Herald Highlight: Imperial Guard

It's a common thought that Imperial Guard are a pathetic excuse for an army. Indeed, while they've been able to field decent armies in 3rd-5th edition, they've always seemed fragile, and like they're... not built for it

No longer

Imperial Guard have gone from pathetic to the best army possible in the current 5th Edition climate. While many could argue that Space Marines were overpowered, you do not know overpowered until you read the Guard codex. Circa 5th Ed

But before one can read it, they need to check up upon the various guard variant lists that are available. You have Krieg, Armoured Company, 2 various Vraks Rebels, Lost and the Damned (you can still do 'em), and (to be honest) Inquisition. Each of these pales in comparison to the basic Guard list:
- In Armoured Company, you will never have any scoring units. You may have the ability to gain 17 tanks in your basic list (including, possibly, 30 infantry as well) but Basic Guard can have 18 tanks (Russes and Hellhounds etc) AS WELL AS a vast amount of scoringtank units (Infantry Platoons in Chimeras)
- In Krieg, you have something pretty similar to the Basic Guard and also - technically - have doctrines. Basic Guard will beat you simply by their versatility and point costing
- Vraks Rebels have the power of the horde and also the nify tricks that they get from just being chaos! However, Basic Guard WILL beat them due to their own tricks
- Lost and the Damned are out of date anyway, so Basic Guard willdefeat them soundly
- Inquisition cost too much

That is just the beginning of the Guard Rampage. You then need to actually look at THEIR list, and realise all of the tricks that they can get anyway. For example, they are THE army to defeat when it comes to Scoring Units - all lists in 5th Edition already needed great amounts of wiping and staying power, but this is taken to the extreme when you play Imperial Guard. Life is Cheap in the Guard, and so you will need to be able to wipe out 55 (approx, no likelihood of full choices) models which COULD BE STUBBORN, OUTFLANKING, WITHOUT NUMBER OR DEFENSIVE. That is before you encounter this: all of that is in a single choice

Of course, thankfully you will not have to face all of the Guard threats on a single field for one simple restriction (that also happens to be one of Guard's strengths) - The Force Organisation Chart

However, I have limited space so i've decided to summarise this important Highlight with the following Top 3 Fears that Guard will give you, and ways you'll need to adapt a list to destroy them:

1. Horde in the Jungle: There are many reasons to fear this strength. If you try to pick out targets, then Guard will pretty much ALWAYS have that 4+ Cover save. They have severe amounts of units and rules that can aid those units (Those units of 50 Conscripts just got even more annoying with Send In The Next Wave). So use weaponry that can lay down vast amounts of fire, and punish your foes in assault should they choose to Combine Squads (think about it, instead of 5 units of 10 you now have 1 unit of 50 - charge them!!!)


2. Led Zepplins: Tanks are the one resource that is not lackign compared to the previous book, and many people will be tempted to use the squadrons to take advantage of this. Be happy! Sure, there's more per choice but more means they're fragile. You see that unit of 10 Chosen? Infiltrate near the tanks, and focus all 5 of those Meltaguns upon the Russes and then Melta Bomb them. The hits may be divided equally, but it does mean that Glancing can destroy a Russ (6 = Immobilised. Squadron members die when immobilised)


3. Orders Out!: You might not have noticed, but an important mechanic for Guard are their leadership checks for Orders. Thus, Necrons have a unit perfect for negating it, and so do Dark Eldar. Use Leadership modifiers (for example, Pariahs and Horrorfexes) so that they will not get these off! If a vital order doesn't get through, then you will!