Dark Eldar raid Turku Fanatic 1500pts

This Autumns biggest tournament here in Finland was this time 1500pts almost everything allowed. 44 players with presubmitted lists. My list was the following:

Archon, hb, sf aom, Venom 205
5 Kabalite, bl Venom 120
5 Kabalite, bl Venom 120
5 Kabalite, bl Venom 120
5 Kabalite, bl Venom 120
6 Reavers, 2bl, 2cc 146
6 Reavers, 2bl, 2cc 146
5 Scourge, 4 Hwb, 120

Heamy 70 (WL)
3 grots, Raider, dl 165
3 grots, Raider, dl 165
1497

1. Game (Crusade/cleans DoW)
My opponent was Tau (1 riptide, buffmander with 3 plasma chrisis, 3 missilesides, pathfinders, Skyray, hammerhead, FW in fish and some kroots and ”invisible” assassin) He got to go first but I stole. Long game short: It was over after my 1st turn as I shot buffmander as well as one suit (run of the board after -3LD check) and forced jink on Skyray. Broadsides were deployed to my right hand side and out of range of everything with pathfinders. Easy 20-0 victory for me. MVP Reavers (killed assassin with HoW, shot devilfish and assaulted fire warrior to oblivion)

2. Game (Big Gunz/Tac escalat H&A)
Former ETC team captain with WS/AM list (Blob with LC, Conscripts, Wyvern, 3 Centurions, 2 scouts, and a Sentinel) I deployed first and he started deploying at the same time to the front of his deployment. After I was ready he moved to back field and my venoms were out of range. I let him have the first turn. Nothing happened in the first three turns as neither of us wanted to get in to the killing field in the middle. I deep struck a Raider with 3 grots to his backfield and managed to explode his Wyvern. But like previous edition I didn’t disembark and he surrounded me with platoon command and wrecked my rider killing the grots in the same go. In the end I was able to keep the blobs out of midfield and kill the outflancking scouts from my end to 11-9 victory. 2 stupid mistakes that luckily didn’t cost the game for me. AM is not good in 1500pts games. MVP: Again I have to say the Reavers but not by big margin to the Venoms and Raiders.

3. Game (Emperors’/Contact lost DoW)
This time against CSM/DAE list that was paper to my scissors. (2 units of Spawns with bike sorcerers, Belakor, 2 Cultists, GUO and 2 nurglings. Got the steal trait from Strategic table and used to faster ending of the game. 1st turn Belakor died and Guo took 3 wounds. My Second turn Grots were attacking Spawns to good effect. By turn three opponent had nurglings and cultists left. 20-0 for me. MVP: Grots. they charged the spawns and won the combat thus finishing final victory for me.

After 3 games I had 51/60 points and a 4th place overal. Before me were Rush Deamons, Eldar, Necrons And I was tied with Orks followed by Eldar/Tau. A good day!

4. Game (Scourging/Deadlock VanS)
I was paired downward and the Eldar/Tau instead of Necrons (Jetseer, WK, 2 Serpents, Spiders, Bastion and Fireblade Cadre. Both Eldar and Necrons were played by International level players. I won the roll to go first and deployed everything in the front line. He deployed bastion to the front and both Missilesides in/on it. Riptide and WK was far in the corner. No steal. T1 every venom and most kabalites shot the Broadsides on top of the bastion killing them. Scourges shot the Bastion with one Raider failing to do anything. Archon and his Grots flied right next to bastion and Reavers turboed to threaten his Serpents next turn. In return Broadsides inside bastion opened on both Reaver teams killing 3-4 from both but passing LD. Serpents tried to shoot Raiders but jink and poor shield rolls made the day. Riptide(ion&melta) and WK was ineffective too as usual against DE. Next turn Scourged managed to score 2 pens and a glancing hit on Bastion forcing its occupants to snapfire. 1 Serpent was assaulted by the Grots and the second one by Reavers. Both wrecked. WK took 3 wounds from Venoms. His T2 didn’t begin well when he failed to kill the scourges that could kill bastion and force its occupant’s right next to my grots. Spiders too failed to inflict single result to my jinking Raider. Opponent conceded and was mentally crushed by having lost so miserably to DE with his Eldar. MVP: Reavers and grots in that order. Dead serpent is always a good sight on battlefield.

Before last game I was still tied to the same Ork player with Deamons before us and Eldar behind.

To be continued with last game...

Vasara wrote:

I was paired downward and the Eldar/Tau instead of Necrons (Jetseer, WK, 2 Serpents, Spiders, Bastion and Fireblade Cadre.

I'm amazed that they managed to squeeze that lot into a 1500 list. I did a quick calculation and I make it 1455 with absolute minimum squad sizes and no upgrades at all other than the Seer's bike.

The actual list was:

Primary Detachment: ELDAR CAD
HQ:1 Farseer, bike
Troop1: Dire Avengers
Troop2: Dire Avengers
FA1: Warp Spyders
HS1: Wraith Knight
Transport 1: Wave Serpent, Twin-Scatterlaser, Shuriken Cannon
Transport 2: Wave Serpent, Twin-Scatterlaser, Shuriken Cannon

Fortification: Bastion

Formation: FIRE SUPPORT CADRE
Riptide, Ion Accelrator, Fusion, Ewo
3 Broadsides, Hymp, Sms, Target lock
3 Broadsides, Hymp, Sms

very intereting to read how well you performed so far, well done :-)

Are you running the haemi and archon each in one of the grotesque units?

