DE: Dark Eldar list building advice

Alright boys, school's in session again!

Warning: Long-ass post ahead.  Get ready to read, or not, up to you.

Alright everyone, this is the long-awaited guide for how to build Kabal and Cult lists with the new book.  This is my personal advice for building lists and I know the book is still super young, but please bear with me.  I have over a decade of competitive Dark Eldar play and have been doing this game for a long time.  I've played through the bi-polar 3rd edition book, enjoyed the awesomeness that was Phil Kelly's 5th, to the god damn terrible flavorless books of 6th and 7th.  Now I'm back after playing extensively with the 8th Ed. Index and now the time has finally come:  The 8th Ed. Codex is here.  What can I say?  I've been enjoying the hell out of the book so far.  Of course, there are some misses just like every other book, but there are also a few things that are absolutely great.  I want to tell you what those great things are.

Brainstorming is one thing, but having played 5 games already, I'm feeling damn good with what we have now compared to the garbage we had before.  For the most part, I can only speak from my experience so far using Kabals, pure Kabals, and minor using Cults.  The last game that I had was using some minor Wych support again (dual Raiders), but there's also some opportunity over the weekend to bring in my Eldar for some more rigorous games.  This Dark Eldar pain train has no brakes and I don't see myself stopping any time soon.  I'm back and excited for the first time in a long time.

Without further bullshit, let's get down to it.  This is how I think we should design a successful list.  Keep in mind again, I'm primarily a Kabal player but I dabble heavily in Cults.  Check my old school 5th Ed. articles if you don't believe me!

All in all, there are 6 key steps:

1. Define theme and list goals
2. Build a unit bucket to accomplish those goals
3. Build a skeleton list
4. Balance your list's firepower
5. Perform a firepower analysis
6. Min-max your list and adjust

Here is my recipe for success:

The FIRST thing you should do is come up with a theme and set yourself up with some list goals.  Do you enjoy shooting a lot and heavy firepower from range?  Do you like more melee and assault units?  Do you like a lot of resilience and having great attrition and durability?  Check out this earlier post of mine for ideas for how to pick a theme.  If you come to this blog a lot, it's probably because you like shooting shit to death and assaulting once in a while.

Also part of this exercise is to come up with list goals.  These goals are what you aim to accomplish with your army that is similar, but more specific than your theme.  If you chose speed and firepower for example, what units would you take to get this done?  What Obsessions are you going to focus on?  What are some of your must-have and must-includes?  Sometimes, these must-haves don't have to be completely competitive in nature.  People have pet units all the time, as in units that are not really competitive but they take them in every game because their girlfriend painted it for them, or maybe they like the fluff, or whatever else.  These are just some of your own personal must-takes.

I'll provide you with my example for list goals:

• Must be "pure" Kabal
• Must have Cunning and Agents of Vect
• Must have amazing Alpha and follow-up (1-2 punch)

Side note - Aesthetics are important:
Remember this above all else:  Build the army you enjoy aesthetically (this includes theme).  I can't stress this enough.  I've taught GW Academy for years and one of the first things I teach to anyone jumping into the hobby is to pick the army you enjoy visually and thematically.  You will be building these units, painting these units, listhammering with these units, and playing with these units for a long time.  You will bond much faster with the army if it's the same one you wanted from the get-go.  You invest a lot into this hobby and quite honestly, money is the last thing I think about.  It's the time and energy that really stands out, and that is what will drive your need to improve your game.

Still with me?  Good.

