Dark Eldar coven formations success?

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**Zagaboff**

Just wondering if people have has success with any dark eldar coven formations either straight coven or mixed with regular dark eldar?

Specifically the dark artisan and corpses theif formstions and the load outs on them?

**Jimsolo**

Hell yes! I've had great results with everything except Fleshcorps. My Freakshow lists usually use 1-3 Formations as the foundation.

Scalpel Squadron and Grotesquerie are my picks for MVP, personally.

Dark Artisan, my preferred loadout is WWP, Scissorhand, and the Mask on the haemmie, a Heat Lance and Ichor Injector on the Talos, and the +1 FNP on the Cronos.

CtC I take Ichor Injectors on everyone, then either stick to the Splinter Cannons, take 5 Haywire Blasters, or go 3 Heat Lances and 2 Cannon, depending on my mood/points availability.

**sweetbacon**

I ran both Dark Artisan and Corpsethief in a game against (6th edition) Eldar yesterday. The Corpsethief turned out to be the MVP as it soaked up three turns of shooting from the Eldar army and only lost two wounds. Having the 4+FNP from the Dark Artisan Cronos and the Haemie WL trait that let me re-roll ones on my FNP rolls allowed them to shrug off everything that was thrown at them. The Corpsethief also literally won me the game by getting a Victory Point for wiping out a squad of Striking Scorpions in close combat. The only thing about them that wasn't awesome was the HWB's I took on all of them. My opponent rolled well for his Jink saves and all they managed to do was take one hull point off a Fire Prism. Next game I'm going to give the Heat Lances a try.

**Jimsolo**

I also like turning them Invisible with a Farseer.

**sweetbacon**

Jimsolo wrote:
I also like turning them Invisible with a Farseer.

That's just mean

**Zagaboff**

I was thinking for the dark artisan chain Flails on the talks. As strenght 7 is gonna wound most things easily. Then sissor hand on the heami, shame the nightmare doll dosent effect the whole unit... What is the basic attack of the cronos? Or is it there to soak up wounds instead?

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Do you think the sump is useless?

**Jimsolo**

I think the Sump benefits the Grotesquerie more.

Chain Flails seem like a waste to me. You get such limited utility out of them. The Cronos mainly buffs the whole unit, with a little anti-horde firepower plus a single S10 Smash if it's needed. The Haemi, with a Mask, can lower the Init of challengers so the MCs can kill them with overflow wounds. The Scissorhand gives him the ability to threaten Walkers or MCs that might otherwise be more problematic.

**Zagaboff**

Chain flails give shred? Re rolling wounds sounds like as easy 5 pts?

**Jimsolo**

The Ichor Injector will essentially give you Shred anyway most of the time, plus the possibility of instant death for those pesky MCs.

**Zagaboff**

How would you rate the dark artisan against a unit of 4 necron wraiths? Or a dreadnaught? Prob my 2 biggest cc challenges in my gaming group. Besides a blob of 20 necron warriors with a lord? Cause this is still can't crack 2+ armour can it

**Jimsolo**

Webway portal in behind the dread and TL heatlance him in the tailpipe. Easy peasy. Then smash him to death if he survives.

Not sure about the wraiths.

**PanzerLeader**

Jimsolo wrote:
Webway portal in behind the dread and TL heatlance him in the tailpipe. Easy peasy. Then smash him to death if he survives.

Not sure about the wraiths.

Fight the wraiths head on. The injector gives you a chance for ID and the wraiths will need 5s to wound and you'll get FNP against his rending hits. You have more wounds and better attacks. It won't end quickly, but the Talos formation will have the upper hand.

**Vector Strike**

Dark Artisan is terrible...

...for the well-being of my units. My friend generally gives WWP to the Haemonculus - anything within 6" will receive a charge next turn.

**vipoid**

I've usually used the Coven formations as part of a DE army, and I've had mixed results.

- Dark Artisan usually does ok if it arrives promptly, but I never really liked its lack of mobility after deployment. Just a personal thing though. Also, I do feel that my opponents try too hard to bring it down - when they could just easily ignore it and spend their resources killing the more fragile elements in my army.

- Grotesquerie occasionally does really well, but most other times... ugh. I don't know if I'm just unlucky, but mine frequently seem to just fold like wet paper bags in combat. They also have an issue against 4+ saves - in that about 90% of their attacks just seem to bounce off.

If anyone has advice for running Grotesques, I'd love to hear it.

- Scalpel Squadron I don't really like. I just don't come across any targets they can realistically kill when they arrive to get first blood. Also, I'd rather start my venoms behind cover - rather than having to deep-strike them in the open. Still, I can see the appeal for running a null-deployment army.

- Scarlet Epicureans I like the fixed Warlord trait it gives you, but not the rest of the formation. Precision Strikes seems a pretty awful rule for Wracks, and the Cronos just feels out of place.

