Playing mono Tzeentch competitively!

Today we are going to go over playing a mono tzeentch list and the tricks and combos to use when playing your games.

So the first thing to know with a pure Tzeentch list is that against ranged you are incredibly durable, but in combat you mostly fold in like paper. Take full advantage of your screens, overwatch and the few units you will have that can take a combat punch.

Psychic

So, all of your characters are psykers and good ones at that. Your big birds have 3 casts and 2 denies with either +1 or +2 to cast.

Your Heralds have 2 casts and 1 deny and the Fateskimmer get a +1 if they have Horrors.

You have great damage spells in Bolt of Change (roll 9 dice for a visible enemy unit in 18" with every 5+ being a mortal wound causing an additional mortal wound for every model that was destroyed to a maximum of 3 additional mortal wounds) and Infernal Gateway (closest visible enemy unit within 18" and all enemy units within 3" of that unit take d3 mortal wounds or 3 mortal wounds if the result of the psychic test was 12 or higher).

Great against armies with alot of one wound model squads and those that clump up units together.

You also have your buffing powers in Infernal Flames for +1 to wound in the shooting phase for a core unit which you want on your Flamers. You also have boon of Change where you can get either +2 move, +1 strength or +1 toughness on a tzeentch unit until your next psychic phase, and casting on a 9+ allows you to choose the result. This is amazing for a T8 chicken or Belly, or strength 7 screamers with +1 to wound from the Warp Jaws strat.

Gaze of Fate is also a pretty crucial power for a tzeentch list, letting you carry over up to 2 unspent warpstorm points which are super important.

Warpstorm 

The warpstorm table is very important for a mono Tzeentch list, meaning you want Gaze of Fate in your list to help you have the points needed every turn for the right abilities and even potentially allowing you to get multiple off.

Deluge of Fire is the big one, giving all your units +1 Ballistic Skill. Meaning all your Flamers, Exalteds, chariots and heralds are hitting on 2+ before negatives.

With multiple ways to get re-roll ones through Belly, chickens and princes, this makes your shooting super reliable. This does cost 4 WSP though so you need to hope you roll average or that you were able to carry some over from your last turn.

Sorcerous Winds is also a great ability giving all your psykers +1 to cast. Though it will take a backseat to Deluge, those turns where you need to squeeze through every mortal and those all important powers like Infernal Flames off make it invaluable. With Chickens getting +2/3 to cast, Kairos getting 1+turn number to cast and your Fateskimmers getting +2 to cast! At 3 WSP it isn't expensive either.

Units

So, what units do you want to run? 

You will want 3 units of Flamers, size number down to you but 3x5 is super solid. With +1 BS and re-rolls they are basicly as they were pre-Arks. They will still do alot of heavy lifting for lists (even without major buffs) and are infantry that are durable vs shooting which makes them great for objective holding and despoilers.

You want Exalted Flamers and burning chariots as well, their shooting is great with either 2d6 str6 ap-2 1 damage auto hits or 3 str9 ap-4 3 damage shots. The chariots also have a 4+/4+ meaning while slightly less durable vs ranged, they can go in and tangle with combat while putting out 6 malefic str6 ap-3 2 damage attacks that can gain +1 to wound through the Warp Jaws strat. Both also give your Flamers +1 strength on their Flickering flames which makes you incredibly deadly into majority t3 armies like Sisters and GSC.

Heralds, you want at least a couple of these in some form for the re-roll 1's to wound for core.

Fateskimmers are still very good with the +1 to cast for 5pts being a steal. They can also apply a command buff letting screamers auto wound on 6's to hit in combat. They also have the 6 malefic screamer attacks meaning they can do some damage in close quarters if need be. Fluxmasters are also great keeping up with the speed of your Flamers for those re-rolls while still putting out 2 casts.

Screamers are fantastic, their speed means you can get them where they need to be, they are very durable vs shooting like the rest of your tzeentch units but also give you that needed combat punch in certain match ups.

Their teleport instead of advancing ability means they can set up on a far objective and be a pain to remove or get ready a charge for the next turn.

Daemon prince's are very good combat monsters, with 2 casts and 2 known powers from Pandaemoniac for being tzeentch while also giving out re-roll 1's to hit for core.

Giving one the warpfire blade for damage 4 swings with a sword that cause a mortal for every 6 to wound gives you a pretty scary beatstick in a tzeentch army aswell.

Lords of Change are fantastic, giving a super tough reliable caster with a re-roll 1s to hit aura.

Give him the master mutator Exalted trait for an extra mortal on units that took mortals from him in the psychic phase, the Incorporeal Form warlord trait for -1 to wound and the impossible robe to ignore one failed saving throw to have a really annoyingly hard to kill mortal wound machine gun.

Be'lakor, enough said!

