Drukhari List Building Advice Pt. 2
Last time we talked about three things you should keep in mind when building a Drukhari list. Today we’re going over the last three steps brought to you by none other than Hero.
Part 1 of Drukhari List Building Advice is Here.
Alright, now that you have a skeleton list established, the FOURTH thing I would do is to balance your firepower. What do I mean by this? I mean you should always build for balanced lists. Don’t go too heavy in any one direction (anti-tank vs. anti-infantry), try and balance it out so you can fight a multitude of different foes. I like to think of this balance as the PUG-ready list. This means that you can show up at any local game store and throw down the gauntlet at 2K points. You should feel confident that no matter what the other dude puts on the table, you have a decent chance of winning, if you play right. Basically, we want to build lists that are nice and balanced against similar-minded opponents. That’s where the true challenge of the game lies.
So what does this list expansion look like? Something like this:
2000 // 8 CP
Black Heart Battalion +3 CP
HQ:
Archon, Agonizer, Blaster, PGL = 94
Archon, Agonizer, Blaster, PGL = 94
TROOP:
7x Warriors, Blaster = 59
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
144
10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199
10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199
10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199
10x Warriors, 2x Blaster, Dark Lance = 114
Raider, Dark Lance = 85
199
+++
Black Heart Spearhead +1 CP
HQ:
Archon, Blaster, PGL = 92
HEAVY:
Ravager, 3x Dinsintegrators = 125
Ravager, 3x Dinsintegrators = 125
Ravager, 3x Dinsintegrators = 125
+++
Black Heart Air Wing +1 CP
FLYER:
Razorwing, 2x Dinsintegrators = 135
Razorwing, 2x Dinsintegrators = 135
Razorwing, 2x Dinsintegrators = 135
Going off my skeleton list, I added in competitive units from my unit bucket to cover my list’s weaknesses. I wanted to add more killing power through ranged attacks so I added Ravagers and Razorwings. I’m on a Disintegrator kick right now because of their killing potential (and I recommend them too!), but I also caution that we should balance that around with some Dark Lances.
Lances are better against heavier targets, but you can always supplement that shooting with a high volume number of Disintegrators. Again, this is a meta call: If your meta is saturated with IG Tank spammers running dirt-cheap Brigades, show up with a list with 20+ Dark Lances and feel no pity.
Add the core elements from the unit bucket first before adding on anything else! All the PGLs, Agonizers, and even extra 2 Warriors that started from a unit of 5 in a Command Raider is LUXURY. It is not part of what you consider a core part of army construction and should be purchased only when you have spare points. A mistake that I see people do after so many years in the hobby is going upgrade heavy on a single unit. DO NOT do this! Buy everything barebones for it to be fully functional (as in, does it fulfill the role you bought it for), then add on the upgrades only after you’ve done this with everything else in your list.
The FIFTH thing I do at this point is to double-check my math and weigh in your firepower. You do this by performing a firepower analysis of what you have on the alpha with respect to the range band. You do this by listing out all your weapons (including ranges if you want), their Strength/AP/Damage if you don’t know them by heart, and the BS that they’re shot with. You don’t need to write absolutely everything, you only need to write what you think is the most relevant. It should look something like this:
Firepower:
15 Disintegrators at BS3+
9 Dark Lances at BS3+
9 Blasters at BS3+
3 Blasters at BS2+
3 Razorwing Missiles at BS3+
41 Splinter Rifles at BS3+
This will also help you during deployment so you know what you can realistically dish out from your total THREAT range, which for shooty armies, is your move + your weapon’s range. Don’t forget that most of ourped vehicles are open-top and our guys inside should factor into that equation as well.
This exercise right here is also a damage/gear check. Just like a raid boss in an MMORPG, you should have something that tells you if you’re putting out enough damage for the points. If you’re at 2K points and not within half of what I’m throwing out here, you know that you’re at a huge disadvantage if I’m going first (Alpha). The damage and lethality of the game is a lot higher than it was in the previous editions. Everything tends to die really quick and there’s a much larger emphasis on getting those potential backbreaking blows in the first couple of turns.
This is why the firepower analysis with respect to range bands is important: You need to know what you can do on your first turn from as far away as you can (because you’re wearing T-shirts flying around in paper planes), and what you can do as a follow-up strike when you get near your opponents. Try to be aware of all your weapons ranges so you can better prepare for the next turn and maximize your damage potential.
Pro-tip: If you’re up against a list with higher “alpha damage” than you, it’s best to deploy defensively and seek shelter and line of sight blockers. Alpha damage is someone’s killing potential in that first volley of the game. You want to be highly aware as a Dark Eldar player if you’re at a disadvantage here. Likewise, you should also be aware when you have the firepower advantage. This means you can afford to be more aggressive (for that 1-2 punch) if you’re the one with the alpha advantage.
The SIXTH AND FINAL thing I do now is: Count up the CPs AFTER the army is complete and see what more I can squeeze out of them. This is the min-maxing portion and where I spend 70% of my list construction time. This is because a lot of this comes from experience building lists as a primary aspect of my hobby, but also because a lot of this comes from post-battle reports where I sit back and think really hard about what changes I want to make.
Welp, I think that’s it. Feel free to let me know what you guys think, and I welcome you all to learning the game with me in the next couple of weeks!
