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Grand Cathay · Battle March · 400–750 points
Cathay Battle March: how I would build a list
Cathay Battle March lists win on position and support rather than fair fights, in my testing. Artillery and a Sky Lantern changed the Cathay picture more than any unit swap I tried.
Quick answer: a Cathay Battle March list depends on combined arms
- Hold
- Shield Jade Warriors on the objective
- Soften
- Grand Cannon or Fire Rain Rocket Battery
- Finish
- Jade Lancers into units already damaged or pinned
- Pressure
- Sky Lantern: mobile shooting, bombing and scoring
Every Cathay unit here does one part of the job, so the list works as a whole rather than on any single unit.
How many simulations I ran
I ran a large Monte Carlo test of every Cathay support weapon on this page against the same six benchmark units as my melee tests, one shot or volley at a time. These were the results.
Template placement and cannon paths depend heavily on the table, so treat these Cathay artillery figures as comparisons between weapons rather than exact damage. I also treated the Grand Cannon profile as provisional, so check it against your own book.
Cathay is one of the armies I most enjoy in Battle March, where a single good artillery piece can swing a 500-point game. I will look at larger Cathay armies in a later round of tests.
Battle March rules that shape a Cathay list
- Battle March armies are 400–750 points.
- You need a General and at least two non-character units.
- Single-unit caps: 35% of the army for Core, 30% for Special, 25% for Rare or Mercenary.
- Ordinary Battle March units have a Unit Strength cap of 20.
Where the Cathay support pieces fit.
| Army size | What it means for support |
|---|---|
| 400 | A 130-point Cannon or Rocket Battery exceeds the 120-point single-Special cap |
| 450 | A 130-point Cannon or Rocket Battery fits |
| 500 | A 150-point Sky Lantern with bombs exactly fits a 30% Special cap, if available as Special |
| 550 | A 165-point war machine with Ogre Loader exactly fits the Special cap |
| 600 | A 150-point Sky Lantern with bombs can fit a 25% Rare cap |
| 750 | More flexible combined arms, though standard Sentinels still clash with the per-unit cap in capped slots |
What each Cathay support piece does
- Grand Cannon (130): S10, AP−3, Multiple Wounds (D3+1). Best into monsters, cavalry and expensive multi-wound targets, and Thunderous Impact can cut Movement and remove Swiftstride around the strike point.
- Fire Rain Rocket Battery (130): the broad 5-inch mode pressures ranked infantry and can force Panic via Wailing Spirits; Bastion mode is better into smaller, elite targets.
- Sky Lantern (135, or 150 with bombs): a mobile Crane Gun platform with Fly, Scouts, Reserve Move, Unbreakable and objective utility.
Average damage from one shot or volley
Cathay support weapons against my benchmark units, mean wounds or casualties. Monte Carlo estimate
| Target | Grand Cannon | 5-inch rocket | Bastion rocket | Crane Guns (long) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jade Warriors | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.2 |
| 8 Ironbreakers | 0.55 | 0.43 | 0.47 | 1.3 |
| 20 Clanrats | 1.5 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| 3 Rat Ogres (wounds) | 1.24 | 0.27 | 0.70 | 2.2 |
| 5 Knights of the Realm | 0.53 | 0.37 | 0.46 | 1.1 |
| 17 Gors | 1.5 | 1.75 | 1.48 | 2.2 |
Sky Lantern Bombing Runs
Sky Lantern Bombing Run against my benchmark units. Monte Carlo estimate
| Target | Mean casualties or wounds |
|---|---|
| Jade Warriors | 3.9 |
| Ironbreakers | 1.3 |
| Clanrats | 5.3 |
| Rat Ogres | 0.9 |
| Knights of the Realm | 0.9 |
| Gors | 3.8 |
A successful Bombing Run followed by a close-range Crane Gun volley averaged roughly 8.2 casualties into Clanrats, 6.8 into Jade Warriors or Gors, 3 into Ironbreakers and 2.4 into Knights. That is an exposed, high-risk attack run rather than a routine shooting turn. My Sky Lantern page has a separate test against different targets.
How I would play Cathay in Battle March
- Shield Jade Warriors sit on the important objective and invite the enemy to deal with them.
- Artillery attacks structural breakpoints: remove a Rat Ogre, strip a Clanrat rank, weaken a four- or five-model cavalry hammer, or take away Swiftstride with Thunderous Impact.
- Jade Lancers never start fair fights. They flank, pursue and finish units already damaged or pinned by the line.
- Sky Lanterns create lopsided pressure through mobile shooting, bombing and scoring.
- The win comes from position and objectives, not from asking Cathay to out-fight Chaos head on.
Example 500-point Cathay lists
Two 500-point concepts.
| Concept | List | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry gunline | Strategist 40; 18 shield Jade Warriors 162; 18 halberd Jade Warriors 162; Grand Cannon 130 | 494 |
| Mobile Cathay | Strategist 40; 18 shield Jade Warriors 162; 6 Jade Lancers 138; Sky Lantern with Crane Guns and bombs 150 | 490 |
Example 600-point Cathay lists
Two 600-point concepts.
| Concept | List | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Dual artillery | Strategist 40; 18 shield Jade Warriors 162; 6 Jade Lancers 138; Grand Cannon 130; Fire Rain Rocket Battery 130 | 600 |
| Cannon + Lantern | Strategist 40; 18 shield Jade Warriors 162; 5 Jade Lancers 118; Grand Cannon 130; Sky Lantern with bombs 150 | 600 |
For the units themselves, see Are Jade Warriors good?, Are Jade Lancers good? and my Old World war machines comparison.
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use shield Jade Warriors to hold the objective and artillery or a Sky Lantern to damage the enemy before contact, and not build a Cathay Battle March list around winning fair melee fights.
FAQs
Can you take a Grand Cannon at 400 points in Battle March?
Not as a Special choice. At 400 points the single-Special cap is 120, so a 130-point Grand Cannon or Rocket Battery only fits from 450 points upwards.
Is the Sky Lantern worth it in Battle March?
I think so. Its Bombing Run averaged 5.3 casualties into Clanrats in my test, and Fly, Scouts and Unbreakable make it a mobile objective piece as well.
What is the best Cathay war machine for Battle March?
It depends on the target. Of the two war machines, the Grand Cannon did more to Rat Ogres (1.24 wounds) and Knights of the Realm, while the 5-inch rocket did more to ranked infantry such as Clanrats (2.7 casualties).