Over the last year and half GW has been doing a pretty good job updating FAQs and answering questions the playing public actually wants answered. So when the latest batch of FAQs sprang up a few days ago most of the Internet’s focus was on the Necron FAQ. Lost to most, but not all was one little clarification that might pump some life into a type of army that was all the rage less than two years ago. What I am hinting at is Descent of Angels lists for Blood Angels. For those that don’t know a DoA list is any Blood Angel list that spams jumping pack units. Now the reason for the new life is you can actually use the Deep Strike with Combat Tactics. Here is the ruling…

Q: When a unit of 10 Space Marines with the Combat
Squad special rule arrives from reserve as two combat
squads, can they move on from, or Deep Strike onto,
two different locations? (p23)
A: Yes.

With this slight change the possibilities for DoA got a whole lot better. Before if you wanted to combat squad jump pack units you actually couldn’t use deep strike. Now this allows a DA list the ability to drop units in fun and frankly more tactical ways.

If you want to run a unit like a CSM Termicide squad without putting the other five blokes in harm’s way, you can. Want to roll the dice and split your meltaguns between each combat squad now you can. If you want to mix up roles for your Assaults squad: one half gets a flamer the other a meltagun, now you can.

Since the typical 10 man Blood Angel Assault Space Marine squad runs anywhere from 200-250 points, this change can really up the redundancy of your units and avoid nasty random occurrences. It also makes it easier to double the total amount of scoring units without having to place them all down on turn one. This also might give Vanguard Vets a spendy, but interesting second look. With the Divine Intervention you can two sets of melta pistols against different targets or split the Vets into half close combat with the other half tank hunting. Combat squads also create a smaller Deep Strike foot print allowing for easier unit placement.

Does this make DoA lists a viable competitive option? Probably not. The ruling though does give flexibility and options for team power armor and actually tactically enhances the way you can play those armies. This ruling just doesn’t affect Blood Angels it goes for all books that allow combat squads. As I am often reminded many Grey Knights units can Deep Strike.

Still this ruling doesn’t go far enough in my opinion. I would have liked to have seen GW take the ruling one step further and allow combat squads to half one combat squad from the same unit on the  on the ground while the other sits in reserve.

Do you think this changes anything or was it just a clarification to what should have been an obvious rule?