Seriously though, I think Belly truly is one of our best units in general and in a tzeentch list he excels. His shadow Lord warlord trait giving full re-rolls to hit on Flamers or screamers is huge, his natural re-roll 1s to hit for non vehicles, his combat output plus he is just straight up hard to kill.

He also gives you teleport for infantry through shrouded Step, a warp locus, and access to Nurgle powers like shrivelling Pox, Malodorous Pall and Nurgles rot which while blasphemous in a tzeentch list, give you so much scope for amazing plays and combos!!

Lists

Here are some examples of tzeentch lists that have all done super well at bigger events over the last couple weekends, showing you some rough ideas of how to craft them and what the ideas around runing a more ranged based daemon list are.

All going for a similar core with Flamers, Exalteds and burning chariots. All 3 lists differ with HQs one going with a chicken, a Prince and a fateskimmer, another taking Belly with 2 skimmers and a fluxmaster and the other taking 3 prince's for the 3 punchy HQs.

Only one list bothered with Troops going for 40 Pinks and 10 blues for some great obsec that is super durable vs ranged.

The other lists took screamers which give them a great fast counter punch unit.

Overall 3 different lists that show there are multiple paths to go down with Tzeentch which is awesome!

Nathan Roberts 5-1 All stars heat 1

Lord of Change [15PL, -2CP, 355pts] Baleful sword, Architect of Deception
- warlord (-1CP), Warlord Trait: Incorporeal form
- Relic (-1CP), Impossible Robe
- Smite, Bolt of change, Infernal Gateway, Boon of change

Daemon Prince of Tzeentch [9PL, -1CP, 185pts] wings, Hellforged sword
- Relics of the impossible fortress (-1CP), Warpfire Blade
- smite, Gaze of fate, bolt of change

Fateskimmer [7PL, 160pts] Retinue of horrors, staff of change
- Smite, Infernal flames, Boon of change

6 Flamers of Tzeentch [6PL, 150pts] 
6 Flamers of Tzeentch [6PL, 150pts] 
6 Flamers of Tzeentch [6PL, 150pts] 
Exalted Flamer [4PL, 75pts]
Exalted Flamer [4PL, 75pts]
Exalted Flamer [4PL, 75pts]

3 screamers [4PL, 75pts]
3 screamers [4PL, 75pts]
4 screamers [8PL, 100pts]
Burning chariot [6PL, 120pts]
Burning chariot [6PL, 120pts]

Burning chariot [6PL, 120pts]

Jack Harpster 5-1 FLG cherokee major

Daemon Prince of Chaos [9 PL, 185pts, -1CP]: Gaze of Fate, Hellforged sword, Infernal Flames, Stratagem: Relic, Warpfire Blade, Wings

. Tzeentch

Daemon Prince of Chaos [9 PL, 185pts, -2CP]: Bolt of Change, Born of Sorcery, Hellforged sword, Infernal Gateway, Relics of the Impossible Fortress, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, The Impossible Robe, Warlord, Wings

. Tzeentch

Daemon Prince of Chaos [7 PL, 150pts]: Boon of Change, Hellforged sword, Infernal Flames

. Tzeentch

10 Blue Horrors [3 PL, 70pts]

10 Pink Horrors [7 PL, 140pts]

10 Pink Horrors [7 PL, 140pts]

10 Pink Horrors [7 PL, 140pts]

10 Pink Horrors [7 PL, 140pts]

Exalted Flamer [4 PL, 75pts]

Exalted Flamer [4 PL, 75pts]

Exalted Flamer [4 PL, 75pts]

5 Flamers [6 PL, 125pts]

5 Flamers [6 PL, 125pts]

5 Flamers [6 PL, 125pts]

Burning Chariot [6 PL, 125pts]: Horror Infestation

Burning Chariot [6 PL, 125pts]: Horror Infestation

Brent Simon 5-0 melee at Shiloh (winner)

Be'lakor [21 PL, 420pts, -1CP]: Pall of Despair, Shadow Lord, Shrouded Step, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord

Fateskimmer [7 PL, 160pts]: Bolt of Change, Infernal Flames, Retinue of Horrors, Staff of change

Fateskimmer [7 PL, 160pts]: Gaze of Fate, Infernal Gateway, Retinue of Horrors, Staff of change

Fluxmaster [6 PL, 110pts, -1CP]: Relics of the Impossible Fortress, Shrouded Step, The Everstave, Wreathed in Shades

Exalted Flamer [4 PL, 75pts]
Exalted Flamer [4 PL, 75pts]
Exalted Flamer [4 PL, 75pts]
5 Flamers [6 PL, 150pts]
5 Flamers [6 PL, 125pts]
5 Flamers [6 PL, 125pts]
6 Screamers [8 PL, 150pts]
Burning Chariot [6 PL, 125pts]
Burning Chariot [6 PL, 125pts]
Burning Chariot [6 PL, 125pts]