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So, i don't recall seeing anything similar to this on these boards, or any other.

This trick is pulled using the following units

3 Wracks
Baron Sathonix
10 Mandrakes - one a Nightfiend
10 Mandrakes - one a Nightfiend

First and foremost, you should deploy the Mandrakes inside cover and 12" apart from each other (better yet on dificult terrain, like woods or wrecked buildings). You start the game with Baron attached to the Wracks, then you fly away with the Baron carrying the pain token directly to a Mandrake squad. Poor Wracks, now they have no pain and only a 6+ armor save

The baron is formidable, he has Phantasm Grenade Launchers, ShadowField and Master of the Skies so no problem landing on dificult terrain.

Now the Mandrakes can shoot. The Other unit of mandrakes goes to ground if necessary.

From now on the Baron is the "Messenger of Pain", and goes from Mandrake to Mandrake carrying the Pain Token allowing the Mandrakes to shoot and pin.
If the Mandrakes find Melee, that's ok because they can hold their own, the Baron can Hit and Run if engaged and will deliver the Pain Token to the other unit to keep firing. If pain tokens are gathered the Messenger stays with a unit and move forward looking for a fight (remember, now the unit has PGL and a tough leader)

This is one, of many, ways to use Mandrakes. I hope you liked the trick. I also hope its good enough to make people start using them!!

Unlike most DE players, I think mandrakes do have a place in some lists. This is just one way to make them useful, there are others.

That's 425 points for 20 Strength 4 Ap 4 shots.

It's also filling up two elite slots.

There's much better things in the dex to do with your points, and especially the elite slots.

That Baron however is an excellent HQ.

its 20 pinning shots from targets inside 3+ cover (two separate targets). Unless he wants to engage in melee those shots will keep firing from BS4 infantry.

Engaging them in melee is even worse, they have S4, high I and 2 attacks each, don't expect to steamroll them. For the record they laugh at Power Weapons due to 5++

If the Baron is around they are even more scarier, because they can assault for devastating effect.

Except you hit and run in the assault phase, you leave and join squads in the movement phase...

So once he joins the drakes to give them a pain token if they get charged he is stuck there until the fight is over.

wileythenord wrote:Except you hit and run in the assault phase, you leave and join squads in the movement phase...

So once he joins the drakes to give them a pain token if they get charged he is stuck there until the fight is over.

No problem a that, he is an Excellent combatant. At the end of that Assault, leave the unit and either: assault for S6 or go to other drakes and shoot.

You are assuming the mandrakes and Baron win the assualt to begin with, if not they are stuck in. Mandrakes aren't terrible fighters, but since we are assuming they will be getting charged instead of charging, I don't like their chances.

I don't really like their chances if they are the ones charging unless someone is dumb enough to let them charge a weaksauce unit.

My money is on pretty much anything doing move+shoot+assault for a fraction of the points and winning.

I tend to agree with the naysayers. I'm sure that theoretically there's an optimal use for Mandrakes, but a tricky combo involving 1 HQ special character, 2 Elite Slots, and 1 Troop/Elite slot...well, why not just fill those slots with things that are good without needing to toy with the Synergy?

Seems like 2-3 Dakka Venoms will do you better anti-infantry shooting nine times out of ten and require zero hopping around of pain tokens, not to mention superior mobility to focus fire where its needed.