2000 Point Dark Elf Army

[Carrelio]

So with the addition of the battalion to my ranks, I can now reach 2000 points (just scrapping buy with a bunch of magical items... but I think the list is pretty good all around)! The list as I mentioned is mainly based off the battalion and my old 1000 point army an is strategized in a similar fashion... so here it is.

Heroes:

Lokhir Fellheart 250 points

Malus Darkblade 275 points

Sorceress 135 points
-level 2 Sorceress

Core:

27 Black Arc Corsairs 320 points
-full command
-sea serpent banner

10 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen 100 points

10 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen 100 points

20 Dark Elf Warriors 180 points
-sheilds
-full command
-banner of murder

20 Dark Elf Warriors 155 points
-sheilds
-full command

5 Cold One Knights 135 points

5 Cold One Knights 175 points
-full command

Rare:

War Hydra 175 points

Total: 2000 points

Strategy:
Lokhir will join up with the 27 corsairs, creating a unit of 28, 7 wide by 4 deep. This allows for the maximum number of attacks against the average sized unit, with frenzy this will give them a massive 19 attacks, and then Lokhir's attacks ontop of that. With Lokhir's double victory points for catching fleeing enemies, and the corsairs ability to force a reroll on the highest number of the fleeing roll... so I'm expecting this unit to be raking in the victory points! Oh and of course, thanks to Lokhir anyone charging me has to take a fear check... thanks Squidface!

Malus will team up with the unit of cold ones without full command, which will work in coordination with the other unit of cold ones, this will allow me to flank larger sized units to take away their rank bonus and reduce the risk of being broken in combat. This will also allow Malus to do his thing, command killing, challenging command units and all that jazz without fear of being defeated in combat even though he won the fight. And what's this? More fear...? Don't mind if I do!

The sorceress will be going with one of the two 10 man squads of crossbowmen. As I tend to place my crossbowmen up on higher ground, she'll benefit from the same good vantage point, providing the same style of support as the crossbows and helping to dispell anything aimed my way.

The spearmen were actually inspired by my recent battle against Orcs and Goblins... the spearmen with the banner of murder (which gives them armour piercing) were probably my most effective unit against goblins. As I know in most 2000 point armies I will probably be facing atleast a few smaller units (skinks, goblins, those oger goblins things, skavens, zombies, etc.). As cheep as these units are, they can get the job done, and with armour piercing they are killing an average of 5 enemies... which is enough to push them up into the winning combat area against most little guys. So, with 2 groups of 20 spearmen, I should be able to both depleat the enemies smaller units (effectively stopping the harrassing my corsairs and cold ones) and protect my flanks and crossbows!

This just leaves the hydra... do I really have to explain the hydra? It breaths fire with strength equal to it's wounds it gets 7 attacks... and it causes terror! Enough said!

[Marticus]

terror test from lokhir bro... hes a terro causing monsta :) gotta love him though i havent used him yet...

[Your Conscience]

I think this list is really intresting but i personal am not a fan of speical characters. In addition in 2K you might struggle with the magic as you only have 1 Lv2 and some armies which are now more common like chaos and daemons have a lot of magic and you wont be able to deal with that and that woudl eb your downfall imo but apart from that you have a strong base and good luck

[Carrelio]

Another option would be to swap out Malus for a dreadlord on a cold one. As he's already suffering from stupidity, the armour of living death would have no negative side effects (makes him stupid) so for 275 points, you could make a character much more powerful than Malus, with the one problem being the stupidity of the cold one...

[Marticus]

aye stupiditity is a problem but he could be bad ass so i think it may be worth doing...

[Your Conscience]

Yes thats i s another idea and my point on qizards isd probably i bit biased becasue i am used to taking vampires and therefore havne treally gto anything that doesnt do magic but isnt fragile but that is just me

[Carrelio]

Well, I've also been working out some kind of arrangement to get a sorceress lord on the field using the same point values I've been using for my command section... I'll figure it out eventually. Any advice on what to give a super powered mage lady?

[Rabidnid]

I'm not a huge fan of Corsairs at the best of times and 27 is a lot. cut them back to 17 and drop Malus. Give your other warrior block the war banner and drop the full command on your CoK for musos in both.

That's 374 points to get you a lvl 4 sorc.

There are lots of useful item combinations so see how you go. I like familiar on the lvl 4 and tomb of furion on the level 2. If you want an extra couple power dice each tuurn take a power stone or swtcih out an arcane item for the sac dager.

[Marticus]

the black staffs quite handy witrh the inbuilt power of darkness and when she casts it normally too thats a disgusting amount of power dice!

