Dealing with waveserpents

I played against Eldar last night at 1750 points, unfortunately my camera died so I couldn't take pictures and I wasn't able to take notes as on a tight schedule.

However it was a great game which finished due to time constraints with myself leading 5-3 on victory points, having played scouring with.. the diagonal set up, name eludes me.

So I wasn't wiped off the map or anything, but the majority of the deaths I suffered (and it was a blood bath) were from his 2 waveserpents which despite spamming all my anti tank at them (approx. 7 Dark Lances and 3 Blasters if I recall - I will put the lists of both of us up later) and assaulting one with 10 wyches, I only took down 1 as well as his fire prism.

Are they just that good, or for 1750 was my Dark light count just too low?

Off the top of my head I fielded,

14 hellions + baron

3 blasterborn in venom
2 lanceborn with obligatory third

10 kabalites with sybarite (who took a wound of the autarch!) and splinter cannon in DL raider with ff
10 kabalites with splinter cannon in DL raider with ff
5 kabalites with splinter cannon in DL raider with ff
10 wyches in raider with dissie and ff

6 reaver jetbikes (i forgot to use there heat lance at all otherwise I might have popped a hole in the back of one

ravager with triple dissie (not my choice it was cheap off ebay)

razrwing jetfighter with lances

He fielded 2 x waveserpents one with wraithguard and seer, one with dire avengers and exarch

wraithblades with autarch

wraithlord

fire prism

6 jetbikes

8 warp spiders

some FW flyer (damn vector dancer!)


Was my set up just inadequate to deal with wave serpents? Or was it most likely a tactics based thing?

Hopefully I've not garbled too much at you there!

ps - wraithlords and wraithblades bit dust in first turn to poison woop

Really not sure how any vehicle survives being assaulted by 10 Wyches, assuming of course that they have Haywire? Throw a grenade on the way in and then 10 attacks with grenades in melee, all hitting on 3's should be 7 or more hits needing a 2+ to inflict a HP. That's enough to kill 2 Wave Serpents on its own!

Had you slept with the Dice Gods sister or something?

Yeah the one I took down was with haywire wyches! problem was I'd wasted too much time attempting dark lances, so when the wave serpent was wrecked the wraithguard popped out and flamed the bejeesus out of me next turn.

I am loathe to spam 5 man groups in venoms (purely as I think its dull and my desire to have a cool army outweighs my desire to win) but I do have 20 more wyches so maybe just swap out a squad of kabalites.

We had a good chat as we went along about the match being great fun because he hadn't put 6 wave serpents down and I hadn't done the same with venoms.

Thanks Count!

Other than Wych Spam I'd probably suggest switching out your heavy support choices for DL Ravagers but the sad truth is that it takes a LOT of firepower to take out a Serpent. Basically it takes 6 DL shots to take off a single Hull Point, slightly less if they don't have Holo-fields.

You could try Scourges with Haywire Blasters. If you can get behind them, Reavers can also do a job with either Heat Lances or Blasters.

Wow, I hadn't realised that much was needed.

A DL ravager is certainly something I'd like to procure but lumbered myself with some CSM after misunderstanding the Cypher Dataslate so that purchase will be delayed!

Might swap out the 5 kabalites for wyches then I think if we have a rematch

Your wyches and even your helions should have made short work of the wave serpents. For dark eldar, the trick is either:
1. Get behind them
or
2. Get in HTH with at least str 4. They drop quickly then!

Yeah the wyches were great and demolished one before being wiped out

BUT I totally blanked the extra strength of hellions to attack the wave serpent as well as generally tie it up in combat.

Bugger it.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but what happens if you block the access point of a wave serpent with your infantry that are attacking it then when you destroy it, does that have a negative impact on guys trying to leave the wreck?

The Baron alone hits with S6/7 which can do some dents in it! Also, and I know its an unfavourable one but have you ever thought of a Talos or Chronos using Smash attacks? I bet they'd take some serious heat off your other units too! Plus I'd love to see a talos in your army's colours Dragontree

Force them to show their backs, AV10, no Shield.

If not possible - reserve Ravagers, point is to send shots after Wave Serpents field is discharged. You're not gonna do much with them first turn one way or another.

Everybody said about Wyches.

@Dangerous Beans - not sure about the blocking of wreck, I'd imagine it would have had some effect? I hadn't thought of it and wasn't blocking it regardless...

I think with regards to not assaulting them I panicked into hide my warlord mode and was reactive instead of being aggressive, hopefully something to rectify next time.

Glad you like the scheme I have an undercoated talos with liquifier and splinter cannons I'm hoping to paint.. soon... ish...!

Its a shame I couldn't put a full bat rep up as I bet you guys would have all had some great feedback!

@Azdrubael - to be honest I struggled quite a bit with just the holofield after he had discharged wave (twin linked to boot!)

In retropsect a key failure on my half was bladevaning a HQ instead of using a single heat lance on the rear of the still alive wave serpent. Not focussing on priorities!

Hoping to organise a rematch with him anyway, though he said he wouldn't bring any wraith units... booo

Ta muchly for insights