First Tourney - 1500 Advice

Hi all. Going to try to get to my first ever tournament here in the near future and am contemplating my list. It's a 1500, bound armies, formations allowed ... and in this tournament you can have an additional fast attack (others have extra HQ, extra heavy, etc...). Oddly I'm not really using that in these lists but I'd really like to get some input on the thoughts I've had so far...

List 1
HQ- Archon (Haywire, Agoniser, Shadowfield, SoulTrap, Helm of Spite)
Troops- 3 5-man warrior squads, 2 with blasters, all with venoms
Fast- Razorwing with Dark Lances
Fast- Scourges, 3 with haywire
Fast- Venom
Heavy- 2 Ravagers with Dark Lances
Formation - Grotesquerie
2 Grotesques, 1 Aberration in a raider in each group, one with Haemy with Scissorhand
1495pts

List 2
HQ- Archon (Haywire, Agoniser, Shadowfield, SoulTrap, Helm of Spite)
Troops- 3 5-man warrior squads each with blaster, all with venoms
Fast- Scourges, 3 with haywire
Fast- Venom
Heavy- 3 Ravagers with Dark Lances
Formation - Grotesquerie
2 Grotesques, 1 Aberration in a raider in each group, one with Haemy with Scissorhand
1495pts

List 3
HQ- Archon (Agoniser, Shadowfield, SoulTrap, Helm of Spite)
Elite- 4 Grotesques in Raider
Troops- 3 5-man warrior squads each with blaster, all with venoms
Fast- Razorwing with Dark Lances
Fast- 6 Reavers, 1 an Arena Champion, 2 HeatLance, 2 Cluster Caltrops
Fast- Scourges, 3 with haywire
Heavy- 3 Ravagers with Dark Lances
1496pts

List 4
HQ- Archon (Agoniser, Shadowfield, SoulTrap, Helm of Spite)
Elite- 2 Incubi and Klaivex in Raider (Plan was to put Archon here ... and I don't have another Venom right now)
Troops- 4 5-man warrior squads each with blaster, all with venoms
Fast- Scourges, 3 with haywire
Heavy- Ravagers with Dark Lances
Heavy- Cronos with Spirit Probe
Heavy- 3 Talos with Heat Lances
1500pts


From what I understand there are normally about a dozen players and it doesn't sound like power lists normally, a few fliers here and there. It's not a large store and it is a store run tournament...

Thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts!

for the list with Grotesquerie formation try add to your haemunculo SYNDRIQ’S SUMP so you dont lose the drug bonus if you get fleet and this is not a expencive upgrade
and i see that you have the model for the Dark Artisans formation so if you can make a list for then do this formation is strong if you use them well and in relic games this can be a free will if you drop then in the right time

Here's a question, can an Archon join the Dark Artisan formation as he would any other unit?

I'm working on a list with that formation instead of the Grotesquerie and part of my thinking was "what will I put the archon with?".  Then I got to thinking if I could keep him held back and rush him up to join the Dark Artisan when they came in that could work.

I'm also considering dropping the Helm of Spite so that I have enough points to make a three man incubi squad ... but I'd really rather have a 4 man squad if I'm taking Incubi.  (Basically I used list 2 above, removed the grotesques, added the dark artisan with webway and liquifiers and that left me with 35 points without other changes...)

So questions...

-What are people's thoughts on the Helm of Spite?

-Is a 3 man Incubi squad with archon worth it?  I really prefer a 4 man with Archon but is 3 workable?

-Is the liquefier still strong enough that if I dropped in the formation with 2 of them and the spirit syphon it would make sense?  Would I be better off using those 30 points elsewhere (another incubi/klaivex?)?

AvInNebr wrote:

Here's a question, can an Archon join the Dark Artisan formation as he would any other unit?

Afraid not - the Independent Character rule specifically forbids joining a unit with a Monstrous Creature in it.

AvInNebr wrote:

-What are people's thoughts on the Helm of Spite?

-Is a 3 man Incubi squad with archon worth it?  I really prefer a 4 man with Archon but is 3 workable?

-Is the liquefier still strong enough that if I dropped in the formation with 2 of them and the spirit syphon it would make sense?  Would I be better off using those 30 points elsewhere (another incubi/klaivex?)?

1. I think it's okay and not a bad inclusion for a TAC list, albeit not a great one either.

2. If you think 4 is workable I see no reason why 3 would not be. As a potential cheaper '4 man' I'd also note that the Klaivex upgrade is pretty affordable and the extra attacks almost equal an additional Incubi.

3. The liquifier is a big pile of 'eh...okay'. It's not brilliant, but it's not a joke either. I wouldn't really build a strategy around it though.

Of your presented lists I like #2 the best.

Thanks Thor! I had forgotten the rule about IC's and MC's. Oh well, not really a big deal.

I'm not sold on the Helm yet either, and the liquifiier in the old codex would have been a certain add for me but not so much at S3 now.

I think list 2 was what I was leaning towards as well. No flier but it may not have come in until T4 anyway and I could face no flier or multiple fliers so the Ravager being a sure thing to have on the board from the start is nice.

Instead of the Helm in that list perhaps the points (and 5 leftover points) are better spent on perhaps the Animus Vitae and Blaster (removing the haywire)? It too is a bit of a hit or miss one trick pony type item, and I hate that against a lot of armies you're going to get nothing out of it 50% of the time, but increasing the PfP turn by 1 isn't bad. Still, 20 points for something you first have to hit with then hope it wounds (and they fail any cover save if they get one), just to advance the turn by 1 isn't a great points cost.

I'll continue to consider the best use of those points and listen to any advice here as well.

Thanks again for the input...