The SECOND thing I suggest you guys do is to build a competitive unit bucket.  No, seriously, get out a piece of paper and write down all the units that have the most impact on your game.  It doesn't matter what it is, but it should look something like this:

Archon, Blaster = 89
5x Warriors, Blaster = 47
5x Trueborn, 4x Blasters = 123
Venom = 65
10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
Razorwing, 2x Dinsintegrators  = 135
Ravager, 3x Dinsintegrators = 125
...etc

These units should have their costs laid out according to the bare minimum for what you will never leave home without.  Everything else is considered EXTRA points and therefore LUXURY.  You only add points when you have your skeleton list in place.  You don't build a house with all the bells and whistles first.  You must lay the foundation with what you know for sure works and go from there.  I will always, especially to new players, recommend they write their unit costs and abilities on pen and paper over something like BattleScribe.  BS is great and I'm not a dinosaur:  I only advocate the pen and paper route because it helps build familiarity and knowledge with your units so you're not reliant on your applications.  Think about it like driving to a new place to work:  Do it enough times and it will stick; the same could be said about unit stats and point costs.  Yes, I wrote all those above off the top of my head.

Side-note: Warriors, 5 or 10?
Always take 10 unless you need the cargo space in a Command Raider (space for your HQs), intend on taking Venoms, or you don't have enough points.  Obviously, if you take a Venom you're kinda forced into a 5-man getup, but otherwise always take 10 because it unlocks the heavy weapon choice.  The only time I would not recommend taking the heavy weapon is if you need a Battalion happen with 1 more Troop choice for example.  Since you can fit 2 5-man units into a single Raider, you can spend the points to pile into the same transport.

Die, filthy Mon-keigh.

The THIRD thing you should do is build a skeleton list.  What I mean by this is to put down the list that will make your list work at a bare minimum.  For starters, I will always recommend following a Battalion layout because our Troops are actually good, and we'll want to have Archons in our list for those sick 6" bubble re-rolls.

The one thing to keep in mind here is redundancy.  You want to make sure that you're not taking 1-ofs everywhere unless you're experimenting or going for a very specific goal with a very specific combo.  Only when you can't make something redundant due to points restrictions do you hold back.  This is why most competitive lists tend to look spammy, but this truly is the most effective way to build lists that are durable and threatening.  Single targets are easy to isolate in terms of targets and you want to increase your threat level by giving your opponent a larger array of dangerous targets.  The more you make them think of the game, the higher your chance of winning.  This is because the more things there are to think about, the higher the chances they will make a mistake and therefore, make a poor decision that will benefit you.

A sample skeleton Battalion:

HQ:
Archon, Blaster = 89
Archon, Blaster = 89

TROOP:
10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199

10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199

10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199

There you have it.  This is all I'm going to take to reach Battalion requirements so you can unlock that sick +3 additional CP.  You want CP to be a factor in your game, but it should not be a requirement.  You should not enter list building with a mindset that you're going to shoot for 9 or 12 CP or something like that.  You run the risk of taking a lot of ineffective units that do not jive with your theme and/or doesn't provide your army with the kick that it needs to be effective.  How do we determine what's effective and what's not?  Well, for one, look at what other people take and write about (such as this blog) and above all, experiment yourself in your local meta.  I don't know what's best for your friends or enemies, but I can sure tell you what I personally find to be great.  If we want to put some data behind this, we'll have to do a firepower analysis, which I'll talk about in a bit.

Side note - Raider vs. Venom:
There's a lot of discussions about which one is the better choice.  Frankly, this depends a lot on your meta first and foremost, but it also depends on whether or not you need the cargo space.  With the new book, the Raider got a massive points drop so it's more comparable to the Venom (who also got a points drop).  If you do some quick addition, a 5x Warrior squad with a Blaster in a Venom is 112 points vs. 132 from a Raider with a Dark Lance carrying the same units.  The only big difference there is not durability, it's actually about the armament and purpose.  The Dark Lance is an anti-tank weapon whereas the Venom is better at killing infantry.  However, a Raider has the ability to take Splinter Racks and Disintegrators as well so I would say that it's generally more flexible.  Keep in mind that unlike the Raider, the Venom does not degrade in potency once it takes damage.

Slayin' ain't ez.  For Dark Eldar, it is.

