Beasts of Nurgle

In a nutshell: Competes with the Bloodcrushers for an elite slot and is only 5 points cheaper. It's still a decent unit, sadly it really can't compete with the Bloodcrushers for effectiveness. Random attacks, slow and purposeful movement...and they aren't even real beasts! Just infantry. Given how the Daemon list's generally 'best' troops are Plaguebearers...these guys are a little lost for purpose in 40k.

Pros: So, the Pros of a subpar unit. They are T5, 2 wounds, FNP...their best feature is they do have random attacks, so when there are a few of them running into you, they tend to hurt. Unless you have armor, then...different story! So, end of Pros and on to Cons.

Cons: They are identical to 2 Plaguebearers but cost +5 points for the honor of random attacks being added. Not exactly imaginative game design at work. Sure, when powered by a fully charged up Epidemius, they can be quite scary. Sadly, basic Plaguebearers do the job better: They are scoring, they are virtually identical in combat, and I just don't understand what role this unit is supposed to play. The ability to field that stupid box of 10 spawn from apocalypse?? Yay. =/

Tactics: Much like Plaguebearers, you can use these units to tie people up in CC. Don't try it on anyone with all power weapons. They'll cut you to pieces. Granted those units were rare but now quite a few armies have them. Doom-boosted Howling Banshees, Terminators, Dark Eldar Incubi, Nob Bikers, Acid Maw Nids, even the Seer Council will get through your 5+/4+.

Final word: If they had been cavalry as advocated when playtesting this list, then sure they'd have a place. Sadly, they aren't. Thus, they suck big donkey balls. If you have an extra elite slot and want to run some spawn models because you like them, then go crazy. If you don't own any spawn, don't rush out to buy any unless you are going to buy a nurgle themed army. It's the only place they have a use...and even that is pushing the boundaries of reality quite a bit.

Bloodcrushers of Khorne

In a nutshell: Hey new kit, let's make them overpowered so they sell like hotcakes. Coming soon to a Daemon army near you! ;)

Pros: Gee, where to start. WS5. S5. T5. 2 wounds. An armor save. Power weapons. Furious charge for S6 and I5. 4 attacks on the charge. Good against just about everything.

Cons: Slow slow slow. Too effective. Almost anything they touch, dies. Sure normally that's great, but in 5th edition that's not so good when the opponent has sacrificial units, blocking units, and heavy shooting units standing by to smoke you. They are also incredibly vulnerable to enemy Dreadnoughts, who they realistically cannot deal with.

Tactics: Avoid Dreadnoughts and Land Raiders. Try not to get suckered into bad charges, you are T5 but only have a 3+ save so you can be torrented down. Besides that, charge! Don't be afraid to run right up in front of someone if they are trying to keep out of charge distance. You'll either get eaten or you'll eat them the next turn, but it's better than dying slowly and not doing much.

Final word: One of the, if not the, best units in the Codex. They really do, well, crush the enemy. This is one of those few cases where rules and model match up in the GW universe. The model is sweet, the rules are over the top, can't imagine why everyone has ten of these. They also work very well in Fantasy. Unless you have no need for a deadly CC unit, you should probably invest the dough and get some of these.

Fiends of Slaanesh

In a nutshell: Another competitor for place in a Daemon army against Bloodcrushers. They have a better value than say Beasts of Nurgle, for they can do what most Daemon armies struggle with: Beat down vehicles in CC. I don't think much of the models, but you can easily fix that by running something else and have it 'count as'. Despite their looks, these are not an anti-infantry unit! On to the Pros, men! (Ok, and women!)

