8th Edition Dark Elves 2250-2500 lists

So, this is what I've been thinking. Drop fast cavalry, shades, assassins. Up Magic (thinking Lore of Metal), crossbowmen, harpies. I'm contemplating exchanging the two sorcs for a single Lv4.

2250 8th edition2250 Pts - Dark Elves Army

1 Sorceress @ 160 Pts
Magic Level 2
Darkstar Cloak (+1 power dice)

1 Sorceress @ 175 Pts
General; Magic Level 2
Tome of Furion (extra spell)
The Guiding Eye (1x unit rerolls missed ranged attacks)

1 Death Hag @ 225 Pts
Poison Attacks; Cauldron of Blood; Frenzy; 2ndWeapon; Battle Standard
1 Cauldron of Blood @ [110] Pts
2 Hag @ [0] Pts
Frenzy; 2ndWeapon

24 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 279 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

24 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 279 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

24 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 279 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

5 Harpies @ 55 Pts

5 Harpies @ 55 Pts

5 Harpies @ 55 Pts

19 Black Guard @ 332 Pts
Halberd; Heavy Armour; Standard; Musician
Banner of Murder (armor piercing)

Tower Master
Halberd; Heavy Armour
Ring of Hotek

1 War Hydra @ 175 Pts

2 Beastmaster @ [0] Pts
Beastmaster's Scourge

1 War Hydra @ 175 Pts

2 Beastmaster @ [0] Pts
Beastmaster's Scourge

Models in Army: 118
Total Army Cost: 2247

I'm curious about your use of harpies. How does redirecting work in 5th? With the easing of movement restrictions and free reforms, not to mention redirecting charges, I wonder about units like these. Are they strong enough to take out artillery now by themselves?

I was mostly thinking about enemy war machines. 2A each at I5

The change to redirecting is why I've dropped my dark riders

I see your list is 2250. That kinda makes it funky for the break down in army percentages. Does everyone think that tourney's will we 2000 or 2500 instead to make it easier on army composition?

I have a feeling 2500 will be the way to go, particularly since blocks are encouraged to go up in size.

2000 works fine, but lot of players will likely complain that they can't take such and such, so the TO's will end up having to adopt 2250-2500 as standard.

They usually play 2250 up here- I don't know if their adjusting the points for 8th.

562pts (25%) isn't that big of a deal. This list has 560pts worth of heroes and I don't know what I'd add or drop with them.

At 2500 I'd probably drop the two sorceresses, and take a lv4 Sorceress [pendant of kaelith, sacrificial dagger] and put her in a block of warriors.

The scary thing is the mages with the miscast chart and the amout of dice you might be throwing and the damage they do to others around them.

Thinking about doing the lore of Shadow instead and giving the Supreme Sorc the black staff (Power of Darkness bound), as well as either dropping the RoHotek or putting it on a mobile character.

Last game I played, my Slann miscast and killed all 12 of the TG that surrounded him. It was nasty.

Here's another. This is 2500.

If playing against someone with I4 or less- first turn get the Supreme Sorc (death) on the flank and launch a large blast Purple Sun of Xerus down the enemy line. Toss as many dice as is in the pool, pop the power stone, and hope its irresistible force(rolling 9 dice on average) or can't be dispelled. Edit: Changed Power stone to the new Power Scroll. On average dice its a guaranteed irresistible force.

Supreme Sorceress @380 Pts
General; Magic Level 4; Death lore
Dark Pegasus
Pendant of Kaelith
Power SCROLL

1 Sorceress @ 175 Pts
Magic Level 2; Death lore
The Guiding Eye (1x unit rerolls missed ranged attacks)

1 Death Hag @ 225 Pts
Poison Attacks; Cauldron of Blood; Frenzy; 2ndWeapon; Battle Standard
1 Cauldron of Blood @ [110] Pts
2 Hag @ [0] Pts
Frenzy; 2ndWeapon

30 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 345 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

25 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 279 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

25 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 279 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

5 Harpies @ 55 Pts

5 Harpies @ 55 Pts

20 Black Guard @ 332 Pts
Halberd; Heavy Armour; Standard; Musician
Banner of Murder (armor piercing)

Tower Master
Halberd; Heavy Armour
Ring of Hotek

1 War Hydra @ 175 Pts

2 Beastmaster @ [0] Pts
Beastmaster's Scourge

1 War Hydra @ 175 Pts

2 Beastmaster @ [0] Pts
Beastmaster's Scourge

Jesus, thats a lot of repeater xbows ... i would hate to walk up to that, even with my Skaven and Goblins where the numbers can absorb the fire.

