The 2024 Edition of Kill Team has overhauled the game, changing rules, datasheets, and bringing with it an updated set of rules for every team in the game. In this series we’re taking a look at each team, how they’ve changed, and what it means for how they play in the new edition.
Attention troopers! Officer on deck! Get ready! Today, we’re going to explore all the latest updates of our favorite strike force the Phobos Squad.
We are coming from dark times in Kill Team 2021 where the elite didn’t shine at all, but having received an almost complete rework on the core rules, we’re going to see that these guys now have many more possibilities on the battlefield, while their playstyle of containing and advancing remains the same.
Before we dive in, we’d like to thank Games Workshop for providing a preview copy of these rules for review purposes.
The Video Version of the Review
We have a video version of this review courtesy of Can You Roll a Crit?
Team Overview
The Phobos Strike Team is a fast, elite force who come loaded with tricks and abilities to disrupt the enemy’s strategy. The tradeoff is that they’re not the toughest elites, with only 12 wounds apiece unlike other marines. However, they make up for that with speed and versatility: Their 7″ movement characteristic allows them to reach out much farther than other teams and they offer a good combination of combat operatives (Reivers), shooting operatives (Infiltrators), and disruptors (Minelayers).
Phobos operatives come equipped with bolters (3/4) on the shooty operatives, with Lethal 5+ on Infiltrators and Saturation on Incursors. The Reivers carry a pistol with Accurate 1. With all these tools Phobos Strike Teams are the best elite team for completing objectives but also the most fragile – so you must be cautious with every move to ensure everything goes according to plan. However, when it works, it’s incredibly satisfying.
Special Rules
- Omniscrambler: The signature ability of the Infiltrators. Once per turn, an enemy operative visible to an Infiltrator or within 6″ of the Voxbreaker cannot activate until the opponent has activated a number of times equal to the number of Infiltrators on the field.
- Terror: The mark of the Reivers. When there’s an enemy operative within 3” of a Reiver, they must spend 1 extra AP to perform mission actions or pick up markers. Additionally, if a Reiver is on the point, the enemy’s total APL is reduced by 1.
- Multi-Spectrum Array: The ability of the Incursors, which makes them immune to the obscuring effect.
- Astartes: The well-known Marine rule that allows them to shoot or fight twice, and to counteract while concealed.
Phobos Veteran – Credit Flynnt
Team Composition
Phobos are a six-operative team composed of a Sergeant (who will almost always be a Reiver), and five more Marines. Out of those five, we believe the Veteran (with shooting upgrades), the Marksman (with their track-target ability), and often the Medic, unless facing a full melee team, are essential while the rest are flexible; the Saboteur has gained a lot of value in this new edition, as has the Comms. On the other hand, the Minelayer is slightly weaker, and the Voxbreaker is a bit better, but all operatives have a place. We also believe it’s useful to include a Reiver Warrior to complete missions and hold off enemy charges.
Playing This Team
The Phobos Strike Team is one of the most specialized teams in the game, with many useful game-changing tools if played correctly. On the front lines, you should have your Reiver positioned to stop the enemy’s advance while alongside them the Minelayer or Saboteur can completely block areas from the enemy. Behind them, the Medic provides cover and revives those operatives as they’re incapacitated. Meanwhile, from the back the Veteran and Marksman cover entire sections of the battlefield, preventing the enemy from playing comfortably. The Comms will help by generating CP, and the Voxbreaker, if placed nearby, will deny enemy re-rolls, making other Phobos members more survivable. As we can see, there are many tools available, and using them well will pave the way to victory.
What’s Changed?
This team has lost the “Vanguard” ability, but they compensate by moving 7″ as a base value. Their core abilities remain the same, but some of the rules for the operatives have changed. Notably, the Reiver’s pistol is now Accurate 1 instead of AP1, and the leaders now shoot on a 3+, unfortunately.
The Comms’ abilities have been replaced: now, on a 4+, it generates 1 CP and provides flexibility by allowing a strategic ploy to be “swapped” at no cost. The Medic hasn’t changed and remains an incredible operative. The Saboteur’s mine is now “dash-only,” preventing us from running to plant it and then detonating it. However, we can now detonate it with a counteract, making it highly threatening. On the other hand, the Voxbreaker has changed, now denying the obscuring effect for 1 AP with its Auspex, and granting Seek Light if the operative already ignores obscuring. This is a great addition when paired with the Marksman, who is even better in Kill Team 2024; they can now perform the guard action, and doing so with counteract afterward is incredible, especially when it doesn’t worsen their ballistic skill. The Minelayer’s mine has a much more limited range now, but it always interrupts the enemy and removes 1 APL from their activation. Additionally, it now deals 2d3+3 damage, for a much higher total than before. Our Sergeants now allow us to re-roll initiative and use a free CP if they use it or the Patient Ambush ploy. Lastly, our Warriors retain Vanguard, allowing them to complete missions or pick-ups for 1 less APL.
As for ploys, we have Guerrilla Warfare again, which is stronger thanks to counteract but costs 1 AP (Bring 0 AP back!). Thanks to Deadly Shots and Lethal Assaults, we gain a bit more stability in both combat and shooting. We also gain a new firefight ploy that allows us to add d3 damage when resolving a critical hit. This small boost can be essential for finishing off operatives or pushing them into wounded status. Finally, we gain the Patient Ambush ploy to skip an activation, which is powerful but much less so than in the previous edition.
In terms of equipment, we get Purity Seals (to shoot better once per turn, yay!), knives that give us an extra attack in combat (which is excellent), additional smoke and/or stun grenades (also great), and special ammunition that grants P1 once per turn. All the equipment is fantastic, and I’m sure it will be taken almost always in its entirety.
Three Cool Things About This Team
- Speed: With 3 APL and 7” movement, they are one of the fastest teams in the game.
- An Ace up the sleeve: They always have something to do, and always have tricks up their sleeve. Following a guerrilla strategy, they can hit, score, and disappear.
- The most fun elites: Due to their fragility, in my opinion, they are the most difficult elite to handle and one of the most fun, sure to delight any player committed to them.
Final Thoughts
The Phobos Strike Team has received some good changes, making previously useless operatives viable and making operative selection much more important than before. I’m very excited to see what dedicated players will do with them because the future looks promising.
If I had to point out a downside, it’s that unfortunately Guerrilla Warfare doesn’t cost 0 AP (which would make it more popular), and that the team’s operatives don’t have 13 wounds. However, in this foreseeable “rise of the elite” meta we’re approaching, I think Phobos have many disruptive tools to face almost anything you’d square up against in the killzone. I can’t wait to see them in the hands of capable players.
And well, maybe it’s time for me to don my Phobos armor and get back into the fight with them. I’ll see you in the comments!
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