Need help with Dark Eldar allies for Harlequins

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**DorianGray**

As you guys know Harlequins are lacking some realistic AT options as an Army. The voidweaver is pretty bad, and star bolas on their jetbikes are pretty unreliable, and their troupes using fusion pistols are the best way to blow themselves up.

I'm running the grand epic large Cegorach's Revenge Formation for fluffy goodness which roughly comes out to a little over 1000 points. I'm trying to ally in a Dark Eldar CAD (1 HQ 2 Troops) to bring some Anti-Vehicle to the table so I actually have a chance against non-fluff armies for 1500 point games which is the standard.

Cegorach's Revenge is the full Harlequin masque:

3x Troups
3x Shadowseers
3x Death Jesters
1x Solitarie
1x Voidweaver
2x Skyweavers

I'm thinking one of two options:

Option A: 1 cheap HQ (around 50-60 pts), 2x totally bare bones 5 man Warrior squads, 3x Ravagers - comes out to slightly over 500 points.

or

Option B: 1 cheap HQ (around 50-60 pts), 2x total bare bones 5 man Warrior squads, 3x 5-man squads of Scourges with 4x Blasters each squad for slighly under 500 points.

I'd really appreciate advice on which cheap HQ I should take because I feel regardless of whomever I take they'll be pretty useless with the other Dark Eldar CAD units (can't join the Harlequins troup either because they each have a shadowseer which means no room in the starweavers). The only thing I could think of is maybe a Sccubus going it solo to tag-team with the Solitaire?

And of course the merits of: 3x Squads of Scourges vs 3x Ravagers. I understand the Ravagers lost aerial assault and are not great in this edition while Scourges were buffed.

Any thoughts?

**ALEXisAWESOME**

If your looking purely for Anti-tank, you won't find a more reliable source then Scourges with Haywire Blasters. They are considerably cheaper then Blasters, and are actually much more reliable anti-tank due to glancing on a 2+. I would suggest 2 units of Haywire and 1 unit of Heat Lances, just incase you *need* something to go boom.

Secondly, have you considered the benefit of Raiders over Starweavers? When equip with Night Shields they have exactly the same cost, 5pts more if you want a Dark lance (which I'd recommend). In many circumstances a 3+ Jink is better then a 5++/4++ invulnerable save and obviously 3 hull points is better then 2 and also the extra room will allow you to fit in the Dark Eldar HQ and get more Harlequins in each boat for bigger points values. And never underestimate the bonus of the model itself, because it is such a long model it is better to assault out of then the Starweaver.

If you make this change, then by using the points saved by taking Haywires instead of Blasters (20pts for each unit, so saved 60pts. 15pts for 3 Dark Lances, so 45pts extra to spend on HQ's) you could fit in a Succubus with Armour of Misery (great for Harlequin Ldship shenanigans) and an Archite Glaive if points allow. Some assured AP 2 might be nice.

Out of interest, what Harlequin weapons have you armed your Harlequins with?

**vipoid**

DorianGray wrote:
As you guys know Harlequins are lacking some realistic AT options as an Army.

Wait, you want better anti-tank... and your solution is to use Dark Eldar?

I'm seeing a flaw here.

**ALEXisAWESOME**

vipoid wrote:
DorianGray wrote:
As you guys know Harlequins are lacking some realistic AT options as an Army.

Wait, you want better anti-tank... and your solution is to use Dark Eldar?

I'm seeing a flaw here.

Don't be like that. Dark Eldar honestly do provide better Anti-Tank on the cheap then Craftworld Eldar. For the price of 1 Wave Serpent with 5 Dragons in you could get at least 2 Scourges. Dark Eldar synergies better with Harlequins then Craftworlders ever will. Harlequins need larger assault vehicles, Dark Eldar have assault vehicles, Harlequins need High AV anti-tank (mass Shurikan Cannons can deal with Av 10-11), Dark Eldar pack many lances and Haywire. Harlequins need beefy assault units to distract from the fragile Harlequins, Dark Eldar have Grotesques, the Beast Pack and to an extent Reavers. Harlequins need eyes in the skies, Dark Eldar have one of the best point for point flier in the game offensive wise.

All Eldar bring to the table is more Psykers and Crimson Hunters. Sure, you could throw in a Wraithknight and some Scatbikers, but then at that point why would you take the Harlequins at all? I know it sounds weird, but this is something Dark Eldar are distinctly better then CWE for.

**Frozocrone**

Swooping Hawks do it better imo. Cheaper than Scourge too.

Only thing Scourge have over them is range since Hawks have to be in CC to use nades but with 18" movement and re-roll to charge that shouldn't be a problem.

I will admit that Harlequins have better synergy with DE than Craftworlds, but that's due to Ld debuffs. Everything else Craftworlds do better.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh except assault transports, Raiders and Venoms do that well

**DorianGray**

I can't use raiders for the troupers due to fluff reasons. So no one is defending the Ravagers over the Scourges? Hm.

I will also make a Craftworld allied detachment too but I want the ability to run both (not at the same time) with my main Harlequin masque.

I guess 3x squads of haywire Scourges it is. Do you recommend I only take the minimum 5 models?

**Frozocrone**

Ravagers got progressively worse over the editions. The final nail in the coffin was losing Aerial Assault which meant that it could no longer fire all three weapons while moving 12".

Keep Scourge as 5 man with 4 Special Weapons (being either Lance or Haywire). Maybe a character upgrade and Haywire if you have points but that's the last thing you do.

**vipoid**

ALEXisAWESOME wrote:

Don't be like that. Dark Eldar honestly do provide better Anti-Tank on the cheap then Craftworld Eldar.

No, they really don't.

ALEXisAWESOME wrote:
For the price of 1 Wave Serpent with 5 Dragons in you could get at least 2 Scourges.

I'm not sure that's an improvement.

You have 10 scourges with 8 haywire shots, which are T3 models with 4+ saves.

Against that you have an AV12 fast transport that puts out 7 S6 shots by itself (plus 2d6 additional S6 shots once per game), and then 5 meltaguns inside that can run and shoot in the same turn and get +1 on the vehicle damage table.

As well as being better and more survivable than the scourges, their weapons are just a league ahead of the scourges - not to mention that their weapons are also effective against MCs, TEQ and such - whilst Haywire is virtually worthless against non-vehicle targets.

ALEXisAWESOME wrote:
Dark Eldar synergies better with Harlequins then Craftworlders ever will.

That may be true. But, in that case, you're still not taking them for their anti-vehicle.

Also, I feel I should point out that I never actually mentioned Eldar. My point was simply that, if you're going to take allies to cover a weakness, it seems bizarre to choose allies that have that exact same weakness. It would be like a SoB player saying "Hmm, I'd like to include more melee units - better get me some Imperial Guard."