DoWn WiTh ThE ClOwN TiL I'm DeAd In tHe GrOuNd

[dvs1]

Really love harlequins, don't care how over costed they are. They were the first batch of guys i collected and painted way back in RT, and they're still my fav today. ( I still got the god awfully painted models :o) Anyways, I'm tired of running them with a craftworld eldar list. I need change. Thought I'd give the DE a try with my take of a WWP list. Let the games begin...

2k Dark Carnival of carnage ( khorney, i know ;) )

Lady Malys
x2 haemonculi w/ x2 WWPs, x1 shattershard, x1 liquifier gun

X3 wracks
venom w/ x2 splinter cannons
X3 wracks
venom w/ x2 splinter cannons
X3 wracks
venom w/ x2 splinter cannons

x10 harlies w/ DJ, SS, TM, x2 fusion pistols, kisses
x10 harlies w/ DJ, SS, TM, x2 fusion pistols, kisses

x5 scourges w/ x2 heat lances

x5 beastmasters
x15 khymera
x1 clawed fiend
x2 razorwing flocks

x3 Talos w/ chain flails, dual heat lances

If I go first, I deploy 2 haemi with a wrack squads in venoms, for the first turn portal drops. Just over the halfway point in the middle, and the other near the objective i want to grab works. If i go 2nd, 1 haemi stays with the harlies to survive the first turn with a disappearing act. The other hugs cover and prays to the laughing god.

After the drops, it becomes a shell game on where I'm gonna turn up. Usually it will be fairly obvious with objective placement, but i like the freedom a wwp offers regardless. Everything in the army usually reserves up and comes out of ( you guessed it) one of the portals. Everything has at least move through cover and/ or a 12 inch move/charge/fleet. Melta is scattered throughout the list and i got 3 msu venoms for crowd control/scoring/MCs.

The Lady is there mainly because I love her fluff, but happens to give us some nifty redeployment shenanigans. Normally I would use either a harlie squad or the scourges to bait some units on a far flank, and then redeploy them into reserve refusing a flank right off the bat. I really don't think I'll get much use out of the haemi weapons, but its either that or mess with the beast squad, and I kinda like them like that. Maybe another scourge?

Anyways, I realize this isn't the to end all lists, but I think it can be semi competitive, while also being tons of fun to play.

Apples or Tomatos?

[thecactusman17]

No anti tank. Your harlies should be better kitted too. Why bother with fusion pistols or death jesters when you only ever run in the shooting phase? Same with the troupe master, though I can see the fluff reasons. I would recommend putting the extra points and get raiders for the wracks, your ability to kill infantry is beyond satisfied already. Also, 15 khymera is very excessive, it is the rare opponent who will manage 15 instant death attacks. Trade 5 for another flock pair and this will give you a unit that is surprisingly effective against most armor.

[dvs1]

DJ's and fusion pistols are there to help me pop transports on my way out of the portals. No long range AT i agree, but 5 heat lances and 4 fusion pistols should no be over looked. Their shorter range is less of an issue when I'm coming out bout mid field. I agree though, my TM is probably a points sink. Thats either more haemi toys, or if i tone the beast squad down a bit, another unit of scourges.

Although its probably hard to tell, thank you, your input is greatly appreciated.

[thecactusman17]

The issue with your strategy is that you are thinking that the Harlequins will come out and be in shooting range. The problem is that unless you allowed your opponent to go first (good luck with that) he will be back in his deployment zone still after the WWPs are dropped. So he is going to see that most of your ranged anti-tank is consolidated into units that are easily outranged with a maximum range of only 12" and a maximum threat range of only 9" before assaulting.

On the other hand, you could just as easily swap some stuff around in order to make it so that your Harlies are assaulting infantry (like they should be!) and dedicated AT is dealing with the tanks.

I think that one option could be to drop the Lady. Is there a reason she is being brought along for this ride? What skill do you envision her using that other units don't have? Her points would go a long way at this point level.

[dvs1]

I use the harlie fusion pistols to crack open transports more often then I'd like to. They do assault infantry, but sometimes getting past all those metal boxes can be frustrating. As long as I drop my wwps just over the halfway mark, I can pretty much get to where i need to go. A 2nd portal helps a lot. Also, it gives them a dual purpose for 20 pts more. Hit n Run comes in handy also as it allows me to propel my harlies further backfield on his turn, lining me up for AT shots in mine.

As for the Lady, i kinda agree with you that she is a point sink, but her background is cool and I went through all the trouble of making a model for her. Her redeployment abilities are super nice with this sort of army because it allows repositioning for optimum wwp delivery which is key. She's no slouch in combat either, and her magic immunity is a nice gimmick. Too bad it is unclear whether or not she affects VoT.