[Rabidnid]

the black staffs quite handy witrh the inbuilt power of darkness and when she casts it normally too thats a disgusting amount of power dice!


You will get an average of 2 per sucessful cast and cast successfully half the time, so a total of 6 power dice in a 6 turn game, plus they can be stopped by dispel dice. 3 power stones are 5 points more, can be used when you want and their use can't be blocked with dispel dice. Black staff is actually the most useless thing in the Dark Elf magic list.

[Marticus]

its really worked well for me before

[Carrelio]

Just a note on the corsairs Rabidnid, Ina unit of 18 I can't divide them by 7, which makes them less effective in combat. However, I was thinking of cutting them down to a lowly 3 ranks at 21 models (1 larger than a normal unit... or with Lokhir it would be 20 models and Lokhir).

[Rabidnid]

Sure, but going for ranks and 7 wide makes the unit expnsive. If you get shot at on the way in and lose a model you will be 7 wide and +2 ranks. 7 was just a random number, but its +1 with 4 spare bodies. Your +2 costs an extra 30 points, but you will lose it from a single casualty. It costs 35 points to give your spears a rank and 70 points to give your corairs a rank.

If your looking for a way to save points its a good place to start. Basically, if you spend the points on the girls then you should also spend the points on their kit as well.

[Carrelio]

A group of Corsairs 7 wide will not rely on rank bonus to win combat, with 7 wide you maximize the number of attacks against the average enemy, with the sea serpent banner you are getting 19 attack, plus Lokhir Fellheart's (minimum of 4 attacks) for a grand total of at least 23 attacks. With hatred you will land around 80% of those attacks, wound 50% of those hits and kill 50% of those wounded. You should kill about 5 enemies, which makes up a full rank of their unit. couple that with Lokhir's terror (which makes enemies only hit on 6's) and these are some of your most effective killers, who will take the least amount of casualties for what they are dishing out. Against ranged weaponry, they are adept at survival (though often ignored) and have a save equal to that of the average dark elf unit, which is decent (50% chance of saves), so being shot at isn't too great a concern, neither is losing a rank.

[Rabidnid]

Yep. I run units of 7 witches for 21 poison attacks for 70 points. My big RXB blocks rank up for CR, and the witches nullify enemy ranks and kill what they can with a flank charge into who ever is in contact with them.

[Carrelio]

So witches and corsairs both work well for that tactic. Of course, it then becomes a trade off of survivability and killing power with the poisoned attacks against the armour save... hard choice to make.

[Rabidnid]

Nope. CoB for 21 killing blow, poisoned attacks :D

[faintpremonition]

You will get an average of 2 per sucessful cast and cast successfully half the time, so a total of 6 power dice in a 6 turn game, plus they can be stopped by dispel dice. 3 power stones are 5 points more, can be used when you want and their use can't be blocked with dispel dice. Black staff is actually the most useless thing in the Dark Elf magic list.

Someone needs to re-read the rules for bound spells.

What the Black Staff actually does is much better: 0 cost automatically successful cast of Power of Darkness. Your Sorc can then cast it on her own, too, if you think you can use all the dice.

I don't have my Rulebook handy but I don't remember bound spells being dispellable, but even if they are, you're eating through their dispel dice with a bound spell that cost your nothing to cast, and you're free to cast Power of Darkness on your own, and then your actual damage spells damage spells, while your oppenent is down a few dice already.

[jthdotcom]

I would suggest putting the cold ones in one unit of 10, you don't want to use them to flank, thats what the hydra does. Also with malus in the unit, you don't have to worry about stupidity tests and they will punch through most units that you charge, especially combined with the hydra in the flank. Thats what I would do anyway...

Also, in response to the post above, bound spells can be dispelled, they are automatically cast at the power level in the listing, which is the same level you need to dispel. For example, banner of wrath from the WoC list has a power level 4, so can be dispelled on 4+, if not dispelled, it is automatically cast

[Carrelio]

Now this... is old!

I've actually made alot of changes to this list... not that I remember any of them... but anyways, yah... oooooold!

10 cold one knights in one unit though? Seems a little over the top. As the knights are going to win not on outnumbering but on killing power alone, and only 5 will be in combat.

[jthdotcom]

i was just thinking though, before they get into combat, it'll only take 2 casualties to cause a panic test, agaianst shooty or decent spells a unit of 5 might just run away and do nothing. And against a hard unit in combat, if the enemy don't run in the 1st round, 5 knights will soon be reduced. Plus 10 is something for your opponent to worry about, diverting fire away from the weaker units