With part one we got an overview of Noise Marines, now we move on to squad builds. Currently there is a lot of redundancy in competitive lists; tried and true units with no variation, configurations repeated, because they have been proven to work. Math hammering and these competitive lists are great for average players wanting to win a few games, but they do nothing for people that want to work on being a good general. That is one reason I responded to Noise Marines. They require a little more finesse then your standard CSM power builds and results end up being more rewarding.
Often I have found players falling in love with a model or piece of wargear that on paper looks great, but fail on the battle field. The biggest concern with any unit is points vs. utility. This axiom understood by most, is hard to master. With Noise Marines the instinct to get all points crazy can be alluring, so lets look at some builds that will temper that and maintain effectiveness
4 Noise Marines @ 185 Pts
Bolt Pistol, Bolter, CCW (x4); Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades
1 Noise Champion @ [70] Pts
Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Doom Siren; Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Melta Bombs; Power Weapon
Rhino Transport [35]
This is my most popular build, it is cheap and hits hard. On paper it is a doom siren delivery system. What it really is though is the Noise Champion delivery system. The goal is not simply to doom siren everything, its priority is to get the champion into close combat as soon as possible. The Doom Siren job is to make assaulting more manageable. The job of the four Noise Marines are to soak up power weapon hits for the champion. That is why it is imperative this squad is used against other basic troops or entrenched heavy weapon shooters. Bad results incur against elite units like Terminators. Do not get lulled into the ability of the doom siren to delivery pain, it is good, but not a game changer. This leads me to the most important point about this build, do NOT get out of the Rhino unless you can charge in the same turn. If that means you have to wait for it to blow up, do it. One round of fire from even one unit can take this unit out. There is two easy ways to fluff this unit up and still get the job done. Give all the Noise Marines sonic blasters and increase the unit size to six (Slaanesh sacred number) and maybe even give the Rhino a Havoc Launcher. This is a poor man Razorback squad. This squad becomes 220pts, but is still very effective.
5 Noise Marines @ 160 Pts
Bolt Pistol, Sonic Blasters, CCW (x4), Blastmaster (x1); Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades
Sadly this build is really the only way I have found the Blastmaster effective. This is the Noise Marine version of a marine combat squad. Sits in cover and shoots away. If things get close it can drop a lot of shots for few models. This is were being fearless really annoys opponents as they have to kill even a small squad down to its last man. As a warning, do not be afraid to move when need be, few shots are lost and the unit can still assault.
7 Noise Marines @ 265 Pts
Bolt Pistol, Sonic Blaster, CCW (x8); Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades
1 Noise Champion @ [70] Pts
Bolt Pistol, Bolter,Sonic Blaster, Power Weapon; Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades
Rhino Transport [35]
This build is a great for horde culling. If done properly you should get two rounds of shooting then assault. This is where knowing ranges comes in handy. The rhino is key in creating a screen from dangerous fire, as sonic blasters have to be relatively close to be effective. This is a spendy unit. I usually never run a unit over 250 and this unit is a little on the high range. I like to use it as counter charge unit, but with shooting. Once one smaller unit gets overrun bring this to bare, to finish off the job. Another use for this squad is take two and both focus fire on a large unit. Also depending on your style of play switching out the Power Weapon for a Doom Siren as an another option.
17 Noise Marines @ 490 Pts
Bolt Pistol, Sonic Blaster, CCW (x19); Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades
1 Noise Champion @ [65] Pts
Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Sonic Blaster, Power Fist; Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades
Sometimes in large battles field this unit. It can be hit or miss, but loads of fun either dying to blast spam or becomes an unstoppable force. Have it sit on an objective in cover raining 50+ shots a turn or move across the center of board baiting your opponent to take notice. Often an opponent becomes so concerned with this unit it allows other more important units free reign. The reason for the powerfist is simple, this squad is walker bait like no other. Without the Power fist you will have very little chance of taking down walkers.
All these builds have their uses and by no means are they the end all be all of Noise Marine squads. Noise Marines should be about trying to out fox your opponent. What makes them great, is that they often bait players into thinking they do only one thing well, when in fact they can do many things well. Even though Noise Marines seem like shooting units they are still Chaos Space Marines and get three attacks on the charge. Do not be afraid to assault; they are not Khorne Berserkers, but they can hold there own and usually always go first, which is one of the most under appreciated aspects to the game. Try these builds out or come up with your own, either way I would love to hear the different uses for your Noise Marines.