Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I've got a battle with a Shadow Sword coming up and I've never played one before. I'm using a wraith Knight and probably other wraith guard/fighter units. Any tips on beating it with Eldar?

Moving to 40k General Discussion

Dark Reapers, even if they are more expensive now. Take a Dark Eldar spearheard and bring 3 Ravagers. Make sure to put anything that actually could hurt it in the webway or in a Wave Serpent. If you go 2nd, you protect them from being deleted. If you go first, they can just arrive, even with the beta rules or disembark (which is one of the reasons Reapers are good).

Honestly - takeing a WK against a Shadowsword is a big mistake. If you have a scoripian - that is the super heavy you should be using. You can deep strike it for 1 command point so you can't be blown up turn 1 - then it will help big time in taking the shadowsword out.

The shadowsword has a really good chance to 1 shot a WK. WG however could actually be really effective against it - depends on what the rest of his army looks like but WG have a nice weapon for killing shadow swords. Crimson hunters are pretty good against AM too - the wounding on 4's kinda hurts but you can make up for that with doom and at least with AP-4 he wont be getting a save from the bright lances. Plus whats best is you are -1 to hit vs shooting so most of his army can only hit you on 5's (in other words he wont shoot at them) Also - fireprisms are great too. Those are my suggestions (tip - shoot the medium power profile on this vs tanks - never shoot the top profile unless you are shooting at a t10 tank - and always use the linked fire stratagem)

Thanks. My original idea was to stack my WK with conceal and Jynx/protect and use a warlord traits to get rerolls to hit. The only issue being I have to give up a weapon to use a shimmer shield.

Another idea was to kit it out with sunn cannons and focus on killing his custodians, which I always struggle with (sun cannons will do great). And deep strike/wave serpant WG's and Fire Dragons. The only issue being that you cannot hide a WK. Especially with a 120" volcano cannon.

Well, a Shadowsword can annihilate any superheavy (24-28 wounds) in one or two rounds of shooting.
I did it recently against an AdMech army running an IK which was down to 2 wounds after round 1.
The enemy will bubble wrap it so that you short range shooters like Fire Dragons will have a hard time to get close enough.

I think I'm going to go with vypers and war walkers with bright lance's with dark reapers. Those three units are averaging out at 24.2 wounds on the tank if they all hit (with the war walkers hitting on 4's for coming off the board with scout). I'm going to focus the WK on killing custodians with sun cannons and star cannons which is averaging out at 5.8 wounds a turn (damn 4++) with warlock skyrunners adding protection with conceal and jynx.

Let's hope I go first.

If I don't I'll be using fire and fade for the vypers to shoot. The war walkers will be waiting off the board with scout and the dark reapers can hide around a corner and move n shoot (since they don't get affected by modifiers).

Why do you ask for advice if you dont listen?

Do. Not. Take. A. Wraithknight.

Taking one of the worst Superheavies in the game versus the most overpowered one which also specializes in killing other superheavies is just ... not smart.

Your knight is going to melt turn 1.

Morkphoiz wrote:
Why do you ask for advice if you dont listen?

Do. Not. Take. A. Wraithknight.

Taking one of the worst Superheavies in the game versus the most overpowered one which also specializes in killing other superheavies is just ... not smart.

Your knight is going to melt turn 1.

In fairness, they are listening. The advice you're trying to give wasn't what was asked for.

They asked for advice on dealing with a Shadow Sword *given* that they *will* be taking a Wraith Knight. We can comment all day on the merits of Shadow Swords over Wraith Knights, but the OP is clearly aware that the SS can kill the WK - hence the thread.

Can we not help them with their requested issue, while accepting they can take the unit they wish to? Preferably also without the implication toward their intelligence... :/

Well if you have to take a wraith knight - take suncannon shimmersheild. It's the best option.

Your best chance for the WK to survive is for you to go first. So make sure you have less drops than him. Take lots of wave serpents (probably WG or firedragons inside to deal with those custodes)
Crimson hunters
Fireprisms.
Support D cannons
Warwalkers (starcannons or bright lance)

10 Wraithguard deployed via the Webway stratagem. Should average about 15 wounds on a Shadow Sword with a single volley, even before any psychic buffs.

A mate and I just bought both the shadow sword and the wraith knight each and we both thought we would battle them for fun. It's not a competitive game.


Thanks for all your ideas chaps!

The Shadowsword tank carries a Volcano Cannon, which will one-shot pretty much anything short of a real titan, 5 twin-linked heavy bolters, and 4 lascannons.

It's going to be rough to deal with. It will be able to wipe out about a tank, a squad, and maybe half to all of another tank in a turn, and it's fairly challenging to destroy.

You're going to probably want a high redundancy in antitank weapons, and you're going to want to avoid things that are expensive single targets in favor of a saturation of cheap targets. Though that's just a good rule in general, to avoid large single-target units.

Also, I'm pretty sure that warlocks can't buff a wraithknight, due to the knight not being infantry, or bike.

You should also keep in mind, if he plays tallarn(sp?) then he can keep his shadow sword in ambush preventing it from being alpha striked.

Shadowswords are dedicated anit titan/ LoW gun platforms. So MSU will benefit you far more than a big LoW.

If you need to take a wraithknight or really want to. Try your best to give it as many saves as possible and the best saves possible and keep it in reserve. It can and probably will be 1 shotted (the naff BS may well help you a lot). So keeping it in the game as long as possible is the biggest thing in my opinion.

As long as you put the scattershield on the wraithknight it will more often than not survive a shot from the volcano cannon, it will just more than likely be crippled. Don't let people make the shadowsword out to be the boogeyman. Just hit it with strength 8 or higher weapons with high AP from deepstrike and it will disappear off the board. Don't expect to kill it before it fires because it can be "ambushed" in using the Tallarn strategem if he plays that regiment and doesn't put sponsons on it. Keep in mind, he doesn't have the luxury of an invul save like every other titanic seems to get.

For those people still whining about shooting from the treads, I'll stop shooting from the treads when you stop wrecking the whole tank by shooting at a barely visible sprocket.

You should assume that the Shadosword is screened by Guardsmen. It costs nothing to do that, and even if you aren't playing beta rules, you won't land in range anyway.

I would say bring a some fire prisms and linked fire into the Shadowsword. He will probably target the Wraithknight first, because why not, and he will 1 shot it (get ready for it mentally).

You desperately need to go first. Use your Wraithknight as hard as you can before your opponent gets his first turn. Make him have no choice but to shoot it with the Shadowsword and hope to kill that with the rest of your army.