DE Listbuilding Strategy (by Ketara)
After extensive analysis, I have come up with the following styles of list or play that are viable. As ever, elements of each can be thrown together to try and make an effective list, but these are the main strategies.
The first is the traditional Kabal list. Maximum firepower, minimal combat. So squads of 5 warriors with a blaster in a venom, quadruple blaster/double lance wielding Trueborn, triple Ravager, and Scourges/Hellions. All infantry are mounted, and the army darts around the field relying on staying out of combat as a general rule of thumb, and using superior firepower and mobility to take the day.
The second is mechanized assault. Wyches with haywire grenades, Wracks, and Incubi, with a triple Ravager for anti-tank support. Close Combat squads start the game in Raiders. You pick your combats, and overwhelm the foe. Refused flank strategy works well, because enemies usually have difficulty repositioning themselves in time.
Thirdly, we have the Webway assault list. You take two or three Haemonculus in Venoms with a bodyguard of four wracks each, and give them a liquifier gun and webway portal. There are usually two methods of running this list, the Sliscus, or the Sathonyx methods(as you only have a single spare HQ slot after the Haemonculus).
Using Sliscus, you start off a single venom on the table (regardless of going first or second) and everything else in reserve. Hide it behind terrain if you go second, as far forward as possible if you're first. On your first turn, you throw it forward twelve inches, deploy, and activate the portal. That way, any available units in turn 2 have a portal ready to emerge from, even if its not as far forward as you'd like. Ideally, there should be enemy units within twelve or so inches, so as to get off a charge. The remaining one or two venoms drop in the most advantageous position, and using sliscus's rule, deploy as soon as they hit the table and activate their portals. More portals means more exit points though, and higher chances of getting another portal on your reserve rolls at the start of turn 2.
The Sathonyx method means your portals have to get to the other side of the table manually. In this case, you start off with just the three venoms with haemonculi on your side of the table with the rest of the force in reserve. The numbers and shields and careful placement behind terrain should ensure at least one survives and is capable of moving if you go second. Assuming at least two are capable of moving on your first turn, you move one 12 inches, deploy, and activate the portal. The other(s) move flat out, and rely on the feel no pain rule to survive even if their transports get shot down, so as to be able to drop the portals the following turn.
Both lists will ideally feature at least two talos with suitable loadouts (extra combat weapon and heat lance being my favorite). A third talos, or a cronos finishes the heavy support. Sathonyx lets you take Hellions as troops for objective holding. Wyches with Haywire grenades for anti-tank, and Incubi/Grotesques in the Elites slot. Beastmaster squads take up Fast Attack.
Fourth is the Dark footdar list. You drop sixty Wracks as troops choices with Haemonculi straight off the bat. This gives you a plethora of ground troops with feel no pain, liquifier guns, and acothysts with suitable power weapons. You then have the choice of giving their accompanying Haemonculi webways, in order to aid you in bringing on some suitable combat units mid field. Talos and grotesques are list possibilities, as are drop scourges with heat lances/blasters. The webway variant of this list allows you to run no tanks, thus defeating all your opponents anti-tank weapons. Hellions can be taken and have Haemonculi attached to give them feel no pain at the start of the game. Sathonyx can be of use combined here, allowing you to take a squad or two of them as troops choices. This leaves your fast attack free to load out with beastmaster squads, a useful unit that allows all kinds of other tricks with wound allocation shennanigans.
Lastly is the Dark Eldar leafblower equivalent list. Sathonyx is a must to aid you in getting first time, and Vect is a possibility in aiding you to that end in larger games (2000 points plus). Triple Razorwing/VoidRaven with large missile loadouts along with Trueborn sniper boats, Scourges with Dark Lances, and as many venoms as you can get. Minimal number of troops. The objective is to blow the opposition away in your first turn to the point whereby they can't hurt you back effectively.
These are the five strategies the Dark Eldar list provides for. Ideally, when crafting your list, your strategy should be one of these templates, or a mix of two of them for greatest possible success.
