Viability of non-mech DE

Hiya guys, have been having some interesting reads and conversations with members on here about a variety of unfavourable choices in our list from WWPs and Mandrakes to lack of Ravagers and Hexrifles.

I'm getting some great tips that focus on using Venoms (as good access to Splinter Cannons as well as transport), Ravagers and more Warrior filled Raiders.

What I'm wondering is, how viable is a list of our without any of these vehicles? I've been mulling over a list focusing on jetbike power (Reaver units 6-9, none smaller so as to not give away KPs as easily), although I can't decide whether to mix Caltrops with Heat Lances or to take units seperate for these (thank you PatridgeKing for your thoughts on the armylist thread). Back this up with Craftworld Jetbikes and Jetseer/Warlock squad leader for psyker and solid shooting support (jump shoot jump is excellent!) and then the tricky bit.

Troops.

I often seem doomed to fail (often spectacularly with explosions all over the place like fireworks at Disneyworld/land on New Years Eve!) at using Raiders. I can't ever hide the models fully, fluff my cover save rolls from boosting/hiding and often kill large portions of my embarked/disembarked troops.

So, can a non-mech DE army (with/without allies) be a viable list? I'm considering the thought of a 20 man Warrior unit with dual SCs and Blaster hiding in a WWP too...  

If by viable you mean wins more than it loses, I'd say yes, but that's up to the quality of your strategies versus your opponents.

If by viable you mean can beat tournament level lists played by good players, then it becomes very questionable.

Dark eldar sacrifice durability for speed, and without transports they lose their speed, so all you're stuck with is very fragile expensive units that cannot get where they need to be before they die.

And at this time, one of the few things that can keep your units alive, is highly ignored: cover

You're on the right track of course. You're army will probably consist of only things in the Heavy and Fast troop slots. The only unit in Elite can survive fire outside of a transport is probably harlequins. Well grotesques could too but they're not fleet and can't ignore cover.

Where you're going to have a problem is with troops. Doesn't matter if they have fleet, they're going to die before they get where they need to go. I'm pretty sure wracks would even die. A 20 man squad on something like a skyshield platform, or any fortification that gives an invulnerable save might work, and they could actually hold an objective if you can place it. And then sure you could take two squad of eldar bikes. But you only have three troop choices at that point. You could try taking hellions as well, but I've never thought of them as a good choice for anything really myself.

And that's where I'd probably give up the pursuit myself.

I go into every match expecting my boats to explode, it makes it easier to plan ahead that way.

Edit: Oh also, how are you going to deliver your WWP without a transport?

Expletive Deleted wrote:

Edit: Oh also, how are you going to deliver your WWP without a transport?

IIRC, there is a little trick with two haemonculus, and pair of WWPs, and an allied unit with infiltrate and scout... can place WWPs 15" or so beyond your deployment zone on Turn 1.