Matchup analysis → Take and Hold vs Reconnaissance
Take and Hold vs Reconnaissance — Purge and Secure / Reconnaissance Sweep
Warhammer 40,000 11th edition · GDM 2026 matched play · primary mission matchup
Take and Hold holds the slight edge here.
| Force disposition | Primary mission card | Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Take and Hold | Purge and Secure | 11 |
| Reconnaissance | Reconnaissance Sweep | 9 |
- The matchup in a nutshell
- Playing Take and Hold
- Playing Reconnaissance
- The three layouts
- Decision points
The matchup in a nutshell
Opposite geometries. Take and Hold wants mass on the middle and is paid for killing anything that comes near it; Reconnaissance wants 4 units scattered to the four corners, explicitly away from the centre, and holds the weakest hold line in the game — 3 VP flat. The holder is favoured, because hunting corner-sitters is both their scoring plan and their denial plan at the same time.
| Take and Hold | Reconnaissance | |
|---|---|---|
| Card | Purge and Secure | Reconnaissance Sweep |
| Scores at | mixed | command phase |
| Hold window | 0 enemy turns | 1 enemy turn |
| Exposure | 13/20 | 16/20 |
| Activation cost | 11/20 | 16/20 |
A hold window of 1 cuts both ways, and most players only think about one of them. It means your grab has to survive a full enemy turn before it pays — but it also means you get a whole turn to shoot theirs off the marker before they bank it. Denial is not a side quest on this card; it is half the card.
Playing Take and Hold
Your card: Purge and Secure. Scoring checkpoint: mixed. Hold window: 0 enemy turns.
How you score
4 VP per objective at your Command phase, plus two kill riders that trigger on fights you were going to have anyway: 3 VP for a kill made by a unit near an objective, 3 VP for killing an enemy that started the turn near one. Then 3 VP for taking an objective you did not hold at the start of your turn.
What it costs you
The kill riders pull you into the contested middle rather than letting you shoot from safety, and the hold line still asks for bodies standing still through an enemy turn. Exposure 13/20, activation cost 11/20.
How you break them
Hunt the quarter-sitters. Every isolated unit you kill is 3 VP for you and knocks them from the 6 VP tier down to 3 — a 6 VP swing for one activation. They need four units alive in four different quarters, more than 6" from the centre, so breaking one corner is enough. Do not chase them into the centre: they are not allowed to be there.
What your list needs
- Two solid objective holders, and no more.
- Reach — something that can kill a lone cheap unit in a far corner. Fast attacks, deep strike, or long-range fire.
- Enough spare activations to hunt every turn; this is where the game is won.
- Do not over-build for the middle. They are not fighting you for it.
Playing Reconnaissance
Your card: Reconnaissance Sweep. Scoring checkpoint: command phase. Hold window: 1 enemy turn.
How you score
3 VP for 3 units in three different quarters, 6 VP for four in four — all more than 6" from the centre and checked at the end of your turn, so a broken spread can be rebuilt. Plus 1 VP per enemy unit killed, and a thin 3 VP for holding anything.
What it costs you
4 units are permanently assigned to geometry instead of fighting, and they stand alone where they are easiest to kill. That is the whole cost, and it is heavy. Exposure 16/20, activation cost 16/20.
How you break them
You will not out-hold them, so do not try — deny instead. Their kill riders both require fights at objectives, so simply not contesting their markers switches off half their card. Meanwhile their 3 VP flip bonus needs objectives to change hands: hold nothing they want and there is nothing to flip. Your 1 VP per kill is small but real, and it is best spent on whatever they leave screening.
What your list needs
- Four cheap, fast, survivable units. Survivability here means terrain, not toughness.
- Units that can hide: infantry in a ruin that has not shot cannot be seen past 15". That is what keeps a lone corner unit alive.
- One holder for the 3 VP line, kept away from their kill riders.
- Resist buying anything expensive. The card pays for presence, not power.
The three layouts
Take and Hold vs Reconnaissance is played on one of three boards, and they are not the same game. All three are transcribed and measured below.
| Board | Deployment | Openness | Centre exposure | Cost to raid a home marker | No-man's-land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Layout 1 | diagonal across the long axis | 3/20 | 0% | 21.2% | — |
| Layout 2 | diagonal across the short axis | 5/20 | 0% | 55.8% | 9.7% |
| Layout 3 | diagonal halves | 6/20 | 1% | 54.7% | — |
- Layout 1 — diagonal across the long axis, openness 3/20. The middle is free real estate: there is a legal spot within range of a central marker that only 0% of the enemy deployment zone can see. Raiding a home marker costs 21.2% exposure — real, but payable with one screened unit. Almost anywhere you stand near a marker (87% of legal spots) can be put fully out of sight.
