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I just don't get it.

It seems to be a classic boneheaded move on the part of GW. To take the court of the archon, you must take one of each model. The result is a terribly inefficient unit. Thus, few players will consider the unit and fewer still will buy the models. The result is that GW loses sales and Dark Eldar players are unhappy. It they had removed this nonsensical restriction and allowed DE players to build their own court, DE players would be quite thrilled and they would see sales far in excess of what they are currently going to get.

I really like the medusae model and we will see the ssylth and lame-eans in September. I like the models, but I won't buy models I can't fit into a competitive list.

What I want to know is this: what possible reason could GW have for handling the release this way?

Probably to force players who want to field an Archon Court to buy at minimum 4 single models at £9.50 a pop. Or maybe to ensure that there is some visual variety in a Court, and not just comprised of 5 of the 'most competitive' choices.

Surely, though, if you're running a competitive list, an Archon Court should be floundering somewhere near the bottom of your optimal choices?

L. Wrex

Have we seen an FAQ for the DE dex yet? I wonder if it'll get FAQ'd into something more sensible.

AesSedai wrote:I play competitively.

That's why.

But on a side note, the court is a decent unit. Nothing crazy, but, just decent.

There are DE players that use Archons?

They're a cool unit taken more for flavor and fluffiness than competitiveness. Price is kinda whack though.

I agree with you completely AesSedai, but then again the entire Dark Eldar Codex is one giant up on GW's part. Phil Kelly can write really awesome fluff (the Dark Eldar Codex has some of the best of it) but he can't write rules to save his life.

I think the whole point of this thread is kind of funny actually. When has GW ever done anything that makes a bit of sense. I seriously think that GW does not test play anything...ever, or we wouldn't see half the useless models in the new Codex's *cough* *cough* Inquisitor Valeria *cough* *cough*.

Lolwut? The Dark Eldar codex is one of the best books GW has released.

L. Wrex wrote

Probably to force players who want to field an Archon Court to buy at minimum 4 single models at £9.50 a pop.

This can't be the reason. If there were no restrictions, people would run them in venoms @ 4 and the archon, or in a raider @ 9 and the archon. They would be selling a lot of models.

Or maybe to ensure that there is some visual variety in a Court, and not just comprised of 5 of the 'most competitive' choices.

Maybe, but it would have been easier to accomplish this by upping the synergy in the rules and/or making the 4 choices closer to one another in terms of competitiveness.

Surely, though, if you're running a competitive list, an Archon Court should be floundering somewhere near the bottom of your optimal choices?

Yes. Near the quintuple Clawed fiend BM unit.

Brother SRM wrote:

Price is kinda whack though.

Yeah, it's a major downer. It's bad value and doesn't perform any essential strategic role not better served elsewhere. In regards to the fluff/flavor, I would think that an archon should be able to choose his bodygaurds. Archon and 4 Ssylth in a venom is no less fluffly than the hodgepodge being forced on us.

I haven't heard a fluff, rules, sales, or game balance rationale for this unit that sticks.

Sanguinis wrote:I agree with you completely AesSedai, but then again the entire Dark Eldar Codex is one giant up on GW's part. Phil Kelly can write really awesome fluff (the Dark Eldar Codex has some of the best of it) but he can't write rules to save his life.

Please give me your reasoning here. That codex is the closest thing to perfect I've seen GW put out in years.

Sanguinis wrote:I agree with you completely AesSedai, but then again the entire Dark Eldar Codex is one giant up on GW's part. Phil Kelly can write really awesome fluff (the Dark Eldar Codex has some of the best of it) but he can't write rules to save his life.

lolwut


I went from getting tabled 2 out of 9 games with my other armies (Eldar, Necrons, Tyranids) to an army the completely WASTES EVERYTHING put infront of it.

Oh, nidzilla list? Have that unit of 'fexes attempt to make 40 armor saves (god i love poison). Hello IG Armor, meet Darklight spam. Oh crap, Black-Templar Terminators. . . heres 4 incubi with an Archon, play nice now. Turn 5 of an objective game? Turbo-boost 6+ transports with scoring units. Rinse and repeat previous as needed. Drink the tears of your enemies.
Given, if i roll poorly or make bad choices (which happens more often than not) then our wonderful paper armor begins to disintegrate.


its a fething well-written codex (both fluff and rules) with enough variety to keep things mixed at all times. Almost all DA players will find something they like, regardless or what the majority thinks is "Usefull/competitive", and make it work with deadly efficiency. I hear many dont like using Reaver Jetbikes, i cant get enough of them for Anti-Infantry + Armor harassment. I find beastmasters rediculous, though i've seen quite a few matches were they where used really well.


I've read the rules for the court of the archon and have debated toying with them when the models come out, but i generally run 3 haemies (in separate raiders with wyches) and a Archon w/4 incubi in a venom. Ill test them for a match or two, and if i cant find a way to make them work, then they'll go on the shelf next to Lilith.

Sanguinis wrote:I agree with you completely AesSedai, but then again the entire Dark Eldar Codex is one giant up on GW's part. Phil Kelly can write really awesome fluff (the Dark Eldar Codex has some of the best of it) but he can't write rules to save his life.

Despite it being widely regarded as one of the best codex's ever made?

Leave the poor boy alone....he knows he's wrong by now.