Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Imperial Guard (section)

=====The Imperium=====
*'''Space Marines:''' They now have a new and improved Codex, and with it come updated Chapter Tactics and the addition of Combat Doctrines. For starters, the Devastator Doctrine gives all Heavy Weapons an additional point of AP Turn 1 onward until the Tactical Doctrine is activated, and the TD likewise applies a further -1AP to all Rapid Fire and Assault weapons. Then, after at least 1 turn of the Tactical Doctrine, they can switch to the Assault Doctrine which does the same for all melee weapons (yes, even the basic CC weapon all models carry, -1AP punches baby). The Devastator Doctrine hard-counters the Prepared Positions stratagem, unfortunately. You may still want to consider it just to give your Russes a 6+ save against the AP-4 Lascannons coming their way. Stratagems to watch out for include Transhuman Physiology, which stops any non-vehicle or servitor unit from being wounded on unmodified rolls of 1, 2, and 3. That's gonna sting your Battle Cannons and any S8+ weapon if RNG screws you by rolling a bunch of 2s and 3s to wound. Thunderfire Cannons can now shoot twice thanks to the Suppressing Fire strat, and any chosen Dreadnought has its damage now reduced by 1 (to a min of 1) thanks to the Duty Eternal strat. Oh, did I mention the new Shock Assault rule makes all flavors of Marines scary in Close Combat again? Watch as a simple 5-man Intercessor squad shits out 16 AP-1 attacks (17 if the Sarge has a chainsword) under the AD, don't let them get close! In terms of updated chapter tactics, vehicles now benefit from all Chapter Tactics, since Guard can't have all the fun with their vehicles anymore. Lots of potential hard-counters to the Guard's firepower and dirt cheap unit shenanigans now. Specifics are listed below.
**Ultramarines vehicles can now fall back and shoot, so a Land Raider Redeemer or even basic Rhino that was forgotten about can ram and tarpit your vehicles, lock them down from shooting, and then greedily ignore that said counter to vehicles if you thought it was cute to charge that Hellhound or mauled guard squad at a vehicle with big guns. Their Doctrine modifier is that all models in the army count as having stood still during the Tactical Doctrine unless they fell back or advanced. Relentless Heavy Weapons and going full-auto with their Rapid Fire Bolters from 24" is not a fun prospect at all. Their biggest ace is Guilliman who will take you for a rough ride with his rerolls-r-us schtick, even though he's been slightly nerfed he's dropped in points.
**Raven Guard now always benefit from cover, and only gain -1 to hit if they are also physically in terrain now (vehicles cannot benefit from this part, at least). In addition, Raven Guard units gain +1 to hit and +1 to wound when targeting characters during the Tactical Doctrine, yes that includes Tank Commanders. Beware RG Scout Snipers and Eliminators, and grab an Ogryn bodyguard just to be sure since Eliminators can wall-bang characters. Raven Guard can infiltrate and deep-strike at will, so there really is no other way than to screen them out like hell and try to hide your characters out of LoS whenever possible. All of a sudden, that Artillery Specialist Detachment with the cover-ignoring relic looks insanely juicy against Raven Guard. You have the CP to burn for the specialist detachment and extra relic after all.
**Iron Hands vehicles now have Valhallan-style resilience, and they can overwatch on 5s and 6s in addition to their famed 6+ shrug. Their supplement's combat doctrine gives them relentless and re-rolling 1s to hit on all heavy weapons in the Devastator Doctrine that they begin the game in. They can have one unit overwatch on 4+ in case you want to charge a hellhound into it to lock them down, and any Stalker Boltgun Intercessors are going to have a field day with your officers. Something to watch out for is their special relic The Ironstone, which reduces the damage of all attacks against a single vehicle of their choice by 1 to a minimum of one, and that stacks with the Duty Eternal stratagem from the main Codex. Watch as a Relic Leviathan tanks ''EVERY. SINGLE. HEAVY. WEAPON. IN YOUR ARMY.'' Iron Hands are currently sweeping the meta, even after the FAQ's nerfed the double repair strat, overwatch strat, and Feirros. The Guard at least know what that feels like.
