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What Are the Best Units in Warhammer 40k in 9th Edition?
The best units in Warhammer 40k–the title alone makes you think that this is an almost impossible question to ask. How do you quantify all of the best units in Warhammer 40k when there are not only so many units, but there are literally hundreds of special rules and stratagems?
Well, I am not a rules wizard, but I do pay attention the tournaments and do see what is winning and how. I do like to keep up on the latest meta and while I don’t get to play the game as often as I would like (I am immunocompromised COVID continues to rage in my part of the world) I do watch an AWFUL lot of battle reports. And, of course, I read the rulebooks.
How Do You Define the Best Units in Warhammer 40k?
“Best” is always such a nebulous term. You can pick the most overpowered unit that always destroys everything it touches–but is that the best unit for your army? Does it leave weaknesses elsewhere in your list?
My definition of the best units in Warhammer 40k is this: they are the best units for the point cost. Yes, some of them are powerful–very powerful–and some of them are seemingly the lowest of the low. The question is where you get the most bang for your buck, or the most victory points for your point cost? That’s how we’re defining “Best Units in Warhammer 40k”.
Of course, given that difficult definition it would be even more difficult to rank them in any order, and so I’m not going to try that. I am going, instead, to simply give the list of the best units in the order that they came to my mind. This isn’t science, and anyone telling you they can make a scientific Warhammer 40k “Best of” list is lying.
So, without further ado, here are my best units of Warhammer 40k in 9th Edition.
Sisters Repentia
The Sisters Repentia from the Adepta Sororitas are some of the hardest hitting–for the points–units in the entire game. Listen to this combination: they get two attacks with their Penitent Eviscerator, which gives them Strength 6 and AP -3, Damage 2, and this is hitting on fours. (Zealot lets them reroll misses.) If you take them as Order of the Bloody Rose (and you ought to) you can get them AP -4, +1 extra attack, and the “Tear Them Down” stratagem gives them + to wound. Further you can use sacred rites to add +1 attack to their charge or exploding 6s.
As if all this wasn’t enough, link them up with some other characters like a Priest for +1 attack or an Imagifier for +1 Strength.
The Sisters Repentia are truly a terror on the battlefield with these stats, enabling them to take down a massive unit, character, vehicle or even a Knight in a single round of melee. And all of this for 14 points per model.
Scarab Swarms
Scarab Swarms are one of the most overlooked units in all of Warhammer 40k, and I think it’s partially because you can’t even buy them on their own–they come in boxes of other units. They’re seen as small scuttling bugs and they’re not really appreciated for what they can do.
(It’s worth noting here that I’m going to mention more Necron units in this list, but Necrons are currently doing the worst in the tournaments, so you can take it with a grain of salt. I think these units are powerful even if the Necron armies are not winning games at the moment.)
Now, these are not major damage units, but they are wonderful at holding objectives and getting in the way, and that makes them worth the points (which is only 15 points per model. They have four Wounds at Toughness 3. Not amazing, but when you’ve got a swarm of 6 of them holding an objective marker that can be infuriating. A Chronomancer can give them a 5+ Invulnerable Save and a Canoptek Spyder can return a base per turn.
Plus, they’re fast. They have a movement of 10″ with the Fly keyword, so they can jump to the front and grab those objectives fast. You can make them better in close combat with certain Dynasties, and they can have Heroic Intervention for 1 Command Point–and can self destruct to commit Mortal Wounds–but I see all of that as “getting in the way” rather than “making them tough in combat”.
As an objective holder, Scarab Swarms are 100% one of the best units in Warhammer 40k.
Imperial Guard Infantry
There’s been an argument made that the most powerful weapon in the Warhammer 40k universe isn’t the Sunfury Plasma Annihilator, but the humble Lasgun, because–if you consider the millions of Imperial Guard on the millions of worlds in the Imperium–the Lasgun has killed more than any other weapon in the Imperium.
They’re really cheap at 55 points for a 10 man squad, and given how cheap they are they are pretty decent overall. Only Toughness 3 and a 5+ Save, and they’re really only good at shooting against other infantry (with the occasional heavy weapon added to the squad). But with the order First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire, you can do some decent shooting against poorly armored units.
But the real quality of the Imperial Guard Infantry Squad is their Move, Move, Move order, which lets them grab objectives in a snap. They get double move and double advance, getting them 18″ per turn, meaning that if you have the first turn you can not only reach the objective markers but pass them, and get in the path of the oncoming opponent. Take Cover makes them really tough, too.
Necron Warriors
The Necron Warriors are really tough and can take a ton of fire, just like the Scarabs, but they’re better in combat. With a Toughness of 4 and a 4+ Save–plus Reanimation Protocols AND rerolling 1s, they’re definitely one of the best units in Warhammer 40k.
Just like the Scarabs, you can give them the 5+ Invulnerable from a Chronomancer. And if they die, bring them right back with the Ghost Ark, the Ressurection Orb, or a Technomancer. And this is a 20-model unit at 13 points per model, meaning that there is a very real chance that this unit will not be completely wiped out, giving them all the more ability to come back.
Gauss weapons are nothing to be laughed at, and it could be argued that the Gauss Reapers are one of the best standard infantry weapons in 40k. Various Dynasties can make them even better, giving them boosts to their range or melee combat.
Poxwalkers
The last infantry unit in our list of the best units of Warhammer 40k, we come to the Death Guard’s Poxwalkers. I have to admit that I have a deep hatred for these as one of my frequent opponents plays Death Guard and I always seem to get bogged down by this mass of zombie flesh.
