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I really wanted to use some bikes because they are the some of the best looking DE models, so I came up with this list for my next tourney.

1500 Pts - Dark Eldar Roster

1 Haemonculi @ 105 pts (Scissorhand; Destructor; Splinter Rifle x1; Shadow Field; Reaver Jetbike)

1 Haemonculi @ 80 pts (Scissorhand; Destructor; Splinter Rifle x1; Reaver Jetbike)

1 Haemonculi @ 80 pts (Scissorhand; Destructor; Splinter Rifle x1; Reaver Jetbike)

2 Reaver Jetbike Squad @ 136 pts (Splinter Pistol; Blaster x2; Combat Drugs; Reaver Jetbike)
1 Succubus (Splinter Rifle x1; Tormentor Helm; Punisher; Reaver Jetbike)

5 Raider Squad @ 149 pts (Blaster; Splinter Rifle x3; Splinter Cannon; Raider)
1 Sybarite (Agoniser; Splinter Pistol)
1 Raider (Dark Lance; Horrorfex)

5 Raider Squad @ 149 pts (Blaster; Splinter Rifle x3; Splinter Cannon; Raider)
1 Sybarite (Agoniser; Splinter Pistol)
1 Raider (Dark Lance; Horrorfex)

5 Raider Squad @ 110 pts (Blaster; Splinter Rifle x3; Dark Lance; Raider)
1 Raider (Dark Lance)

5 Raider Squad @ 110 pts (Blaster; Splinter Rifle x3; Dark Lance; Raider)
1 Raider (Dark Lance)

5 Raider Squad @ 110 pts (Blaster; Splinter Rifle x3; Dark Lance; Raider)
1 Raider (Dark Lance)

5 Raider Squad @ 110 pts (Blaster; Splinter Rifle x3; Dark Lance; Raider)
1 Raider (Dark Lance)

1 Ravager @ 120 pts (Disentegrator x3)

1 Ravager @ 120 pts (Disentegrator x3)

1 Ravager @ 120 pts (Disentegrator x3)

Total Roster Cost: 1499



This is a large change from the sit an shoot DE I usually play. But with the current nid codex I think its a good change.

Turn 1:
2 Raiders and the 6 bikes turbo boost into the fray. The bike squad will will be covered by boats and they all have toughness 5 and 4+ invulns so I think they will survive.

Everyone else shoots

Turn 2:

The heamons split off and flame 3 different units while the bike shoot/charge tanks.
Every one else shoots

Etc.

4+ Invul saves? Where do those come from?

Moving Flat out as jetbikes.

Probably from turbo-boosting, in which case it would be a 3+. I don't know where toughness 5 comes from....should be 3(4) with the bikes.

Edit:

I looked up the name of the rule and its called Turbo boost.

I think the big problem I have with this list is the assaulty element. You have 699 points of stuff dedicated to bursting forward to get into the enemy lines, almost half of your army strength, and I don't see them as being really threatening.

For example, destructors are nice and all, but with strength 4, you're not going to be annihilating squads or anything, just killing 25-50%. Not bad, mind you, but what do you have to finish off the remnants? A couple of sybarites and 3 reavers? Some scissorhands? I just don't see them being that threatening.

Clthomps wrote:
The heamons split off and flame 3 different units while the bike shoot/charge tanks.

Yeah...don't count on charging tanks with your bikes doing much. The blasters might be ok, but I wonder how many bikes will survive. They aren't a seer council.

What's your thought process behind thinking this will work well against the new tyranid codex? Just curious what advantage you think this has. I assume the several templates are planned for the expected hordes, and the two agonizers and 3 scissorhands would assist against monstrous creatures?

Haemonculi are T4 and but them on a bike there T5 Dark Eldar, with a flame template of variable strenght and ap

When the first start they are T5 because half the unit is T5, when/ if the Heamons leave then they revert back to T4.


First off they will not be going running down the middle of the board, they will work there way from one edge to the other.

Second splitting them off is only an option. 3 flamer templates on 1 unit, then a charge is going to kill them.