**Crimson Fists and Imperial Fists are extra-competent with their Bolters, CF gaining +1 to hit if their unit contains 5 or more models (unless they're characters who count as 1 model) ''and'' they're targeting units with double the model count than the attacking unit (friendly vehicles always count as being 5 models for the purpose of the CF tactic). Imperial Fists keep their ignores cover ability while dropping their bonus against vehicles and fortifications, and both Chapters gain [[Tesla|2 hits with bolt weapons instead of 1 when they roll unmodified 6s to hit]]. Considering even an MSU guard squad is 10 models minimum, that's going to be dangerous for your hordes. Crimson Fists like being outnumbered, and due to the Devastator Doctrine combining with Imperial Fists' ignoring cover ability, any tank you have turn 1 is most likely dead unless you shove it out of line of sight and/or the opponent rolls poorly. 
***Imperial Fists add 1 to the damage characteristic of any Heavy Weapon when targeting {{W40kKeyword|VEHICLE}} or {{W40kKeyword|BUILDING}} models during the Devastator Doctrine. Correction, NOW even if your opponent rolls like shit your tanks are DEAD unless they're shoved out of line of sight.
**Salamanders can re-roll 1 hit roll and 1 wound roll per unit, which makes their pick of weapon surprisingly nasty. In addition, they treat AP-1 as AP0 like your Steel Legion vehicles, so that's gonna sting your autocannons and Heavy Flamers (who'd have thunk). During the Tactical Doctrine, all Flamer and Melta weapons gain +1 to their wound rolls. They also have a stratagem that lets a single unit's flamer weapons do the maximum number of shots possible (full 6 instead of d6 for a Heavy Flamer, for example). Put two and two together, and that spells doom for your guard hordes. Also +1 to wound means those meltaguns and multimeltas wound your Leman Russes and Baneblades on 3+, not to mention anything below T8 gets wounded on a 2+.
**White Scars can charge after Advancing or Falling Back, in addition to ignoring hit penalties for moving with heavy weapons or advancing with assault weapons. Their Combat Doctrine gives a charging or heroically intervening unit +1 damage to all melee attacks during the Assault Doctrine. You can expect that happening on Turn 3, but charging after advancing gives the White Scars almost Genestealer-level speed. Plus, with 2cps they can use the Strike for the Heart stratagem to let them consolidate d3+3" (d6+6" if they can move 10+"), letting them drag clustered units into combat and lock them down. If you're not careful with screening, you might end up with your vehicles dragged into combat. Another annoying stratagem called "Butchered Quarry" lets them fight against a unit that falls back AND chase them 3" if the unit isn't wiped, you know just in case you thought you could fall back and use "Get Back in the Fight" to screw them over.
**Black Templars gained a 5+ shrug against Mortal Wounds in addition to re-rolling one or both dice when determining charge distances. Their Combat Doctrine, Knights of [[Sigismund]], gives all of their charging and heroically intervening units auto-wounds on natural rolls of 6 to hit with melee attacks resolved against non-vehicle units during the Combat doctrine. That's...quite lackluster in a Guard matchup since against their Chapter Tactic, you don't tend to spam mortal wounds you spam lasgun shots and Leman Russes. Their Assault Doctrine will likely only kick in by turn 3 (unless some stratagem/special rule allows some units to fast-track), and your infantry fold over against Shock Assault marines anyway, not to mention the fact that it can't ever affect your vehicles which is where the auto-wounds would be most beneficial to the marines. However, a 20-man Crusader squad charging out of a Land Raider Crusader has the ability to ignore overwatch with the Shock and Awe stratagem. Also, they can spend another CP to stop a unit from falling back on a 2+ which is also very concerning. Don't forget to screen your key units. 
**Overall, Marines count a lot on synergy, even more so than you. 85 points and 2 CP for a Vindicare can help you pop those troublesome characters. Primaris Marines will still struggle against Bullgryns with slabshields, though, even with all of their fancy broken shit. Plus, you can always just flood the board with more bodies than they can realistically shoot.