Pros: What can this unit possibly bring to the table that Bloodcrushers cannot? Outside of the HQ and Heavy slots, you have very few ways on tackling certain armor. Land Raiders, Monoliths, fast movers (6" plus), Ironclad Dreads, Deffdreads, regular Dreads, Defilers, Soul Grinders. All of these trump Bloodcrushers. Even Killa Kans give them a headache. Not so with these girls. Sure, they are not nearly as survivable, but they are much faster and give you an answer to enemy armor of all types. Sure, Bloodcrushers might be able to blow apart vehicles with AV10 on the rear facing. Then there are the 5 dread or 3 LRC armies your Daemons cannot deal with effectively. Throw these beasts in. They have a relatively crappy WS of 4. Against most vehicles, that's meaningless of course. It's how many attacks you have. 6x6=36 attacks. Compare to Bloodcrushers, who have 4 attacks each. Takes 8 at almsot double the points to get this number of attacks. They are the higher strength, but you are rending and can rend ANYTHING in the game. Unlike most units, you have Hit & Run. That means you can run in, beat the crap out of a unit, and run away. Field 3 units of these with Skarbrand and life is looking up. Did I mention these are beasts, and can therefore fleet and charge 12"? Even Eldar, most hated of Foes for Daemons, have a difficult time getting away from these.

Cons: They are only T4, and only have a 5+ save. As there are a max of 6, they are vulnerable to being torrented down. So, stick them in cover when they come down! With 6 that's still only a 66% chance you'll suffer one wound. Having a 4+ cover save makes them quite a bit more hardy.

Tactics: Well, sadly, I hit on many of the tactics in the Pros section. Give them re-rolls to hit with Skarbrand, and they are very nasty indeed. I think when you compare how this unit handles tanks vs other Daemon choices, you'll find yourself hard pressed to say no. 36 attacks against a fast moving vehicle is at least one rending hit. 36 against a non-moving vehicle is 6 rending hits. It's all kinds of good.

Final word: While these can torrent down enemy infantry units in CC, and can do a fine job of it when no vehicles are on the table...you really want these for their anti-tank punch. Crushers are great for mowing down infantry. They suck against mech hordes, and heavy mech just laugh at their one guy with rending attacks. This unit? People won't be laughing long when you hit them with it.

Flamers of Tzeentch

In a nutshell: Flamer death for everyone! Wounds on 4+, Glances vehicles on 4+...no cover saves...what's not to like about that? Seems like a solid unit, let's take a closer look.

Pros: They are Jump Infantry. They can land and shoot warpfire, then move up and crush infantry with massed flamer templates. They are also a decent tank-hunter unit with their BS4 bolt of tzeentch. With a 4+ invulnerable save and T4 they are decently protected.

Cons: WS2. 1 wound. I3. They do have 2 attacks (3 on the charge) but they really aren't good in CC against anyone but Tau and IG. This is very much a alpha strike unit, able to really really hurt something. Then they get fried. Tactics time!

Tactics: You can use these as very expensive Horrors if you really want to. Since they are only slightly more survivable (T4 vs T3) and slightly more shooty (BS4 vs BS3) this obviously isn't the best use of them. Flaming things is. Drop them 12-16" from the enemy, shoot some infantry, and setup for a flame attack on your real target. If you can clear out the area around your target with other shooting and/or threatening assault troops, you can often alpha strike a unit to death and setup for another alpha strike elsewhere. That's the best way to use them, many players like to icon drop them in for a first turn barrage...there is no need to, and you hurt yourself in the process. People will know what you have planned, but with a rather large 18-22" zone of death around them there is only so much one can do to stop it, you can only counterattack after they do their damage. As a Daemon player, making that as hard as possible (or as dangerous as possible) is indeed the fine art of war and using this unit properly. Always buy the bolt of change if you are bringing this unit. Being able to fire bolts of change at BS4 makes this unit invaluable.

Final word: A very flexible unit, able to deal with infantry easily (a hallmark of Daemon armies) but not able to deal with tanks as easily but they can do it. However, it's an entirely shooty unit, a glass hammer. Shooting the unit down isn't difficult, one rapid fire will usually see it eliminated. Close combat by almost anybody will also see it destroyed. You can use that to your advantage of course, sucking people in to questionable charges or poorly positioned rapid fire units; then hit those units with an assault. All in all, a decent alternative to Khorne Bloodcrushers. Should have been 30 points if you ask me, they seem a bit overpriced.