Using Imperial Fist Captain Lysander in 40K 6th Edition

Games Workshop’s latest Codex iSupplement, Sentinels of Terra, is about here. It’s focus is on the Imperial Fist 3rd Company, and on one of the most popular Warhammer 40K Space Marines Special Characters: Captain Darnath Lysander.

More than enough reasons to have a look at what Lysander can bring to your Space Marines army.

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#1 – Captain Darnath Lysander

For a start, Captain Lysander’s point cost increased by 30 points from 5th to 6th Edition, which I must say is probably a fair change considering how good he is (and was). Three things stand out that make Lysander a great character to lead a Space Marines army (from the front!).

• Survivability – Lysander is tough! He get’s an extra wound over the regular Space Marine Captain, wears Terminator Armour with a Storm Shield, and has the Eternal Warrior rule!

• Fist of Dorn – Though Lysander does not have as many attacks as some other characters, his relic thunder hammer allows him to hit at Str. 10 and AP 1. There’s no tank Lysander can’t wreck (he’s popular even in Apocalypse for this reason) and stands a good chance of instantly killing almost any character vulnerable to Instant Death. Thanks to his warlord trait this can even mean extra victory points now in Warhammer 40K 6th Edition.

• Icon of Obstinacy – The new rule Lysander gained for 6th Edition (with Bolter Drill now being part of the Imperial Fist Chapter Tactics and his old fortification rule gone), which grants re-rolls to nearby Imperial Fist Space Marines for morale and pinning. Admittedly, Space Marines come with very good Leadership to begin with, ATSKNF, etc.., though this will make Lysander’s retinue even more stubbornly reluctant to shift.

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#2 – Using Captain Lysander in the Game

There is really no point in holding Captain Lysander back. Most times, you want to play him aggressively and get him into the thick of things fast.

If Lysander is the warlord of your army (main detachment) he’s likely trying to catch the enemy warlord (though there may be a few more specialized “assassin-builds” that have an easier time catching shifty Farseers or Tau Commanders that would rather stay out of reach). Either way, there is no army in 40K that can simply ignore Lysander in the midst their lines.

The main question, therefore, is how to Lysander into the action, and to get him there fast. The usual answers are (a) a Drop Pod, (c) a Land Raider (or Stormraven) or (c) Teleport.

• Drop Pod – Arguably the most popular and most effective deployment is to launch Lysander into battle with a Drop Pod, typically with some Sternguard. Sternguard and Lysander complement each other nicely. Lysander can soak up bullets for the expensive Sternguard all day long, deal with most counter-assaults and even leave the unit to go wrecking things solo.

• Land Raider – A lot more expensive than the Drop Pod, the Land Raider (or Stormraven) “death star” (in this case, Lysander and usually Assault Terminators) has been out of fashion for a while. It’s certainly an “all-or-nothing” strategy, especially in smaller games. It is the best method to get Lysander into a fight with your opponent’s warlord for those juicy extra points.

• Teleport – Last but not least,  Lysander could teleport into battle with a unit of Terminators. It seems to lack the punch of either of the above two options, and comes with the added uncertainty of reserve rolls. It may be a budget option however.

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#3 – Final Thoughts

Captain Lysander lost a bit of his all-round utility from Warhammer 40K 5th Edition. He has lost none of his core strengths however: He can take the hardest hits and hit back even harder. Thanks to Champion of Humanity, he should be played more aggressively than ever.

Captain Lysander isn’t a subtle character, but he excels at what he’s supposed to do. The most effective counter against Captain Lysander, often enough, is still anything that leaves him stranded on the margins of the battle with some cannon-fodder, rather than tackling him head-on.

• Do you (still) use Captain Lysander in your Space Marines army?
• If so, how do you bring him to the fight?
• If you’re not a Space Marines player, how do you deal with Captain Darnath Lysander coming at you from the opposite side of the table?

Share some of your thoughts and insights and leave a comment!

Z.