Warhammer 40K: The Drukhari Menace – Why, When, and What’s Next?
Adam here to talk about the new Drukhari codex that has everyone in 40K attention, and what’s driving the faction to the top.
Well, we have now seen the Drukhari out in the wild in a number of grand tournaments this past weekend and it is safe to say that they have done well for themselves. They won, or placed high, in almost all of the tournaments, even coming in first and second at one of them. Because of this, there has been a lot of talk about the power level of the codex, that this is another example of codex creep, and other such musings. However, there are a few factors to consider when figuring out if the codex really is as powerful a people are making them out to be. This week we will look at what makes the Drukhari good, what factors play into them doing well right now, and if they will continue to dominate in the future.
Why Are They So Good?
There are a number of factors as to why the codex, overall, is a good codex. The prices in the codex are probably on the low side, or the unit does much more than an equally pointed unit with the same function. A good example is the Raider. It has relatively the same point cost as an Astra Militarum Chimera but seems to be much better. Although the toughness is less than a Chimera, the Raider’s invulnerable save, speed, and better gun makes the unit a much better choice. It still protects its passengers , like the Chimera, but they perform well as an anti-tank platform, after dropping off their deadly cargo, with their Dark Lance hitting on a 3+ instead of 4+ with the Chimera.
These cheap units allow the army to come at you in waves, so that while you may kill the first or second waves, the waves in the end game, when you have fewer and fewer units, will still be pressuring you. The speed of the army reminds me of the old 3rd edition “Raider Rush” except now it’s even deadlier. The Razorflail Succubus and Dark Technomacers with their attending Wracks with liquifiers, help to add the extra punch that the army can dish out once they get stuck in as well. It is really difficult to keep the army out of their effective range long enough for you to deal with them on your terms.
Why Are They Doing Well Now?
A few things to note in why they are doing well, in addition to what has been said in the previous paragraph. This is a new codex that we are seeing in the wild. Many players, whether due to the pandemic or no one in their area playing Drukhari, are not familiar with what Drukhari can do. I know that in my area we have very few Drukhari players and, before the new codex, many of them had stopped playing the army entirely. I know that one of the players that won is a top player that does well no matter the army he is using. I don’t know the other players well enough to know how good they are or how long they have been playing Drukhari. If they have been playing the army for a long time, that could be a factor as it usually takes players a little while to get a handle on a new army if they have never played it before.
Where Do They Go From Here?
Additional data is always good. I have already seen a shift in armies as more people “discover” that they were a Drukhari player all along. With more people playing the army, we will get more data and really see how strong the army is. When comparing this to the 8th edition Iron Hands codex, one thing will be telling for me, how much will players, who normally sit at the low or middle tables, do? When Iron Hands came out you had players that normally went 3-3 or 2-3, all of a sudden go 4-2, 5-1 or even 6-0.
If the Drukhari codex can make this kind of shift happen then it is definitely on par with Iron Hands and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If the codex doesn’t elevate these players to those levels then it is a strong codex but not game-breaking. People may start to list tailor for it but then other builds and armies may actually become better because of it. This doesn’t even factor in the possibility of future codexes being as good, thus a counter, to the Drukhari codex. I am certainly interested in seeing how this all pans out.
~That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed the article. Let me know what you think, and how good you think the codex is, in the comments section below.