*'''Blood Angels:''' An army designed to hard-counter Imperial Guard with their Blitzkrieg playstyle. Their Chapter Tactic gives them +1 to wound whenever they charge, get charged, or Heroically Intervened (so basically always in the first round of combat), meaning they wound your infantry on a 2+, and without any special melee weapons your tanks on 4+ (Leman Russes and Baneblades on 5+). Don't let them get that charge off whenever possible, and just in case throw a screen closely and directly in front of your tanks to ensure that they cannot charge your big guns. Investing in a Priest and some Bullgryns with their mauls and 4++ shields is recommended for a good counter-charge unit. One thing to keep in mind is that Blood Angels only get +1 to wound in the turn when they charged. Even a squad of Death Company with chainswords may fail to wipe that 30-man Conscript squad, at which point they're just choppy 1-wound models. You may also choose to take the Emperor's Wrath Artillery detachment in order to blunt the movement speed of flying Smash Captains, Jump Pack Death Company, and Sanguinary Guard, too. As of Psychic Awakening: Blood Of Baal, they officially get access to Combat Doctrines, and their Chapter Doctrine gives them an additional attack if they charge or heroically intervene during the combat doctrine. Remember when we told you you're safer against Blood Angels intercessors than Ultramarine intercessors? Not anymore. A 5-man Intercessor squad with a chainsword sarge puts out 22 AP-1 attacks that wound your infantry on a 2+. Did I also mention they can now have Death Company intercessors that gain all the benefits of being Death Company? 
*'''Dark Angels:''' The shooty emo Catholic Marines. Their Chapter Tactic makes them almost immune to morale, and grants them re-rolls of 1s to hit when they stand still. They essentially perform the role of static gunline, a role which you can do, only cheaper. They possess a stratagem that ups the damage of Plasma weapons by 1 (making for a potential 3 damage on plasma guns on supercharge), making Hellblasters, Plasma Inceptors, the Land Speeder Vengeance, and a Plasma Cannon devastator squad insanely deadly to your tanks. Another unit of note is the Land Speeder Darkshroud that gives a -1 to hit bubble of 6" to all Dark Angel units. This is often paired with Azrael, the Chapter Master who also gives a 6" bubble of re-roll all misses and a 4++ to non-vehicles. There are Doctrine-specific stratagems that can neutralize the Dark Shroud's bubble, though. If you're Cadian, gun for a wound and invoke Overlapping Fields of Fire, and have at it. If you're Vostroyan, use Firstborn Pride on that Heavy Weapon Squad of Lascannons to try and kill it in one go. Once the Darkshroud is down (if it explodes, it's a bonus), go to town on the other units and pile on the saves.
*'''Space Wolves:''' Death to furries. Now that that's out of the way, these guys have a similar tactic to the Blood Angels, but they get +1 to hit instead of +1 to wound. It's not as bad on paper, but my lord do Blood Claws, Thunderwolf Cavalry, and the motherfucking Wulfen love it. The rule of thumb for the Space Wolves is if it can take a storm shield, it will take a storm shield. Their Venerable Dreadnoughts can take a weaker Storm Shield that gives them a 4++, making them tougher nuts to crack than the usual dreadnought at the expense of their ranged options. Sacrifice your screen of Conscripts and let the tanks and artillery do the talking. Notice a slight pattern here?
*'''Deathwatch:''' They're just better Marines with the old Special Issue Ammo. They have the same rule of thumb as Space Wolves, whoop-de-doo. Frag cannons are a bitch, like they were when Deathwatch first dropped. They benefit the most from Primaris units who can choose to ignore your armor saves completely with Kraken or Vengeance rounds, and hidden Hellblasters in a Deathwatch Intercessor squad.
*'''Grey Knights:''' They're no longer the terror they were in 5th Edition, but they're still a fantastic beatstick army. You'll outnumber them fairly easily, and they're just as vulnerable to Plasma as they always were. As of Psychic Awakening and numerous Chapter Approved point drops, these guys deserve a second opinion. With their "Tides of Battle", the analogue to Combat Doctrines, they have some much needed versatility. They will most likely start the game in the Tide of Concealment which grants them the Raven Guard Chapter tactic (see above). They can also change the tide with a psychic power, meaning they can bump up their gimped smites to a slightly more respectable flat 2 mortal wounds, up the strength and damage of certain weapons, or re-roll 1s to wound in close combat in case they wanted to more than guarantee that wipe.
