2000 PT Semi-Competitive

Greetings,

Here's my first try at an Army List. I'm new to the faction entirely but I'm really excited and intrigued about how they play. I play mostly with a group of friends but I'm not afraid of using the "good" parts of the book. Fluff is also a consideration (I'm a big fan of Incubi, Scourges and the themes of  Kabal/Wych). I'm over by a decent amount (around 347) but I frankly can't figure out what to cut. Tactics at the bottom.

BATTALION DETACHMENT (Kabal of the Black Heart)
HQ
93 - Archon (warlord) w:/ Huskblade & Blaster. Relic: Writ of the Living Muse. WT: Labyrinthine Cunning.
86 - Archon w:/ Huskblade & Blast Pistol.

Troops
118 - (10) Kabalite Warriors w:/ Dark Lance, [2] Blaster & Power Sword.
90 - Raider w:/ Disintegrator Cannon & Splinter Racks.

118 - (10) Kabalite Warriors w:/ Dark Lance, [2] Blaster & Power Sword.
90 - Raider w:/ Disintegrator Cannon & Splinter Racks.

45 - (5) Kabalite Warriors w:/ Shredder, Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher.  
75 - Venom w:/ [2] Splinter Cannon.

Elites
144 - (9) Incubi w:/ [9] Klaive.
85 - Raider w:/ Dark Lance.

Fast Attack
148 - (5) Scourges w:/ [4] Blaster & Power Lance.
96 - (5) Scourges w:/ [4] Shredder & Agoniser.

Heavy Support
140 - Ravager w:/ [3] Dark Lances.
150 - Reaper w:/ Storm Vortex Projector, Scythevanes & Sharpened Prow Blade.

Flyers
155 - Razorwing Jetfighter w:/ [2] Dark Lances, Splinter Cannon & Razorwing Missiles.
165 - Voidraven Bomber w:/ [2] Void Lances & Voidraven Missiles.

OUTRIDER DETACHMENT (Cult of Strife)
HQ
60 - Succubus w:/ Archite Glaive & Blast Pistol. Relic (through strat): Phial Bouquet. WT (through strat): Blood Dancer. Drug: Serpentin.

Troops
106 - (10) Wyches w:/ Blast Pistol, Agoniser & [3] Hydra Gauntlet. Drug: Adrenalight.
85 - Raider w:/ Dark Lance.

Fast Attack
158 - (6) Reavers w:/ Agoniser, [2] Blaster & [2] Cluster Caltrops. Drug: Painbringer.
70 - (5) Hellions w:/ [5] Helglaive, & [5] Splinter Pods. Drug: Hypex.
74 - (5) Hellions w:/ [4] Helglaives, [5] Splinter Pods, Splinter Pistol & Stunclaw. Drug: Grave Lotus.

Total: 2347
CP: 9CP (2 used at start)

So the plan was for my warlord to sit in the backfield with the Ravager and Reaper providing support with WT and buffs. The rest of the army would move up for objectives staying mobile for the most part. Scourges would drop down to kill a vehicle/infantry screen. Flyers would harass. 2nd Archon would move up with Incubi to target formidable multi-wound target. Outrider detachment would be my main melee force. Succubus would follow Wych Raider up to tarpit/murder. Reavers are to target vehicles and charge them (forcing MW if they fall back). Hellions are for clearing away multi-wound threats.

This is my first attempt and I know somethings need to change to bring it back down. I truly like the build I have for the Succubus and how she increases in power dramatically though the game. The Incubi can be cut down but not out. A squad of Scourges could go but I cant figure which one. I was also considering down-sizing some of the Warriors and the Reavers unit seems really expensive.

Would love any and all feedback!

A couple things to consider just in general, these I've picked up from a variety of sources most recently the Best General podcast by Adam Abramowicz.

