Rather than talk through my thought process, I thought I'd show the list, then talk about the list from the point of view of what I've got (not what I want to achieve). So the list:
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+ Lords + (557pts)
* Dreadlord (557pts)
Black Dragon, Heavy Armor, Sea Dragon Cloak
* Other Trickster's Shard, Dragonhelm, Crimson Death, Pendant of Khaeleth
+ Heroes + (397pts)
* Death Hag (225pts)
Battle Standard Bearer + Cauldron of Blood
* Sorceress (172pts)
Dark Steed, Wizard Level 2 (Death???) Dispel Scroll
+ Core + (638pts)
* 5 Dark Riders Unit (117pts)
Musician, Repeater Crossbows
* 5 Dark Riders Unit (117pts)
Musician, Repeater Crossbows
* 5 Dark Riders Unit (117pts)
Musician, Repeater Crossbows
* 5 Dark Riders Unit (117pts)
Musician, Repeater Crossbows
* 5 Dark Riders Unit (85pts)
* 5 Dark Riders Unit (85pts)
+ Special + (558pts)
* 6 Cold One Knight Unit (186pts)
Musician, Standard Bearer
* 6 Cold One Knight Unit (186pts)
Musician, Standard Bearer
* 6 Cold One Knight Unit (186pts)
Musician, Standard Bearer
+ Rare + (350pts)
* War Hydra (175pts)
* War Hydra (175pts)
2500pts exactly
So I've ended up with lots of redundancy, a level of this is deliberate, so much symmetry is not a great thing, and it makes for a small bag of tricks. The issue with Dark Elf Cavalry, is there isn't much choice. I've also ended up MSU. I can see the strength in the Hydra Banner COK bus with the COB, but its not me. I don't like to have so many points going on in one place, and I don't like the uber unit play style. I've always seen characters as support units, able to lend their strength independently though combi charges. I've always seen great value in more units then more bodies in the units. That said I very much wanted at least one unit of 10 COK. The problem, which I think should be immediately obvious is that everything but the boss on Dragon is very bare bones, theres not a lot of room to play. That I don't like. It would be possible to downgrade two units of COK to upgrade the third, but I've always felt the solution to stupidity is redundancy....
Initially I wasn't going to play the Dragon. I thought I could have more COK a lvl 4 and master BSB, but then I stopped and thought. Without a battery of RBTs, I am solely reliant on Death magic to deal with Deamon Princes and vampires and greater deamons. I lack static CR, and so I am vulnerable to monster based fast lists (and looking at most tourney reports a third of the average field seems to be such WoC lists. Reluctant to rely on Magic or invest in the necessary firepower to make that option viable, I think the Dragon offers the only solution. Not to mention I love Dragons and I love Breath weapons.
So with the Dragon in I feel that I am definitely better off with more smaller units of COK than a bigger unit. Between the three large targets with breath weapons I am confident that combined charges isolating enemy key units one at a time will be effective despite steadfast. It should be possible to absolutely destroy units in single round combats if I can get the right assets into play. Setting up favourable combats should not be too hard, as with 6 units of DR I should be able to win the chaff wars decisively and quickly before being able to goad and divert the enemy in to positions I want them to be in. Plus as far as I can tell the current Meta pushes two army styles - armies with 2-3 big/strong units & armies with lost of flyers / monsters / a single uber unit. In both these cases I am sufficiently equipped to tackle their units on the charge.
I didn't intend to take a COB. Its slow and its expensive. But I see the ability to give one unit of COK extra attacks as incredibly powerful. Not to mention being able to provide the dragon with a 5++ in the first turns is very very awesome. The idea is that it can provide stupidity re-rolls in the first turns, whilst in the middle turns the COKs will either be in 18" bubble LD10 or in combat. I don't see the BSB as being key to break tests. I think in this list I am having to take break tests I am already in a less than ideal position. In later turns of the game the COB should have moved up enough to provide the rerolls again (I think T3 is the main turn where I won't have them).
I am very interested in your thoughts. In particular to how I could better redistribute what little surplus I have to maximise efficiency and power (The only points that can be easily gained would be through alterations to COK size and command options, lord equipment and by reconfiguring core to free up a measly 13pts)