Dark Eldar Versus the Universe at the ATC Tournament

That sounds like a lot of fun. Too bad that dork Angel was such a jerk. I recommend a website where you can send glitter to your enemies. This or a horse head.

Thanks for report! I know it isn't a small thign to write 6 reports. Pictures from deplyment add a lot to the report too without being too much work. And Congrats on your performance. Always good to see DE doing well.

Thank you for the report - it's very nice to see the Dark kin consistently kicking ass in a tournament of that size!

If you could refight game 5, vs. the SW/DA army - how would you change your tactics?

That re-rollable jink is tough to get through when we don't have much ignore cover weaponry to choose from (and more than half of that is from LD stuff that doesn't effect fearless and atsknf).

Septimus wrote:

If you could refight game 5, vs. the SW/DA army - how would you change your tactics?

Good Question.

I would spread out my deployment across the entire back edge of my board, ensuring a less than stellar assault from my opponent. I also would focus fire all I can on the unit without feel no pain, hoping to take them out or neuter them into ineffectiveness. Then, when they got close, i would jump over them, and turbo in all different directions. Pretty much make it impossible for him to get a lot of multi charges, and I will be shooting at him all the way.

If I went first, i think I would be able to table him, as he would have to face 2 rounds of shooting before he could strike back.

I would love to have that game over, but with a different opponent.

What excellent reports, thank you for writing them all up. Very well done for your list and games too. Very well played.

Excellent Job, Great to see the Dark Kin doing so well.

You will have plenty of slaves for your Pits. Vect is pleased with you.

A brilliant effort at the tournament, Skulnbonz, and exceptional reporting! Thank you very much for sharing all of this.

Game #5 aside, since your opponent's play was as much a factor as the makeup of either army, it is very nice and reassuring to see DE continue to do so well at this level, given all that has happened in 40K since our last codex came out. And a lot of it seemed fairly effortless on your part, too, thanks to your tactical thinking.

Regarding game #5, I commend you for how you handled it. I am very easy going when it comes to my own mistakes (plentiful) and those of my opponents, but I think even I would have come unglued a fair bit with this jerk. You stayed level-headed throughout and even when you say you 'lost it', it seems like your self-control was still intact. Props to you.

Cheers.

Nice reports! One question though, the jerk in game 5 should have been disqualified for cheating for moving his HQ into coherency? Was there nothing you could do to bring that A-hole down a peg or two? It's all fine and dandy being easy going when you're playing against a gent but when you're playing against a jerk why wouldn't you just stick the knife in and teach them a lesson?

Great list, wonderful reports, and amazing performance for the Dark Kin out there!

Am totally jealous of the 3 incubi units, I have always loved them and never seen how to include them in my lists -- almost makes me want to go and buy all the vehicles to do a similar build! They work so well in this army...

Regarding #5, it is a real trick do deal with sportsmanship and gamesmanship issues in a gentlemanly fashion, but entirely worth it and 100% in your own interests to do so. Performing any actions out of sequence is just ridiculous though, definitely dont let that happen except in friendlies. With the leaving his warlord out of coherency, I would probably point out that that is what was happening during his movement phase to be clear and to be nice, but failing that just go for the throat. If you KNOW he is a tricky opponent you definitely can bring judges in to observe before a key moment at a top table.

If I had mistakenly left my warlord out of coherency despite intending to have him be part of the unit, and you took advantage of that -- fair game to you. If you choose to let me rectify that mistake, then extra sports to you, but really not expected. 40k rules for movement are very clear: "once you've completed a unit's move, you cannot go back and change it, so think carefully before giving the order to advance." Tell him it's like chess.

Anyway, loved the reports, loved the list, thanks for taking the time to write it all up!

Ibushi

Demantiae wrote:

Nice reports! One question though, the jerk in game 5 should have been disqualified for cheating for moving his HQ into coherency?

I laughed at him. I really did. I am 100% sure he wanted to stay in coherency, but he also wanted a charge on my raiders next turn... so he either cheated by going too far and out of coherency, or by picking it up and moving it back.

It was comical. If I did that to him with how wired and tense he was, I think he would have blown a gasket.

But the real reason I let that go is that I was pretty worn down by the constant arguing and snippy comments this guy was making.

Sadly, I did not put in even 1/5th of the garbage that he pulled/ tried to pull.

Like his str 4 guy attacking my venom. he rolled multiple dice, so i know it was not a grenade, and then he looks at me and says "1 pen!"

Um.. a penetrate? From str 4?

So i ask him how.

he flips out! starts ranting about why do I have to question what he is doing, do I think he is cheating, etc etc.

So i reply " I am just trying to figure out how a str 4 guy can pen a av 10 vehicle! does he have rending or something?"

he said "yes"

"This guy" I ask and point.

"Yes"

"Let me see your list again"

uncomfortable silence

"Oh, no, that guy doesn't. Its a glance"



That was my game.

