Best role for Harlequins?

I'm bringing a small masquerade (troupe master w/ caress, solitaire, and Shadowseer with 2 5 man caress troupes to support my 25 blaster/cannonborn in Raiders with a Ravager (1750 points)

I've played a couple test games, and I can't find out how to use them without having them mobbed down or shot off the table. How do you guys use them? Would I be better off bringing wyches, hellions, wracks, Haemonculus and a Succubus as my close combat support?

The trouble is with Harlequins is that despite their speed, they're far too delicate not to have in a transport. Too few models in the units due to their cost, meaning that even lne casualty can be severe. Seriously, Starweavers are really good - possibly the best transport in the game imo.
This makes it much harder for your opponent to shoot them off the table, and when it comes to getting them into combat, you can use the Starweaver to absorb the overwatch.

As for their use, I guess it depends on what you want that combat unit to do.

Wyches are more of tarpitting unit, especially because of No Escape, while the Harlies hit far harder and are much more kill-y.

I'd say that such a list has a great concentration of firepower/melee power without ablative wounds and damage mitigation and therefore enemy's target priority is easy. Basically anything he shoots hurts you.

I'd put in some Skyweavers for T1 charge and support of your Solitaire, so you can block off some enemy shooting and have them play with something while you circle and shoot, if you have them. You need to delay the enemy.

Wyches, Succubus, Wrack, Haemi are all great options. Wracks with haemi and Coven Raiders have T6 if they keep nearby.

Deployment and enemy movement mitigation might be your biggest issue. But I think that such elite list is not able to deal with anything like horde list or lots of firepower.

As someone that plays Harlequins and have played well over 20 games with them of 8th so far.

They are AMAZING, especially with Eldar and DE back up (DE Flocks/Ravager and Eldar Fliers or Dark Reapers).

You shouldnt be getting shot off the table much at all.

My normal 8th list is this:

Shadowseer
Shadowseer
Troupe Master; Caress, Fusion Pistol
Solitaire
Troupes x5: x3 Embrace, x2 Caress, x2 Fusion
Troupes x5: x3 Embrace, x2 Caress, x2 Fusion
Troupes x5: x3 Embrace, x2 Caress, x2 Fusion
Troupes x6: x4 Embrace, x2 Caress, x3 Fusion
Starweaver
Starweaver
Starweaver
Starweaver
Razorwing Flocks x2
Razorwing Flocks x2
Razorwing Flocks x2
Ravager
Ravager
Hemlock; Conceal

I also sometimes take out the Razorwing Flocks and the Hemlock to take Skyweaver Jetbikes.

The Hemlock does more raw damage to 1 unit a turn and also is much more survivable, but the Bikes do more utility, idk what i currently like better, the bikes can charge tanks > fall back > shoot something else > charge tank again.


If you want to play DE with Harlequins as a strong CC unit, then taking 2 5mans with all Caress, 1 Shadowseer and 1 Troupe Master each in Starweavers.


As for tips on how to play Harlequins? Dont try to charge turn 1 lol, you need to really play the movement game for a turn or 2, shooting and killing certain things, or using powers to a strong shooting unit to make them -1 to hit against you, -1 to hit and -1 to wound with a 4++ keeps you a live more so than you would think.

Charge from in cover but out of LoS (So no overwatch against you), make sure when you charge they wont be the only threat on the table, if you have 1 or 2 units at the most close to their army and nothing else, well they will just be focus and killed.

PS: I'm going to be doing some Bat Reps of them soon and a few videos talking about them. Working on them now.

I didn't see any vehicles in your harley list. That's probably the issue. As mandatory as they are for Drukhari, they're even more so with Harlequins. Ravagers are probably the best thing to support them, and if you got some spare points, maybe some Razorwings.

@amishprn86 what do you think of a Tantalus with 3x5 blasterborn, an archon, and farseer on bike as a shooting element to support an equal points harlequin force?

ChreeMills wrote:

@amishprn86 what do you think of a Tantalus with 3x5 blasterborn, an archon, and farseer on bike as a shooting element to support an equal points harlequin force?

Trueborn with Blasters? IMO too many eggs in one basket. That is over 600 pts and a lot of AT in one unit. Everyone will shoot it with everything they have.

aurynn wrote:

ChreeMills wrote:

@amishprn86 what do you think of a Tantalus with 3x5 blasterborn, an archon, and farseer on bike as a shooting element to support an equal points harlequin force?

