Mandrakes vs Scourges

What is everyone's opinions on these guys. Scourges are versatile shooters that can be specialized to take on either anti armor or anti infantry. They have movement speed that is on par with our "ground" vehicles, and can deepstrike but can't do crap in melee. Mandrakes on the other hand have above average shooting with their mortal wounds, their arguably more resilient, and can actually fight in cc and expect good results from them. Are these guys even comparable or is it like comparing apples to oranges?

Different roles, different strategies, different tools, and different battlefield slots.

I think it's more like comparing apples to alternators.

I think a better comparison is for the points and slot does a min unit of scourges do more work than a min unit of mandrakes. I personally really like my scourges. I tend to drop them down with dark lights in cover and start sniping vehicles. The huge movement stat means i basically use them as crisis suits. I jump away when danger gets close. I've also had decent effect with shard carbines as a min unit is throwing out 15 shots and has hella mobility. So they can become great harassers. I don't own any man drakes mostly because the shop and even get site is out of everything cool 40k due to 8th. So I can't speak much on them.

I've used both and each has it's place, used Mandrake's to snipe a marine captain and kill him due to mortal wounds and a hail Mary 10" charge that connected. Scourge wiped out a couple tanks with blasters (with help from Trueborn and ravagers)

Yea mandrakes really are their own niche where I believe its more appropriate to compare and contrast scourge vs trueborn.

in the case scourge vs trueborn I personally think scourges beat them hands down in every category.

Both are very solid choices. But it is a little like comparing Eldar to Necrons. Both fulfill very different roles in our army, and both do so extraordinary well.

I, truly, am very impressed with both this edition. Mandrakes are a very good all around unit, good at shooting MEQ and GEQ, but also outpace a lot of our melee units and give us one of our few sources of Mortal Wounds at range.

Scourges are either some of our most mobile anti-tank or, frankly, the best source of poison in our army. While, admittedly, outside of anti-tank their effectiveness noticeably drops, their high movement means they can be used for character hunting if the need arises. It doesn't matter if you're a Commissar or a Chaplin, unloading four Dark Lances at a single model significantly shortens its life expectancy.

I am a little biased, I'll admit, Scourges are my favorite unit, both in fluff and crunch.

Jimsolo wrote:

Different roles, different strategies, different tools, and different battlefield slots.

I think it's more like comparing apples to alternators.

Deepstriking units that can blast the living bajeesus out of anything in big enough numbers?

Scourges are more anti vehicle, Mandrakes are more anti invuln save. Both are useful if your opponent sank their only long ranged anti tank weapons into a single unit and you want to keep your raiders alive for longer.

But with the price of Scourges, you should try to keep them alive.

On the Trueborn vs scourges, don't you find the lack of a vehicle greatly huts their survivability and makes them a target for weapons that would other wise effectively do nothing against the armoured hull of a vehicle?
In essence giving their army utility by not delivering only one type of target?

Edit: just noticed I'm no longer a slave! woo!

But scourges can deep strike and always maintain high mobility. Trueborn must add in the cost of a venom or raider. I use both trueborn (blasters + venom) and dark light scourge to good effect so far.

LordSplata wrote:

On the Trueborn vs scourges, don't you find the lack of a vehicle greatly huts their survivability and makes them a target for weapons that would other wise effectively do nothing against the armoured hull of a vehicle?
In essence giving their army utility by not delivering only one type of target?

Edit: just noticed I'm no longer a slave! woo!

Usually, I always run my scourges as vehicle snipers. What I mean by this is that I'll usually drop them behind cover in turn 2 or sometimes turn 3 when the fighting has completely enveloped the board. From there they use the dark lance's large range to "snipe". Personally I find that tying vehicles that can't do well in cc with something like my tantalus or even my wyches disables them and then I use the scourges for the killing blow.