*'''Adeptus Custodes:''' At first glance these big boys seem very intimidating with a universal 2+/4++ or 3++ and T5/T6. Remember the saying, "Death by a 1000 cuts"? Take that and apply it to them. A single unupgraded Custodian Guard model costs as much as an infantry squad with some toys in points. You'll very easily outnumber them, and due to their lack of 24"+ range weapons without dipping into Forgeworld units, they cannot play the keepaway game. Take advantage of your numbers and force as many saves in any way possible. Also, ''beware the flag!'' The Vexilia Magnifica provides a ''very'' strong defensive buff (rendering a ''third'' of your hits ineffective) and effectively cannot be sniped due to the sheer toughness of its bearer. You have no choice but to overwhelm it with sheer firepower. You ''can'' do this - you're Guard - but keep in mind the effect when prioritizing your shooting or that red flag will frustrate you immensely. Otherwise, there isn't a lot here that can really surprise you once the game is going. But good lord, watch out for those Shield Captains on Dawneagle Jetbikes!
**Keep this in mind: Custodes will struggle to have anything resembling a CP pool in a low-point games. You can bring a bare-bones Battalion and a fricking ''Baneblade'' at under 700 points. Massed Leman Russ battle cannons or even a single Baneblade will wipe just about any Custodes unit off the battlefield, as even a 3++ invul doesn't mean anything when you're taking 3D6 shots wounding on a 3+. Demolishers also wound these guys on a 2+ and will force them to use their invul save, and unlike just about every other army on this list, they won't have nearly enough ranged shooting to threaten you before you get into that range.
*'''Astra Militarum:''' Oh boy, a mirror-match. You know what's good and what's bad from the rest of this article, but we'll point out the lynchpin anyway - ''Officers!'' Snipe out those low-wound characters to neuter the enemy chain of command and his infantry will suddenly be a LOT less impressive. The same is true of ''you,'' of course, so protect your own. Enemy tanks will be tonka-tough for dirt cheap, because so are yours - prioritize the ones that threaten you most. Most importantly, ''get fast!'' Taking the first turn versus guard is extremely valuable with the amount of shooting you have. Hit hard, hit first, hit often!
**'''Militarum Tempestus:''' Technically this is still Guard, but the play style is radically different, so it warrants a note. You may occasionally see a purist running an army like this. In a sentence, your response should be to play ''tighter than the lug nuts on a rusted tire.'' You're going to eat the deep strike from ''Hell,'' and only after this will a Scion army be really vulnerable to counterattack. Deploy carefully and watch your movement - you do NOT want a deep strike in your backline. Their base weapon ignores your armor, and they have better armor than you - but you outrange them. Use your numbers to your advantage (oh, really?) and don't overextend - Scions are very adept at punishing careless plays.
*'''Sisters of Battle:''' As they have been since the edition dropped, Sisters are currently most frequently played mechanized with their fantastic transport game. Immolators and Repressors filled with meltas, storm bolters and Death Cultists are the flavor of the day and you don't need to be reminded to not let them get close enough to use them. A footslogging sister is a dead sister. With the release of their Codex, however, they have acquired significantly more flexibility and thusly have shot up on the threat scale. Repentia, while still fragile, will reduce just about any unit you can field to a pile of body parts and scrap metal if they get the drop on you and every unit that was dangerous before is now even more so. All of this combines with the Sister's deadly new toy: Miracle Dice. Having a pool of numbers to pick from instead of relying on RNGesus means that at any point a critical dice roll is required, they can pull it off. Really needed that Melta shot to wreck that Repressor? They can just take a 6 for the Invuln save. Desperately hoping Morale will finish off that Seraphim squad? Nope, just going make that roll a 1 and pass. Fortunately, you are one of the best armies to press this system's weakness: mass of fire. Do what Guard does best and throw more dice and bodies at the problem than your enemy has resources to deal with it. Make it a game of seeing who bleeds dry faster, because most of time it won't be you.
