Article Discussion: Dark Eldar Tactica

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**Anonymous**

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**Drk_Oblitr8r**

Wow, this is really good dood. I find it really useful.

**Thor665**

Thank you, I'm very glad it helped you out.

**Drk_Oblitr8r**

I did a proxy game with my brother, (who coincidentally is starting Eldar at the same time I'm starting Dark Eldar :O) and I equiped my Archon as you did under "big game hunter" but I gave him a retinue of warriors, which you suggested was a bad idea. Turned out, you were right.I almost got into assult with his avatar in my first turn, but the warriors stopped him from reaching for assult. I lost, I had 1 and a half Warrior squads left, but it didn't bug me, because I walked away knowing how to improve.

I think it would be useful to deploy it near Wyches and/or warp beasts and attach it to either the Wyches squad of they roll to get the 12" assault, or the Warp Beasts if the Wyches don't roll for the 12" assault.

**Thor665**

Ouch, falling short in front of an Avatar is not a good way to extend the life expectancy of any unit. Eldar are definitely an interesting match up versus DE as they are really the only race that can compete with us when it comes to speed and maneuverability.

Wyches could be a good pairing with a Monster hunter because their invulnerable save and an additional Agoniser will help absorb damage while also helping to put wounds on the beast. I'd be cautious of pairing a Monster Hunter Lord with Warp Beasts since what Warp Beasts are good at killing is light infantry, so they could very well be unable to hurt whatever big beast you want to hunt with your Lord except for the Agoniser on the Beastmaster. Plus, without any special saves, your opponent could opt to put all his attacks on the Warp Beasts, do a couple of wounds to them that he knows they can't save, and try to force you to fail a Leadership test and fall back. (and ripe for getting shot up by some Dire Avengers or some such)

For the record - with things as scary as an Avatar I certainly support trying to at least soften them up first with Dark Lance fire if you can afford to ignore the vehicles for a while.

You certainly have the right attitude that every mistake is a learning experience to make you a better general - that's why I wrote the Tactica, so a lot of my ideas were out there for people to potentially poke holes in.

**Sgt_Scruffy**

Awesome article. DE seem to be the ultimate "spoiler" list at tournaments - they really tend to murder the more mainstream competitive lists.

**Thor665**

Thank you very much.

I do agree with your assessment - especially in the mech heavy meta game at the moment at which DE excel at murdering. Really a lot of their strength is that we have a pretty decent codex that lets us field some reasonable shooting and assault tricks that are very much non-standard compared to all other armies. Therefore as people try to build 'all comers' lists the DE are more able to slide through the cracks and punish them.

Really cheap lances and some of our ridiculous wargear certainly helps of course.

**Sgt_Scruffy**

Hey quick question. Your article has me leaning more and more into taking the plunge into DE. Does lelith hesparax's shadow field constitute the 0-1 shadow field restriction in the army?

**Thor665**

Indeed it does, unfortunately.

**Durzod**

Comment on Part 1: I pretty much agree with what you've said. I've been playing DE since shortly after the Codex came out, though not exclusively.

On Mandrakes, about the only use I can find for them is as a screen for sniper squads. If shot, they go to ground, and they still give a cover save to your snipers. Forgo their "special" deployment, as it's not really that effective. If they only gave them plasma grenades, they might prove useful. As it is, most targets you'd want them to assault are in cover. So the best you can hope for is that they survive long enough to take a break test.
At least with Plasma they'd have a chance of hurting someone before they died. Just another example of a good idea not carried through.

**Thor665**

A decent thought on Mandrakes (whom I usually just grump that they aren't given a Sybarite type upgrade - a power weapon Sarge for the squad could make a big difference in my mind. Good point on the plasma grenades though, that's also needed.)

Though it is quite rare for me nowadays to go footslogging I usually do any DE screens with Grotesques - I may have to try and see how the Mandrakes do in that role.

**Phototoxin**

I've started updating this in anticipation of the new release. Anyone else care to help?

**Thor665**

Honestly I was planning a full re-write and brand new tactica once I'd gotten in enough games to make valid calls.

What sort of updates are you doing/planning?

**legoburner**

I'm enjoying the updates, keep at it

**nickick**

That is realy useful stuff coz im now starting DE i think i know what i will use. I think you need to say about ravagers and HS etc.

**Thor665**

At the moment the tactica is not what it could/should be.

I'm planning an updated version to the new dex in the near future.

**Forgithy**

Just read the first part of the Tactica. Just loved it.
I also read lots of Dash of Peppers articles, battle reports and just love you guys. I think you are the best and I really learned alot about the dark eldar just by reading.
I also was able to take it into practice.
I consider myself pretty good at games and my friends didn't liked me starting 40K with DE. (1,5 year ago)
Although everyone said it was a difficult army I really love it.
You need to play it right and Killpoints-games are exeptionally difficult.
Lately I played a small tournament. 1500p, 4 games on 1 day and 1,5h each game.
I won 3 out of 4. I lost the first against a walker-eldar. He had 12(4x3) Wasp-assault walkers, 9 (3x3) normal walkers, Eldrad and 2 troops with heavy weapons.
I could start nice behind a wall and I seized Initiative, so that was great. I had to fear 2x3 wasp assault walkers, because they where in charge range, because I deployed on the flank. But unfortunately my 3 ravagers and trueborn with blasters, wyches with haywire grenades where only able to kill 4 (2x2), so he lost no killpoint and was able to hit me back.
Me wiffhing with ravager (on the to it roll 2-2-1 twice!) didn't do me good either. So I lost in the end by 8 to 1 on turn 3. And the 1 only being a troop choice massacred by Lellith.
I thought about that game alot, but don't know what I should have done else.
Yeah, lose Lellith and put in another Trueborn with blasters in a venom. And I assaulted Eldrad with Archon(huskblade, shadowfield) an 4 incubi, which I should have only assaulted with Archon, because he killed 2 incubi and I fleed. If only my archon had assaulted, he wouldn't be fleeing.
Fortunately for me, he won the tournament (so I considered myself second

)
Thank you guys for al the valuable information on DE.

**Snatch**

really helped, cheers m8