600 TAC list, slay the warlord mission 401/600

Hello again everyone, I thank both of the people in my other topic that responded and I took everything said there to heart.

Seeing as the " missions ", for the leage I´m planning to participate in has been released I have been playing around with the lists I have made and wanted some feedback from well, anyone really.

The mission is primarily kill the warlord with some secondary objectives.

The list I thought up on, after the last topic was somewhat kabalite heavy, but I have changed it up a little.
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HQ
Archon w/agonizer & blaster 76

TROOP
5x kabalite w/ blaster - 50

HEAVY SUPPORT
Reaper -150

TRANSPORT
Raider w/dissy

This all rounds up to 401 / 600 and this is where its harder for me to pick.
I do think I need a transport for my own HQ, as otherwise my opponent would wipe him with his first DS unit, but maybe at 600p I should be able to get by anyway?

# Is the reaper worth having, or should I drop it in favor of more kabalites or something else.
# I can squeeze in quite a few mandrakes, to kill blobs and threaten his warlord should he misposition.
#Should I try to get as many raiders as possible, and if so is the dissy cannon worth sacrificing other areas for?

I realize that, at this point level its impossible to prepare for everything but being a fairly competitive player/person I do want to optimize/prepare as well as possible which includes asking more experienced players.

This is also more geared towards a TAC-list, as most of the players in the leage with me are older ones with multiple armies.

So Slay the warlord in 600 Points. The best approach for this cheap units on the field to allow more units to deepstrike. I think you want a one two three etc punch Where you deepstrike a couple units to a place there warlord isn't surrounded. If they are surrounded try to kill the units there.

You might have to get very comfortable with mandrakes and blaster scourges to do this. Mandrakes for the chaff and scourges for the kill. That's my bet on how to make a list for this. Try and get it turn one.

So you would recommend something like

HQ
Archon w/blaster - 67p

TROOP
8x kabalite warrior w/blaster - 71p

ELITE
5x Mandrakes - 95p
5x Mandrakes - 95p

FAST ATTACK
5x Scourges w/DL - 150

TRANSPORT
Raider w/DL & prow - 116

I dont currently own blaster scourges, also I feel like going too heavy with the kill the warlord units might leave me with alot of weaknesses in the followup games, see below.

This being a leage it will lead into a followup game at the same point-limit with the same units, only this time you have to hold 1-3 locations, and for that would not DL scourges be better?
But I dont have any experience how good scourges w/blasters are, so maybe Im "worrying" for nothing?

Appreciate any feedback I can get.

From a mathematical standpoint, point for point the only time Blaster-Scourges beat Dark-Lance-Scourges in shooting is if you Advance. Given the extra range of a Dark Lance, advancing is often unnecessary.

Holding a position as Dark Eldar seems to be a silly idea, kill the threats and then come back later to claim your prize. But coming at it from a more game-focused perspective:

Hide the Raider on the board, fill it with your Archon and Kabalites. This with your two Mandrakes and Scourge gives you four drops. Hope for first turn and burn a CP on the roll off if you have to.

is it a good idea to switch out for a reaper instead of the scourges, and try to position it well instead?

And would it be better to combine the mandrakes into a single unit, or do you generally run into problems of overkilling then?

Heat lance scourges are great for this purpose, but really expensive.

If you want more portection, I'd recommand some razorwing flocks bubbling around your HQ & a beastmaster.

Mandrakes should be separate as it grants you more options.

Yes, I would swap the Reaper out for some DL Scourges.

I know this is a dark eldar forum, but if you threw in some specific craftworld units like a unit of dark reapers, Now 270 Points or a bunch of rangers and illic, you could use the reapers to pop any transport and then massacre the character.

Or deepstrike the dark reapers where you would use scourges/mandrakes. Use one unit to kill the chaff and then dark reapers to kill the character.

Heck, could accomplish this probably with a patrol detachment, of a bike farseer, dark reapers and 20 guardians . Deep strike 20 guardians and dark reapers with webway portal, doom the chaff unit, guide the reapers and make your farseer bieltan, take their warlord trait and give the guardians reroll hits too.

You would also use the rest of your points on a warlock so you can deepstrike 2 units.

So turns out my opponent will be a CSM, with most likely alot of khorne berserkers and cultists with a potential abaddon as HQ.

The mission will still be slay the warlord.

My list as is, currently as I due to being a new player to this hobby dont want to branch into eldar too heavily as it was earlier
HQ
Archon w/blaster - 67p

TROOP
8x kabalite warrior w/blaster - 71p

ELITE
5x Mandrakes - 95p
5x Mandrakes - 95p

FAST ATTACK
5x Scourges w/DL - 150

TRANSPORT
Raider w/DL & prow - 116

Would this be alright vs a heavy berserker/cultist list or should I try to get more transports in, with maybe a reaper instead of the scourges?

Scourges over the reaper for sure. You might have a problem vs the berserkers. You don't have great anti meq. Razorwing jetighters might work since they would be immune to assault and he won't have lots of antiarmor and when you get a window to abaddon you zoom the plane right next to him

Sadly that is not a unit I currently own, I was planning on getting one for the 1200p escalation.

Would you switch out some of the list, for more warriors and raiders?

Maybe even a venom, with more warriors/incubi in.

last time I did a practise match vs the person Im supposed to fight, he brought a TON of cultists.
This list wouldnt have that much of a problem with essentially 40-50 of those right, assuming that I atleast somewhat have to think about the following 600 & 1200p matches aswell so I cant listbuild too hard.

Actually, I'd probably play less raiders and warriors and just stick to the drill tactic of finding an opening or a weak spot in your opponent's surround. Mandrakes are great against cultists and lance scourges are good too. Take warriors on foot. You don't need to protect them. Just keep cheap units so you can deepstrike more units.


Mind you if your opponent has a similar tactic then it could be difficult to make this strategy works, it'd be who ever goes first. Heaven forbid your opponent has a deepstriking warlord.

Another strategy that could work out is just a venom army playing keep away but I don't know.

Dark Eldar are probably not the best for these missions

One of the reasons I had the raider is that I want to atleast to some extent try to deny him killing my warlord.
While also being better in followup missions in which its going to be capture points, at the same point limit.
But thanks alot for your input, it has given me some to think about.