Erik, you're the expert here

[Chris M.]

I need some tactical advice and your genius with Slanneshi Daemons.

I'm looking at putting in a few different units because... well.... an all bloodletter army is boring. Run forward... win combat... Kill the opponent.... win the game.... I need some variety. ;D

I'm looking pretty hard at putting in some Daemonettes. I've looked at the stats and figured that a Herald of Tzeentch with either Shadow or Death would compliment them well. Shadow for the obligatory Mindrazor, and Death for the leadership debuffs and -1s and -1t. Do you run your Slannesh Herald as a caster ever? How many is too many Daemonettes, and how few is too few?

I've got a more fluffy list in mind for my next major project (2 units isnt major... but after the orcs I'm not sure if I'll ever want to build or paint again )

I built 5 Seekers today, and want to try them as well as a flanker and redirector. They are cheaper than the dogs, and faster. I'm unsure how to use the Daemonettes though as they dont have the STR of the bloodletters, but have AP and more attacks.

Could you run down how you use em and more importantly how NOT to use em?

Chris

[Erik Lindley]

Well, nettes aren't the optimal choice, but there are some things they do better than BL's. Since they have multiple attacks they slice through cheap troops much better. A herald is mandatory with them. The big problem with a herald is they are really really hard to keep alive after contact with the enemy. Go wide and put them on the end is about all you can do. You need the ASF for the re-rolls though.

A good all purpose unit is 29 with a herald. I DO make the herald a caster. The default spell is really, really good (I dont' bother with the others on the Lvl1's). There are a lot of units that have poor leadership that you don't think about (A-Bombs, Vargulfs, etc...) and a key stupidity spell on one of them early on can really make a mess of things for your opp.

Obviously, Siren song is insanely good so you'll want that as well. Bringing in an opp's Lvl4 on a disk for some 'nette luv'n is too good to pass up

You will want a shadow herald to compliment them. A timely mindrazor and you will win the game (multiple attacks+re-rolls+str8= win) but also for the debuffs. Shadow is most optimal.

BL's are better all around than 'nettes, but they are equal in durability-actually with ASF the nettes edge the BL's out here since they will cancel any ASF re-rolls that your opp might have gotten.

They are faster also so you can manuever a little better (the inch makes a difference!)

You will have a beast of a time with high tough+armor troops (like WoC and Dwarves and knights of all types) They just struggle to kill anything, even with re-rolls. keep that in mind when you hit those kinds of troops and maybe have a fiend or two available to tack onto a corner and add some kills.

With nettes you can also run a small-ish unit unsupported on a flank as a fast mover, redirecter, flanker. With Mv6 they can get where they need to go! 12 nettes on a flank is still a decent unit that the opp will have to throw a good amount of resources at to kill.

Seekers are ultra fast and unless folks play against them much (most don't) they are not prepared for a vanguard move of 12" and a follow-up move of 20". I like the banner of no stand and shoot with the seekers. They can really reach out and touch people

Like every "sub-optimal" (I use that term loosely in this context)choice in the DoC book, seekers and nettes aren't "bad" by any definition. They are still daemons Hahaah. They can do everything a BL can do, but just some things maybe not quite as efficiently.

Nettes need more support than BL's do though, but if you have that support available, then they will rock the party!

Good luck bro

-Erik

[mrpink]

A few extra things to add to what Erik has said:

- I personally prefer Death on the Tzeentch herald to compliment Slaanesh. Shadow is better all round for helping daemonettes out in combat but the problem I ran into was the casting values are just too high for a support Lvl2 caster. Death is generally easier to cast and soulblight is brilliant. Plus the lore has Doom and Darkness (useful on its own, absurd in conjunction with the Ld bomb) and everybody's favourite Psun (which I want purely to pop Steam Tanks).
- I don't favour level 1 on my heralds. I don't have the space in my hero allotment and if you're taking a level 4 greater daemon and a level 2 loremaster you've plenty to play with. 50 points better spent elsewhere.
- Siren song is insanely good in 8th and that alone can make a Daemonette horde better than a Bloodletter horde.
- You can protect your Slaanesh heralds with Allure. Obviously works best in conjunction with the Ld Bomb.
- I prefer to run Seekers in a larger unit (at least 10) with a herald. Smaller units will just get butchered immediately by step up. The banner that prevents units from fleeing or shooting is good, plus with a herald with siren song you can use Vanguard and start 12" from the enemy and siren song them in their turn 1!
- Fiends are so amazingly awesome. They're so fast, get them on an enemy's flanks and they're very dangerous. Often my best performing unit. I run 6, 3x2 so they start with a rank.

[Chris M.]

Thanks guys,
Very good tactics and advice. I have 10 Seekers and 30 Daemonettes now. Gonna put em together and see how they play. I usually play with a Death Loremaster and a Shadow Loremaster in the same list. Each with a scroll and a disc. It anoys the crap out of people to have 2 loremasters they cant catch!

I cant wait to get the girls into some games.

Thanks
Chris

[powerposey]

I too have started a Slaaneshi army over the last couple of weeks (need a break from my Empire) so the advice above is being well received. The other 3 gods seem too one-dimentional, and the possibilities of Siren Song and the Siren Standards messing up my opponents plans just gets my juices flowing

I am going for a pure Slaanesh list that is pretty much KoS, 2 Heralds, 2x30 Blocks of daemonettes, 2x3 or 1x6 Fiends, 1x6 Seekers, and maybe 1x10 Furies. After reading Mr.Pink's post I have to find a way to boost up the Seekers.