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Hey guys, whats up
I thought I'd post my most recent 1500 points Dark Eldar list. I'm running it in a Campaign this weekend, and it needs to be themed and fluffy rather than cheese. However, I still wanted to make a list that isn't a pushover.
My theme is Duke Sliscus' Sky Serpents. For those of you who haven't read the Dark Eldar fluff, Sliscus is the pre-eminent Eldar Corsair lord. Incidently, he is also the self-same 'Prince Sliscus' who cut out Lukas the Tricker's heart and threw him out of an airlock. But I digress. As Sliscus' corsairs, I have not selected any Wych cult or Haemonculi units. But without further ado, this is the list:
HQ:
Duke Sliscus (obviously) 150 points
Elites:
9 Trueborn, with 7 shardcarbines, 2 splinter cannons, plasma and haywire grenades 190 points
they go with Sliscus, mounted in a Raider with flickerfields and nightshields 80 points
10 Trueborn, with 8 shardcarbines, 2 splinter cannons, plasma and haywire grenades 210 points
mounted in a raider with flickerfields and nightshields 80 points
Troops:
10 Warriors, with a blaster, sybarite, blast pistol and power weapon 125 points
mounted in a raider with flickerfields and nightshields 80 points
10 Warriors, with a blaster, sybarite, blast pistol and power weapon 125 points
mounted in a raider with flickerfields and nightshields 80 points
Heavy Support:
Ravager with 3 lances, flickerfields and nightshields 125 points
Ravager with 3 lances, flickerfields and nightshields 125 points
Ravager with 3 disintegrators, flickerfields and nightshields 125 points
Total: 1500 points
Anyway, I would like some opinions on whether this list is too weak, too strong, not themed enough, etc. Bear in mind that the large number of lances is due to the 2nd day of the campaign being a big apocalypse game. I wanted this to be a mounted spearhead of sorts, the sort of vanguard that comes before a Dark Eldar invasion's main force. At the same time, it is also the Duke's personal retinue/harem (the Trueborn are all female)

I think it's a interesting list. I don't see the point in the Sybarite on the Warriors as in combat you will get beaten and the blast pistol has a very very short range and you will be asking for trouble. You also don't need nightshields on everything.

Beastmasters would be useful in this army as a close combat mop up element.

Honestly I like the idea and I can see where you are going with it. That said some elements seem weak. I would turn the disintegrators back into dark lances on the ravager, and drop all nightshields as they do very little. Sybarites are also not that great as you don't get much use out of S3 power weapons and a very short range b.pistol. I'd drop them down to 5 with just the blaster in a venom. I'd also turn that 10 man trueborn into 4 man with blasters in a venom.
I could also see a wych squad or two since you need some CC and wych cults love him. Plus you need more than 2 troops choices.

Actually Wytches would probably suit this list better and keep in with the Raider style list.

honestly i know that this isn't the most optimised list ever
Usually I take 3 squads of Wyches, however in this case, as it will be a Chaos v Imperium battle, I'm going for more shoot than combat (thinking of all the guard players). As for the disintegrators, they are for zapping grey knights

I like the list. The only problem I have with it is that sliscus only makes splinter weaponry poisoned 3+, so you are wasting points giving the unit of trueborn he joins the shardcarbines. Just keep the splinter rifles on those trueborn and put splinter racks on the raider they go in. That way they have the potential to do way more damage then the shardcarbines ever would. A second comment is that sliscus does give you better options in the drug use department, so it may be helpful to find points for some type of drug using troop.

Shard carbines ARE splinter weapons, I thought. Same str/ap profile, always wounds on a 4+, poisoned shooting weapon...

Yeah, in the book they're all in the same box marked "Splinter Weapons" so to me that means they that crazy bonus.

Also, I think you're silly trying to out-shoot guard. remember, shoot the stabby ones, stab the shooty ones. instead of wyches, why dont you give your trueborn units CCW and splinter pistols? You could make up for the reduced shootyness by giving your warrior squads all splinter rifles and their raiders splinter racks.

I disagree with naysayers of nightshields. As a typical guard player, I set up my long nines (lascannons) as close to my board edge as possible where LoS permits. Nightshields negate my biggest advantage - range. Anything that forces them to get close to you is good.

