1500pts - Looking for List Advice for Upcoming Event

There's an event taking place soon. Not really a tournament, more a day of friendly games. However, I've only played one game with the new DE so far and so I'm looking for some advice with my list (I know it's friendly, but we can't change lists between games - so I don't want to spend the day being completely trounced   ).

Anyway, I've got a couple of similar lists (both a mix of Kabal and Cult) - one using Poison Tongue and the other using Red Grief:

Poison Tongue + Red Grief:

Poison Tongue Kabal Battalion (+5CP)
Archon (Huskblade, Soul Seeker) – 76 (Warlord: Soul Thirst)
Archon (Agoniser, Splinter Pistol) – 74
3 Lhamaeans – 45
- Venom (Twin Splinter Rifle) – 65
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
- Venom (Twin Splinter Rifle) – 65
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
5 Mandrakes – 80
5 Scourges (4x Haywire Blaster) – 92
5 Scourges (4x Haywire Blaster) – 92
Ravager (3x Dark Lance) – 140
964pts

Cult Outrider (+1CP)
Succubus (Archite Glaive, Blast Pistol, Blood Glaive) – 60
3 Reavers (Arena Champion w/ Grav-Talon, Blaster) – 77
3 Reavers (Arena Champion w/ Grav-Talon, Blaster) – 77
3 Reavers (Arena Champion w/ Grav-Talon, Blaster) – 77
Raider (Dark Lance) – 85 (Mandrakes)
Raider (Dark Lance) – 85 (2x Kabalites)
Raider (Dark Lance) – 85 (2x Kabalites)
536pts

1500pts (9/8CP)

The warlord-Archon goes with the Mandrakes, the Succubus and secondary Archon go with the Lhamaeans. The Scourges will deep strike in.


Flayed Skull + Red Grief:

Flayed Skull Kabal Battalion (+5CP)[/b]
Archon (Huskblade, Blaster, Obsidian Veil) – 93 (Warlord: Soul Thirst)
Archon (Venom Blade, Blast Pistol) – 82
3 Lhamaeans – 45
- Venom (Twin Splinter Rifle) – 65
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
- Venom (Twin Splinter Rifle) – 65
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
- Raider (Dark Lance) – 85
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster) – 47
- Raider (Dark Lance) – 85
5 Scourges (4x Haywire Blaster) – 92
5 Scourges (4x Haywire Blaster) – 92
Ravager (3x Dark Lance) – 140
Raider (Disintegrator, Shock Prow) – 81 (Wyches)
1160pts

Cult Outrider (+1CP)
Succubus (Archite Glaive, Splinter Pistol, Blood Glaive) – 50
5 Wyches (Shardnet & Impailer, Agoniser, Blast Pistol) – 49
3 Reavers (Arena Champion w/ Grav-Talon, Blaster) – 77
3 Reavers (Arena Champion w/ Grav-Talon, Blaster) – 77
3 Reavers (Arena Champion w/ Grav-Talon, Blaster) – 77
340pts

1500pts (9/8CP)

The Warlord-Archon will go with the Wyches, the Succubus and subordinate Archon will ride with the Lhamaeans (that way both units will be able to tie up infantry in melee). Again, the Scourges will deep strike in.


Does one of these lists look better?

Also, in both lists, do you think the Raiders should be Cult or Kabal? (I know Poison Tongue doesn't give them anything, but it does let them redeploy via its stratagem.)

Any other advice to improve either (or both) of these lists?

First one’s better. Only changes that I would make personally are:

- Archon with Eternal Hatred WT and the Djin Blade Relic. It’s a monster in combat and IMO is just barely second best to the Black Heart Archon with Lab Cunning and WotLM. If you’re playing a CC Archon in a friendly game though, Djin Blade/Eternal Hatred is the way to go.

- First list is better but I’d say Flayed Skull as an obsession is the better choice. Shift the warrior Raiders back to the Kabal Detachment.

- Lastly, and this is the big one, either merge the Reavers into one unit and shift the 2 Scourges down to maintain the formation, or drop the Blasters. MSU Reavers get blown away quick and you don’t have enough spare bodies (or +T on 2 of the units) to save those expensive little Blasters. If you’re going to run Blasters, run big units. If you’d rather stick with MSU harassers, and I suggest you do, then keep them cheap. Drop the Blasters, the Lhaemans, “downgrade” to Disintegrators across the board and then buy a second all Disintegrator Ravager. Dissies are better all around this edition and you can always field more of them.

That sort of screws up your Transports so I’d say keep the Command Venom, drop the Mandrake Raider and get 5 more ‘Drakes.

That entire last point is just a min-max thing though. If you like where the list is at then just make the Reaver/Scourge shuffle I suggested and consider the first two as well.

Crixalis wrote:

First one’s better. Only changes that I would make personally are:

- Archon with Eternal Hatred WT and the Djin Blade Relic. It’s a monster in combat and IMO is just barely second best to the Black Heart Archon with Lab Cunning and WotLM. If you’re playing a CC Archon in a friendly game though, Djin Blade/Eternal Hatred is the way to go.

To be honest, if I go Flayed Skull, I'd rather have the Obsidian Veil on my warlord - since in the last game he failed his first Shadowfield save and got torn apart by genestealers as a result.

Crixalis wrote:

- First list is better but I’d say Flayed Skull as an obsession is the better choice. Shift the warrior Raiders back to the Kabal Detachment.

Okay, that's fine.

Crixalis wrote:

- Lastly, and this is the big one, either merge the Reavers into one unit and shift the 2 Scourges down to maintain the formation, or drop the Blasters. MSU Reavers get blown away quick and you don’t have enough spare bodies (or +T on 2 of the units) to save those expensive little Blasters. If you’re going to run Blasters, run big units. If you’d rather stick with MSU harassers, and I suggest you do, then keep them cheap. Drop the Blasters, the Lhaemans, “downgrade” to Disintegrators across the board and then buy a second all Disintegrator Ravager. Dissies are better all around this edition and you can always field more of them.

That sort of screws up your Transports so I’d say keep the Command Venom, drop the Mandrake Raider and get 5 more ‘Drakes.

That entire last point is just a min-max thing though. If you like where the list is at then just make the Reaver/Scourge shuffle I suggested and consider the first two as well.

I don't mind dropping the Blasters from the Reavers, but I don't own a second Ravager.

I'd prefer to keep the Revers MSU, so should I still drop the Blasters for something else?