Our global Events guru Mike Brandt is back with another instalment of Metawatch Warhammer 40,000, so grab a pad and take notes if you want to keep up with the cutting edge of competitive gaming. Without any further ado, we’ll hand you over to Mike and his guest experts…
Mike: Hello and welcome back to Metawatch! Last month, we explored the rising dominance of Chaos armies in Australia and the role Grey Knights could play as their natural counterpoint in the meta. Last month, the Drukhari renewed their raids on realspace with the release of their new codex. The codex presents a dizzying array of possibilities, and it's anybody's guess which units and lists will bring Drukhari up the rankings across the meta. We've brought two well-known Drukhari veterans aboard to help us navigate all the changes – Nick Nanavati and Skari.
As you’ll no doubt remember, Nick shared his thoughts on the Chapter Approved: Grand Tournament 2020 Mission Pack in our inaugural Metawatch article last year. Fresh off his victory at the Tables and Towers GT in Westminster, Maryland, Nick was kind enough to lend his talents to create a fearsome Drukhari raiding party bent on plunder and slaughter. Take it away, Nick!
Nick: I’ve been playing Warhammer 40,000 for 17 years, and have found joy playing nearly every faction. Drukhari, in particular, are one of my favourites to use on the battlefield. I’ve taken them to many events over the years, including the NOVA Open, Las Vegas Open, and many more. Their incredible speed fits my playstyle particularly well, since it allows me to wait patiently for my opponent to make a mistake, and then capitalise on it with hyperaggression. I think that kind of play and army list that supports it will yield the best results in the meta with the new codex. Let's take a look at a list I'm planning to field.
This army epitomises both the play style and lore of the Drukhari raiders. I went for a triple-Patrol Detachment build so I could make use of their awesome Raiding Forces rules, making every Detachment I have cost no additional Command points.
Each brings some unique power and utility to the army while acting as part of a cohesive whole in which their combined power is greater than the sum of their individual parts.
The Dark Technomancer patrol offers me low-cost, moderately durable, incredibly hard-hitting troops. The units of Wracks each have two liquifier guns, making awesome use of the Dark Technomancer’s Obsession, which adds 1 to their wound rolls and Damage without having to deal with the risk of rolling 1s to hit. These units can perform actions, have Objective Secured, and can punch way above their weight class! They threaten commonly seen, durable units such as Space Marines and most vehicles and monsters. They are also only 3 Power each, meaning I can outflank all three units for just one Command Point with Strategic Reserves!
The Kabal of the Black Heart Patrol Detachment serves as the firepower and mobility of the list. This Detachment contains four Raiders and two Ravagers for a total of 10 dark lance shots, many of which will benefit from a free re-roll to hit via their Thirst for Power Obsession.
The Raiders give the army mobility and much-needed protection from enemy firepower. These will likely transport the Wyches and Incubi to deliver the close-combat goodness right where it hurts!
The Cult of Strife Detachment brings the real combat threat and hypermobile infantry. The Hellions can make amazing use of the Eviscerating Fly-by Stratagem to deal mortal wounds.
The Hellions can also be legitimately durable with the combination of Lightning Fast Reactions and Invigorated By Evisceration to make them harder to hit and gain a 4+ invulnerable save. This unit can serve as either an anchor unit or a flank crusher!
Overall this army is about playing patiently at range while using its incredible speed to pick and choose exactly when and where it should engage in close combat. It also has a ton of small units arriving from Strategic Reserves, dropping directly into the fray or securing objectives, enabling it to consistently out-score the opponent on missions while the more threatening units go to work.
Mike: Thanks, Nick! I'm personally a huge fan of this style of army list – many relatively standard units working to punch well above their weight as part of a collective whole. It's great to see Raiders hit the table as well, as they give the army an awesome visual aesthetic. Next up is Skari from SkaredCast. Skari, first tell us a little bit about yourself and your competitive Drukhari list idea.
Skari: I’ve been playing Warhammer for over 20 years. While my first army was built around Black Templars from the third edition boxed set, about 12 years ago, I began raiding with the Drukhari before all the cool new kits got released! I’ve since fallen in love with the army play style – hit fast, hit hard. I play them every chance I get. The model range is fantastic and has inspired me constantly to convert and paint new cool models for my collection. I started the Drukhari as a challenge to play with an army that was harder to learn but very rewarding once mastered, and I have been competing with them at tournaments seriously since 2017. I’ve won a few major tournaments with them and am currently Assistant Captain of the Canadian 40K Team. I’ve also won Best Drukhari General for two years in a row in the ITC!
