There comes a time when theme army building when you decided that the lack of variety can really eat into the fun factor of playing. Sometimes you just want to mix things up. So when constructing a list of based around Noise Marines you just have to balance things out with other choices. For this discussion I will be only going over options that cannot be given a mark of Slaanesh as well leaving out HQ choices.
Chaos Dreadnought:
Chaos Dreadnoughts are funny things. I employ them the same way I would in any CSM army, WITHOUT weapons. Since they are crazed, nothing is more annoying then having transport blow up from your own Dreadnought. Keep them cheap and give them many attacks. Dreadnoughts can be a good addition to a Noise Marine force. The reason, Noise Marine lack good close combat ability against walkers and monstrous creatures. Just make sure to run them close.
Plague Marines:
Maybe the best troop unit in the entire game. Plague Marines make my Noise Marines a more aggressive unit. With Plague Marine support, often opponents have to change their focus allowing Noise Marines better opportunities on the battle field. Plague Marines have access to Meltaguns, providing punch to heavy armor Noise Marines lack. If you do not trust Noise Marines to hold objectives nothing is better then a Plague Marine squad.
Khorne Berzerkers:
Not very fluffy to add these guys, but since I am an aggressive player they are my favorite choice addition. I often run one ten man squad with as many five man Noise Marine squads as I can. Zerkers are complete fire magnets, your enemy knows they must not reach their front lines, use that to your advantage. I often set them up in the center, while the rest of my squads run around the flanks. Once they realize the Zerkers are not the true threat it is too late. Zerkers also provide balance when equipped with a power fist to Noise Marine power weapons.
Thousand Sons:
They are great! Always take them! No really I mean it! OK you got me, they suck. They suck even more with Noise Marines because they do the same job, but at a slower pace then Noise Marines and with less flexibility. Thousand Sons would be great if all armies had 3+ armor, just too situational to be effective. They are also very expensive.
Lesser Daemons:
These little guys are great assault support. They often find a way into my lists as a cheap way to beef up the assault capabilities of Noise Marines. Usually in packs of five, they deep strike when I am about to charge a target. So instead of just five models going in I have at least ten jumping in. It also forces your opponent do decide on where to assign their wounds. As a side note with Lucius he gets a personal icon, so I often have him be the jump point for the Daemons. Another use is for tarpiting Walkers and Monstrous Creatures. Taken in ten man squads I have seen these little buggers tie up Avatars for entire games before finally dying. Also do not forget they are scoring units, which means even your opponent must kill them dead to the man or risk a defeat from just one of them.
Chaos Spawn:
If you thought Thousand Sons were a bad choice, Chaos Spawns are universally known as one of the worse units in the game. Their point cost is ridiculous. They are slow and go for the closest target which ends sometimes hurting more then helping, making them one of the most unreliable units in the game. Which is really sad since in the Lost and the Damned they were quite fun.
Obliterator Cult:
When I design a Noise Marine list I look at what holes I need to be fill. Often that leads to Oblits. They are can fill two holes at once, long and short range firepower. From sitting in the back field taking pot shots, to deep striking close and taking out a critical target, Obliterators are one of the best choices you could ever take. Also the two wounds leave most opponents focusing heavy weapons on them and not rhinos which is a good thing.
Chaos Predator:
I only use Predators with Noise Marines when I want to double down on shooty output. Run them cheap with heavy bolters and autocannon. Clocking in at 105 points they can deliver a mess of shots, with Sonic blaster support to cull even the largest Ork mobs. If you prefer Lascannons leave it to Oblits as can move and shoot more effectively and are usually hard to take out. I have found Preds to always be one lucky shot away from being ineffective, mitigate that by keeping them cheap.
Chaos Vindicator:
Nothing seems more feared on the battle field then a Vindicator. I often use them the same way as I use my Zerkers, as bait. In my personal experience they have more often proven ineffective. Still they draw a lot of fire, for that they must be considered. Once again if they are shooting at it, not the Rhinos you will be better for it. Also if the cannon is blown off people usually forget about them, which I have used every time to my advantage from contesting an objective to creating walls, Vindicators can prove to be a big nuisance even without the Demolisher Cannon.
Chaos Defiler:
I love the Defiler. Delifers are just like Dreds, but without lame rules and like Preds capable to dealing out the pain. They can also be beasts in assault with three base attacks you can upgrade that to five and six on the charge, being unaffected by stun and shaken they are do not lose attacks in close combat as easily. They are great because you can tailor their role to what you feel you are lacking in your Noise Marine army. The only problem with Defilers is there Av12. They draw as much fire as the Vindicator, but are not as adept at surviving. So take them pairs.
Chaos Land Raider:
In the world of Land Raiders sadly Chaos comes last. Chaos lacks the machine spirit and all the variants Space Marines have. Also defensive weapon changes, has reduced their shooting abilities. So that leaves you with a AV14 transport. This leads to a very over priced situation, where you will not get an effective return on your investment. The inability for the Chaos Land Raider to walk and talk at the same time usually leaves it sitting on my shelf.
That pretty much wraps up friends of the Noise Marines. Next I am going to tackle what are the best choices for Marks of Slaanesh. Till next time keep on rocking.