Coming at a ridiculously low 5 points per model, the Poxwalkers are, above anything else, durable. With a Toughness of 4 and Feel No Pain (which lets them ignore wounds on 6+) AND they’re Fearless, it is very hard to get them off the table. And that’s not the half of it. You can use stratagems to heal the Poxwalkers, and if they kill other units in melee it can bring more Poxwalkers back onto the table.
Their aura from Contagions of Nurgle gives everything around them a -1 Toughness, which means that these weak little buggers become stronger than they appear. And their Virulent Strain stratagem allows them to cause Mortal Wounds on 6s. Combine that with the Harbinger stratagem which lets them reroll hit rolls, and if you have a squad of 20 Poxwalkers doing Mortal Wounds on 6s–and rerolling? That damage can really add up. Sure, it’ll take 2 Command Points, but in the right situation it can be brutal.
Eradicators
One of the strongest units in Warhammer 40k is the Eradicators with their MeltaRifles. They are a tank cracking force, and for a good price, too: only 45 points per model. Getting 2 Melta shots per model at 24″ (doing Strength 8, AP -4, and D6+2 Damage), but if they’re within 12″ that damage goes to D6+4. Upgrade one to have a Multimelta and they’re just nuts.
But they are not glass cannons. Not super tough like Heavy Intercessors, but they are definitely a tough unit, and it would be handy to put an Apothecary next to them to keep them standing.
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Sanguinary Guard
As a longtime Blood Angels player I have a soft spot for the Sanguinary Guard, but I wouldn’t say that I’m looking at them with rose-colored glasses when I say they’re one of the best units in Warhammer 40k. They are extremely strong, extremely tough, they move very quickly, and they’re–in my opinion–underpriced at 32 points per model.
The Encarmine Sword gives them a melee of 3 Attacks, Strength 5, AP -3 and 2 Damage, and their Angelus Boltguns have an 18″ range with Assault 2. But it’s their resilience which makes them so powerful. A 2+ save and 2 wounds make them on par with any heavy infantry. Their stats are not significantly lower than Terminators (Terminators have 1 more wound) but the Sanguinary Guard make up for it with their 12″ move and being 6 points cheaper per model.
Serberys Raiders
Adeptus Mechanicus got nerfed but the Serberys Raiders (aside from being some of the most unique sculpts on the tabletop) are only 20 points apiece and are great for their versatility. With the pre-game move they can get up the field quickly and grab objectives or just block the paths of the enemy.
the Galvanic Carbine is a decent range weapon, and the Cavalry Sabre combined with Clawed Limbs make them a good force in melee. But my favorite aspect of the Serberys Raiders, and I think that the thing that tips them over the line and onto this list is their Tactica Obliqua ability that, when charged, they can just choose to run out of the way.
Nightbringer
Moving into character models, the Nightbringer is absolutely a beast. In melee, the Nightbringer has 6 Attacks, Strength 14, Ap -4, and Damage D6, which means that he can take down virtually any unit in a single turn of combat–oh, and did I mention he ignores Invulnerable Saves and that he ignores any abilities that allow you to ignore damage, including Feel No Pain.
Add onto this that you just can’t kill the guy. He has 9 wounds, but his Necrodermis means that he can’t lose more than 3 wounds per phase, plus Living Metal will allow him to heal 1 Wound per Command Phase. This essentially means that you need to be dealing damage to him in every phase–Psychic, Shooting, and Melee–if you have hopes of bringing him down.
All of that said, he is 370 points, which takes up a big part of your army, but he really is one of the best at taking care of other big opponents, including the next guy on the list, Mortarion.
Mortarion
Now, Mortarion is 490 points, and that’s a ton of points to stick in any army list, but Mortarion absolutely lives up to his reputation as a Primarch Daemon Prince.
In combat, his Silence is equally devastating to both tanks and infantry, as he can choose the stats of his weapon. Against something big and armored he can do 7 Attacks, Strength 16, AP -4, Damage D3+3, but against hordes he can do 7 Attacks, Strength 8, AP -2, Damage 1 BUT he rerolls wounds of 1 AND for every attack he rolls 3 To Hit rolls. So, that’s 21 To Hit rolls. (And, of course, he’s WS 2+.)
Combine that with his Contagions of Nurgle which makes everyone in range -1 Toughness, and it halves the movement of anyone in that area. He has Psyker powers–quite a few.
And he’s extremely tough: 18 Wounds, Toughness 8, 4+ Invulnerable, -1 Damage and a 5+ Feel No Pain.
There’s no surprise that Mortarion shows up in a ton of Death Guard lists, even though he’s so expensive.
Succubus
The Drukhari Succubus is known as one of the most broken units in the game, even after being nerfed. An 80 point character, the Succubus is very easy to kill, but if she gets into melee with you she’s going to do some serious damage. The combo that is seen most often is Razorflails plus Grave Lotus plus Competitive Edge, which ends up being 14 Attacks, Strength 4, AP -1 Damage 2–but wait! If the attacks don’t do damage, then they get to attack again TWICE EACH.
A second combo which is also good is the Trpytich Whip and Precision Blows gives 10 Attacks wounding on 2s, AP -3, Damage 2, and any 6s cause 2 Mortal Wounds.
Those are the units that I think are the best in Warhammer 40k in 9th Edition. What do you think? Did I miss any of your favorites? (Did I get anything wrong?)
Let us know!