- Layout 2 — diagonal across the short axis, openness 5/20. The middle is free real estate: there is a legal spot within range of a central marker that only 0% of the enemy deployment zone can see. Home markers are a fortress: taking one means standing in front of 55.8% of their deployment zone. No-man's-land markers sit at 9.7%. Almost anywhere you stand near a marker (100% of legal spots) can be put fully out of sight.
- Layout 3 — diagonal halves, openness 6/20. The middle is free real estate: there is a legal spot within range of a central marker that only 1% of the enemy deployment zone can see. Home markers are a fortress: taking one means standing in front of 54.7% of their deployment zone. 77% of the legal holding spots can go fully out of sight — pick the spot, not the marker.
If your plan needs enemy ground, Layout 1 is where it is cheapest (21.2% exposure against 55.8% on Layout 2) — the same raid can be a bargain or a suicide depending on which board you drew.
Reconnaissance must survive a full enemy turn before banking a grab, so Layout 1 (openness 3/20) is the board where that plan is cheapest, and Layout 3 (6/20) the one where it bleeds.
Numbers are measured on the transcribed sheets: every legal spot within control range of each marker is tested, and the best one is reported — the way a real player looks for the safest place to stand, not the middle of the marker.
Decision points
- Deployment — Reconnaissance commits to four quarters or settles for the 3 VP tier.
- Rounds 2-3 — Take and Hold chooses between a third objective and corner-hunting. Hunting is usually worth more.
- Round 5 — Reconnaissance rebuilds the spread one last time; it only has to be true at the end of the turn.
Ratings and why
Every score is an integer out of 20. For edge, 10 is dead even and the score is given for side 0; the other metrics are absolute, per side. How these are derived →
| Metric | Score | Confidence | Basis | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| edge (for Take and Hold) | 11/20 | medium | theory | Take and Hold runs 20 VP past the cap against 5, and its 6 VP kill rider triggers on exactly the exposed bodies Reconnaissance Sweep obliges the opponent to feed into three and four table quarters every turn. Published competitive readings put Reconnaissance ahead here; the disagreement turns entirely on whether the Reconnaissance list can afford that bleed, so the edge is stated slight rather than clear. |
Take and Hold
| Metric | Score | Confidence | Basis | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ceiling | 16/20 | medium | theory | 4 VP per objective plus two 3 VP kill riders and a 3 VP flip. |
| floor | 15/20 | medium | theory | Holding objectives is the whole plan and it is what the army is built for. |
| tempo | 9/20 | medium | theory | Hold at the Command phase, kills and flips at the end of turn. |
| complexity | 7/20 | medium | theory | Familiar objective play with kill bonuses attached. |
| exposure | 13/20 | medium | theory | The kill riders only pay for fights that happen at objectives, so the card pushes you into the contested middle rather than letting you shoot from cover. |
| activationCost | 11/20 | medium | theory | Killing is work the army wants to do anyway; only the holding is dead weight. |
Reconnaissance
| Metric | Score | Confidence | Basis | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ceiling | 14/20 | medium | theory | 6 VP a turn for the four-quarter spread plus 1 VP per kill adds up, but nothing on the card pays big. |
| floor | 9/20 | medium | theory | The spread bonus is all-or-nothing: three surviving units in three quarters, or four in four. |
| tempo | 13/20 | medium | theory | The spread is checked at the end of your own turn, so it can be rebuilt each turn. |
| complexity | 14/20 | medium | theory | Table quarters, a 6 inch exclusion around the centre and "wholly within" all have to be tracked per unit, every turn. |
| exposure | 16/20 | medium | theory | The spread bonus requires 4 units alone in four corners, more than 6 inches from the centre — isolated, unsupported and individually killable. |
| activationCost | 16/20 | medium | theory | 4 units are permanently assigned to geometry rather than to fighting. |
Playbook
Playing Take and Hold
- Both of the Take and Hold kill riders trigger on objective fights (a kill made by a unit within range of an objective, or a kill of an enemy that started within range of one), so they cost nothing extra to earn.
- This card moves its checkpoint during the game, so the same grab costs a full enemy turn early and nothing late — price the grab accordingly before committing a unit to it.
- Hunt the quarter-sitters. Every isolated unit you kill is 3 VP for you and knocks them from the 6 VP tier down to 3 — a 6 VP swing for one activation. They need 4 units alive in four different quarters, more than 6" from the centre, so breaking one corner is enough. Do not chase them into the centre: they are not allowed to be there.
- Take and Hold needs: Two solid objective holders, and no more. Reach — something that can kill a lone cheap unit in a far corner. Fast attacks, deep strike, or long-range fire. Enough spare activations to hunt every turn; this is where the game is won. Do not over-build for the middle. They are not fighting you for it.
Playing Reconnaissance
- Reconnaissance Sweep has the weakest hold line in the matrix — 3 VP flat — so the Reconnaissance player cannot win the objective game and should not try.
- Contesting the centre costs the Reconnaissance player twice: it breaks the "more than 6 inches from the centre" condition and walks into the opponent kill riders.