- Covenite Fleshcorps is a formation I really want to like. And, in fact, I have a surprisingly good win ratio with this formation - taking 5-man squads of Wracks with Ossefactors. Maybe it just fits my playstyle better.

Jimsolo wrote:
The Ichor Injector will essentially give you Shred anyway most of the time

I can't see how.

**FraustTheSnowman**

Jimsolo...ichor injector is fleshbane rather than poisoned.

As for coven units I'm a big fan of grots in just about any form. I've had decent results from two big units of webway grots and three min units of caressquins. Shadowseers help out in the grot squads...though like Vipoid said, things with saves are a bit of an issue.

Weight of attacks helps with that, and psychic shriek can too...so it's not huge. Also...guys 2ith saves don't generally fancy meeting the caressquins...

After that, depending points, I like to add talosi...aand have ran it with the corpse thief claw formation. Mixed results with them...though talos in general work out well for me.

**sweetbacon**

Vipoid - those are interesting results with your Grots. I've found that they struggle with 2+ saves, but MEQ equivalent and above, I haven't noticed them struggle with. Against most things you'd want to charge them with, they'll be re-rolling wounds and can chew through most things through sheer weight of attacks. If you're struggling against armor saves though, have you thought about giving your Aberration an Agonizer?

**vipoid**

sweetbacon wrote:
Vipoid - those are interesting results with your Grots. I've found that they struggle with 2+ saves, but MEQ equivalent and above, I haven't noticed them struggle with. Against most things you'd want to charge them with, they'll be re-rolling wounds and can chew through most things through sheer weight of attacks.

See, that's the odd thing - they've actually done fine against MEQ (I can definitely recall them smashing Chaos Marines and Blood Angels at various times). It's 4+ save units like Nobz and even 'ard boyz that have given them a lot of trouble. What's worse is that against multiple-wound units like the aforementioned Nobz and some Skitarii sods, my opponents never seem to fail their armour saves against the ID wounds. It's rather aggravating.

I don't know how they'd fare against 2+ save units, but I generally try to avoid them on general principles.

sweetbacon wrote:
If you're struggling against armor saves though, have you thought about giving your Aberration an Agonizer?

I have considered it - but I can never seem to find the points.

**Zagaboff**

2+ save units need to be saved for incubi or disintegrator cannons I guess? Don't really have any other good option

**DirtyDeeds**

I love running my grotesques in large blobs and have had no issues in combat barring Grey Knights or models that get strength 10/ instant death. The only unit without that criteria to beat a squad of FOUR grots and a haemie were 6 assault mega bobs and 5 necron sword and board praetorians with a scythe wielding overlord... and it still took 4 rounds of combat to win. Grotesques are good with a haemie, but excel with psyker support from either elf army.

Right now I have one small squad in a raider acting as a counter assault/ back field defense and one large one hiding an AoM haemunculous, banshee mask autarch, and a farseer. It's pretty deadly.

@Vipoid, want to know an effective way to use a Dark Artisan? Don't deep strike it, make the haemie the warlord for his better fnp bubble, then either hide it and more talos in ruins, or walk up the board. This gives you the opportunity to put everything else in reserve.

**vipoid**

Zagaboff wrote:
2+ save units need to be saved for incubi or disintegrator cannons I guess? Don't really have any other good option

Ossefactors (if you're using Wracks), massed-fire from various sources, Blasters and Dark Lances from the DE book, Talos/DA (if you can catch your target). Otherwise, Grotesques may still be a good pick against some TEQ - especially ones relying on AP2 and/or S8 - as neither are particularly useful against Grots. At the very least, you should be able to tarpit them and hopefully grind them down.

DirtyDeeds wrote:
@Vipoid, want to know an effective way to use a Dark Artisan? Don't deep strike it, make the haemie the warlord for his better fnp bubble, then either hide it and more talos in ruins, or walk up the board. This gives you the opportunity to put everything else in reserve.

The thing is, if I was going to do something like that, I'd probably follow Mushkilla's advice and use 2-4 Talos - rather than the DA. They have more long-range firepower, better melee and aren't stuck as a single unit.

**mercury14**

Corpsethief Claw + Cegorach's Revenge = 1850 points. I'm just sayin'.

Turn two would be absolute hell for your opponent.

**Jimsolo**

Ran a Grotesquerie last night; the game was notable for being the first time ever I have gotten Rampage off.

**Zagaboff**

Thanks for all your input, I've stuck a list on the other section, if you guys could give some cc it would be welcomed

**Homeskillet**

Jimsolo wrote:
Ran a Grotesquerie last night; the game was notable for being the first time ever I have gotten Rampage off.

Pretty nice when that goes off, isn't it?

**Jimsolo**

'Twas amazeballs. Poor tactical squad.