Actually, I disagree with the 'assault guard rather than shoot them' thing. In my opinion, its a lot more survivable shooting guard than assaulting them. In shooting, guard need 5s to hit then 4s to wound, as opposed to 4s to hit and 4s to wound in combat. Likewise, I need 3s to hit and 3s/4s to wound in shooting, where he doesn't get armor saves, while in combat i need 3s to hit and 3s to wound, where he does get armor saves. Also, as the Trueborn have assault weapons, they can shoot THEN assault.
As to splinter racks:
I can only shoot out of the raider if its only moved 6 inches. There is no point in that. I'd rather go 12, disembark, THEn shoot. If my plan works, I should drop enough of his tanks etc to be able to afford being out in the open


Automatically Appended Next Post:
and BTW, yes, shardcarbines do come under 'splinter weaponry', and thus are affected by the 3+ poison upgrade. The Trueborn squads, even the 4+ one, are both capable of dropping virtually anything with 1 volley. Well, anything but Terminators with FNP. I've blown away 250 pts + Tyrants with 2+ armors before, sinply because if I make you take over a dozen saves, you're gonna fail enough
As a matter of fact, the Trueborn don't really need pistol/ccw. They get 3 attacks each on the charge, thats 30 attacks, the enemy squad should be reduced enough from the shooting for 30 attacks to mop them up

Guard need 4+ to hit at the worst, if using Veterans 3+ to hit. Taking the standard lasgun it's 4+ to wound. Basically pretty much the same in combat, expect shooting of course you can get cover saves.

mercer wrote:Guard need 4+ to hit at the worst, if using Veterans 3+ to hit. Taking the standard lasgun it's 4+ to wound. Basically pretty much the same in combat, expect shooting of course you can get cover saves.

Unless they changed lasguns in the newest codex, you get armor saves too.

Of course, though that's common knowledge. The point was Guard do not need 5+ to hit but need 4+ to hit at the worse

I gave it a nicely themed vote. I think it's themed well, although it doesn't take advantage of the Duke's biggest asset, which is the re-roll on the drug chart of wychy goodness.

I don't think you'll have to worry about cheesy at all, b/c it wouldn't be considered a very competitive list. You'll have issues popping tanks with only 10 lances, and a few blasters/blastpistols that most likely won't be within range until turn 2. The math says you might pop 1 armor 12 vehicle turn 1.

My opinion, to be taken/dismissed as you please.
Ravagers - 3 dark lances. Dissy's used to be good, not anymore. Spam poison if you want to kill troops. Dark lances still kill troops dead. Choose either the flickerfield or the nightshield, both is too much of a point sink imo. Night shields are really good if a) you're very good at maneouvering and judging distances b) the enemy didn't bring 48"+ range weapons.

Warriors - go with something like 5 warriors, a blaster and a venom with extra spl. cannon. You get the long range poison, and still have a blaster if anything gets too close. Just eyballing the points, no math, you should be able to get roughly 2 squads like I mentioned for the same points as your 2 warrior squads. You can also leave a couple of them in a raider for the extra DL.

Trueborn - Leave one the same for the themed aspect of it. The other, 290 points, take and split it and make 2 small wych squads in a raider. 5 man, with haywire nades, a hekatrix with an agoniser if you can swing the points. If not, settle for a venom blade. That will make use of the Duke's contraband rule and give you some anti tank and assault capabilities. Make sure you run them together and multi-assault with them as they'll get ganked 1 to 1 in cc with another squad.

Without playing with the points, you should be able to get about 3 more targets, I mean units, out of splitting your squads up. It'll make a much scarier looking force also when you show up with twice the vehicles your enemy has.

CalasTyphon216 wrote:Actually, I disagree with the 'assault guard rather than shoot them' thing. In my opinion, its a lot more survivable shooting guard than assaulting them. In shooting, guard need 4s to hit then 4s to wound, as opposed to 4s to hit and 4s to wound in combat. Likewise, I need 3s to hit and 3s/4s to wound in shooting, where he doesn't get armor saves, while in combat i need 3s to hit and 3s to wound, where he does get armor saves.

yes, but if you're facing someone with an infantry platoon, you'll probably be facing squads 20-40 in size, shooting at you with frfsrf and possibly rapid fire on top of that. 40-80 shots will give you roughly 10-20 wounds to save. In CC, only the guys within 2" can fight (further reducing the amount of attacks against you), and when it's time to Pile In! you should have sent them running. That's making a few assumptions, though. but thinking about it, if you leave them as they are with the carbines you'll probably do better than that...

I'd love to see that against a MC heavy list. I think they'd cry.

Played the list today
Crushed a double-raven death company list
Narrowly edged a horde guard list
Narrowly tabled a bran new sisters list