Kill Team Guide: How to use your Leader and Combat Specialists

The Leader and Combat specialists are the first you encounter in the book, and both offer some nifty tricks for assault themed Kill Teams. Obviously, the Leader has more squad utility, but the Combat specialist is not to be underestimated for their own devious strategies!

Here are some of the ground rules before we go into discussing the Specialists. I’ll only be talking about them in terms of Matched Play, which means the following:

• Tier 1 only, so only the first ability and level 1 Tactic
• Only 4 Specialists per team
• One must be a Leader
• Each specialist must be unique in the Kill Team (i.e. you can’t field 2 Combat specialists)

The Leader

At the first level this Specialist balances the pinnacle of squad support alongside some close combat utility. Classic for 40K, where every Space Marine Sergeant (at least thematically) brings the chainsword!

• Resourceful: Generate 1 Command Point (CP) at the beginning of the Round as long as the model is on the battlefield and is not Shaken

This probably doesn’t need explaining and is useful to just about any team. You’ll want to keep your leader alive to keep generating those extra points, and that’s going to give you some decisions to make. In nearly every Faction the Leader model will also be your best fighter, and you’ll want to throw them into combat with all the risk that’s involved in that. The Leader tactic also pushes this idea

• Tactic: Lead by Example
• Use this when you pick a Leader to fight in the Fight phase. Choose another model who is eligible to fight within 3-inches. You can fight with these two in the order of your choosing before the next player’s turn.
• Cost: 1CP

Thematic and useful, representing in rules both the squad training and Leaders initiative. A great bit of rule making! Now let’s talk exploits. I mean, er, uses.

This is a good way of ensuring a close-combat alpha strike. Once you’ve gone through all the hassle of getting in those charges, surviving any Overwatch on the way in, you’ll be able to at least fight with your two guys before the enemy gets a go. Keep in mind that the target of the combat doesn’t need to be the same.

One niche application is charging with your dedicated Combat model, and then in the next round following up with your Leader. You’ll get two turns of first round combat with your sword wielding juggernaut.

This tactic also neatly combines with the Combat Specialists Tactic allowing you to strike with 3 models before the enemy even gets a go! You can also combat with Decisive strike too!

The Combat Specialist

At first glance, just an opportunity to make a melee beat stick, but further analysis of the Tactic gives you some surprises and trick you can pull. Less a juggernaut and more of an opportunity maker!

• Expert Fight: Add 1 to this model’s attack

Yup, pretty much awesome. If you’ve made a close combat model already with special close combat weapon, then this is going to make that point investment much more efficient. Not exactly thrilling in terms of opening new tactics and strategies, but it’s what you want from your swordy.

• Tactic: Up and at ‘em
• Use this in the Fight phase after attacking with a model from your kill team. Pick a combat specialist from your Kill Team that has not yet attacked this phase; you can immediately attack with them.
• Cost: 1CP

I was initially too excited by this, as I didn’t read that part in bold. I thought you’d get to fight twice for 1CP. Oh well, never mind. This is still useful.

First up is synergy with the leader Tactic. Activate your Leader first, use the Tactic to fight with two models on your kill team, then use this to fight with your Combat specialist to use three models before the enemy knows what’s going on. Great combo for assault themed Kill Teams.

Secondly, the key difference is that this Tactic is not as Local as the Leader one. An attack from a model anywhere on your team can activate this Tactic, meaning if you have a successful charge anywhere on the board, your close combat monster can follow up immediately.

Also, don’t forget the basic Tactic Decisive Strike, which will allow you to completely mess up your opponents Fight phase plans even if they’ve charged! Counter charge by using Decisive Strike on the Leader, hitting with 2 models right out of the gate, and following up with Up and At ‘em. Costly at 4 CP total, but priceless when you see your friend’s carefully planned assault fall apart!

In this relatively new form of close combat (being just over a year old at this point in 40K) players take it in turns to choose models to fight. Disrupting that rhythm and therefore your opponents’ plans is invaluable, making this Tactic a great wild card if you’re embroiled in a melee.

Suggestions

Both the Leader and the Combat Specialist play well together to form the core of an assault themed Kill Team. You can consider pairing these two up, but with the Combat Specialist Tactic being global, it would probably be best to pair the Leader with a bullet sponge non-specialist first, with your Combat specialist acting more independently.

If you have any suggestions on how to use these guys with a particular faction, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below! For now, we’ll move on to Comms and Demolitions, who I think are going to be my favourite Specialists for every Kill Team!

Until next time!


Thanks for reading.

If you liked what you saw, and you want to help out, please leave a comment. Sharing this with your friends, and following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ would also be hugely appreciated.

If you have anything you want me to look at, let me know in the comments below. I'll probably be able to write an article about that topic within a day!

If you want to support me directly, use the affiliate links below. I get a small percentage of purchases you make her, and you get cheaper miniatures! If you really love what I do here, you can make a one off donation at my PayPal, or become a true hero to table top education and make a regular donation to my Patreon. Every Little helps!