User blog comment:Word Bearer333/Best Space Marine Legion?/@comment-92.18.40.35-20130322221726

Having thought about the various Legions for a while, here's my conclusion on how each Legion would fare in a battle royal (note that they are all pre-heresy):

Dark Angels: Given their predeliction towards plasma based & power weaponry, they will definately be able to bring down a lot of other Legionaires before they too die. But die they will, as they will probably try to engage in close quarter fighting, where thei weapons will have the maximum effect. As they lack the sheer ferocity of some of the other Legions, they will probably be wittled away bit by bit until there are simply too few of them to make a lasting impression.

Emperor's Children: Would probably fare poorly in a battle royal. Not because they are in any way weaker or possess poorer tactics, but they are a very small Legion, & would die very fast if they were in any way encircled or trapped by the other Legions.

Iron Warriors: This Legion specialises in defence & siege, but in a battle royal that is probably a redundant strength. They might be able to set up a solid position bristling with death, but if the defensive line is broken, (& given the nature of a battle royal, it probably will) they are in a lot of trouble, & probably won't last for long afterwards.

White Scars: Just might actually be the victors, due to the nature of how they fight. As they are almost all based on bikes, land speeders, etc, they would be able to pick at the edges of the other Legions, but be fast enough not to get caught. If they were caught though, they would be doomed.

Space Wolves: Given the poor discipline of the younger members of the Legion, a large portion of them would probably end up killing themselves by rushing off into combat without considering how numerous &/or powerful their oponents were. The more senior members that remained would probably stand a better chance, but only if they were to know when they were beaten & fall back from fights they could not win.

Imperial Fists: Like the Iron Warriors, their success would depend on how well they could dig themselves in at the beginning, but also like them, they will probably not survive for long as they are chiefly static defenders.

Night Lords: Given their tendency to pick on those weaker than they are, & how they are always running away from fights that are not in their favour, they might stand a pretty good cahnce of surviving. Considering the amount of jump-pack eqiupped troops they have, they will also be able to sow a lot of discord in the opposing forces.

Blood Angels: Potential to be either good or bad, depending on how many foes take them on at once. If only a few do, they will sweep their way forward, but a large number could kill them all. Would also depend on how many of them succumbed to the Black Rage. If lots of them did, they would be an awfully lot more dangerous.

Iron Hands: Pre-heresy Iron Hands had many suits of Terminator armour, which would be invaluble in the free for all melees that the royal would eventually become, both in terms of protection & the amount of damage that it could put out. They did not have much in the way of numbers though, & given their basic tactic was simply to steamroller over anything that got in their way, this oculd see them in real trouble if they went against an opponent that was too powerful or too numerous.

World Eaters: Could also stand a chance of winning, due to their sheer savagery & the pent-up fury they can get themselves into. Victory will depend on if they can stick together though; if they break apart & just fight individually, then they will be taken apart piecemeal. Given their rage however, that is more than likely.

Ultramarines: While I am loathe to admit it, the Ultramarines would probably fare the best, as Callummacdonald said earlier, on account of their sheer size. Having said that, their major strength depends on their tactics, not numbers, & although they might start off well, if one thing goes wrong in the midst of all the carnage, they'll be in a lot of trouble, as they will be scattered & picked apart one by one. Furthermore, as the battle royal will eventually devolve into a free-for all scrum, tactics will be counting for VERY little towards the end, when it becomes every man for himself.

Death Guard: Might actually stand a good chance, because they are incredibly tough & it will take a long time for all of them to be brought down. They do ont have much in the way of mobility though, & if everyone were to gang up on them, they would be unable (& unwilling) to fall back,& would probably be massacred.

Thousand Sons: Like Emperor's Children, would struggle a lot, due to how their Legion was so small. However, they are extremely powerful, as a result of so many of them being psykers, so they would leave a very telling mark on any Legion that tried to kill them off.

Luna Wolves/Sons Of Horus: An interesting case, as a result of their 'go for the throat' tactics. The chances are they will all get killed before they can make a significant impression on an opponent, but if they can pull this trick off, they will be in a pretty good position to use all the inevitable bedlam to their advantage.

Word Bearers: Like the Ultramarines, would fare pretty well interms of their sheer numbers, but do not have much in the way of tactics. Tactics do not count for an awful lot though in a battle royal, & they also have the edge in their religious fervour & fanactic beliefs, (pre-heresy that is) so they will be fighting like madmen, & if there's one thing more dangerous than 100,000 space marines, it's 100,000 space marines that are absolute religious zealots.

Salamanders: Probably would lose rather fast, as they are simply too small to carry on in a war of attrition. Would take a long time to finish off though, as they are really stubborn, & with all their fancy gear, will leave a big impression on anything that tried to kill them.

Raven Guard: In many ways similar to the White Scars, as they rely on mobility more than crushing force to win their battles. Would use their hit & run tactics to harass their opponents, & escape from them when the going went tough. But also like the White Scars, if they were ever surrounded & cut off from escaping, their chances of surviving would be very slim.

Alpha Legion: Like I said before, my money is on this Legion, as they will try not to actually fight their opponents, but simply direct them against one another, until there are so few survivors that stamping them out will be nothing but a minor nuisance.