Let's dive right in and see what they have to offer. With my initial list concept, I wanted to use a large portion of the collection I’ve amassed over the years. I chose to build my competitive list with multiple Patrol Detachments over the Realspace Raid structure. This is mainly due to the fact I love the Cult of Strife supplement from the Book of Rust, and having a Detachment of them built into the list would allow me to use them. These Stratagems really enhance the power of some of my favourite units, such as Reavers and Hellions. In the current meta, you’re looking for the ability to move, eliminate enemy units, and take objectives. And this list does that, while also keeping some tricks in the back pocket for some unusual situations, or to deal with historically tough matchups.
The first Detachment is of the Kabal of the Black Heart. I’m a fan of the Agents of Vect Stratagem and its ability to fundamentally change the way your opponent planned to use their Command points.
For example, if your Space Marines opponent relies on Transhuman Physiology to keep their Bladeguard Veterans alive, they’ll have to allocate an additional Command point every time they use it to do so. This will prevent them from using those Command points on other Stratagems throughout the game.
The Archon has been upgraded to a Master Archon with the Splintered Genius Kabalite Diversion, and he’s equipped with the Djin Blade and Hatred Eternal.
This combination makes him very dangerous on the battlefield, and his once-per-game ability to fight twice should be handy when I’m using him as a counter-charge unit or there’s a stubborn unit that survives his initial attacks. The Master Archon upgrade also allows a unit of Kabalite Warriors to be upgraded to Trueborn. This is an excellent way to add some reliable anti-tank shots with their improved ballistic skill. Putting them in a Raider also helps to keep them safe from firepower at least for a turn or two.
The Incubi in the Detachment are designed to be a hammer unit. You can run them into an enemy unit and reliably wipe it out. Even an Imperial Knight won’t enjoy being on the receiving end of 31 Strength 5, AP -3, Damage 2 attacks (with the potential to become 3 Damage with Lethal Precision). Having the Power From Pain ability allows them to Advance and charge, starting from the second battle round, which means they should be able to reach any target that they really want to eliminate.
The Cult of Strife Wych Cult Detachment is led by a Master Succubus. They provide a toolkit that, to my mind, should be included in every serious competitive Drukhari army. With razorflails, the Dark Lotus Toxin Relic, and the adrenalight combat drug, she can put out an impressive amount of attacks.
Combine that with the Precision Blows Warlord Trait and the Hyperstimm Backlash Stratagem and she has pretty incredible killing power. To top it off, using her Show Stealer Wych Cult Spectacle ability, she can consolidate up to 6” in any direction, making it very hard for the enemy to deal with her.
The Reavers provide speed to the list, not to mention some great anti-tank capabilities with their heat lances, and are one of the only units that can take out tough targets such as a C’Tan Shard in a single turn. A combination of the Eviscerating Fly-by Stratagem, the improved heat lance profiles, grav-talons, and close combat enables the Reavers to inflict damage in multiple phases of the turn and punch way above their weight.
Lastly, in the Haemonculus Coven detachment, I went for Dark Creed simply because of the Fear Incarnate Warlord Trait. A Haemonculus with this trait can prevent units from performing actions and force them to lose the Objective Secured ability. Taking objectives and competing actions is pivotal to scoring points in competitive games of Warhammer 40,000, and having a unit that can prevent the enemy from using their units effectively or carrying out their plan is of great value.
This army has speed, durability, and the ability to play the missions competitively. It has the tools to deal with a lot of the lists that are currently being used in the competitive scene. It also has room to be modified and adapted based on your own personal play style. So go forth and raid!
Mike: Thank you, Skari! I’m sure Vect will be watching you closely as you maintain your place among the ranks of the Dark City.
The Drukhari have a fascinating new codex, with a number of subtle (and not so subtle) improvements. I'm particularly pleased to see the upgrades received by units like Drazhar – does that bode well for some other Aeldari units in the future? He really feels like the murder machine he should be now. Moreover, the armies we're seeing really feel like what you'd imagine a Drukhari force might feel like, and it's never a bad outcome when "good meta lists" can also make characterful and aesthetically pleasing armies on the tabletop. Let's keep a weather eye on the meta going forward, to see how lists like these and others fare as the Drukhari get hard to work pirating their way through the 41st Millennium.
Thanks, everyone. That’s some intriguing insight into the sort of Drukhari army lists you can expect to see gracing tournament battlefields in the near future. If you don’t reckon you can beat ’em, join ’em – grab yourself a budding Drukhari Raiding Force with a trio of Patrol Detachments, starting with a unit each of Kabalite Warriors, Wyches and Wracks, with an Archon, Succubus and Haemonculus to lead them.