*'''Imperial Knights:''' A mechanized army, taken to it's logical extreme. These big boys can put out a lot of firepower that can fairly easily scythe through hordes of models (Gatling Cannons and the gigantic flamer the Dominus knight can carry), and have terrific close combat potential. Against infantry spam they'll do well to stay out of 24" range to avoid a "death by a thousand cuts" from massed lasgun fire. Against a tank-heavy army they'll try and get up close and assault the tanks to either outright destroy them or force them to keep falling back and stop them from shooting. If they're not from Knight House Hawkshroud or a Questor Mechanicus knight, you can hope to damage these boys so that they are left limping. If they're either of the other two, you HAVE to commit to destroying a knight once the wounds start piling up lest they easily circumvent the penalties of degrading statlines. Units of choice should be the Shadowsword superheavy tank, or as many infantry squads filled with lascannons as possible so that the Knight player cannot destroy all of them in 1 turn. The addition of Armigers makes things even more challenging - the Armiger Warglaive is a Devil Dog that's competent in melee, and the Armiger Helverin is what your Leman Russ Exterminator dreams of being before scarfing another tub of Rocky Road and crying. Treat them seriously, but remember that they're only Lords of War in name.
*'''Adeptus Mechanicus:''' ''KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!!'' The Transuranic Arquebus is an Officer's nightmare, capable of slaying any Officer short of a Company Commander ''instantly.'' Hug cover, stay out of sight, and failing that, get an Ogryn to take the hit for you - you are not going to outrange it. Other units to beware include the Kastelans with triple phosphor blasters - one of the few units that can realistically outshoot guard infantry. The Onager has some sweet guns, but it's not as cost-effective as yours; play smart and you can deal with it. Admech has only one character, but Cawl is an absolute powerhouse - in melee he will eat your dudes like popcorn and at ranged he's a terrific source of buffs, and most annoying of all he's an untargetable Character. Be wary of any army with him in it, and be aware of his place on the board at all times. Besides that you will feel like you're fighting Scions - lots of T3 Sv4+ dudes with good shooting and good guns.
*'''Officio Assassinorum:''' Technically their own army thanks to their White Dwarf index, but they are often seen as an ally to other Imperial armies. The Vindicare is 100% the most terrifying assassin the Guard can face. He can target sub-10 wound characters, wounds Infantry models on 2+, ignores both cover and invulnerable saves, and his weapons are AP-3. But that's not the rough part. If he rolls 6s to wound, his rifle does d6 damage instead of its usual d3. If a guard character has somehow survived the initial shot, his Headshots rule allows him to keep dishing out mortal wounds until the target is dead. You will not outrange him, so hide behind LoS-blocking terrain and/or get an Ogryn bodyguard to tank the hit and buy your officer a turn. A visible officer to him is a dead officer. Oh, did I mention he can spend cps to shoot and kill another visible character or deal a straight d3 mortal wounds to a Tank Commander? Other than that, Eversors will also give your units trouble since he can potentially kill 16 models in combat, plus 4 shots from his sentinel pistol. It's just enough to wipe a 20-man blob, and force a harsh morale check on conscripts. The Callidus with her Neural Shredder and Invuln-ignoring sword isn't at her best against cheap guard fodder, nor is her cp fuckery since guard have cp out the ass. The culexus, however, is an anti-psyker specialist who is nevertheless versatile in that he forces all attacks against him to hit on 6s, regardless of ballistic skill, weapon skill, or modifiers. That's why you have Hellhounds and flamers!
*'''The Inquisition:''' Recently brought up to speed by their White Dwarf Index, you ''really'' shouldn't discount the threat the Rosette offers. Though you'll likely never face them in any high point games (unless your opponent is a madman with 3 Land Raider Promethei), their presence in other armies can make life very annoying for you. Primarily, their Psychic powers are exceptionally nasty and good at picking your Officers out of a crowd. Worse, they can use one of those powers, Psychic Pursuit, to turn one of their aforementioned Land Raiders into a fucking sniper. Most of your {{W40kKeyword|CHARACTERS}} can't take Heavy Bolter fire or Mortal Wounds very well, so beat them at their own game and bring your own snipers to deal with them quickly before they deal with you.