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So do you always use an icon? I find they get quite costly. I have a small list that I play and I'm wondering ... how do you divide your waves and why?

Let's start with this example ...

Skulltaker, Juggernaut 175
Herald of Tzeentch, Master of Sorcery, Bolt of Tzeentch, Chariot 100
Herald of Tzeentch, Master of Sorcery, Bolt of Tzeentch, Chariot 100
----375---

4 Bloodcrushers of Khorne, Instrument of Khorne, Fury of Khorne 175
3 Flamers of Tzeentch, Bolt of Tzeentch 135
3 Flamers of Tzeentch, Bolt of Tzeentch 135
----405----

10 Bloodletters of Khorne 160
10 Bloodletters of Khorne 160
10 Bloodletters of Khorne 160
5 Pink Horrors of Tzeentch, Bolt of Tzeentch 95
----575---

Daemon Prince, Mark of Tzeentch, Bolt of Tzeentch 140
----140----

----1495----

Now there are no Icons. Everything is stripped down to the bare minimum upgrades to get both AT and anti-infantry in there. Obviously the Skulltaker will go with the Crushers as a deathstar squad. Do I want him arriving with the Heralds? Do I need to put the flamers and horrors in his wave or send him in with the bloodletters? So in this example (my actual list) how would you divide them up? In different scenarios how would you alter the division? I usually deploy these waves:

Heralds - Letters - DP - preferred first wave
Skulltaker - Crushers - Flamers - Horrors

I want AT and anti-infantry in both waves. I'm a bit conservative. If I feel I need to be aggressive and gamble I'll field:

Heralds - Skulltaker - Crushers - Screamers - Flamers in one wave hoping to get them as the first arrivals.

Am I doing it wrong? Is there a better split and why? How do you decide what makes the best strategic division allowing for the randomness inherent in the codex?

----------

The stuff in the first wave ideally needs to be tough enough to survive that initial round of shooting. Its usually also better to front load your anti tank units (as in more or all of them in the preferred wave), you have to open up transports before all your anti infantry power can do anything. Its also better if your more mobile units drop earlier, dropping infantry turn 1 means you are committed to that location immediately and mobile lists will just back off and shoot you. If you are then very aggressive with the more mobile stuff it can be isolated and destroyed. Flamers can do in the preferred wave if your opponent has some obvious infantry targets to start with (Long Fangs etc).

So I would probably go for something like, Heralds, DP and either Skulltaker + 1 unit of Flamers/Bloodletters or 2 units of Flamers (if there are targets). There is really no way around the issues with preferred waves at the best of times, at 1500pts you really don't have much room to work with.

With Powerguy I tend to the survivabilty of the first wave. Typically Troops have more place in the second wave. This way the won't get shot-up as much and can safely be used to claim and contest objectives.

The Tzeentch Heralds? One in the first, one in the second. If your opponent has fast moving vehicles, you can react in Turn 2 or 3 with another Herald. Also, this ensure wave 2 isnt completely devoid of AT shooting if you get the wrong wave.

The Bloodcrushers + Skulltaker are very survivable. Especially with a screen of Bloodletters for cover. I'd put these in the first wave.

In your example I'd put both Flamer units in the second wave. Because of their fragility, but also because of the fact that they bring a good localised threat and can be used to shift your focus or distract your opponent.

Troops? 1 squad of Bloodletters in the first wave. As said, they could be used to screen the Crushers. The other 2 squads of Bloodletters and the Horrors in the second wave.

The Daemon Prince in the first wave to add survivabilty and AT firepower.

All in all the waves would look like this:

Prefered:

Herald of Tzeentch
Skulltaker
Bloodcrushers
Bloodletters
Daemon Prince

Secondary:

Herald of Tzeentch
Flamers
Flamers
Bloodletters
Bloodletters
Horrors

This way the first wave has a lot of heavy stuff and as such is frontloaded. The second wave lacks power but makes up for this by having one squad more. If you want a more even spread or an even more frontloaded wave, I'd shift one squad of Bloodletters to the primary wave.

Cilithan

Theres two ways; try and bust as much as you can quickly (my way) or the way Clithan and powerguy do it.

Then again, I run all horrors/DPoT so... I try and pop the hell out of tanks lol

I normally go 1st wave for flamers and try to nuke stuff, land in their faces, at best they are a suicide unit because of their short range.

Id prob leave the bloodletters out of the 1st wave just cause they die from range too easy, by the time they show up you want to have thinned the enemies ranged abilities a bit so you can get the 'letters in.

Generally you have to see what your facing to split your waves, dont stay set on what is in 1st/2nd wave till you see what your fighting.

Something I like doing is loading up the 1st wave with all the big gribblies I have, lots of high priority targets scare your opponent and then they make mistakes.