Quick Update and 6th edition thoughts

Hey all! Just a quick RTT update, Dark Eldar went 2-0-1 and got 2nd place at an RTT that was unique because it was pretty much only the top players from the local area. I beat Necrons in a tight game, nearly tabled a slightly unconventional mechanized Guard force that ended up getting 3rd, and then drew a more conventional mechanized Guard force that ended up winning. Three of the toughest games I've ever played, and I personally felt that I faced just about the 3 best players there.

So, as we all know, 6th edition is around the corner, and I have been pondering what I'm going to do with it. I'm thinking right now that the Razorwing may find a place in my list once again, and I'm also starting to think that a Wych Cult type army could be in store for the Dark Eldar, not totally sure. I'm getting my copy of 6th pre-ordered today, so we shall see.

But what really excites me for 6th are that my poor Chaos could get a fresh lease on life. Basically, I'm thinking Thousand Sons with some Daemon support. And by Daemon support I mean Fateweaver, of course! Think about it: Rerolling Terminator 2+ saves, rereolling mass 5++ and 4++ saves, and best of all, rerolling smoke saves on vehicles! Since Psychic powers seem to be the rage, taking several small units of Thousand Sons along with Arhiman or 2 Tzeentchian Sorcerers could be a good combination with Fateweaver. Add in some obliterators, maybe a couple bastions with AA guns, and round it out with 2 tiny units of Plaguebearers for last turn objective grabbing, and you've got a pretty effective list that can comfortably take on most of the power lists that I personally see popping up.

Unfortunately, I see no end in sight for Imperial Guard/Grey Knight domination. Both will have access to most psychic disciplines, and Hydras will be cheesier than ever. Psydreads may take a bit of a nerf, which is always acceptable, but if Force Weapons are AP 2, coupled with mass psykers...Yeah, the dudes in grey are still going strong.

Anyway, that's this week's update. I'm sure I'll be posting more about my changes for 6th edition, and hopefully my blogging comrades will too (hint hint...)

EDIT: I also just noticed we're getting a ton of pageviews, but very few followers/commenters. Don't be afraid to hit that follow button or leave a comment, feedback is appreciated!

Tournament Report!

Totally unrelated picture, but Thrones is the shizzle.

Hello, all, and yet another tournament report from Jaybie and his gallant Dark Eldar! Another 1850 point tournament, about 16 players, with a good spread. Only...I want to say 5 Marine armies? And 3 of those were all-terminator. The army I took was:

3x Haemonculus

3x 3 Blasterborn in Venoms with 2x Splinter Cannons

3x 8 Wyches with haywires and Hekatrix in Raider with flickerfield

3x 5 Warriors with Blasters in Venoms with 2x Splinter Cannons

3x Ravagers with Flickerfields

A solid list, basically what I usually take. Anyway, first round was:

Round 1: Vs. Michael B's Dark Eldar!

His list:

Duke Sliscious

9 Trueborn with 5 Carbines, 4 Blasters, Raider with Splinter racks, Flickerfield, Night Shield, Torment Grenade Launchers, Grisly Trophies

6x 5 Warriors with Blaster in Venom with 2 Splinter cannons, Night Shields

2 Beastmasters with 2 Clawed Fiends

4 Reavers with Heatlance

3 Ravagers, 2 with 3 Lances, 1 with 2 Disintigrators

So, a slightly odd list. Michael is a very good player though.

Mission: Table Quarters.

Deployment: Spearhead.

So I win the roll-off, and take 2nd turn for Quarter-controlling last turns of goodness. He deploys with most of his army behind a large building on the edge of his quarter close to me. 3 Venoms he holds in reserve. I put my army way back in my quarter, but leave a single ravager out as bait. I hold the Wyches in reserve.

The Game:

So first turn he takes the bait, and exposes 2 of his ravagers to try to take mine out. He manages to destroy a weapon and stun it. My turn I kill his 2 ravagers that he exposed. He then deepstruck a single venom with warriors near me and disembarked, turned out they were just outside of 18" to blaster my ravager, they died shortly after. 

Rest of the game was just him lurking behind the building, and me ganking anything that showed its face. The beasts almost made a game of it by assaulting a bunch of venoms I had immobilized on terrain, but it was too little too late. I won 3 quarters to 1, and got a healthy number of VPs. 

Round 2: Vs. Ben's Tyranids!

His list:

Tervigon

Tervigon

3 Hive Guard

Doom of Malan'tai in pod thing

7 Ymgarls

Tervigon

Tervigon

10 gaunts

10 gaunts

9 Genestealers with Broodlord

9 Genestealers with Broodlord

Tyrannofex with Rupture Cannon

So, a beatable list, someone I've beaten every time I've faced him, and a mission he can't win. Should be easy, right?

Mission: Get more VPs into enemy deployment zone

Deployment: Pitched Battle

So he wins the roll off, takes first turn, and deploys the Tyrannofex and a tervigon to my right, a Tervigon and a bunch of gaunts centrally, and then 2 tervigons and the Hive Guard to my left. I deploy to the right. He holds all his stuff that can outflank/deepstrike in reserve. 

The Game: 

Let's just say this game was horrific as far as dice go. I was shooting at the damned Tyrannofex, with no cover, with 9+ lances per turn, and it took me 3 TURNS to kill the stupid thing. Add to the fact that he hit with every shot it fired, and blew up 2 of my ravs, and immobilized 1, and it was not a fun day. It also took all 6 Venoms to take down 2 Tervigons in 3 rounds of shooting. Also, his reserves all came on where he needed them to. His stealers suddenly magically had Adrenal glands, which it said nowhere on his list, and tore my vehicles to bits.

So he has me on the ropes, I'm failing every save, and then he...Hunkers all of his reserve stuff in my deployment zone and doesn't move? Okay... I'll just run into your deployment zone with the rest of my army and win, since your Gaunts can't move thanks to Lurk and no synapse.

That was a ridiculous game, and I got next to no VPs for it, since I killed next to nothing. So, there are only 4 undefeated players left: Imperial Guard, Necrons, Chaos Marines, and Me. So, making up for the terribleness of last game, I draw:

Round 3: Vs. Tick's Chaos Space Marines!

His list

Lord with Termy armor, Mark of Slaanesh, Blissgiver, Combi-Melta

Lash Prince

10 Terminators with a ton of stuff

5 Chosen with 4 flamers, rhino w/ combi-melta

5 Chosen with 4 Meltas, rhino

3x 6 Chaos Marines with plasma gun, rhino

2 Oblits

2 Oblits

1 Oblit

Tick is good player, but this was his mainly fluff list. Still, I've never lost to DE with my CSMs, so we'll see.

Mission: Table Quarters

Deployment: Dawn of war without the Dawn part (no nightfight)

I win the rolloff, and pass him 1st turn. He holds everything in reserve, all my stuff walks on 1st turn.

The Game:

Frankly it wasn't much of a game. His stuff came in from reserve, shot, did little, and then got blown off the table in my turn. My dice made up for last game, and his dice were not kind. He did kill like half of my wyches, and 2 Ravagers. Other than that, though, pretty bad. I wiped him off the table. 

So, I'm 3-0, and I'm watching Guard vs. Necrons. I need them to draw, since game 2 really screwed me in the VP department. If a single Cryptek can draw a unit of meltavets in combat, then they draw. But the guardsmen killed him, so the Guard guy took 1st, I took 2nd, and my round 2 opponent took 3rd, despite some controversy. 

So, another good showing by the Dark Eldar. I'm really hitting my stride with them, I think. Still can't beat Kasrkar regularly, though. Oh well, we can't have everything, can we?