7th Ed. Dark ELf Help

[Foodlord]

Hi all,
Wondered if anyone had any tips for me: I got totally rolled by a Dark Elf army last night. Was a 2000 pt battle, I had
Slann, Rumination & Mystery,
10 TG
2x Skink priests on EoTG
18 Saurus w/spears
12 Saurus w/spears
12 Skink skirms
12 skink skirms
6 CoC

He fielded something like:
Cold one Knights
Hag thingy with cauldron
Mounted nasty hero with random x lots of attacks
War Hydra (HOW is that thing worth less than 200 pts?!?)
Two large units of spearmen
One unit of halberdiers
One unit of fast cav
two units of 10 crossbows
Flying harpy things.
Some assassin skirmishers

By turn 4 I had 5 TG the slann and one EOTG with 1 wound left on the steggy. He had 10 crossbows, all his spearmen, all his heroes, War Hydra, Half his Knights, half his harpies, and half his Halberdiers.

I got shot to pieces a lot, despite using EOTG ward shields, my magic didn't seem to take out too many of his troops (I was using Fire), those blasted hatred re-rolls meant that I got minced pretty often in CC too, and his fast cavaly ran circles tound my CoC (quite literally ) and that Hydra just ate lots and lots of things whilst refusing to die because it regenerated.
Is my list wrong? Did I use the wrong lore? Or was it just me?

Any advice much appreciated, thank you!

 

[erians]

Your list seems very hard, maybe want to consider some more skinks tho. I dont see how you could be shot to bits, he only had 10x2 RXB units, no shades and no war machines. Unless you forgot to mention something he must've been VERY lucky with his shooting.

The hydra is nasty but eventually it succumbs to mass poison, 2-3 units of skinks with blow pipes that keep shooting into it should get it down. Otherwise the 0+ save BSB Scar Veteran mounted on a Cold One with Burning Blade & ench shield eats hydras. Fire lore works good too, or metal, they both have 2D6 S4 flaming spells which should do 2-3 wounds to it every time you get it off, as for poison it should take 12 shots per wound (2 poison hits, 1 regened), so 1 unit of 12 skinks firing into it should do 2 wounds every round. Get 2-3 units into position and zulu dawn his ass in one round of mass poison.

If the shooting is a problem use terradons. First round you just go over them dropping rocks, second round charge them (just make sure you are out of LOS or within 10" so you dont have to eat a Stand n shoot). Magic should work too. As a dark elf player the engine scares me the most. Hardly anything in the DE army can take it out properly and it can be used against the best units in the DE list. ASF Black guards are hard? Jam 1-2 stegs in their face and their gone before they can even strike back ! The burning alignment is perfect against pretty much anything in the DE list, but especially Cold One Knights. If he has ring of hotek, drain his dispell dice by targeting stuff outside its range, then hit the hotek carrier with a Firewall or Burning rule depending on what lore you chose. Rod of Storm is great too, easily pops 2-3 knights for only 25 pts, use it when his DDs are gone.

You should also consider taking a salmander, great against large regiments and can cause some random panic tests (sure he has good LD but get him to roll enought panic tests and something will run).

 

[MaSlann]

got shot to pieces a lot, despite using EOTG ward shields, my magic didn't seem to take out too many of his troops (I was using Fire), those blasted hatred re-rolls meant that I got minced pretty often in CC too, and his fast cavaly ran circles tound my CoC (quite literally ) and that Hydra just ate lots and lots of things whilst refusing to die because it regenerated.

If you use Fire Lore he dont have regenaration on hydra ... if u having trouble with shooting Lore of Life is also good... i donte even had EoTG and still very well ignore most of his shooting with Rain Lord (specially cause they are soaked for the rest of the game and piercing units have -2 on shooting) pretty nasty , and Wind spell negating St4 or less 12" around Slann and just cast MAster of Stone/wood depending whats around the shooting units , If your Stegies get some wounds , you can heal them with "Gift of life" restoring all wounds ...
And Temple guard , you need them more, 16 is nice number ...

 

[Foodlord]

Hmmmm, I think that, as I suspected, it may just have been my crap play then Thanks for the advice folks, much appreciated, I reckon I concentrated on those crossbowmen a little too much, thus letting the hydra get to me; I was using Fire on the xbows, and maybe the rain spell would have been a better choice; useful advice there!
I think I'll try some terradons next time, and see if that makes a difference, and yes, more temple guard too. I kept letting my skinks get charged, which is a very bad idea, inexperience showing a bit methinks!

 

[maniclurker]

"Otherwise the 0+ save BSB Scar Veteran mounted on a Cold One with Burning Blade & ench shield eats hydras."

I could have sworn that only Slann can be BSB and still get other magic items...

 

[Bibamus]

only the slann can have a MAGIC BANNER and other magic items. if you make a scar vet/ chief a BSB he can have magic items if he has no magic banner

 

[maniclurker]

You are correct, good sir! Finally found the codex, and was able to double check.