Deployment and the Benefits

From my searches around the net as well as strategies I have thought up myself, I present deployment hints and strategies to play mind games with your opponent. Thanks to Natfka, for the Vect and Malys pairing idea. This was so good I barely edited it. Also thanks to others for the Baron idea and the DoW Malys pushback strategy.


Depending on the experience of the player you're facing I have found deployment shennanigans to be very useful. An experienced player will likely play it safe if you have either Lady Malys or Vect in your army (both is also good but getting very expensive at 370 points), which gives you good free rein on the board for a turn - good on fast armies that like getting into position quickly.

Firstly there is the scare factor.

Your opponent goes first. He deploys, you deploy. If you have Vect you seize the initiative on a 4+, making your opponent nervous of you seizing off him and (if he has deployed offensively) shooting on him out of cover. Not so effective against MEQs with high saves, but against Guard or Orks...
This is multiplied if you have Malys. She will redeploy so you have the offensive advantage. This is my favourite tactic for Dark Eldar - the Malys and Vect combination works very well for me due to lucky seizing rolls. Mostly it is small 500 point battles as the other 1500 in my army isn't assembled yet. I can sum up this tactic in a simple(ish) equation:

Long to medium range weapons + redeploy + seize on 4+ = shock to your opponent!

Sathonyx can also work well with Vect. Still fairly expensive HQ choices (345 points) and for me a little less effective than Malys + Vect, but still potent.

In a webway portal list I would take either of these. A Haemoculus zooms to the center of the table and drops a webway portal. If Vect is in your army you will probably have first go, so I would put most of my forces in reserve. With Malys you can redeploy D3 units into reserve. In DoW this is even better, as most of your force is already in reserve and a Haemy in a Raider with a WWP can ensure a quick seize ground.

Back on DoW, there is another way to use Malys. If you have first go, then you can deploy right on halfway mark and push your opponent back, then redeploy yourself back to where your reserves will come in. Deployment control, peoples. Your opponents will hate you.

There are many ways to use Malys effectively in WWP lists, apart from the ones I already mentioned. Vect's Seize on a 4+ is in my opinion a rule that can either ruin your strategy (Seize rolls of 1, I'm looking at you) or set you up for the perfect alpha strike.

Either way, this duo will see many games in my lists. Now if only I could find a reason for Malys actually helping Vect in a fight and not stabbing him in the back...

Ok one question to help me out here. Do you redeploy before or after trying to seize initiative?

Before, so the whole thing fails due to timing.

speedfreek wrote:

Before, so the whole thing fails due to timing.

would be cool if it was after then you can steal initi and redeploy some guys to better places or after you fail you can redeploy for better cover.

speedfreek wrote:

Before, so the whole thing fails due to timing.

Thats true, but...
While I was reading the OP's post I was thinking that you could put Vect's Raider with a squad of Wyches (or escort of choice) way out on the open on one side where your opponent will deploy against it, then after they deploy pop it back in reserve with Maly's ability. Meanwhile your army is off on the other side of the table, out of range of their weapons (using Nightshields) and ready to pounce. You could give Vect's Raider Aethersails, and when he comes on the board sail 24+2D6" where they are needed and near some cover to deploy in once their Raider inevitably gets popped. Then fleet into combat next turn. Could work....

astorre wrote:

speedfreek wrote:

Before, so the whole thing fails due to timing.

Thats true, but...
While I was reading the OP's post I was thinking that you could put Vect's Raider with a squad of Wyches (or escort of choice) way out on the open on one side where your opponent will deploy against it, then after they deploy pop it back in reserve with Maly's ability. Meanwhile your army is off on the other side of the table, out of range of their weapons (using Nightshields) and ready to pounce. You could give Vect's Raider Aethersails, and when he comes on the board sail 24+2D6" where they are needed and near some cover to deploy in once their Raider inevitably gets popped. Then fleet into combat next turn. Could work....

Can't buy upgrades for Vect's Raider if I remember right. But could be wrong.

You can't upgrade the Dais, but you can just put Vect in a unit of Wytches and buy them a Raider.

The problem with any of this is that it's only a 50% chance of siezing the initiative with Vect, and Malys ability is a bit variable.
I prefer the Baron for this kind of shenanigans, then you know you have 1st turn or not (and you may not), barring your opponent siezing. Can't work out what the odds are for the Baron giving you 1st turn but it must be better than 50%.

Cailos wrote:

astorre wrote:

speedfreek wrote:

Before, so the whole thing fails due to timing.

Thats true, but...
While I was reading the OP's post I was thinking that you could put Vect's Raider with a squad of Wyches (or escort of choice) way out on the open on one side where your opponent will deploy against it, then after they deploy pop it back in reserve with Maly's ability. Meanwhile your army is off on the other side of the table, out of range of their weapons (using Nightshields) and ready to pounce. You could give Vect's Raider Aethersails, and when he comes on the board sail 24+2D6" where they are needed and near some cover to deploy in once their Raider inevitably gets popped. Then fleet into combat next turn. Could work....

Can't buy upgrades for Vect's Raider if I remember right. But could be wrong.

That is correct! However I was refering to what Nomic was saying, I apologize for not being clear. (PS. Dont EVER buy the Dias!)
Here are some other things to consider in reference to the OP:
I don't like Malys ability really because if you go second, it doesn't even matter and you just spent your points on a weaker version of an Archon w/ Agonizer and Shadowfield ( which is 30pts cheaper I think).
I literally quit playing with Vect because I think it messes with you just as much as it messes with your opponent. I went second against a Templars list and deployed as if I was going to seize because he had Blessed Hulls, plenty of Termies, and a lot of Land Speeders w/ 48" Missile Launchers. I knew I needed to get the jump on him & when I failed to seize it basically cost me the game. I don't like for my whole strategy to come down to a 50% shot, a great General will stack the odds in his favour.
I still think the Baron is the best we got at manipulating 1st turn. Baron + Vect is nasty, but it's a lot of points and still has some holes in that strategy. Now Baron + some Haemonculi? Perfect....

astorre hit my thoughts on Vect pretty much perfectly. If he let you roll to sieze prior to deployment, then I'd use him a lot. As stands...meh.