More Thoughts on 7th Edition Chaos Space Marines
Sorry I haven't been posting as much as usual lately, just been too busy this summer! I've had a chance to play more games with my Chaos Marines though and I've got a lot to say about them!
Ultra-Nova
First up is the simple sorcerer who like to kill everything around him. Take a Level 3 Sorcerer on Bike with Spell Familiar, toss on the Last Memory of the Yuranthos and give him the Mark of Nurgle, right off the bat that's 2 Nova powers, you'll have to make your mandatory roll on the Discipline of Nurgle (unless you play at Nova), but that still gives you 2 rolls on Pyromancy to try and get Sunburst for a 3rd Nova. Get that sucker into combat and watch the casualties pile up, plus the 2 chances to blind someone. For added fun you can give him Blight Grenades (since Mark of Nurgle) to try and blind one more unit.
Metal Bawks
If there's one thing the Chaos Marines are, it's inexpensive. Taking units of 5 Chaos Marines in Rhinos is a quick way to pile up inexpensive Objective Secured units. Just think about 5 Marines in a Rhino with Plasma Gun, if you've got points to blow, a Combi-plasma on the Aspiring Champion and another Combi-plasma on the Rhino itself will add to the fire power significantly. Filling your core with 6 units in Rhinos will cost you a little over 800 points and give you a whopping 12 Objective Secured units.
Brutes in the Sky
I've long been a fan of the Helbrute, despite it being pretty awful in-game, though I'm starting to have second thoughts about them, specifically when taken as a Mayhem Pack. When you factor in the nerf to Monstrous Creatures smashing, and that Elites are now scoring, it's easy to see why Dreadnoughts and their ilk might be a bit better this edition. Taking 3 Helbrutes though allows you to Deepstrike them, get a free roll on the frenzy table every turn and grants IWND. I prefer to equip mine with a multi-melta and thunder hammer (which really makes MC's sad) and just deepstrike them. It's not very expensive, but when you're making a rush list (with Maulers, Spawn, etc.), your opponents attention will probably be directed elsewhere.
Mister Toasty
Last article I professed my love for the Warpsmith, but I've found a way to make him even better! Since I'm running mine in Rhinos typically, giving him the Brand of Skalathrax means he can fire 2 flame templates out the top of a rhino, plus one more from the squad. I still would kill for the opportunity to put a Warpsmith on a bike (or Juggernaut or Palanquin), but for now, this is pretty solid.
Blight Drones and Nurgle Princes
The Blight Drone has probably become my favorite flyer, for the same reason I'm working on a new Nurgle Daemon Prince. Unlike the Heldrake, the Blight Drone can actually hover in near total safety. If you take some incoming fire, just Jink for your lovely 2+ cover save and fly off, if you don't get shot at (because the enemy doesn't want to waste their shots) then you're free to just sit there and blast away. I'm sure most people know by now, but in case you've missed it, a Nurgle Daemon Prince is able to move like Jump Infantry then just jink for a 2+ cover save whenever it takes any fire, there's almost no need to give him power armour.
Boombox
In 6th edition, Noise Marines, while effective, were always plagued by the requirement to take a Slaanesh Chaos Lord to make them into scoring, this edition has totally changed that. Just take 5 in a rhino with a Blast Master out of Elites and enjoy. You could still make it objective secured for a good MSU army, though it requires that pesky lord.
There you have it, a few more ideas I've had for the lovely Chaos Marines. I don't think that they're nearly as bad this edition as people make them out to be. They have some very solid tricks, can run decent MSU with cheap predators and land raiders to support them and in general still have quite a few tricks up their sleeve. If you have any units you've found particularly interesting for Chaos Marines, let me know, I'd love to try them out!