Trueborn with Blasters? IMO too many eggs in one basket. That is over 600 pts and a lot of AT in one unit. Everyone will shoot it with everything they have.

Agree with this. But i like the Tantalus, i ordered one like a month ago, should be in soon. I might play it with my Harlequins for sure going to try a few games with it.

I think 3x5 regular warrior units in a tantalus with blasters would be enough fire support for it. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the feedback guys, sounds like I need harly transports and planes desperately lol

HedonisiusVex wrote:

I think 3x5 regular warrior units in a tantalus with blasters would be enough fire support for it. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the feedback guys, sounds like I need harly transports and planes desperately lol

Yes, Harlequins dont do foot... at all lol.

On paper it just seams feasible because of their speed

HedonisiusVex wrote:

On paper it just seams feasible because of their speed

Isn't there a shadow seer power that lets them move/deepstrike?

Bibitybopitybacon wrote:

HedonisiusVex wrote:

On paper it just seams feasible because of their speed

Isn't there a shadow seer power that lets them move/deepstrike?

Yes but the Shadowseer cant use it on itself and you NEED the shadowseer next to your Troupes so its almost pointless power.

I use it on my Solitaire time to time, i've never used it (in 20+ games with harlequins Shadowseers) on my Troupes. As soon as your Troupes move away from the Shadowseer they take 16.67% more wounds.

The Starweavers are also extremely good vehicle transports, i'd say the 2nd best only beaten by the Wave Serpent, but at least they are a lot cheaper.

Starweavers are my Favorite transports, cheap, effective, puts out good damage and good survivability.

I find that power can be really good on the bikes. Advance with the shadow seer first and move up as far as possible. Move the bikes to the last guy in the unit is 3" away from the shadowseer. Cast power on bikes - guaranteed 1st turn charge.

Aside from that - yeah, either foot quins needs to have some good distractions or they need a transport.

Quote :

Yes, Harlequins dont do foot... at all lol.

Now, that they lost Veil of Tears, naturally. They used to, quite well. Maybe Codex will bring it back, i dont know.

It was always a staple for foot harlies, dont know how to play without one on foot. Maybe on tables with lot of LoS blocking.

The Shadowseer doesn't seem worth the points, unless I'm missing something

I'm thinking harlequin troupes with embraces in a starweaver make a really good substitute for incubi

Seshiru wrote:

The Shadowseer doesn't seem worth the points, unless I'm missing something

I'm thinking harlequin troupes with embraces in a starweaver make a really good substitute for incubi

Shield from harm is OP, and 2 psychic powers per phase very nice. But i don't see him outside of an All-Harlequin force.

Seshiru wrote:

The Shadowseer doesn't seem worth the points, unless I'm missing something

I'm thinking harlequin troupes with embraces in a starweaver make a really good substitute for incubi

..... the Shadowseer is the most important unit in Harlequins, only next to the Starweaver.

Harlequins will get into combat, but the problem you cant kill all the Long Range fire support or even get to them without harm most of the time, the Shadowseer casting -1 to hit on those units and giving you -1 to wound is INSANELY GOOD.

I have Casted the -1 to hit on Storm Ravens and with the Shadowseer next to a 5man unit was able to weather the full shooting of a Stormraven and still have 2 Troupes out of 5 left.

You will get into CC, you will kill the unit and then you will be in the open at least 1-2x a game, even if you out play/move your opponent, you need a Shadowseer.

I don't know what I would do without you guys and all your useful information ( by the way I apparently say that a lot but it's not sarcasm, honestly)

This website is one of the reasons I play the army, the community

lol, npp, when 8th hit i played like crazy, we have a 23/7 club and i was there multi days and some days for 8-12hrs playing, we tested everything we could.

That would be me. When I lived in the same city as a store with a regular group, I was joked about as being the one that lived there. There was an entrance into the hobby room, and I'd enter through there when they opened, set my stuff down and Come into the store from the back (hobby room) and they'd be like "I heard you snoring in the back this morning, tried to be quiet, did I wake you?" Then I'd play/paint all day til my 5 hr pizza delivery shift, and come back to the store til they kicked me out around 10-11pm