Now that you have a skeleton list established, the FOURTH thing I would do is to balance your firepower.  What do I mean by this?  I mean you should always build for balanced lists.  Don't go too heavy in any one direction (anti-tank vs. anti-infantry), try and balance it out so you can fight a multitude of different foes.  I like to think of this balance as the PUG-ready list.  This meaning that you can show up at any local game store and throw down the gauntlet for who wants to take a beating at 2K points.  You should then feel confident that no matter what the other dude puts on the table, you should feel like you have a decent chance to win if you're playing right.  I'm not even going to talk about potential mismatches where you show up and want to play with like a 7/10 power level list and the other dude has 9 bubble-wrapped Ravagers or some other shit next to his Adepticon Tryhard trophy.  No, we want to build lists that are nice and balanced against similar-minded opponents.  That's where the true challenge of the game is at.

So what does this list expansion look like?  Something like this:

2000 // 8 CP
Black Heart Battalion +3 CP

HQ:
Archon, Agonizer, Blaster, PGL = 94
Archon, Agonizer, Blaster, PGL = 94

TROOP:
7x Warriors, Blaster = 59
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
144

10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199

10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199

10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199

10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199

+++

Black Heart Spearhead +1 CP

HQ:
Archon, Blaster, PGL = 92

HEAVY:
Ravager, 3x Dinsintegrators = 125
Ravager, 3x Dinsintegrators = 125
Ravager, 3x Dinsintegrators = 125

+++

Black Heart Air Wing +1 CP

FLYER:
Razorwing, 2x Dinsintegrators = 135
Razorwing, 2x Dinsintegrators = 135
Razorwing, 2x Dinsintegrators = 135

What I did here was:  Look at my skeleton list and build on what was missing.  I calculated the points there and added in competitive units from my unit bucket that covers my list's weaknesses.  I wanted to add more killing power through ranged attacks so I added Ravagers and Razorwings.  I'm on a Dissie kick right now because of their killing potential (and I recommend them too!), but I also caution that we should balance that around with some Dark Lances.  Lances are better against heavier targets, but you can always supplement that shooting with a high volume number of Dissies.  Again, this is a meta call:  If your meta is saturated with IG Tank spammers running dirt-cheap Brigades, show up with a list with 20+ Dark Lances and feel no pity.  You shouldn't anyway!

Add the core elements from the unit bucket first before adding on anything else!  All the PGLs, Agonizers, and even extra 2 Warriors that started from a unit of 5 in a Command Raider is LUXURY.  It is not part of what you consider a core part of army construction and should be purchased only when you have spare points.  A mistake that I see people do after so many years in the hobby is going upgrade heavy on a single unit.  DO NOT do this!  Buy everything barebones for it to be fully functional (as in, does it fulfill the role you bought it for), then add on the upgrades only after you've done this with everything else in your list.

Pro-tip: Always buy PGLs on your BS2+ Archons and Succubus first.  All you need is for them to hit and you're golden.  Why not hit with the best chance you have?

Side note: Dissies vs. Dark Lances:
I like data and mathhammer for determining which targets you will frequently encounter and which weapons you should take to deal with them.  Generally, the Dissies are much better now for the cost than they were before, but you will still need Dark Lances to punch through that T7/T8 and to deliver those killing blows with burst damage (6 on a D6 for example).  Check out the calculator that I linked to analyze what targets saturate your meta and prepare for it accordingly.

Take no prisoners.

The FIFTH thing I do at this point is to double-check my math and weigh in your firepower.  You do this by performing a firepower analysis of what you have on the alpha with respect to the range band.  You do this by listing out all your weapons (including ranges if you want), their Strength/AP/Damage if you don't know them by heart, and the BS that they're shot with.  You don't need to write absolutely everything, you only need to write what you think is the most relevant.  It should look something like this:

Firepower:
15 Disintegrators at BS3+
9 Dark Lances at BS3+
9 Blasters at BS3+
3 Blasters at BS2+
3 Razorwing Missiles at BS3+
41 Splinter Rifles at BS3+

For me, I've been playing this damn army enough to know all the stats of these by heart, but if you want to get more elaborate you should follow my formula above.  Write out all the stats, on paper (it will help you remember) with how many, from what range, at what BS, and what their stats are.  This will also help you during deployment so you know what you can realistically dish out from your total THREAT range, which for shooty armies, is your move + your weapon's range.  Don't forget that most of our shit is open-top and our guys inside should factor into that equation as well.

