Vengeance!

Fully painted turrets

Legion Basilisk? Hunter?

Thunderfire Cannons?

Why if you think CSM are bad, you lack imagination.

I am so tired of every bodies whining about how "bad" CSM are and how it is a "terrible codex." I just won a tournament using only CSM and no Heldrakes. So they obviously can't be terrible.

I'm writing to tell you why CSM are good. Very good. As well as the options you can get that can face anything. I've noticed most people who claim CSM are bad tend to think very narrowly and focus on the few specific instances of things that are considered bad or think that it is just "Codex: Generic Chaos Legion". These are the most vocal across the internet. No surprise there. So I am going to provide examples of synergy and the bigger picture.

It isn't just about how these units act alone, no unit can survive a whole army alone. People also tend to provide examples of units that counter them which in their eyes automatically make them "bad". If this same logic is applied to every unit then every unit in this game is bad.  Or similarly people like to say "Well I'll just use this to counter it lol." That is meta-gaming list-tailoring and an invalid argument.

This codex is about synergy. It won't hold your hand by giving you a nothing but good stand alone units. It will however let you exploit things like Marked Lords for taking excellent Elites as Troops.

Make your opponent have to choose between two bad decisions for them. If your opponent has an amazing list with great target priority and sweeps not just you but everyone else then it is because they are better than you, plain and simple. I am addressing, and hoping to eliminate, the over-abundance of linear/narrow thinking. Now, if you are looking for a dedicated tactica, this is not a dedicated tactica of the whole codex or for new Chaos players(though if you do have any questions feel free to ask and don't be put off by some of the things I say. This is not addressed to people new to CSM, its for people who know what it does but get stuck in preplanned scenarios, use units for reasons other than their intended purpose and the like while trying to be competitive.). This codex isn't perfect and not every unit is tournament viable, but that doesn't change the fact that over all it is Tier 1, even without Heldrakes.

Yeah, I said it.  

Tier 1 without Heldrakes.