I think overall you've got the makings of a solid list.  I would recommend the following but take it with a grain of salt as although I've watched a lot of battle reports and picked up some tactica here and there - I actually haven't played a game with the Drukhari codex yet First off what is your defense against Deepstriking units attacking your firebase turn 2?  For this I don't think you need to change your list just when you deploy disembark your warriors in the the Raiders right away and they can be the chaff/benefit from Writ with their Dark Lances.  Now as for trimming the fat … I'm sorry but the Incubi are really the obvious choice.  Putting all your eggs in one raider is recipe for disaster to begin with and you can't count on the enemy having the appropriate targets for Incubi.  You can put the Archon  with some Wyches instead to accompany your non-warlord Archon to battle.  I also think you can save some points by dropping the Splinter racks, the cluster caltrops, and some of the other unnecessary goodies you have generously bestowed onto your troops.  It's not wrong to kit some of them out, but try to err on the side of thrifty here.  For example if your planning to send your Reavers against vehicles then the Agonizer will be less useful to them.  Another thing to consider is what role does each unit play into your battleplan?  That role shouldn't be as vague as "melee."  I don't think the wych squad needs a blast pistol for example - it is less efficient to put them on BS 3+ bodies and your dedicated Anti-tank should be taking care of transports, etc. Similarly your 5 man Kabalite squad is too fragile for melee combat.  I would take out the agonizer and try to keep them out of melee.  Another way to potentially save points would be to replace your Blasters on your Scourges to Haywire blasters, but that is just my opinion I don't know how many Tyranid monsters or Tau battlesuits you see in your gaming group. Also where is your 2nd Archon and Succubus hitching rides? Try to spread them out amongst your wyches (in my list each character shares a raider with 5 wyches usually bare bones and that is it otherwise I make that Raider look too juicy). I hope at least some of this has been helpful.  Good luck and please keep me updated on your list and how it is going for your or how you/re changing it.  I personally have next to no coven so I'm kind of in the same boat.

Your list seems like a reasonable starting point and it should be good fun to use. A few suggestions for polishing it up and cutting down on the excess points, as the previous poster mentioned you have been quite generous to your troops! The blast pistols/weaponry on the wych squad and the bikes as mentioned are luxury picks. With the wyches the extra wych weapons are possibly a better use of your points over the pistol, shardnets are invaluable! The dark lance kabalites are generally considered to not be worth the investment unless they are on foot because of the -1 to hit when they or the raider moves. Another thing you could consider is that the scourge could be moved into the cult outrider detachment which would mean you didn't need to take the hellions. The melee weapons on your solarites are also a huge luxury ideally they should never be needed to fight in melee or if they are in melee an extra point of ap or s isn't going to help them win. Haywire scourges are an excellent and cheaper alternative to the blasters if you are still tight on points. I like your succubus build that sounds like she could be extremely entertaining.

Thank you guys for your feedback. Alot of what you said was already going through my mind after the 1st post tbh. I've made some adjustments and included a more detailed "battlefield role" comment for each entry. The problem now is that I'm almost 100 points short.

BATTALION - Kabal of the Black Heart
HQ
Archon (warlord) w:/ Huskblade & Blaster. Relic: Writ of the Living Muse. WT: Labyrinthine Cunning.
Archon w:/ Huskblade & Blast Pistol.

Troops
(5) Kabalite Warriors w:/ Blaster.
->Raider w:/ Dark Lance & Splinter Racks.
(5) Kabalite Warriors w:/ Blaster.

(5) Kabalite Warriors w:/ Blaster.
->Raider w:/ Dark Lance & Splinter Racks.
(5) Kabalite Warriors w:/ Blaster.

(5) Kabalite Warriors w:/ Blaster.
->Venom w:/ [2] Splinter Cannon.

Elites
(5) Incubi w:/ [5] Klaive.
->Raider w:/ Disintegrator Cannon.

Fast Attack
(5) Scourges w:/ [4] Shredder.

Heavy Support
Ravager w:/ [3] Dark Lances.
Reaper w:/ Storm Vortex Projector, Scythevanes & Sharpened Prow Blade.

Flyers
Voidraven Bomber w:/ [2] Void Lances & Voidraven Missiles.

OUTRIDER - Cult of Strife
HQ
Succubus w:/ Archite Glaive & Blast Pistol. Relic (through strat): Phial Bouquet. WT (through strat): Blood Dancer. Drug: Serpentin.

