DE HQ dilemma

[Krayd]

So, normally, I go very light on HQ choices in my lists for anything 2000 pts and lower, as I prefer to spend those points on my troop choices. So, usually, I go with a couple of haemonculi, usually with just liquifier guns (and maybe a venom blade or agonizer if with wracks) to attach to wyches and/or wracks. This weekend, I'll be playing a few friendly games, and I want to branch out and try some of the other HQs in a 1500-2000 pt list.

So, I'm thinking either

a) An archon (w/ shadowfield, drugs, and agonizer) with 4 incubi in a venom.

or

b) A succubus (w/ agonizer) with a unit of either wyches or bloodbrides, in a raider. Possibly even a unit of 8 so that i can insert a haemonculus for the pain token.

Theoretically, I could go with the archon with wyches/bloodbrides too, but offhand, that seems like a massive point sink for a 2000 pt (or lower) list.

What do you think? Pros/Cons?

[bethor]

I tend to agree with you with the less is more for dark eldar HQ, but I've been running an archon recently. I think it is sometimes overkill with the incubi, and it seems to work out well with 7 wyches, hexatrix, and the haemonculus. It tends to work out for 10 dead beakies thru two combats, so I'm free to charge next turn, and don't have to stand there flapping in the wind for a round of shooting.

[thecactusman17]

I think that pairing with the wyches is the smarter move, given that you need to by grenades for the incubi and that they will be defeated by almost any army toting power weapons. Take the succubus to be hyper evident on points, and give them a good transport too.

[Yabanjin]

I have been slowly working my way through DE HQs. My most recent game I tried an Archon with shadowfield/huskblade/combat drugs and he was pretty mean.

I enjoy Lelith with Wyches but have had mixed results.

Lady Malys is interesting with her redeployment power, I find that can help set up favorable matchups early in the game, but she doesnt bring much after that.

[Krayd]

Well, I did try the huskblade/soultrap archon once in a 2500 pt game. He worked out really well, until he got offed by a powerfist and 1 failed shadowfield save. Though, I was lucky enough to find an IC and kill it for the strength boost. I don't know how reliable that will be in most games though.

[Yriel_The_Angelic]

I normally go with the huskblade soultrap shadow field archon myself. Put in a squad of wyches (as someones stated before, stick em in incubi and that's overkill) Hasn't failed me yet. Don't go succubus as IMHO it's just pointless, lower LD and can't take nice archon toys.

[Cereal n' Milk]

I think that the Succubi+Wyches is more effective, but I have more fun with the Archon. Archon and Incubi is usually overkill, but it is fun to remove whole marine squads from the table.

[superhappyrobot]

After a year with playing DE and trying many builds with my HQs, I have to echo everything the previous posters have stated. An Archon with an agoniser, shadow field, combat drugs, and haywire grenades with 7-8 Wyches and a Haemonculus in a Raider is a very solid choice. An Archon with Incubi is overkill. A Succubus with an agoniser is definitely the most cost-effective choice, but she isn't as resilient as the Archon (no 2++). With that 2++ shadow field, you can reliably split off your Archon to assault some other squad while your Wyches go elsewhere, and expect him/her to live.

[(TV)]

Yeah, the standard archon loadout seems the most foolproof, though personally I am a sucker for Malys' rules and am going to try and make them work!

Regards,
TV

[bethor]

I've been running my Archon a little bit differently, and I have had better luck for the same point cost. Ive been toting the agonizer, ghostplate, and clone field.
Since they are running around with the wyches, I keep him close the shardnet, and that reduces total hits against him. I've been placing him and the net against the powerfist sergeants when possible. I'm guaranteed to ignore one hit, and if the Sgt is only swinging with one attack, I'm impervious. If they are directing multiple models against me, I can ignore 1-2 of them, and save the last ignore for the fist. Any other hits still save half the time.
Not as great against shooting, but if I leave him and the girls out in the open things are already going poorly.

[Krayd]

I decided to go with the Archon+8 wyches + haemonculus loadout. I played a game vs. Necrons. The Archon/wyches assaulted my opponents destroyer squad (I figured that I really needed to wipe out his destroyers first , as they had the potential to cause me some serious pain). However, on the first round of close combat he managed to pass LD check (at -4) and 3 of his wounded destroyers got back up. During the next turn, he charged a full unit of warriors into the combat. I still won combat, and the destroyers fell back... but the warriors passed their LD check, preventing me from sweeping the destroyers. Eventually, massed attacks shorted out my shadowfield, making the archon vulnerable to a death scythe hit later on.

So.. next time: I shoot the crap out of the destroyers, and charge either his lychguard or his praetorians instead. ;)

Ended up a tie game, with all 3 objectives contested.

[helvexis]

i like clone field and shardnets but i usually find you need more than 1 for decent coverage so taking bloodbrides.
What is really hilarious is bloodbrides with 3 nets and urien rakarth who ignores 1-3 and regens another

[bbangley]

I run an Archon with Agoniser, Shadowfield, and Phantasm Grenade Launcher with 5 Incubi, so your 4 in a Venom is pretty close. They've worked well for me so far, but aren't made to beat up on or really even tie up enemy elite assault units. They will cut through troops though. I guess it really depends on what you want the unit to do and be capable of. Incubi are good shock assault units against enemy troops, and Wyches are good at tying units up for a while and dragging them down.

[thecactusman17]

I would suggest that dealing with heavy infantry (like the destroyers, or even big nasties like monstrous creatures and Paladins) is much easier when you multicharge both tough and weak units like the Warriors, especially since your entire unit has invulnerable saves in close combat to ward off any power weapons.