Hey everyone, back again with some more insights into building a Dark Footdar list.
First of all, thanks to everyone for all the awesome feedback. We’ve gotten some great ideas bouncing around and I am really excited about this list.
Some of the ideas we’ve heard from those out there who have actually played the list or tried some of the ideas we’ve bounced around here are really encouraging.
Red Corsair says he’s tried using 2 units of 8 Grotesques and has had really good results. I feel that that may be a bit too points heavy, but I can see how it would be a brutally powerful combo!
BigToof said he has tried the Malys-Star Grote unit against GKs and smashed them, which is music to my ears! Stopping NFWs meant that the Grotesques just walk through those squishy Purifiers. However, I would like to see how they fair against Paladins, particularly a Draigostar.
I feel that at this point we can fairly safely say the Grotesque unit is most likely the right choice for delivering the WWP’s for most lists. Every local meta is different and as such different solutions may work better for people in other areas, but it will be where I begin building my list.
So, what to fill the list out with?
I think the Talos is a solid choice. Red Corsair says he has not had great results with them, but hyv3mynd swears by them. That discrepancy may be a result of play style, local opponents, terrain, etc. I want to like the Talos, so I am going to toss 1-2 in the list. That high toughness and MC attacks can be invaluable, and once they get FnP, man they can be nasty. Plus, you can toss a twin-linked heat lance on them and, coming out of a WWP, can get into the enemy lines really quickly popping transports and then charging the unit inside. For a low points cost, I think they add a lot to the list.
Scourges immediately jump out at me in this list, too. The reason why, is because they can be declared to be deep-striking, but can opt to come out of the WWP if that is more advantageous. This flexibility can be super useful. Your opponent will have to defend against so many axis of entry that it can really take them out of their game. Heat Lances, Blasters, or Haywire Blasters would be my choice here. I like the Haywire Blasters right off the bat as an Assault 1, 24″ weapon with the ability to damage any vehicle makes this a true skirmishing unit. That range means they can deep-strike at a safe distance (or start on the board) and suppress key vehicles all game long. The unit still serves well in a light anti-infantry role as well. Long Fangs and Lootas would have to be wary of them.
Reavers may not be a bad choice either, as their speed allows them to hit any point of the board out of a WWP, or they can simply come on from normal reserves and still get to where they need to be, or for late game objective contesting. A movement based attack means that they can almost always contribute to the fight. Heat lances or blasters would be my choice on this unit, possibly with an Agnoizer or venom blade on the Arena Champion. With Skilled Rider, they can safely move through cover. With the Eldar Jetbike rule, they can JSJ (jump-shoot-jump) to be extra annoying, and with a good drugs role, and a pain token or two, can actually go into combat with non-dedicated assault units and take them down. Again, that versatility is nice. The points cost can get a bit steep though, for a unit that can and will get smoked easily if miss-played.
Blasterborn on foot would work well, too. Coming from mid-board, they could reach a huge chunk of the field out of a WWP. For 108pts a unit or two of these could really add a lot of transport popping ability to the army, which it really needs.
Harlies and even Incubi could find a place in a list like this, as well. Again, coming out of that WWP means you get to strike without being struck first. If your opponent wants to avoid this, he has to steer clear of mid-field which for most armies is game changing.
The real question for me though, is what to do with your troops? Nothing jumps out at me right away as a really efficient choice. Wyches look like they could be good with Haywire Grenades and Shardnets as a Tarpit/Dread hunting unit. Wracks look good for the increased durability and objective camping. Warriors could be good with a blaster, or just as dedicated infantry hunters. They all seem like they could have a use, but nothing really stands out.
I think I will take a 3 man unit of Wracks in every list as a dedicated objective taking unit. Outside of that I am torn between taking full units of any of the above with upgrades to function as objective grabbers/damage dealers. The issue there is that it soaks up a lot of points and I end up with 3 scoring units. As fragile as DE troops are, I would really like to have at least 4. Perhaps MSU Blaster Warrior squads would be a good solution.
Play testing will tell!
If anyone else has any thoughts on the troops issue, I would love to hear them. We will go into actual lists in the next installment and some more brain-storming.