Troops
(10) Wyches w:/ Agoniser & [3] Hydra Gauntlet. Drug: Adrenalight.
->80 - Raider w:/ Disintegrator Cannon.

Fast Attack
(6) Reavers w:/ [2] Blaster. Drug: Painbringer.
(5) Hellions w:/ [5] Helglaive, & [5] Splinter Pods. Drug: Hypex.
(5) Hellions w:/ [4] Helglaives, [5] Splinter Pods, Splinter Pistol & Stunclaw. Drug: Grave Lotus.

Total: 1914
CP: 9 (2 used at start)

OVERVIEW (going down from the top):
-Warlord will babysit the Ravager/Reaper while they target vehicles/transports. Regarding the point of protecting against deep strike, both weapon platforms are extremely mobile and I wouldn't be losing much by advancing the Archon to stay with them (Kabal obsession helps with this as I have re-roll advance on turn 1). Just my thoughts, could keep them spread out as much as aura allows and flee in the opposite direction if threatened (idk if I'd want to charge them anyway with their buffs).
-2nd Archon will accompany my Incubi (only 5 now so its less of a target) in their Raider and seek out a formidable multi-wound target (in my group of friends I can almost guarantee for them to have a juicy target). This unit is pretty much a must-take for me. The looks+fluff > competitiveness in this case.
-First 4 squads of Warriors will mount up in their Raiders and focusing on controlling the board, going for objectives and providing fire support. I liked the idea of dropping the dark lances which let me just make 4 MSU and could potentially "drop off" some for sitting on an objective. Also, more benefit from the splinter racks.
-5th Warrior squad will act as harassment/speed bump/flanking unit with the potential to pop something with the blaster
-Scourges will drop down and "shred" (hah!) an infantry screen or horde. Could use strat to have them fall back and maybe survive after doing so.
-Voidraven will fly around assisting with the targeting of vehicles all while searching for a target to bomb (many many many 10 man space marine squads in our group. Rubric marines come to mind).
-Succubus will act a similar way to my warlord and "chase" after the raider holding the wyches. Given the FAQ for targeting characters and without making any mistakes I could see this working however there could be a problem. I'm not sure how else to have her follow up the 10 man unit. The idea of how crazy she could get in combat with her build makes me really excited.
-Wyches will advance up the field in their raider and absolutely bury something in attacks. I plan to go for the approach of "kill everything in the unit they attack" rather than prevent survivors from fleeing. Their target will be a large single-wound infantry squad or a small elite single-wound squad.
-Reavers will act in a similar way to the 5th warrior squad targeting vehicles and being overall annoying. Charging something (a vehicle perhaps to prevent it from shooting) is still a possibility.
-Hellions will be a general melee "clearing" unit for screens or multi-wound model units (thinking primaris as there is some of that in the group as well) .


Let me know what ya'll think about the changes and what I could add. I'm making this from the perspective of a long-lived SM player so giving small upgrades to units is something I've grown used to.
Units I flat out dropped:
148 - (5) Scourges w:/ [4] Blaster & Power Lance.
155 - Razorwing Jetfighter w:/ [2] Dark Lances, Splinter Cannon & Razorwing Missiles.

TheKneesofRaj wrote:

Fast Attack
(5) Scourges w:/ [4] Shredder.

...

-Scourges will drop down and "shred" (hah!) an infantry screen or horde. Could use strat to have them fall back and maybe survive after doing so.

Keep in mind per the faq, units that arrive via deep strike cannot move again by any means. So no fire and Fade unfortunately.

With that in mind, I recommend haywires on scourges. Mortal wounds really add up fast and sidestepping those annoying invuls on knights is great! The 24" range also gives you a lot more freedom to land in cover, or out of line of sight, or out of reach of your opponent.

TheKneesofRaj wrote:

5) Incubi w:/ [5] Klaive.
->Raider w:/ Disintegrator Cannon.

I actually like 5 Incubi in a transport. Keep them centrally located for a quick response unit. If something deep strikes in the backfield, they can go hack it up. If some other combat is going poorly, they do well packing their small footprint onto the edges of ongoing combats, where attacks back can be minimized.

Good luck!