Units 101 Spot

Hey there, and welcome to Units 101 Spot - where we bring you some of the units from the world of 40K and discuss the particular strengths and weaknesses of the unit, as well as great ways to use or destroy it. Personally, I love looking at the lesser used/bought units from the various codicies out there, and then working out the best way to use them.

The first unit we will look at in Units 101 spot will be a little used and almost never seen unit from the Dark Eldar Codex - Mandrakes.

Mandrakes stats are the same as regular DE Warriors. and at 15 points apiece, compared to the Warrior's base cost of 8 points, it can be understood why Dark Eldar players are wary of taking them. The unit also can't get any of the lovely upgrades from the Armory list, meaning that the unit can't even get any of the brutal firepower or combat shredding weapons available to other units, such as agonisers or shredders.

So why take Mandrakes at all?

Firstly, like a lot of the DE army, a substantial part of its power comes from the special rules inherent to the unit. Shadow-skinned gives the unit a permanent 5+ cover save, even in the open. This enables the unit to have a better chance of surviving incoming fire compared to the average Dark Eldar unit. Also, because this ability can combine with normal cover, it means that in normal terrain, the unit has a 3+ save - as good as a MEQ. In Citites of Death, this becomes a 2+ save - the unit becomes almost indestructable. Worth noting, especially if you know you have a COD game coming up.

Secondly, the unit has possibly the wierdest deployment rules in the game. Instead of deploying the unit as per normal, you put down three models in seperate locations anywhere within the players deployment zone. The unit is there but not there - any one of the three models can represent where the unit 'actually' is.

The three models can move 6" per turn, and can not affect or be effected by any enemy unit at all. The player has any of his phases up until the end of the third turn to choose which model represents where the squad 'actually' is, and deploy it, taking away the other two decoy models. Then, depending on the phase which the player deploys the unit, the unit can move, shoot and assault. This means that the opponent is never certain exactly where the unit will come on, and either have to cover all three models with suffecient force to tie the unit up, or allow the unit to potentially spring an ambush on him.

How to use Mandrakes -

Mandrakes have no options apart from how many you want in a unit. However, the special rules the unit has allow it to be incredibly flexible as to how you use it.

Tactic 1 - Spread the fear

Use this tactic against most forces, especially those which are split into a static fire element and a mobile or assault element : Deploy the three decoys reasonably evenly spaced across the board. Try to move the decoys around the flanks of his main force, or towards poorly supported units in the rear. Force the enemy to either try to send units to protect his flanks and rear, and therefore weaken his main force, or allow your Mandrakes to potentially assault vulnerable units (such as Fire Warriors, Devastators, Dark Reapers, IG Heavy Weapons teams, etc). This tactic gives the most flexibility to the player, and usually sows the most doubt and confusion.

Tactic 2 - Assassination

Use this tactic against armies which have expensive, roving IC's : Send the three models to try and get close to a roving IC and then assault and overwhelm it, such as an Etherial, Crisis commander, Farseer, basically anything short of a tooled up Chaos Lord or Grand Master. On a Farseer, a unit of 10 will put an average of 3.75 wounds, which equals 1 dead Farseer, and the units cost back straight away. It won't work as well against MEQ commanders, but can still be effective at tying up an expensive commander for a couple of turns.

Tactic 3 - Delay the surge

Use this tactic against armies which use multiple units and axis to assault your static shooting lines : Set up the decoys across the expected line of attack. Move them forward to near where you expect the enemy units to halt before they assault. Then pick one unit which you want to disrupt from assaulting, and make sure you get into combat with it. If it is a dedicated assault unit, then the Mandrakes will fall, but it will at least delay one unit for a turn or two, possibly two units if the enemy sends another in to charge the Mandrakes. This tactic can completely disrupt set piece assaults, or delay strategic units/areas from enemy assault.

Tactic 4 - Reserves

Use this tactic against armies which will use Deep Striking/Teleporting units within your own deployment zones : Set up your decoys evenly around your deployment zone to cover as much of it as possible. Try to wait for the enemy to Deep Strike into or near your own lines, then assault. Useful against shooting units. If nothing else, it will delay the opponents Deep Striking into or near your deployment zone unil turn 4.

How do I counter Mandrakes?

Countering Mandrakes is a difficult thing to do. Due to the fact that they can appear almost anywhere, it is hard to pin them down and wipe them out early. However, armies which have basic high armor values (MEQ's, Necrons) and mobile armies (Mech Eldar/Tau) can easily avoid most of the issues against Mandrakes if they want to - MEQ's because Mandrakes just can't do that much damage, and mechanised armies because they are mobile enough to avoid the Mandrakes, or at least limit the usefulness of them. However, the biggest issue of countering Mandrakes is utility - if you spend a lot of resources countering them, then you are neglecting a lot of other dangers from the rest of the Dark Eldar army, and if you don't counter them, then they can be rather disruptive to your battle plans.

However, there are some basic precautions you can use -

Keep close - Don't leave units just out there by themselves, especially if they are vulnerable to assault. Keep a small counter charge unit nearby your static firebase to rip the Mandrakes up in combat if you think it a danger. Don't leave your IC's out in vulnerable areas. It is just asking for trouble.

Be Alert but not Alarmed - Don't overvalue the power of Mandrakes. Know what they can do, and take relevant precaution, but don't change your gameplan because of them. Because a fair bit of Mandrakes value is tied up in threatening you as a player and your plans, not just your army. If you let it alter what you do too much, or become too cautious in executing your plans, then the Mandrakes have done their job. So be Alert, but not Alarmed.

Hopefully you enjoyed Units 101 Spot this week, stay tuned for more.