I tried so hard for so long to refuse to take all the new awesome units. But you know what, sometimes it's just easier to go with the easy no-brainer choices in a Codex and just roll with it.
Besides, I should have accepted that every time a new rulebook or Codex comes out that I'll have to throw down another £200 to keep playing my chosen army competitively.
Anyway, without further ado, here is my...
7th Edition Space Wolves Thunderwolf Army List: 1850pts
Wolf Guard Battle Leader: 181ptsThunder Wolf, Powerfist, Storm Shield, Runic Armour
Wolf Guard Battle Leader: 181pts
Thunder Wolf, Powerfist, Storm Shield, Runic Armour
Iron Priest: 165pts
Thunderwolf Mount, 4 Cyber Wolves
Iron Priest: 165pts
Thunderwolf Mount, 4 Cyber Wolves
Blood Claws: 60pts
Stormwolf: 235pts
Twin linked Multi-Meltas upgrade
Blood Claws: 60pts
Stormwolf: 235pts
Twin linked Multi-Meltas upgrade
Thunderwolf Cavalry: 230pts
2 Storm Shields, 2 Powerfists, Leader with two Wolf Claws
Imperial Knight Errant: 370pts
First, to get the best from this list you need to take the Champions of Fenris supplement and the Champions of Grimnar detachment.
Because this will give all of your Thunderwolves and Wolf Guard Battle Leaders +1 WS, better Warlord Traits and your Battle Leaders and Thunderwolf Cavalry Leaders will get the Preferred Enemy special rule in Challenges. The only catch is that they must always issue and accept challenges.
The two Iron Priests fill the compulsory 2 Elite Choices for he Champions of Grimnar detachment and the Blood Claws fulfil the compulsory 2 Troop Choices while bringing two flyers to the table with anti tank guns.
The Independent Characters all join the Thunderwolf Cavalary, forming a big Thunderwolf mob that can split apart for multiple charges when it gets close if need be. Or it can smash one position with overwhelming force.
Meanwhile the Imperial Knight runs along with them.
CONCLUSION
It's small, it's tough, it's fast and it looks like a lot of fun!
The aim of the army is to hit the enemy lines by turn 2. Maybe turn 3. So having 2 flyers in reserve shouldn't hurt the army that much because one of them should arrive on Turn 2 to lend its fire support.
Is it the bestest army ever? Probably not, because it's going to get shot, despite all those 2+ saves, 3+ invulnerable saves and an Imperial Knight being in there. But you know what? This is probably the best no-brains build in the Space Wolves Codex at the moment. Like all small hard n' fast close combat armies, some clever deployment and tactics will be needed to close with the enemy as quickly as possible and minimise casualties along the way.
I don't think it's that expensive to build either, because you can convert the Battle Leaders and Iron Priests using plastic parts from various kits.
You get the Iron Priest chests, heads and shoulder pads from the Stormwolf boxes. The rest of the bits you need come from the Space Wolves and Thunderwolf kits.
Cyberwolves can be converted from regular Fenrisian Wolves using spare mechanical parts from all the kits.
3 boxes of Thunderwolves
1 box of Space Wolves
2 Stormfangs
1 Imperial Knight
1 box of Fenrisian wolves
That comes to approximately £195 with postage from Wayland.
You could buy a Finecast Harald Deathwolf instead of the 3rd Thunderwolves box and convert him. But I wanted the extra plastic parts :)
Not bad if you're starting a Space Wolves army or need to purchase an optimised force for the current meta.
- Adam