How to maintain pressure

Hey guys,

I am pretty new to DE and used to play CSM, so naturally I had a period of getting my ass handed to me because I was using my units improperly. Recently I have managed to start getting wins and ties and close losses, but I find myself struggling with sealing the deal so to speak during my games.

Context: My lists tend to be Kabal themed, with the main list consisting of warrior raiders backed up by ravagers and a mix of wych venoms/trueborn (various configs) with reavers for flexibility. As my HQ is a blasterborn I run a mostly shooty list, and my main opponents are Tau, Dark Angels and Eldar (all very shooty lists).

I find that whilst I have gotten good at dancing around and prioritizing targets for my big guns, I often lose in the final turns. I often go into the fourth rounds with an advantage in terms of units remaining and units contesting/holding, but I frequently lose in these final turns, sometimes even going so far as to get almost completely wiped!

I have noticed that I tend to get excited when I am playing well, which can sometimes have me forgetting important details of steps/phases. Other than that I'm at a bit of a loss.

Is my lists just lacking any staying power? Or is their some specific tactics/strategies I should be learning to maintain pressure and keep my units alive in those final crucial turns?

Thanks in advance veteran Archons for your words of dark wisdom.

Im not sure of your list exactly as its only a brief description, do your opponents run a lot of mech, if not try using some disintegrators on your raiders the 3shot str5 ap2 I find a lot more reliable and helps later in the game than a single str8 lance shot, If your ravagers pop their vehicles early on these with a raider full of kabs can clean up lots of units.

If I run a shooty army I always try and get some sort of melee in there, normally an archon with huskblade, shadowfield, pgl, maybe with some incubi or bloodbrides.  My opponents get so focused on his venom that you can make them come out of cover to try and kill him using your ravagers to manouver into his side armour and pretty much pop what ever left its formation.

For tau I find its all about target priority if poss I try and run 2 venoms (extra cannon, nightshield) with 3 trueborn onboard with 2 splintercannons, just to nail down his fire warriors. also reducing the range by 6" can be such a big boost as if you sit 36" from him you have 20/24 poison shots and he cant even move 6 and get you in range. I faced a tau list last week and I just danced around at 36" range taking pathfinders and his skimmers (cant recall their name, big things with rail guns) as my priority target, don't get me wrong he doesn't run a tourney standard list he plays a slight diff army every week.

Ever thought of trying a cronus to start passing pain tokens out?? that will make you a lot more durable when holding objectives.

But after all this my main advice is be patient, if everything is going your way there is no need to rush everything forward and try and table them, play smart hug cover until the very end, remember you have the speed to get around on turn 4+ if its objectives

Yeah I definitely have to be more patient. And my regular opponents run fairly hybrid lists, a couple of vehicles but never more.

Quote :

advantage in terms of units remaining and units contesting/holding, but I frequently lose in these final turns, sometimes even going so far as to get almost completely wiped!

You should be preparing to contest / hold obectives T4, you shouldnt actually sit on them till T5.

Its hard to advise more without seeing lists and BatReps.
I survive by making a sacrifice.
Flat out a wych venom at an enemy vehicle, and they HAVE to destroy that target, or lose a tank next turn.
With a 4+++ and a 5++, its a surprisingly hard target to crack, and even if they pop the tranport, they then have to gun down the wyches.
Pulling three squads fire on to a 125pt unit is a good deal in my view.
But I'm soon to be running 9 venoms and 3 Ravagers/engines, so I can pay that price.

A good sample list that I ran recently would be two venoms filled with haywire wyches, and two warrior raiders, one with a SC the other with a blaster and my blastercon. Backed up by two reaver squads with heat lances and two ravagers, with a squad of blasterborn in venom to round it out. I also tried out a six man Scourge squad with HB that game, but that's hardly typical.

As for a Batrep I will be trying to make on soon enough, although I have never made one sso the quality could be dubious.

I post all my lists and have a shot at a batrep, not everyone can be mush
It makes it a lot easier

I do like your list, but I'm not qualified to advise on it I'm afraid.
I sacrifice two wych venoms per turn, my killers are entirely concentrated in my HQ