Well well well, welcome to The Dark City you poor unfortunate soul! Here in Commoragh, we don’t take kindly to strangers, but as you’ve found us, we’ll teach you a little about the ways of the Kabals (before we slit your throat…)
As many a Warhammer: 40,000 player will know, the Drukhari are not like your other armies. Whilst your Space Marines, Orks or Tyranids can use any unit at their disposal to form a given detachment, the Drukhari are a little…odd. Instead of viewing their army as a single codex, it is best to view it as 3. Those 3 are: Kabals Obsessions (which we will be focusing on today), Wych Cult Obsessions, and the Homunculus Covens Obsessions - all have their strengths, all have their weaknesses and when used together, make the Drukhari one of most intricate and interesting armies in the entire game. (*Note: The reason for this is because you cannot mix and match Drukhari units, I.e Kabal units have to be in a Kabal Detachment, Wyches in a Wych detatchment etc, otherwise you lose your Kabal trait)
ON THE TABLETOP:
So let’s start - Firstly, why Kabals? Kabals are essentially what many people refer to as your ‘true’ Drukhari - focusing on mobility, huge amounts of firepower and being general spiky badasses. By utilising their transports and various Kabal specific traits (AKA obsessions), you can create vastly differing lists from only a select few units.
STRENGTHS:
Overwhelming Firepower Seriously, you will struggle to find an army which can match a Kabal list in terms of sheer firepower. Poisoned weapons mean we wound any (non-vehicle) models on 4+, so that high toughness means nothing to us! Secondly, we have a crazy amount of access to some of the most diabolical weaponry in the game - Blasters, Disintegrator cannons, Dark Lances and Shredders will help you tear through almost any unit in some way or another! (Those -4AP shots really pack a punch!).
Mobility Drukhari remain the fastest army in the game. Period. Our vehicles and even infantry are faster than almost any other army. This means that we always have an advantage over our opponent to flank, pick off and exploit any mistakes that they make until their army caves in on itself (which is the most Drukhari thing I’ve ever written!)
Ultimately, our goal is to spot mistakes and use them to our advantage. There is always a kink in the chain, it’s our job to find it!
Customisability This is a personal thing, but I think that a themed Kabal army is one of the most visually striking armies to come up against, it really can inject a sense of fear into your opponent! But this extends to the tabletop too, your Kabal of the Black Heart army will play incredibly different to my (personal favourite) Kabal of The Flayed Skull army. The Kabals are full of flavour, so let your army represent that too!
Take a look at these amazing Drukhari examples! 'Wasp' Drukhari
WEAKNESSES -
Glass Cannons
Yep…This is what makes the Drukhari more difficult than most armies to master (heck knows I haven’t mastered it yet!) Whilst you can dish the dirt, you certainly can’t take it.
Like, at all.
There’s a reason we’re known as having ‘paper boats’ as vehicles. It’s because without proper placement, your stuff will die FAST and you’ll be hung up to dry quicker than you can say Commoragh.
Close Combat Luckily most of our units have the FLY keyword anyway so we won’t be stuck in combat for long. But seriously, Kabals are NOT a close combat army. If you want to be playing something more close and personal, Homunculus Covens or Wych Cults do it much better.
BEST UNITS:
1) Kabalite Warriors
The bread and butter of any Kabal force - and they are super cheap! Run them in units of 5 and give them a shredder for infantry hunting or blaster for heavier targets. The amount of firepower that a 5 man Kabal unit can put out can surprise even the most seasoned of opponents who underestimate them. Just keep them in their transports. Don’t get cocky with their firepower, because these guys die SUPER easily if you don’t protect them. Plus, keeping in their transports will let you put them exactly where they need to be at all times 2) Venoms
Seriously, you cannot have enough of these. These little beauties are fast, deadly and have one of the sweetest models in the game. Their built in -1 to hit from shooting attacks gives a surprising amount of survivability, especially when paired with the Lightning Fast Relexes stratagem to give them an additional -1. A Kabal army full of venoms is a happy one. They have a tonne of firepower in themselves through splinter rifles and splinter cannons, so when paired with your Kabalite warriors they become even more deadly!
3) Archons
Not quite the hero that we want them to be (yet), but we know and love them still. Archons are an interesting unit as not only are they the only HQ unit that Kabals have access to, but they are one of the best objective campers in the game. As they are characters, they cannot be targeted unless they are the closest model and their 2+ Shadowfield can (and usually will) defer A LOT of wounds. Sure, every now and again they will fail, but on the whole, they are mobile, adaptable and great little campers.
4) Razorwing Jetfighters
Whilst technically not a Kabal unit, razor wings can be included in Kabal detachments without losing your buffs (So can scourges etc.) Here’s the headline. This thing GOES. with an 72’’ move, you’ve covering the entire board. Packed with a tonne of firepower, this flyer is an absolute BEAST. Seriously, just get one (or 3).
GENERAL STRATEGY / TIPS:
Every game of 40k is different, so it’s impossible to cover everything, but here are some handy tips and strategies to try when using Kabals.
USE RANGE DISTANCES
Outmanoeuvring your opponents is a key part of the Drukhari strategy, but so is keeping your stuff alive! Don’t think that because you rushed in your raiders or venoms that your opponents stuff is just going to die. It takes a lot of practice, but learn their maximum ranges, can you shoot without being shot next turn? Think about how they are going to move and are your guys at risk? These are the kinds of things that a Drukhari player needs to think about.
POWER FROM PAIN
This is a standard across all Drukhari armies and whilst Kabals are NOT a combat army, a few of them do come in handy, namely the one we use from the get go - Inured From Suffering - which allows our units to ignore wounds on a 6+, it might seem trivial, but they soon add up and can be the difference between winning and losing.
SHOOT WHAT YOU CAN KILL
This is just a great general rule to follow whenever you are playing a game, but applies to Drukhari especially. Don’t waste an entire turn thinking you’re going to punch through that invulnerable save. It’s never worth it. In the same way that poison is a massive godsend against many units, it’s a pain in the ass for others, those grots still get wounded on a 4+! So don’t waste your shots. Instead, prioritise your targets, what are you CERTAIN you can kill, or what is causing you the biggest IMMEDIATE threat? Use your cunning and mobility to outsmart your opponent!
So there you have it! All you need to get started with the Dark Kin! Enjoy!
Enjoyed this article? Take a look at our beginners guide to the Farsight Enclaves here!
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