5. Game (Purge/Spoils DoW)
And of course I got the Eldar and Daemons battled Orks next to us. It was a very strait forwards list with Mantle jetseer, 2 WK and 4 Serpents with Ghost walks and holos. I rolled for strategic trait and got 5+ steal. At that point my opponent said that now I made sure that I don’t steal. I lost the roll to go first and He deployed right to the middle. I deployed to the right to evade some of the fire. I didn’t steal although I tried. T1 I lost both Raiders and one unit of Reavers was dominated. Long walk for my Grots. In two turns I was able to easily kill both WKs. Serpents backed up just staying 18” from my grots killing Reavers, Venoms and Kabalites. Most annoying was the Farseer though. With Terrify, Scream and Dominate he was able to slow my advance so that I could never really threaten the Serpents. I managed to stay on the same pace with maelstrom cards but I lost the game to killpoints. After 5 turns I was 10 points behind and no way possible to get even since I couldn’t kill those serpents. I managed to deepstrike scourges in to a good position to shoot 1 Serpent but Jink canceled all three glances that I got. Next turn they died horribly. 0-20 loss from final game and 7th position overall. MVP: Kabalites probably. Grots pushed Serpents before them during the whole game so that I had most of the board for me but kabalites managed to produce almost only threat to Serpents. The guy playing Eldar ascended to the 1st place of Finnish 40k ranking even though he didn’t win the tournament. Victory went to the Orks.

In the end I was satisfied with new DE book and Heamy supplement. Scourges were a huge disappointment and they are going to get shelved in the future. Reavers and Grots all the way.  And more Raiders for grots if they get shot if you don’t get the first turn.

Quote :

Are you running the haemi and archon each in one of the grotesque units?

I run them in the same squad to have fearless for Archon the first turn. Next time though when opponent has Dominate I'll split them. LD3 is a big sign that says "we need to be dominated"

Vasara wrote:

Victory went to the Orks.

Huh. Kinda awesome to hear that, even though I would have preferred to hear you had won!

Regardless, congrats on your many successful wins!
I really enjoyed reading your report Vasara, super insightful and lots of tidbits I'm going to try and adapt into my play style and lists.

Do you remember which results you rolled on the "Latest Experiments" table for the Grotesquerie formation you ran? Also, did you ever find yourself wishing you'd upgraded a Grotesque to an Aberration and given him a special weapon at all?

Have you found the heat lances to be useful on the reavers? I am thinking that I would just prefer the caltrops to keep the unit cheaper, but awesome.

I really want to try that grot formation as it looks like lots of fun. Was also thinking that if you don't use the heat lances often you could drop them for an aberration with agoniser or something else cool.

I like scourges lots, but think that if you take scourges then you should take two units. I am really on the fence about on how I want to take my fast attack for dark eldar. I want either 1 razorwing and 2 scourge units. OR 2 razorwing and 6-9 reavers with caltrops, OR 1 Razorwing with 2x6 reavers with caltrops?... ohhhh the choices

Asiaa!

Well another Finn here, kudos on your awesome wins!

- Lost Vyper

Laughingcarp wrote:

Vasara wrote:

Victory went to the Orks.

Huh. Kinda awesome to hear that, even though I would have preferred to hear you had won!

Regardless, congrats on your many successful wins!
I really enjoyed reading your report Vasara, super insightful and lots of tidbits I'm going to try and adapt into my play style and lists.

Do you remember which results you rolled on the "Latest Experiments" table for the Grotesquerie formation you ran? Also, did you ever find yourself wishing you'd upgraded a Grotesque to an Aberration and given him a special weapon at all?

I remember not rolling 4+ FNP, but getting Rage twice. Rage is not so good as I want to multiple charge most of the time to activate Rampage. No Aberration for me in this codex. I want to keep those Grots cheap as they can be easily in the wrong end of the board. AP3 is not nearly good enough for it's price. Ap2 I might concider. Mass wounding is good enough most of the time.

Colinsherlow wrote:

Have you found the heat lances to be useful on the reavers? I am thinking that I would just prefer the caltrops to keep the unit cheaper, but awesome.

I really want to try that grot formation as it looks like lots of fun. Was also thinking that if you don't use the heat lances often you could drop them for an aberration with agoniser or something else cool.

I like scourges lots, but think that if you take scourges then you should take two units. I am really on the fence about on how I want to take my fast attack for dark eldar. I want either 1 razorwing and 2 scourge units. OR 2 razorwing and 6-9 reavers with caltrops, OR 1 Razorwing with 2x6 reavers with caltrops?... ohhhh the choices

I had Blasters. They add a lot to the unit and they are cheap. Previously I was a supporter of blaster but that I want to assault with reavers too heat lance might be good too. But that S8 is needed so much when not killing tanks.

Thanks for commenting guys.