Two acquaintances of mine wanted to team up in a game of 40K and play me at 4,000 points. One is a Tau player, and the other is a drop pod crazy space marine player. The Tau player just recently bought three riptides, so I have no idea if I will be facing the riptide spam for the first time. (I only have Thousand Sons, and I am just getting into this new edition of 40K) The space marine player may bring his Imperial Knight along with him, I have no idea. From what I've played in the past, and what seems to work for me, this is what I am bringing at around 3350 points...

5 Thousand Son Units, 9 men including Aspiring Sorcerer with Melta-bomb, Icon of Flames and Rhino with Flaming Gargoyles, Combi-Melta gun, and extra armor

1 Winged Daemon Prince of Tzeentch, Level 3 Psyker, Flamer of Skalathrax, and Psyker familiar

1 Level 3 Chaos Sorcerer of Tzeentch in Terminator Armor and Psyker familiar, combi-melta gun.

8 Terminators with Mark of Tzeentch with three Combi Meltaguns, flamer, three Chainfists, and Icon of Flames

2 units of Obliterators with three men each, Veterans of the Long war, and Mark of Tzeentch

1 9 man unit of Chosen, Mark of Tzeentch, 5 Powerfists, Flamer, Icon of Vengeance, and Rhino with Combi-Melta, Extra Armor, and Flaming Gargoyles.

I am still at odds on how to spend the last 800 points or so. I've heard a lot of people bad mouth Thousand Sons on this forum, saying they aren't worth their points, and how the Icon of Flames doesn't kill enough. I am not so sure about all that. If I had remembered to use the flaming icons with soulblaze in my last game with Thousand sons, I would have quickly killed off more units. I am a bit disappointed in the primary psyker power for Tzeentch, but I am willing to take it for my level 1 aspiring sorcerers. If you have plenty of dice in the psychic phase, you can use multiple Tzeentch's firestorm to nibble away at infantry. I know the Thousand Sons are not anti-tank and anti-heavy armor 2+ troops, but they can take on fire warriors and your average space marine pretty well in a firefight. I wish I had more obliterators, terminators, or mutilators for anti-tank/heavy armor 2 troops, but I don't. I have to make do with my chosen, 2 obliterators, and 1 terminator squad. I know I will be outgunned and out tanked in this game, so these are the ideas that I came up with...

Variant #1: 4 possessed Vindicators with Flaming Gargoyles, and Havoc Missile Launcher. (This doesn't fit into any force organization chart all that well)

Variant #2: Ahriman with another Daemon Prince, both Level 4 and Level respective. I'd repeat the same wargear for the daemon prince. This way I dominate the psychic phase. (If I treat my composition as two separate armies, I am all right for force organization choices)

Variant #3: Lord of War, Silver Tower of Tzeentch for 400 points (6 hull points with 4++, Ar 12 all around, super-heavy skimmer), and two Possessed Vindicators with Flaming Gargoyles, and Havoc Missile Launcher. My opponents are okay if I bring a super heavy that is out of date with the super heavies. Silver towers were datafaxed in 5th edition Apocolypse (sic). The force organization chart would be only violated with one extra heavy support.

Is psychic phase all that powerful to compensate against a tank deficit? Has anyone tried to see how it works. The only other option i have is to go with two Silver Towers of Tzeentch. I just don't have the heldrakes, mutilators, and 1 more obliterator that I would like to have.