40k Tactica
How to properly play Space Marine Scouts
With the new Space Marines codex out, I expected to see fewer Scouts in competitive tournament lists. However, it seems like almost every competitive list is still bringing 1 or 2 units.
I have tried running Scouts in a few games, but I feel like I'm not getting the most out of them.
I often hear people say they're used "for scoring secondaries," but is that really the whole story? I’d love some insight into their core strategy:
Deployment: Should I be using Infiltrate to place them near the center of the board early?
Board Control: Are they valuable as early-game move-blockers or screening units against enemy Deep Strikes/Scout moves? In case of avoiding deep strikes maybe they'd need to be closer to home?
Repositioning: How do you effectively use them during the battle?
So here's the trick with Scouts and other action-monkey/infiltrate/scout/screen cheap units. This applies to pretty much all of them - Scouts, Infiltrators, Incursors, Necron Flayed Ones, Tyranid Lictors and their variants, and so on.
The trick is, you need to look at your opponent's list and decide how you're going to use them. There's no one-size-fits-all strategy.
Sometimes you're against a fast army that wants to charge you in your DZ turn 1, like the Space Wolf Jail of 10th. Use infiltrators and scouts as cheap screens to absorb the initial charge, then hit back with the rest of your army. Infiltrators will let you deny your opponent from infiltrating everything 9" away from your DZ. Scouts will let you react to their deployment.
Sometimes you're against a castled-up gun line. Infiltrators and scouts will get you on the point first, forcing them to commit something to push you off. Abuse Solid terrain and Hidden.
Sometimes you're against Grey Knights or Hypercrypt Necrons or some elf bullshit and things are uppy-downy-ing constantly. Your scout units are cheap and not too useful, so spread them around table corners or near your important units to force your opponent to Deep Strike further away.
And in all those situations, so long as you keep even a single model alive, the unit can do actions. It can sit on points. People will tell you that action secondaries aren't as common anymore and they're right, but there are a lot of secondaries where half a Scout unit will come in handy for. Think secondaries like Engage on All Fronts, Outflank, Display of Might, or Burden of Trust.
My point is, there's no one single correct answer for how to use Scouts. You have to look at what your opponent is doing and decide how you'll get the most value out of them. Their strength is that they're flexible and cheap.
I'm using them to infiltrate near center and for early game secondaries. But I only run 1 unit now. I'm ising incursors and inceptors for my other scoring units.
But I'm no pro, just about to play in my first local tourney actually.
Good luck in your first tournament! I recently did my first as well. Make sure you drink plenty of water and stay comfortable! I was surprisingly sore afterwards!
For Priority Assets:
Deploy them on a central objective on the side closest to your deployment zone and hidden from your opponent behind the wall as best you can.
They can do the central objective action turn 1 and compel your opponent to come forwards to get within their Hidden range to shoot them, or else come onto the central objective to take you off. Either way, that opens things up for you to target them or counterpunch.
Put them into the impulsor during deployment. They allow the impulsor to scout forward 6”.
Turn 1, scouts disembark and run back to the DZ, they’re the best 65 point screen space marines can get for Deepstrike. Embark your Melta Eradicators into your scouted impulsor, and drive around blasting.
So what you do is like put scouts on impulsor, scout 6 inches to some cover close to DZ, disembark scouts and advance them back to DZ and eradictors advance towards impulsor and embark and then impulsor moves and shoots? Is that the play?
You can't reposition them anymore. They're used to screen forwards. If you run scout squads forward on turn 2, that can push back potential deepstrike zones far enough back that your opponent can't get close enough. And being able to advance and action can be good for getting to your expansion for a turn 1 cleanse, or potentially pushing forward later for a plunder
Hah, and me. This is one of the first threads I've actually followed on Reddit, I'm interested on how to run these guys that I've got (and about to build)
Lots of variables. Your disposition and mission vs your opponents. Will they be safe turn 1 against your opponent. Are they in position to screen a threat. Etc etc.
Typically for my take and hold missions I will infiltrate them if it scores me primary turn 1 and the only way the opponent can remove them is by exposing something significant.
Once my brick moves to hold I'll either push them forward to screen a threat against said brick or fall back to screen deepstrike / be in position for outflank etc.
I play priority assets, I usually either infiltrate them to the center on button pushing missions, or have them scout from my deployment zone, advancing and actioning.
They’re a great little cheap squad to throw forward to force the opponent to trade. They’re tough enough that they have to commit something real to finish them off, and if they survive, then they can fall back and action again.
Anything less than MEQ they punch into pretty well now too with the new bolter profile and combat knives.
Mine usually don’t survive past T1 or T2, but when they do, they great as a throw away unit to push forward for Plunder or Outflank or any secondary where you have to be out of your territory
I like to infiltrate them (within reason) to control/challenge expansions or prep to do actions like Purge or Outflank just in case.
I've also been kinda surprised by their ability to put wounds on other units post-update. Not anything crazy, but they aren't hitting with wet pool noodles like they were pre codex. I've had them clear out opposing scoring units well enough
For me I have one squad and what I do with them depends on the matchup. I play Priority Assets. If I'm up against Take and Hold I have the scouts sit on my home objective since that actually matters in that matchup. Against most other things I'm infiltrating them on the centre objective to do actions.
Depends on what i need, but for some priority assets primary, i prefer to set then up to scout, adv. And do an action if i go first, netting me 14+D6 in of movement. Normally gets me onto opponent's natural expansion so thats out of the way and i dont have to fight my way past center. And by having them on their point behind a wall, by and large they have to at least pull 6 OC worth of models onto the point to take it from me, or move something further forward to kill them.
So now ive scored 3-5pts of primary, and if they leave me alone, they dont score their hold one, or i drew a unit out for me to deal with the next turn
49
u/cop_pls 12h ago
So here's the trick with Scouts and other action-monkey/infiltrate/scout/screen cheap units. This applies to pretty much all of them - Scouts, Infiltrators, Incursors, Necron Flayed Ones, Tyranid Lictors and their variants, and so on.
The trick is, you need to look at your opponent's list and decide how you're going to use them. There's no one-size-fits-all strategy.
Sometimes you're against a fast army that wants to charge you in your DZ turn 1, like the Space Wolf Jail of 10th. Use infiltrators and scouts as cheap screens to absorb the initial charge, then hit back with the rest of your army. Infiltrators will let you deny your opponent from infiltrating everything 9" away from your DZ. Scouts will let you react to their deployment.
Sometimes you're against a castled-up gun line. Infiltrators and scouts will get you on the point first, forcing them to commit something to push you off. Abuse Solid terrain and Hidden.
Sometimes you're against Grey Knights or Hypercrypt Necrons or some elf bullshit and things are uppy-downy-ing constantly. Your scout units are cheap and not too useful, so spread them around table corners or near your important units to force your opponent to Deep Strike further away.
And in all those situations, so long as you keep even a single model alive, the unit can do actions. It can sit on points. People will tell you that action secondaries aren't as common anymore and they're right, but there are a lot of secondaries where half a Scout unit will come in handy for. Think secondaries like Engage on All Fronts, Outflank, Display of Might, or Burden of Trust.
My point is, there's no one single correct answer for how to use Scouts. You have to look at what your opponent is doing and decide how you'll get the most value out of them. Their strength is that they're flexible and cheap.