Help Hellturky incoming

I’ve only recently been playing pure Dark Eldar with no allies, I started Dark Elder about a 9 months ago (after I got bored of the new Eldar codex) and have slowly been building up my force. It’s only been the last couple of months that I’ve been able to field a reasonable 1850pt list (I refuse to field un painted models).

Enough of my back story…… I will be playing a long-time friend / adversary who used to play a couple of hellturkeys, but since I more or less sorted my list out to negate them with my Eldar (crimson hunter and wave serpents) he stopped playing them, thank god. However, he’s since started using them again against other good friends. Now I’m due to play against him and I actually cannot see a good way to deal with them……. I was wondering if any one has any experience of dealing with these flying monstrosities? Any help or advice could possibly stop me from being tabled.

Do you have any flyers of your own? Couple of void lances from a voidraven would be quite nice not to mention the usefulness of missiles and the mine against the rest of his army. Razorwing isn't terrible option either. Failing flyers a good ole ADL with a quadgun is always a popular addition. It just suffers from being static on an army that likes to be quick. All that said what type of list do you normally run?

I've got a converted voidraven bomber (well it's based on the razorwing but with bits of the hemlock wraith fighter) and it will be getting fielded. But I’ve only got the one….. I could substitute my crimson hunter I know my friend would allow it, but it will look out of place and that sort of thing does matter to me……..

I generally play sub optimal

9 Hellions (with barron)
10 scourges (4 haywire blaster)
Either 2x6 reavers or 9 reavers (depending)
2 x 4 blaster born in venoms
2 x 10 Warriors in raiders
2 x 5 wychs (haywire grenades) in venoms
Cronos
Ravager
Voidraven
I think that more or less covers it. I generally do not play pick up games (I’m far too old to hang around game stores and that’s what garages / spare rooms are for) and so my list changes depending on my opponent. Most of my friends have two armies and we always state before hand what army / armies we will be fielding (we are really good friends and have been for 25yrs or so, therefore we're very relaxed but still reasonably competitive)  

Unfortuantly we’re playing quite low points (1000pts) at the moment and I think that’s what has brought him back to his trusted hellturkey…

Sadly the DE codex is atrocious when it comes to dealing with flyers. Our flyers are very poor at taking out their opposite numbers, we have almost nothing that is twin-linked, no innate skyfire and the majority of our weapons cannot damage vehicles at all. The weapons that can are generally single shot and therefore extremely unreliable without twin-linking or skyfire.

I seriously gave up trying to deal with Helldrakes without allies and just took some Eldar allies, which worked out fine. Wave Serpents can generally make Helldrakes very, very nervous.

That’s what I feared, but I’ve been trying to get away from using my Eldar as a crutch.

I agree with wave serpents, that's why he stopped fielding two.

As I built up my Dark Eldar I started with Eldar with Dark Eldar allies then slowly increased this until I started fielding Dark Eldar with Eldar allies. But I promised myself that I would only field pure Dark Eldar until we get a new codex or the new year. I’ve always thought that you really need to play a single army exclusively for a good few months or so to truly get a good feel for the army IMO.

Therefore I think Eldar allies are out (even if it means getting tabled) although the last time I played him I did table him………..

I think bringing your own flyer won't hurt. Use it to hit him if you can come in on a good angle. Due to the issues with taking on flyers it can be easier to ignore it and focus on the rest. Remember you play one of the fastest most mobile armies in 40k. Use that to your advantage. Get on the sides or behind the drake where he can't hit you. If you deploy back, let him come forward and get him to jet up to get in reach you can jump your units forward behind him forcing him to loose turns as he flies off and has to come back.

Remember they've all had their necks broken with the newest round of FAQs. They're classed as hull-mounted weapons, meaning they only have a forward fire arc rather than 360 degrees. You might have to take a beating on the turn it arrives, but after that you can get behind the thing and stay away from it.

Unrelated - der-al, profile bar thingy says you're in Newcastle? I'm moving down there in a month or so, any intel on gaming clubs and the like?

Just out maneuver them. With the fire arc limited despite torrent as well as the rules for moving and turning flyers, it's very easy to get outside of arc. Close in quick and they overshoot you. When they hover, they die

Thanks guys, it turns out the best way to deal with a helldrake is to get the warlord trait that gives your opponent -1 to reserve rolls. Who knew.

I’ve done the helldrake shuffle a few times (although it used to be harder than it is now and involved feeding it a unit to vector strike).

I only lost 6-8, mainly due to a bloody chaos sorcerer with burning brand and spawn bodyguard, (I’ve got to get me some grotesques) bloody torrent / templates with D6 hits on passengers is a pain.

@panic puppet I personally don’t go to gaming clubs anymore although I used to. Nowadays I just play against very good friends.

There were some good ones:

Section 8 Gaming club in South Shields.

Northumbriain Adventurers Guild based in Blyth

And of course

Worhamma based in Sunderland

But if you let me know which part of Newcastle you’re moving to I can also give you some details of local independent shops / stores in the area. I find independents are the best places to find out about what’s going on in the area.  

Hope this helps.