Killerk wrote:I'm with Dalamar onthe harpies. Dark riders are awesome but happiest fly.
Dark Riders are great because you are getting points from core. But I love harpies too. Add my vote to this combo. One side note though is you are way more likely to preserve the unit for points denial with dark riders than harpies.
The best redirector is the one that can get where you need it at that critical moment. Whatever unit it is, that's the best one.
Dark Riders, Harpies, Shades, Peggy Masters, and even Warlocks have their redirecting moments. It all depends on the requirements of the moment. That's why I tend to run with a little of everything (or at least, as many different things as possible). A unit of five harpies behind your main blocks can save your whole battle plan.
4) Lone Medusa. As has been pointed out, they will wreck any chaff they engage, and by being baited out of place they are actually helping you. How does this help? I see my battle plan in ruins.
5) Warlocks. Okay, these guys are more expensive than the other choices by double and more. But 2 S4 attacks and a 4++ save makes these guys surprisingly hard in close combat, especially for fast cav! Two great spells to go with it is just icing on the cake!
6) Darkshards. These guys make a great broom for sweeping chaff away. 20 shots kills a sabertusk with ease, and softens up a larger chaff unit for Shades or Dark Riders to finish off. Because of their ranged striking power, this is the one 'chaff' unit you won't mind bringing at a larger size. Make it 20+ strong and give them shields and they become a backup close combat block.
20 shots sounds impressive, but it should be translated into 3 hits. Yes, most of the time they hit on 5es or even worse. The ogre dogs are T4 and 3 wounds, so no, it isn't an auto kill.
7) Reaper Bolt Throwers. Use much like the Darkshards to sweep chaff away, just at much longer ranges.
That is an understatement
Tirestrips. 10-wide Witches or Black Guard will do damage all out of proportion to their numbers. So use them as a close screen for a large infantry block. Black Guard works better on the flank due to stubborn. Witches work better in front, as again their frenzy works for you. And clearing the charge lane is dead simple, just throw the witches into your target the turn before you charge.
Might try this, however it is very easy to reduced in power by shooting.
12) Scourgerunner Chariots. Not the best choice, but they'll still take out chaff in combat. And the first time you take a bolt thrower shot down the width of a chaff unit and turn it into a shish-kebob it's worth it's points.
I just cant justify their points cost. Hitting on 5es isnt worth the risk. Say I want to shoot a terrorgheist, I've only got one chace to shoot it and kill it otherwise it will be screaming my scourge to death.
13) Monsters. Hydras and K-beasts will crush most chaff effortlessly. Flame template from the hydra can do it without even risking close combat.
There are endless opportunities for maneuver mischief playing Dark Elves. Use them ruthlessly, for that is our biggest advantage!
Zenith, if one option does not work for you, there are others. Three wounds out of a unit of chaff is a panic check. The enemy shooting up a tirestrip isn't shooting up your combat blocks. A terrorgheist screaming at a scourgerunner isn't screaming at your Supreme Sorceress.
The point is to eliminate your opponent's good options while retaining some of your own. However you do it, and what you do it with, is up to you.
I don't play much and always against my 1 friend.... But don't rules let the charger redirect to toward the unit you are trying to protect by throwing dark riders or harpies to flee a charge.
and if you hold and your harpies get wiped, can't the opponent reformat the unit to face yours...
just trying to visualize. We are both noobish to bad players and these higher level tactics bog us down looking and interesting rules and spending more time in the book than rollin dice
The point is to make them move more slowly and cover less ground than they would have otherwise. Two units of chaff can do the old 'double-flee' trick and prevent the target unit from moving more than 6" a turn all game long. If the harpies hold up a unit for one turn and give you time to set up counter-charges, it's worth it. (In short, you buy time to set up a circumstance where if the enemy unit charges the unit you're protecting, it will then be charged and smashed by other units.)
I love dark riders. I take them in units of 5 fully equipped with shields, repeater crossbows, a musician and a banner. It's a steal at 120 points/unit. With the banner they get an extra point of static combat resolution which has actually helped me win combats on more than one occasion. Their shooting is sufficiently annoying that enemies will turn whole blocks of infantry out of position in a futile attempt to catch them. At 120 points they are a cheap enough unit to sacrifice without much concern and their mobility is great. Vanguard movement at the start of the game means you can start redirecting and baiting right from turn 1 too which is extremely helpful. The fact that they can move up to 30" on the first turn is huge.