New to Dark Eldar - 1250 Points

Hey everyone.

I've always been a Craftworld Eldar player, it's the only army is 40k I've ever owned or painted or played, and I've been dipping in and out of 40k since the early 90s. I've found myself recently growing tired of waiting for a new codex and also frustrated about bascially never winning a game against all the new shiney armies around so I thought I'd given the Dark Eldar a go.

Here's what I've come up with with a possible army having never played Dark Eldar before...I also have never played against them so this is all new to me!

HQ
Duke Sliscus

ELITES
Bloodbrides x9
-Shardnets x2
-Siren with Phantasm Grenades & Agoniser.
-Haywire Grenades x9
Raider x1
-Disintegrator Cannon, Grisly Trophies & Night Shields.

Trueborn x5
-Blasters x4
-Dracon with Blast Pistol & Venom Blade
Venom x1
-Double Splinter Cannons & Night Shields.

Trueborn x5
-Blasters x4
-Dracon with Blast Pistol & Venom Blade
Venom x1
-Double Splinter Cannons & Night Shields.

TROOPS
Kabalite Warriors x10
-Splinter Cannon x1
-Sybarite with Venom Blade
Raider x1
-Dark Lance, Splinter Wracks & Night Shields

Kabalite Warriors x10
-Splinter Cannon x1
-Sybarite with Venom Blade
Raider x1
-Dark Lance, Splinter Wracks & Night Shields

TOTAL 1250 Points

My main worry is that vehicles are so easy to pop now days and explosions will kill lots of units being transported. But then I figured with Dark Eldar you had to take the vehicles and just move and hide.

The other thing is, 90% of the people I play against are Space Marines or Necrons, so pretty tough armies so any advice as to how to best neutralise those would be great

Lastly, I'm a pretty stubborn player and if I don't like a unit, even if it's good, I won't use it. So having read about everything in the codex I don't want to use Wracks, Grotesques, Mandrakes or any Haemonculi. I don't think I can be talked out of that decision as I don't like any of the lore for them or any of the the models, but is not using those a mistake? I obviously at the moment have no idea of what units are effective and not

Sorry for the wall of text...I'll stop now!

it looks like you are planning on putting the duke with the bloodbrides i would suggest putting him with a group of warriors because he makes their poison 3+ instead of 4+ after he starts with that unit he could jump out and in with the bloodbrides

i personaly don't run the unit leaders. i would drop those and see about trying to work in a ravager or two especially if you play necrons and space marines a lot. if you don't like the bloodbrides you could try incubi they got armor and power weapons and if you take a klaivex (only unit i take a leader in) he can have a power weapon that is AP2

Ok thanks. I'm so used to playing Eldar I just think of adding Exarch when ever there is a squad leader option, so I naturally jusr do that as the first thing always. I did think about Incubi but as stupid as it sounds, I don't like finecast so I ruled them out. I've very picky with armies and models so it does make it hard for me to build anything good sometimes. If I don't like the look of a model, or the fluff or even the name I won't use them even if they're good. Just the way my brain is

One thing I also wanted to ask about Duke Sliscus. The rules for his weapons say "any to wound rolls of a 5+ ignore armour saves". Now I take that as ignores all armour saves but two of my friends are saying no it means they counts as ap3 power swords. Who is correct in this debate?

i have played him as ignored all armor because it says ignore armor saves not that it is a power weapon. Basically its his skill with a blade. Lelith has a similar rule but she always ignores armor. You could look it up in the erata, but i am certain its all armor.