*NEW CODEX* W40K - Imperial Knights vs Chaos Knights | AJ's Battle Reports

Quick Overview

The Imperial Knights, using the new Codex and the Valor Strike Lance detachment, secured a victory against a Chaos Knights army in a Knights-on-Knights battle. The Valor Strike Lance detachment proved exceptionally powerful, allowing for aggressive early-game positioning and devastating firepower, though the players noted potential balance concerns with its speed and stratagems.

Key Points: The Imperial Knights player, using the Valor Strike Lance detachment with five models including Canis Rex, a Castellan, two Errants, and a proxy Defender, won the game against a Chaos Knights force. The Valor Strike Lance detachment is described as 'cracked' and 'ridiculous' due to its ability to grant significant movement bonuses, with the 'Full Tilt' stratagem potentially allowing an alpha strike on turn one by adding 4 inches to movement and advance rolls. In turn one, the Imperial Knights destroyed the Chaos Knights' Abominant, while the Chaos Knights destroyed one Imperial Knight Errant. The Imperial Knights' Castellan survived a barrage of shots from the Despoiler due to rotating ion shields. During turn two, the Imperial Knights eliminated the Despoiler and the Rampager, with Canis Rex dealing significant close combat damage. The Chaos Knights' Lancer deep-struck and dealt 44 damage to the Castellan, destroying it. Turn three saw the Imperial Knights charge with Canis Rex and the Defender, dealing significant damage to the remaining Chaos Knight threats, ultimately securing the victory. Both players acknowledged the immense power of the new Imperial Knights Codex, particularly the Valor Strike Lance detachment, with discussions on its potential to be overpowered and likely to be nerfed by Games Workshop. The match featured a close Knights-on-Knights engagement, with proxy models used for some units as both players were still building and painting their new armies.

Context: This video showcases a Warhammer 40,000 battle between two armies of Knights, featuring the brand new Imperial Knights Codex. The players, AJ and Jay, are testing out new builds and strategies on their days off. The game pits an Imperial Knights army, utilizing the Valor Strike Lance detachment, against a Chaos Knights army running the Lords of Dread Detachment. Both armies consist of five large models, a deliberate choice to make the game more balanced and potentially quicker than typical matchups against smaller units.