Now into the meat of the army: Special choices. With the ability to spend up to 50% of your points here (and of course, a limit of 3 of any particular choice), you'll be able to get a lot out of these units.
Shades: Still a pretty good choice, but you probably aren't going to be seeing any 'Shade Deathstars' given the new rules. Skirmishers took a bit of a hit, so they've taken quite a hit in utility. However, Shades are still very cool because they are scouts, which will come in handy for both occasional scenarios and to explore 'Mysterious' terrain.
There's not too much point to take a ton of points here, or even huge units- units of 5 or so will generally be all you need. They can hunt down lone characters, take occasional shots at warmachines, and hopefully get on your opponent's nerves. Throwing an Assassin in here will allow you to get it up closer to your opponent's army where he can do some damage. For now, I'd probably skip out on giving them any upgrades, but that's going to be a matter of your regular opponents, as well as personal preference.
Witch Elves: Witch Elves are probably the most capable close combat troops that Dark Elves have. On the first turn of any combat, they should be able to out-kill anything else in the Dark Elf army. Unfortunately, with no armor save, they don't have the staying power necessary to really be useful. They'll be torn apart with shooting, but will do a bunch of wounds if they get into combat. They are a pretty good choice... unfortunately Dark Elves have a better one. If you are running with a LOT of Special troops, however, these girls make a great unit once you've maxed out on other things.
Har Ganeth Executioners: No point in taking them. Striking last means they'll have to survive in order to fight back. T3 and a 5+ armor save means it's not likely to happen. For a single point more per model, you can take a Black Guard, who is vastly superior. That means you aren't likely seeing these guys again. Even running them as a flanking unit doesn't work, since they are sooo easy to kill, and again will be going after whoever they charge.
Really a pity, since they are gorgeous models.
Cole One Knights: Hard to say what their role will be. They aren't breaking units on their own, and now you'll need at least 10 models (at 27 points apiece) to break ranks. That's not horrible, since they are durable (2+ armor save), meaning if they hit a flank they are likely to survive. They also do a pretty good amount of damage on the charge. They suffer from Stupidity, which hurts them a bit, since you can't 100% depend on them. I'm not really sure. I won't be taking them for a while at least, until I can think of a good use for them. I certainly will take them once or twice to see if I can find a place for them.
Cold One Chariot: Another choice where it's hard to say- I don't really know what the role for chariots will be in 8th. It seems that their best bet will be to hit a unit late in the game, to help break already depleted units. Chariots are obviously tougher to kill, since they got rid of the strength 7 auto-kill, and Dark Elf Chariots are among the toughest. With all the extra attacks coming at them, they may be LESS durable overall. Regardless, Dark Elf Chariots will no longer be charging units on their own- they need to join in with at least one infantry units to help break an opponent unit. Probably not going to be used in most lists, but definitely not useless.
Black Guard of Naggarond: The Witch King's personal enforcers and bodyguards are certainly going to see a lot of play. I'm definitely not the only person to think so, either.
Black Guard are FANTASTIC. Not very expensive, good weapon skill, initiative 6, multiple strength 4 attacks, and their special rules mean that they are going to be chopping up a lot of enemies every turn. Stubborn and Immune to Psychology mean that your Black Guard are going to be sticking around throughout the game. With a BSB nearby, they aren't likely to break from combat, no matter how badly it goes. With Warrior Elite, they'll be re-rolling their to-hit rolls every round, unlike other Dark Elves. That means that even with a less than desirable to-hit number (as a result of items, maybe), you're still going to be hitting plenty.
They can also take a 50 pt magic banner (and there are several great options), as well as give their champion a 25 pt magic item (also several good choices). These are going to be your primary units (in the Special slot). They are just great against any unit your opponent is going to be bringing into them. Take at least one unit. Heck, take two if you can. The link I posted even says you should take three! Each unit has a max of 20- you certainly want to make sure each unit is full, along with a full command. That's 295 pts + up to 75 total points of magic items. Really, just a great deal and a great buy. I'll be fielding them- you probably will too.
Alright, overview of the Special choices done. Short synopsis, again: take Black Guard. Next up is a brief post on Rare choices, then Magic Items, then Magic Lores, then what my army list will end up being.
No comments:
Post a Comment