8th ed Deployment

So in 8th you can only reserve half your units max and only if they have the ability to do so in their stats. This means mandrakes and scourge are the only things going into reserve until a codex comes and changes things, but they're also fairly cheap. There's also a rule that whoever finishes (the alternating) deployment first gets first turn. Now this comes down to Model's placed, not units taken. So two 5-man units in a raider, whilst counting as 3 units (and allowing you to reserve 3 other units) only counts as one deployment drop when placed. With these rules it should be very easy to stack MSU units in transports and take a ton of scourge/mandrakes (making full use of multiple detachments to stack CPs) in reserve and all but ensure you get first turn with a ton of pin point deep striking units to be exactly where you need them to be. Are DE going to be one of the top tier alpha-strikers now?

I know I am happy with the new scourges! The only question I have for them is load out. Heat lance the the most expensive option we have and HWB is different. I guess is all about importance of mortal wounds.

I'm thinking heat lance on character hunters (can double as hunting artillery in the backfield and vehicles that are playing hide and seek with you), dark lance if you want to put some in the backfield to create crossfire or maybe keeping the carbines and adding a couple cannons or splinters and use them to soften up units and as (late game) assault troops.

Based on one game experience (mostly a Wych cult/assault heavy):
Vehicles are really quite durable, ours and theirs. So you can put all of your vehicles on the front line without worrying about losing half of them.

Characters have to be the closest unit, not the closest visible. So protecting them really isn't that bad. But having them in a transport turn 1 is probably a good idea. I wish I had a unit if Mandrakes to nuke an enemy character or two though.

Airplanes are going to take a bit of work to figure out. I basically flew in a box around the edge of the battle. Deploying more then one sounds difficult... Maybe on a full 4x8 board...

Heat Lance if you dont need dedicated AT. HL's will need 5+ most times against vehicles so will HWB, but you will always do a mortal wound with HWB on a 4+ even if you dont wound on that 4, its still a mortal wound. With that said, DL's are more of a better AT now than a few Haywire shots (Imo at least, i need to do the hard math).

I personally like them with HL's.

Mandrakes are good at Mortal Wounds too, having 1 unit is a good idea (if you have the points), minus to hit against them and a 5++ with a 6+++ is nice.

About being more of a null deploy army? sure we can, but we are so much more survivable and faster there really isnt a need too currently (until the meta figures everything out.)

I have my 6 mandrakes with harly swords I love them. However i also have a visarch and yncarni so im back and forth on strength from death or pfp.