This exercise right here is also a damage/gear check.  Just like a raid boss in an MMORPG, you should have something that tells you if you're putting out enough damage for the points.  If you're at 2K points and not within half of what I'm throwing out here, you know that you're at a huge disadvantage if I'm going first (Alpha).  This can also tell you if you're CP whoring and your list is actually "ineffective" at putting down shots down range.  From all the games I've played in 8th, I can tell you that the damage and lethality of the game is a lot higher than it was in the previous editions.  Everything tends to die really quick and there's a much larger emphasis on getting those potential backbreaking blows in the first couple of turns.  This is why the firepower analysis with respect to range bands is important:  You need to know what you can do on your first turn from as far away as you can (because you're wearing T-shirts flying around in paper planes), and what you can do as a follow-up strike when you get near your opponents.

The example here is that by looking at the firepower analysis above, I know that:
I can open at 36" range (14"+36" for 50" threat from my vehicles, with my Razorwings being pretty much unlimited range) with 9 Dark Lances at BS3+ if no one moved, less if I moved due to -1 to Hit for guys inside moving vehicles, 15 Dissies, 3 Razorwing missiles.  I know that if I move all my Raiders up into max range, and my opponent also moves up, potentially next round I can bring 12 additional Blasters into play in addition to X amount of Splinter shots.

This right here is how you should think about playing out your game.  I'm not saying go full rainman on your opponent and trip out midgame, I'm saying that you should be aware of all your weapons ranges so you can better prepare for the next turn and maximize your damage potential.

Pro-tip:  If you're up against a list with higher "alpha damage" than you, it's best to deploy defensively and seek shelter and line of sight blockers.  Alpha damage is someone's killing potential in that first volley of the game.  You want to be highly aware as a Dark Eldar player if you're at a disadvantage here.  You literally afford to eat shit like the other races.  Likewise, you should also be aware when you have the firepower advantage.  This means you can afford to be more aggressive (for that 1-2 punch) if you're the one with the alpha advantage.

Cult of Strife is just.. beauty and pain incarnate.

The SIXTH AND FINAL thing I do now is:  Count up the CPs AFTER the army is complete and see what more I can squeeze out of them.  This is the min-maxing portion and where I spend 70% of my list construction time.  This is because a lot of this comes from experience building lists as a primary aspect of my hobby, but also because a lot of this comes from post-battle reports where I sit back and think really hard about what changes I want to make.

For example, I ran a very similar list during my first game with the new book and that's with a Venom.  However, after playtesting, I found the Venom to be kinda lonely and didn't really serve too much of a service except for the Blaster guy inside.  I thought this through and came to the conclusion that I would rather have another Archon to unlock a Spearhead Detachment to bring my total CP up to 8 from 7, at a cost of a few Poison shots for sure, but I gain a better BS2+ Blaster, another PGL, and another 6" bubble.  The costs were very similar: 112 vs. 92, so the 20 extra points for me was even more worthwhile because I gained a CP at a net "loss" of a few Poison shots.  This is also when I go back and tweak those "luxury" upgrades to different units or replace them with things I feel works better against my opponents.

Welp, I think that's it.  Just keep in mind that this is not meant to be a definitive guide to the Dark Eldar book in the new edition, but it was more like a brain-dump of how I go about building lists that so far, has been working great for me.  Of course, feel free to let me know what you guys think, and I welcome you all to learning the game with me in the next couple of weeks!