I wanted it to end. So in a way, he cheated and argued so much I did not care anymore.

The games before and the one after made up for it though. Great opponents one and all!

Wow that is really petty and quite shocking, condolences to you and his other opponents.

Last line of defence is maybe start feeding him sugar and alcohol..

Do you think maybe he got to that table by playing like a dick and cheating? Maybe that was his thing? Be a dick and rely on the other guy to be too nice to call him out on the BS. No way I'd have let any of that stand. It's been a very long time since I as anywhere near a tournament so I have no idea but do they ban camera phones at these things? I'd have filmed the chump and called over the marshals. Disgusting gameplay should not be tolerated.

^ this

Awesome stuf, thanks for sharing! It's nice to see a list similar to mine compete/dominate at the higher levels. I have never played in a tournamnet, but after reading your reports, I'm very interested. Seems like you had loads of fun, except for maybe the jerk you played in game 5.

I love how you tell the reader what you were thinking during your games!

This adds so much for me in understanding the flow of the game. Well done skulnbonz! I hope you continue to post all ur batreps in this style!

Im really impressed to see what I consider to be an old school DE list, ie. skimmer spam and incubi kick so much ass. You have inspired me sir!

Couple of ?s...

You seem to rely on a strong alpha strike and then just keep the pressure on and concentrate on obj to win + msu for defence... do you feel the same?

How would you handle going 2nd vs a list with a strong alpha strike? Reserves?

Did u ever feel the lack of ass nades on the incubi?

Thanks again mate!

Painjunky wrote:

You seem to rely on a strong alpha strike and then just keep the pressure on and concentrate on obj to win + msu for defence...  do you feel the same?

How would you handle going 2nd vs a list with a strong alpha strike? Reserves?  

Did u ever feel the lack of ass nades on the incubi?

Thanks again mate!

Thanks!

A strong alpha strike is great. It puts your opponents on their heels and takes them out of their games. Even against a null deploy list with nothing to shoot at, I want to go first. It gives board control over to me rather than my opponent, so he has to react to my moves rather than me to his.
If they are going first, I try to put whatever units I need least up front and center, hoping to bait them into wasting shots at units I don't care about.
In the grand scheme of things, I really don't care too much if he drops some vehicles. I just step out, and shoot him with the occupants. That's why MSU and dark eldar go so well together. We are cheap, but still hit very strong!
Even in kill points missions, it is amazing how close some of those games turn out to be... out of 4, I lost 2 kill point missions (1 by 1 model!) and still won one of those two games.
People make mistakes when they have too much to shoot at.

As for assault grenades on Incubi, yeah, it sucks. Truth is, I will not even get them out of the raiders unless they have a clean path to my opponent. And remember, sometimes if you roll too high, and would reach some models in cover, reroll with fleet. Hope for a lesser result.
I've done that plenty of times!

Thank you so much for those fantastic batreps! I think a lot of players are down on Dark Eldar when they see all the new shiny out there other armies get. But accounts like yours show that we can still hang with the best of them when steered by a good general!

What I love about Dark Eldar and your list shows that, too, is that we don't have to rely on tricks or gimmicks to field strong armies and win. No superheavies, no FMC spam or powerful web formations - just a plain old Kabalite raiding party. All the sweeter!

I used a variant of Skulnbonz's list last night and tabled a Necron Decurion in 4 turns

Count Adhemar wrote:

I used a variant of Skulnbonz's list last night and tabled a Necron Decurion in 4 turns

Batrep or it didn't happen! Seriously though, I struggle mightily against Necrons, could you post a summary of your battle please?

I'll write up a quick summary and post it in a separate thread later so as not to derail this one.

Report here

That is awesome! I love when the Necron players think they are invincible, until they start picking up their models!

wow just read through the games and wow just wow i had goosebumps! well written and exciting, really felt your pain with the Dork angels player

Great bat reps! really pumps me up to finish my army

I imagine in some far flung in a forum far far away (prefferably from you). There is a thread, a post about how terrible you are and how great he is. wouldnt it be great to find it?

You did a good thing, arguing with an idiot is like playing chess with a pidgeon. they are just gonna crap all over the table and act like they won anyway.

still, sounds like you were being bullied. I would have pointed out his warlord immediately. but heck, that could have blown the whole lot.

WOW thanks for all this write up, makes me want to play DE again instead of Corsairs or Harlequins.

Im enjoying the read so far, tho it taking me an hour+ lol (english is harder for me)

CptMetal wrote:

Yeah! That if funky awesome! A dark Eldar mech army might be a good idea actually...! You said it was kill point heavy, but I don't see any kill points in your game. Or am I mistaken?

When the boot was still newer I did some full mech lists and they did really well back then, IDK about now I havent tried http://www.thedarkcity.net/t11937-vehicle-spam-more-than-you-know