Adeptus Custodes: Tharanatoi Hammerblow Detachment Guide (11th Edition)

The core rule (a The Hammer Falls-style effect) lets Custodes Terminator units that arrived via an ingress or Deep Strike move re-roll their Charge roll that turn. That single change transforms Allarus play: a re-rollable charge out of reserves is far more likely to connect, so you can commit to a drop-and-charge plan instead of hoping on 2D6. Combined with enhancements that let a unit ingress earlier in the game, it enables aggressive, early teleport assaults that opponents must screen against across the whole board. The strength is reliability, which matters enormously for an army with few units: a whiffed charge from your key Terminator block can lose you the game, and this rule largely removes that failure mode. Confirm the exact trigger, timing, and any restrictions in the current Faction Pack, since deep-strike and charge timing shifted between editions.

The reported defensive stratagem hardens your Terminators when they are targeted (a Hardened Resolve-style effect granting +1 Toughness against incoming attacks), which is huge on models that are already brutally durable and are about to sit exposed after a deep strike. Use it on the enemy turn after your Allarus land, to weather the retaliatory fire before they swing. Because you are committing your Terminators forward, protecting them for one turn is often what converts the drop into a game-winning assault. Custodes Command Points are limited, so prioritize this on the turn your Terminators are the focus of enemy shooting. Confirm the stratagem's name, CP cost, and the exact modifier (the +1 Toughness figure is community reporting) in the official pack before you plan around it.

The signature reported enhancement (a Mnemo-Locked Shrine Cipher, or similar) lets the bearer's Terminator unit make an ingress move in the first Movement phase, effectively enabling an aggressive turn-one teleport that the base rules would otherwise delay. Paired with the detachment's charge re-roll, that is a serious early-pressure threat, forcing opponents to screen deep from the opening turn. Put it on the unit you most want to deliver early and build the rest of your plan around that drop. As always, verify which models are eligible to take the enhancement, its exact effect and any timing limits, and its current name against the official Faction Pack, since early-game deep-strike enablers are exactly the kind of rule GW tunes in balance updates.

The stars are Allarus Custodians, the Terminator-armoured elite who teleport and hit like a truck, ideally led by an Allarus Shield-Captain or a Blade Champion attached for extra punch. Build a strong Allarus block or two as your delivery threat, then support with a durable objective-holding core (Custodian Guard, a gun Dreadnought, or Vertus Praetors for map presence). The whole list should be designed to make the teleport assault count, since your Terminators are a large fraction of your army and cannot be thrown away. Watch enemy screening: a good opponent will try to deny you a landing zone, so plan alternate drop points. See current Allarus and Custodes boxes and prices on SprueSentry boxes and the full datasheet list on the army page.

Take Tharanatoi Hammerblow when you own a good number of Allarus Terminators and want an aggressive, high-pressure playstyle built around a reliable teleport charge. As a 1 DP booster it pairs cleanly with a generalist core detachment, giving you a durable base plus a hammer that can threaten anywhere on the board from early in the game. It rewards decisive players who commit to a drop and make it pay, and it punishes the classic Custodes weakness (a failed charge losing the game) less than any other option. Skip it if your collection is walker- or Sisters-focused. Confirm the 1 DP cost and Unique Tag in the pack so it legally combines with your chosen core, and check current deep-strike timing rules. Back to the army guide.