knights route. As mentioned earlier, I could just get another Knight Crusader and 2 Armigers Helverin, and then do a House Hawkshroud styled House Yato Lance.

House Yato Adamantine Lance (taking House Hawkshroud Tradition)

Knight Castellan with 2 shieldbreaker missiles and two twin siegebreaker cannons (Warlord Trait Ion Bulwark, Armor of the Sainted Ion Heirloom) 604

Knight Crusader with 2 heavy stubbers, rapid-fire battle cannon, Stormspear rocket pod 530

Knight Crusader with 2 heavy stubbers, rapid-fire battle cannon, twin Icarus autocannon 515

2 Armigers Helverin with heavy stubbers 174x2=348

Total: 1,997 (9 Command Points)

Now that's an all Knight list! Of course, if I decide to take a Knight Preceptor instead, I could instead go House Griffith and take Imperial Guard since...well, Questoris Imperialis and Astra Militarum pair together as opposed to Questoris Mechanicus and Adeptus Mechanicus. But how would that work out?

House Yato Adamantine Lance (taking House Griffith Tradition)

Knight Preceptor with multi-laser and Stormspear rocket pod (Knight Seneschal Warlord Trait, Mark of the Lance Heirloom) 470

2 Armigers Warglaive with meltaguns 177x2=354

Total: 824

Kamikaze Storm Troopers Battalion

HQ

Tempestor Prime with command rod 45

Tempestor Prime with command rod 45

Troops

5 Militarum Tempestus Scions with 2 plasma guns 74

5 Militarum Tempestus Scions with 2 plasma guns 74

10 Militarum Tempestus Scions 100

Elites

Militarum Tempestus Command squad with 4 plasma guns 88

Total: 426

Draconian Armored Defenders Spearhead

HQ

Company Commander with power sword 34

Fast Attack

2 Armored Sentinels with lascannons 120

Heavy Support

Leman Russ Executioner with lascannon and plasma cannons 192

Leman Russ Executioner with lascannon and plasma cannons 192

Leman Russ Annihilator with lascannon and plasma cannons 212

Total: 750

Grand Total: 2,000 points (12 Command Points)

The purpose of this list is to maximize the use of House Griffith's Glory of the Charge Household Tradition. The Armigers Warglaive have 10 attacks on the charge if I use the Sweep (good for infantry!) and by giving the Knight Preceptor the Knight Seneschal Warlord Trait, I'm potentially giving him 18 attacks with Titanic Feet! Not to mention, if I escort him with the Armigers Warglaive, they can re-roll ones during the fight phase! This makes them more reliant on the Knight Preceptor, as opposed to House Krast's Household Tradition that gives me a flat-out re-roll all hits during the fight phase. This looks good too, but I'm a little disappointed I can't squeeze a Knight Castellan into the list. Oh well. We'll see. Actually, there's a way to play with the Knight Castellan in the list. It'll be something like:

Draconian Armored Defenders

Brigade Detachment (12 Command Points)

HQ

Company Commander with plasma pistol and power sword (Warlord with Grand Strategist Warlord Trait and the Kurov's Aquila Heirloom) 39

2 Tempestors Prime with command rods 45x3=90

Elites

Militarum Tempestus Command Squads with 4 plasma guns 88

Commissar with bolt pistol 16

Commissar with plasma pistol 20

Troops

5 Militarum Tempestus Scions with 2 plasma guns 74

5 Militarum Tempestus Scions with 2 plasma guns 74

10 Militarum Tempestus Scions 100

Infantry squad with plasma gun 47

Infantry squad with plasma gun 47

Infantry squad with plasma gun 47

Fast Attack

Armored Sentinel with plasma cannon and sentinel chainsaw 57

2 Armored Sentinel, each with lascannon (60x2=120)

Heavy Support

3 Leman Russ Executioner tanks, each with lascannon and plasma cannons (192x3=576)

Total: 1,395

Super-heavy auxillary

Knight Castellan with 2 shieldbreaker missiles and 2 siegebreaker cannons 604

Grand Total: 1,999 (15 Command Points)

Of course, I could spend 2 Command Points to give the Knight Castellan a Warlord Trait and an Heirloom (preferably House Krast's First Knight and Cawl's Wrath), then spam Ion Aegis to protect my tanks and infantry. It'll be...hilarious. For bigger games, I'll just wrap it up with a Shadowsword and swap one of the Leman Russ Executioner tnaks for a Leman Russ Annihilator. Cool, eh?

Now which do you think is the most feasible list? The House Hawkshroud styled list? The Questoris Mechanicus list? Or should I just get a Knight Castellan and play him alongside my Astra Militarum Brigade? Or is the House Griffith Titanic Feet styled list more fun to play? Or perhaps the Relentlessly Advancing House Raven styled Knight Valiant and friends with Metalica-styled Draconian Skitarii?