Email in: Dark Eldar list review

"Hello dear little pink thing!

I'm starting a new army and it's Dark Eldar!

I have read the codex several times and some of the Stelek articles and came up with this list. I mostly play 1500pts in my area so it's a 1500pts Dark Eldar list!

HQ
-Duke slicus=150pts

Troops
-Warriors: 20 warriors with 2 lances=230pts
-Wych squad: 9 wyches with 1 Shardnet and Impaler with Hekatrix with Venom
blade in Raider=175pts
-Wyches squad: 10 wyches with 2 Shardnet and Impaler with Hekatrix with Venom
blade and blast pistol in Raider=210pts
-Wyches squad: 10 wyches with 2 Shardnet and Impaler with Hekatrix with Venom
blade and blast pistol in Raider=210pts

FA
-Reavers (3) with 2 heat lance=90pts
-Reavers (3) with 2 heat lance=90pts

HS
-Ravagers with nightshields: 115*3=345

1500 pts on the dot!

I feel I'm fine with the anti-tank with this list. 14 DL able to target 7 different targets seems fine to me. Add the heat lances and there is the anti tank.

For anti-infantry duty, I miss some Venoms but the Wyches should be enough to remove any infantry threat with the raider mobilty added to their natural speed. I can also turb-boost the reavers on some infantry (long fangs anyone?)

About the objectives, I have the 20 warriors squad to sit on a objective in my deployement zone and blast tanks/other targets with the double dark lance

My main concern are the lack of Haemonculus. Wyches, Reavers could greatly benefit from the pain token (turbooosted reavers with FNP, FNP wyches), but I couldn't find any space to fit some in the list.

My other concern is Dreadnoughts and alike. The only solution is to stay away and zap them with Dark lances or Heat lances.

Anyway I wanted your opinion on this list! I did my best to cook a balanced list at 1500pts

Thanks in advance!
Lincoln Reed"

As I recall only one every three models in a Reaver squad can take a special weapon so those extra lances have to go. Otherwise I think it's a solid if uni-dimensional list for 1500. I think you can get away with just two Wych squads and go for something beefier to back them up (maybe Hellions as support or beastmasters?). At 1500 2 ravagers is also enough in terms of DL concentration. Ya three is nice but dropping it down to two and losing a Wych squad gives you some flexibility in terms of perhaps getting some Trueborn + Venoms (shoring up both anti-tank and anti-infantry) and some support for the Wyches in terms of more cc power. I'm not sure if I'm sold on the Duke in this list either. He helps out in combat and gives you better combat drugs but most combat drugs are a good thing anyway for Wyches and you aren't getting a free FNP token for your Warrior squad.

With that in mind I might drop the core of the list down to 20x Warriors w/2x DL + Haemon, 2x Ravagers w/nightshields and 2x10x Wyches w/2x shardnet, Heratix w/venom blade, blast pistol w/Raider w/flicker for 930 points. From here you've got a lot more options such as adding 2 trueborn squads with blasters and venoms in and then ~280 points to play with on Beastmasters, Hellions or Reavers (if only Archons could take a sky-board or Jetbike!) or re-add in another Wych squad. Incubi are also an option but I think then I'd run Warrior squads in Venoms instead of the big foot squad and thereby being able to drop some of the Trueborn. Since we've only got 6 vehicles I think we should add in some more so let's take two small Reaver squads with a heat lance and then either add in another Ravager with night shields leaving us with:

Haemon
2x3x Trueborn w/3x Blaster, Venom w/double cannon
2x10x Wyches w/2x shardnet, Hekatrix w/venomblade, Raider w/flicker fields
20x Warriors w/2x DL
2x3x Reavers w/heat lance
3x Ravagers w/night shields

Totals: 1483 points
53 infantry (6 jetbikes)
7 vehicles

I've dropped the blast pistols from the Wyches (article on this later) to get in the flickfields on the Raiders which leaves some points spare and can upgrade the Venom blades to power weapons or Agonisers with some tweaking as needed. Basically kept the same list but dropped a Wych squad and Duke for Haemon and Trueborn. Still could use some extra combat power so the Reavers aren't set and 2x Ravagers is fine at this points level as well.