- This card scores at your Command phase, so an objective taken on your turn only pays if it survives a full enemy turn (hold window 1) — price the grab accordingly before committing a unit to it.
- You will not out-hold them, so do not try — deny instead. Their kill riders both require fights at objectives, so simply not contesting their markers switches off half their card. Meanwhile their 3 VP flip bonus needs objectives to change hands: hold nothing they want and there is nothing to flip. Your 1 VP per kill is small but real, and it is best spent on whatever they leave screening.
- Reconnaissance needs: Four cheap, fast, survivable units. Survivability here means terrain, not toughness. Units that can hide: infantry in a ruin that has not shot cannot be seen past 15". That is what keeps a lone corner unit alive. One holder for the 3 VP line, kept away from their kill riders. Resist buying anything expensive. The card pays for presence, not power.
Applies to both sides
- Measured across all 45 transcribed layouts: a central objective can be held from a spot only 4.6% of the enemy deployment zone can see (best board 0%), while taking an enemy home objective means standing where a median of 47.7% of their deployment zone has line of sight, rising to 91.7% on the most exposed board. Cards that pay for enemy home objectives are charging you that difference, and the board decides the price.
- All three boards for this pairing are transcribed and measured. Layout 1 (diagonal across the long axis) reads 3/20 for openness, Layout 2 (diagonal across the short axis) reads 5/20 for openness, Layout 3 (diagonal halves) reads 6/20 for openness. Taking a home marker off the opponent costs 21.2% deployment-zone exposure on Layout 1 and 55.8% on Layout 2 — the same play, priced very differently. Central markers stay the safest ground on all three, bottoming out at 0% on Layout 1.
Frequently asked
Is Take and Hold or Reconnaissance favoured in this matchup?
Take and Hold holds the slight edge here.
How do you stop Reconnaissance scoring when you are playing Take and Hold?
Hunt the quarter-sitters. Every isolated unit you kill is 3 VP for you and knocks them from the 6 VP tier down to 3 — a 6 VP swing for one activation. They need 4 units alive in four different quarters, more than 6" from the centre, so breaking one corner is enough. Do not chase them into the centre: they are not allowed to be there.
What units does a Take and Hold list need against Reconnaissance?
Take and Hold needs: Two solid objective holders, and no more. Reach — something that can kill a lone cheap unit in a far corner. Fast attacks, deep strike, or long-range fire. Enough spare activations to hunt every turn; this is where the game is won. Do not over-build for the middle. They are not fighting you for it.
How do you stop Take and Hold scoring when you are playing Reconnaissance?
You will not out-hold them, so do not try — deny instead. Their kill riders both require fights at objectives, so simply not contesting their markers switches off half their card. Meanwhile their 3 VP flip bonus needs objectives to change hands: hold nothing they want and there is nothing to flip. Your 1 VP per kill is small but real, and it is best spent on whatever they leave screening.
What units does a Reconnaissance list need against Take and Hold?
Reconnaissance needs: Four cheap, fast, survivable units. Survivability here means terrain, not toughness. Units that can hide: infantry in a ruin that has not shot cannot be seen past 15". That is what keeps a lone corner unit alive. One holder for the 3 VP line, kept away from their kill riders. Resist buying anything expensive. The card pays for presence, not power.
How do the Take and Hold and Reconnaissance primary mission cards score?
Reconnaissance Sweep has the weakest hold line in the matrix — 3 VP flat — so the Reconnaissance player cannot win the objective game and should not try. Both of the Take and Hold kill riders trigger on objective fights (a kill made by a unit within range of an objective, or a kill of an enemy that started within range of one), so they cost nothing extra to earn.
What are the common mistakes in this matchup?
Contesting the centre costs the Reconnaissance player twice: it breaks the "more than 6 inches from the centre" condition and walks into the opponent kill riders.
Related matchups
Purge the Foe vs Reconnaissance — Consecrate / Triangulation
Purge the Foe holds the slight edge here.…
Reconnaissance mirror — Gather Intel
Reconnaissance and Reconnaissance come out dead even.…
Reconnaissance vs Disruption — Surveil the Foe / Smoke and Mirrors
Reconnaissance holds the slight edge here.…
Reconnaissance vs Priority Assets — Search and Scour / Vanguard Operation
Reconnaissance holds the slight edge here.…
Take and Hold mirror — Battlefield Dominance
Take and Hold and Take and Hold come out dead even.…
Take and Hold vs Disruption — Determined Acquisition / Death Trap
Disruption holds the slight edge here.…
Provenance
- Status: draft — ratings carry their own confidence and basis above.
- Written against the GDM 2026 matched play data snapshot pinned as
2026-05-09 23:42:21. - Subjects analysed:
gdm:disposition/take-and-hold,gdm:disposition/reconnaissance,gdm:primary/take-and-hold/purge-and-secure,gdm:primary/reconnaissance/reconnaissance-sweep. - Machine-readable: JSON · Markdown source