Third, two blaster shots to stun the vehicle, then an assault with str 5 on rear armor should take out most transports.

Fourth, the thoughts on the new nid codex are such:
a. They will either run an outflanking list (an instant win for DE no matter what you play IMO)
b. A Swarm list, Flamer templates, T5, and transports are great against them.
c. Or monstrous creatures list, I don't think anyone can argue that a volley of lances and plasma, followed by 12 2+ poison attacks and 8 4+ poison attack is really good.

Clthomps wrote:I really wanted to use some bikes because they are the some of the best looking DE models, and are infinitely superior to Warp Beasts in every way imaginable.

Well, being the gunboat nut I am you knew I was going to be generally pleased with the list as certain aspects of it are very similar to my own 1500 (though my Haemys stay on boats instead of gallivanting around on jetbikes, and I've never included a h2h RJB Succubus in anything less then 1850)). One of my first thoughts was to question the shadowfield on the Haemy. Yeah, it's a 2++ and that's a great save to have and all, but for heaven's sake - it's just a Haemy. I'm just not sure if it's worth the points and would probably tend to invest it into something like more Horrorfexes or maybe slipping a Crucible onto one of the Sybarites, or beefing up the assault squads.

Probably my biggest concern is the lack of Lances. Blasters are great and I use them for anti-tank a fair bit, but the range of a lance and potential maneuverability of a Raider really is what makes them so deadly. With your initial turbo boost plan you'll be opening up the game with 4 lances - and I don't see that exactly making a mech force whimper much. Even if you decide to adjust your turbo boost due to available cover you're still only talking 6 lances. Gunboats can serve as anti-mech via the Blasters, but due to the range you have to move into you tend to have to keep angling on flanks for optimum effectiveness paired with safety for your own boats, and thus sometimes can't safely reach the jucier targets hiding deeper within an enemy's formation 0 which is, of course, what lances are for. With the number of gunboats and Haemys you're running I would give serious consideration to switching a Ravager over to all lance in order to increase your initial lance output options since I feel 6 gunboats and that RJB squad ought to serve you pretty well for anti-infantry when paired with a pair of all dissie Ravagers.

How do you foresee running the assault option with your Sybarites? I like using Raider squads to assault, but I usually do it only into very soft targets or to help out Wyches. With only 4 Warriors backing up the Agoniser you're clearly only going to be able to overpower very weak targets and don't have the extra warriors to help you overwhelm them via numbers prior to their attacks back which can then be risky due to our weak armor save. I agree that you do need the assault option in there, but find myself wondering what it is they'll be good at dealing with. It seems that by the time they should assault something they'll probably do just as well rapid firing into it and run zero risk of being swung at.

The RJB squad is very interesting. I just recently included something vaguely in this vein in my tactica (a Haemy RJB pseudo retinue for a DE Lord on RJB) that also worked to exploit the T5 aspect with them. A 3+ cover and T5 ought to keep them pretty darn safe on turn one. You've also got some nice options for either shooting or assault built into them and it's all relatively affordable. You'll have to let me know how this works as there seems to be a lot of tactical options available to them once you get them out on the board and how they perform as I may wish to include this option in there as well if they do well.

One of my first thoughts was to question the shadowfield on the Haemy. Yeah, it's a 2++ and that's a great save to have and all, but for heaven's sake - it's just a Haemy. I'm just not sure if it's worth the points and would probably tend to invest it into something like more Horrorfexes or maybe slipping a Crucible onto one of the Sybarites, or beefing up the assault squads.

The thoughts on the shadow field are to soak up shots when i decide not to split them and not turboboost. I was going to add a crucible but for some reason AB locks them on syrabites and heamons, and I am incredibly lazy LOL.

Probably my biggest concern is the lack of Lances. Blasters are great and I use them for anti-tank a fair bit, but the range of a lance and potential maneuverability of a Raider really is what makes them so deadly. With your initial turbo boost plan you'll be opening up the game with 4 lances

I think you mean 8 lances, 4 boats have DL warrior squads on them, and against mech vets or what not I will sit back and take the extra shots with the gun boats since they have dreadful range against me. Also I do have succuess with cracking low av with the dissies when I need to.

