This seems like a really cool alternative to inclue alongside of your Iron Halo.

For sure this card will be mainly used for it's Shield Icons (much like Iron Halo) but can make a huge difference on White Scars Bikers, Blood Angels Veterans or Darring Assault Squad during the lategame (last planet battles).

4/5

The real question any SM player should ask himself here is how much they feel the need for a multitude of Iron Halo's. Due to the way Cato's Sword is I'd say he could easily drop a single Iron Halo in favour of this card. Where with Ragnar Iron Halo is more important due to his Planet Bully role he can addopt and as such is more likely to run Iron Halo over this.

I could never play Iron halo because of tempest blade, but now I can replace it with this.

Using this with Ambush platform will be explosive making your white scar bikers and Honored librarians kill 2 units with one attack.

Definitely auto include in my deck. 

All over the Honored Librarians. Just begging for that Archon's Terror. 

I'm dreaming of a terribly janky combo deck of this card on a buffed ranged fighter and a F. Wolf on my HL, and oh so much damage before they act. Then I lose the game because my energy was here and not winning.

All over the Honored Librarians. Just begging for that Archon's Terror. 
 
I'm dreaming of a terribly janky combo deck of this card on a buffed ranged fighter and a F. Wolf on my HL, and oh so much damage before they act. Then I lose the game because my energy was here and not winning.

Attach this to Deathwing Guard and play Rally the Charge on the Guard.  lol.  Have fun with that one!  

Attach this to Deathwing Guard and play Rally the Charge on the Guard.  lol.  Have fun with that one!  

10 resource 3 card combo? Well, in the absence of a rout/kill option, I guess thats something that will give you the battle. though I'd note that when you get to the next battle, the combo will be doing a whole lot less, barring another Rally the Charge.

Given that Guard isn't a great card anyway, I'd suggest sticking it on something with a persistently high attack value, like the Librarians, for a persistent threat.

Play tip from having this played against me:

When you make your initial attack, pick a non-space marine target if you can, otherwise Indomitable can wholly ruin your play.

In a recent game, the entire outcome swung on this. My opponent attacked my Blackmane Sentinel, and as a result lost his opportunity to ability strike my Librarian. If he'd gone for my Void Pirate instead, the Librarian would have been killed, and the game his.

Play tip from having this played against me:

 

When you make your initial attack, pick a non-space marine target if you can, otherwise Indomitable can wholly ruin your play.

 

In a recent game, the entire outcome swung on this. My opponent attacked my Blackmane Sentinel, and as a result lost his opportunity to ability strike my Librarian. If he'd gone for my Void Pirate instead, the Librarian would have been killed, and the game his.

Good point, however he could just have used the Indomitable on the libby after hitting the pirate. Outcome would be the same, except for 1 extra dead pirate?

Edit... ooooooohhh you can't, Indomitable only works on a specific attack, uhh sneaky sneaky!

Right! There's lots of cards that interact specifically with attacks that ability damage can step around. Indomitable, Steel Legion Chimera, Bodyguard, Fire Warrior Elite, Honored Librarian, Firedrake Terminators, Iron Halo, Repulsor Impact Field, Zogwort's Hove;.

Of course, on the flip side, Kustom Field Generator or Glorious Intervention can counter the Storm Bolter outright, as can adequate shielding (though if you stick to 4+ attack units, thats not an issue). Also, on top of the shielding, other damage prevention can make a difference too, like Rockcrete Bunker.

All in all, this can be a really decisive card, but its not one without answers. Its worth knowing the answers, as sometimes you can sidestep them.

does it works with catachan outpost????

No. Reactions to an attack (like this card) happen after the attack is done. So anything that increases a unit's ATK for just the attack (like the Outpost) would not be in included in the damage dealt by this card. But anything that increases a unit's ATK for the entire battle or entire phase (like Rally the Charge) would be.

Are you sure ktom?

I always feel a bit silly with those 4 words, as experience says that Ktom is normally right with these things.

However I note that the reaction is "after attached unit damages an enemy by an attack" not "after attached unit makes an attack that damages an enemy unit."

My thinking is that maybe the reaction is to step 3 of the attacking process, and that though thats the last step, the attack process isn't technically over yet, so catachan outpost doesn't complete till it reaches some invisible "attack now ends" step 4.

Does that make sense?

Not saying this is correct, just throwing this out there as an idea.

Remember that the 3 steps to making an attack are, "1) Declare attacker; 2) Declare defender; and 3) Resolve attack" - NOT, "1) Declare attacker; 2) Declare defender; and 3) Deal damage."

Since the 3rd Step is "Resolve attack," once the damage is dealt, the attack is resolved (i.e. - over). There is no point in time between completing the "deal damage" process and completing the "resolve attack" because they are one and the same.

Thanks, that makes sense.

thx guys ;-)

I love this card, I really do. And with more and more bodyguards(dire avenger, frontline, Mavos Sig) coming into play it really starts earning it's place... But what do I take out of my Rags deck to keep it? Iron halo? That seems like the most direct swap, but I am leery of losing the defence on a WL who is so often in the thick of battle. An event? Which one? Indomitable, no mercy, crushing blow, DPA if you run it.They're all so great that a direct swap doesn't seem apparent to me.

I know that some people run a mix of 2x Iron Halo, this and Primal Howl for diversity, since the chances are that the attachments are going to get used as shields due to their price and primal howl is going to get used as shields if the warlords don't commit to the same planet. I'd just say strike a balance between the 3 that you feel comfortable with (or just run 2 of the 3)

So, in the interest of figuring out new ways to counter big elites (or enemy units that sit under a small improvised tent in front of a tank and as such might have horribly high HP) I've been wondering how the word "another" is understood regarding this card ability, e.g. is "another" to be understood as

- A different unit than the unit you've just attacked?

- Any unit present at the planet including the one you've just attacked?

On a follow up note, I'm correct in assuming that while this card effect can be backlashed, so to speak, a Backlash wouldn't kill attached unit since the effect is triggered by/from the attachment, right?

I've always read it as a different unit and you are correct that backlash can cancel the effect but doesn't affect the unit as the ability is triggered by the attachment.