Grey Knights

How Grey Knights play

Grey Knights are a small, elite, entirely psychic army built around teleporting into the right place at the right moment. Every model is a psyker and most of the army can Deep Strike, which means the board presents differently to your opponent than it does to you: they have to screen everywhere, and you only have to arrive once.

The army is built for surgical strikes rather than sustained pressure. A Grey Knights turn typically involves arriving, removing something important, and being somewhere your opponent cannot easily punish. Against armies that cannot screen effectively, this is oppressive. Against armies that can, it is a much harder game.

They are also the game's dedicated daemon hunters, with rules that specifically punish Chaos Daemons — a genuine matchup advantage that no other faction has to the same degree.

Building a Grey Knights army list

Reserve planning is list building for Grey Knights, not a separate step. Up to half your army points can start off the table, and this is one of the few armies that genuinely wants to use most of that allowance. Remember that a Character attached to a squad must also have Deep Strike or the squad loses it entirely.

Keep something on the board. A Grey Knights list with almost everything in reserve concedes the first two turns of primary scoring, and the game is often decided before the army arrives.

Grey Knights FAQ

Can every Grey Knights unit Deep Strike?

Most can, which is the army's defining trait. Check each datasheet, and remember that an attached Character without the ability removes it from the whole combined unit.

Are Grey Knights good against Chaos Daemons?

Yes — they are the game's specialist daemon hunters and have rules that specifically improve against Daemon targets. It is one of the clearest matchup advantages in 40k.

How much of my army should start in reserves?

Up to 50% of your points is the rule, and Grey Knights are one of the few armies that wants to approach it. Keep enough on the table to hold your own half from turn one.