It’s Like Tactics: Maulerfiend Review

My Tactics pledge: I am not the greatest player, nor a seal pup. I will endeavor to speak from my experience and always be honest about what is theory and what is play tested. Never will I assume to know better than anyone else... unless I must call out ego or pretension.

Where the other Daemon Engines have tricks that don't do anything the Maulerfiend actually has some useful ones. Here take a look...

(Click to Enlarge)

Key Components...

• Cost 125 points
• Armor Value 12
• Siege Crawler
• Magma Cutters & Lasher Tendrils
• Daemon stuff

--Reasonable Pricing--

At 25 points more than a Helbrute the Maulerfiend is very reasonable for what you get. The Maulerfiend compared to other Walkers (of their kind) like the Furioso Dreadnaught seem to get more with the current meta. With only one upgrade to spend on the Maulerfiend doesn't get bloated by hidden costs either.

--Pretty Standard Really--

With the cost of the Maulerfiend the way it is having Armor Value 12 seems about right.

--Faster than it Looks--

What really sets Maulerfiends apart from almost all Dreadnaughts is Siege Crawler. Siege Crawler makes Maulerfiends into Beasts. A 12" move and not being slowed by Difficult Terrain is damn good for a dedicated close combat unit. Played correctly a Maulerfiend only needs turn two to get into Assault.

--Pleasure with Pain--

Maulerfiends only have two load outs. If you go with Magma Cutters you have the potential for six attacks. Magma Cutters also can save a bad first roll by giving you an extra attack. As for Lasher Tendrils at only 10 points can make a Maulerfiend downright nasty. This is where the large base works wonders and makes things like a hidden Power Claw mostly ineffective. 

--Demon Goodies--

The Maulerfiend really does make use of the extra Special Rules. Maulerfiends will often face mounds of Krak Grenade wielding foes and having Daemon and It Will Not Die to negate/regenerate Hull Points fights Dino extinction very well. Since you always want your Maulerfiend moving towards the enemy having Daemonic Possession denies that pesky Stunned roll from happening as well.

Putting it all together

Maulerfiends are a great addition to any army that loves speed and Assault.

The one-dimensional nature of a Maulerfiend makes them simple to use. You can choose to hide in cover hope for Night Fight and run straight ahead. If you run them with Magma Cutters you are going for mass attacks and hoping that WS 3 doesn't doom your Dino.

If you want more complex tactics taking Lasher Tendriles is the best option. Lasher Tendriles used correctly can either make your Maulerfiend a tar pit or provide the initial strike before you Assault with another unit. The way this works is simple: first the Maulerfiend charges larger units, getting as many models into base contact. Second, by assaulting with another unit the Maulerfiend limits the amount of attacks your opponent can inflict on the incoming assault. A great example being Chaos Spawn and a Maulerfiend assaulting together.

Maulerfiends are one of the best vehicle killing units in the game. The WS 3 doesn't hurt a Maulerfiend one bit with the new 6th edition rules for hitting vehicles. Having four strength 10 attacks on the charge usually means 2-3 get through and you always have Daemonforge as backup.

The speed of a Maulerfiend though is the best gift to this unit. Remember when players feared Jump Pack Librarian Dreadnaughts, well the Maulerfiend is scarier because of Fleet and Move Through Cover. Finally, with Bastions becoming more prevalent you might see more Maulerfiends around because of their speed and ability to crack them.

A Word about Allies

Maulerfiends work well with either Necrons or Daemon allies.

A Necron ally  with Imotekh the Stormlord provides the cover of darkness a Maulerfiend needs to get into combat. A Maulerfiend are more reliable than a Triarch Stalker with better survivability and damage output. Imagine, the devastating combo of a Maulerfiend and Wraith double Assault as well?

With Daemons taking a Maulerfiend is a great way to negate attacks towards Slaanesh units like Daemonettes and Seekers. Maulerfiends are also just as quick as any Daemon unit, so running them side by side is an excellent way to apply instant pressure to any opponent.

Final Thoughts...

Overall, I am generally impressed with the Maulerfiend. It fits a good role for Chaos Space Marine armies that run Bikers, Chaos Spawn, or other fast elements. It size though is a bit of problem and getting immobilized leaves a big helpless feeling. Sure it does one job, but the Maulerfiend does it well, and for 125 or 135 points you don't feel bamboozled-- if only the other Daemon Engines were the same...