Quinn: The Legio Custodes Battle Group provides Custodian players with an incredibly solid foundation for their collection, whether intended as the start of a dedicated Talons of the Emperor Army or as Allies for another faction. Custodian and Sentinel Guard provide a hard-hitting core as tough and aggressive as other armies’ elites, the Shield Captain can go toe-to-toe with almost any character, and the Caladius Annihilator Grav-tank and Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought are both capable of tackling the heaviest of enemy vehicles.
From this foundation, adding an extra Custodian or Sentinel Guard Sodality would provide you with additional board control and allow you to leverage another Magisterium Vexilla to counter your opponents’ scoring – vital for an army which relies on Vanguard (X) over Objective Control to rack up those crucial Victory Points. Despite having an impressive 8” of Movement, Custodian Guard in particular benefit from the added protection and mobility of a Coronus Grav-carrier, letting them push up the battlefield and avoid any incoming firepower which might overcome their 2+ Armour Saves.
To round out the army, the Caladius Grav-tank can make the most of the Rapid Sub-Type, shared with its Annihilator variant, because unlike the Annihilator, it doesn’t need to remain stationary to get the most out of its main gun. This allows the Caladius to push around the flanks of enemy vehicles and easily chew through targets like medium tanks and automata. Finally, the Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought* helps tackle the fact that Custodian armies will usually be outnumbered, being perfect for not only scything through enemy infantry but also Routing them from battle with Panic (X) and Aflame (X) on its weapons.