Dark Eldar advice

[orkblasta]

A friend of mine is starting up a dark eldar army and to tell you the truth I think he's going to represent the 'glass' part of the 'glass hammer'. He's only been playing for about two years and hasn't won many games and still doesn't know his own units stats, he plays orks.

I don't want him to just start playing without any ideas on how the army plays. Is there any advice that might be useful to a beginner like my friend?

If you want some background on him here it is:

He tends to over exaggerate the rules in his dex applying weapons, special rules and abilities to models that can't actually have them. He doesn't think to much as far as strategy he just sends his models to the field hoping to do damage. The only games he's ever won are against our newest member that hasn't even been playing for a year and a friend that likes to send his tau models into close combat just to see what would happen.

Are there any strategies or models that fit the kamikaze nature? Or do all models require great amounts of strategy? I guess what I'm asking is does this army require a very strategic leader or can anyone pick up the dex and play?

Cheers.

[virado]

tell your friend to sell his DE
your friend is trying to use a rapier like a sledge hammer, while grasping the blade.
Orks you can use as a sledgehammer. DE not so much. There is no room for mistakes when playing DE. maybe have him play an army that requires a little more strategy than Orks do.

a kamikaze type play style would be raiders with sails and shock prows ramming the (please do not swear) out of anything with an armor value. other than that nothing else comes to mind.

really tell him to test it out with his own models first without buying anything. let him see how they work and try everything to disuade him.
I've been playing for almost a year and i know both the nid and DE codex inside and out. Have him do that with the ork codex first before he starts another army. everything your telling me says that 1 DE arnt for him. and 2 that he needs to anchor down his current army before moving on to a new one.

[Devil's Advocate]

his style of play would work really well with chaos - give him a raft of berzerkers with Kharn and tell him to go at it. if he wants some shooty, tell him to take a couple of oblits and a defilner.

[hivetyrant2244]

I think he should get an army like necrons space marines or chaos space marines where they can stand fire power more than other races. it'l suit his stratagy more.

[Psychichobo]

Yeah, he needs a sledgehammer army. DE don't do that. They need finesse or they crumple faster than a wet paper bag.

Orks or Khornate Chaos sound about right.

[orkblasta]

thanks guys, that's what I thought you would say.

cheers.

[hivetyrant2244]

also if he is going to use dark eldar tell him to use alot of cover

[synack]

I borrowed a friends DE for about 2 weeks and got 6 games in with them, cause I was pondering picking up the army. They are bloody hard to play with tbh. I think it's similar to the Nid codex in a way, not really OP in any area, but it's hard to find that synergy balance to things.

I'd actually not recomend DE to a new or bad player, they won't enjoy the army at all.

[Psychichobo]

GW once did a starter set with them and Marines. Clever...

I suppose if he's determined to stick with DE he could try a Haemonculus Coven list, lots of Wracks and Grotesques. Fairly durable and combatty.