How do you foresee running the assault option with your Sybarites? I like using Raider squads to assault, but I usually do it only into very soft targets or to help out Wyches. With only 4 Warriors backing up the Agoniser you're clearly only going to be able to overpower very weak targets and don't have the extra warriors to help you overwhelm them via numbers prior to their attacks back which can then be risky due to our weak armor save. I agree that you do need the assault option in there, but find myself wondering what it is they'll be good at dealing with. It seems that by the time they should assault something they'll probably do just as well rapid firing into it and run zero risk of being swung at.

The thoughts were to run around until the boats die then blaster shot, and 4 splinter cannon shots into a MC and then charging for the 4+ poison to hopefully get 2-3 wounds.

While I do see the it is a lot of points for a couple poison attack, I couldn't really take anything else for 60ish points.

The RJB squad is very interesting. I just recently included something vaguely in this vein in my tactica (a Haemy RJB pseudo retinue for a DE Lord on RJB) that also worked to exploit the T5 aspect with them. A 3+ cover and T5 ought to keep them pretty darn safe on turn one. You've also got some nice options for either shooting or assault built into them and it's all relatively affordable. You'll have to let me know how this works as there seems to be a lot of tactical options available to them once you get them out on the board and how they perform as I may wish to include this option in there as well if they do well.

I think this is going to be my HQ of choice in 1500 and under point games. T5 good armor saves,2 blasters, 2+ poison, and 3 flamer templates.

I was thinking of making it 3 heamons and 1 archon but I am not sure how the rules work for independent characters joining each other, and I think tactically the 3 jetbikes give you more options.

Clthomps wrote:I think you mean 8 lances, 4 boats have DL warrior squads on them, and against mech vets or what not I will sit back and take the extra shots with the gun boats since they have dreadful range against me. Also I do have succuess with cracking low av with the dissies when I need to.

You are correct, my bad. I read the blaster splinter rifle line and my mind translated it to blaster splinter cannon. I do agree Dissies can be pretty formidable versus weak vehicles.

I think this is going to be my HQ of choice in 1500 and under point games. T5 good armor saves,2 blasters, 2+ poison, and 3 flamer templates.

I was thinking of making it 3 heamons and 1 archon but I am not sure how the rules work for independent characters joining each other, and I think tactically the 3 jetbikes give you more options.

3 Haemons and an archon does work. ICs each count as their own unit when separate and have the ability to join non-vehicle units. Therefore you can pack up the 4 ICs to make one single unit that just gets very interesting during assaults. I do think I agree that the anti-tank functionality of the regular RJB squad is probably more adjustable then a 3 Hamey + Archon build since that one will pretty much always just be really scary to infantry.

This is a little off-topic, but, why choose the punisher on the succubus, over an agoniser?

I'm still fairly new so I'm still looking for what works best and when.

Thanks in advance.

ThePhish wrote:This is a little off-topic, but, why choose the punisher on the succubus, over an agoniser?

I'm still fairly new so I'm still looking for what works best and when.

The choice of a Punisher over an Agoniser on the Jetbike Succubus is an attempt to take advantage of the synergy the two pieces of wargear have together. Both the Punisher and Jetbike offer +1 to Str, so by using both it gives him a Str 5 Succubus with a power weapon - not a bad combo at all and better in many situations then an Agoniser would be.

If you want a good basic introduction to a lot of DE wargear, strategies, and unit builds you can cehck out the DE Tactica here on this site (the link is in my sig) and it should give you a nice jumping on base of information for your own DE.

I take it that this is a themed list "tailored" to beat a particular army - I dunno, I think its wishful thinking and you better pray you get first move. I suppose if its all the models you have then you can't really change much.

If you had the models, what would you change?

Nothing.

If I don't get the first move its not to bad, I either use two gunboats turned sideways to block LoS for the rest of the army like every other DE player, or have everyone stay in reserve.