New to Dark Eldar

[a fallen goldenage]

So i'm new to DE and am looking for a little advice on what to use in the army. I currently have 1 Archon, 5 Icubi, 40 warrior, 10 jetbikes, 2 Raiders. I'm hopping to feild alist something like this (i'm not upiing point coast or upgrades just a general lay out):

HQ

Archon and bobyguards

Dracon (bodyguards??)

Ellites

two units of 6 Mandrakes

like 6 Grotesques

Troop

two units of 10 warriors

two units of 10 raiders

Fast Attack

two or three units of 5 Reaver jetbikes (maybe units of 6)

Heavy Support

two Ravagers

I'm hoping to use wedway portals in the army to cause cross fires. The mandrakes and grotesques are for phyological war fair more or less. The raider and jetbikes will be used to houd the enemy and force them to go were i want them to. the two warrior squard are for the webway portals or (if i don't take them) fire support. I'm probley going tool my archon up with a shadow field wedway portal, and maybe an Angoniser and close combat weapon (or maybe give him combat drugs in place of the wedway portal or the angoniser/with combat weapon) So what do you guys think??

[JoeGuardsman]

I have a good feeling that your list is going to be very different once you get some games in.

5th edition is just around the corner and there will be some major changes to the way you think about 40k. Cross fires are more difficult to get for instance.

I'm not a huge fan of Reaver bike squads that are larger than 3. I think they are best used just with 3 w/succubus armed with haywire grenades. Even if you give the succubus and agonizer the unit can't add much to any close combat.

Eventually I'd look at using fewer Warriors and investing in some more elite models. It is an elite army after all.

[Wakim]

Weren`t wytchs a must?

I can`t find the `dex right now but i remember everyone with a DE army had wytches

[JoeGuardsman]

Wyches are really good. As long as you have the update that makes them amazing. Their 3rd edition rules were not very good. Still I don't think they are absolutely necessary. I use them but I use them a little differently than most and I use them mainly because I love Warp Beasts and need to take a unit of Wyches in order to have them.

[a fallen goldenage]

yea the codex i bought for games day was the 2nd addistion? where later additions published or were they just up dates?

[JoeGuardsman]

Do you have Vehicle upgrades in that? If you do then there are no other updates. Archon should also be able to take some crazy masks as wargear. Reaver jet bikes should only be 25 points and Wyches should always have a 4+ invulnerable in hand to hand.

[a fallen goldenage]

yup have all of that

[DuskRaider]

I'd lose the Mandrakes, they look good on paper, but aren't all that swell in the game. I prefer to play my army fast and hard, I actually have no wytches, but all warriors. 50 Warriors, loaded up into Raiders, an Archon with a maximum output of Incubi, 2 groups of 3 Reaver Jetbikes, and a Ravager to bring on the pain. With this you have an army that has a potential of moving over 3 feet in one turn! Great for getting right up on your enemy and destroying them before they can come up with a counter attack plan.

[JoeGuardsman]

About your moving over 3 feet in one turn. You know you can't disembark if you move over 12 inches. Maybe I'm mistaken about what you mean.

5th edition mandrakes won't be too bad. You'll have your choice of objective markers to go out and contest. You can be completely safe for 3 turns and then just have to weather turns 4 and 5 before the game might end on 6. On average they only have uses against certain armies though and I don't usually use them.

[Prince of the Night]

I know I am a little late chiming in here, but as far as the portals go, I use them regularly, and they will not work with the warriors holding them. The warriors do not have the staying power or a high enough LD to be able to get the portals open. Since you have 2 units of grotesques, drop the Dracon and add 2 Haemunculus and give each unit of grotesques a Haemunculi attatchment with a portal each. The grotesques can't be targeted by weapons with a strength less than 6 so they will not die as easily. This will work better than the warriors carrying the portals.

Give it a try and see what you think.