Thursday, October 1, 2009

Dark Eldar Army Breakdown 2: Wyches!


Wyches are by far one of the beastly close combat units in 40k, at least in my opinion they are. When geared correctly they are just insane in close combat. I always run at least 2 Wych squads in any of my army lists, given their power you can’t not run them.
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Even though wyches are devastating in close combat you still have to be very careful with them. In almost every list, wyches will need to be in a raider. If they are not in a transport they are EXTREMELY flimsy. Wyches only have a base armor save of 6+, meaning that even las pistols blow right through their armor, however in close combat they have a 4+ inv. Save.
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Gearing wych squads is very easy; they basically have a set list of gear you need to give them. Wych weapons are well worth the 1pt per model. Not only do they ½ the attacker’s weapon skill but they also drop the attacks that most CC units get from close combat weapons. Dropping most units down to 1 attack and 2 on the charge, but you should be doing the charging and counter charging with them.
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Always take a succubus in the wych squads and ALWAYS give her an agonizer. The power of the agonizer is never to be under estimated. A power weapon that wounds on a 4+ regardless of toughness is just insane, granted you pay 20pts for it, that’s 4 attacks on the charge at I6.
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Like most DE units wyches take advantage of combat drugs. These drugs, however, are different from the drugs that go on your HQ units. These drugs have a set table that you roll on and the squad keeps the effect for the entire game. Some are good some are bad, they are as follows:
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On a D6 roll….1 may make a 12” assault….2 +1 WS….3 +1 str…4 Always strike first….5 Re-roll any misses in close combat….6 +1 attack. I love getting any of them but dread getting a 4…..wyches basically always strike first on most anything anyways so getting a 4 is basically a waste.
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Now comes down to the tactics on wyches. I will usually hold them back until I see a unit that they can clear in 1.5 turns. You want to either keep your wyches in combat or have them finish up an assault on your opponents turn; otherwise your wyches will clear a unit in one turn and get shot to crap in your opponents next turn.
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Your biggest goal with 5th edition wyches is trying to keep them in combat. It’s very rare that your wyches will lose combat; it’s almost guaranteed they will win; you will want to keep this in mind. I usually try not to throw them into a weak squad. I almost always throw my wyches at the enemy’s power unit. Nobs, Command squad, ect. If I have to double them up on them I will because over time I will whittle that expensive unit down and tie it up in close combat.
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Just like a squad of 20 boys packing a power claw, a wych squad is the same effect. Granted we aren’t rolling 20 deep but were rolling 10 deep with an agonizer and a 4+inv save. Don’t be afraid to throw you wyches at a monstrous creature as well. That one succubus will kill most anything….almost always hits on 4+ and will ALWAYS wound on a 4+ with a power weapon.
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On your wyches' transport you will want to give it scaling nets. Scaling nets let you embark/disembark anywhere in the vehicles 12” movement phase. Use this to your advantage. Fly in…drop the wyches then attempt to block LOS just in case you get out of combat too soon….you'll be happy your getting that 4+ cover save from you opponents shooting. Happy hunting!
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-Captain Obvious

4 comments:

  1. How big is the Nob squad when you attake it?
    10 models + Boss,or 5 models plus boss?

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  2. I have to say that I think in the realm of heavier-weight CC units, Wytches are more tarpits than killers.

    T3 with a 4+ isn't that hard to KO, though it helps when combined with fewer attacks. Enemies that rely on lots of units with a couple attacks each are in trouble, and units without a lot of attacks to begin with don't like it.

    Alternatively, Agonizer + Squad = usually a dead MC.

    Problem is, though, that most enemies who want your Wyches dead probably have a way to kill your Raider, which means delivery is problematic. Then again, that's DE for you in general.

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  3. In my experience fighting Captain Obvious's DE, I have come to the conclusion that his wyches can and will kill monstrous creatures, but if the MC lives to reply, they will pay a debilitating price for their victory. Against squads of infantry, they are murder. This mostly has to do with their agonizer and when they face Plague Marines, the higher toughness gets nerfed as well. They can also be counted on to usually wipe a squad of obliterators in a turn and a half.
    I want to single them out, but remember the key to any army is its ability to work together. What do you take out first, the wych squad which is hanging back for the right moment or the near two dozen dark lances that are raping your rhinos and inst-killing oblits, making it very hard to claim objectives or kill further raiders. A proper Dark Eldar army makes you choose your poison ... take the chances in assault and take down their long range fire, or take down the wyches and try to whether the shooting. Lets not forget the other CC threats that may accompany them in a Webway list like the Talos spam on your objective (the FAQ makes that pretty nasty).
    Beleive me, I am not trying to sell you on DE being the best thing on Earth, but when all the elements work to support each other, they are pretty nasty (as with most armies). As these articles progress, C.O. will further explain how certain units work togather with different wargear options to make opponents cry.
    These article are also by no means a 'take this unit or lose' guide. simply an introduction to what some units in the army are capable of since they are pretty much a mystery with how rare they are these days in most FLGS.
    As far as the nobs go, hopefully Obvious will chime in as I cannot remember most of his battles as well as he can.

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  4. first off with wyches you shouldnt be throwing them at hordes of units. You need to be using your warriors to wittle them down before you hit them. Our buddy runs a ork nob squad with a warboss....usually 5-6 strong and i have no problem throwing my wyches into them, usually i will toss the archon in there as well and get her base to base with the warboss and put all her hits on him because he is easly dropped with enough hits.

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