You think the Hydras are still as good ? they can use their breath just once, and evrything can wound them if they roll a 6. A couple of Volley fire from Bretonian peasants with braziers could end them real quick.

I like the Sorceres, very Dark elf like, throw lots of power at it at the risk of loosing her life.

The ring of Hotek is even nastier now since the Miscast table is almost guaranteed death.

Dont see the use for the Harpies anymore, you cant bait frenzied troops anymore since they can hold by passing a LD test. Flying is nerfed, and they cant march block anymore either.

2500

This doesn't have the same potential for first turn victory as the last, but I like it more. Still WIP

Lore of Shadow goes well with Dark Elves, I think. Supreme Sorc sits in the warrior block, sacrificing as she sees fit. The block will sit on a flank- relatively unmolested (who wants to charge stubborn spearmen guarded by blackguard and hydras?). The warrior formation will be wide, unless threatened, to limit casualties in case of a miscast as she'll be on one end. Musician will make a swift reform if someone actually wants to attack them.

2500 8th edition [Supreme Sorceress]2500 Pts - Dark Elves Army

1 Supreme Sorceress @ 320 Pts
General; Magic Level 4
Pendant of Khaeleth
Sacrificial Dagger

1 Death Hag @ 225 Pts
Poison Attacks; Cauldron of Blood; Frenzy; 2ndWeapon; Battle Standard
1 Cauldron of Blood
2 Hag @ [0] Pts
Frenzy; 2ndWeapon

30 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 345 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

24 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 279 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

24 Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen @ 269 Pts
Rptr Crossbow; Light Armour; Shield; Musician

29 Dark Elf Warriors @ 212 Pts
Spear; Light Armour; Shield; Standard; Musician

5 Harpies @ 55 Pts

5 Harpies @ 55 Pts

5 Harpies @ 55 Pts

18 Black Guard @ 332 Pts
Halberd; Heavy Armour; Standard; Musician
Banner of Murder [25]

1 * Tower Master @ [39] Pts
Halberd; Heavy Armour
Whip of Agony [25]

1 War Hydra @ 175 Pts

2 Beastmaster @ [0] Pts
Beastmaster's Scourge

1 War Hydra @ 175 Pts

2 Beastmaster @ [0] Pts
Beastmaster's Scourge

Models in Army: 151
Total Army Cost: 2497

luis the young wrote:Jesus, thats a lot of repeater xbows ... i would hate to walk up to that, even with my Skaven and Goblins where the numbers can absorb the fire.

You think the Hydras are still as good ? they can use their breath just once, and evrything can wound them if they roll a 6. A couple of Volley fire from Bretonian peasants with braziers could end them real quick.

I like the Sorceres, very Dark elf like, throw lots of power at it at the risk of loosing her life.

The ring of Hotek is even nastier now since the Miscast table is almost guaranteed death.

Dont see the use for the Harpies anymore, you cant bait frenzied troops anymore since they can hold by passing a LD test. Flying is nerfed, and they cant march block anymore either.

I've always preferred harpies for warmachine hunting. They perform that just as well now,except I could get 6 harpies attacking instead of the usual 5. March blocking and redirecting was always secondary (that was what my dark riders were for).

Hydras, although they can only breath once, now can rack up insane amounts of kills in combat. 2d6 from breath, 1d6 stomp, in addition to their normal attacks. Breathing the breath normally now hits all partials- breathing once, I don't think its too much of a downer. Before it wasn't long until the hydra started taking wounds and the breath was decreased- or he was in combat and the breath was no longer worthwhile. It seems to me that they still are pretty damn good- and if they aren't that isn't too much of a problem; they still look good, finished painting my second hydra.

The peasants no longer get +1 to hit. If he's shooting at my hydra, he's not shooting at my elves. For the points, the hydra is tougher than an equal amount of elves.

30 peasants shooting at a hydra. Long range. Hitting on 5s
10 hits. Wounding on 6s
1.66 wounds
4+ sv
.833 wound(s)

That's if they are all shooting, not volley fire.

Lore of shadow works well with my shooting and combat. So I think my regular lists will revolve around that.

What I like about the crossbowmen is that they can put out loads of shooting before the enemy gets to them- and then still be good in close combat.