In this series of articles we take a deep dive into a specific detachment for a faction, covering the faction’s rules and upgrades and talking about how to build around that faction for competitive play. In this article, we’re covering the sinister Drukhari, and their brand new Reaper’s Wager Detachment.
Lowest of Men: It’s been a wild ride in tenth for the Drukhari, served a somewhat lacklustre Index at launch before being given special treatment via an emergency patch in the wonderful Skysplinter Assault earlier on this year. Ultimately the Dark Kin have been saddled with datasheets that are mainly ‘fine’, juiced up and dependent on their supporting army rule and Detachment options. Until now Scourge have been a mainstay, with honourable mentions for Lelith, Archon-led Incubi, and occasional flirtations with the Voidraven Bomber.
Having hit the competitive heights before dropping off recently, fans of the faction have been hungry for more ways to use the army and I’m delighted to say that the Reaper’s Wage delivers, a malicious mini-game style, combat focused detachment that brings the Drukhari together with their Harlequin allies in a particularly brutal performance of bloodshed. Drukhari, and indeed Harlequins both depend on being able to do damage, and being able to deliver themselves safely to the fight. This detachment offers great support for both, and, most importantly, it feels tricksy and brain intensive as a good Dark Elf ruleset should.
We’d like to thank Games Workshop for providing us with a preview copy of these rules for review purposes.
Detachment Overview
Reaper’s Wager brings together Drukhari forces with Harlequin allies in a joint performance of a particularly murderous Saedath, and gives them a stacked toolkit for running disruption, dealing damage, and foiling the opponent’s schemes. On a first run through this is going to be skill intensive but potent, capable of unleashing some brutal blitzes on the opponent in the traditional ‘go-turn’ style that both these flavours of elf love so much. Go fast, hit things, die on your own terms. Sounds good doesn’t it? The usual caveats apply- you’re fragile, and the damage requires careful allocation of resources. Get it wrong, and the whole dance will be falling flat. Nail the timing, and you’ll leave the foe reeling.
Despite ostensibly being a soup Detachment, this ruleset is very permissive as far as combinations on units go (far more so than either Realspace Raiders or Skysplinter), so you can expect to see a wide range of approaches tried – do you lean heavily on pure glass cannon damage with Troupes and Incubi? Do you build a Harlequin push alongside a durable anchor of Coven units? Is massed Haywire the order of the day, or do you lean into the tried and tested Dark Lances?
There is much to decide, and, whilst I suspect you may still have to reckon with some of the general vulnerabilities faced by fragile and expensive elves in the current game, you have a considerable arsenal at your disposal here. It is my great privilege to unpack this for you, along with the wonderful Sky Serpent himself.
The Video Version
If you’d rather watch this review than read it, or if you’d like a quick primer before you dive in, we’ve got you covered here:
Detachment Rule: Callous Competition
Okay buckle up, this one is a little bit finicky. This Detachment represents a battle in which your Harlequins and Drukhari are going to war as one, but they’re competing for kills the entire time, and they’ve made some kind of wager before the battle to see who can get the most kills, in a kind of Legolas-vs-also-Legolas-but-Edgier competition.
- At the start of the battle, Drukhari units from your army are ‘winning the wager’ (intended to represent elements of the dance being performed).
- Whenever a Drukhari unit destroys an enemy unit, the Drukhari units are winning the wager. Whenever a Harlequins unit destroys an enemy unit then this changes, and the Harlequin units are now winning the wager instead. Get those custom made tokens ready! We recommend a single coin with a clown on one side and an evil clown on the other.
- IF you are NOT winning the wager you are losing, and that means that your units (Drukhari or Harlequin) can re-roll To Hit and To Wound rolls of 1.
In short – force multiplying boosts to the output for EITHER the Harlequins or Drukhari in your army at a moment in time, but not both, and it switches whenever a unit from one of these two groups destroys a unit.
Additionally, your army can include HARLEQUINS units from Codex: Aeldari. How many depends on the battle size:
- Incursion: Up to 500 points
- Strike Force: Up to 1,000 points
- Onslaught: Up to 1,500 points
So what does this all mean?
Sky Serpent: This is such an exciting and rewarding Detachment rule, which still requires some finesse but has plenty of punch and guile once you unlock its secrets and key to that is offsetting and triggering which of your component forces is ‘losing’ at a given time, to boost their hit and wound efficiency.
You will have to manage the tempo of the game, dictating the trades and punches while you choreograph which of your respective factions are winning and losing their wager to leverage bonuses in shooting and melee.
This provides very real buffs to every unit and can amplify a damage dealer such as a unit of Incubi or the Queen of Knives who effectively gains full rerolls versus infantry but can also offer a leg up to units such as the Beastmaster who would not normally have any opportunity to reroll to wound.
Every unit benefits but it’s the fun conundrum of ensuring the right unit takes advantage of Callous Competition at the right time while also invoking the relevant stratagems.
Harlequins gain more mileage from this rule as they cannot access pain tokens whereas in terms of resource management in a Drukhari-dominated list you can look to mitigate your pain token use when planning combats to take into account the wager. (Lowest of Men: I like this as the weighting of value here means that ultimately you can just play the detachment without Harlequins / the wager if you want, but bringing some clowns along unlocks some buffs that are really very nice to have should you decide to do so!)
Drukhari players often bemoan their lack of options and adding the 7 Harlequins units to the Dark Eldar roster with an interesting combined ruleset opens up so many opportunities for playstyles, let alone modelling opportunities. Drukhari and Harlequins have a rich history in lore, codex releases and on the tabletop so it’s great to see this relationship brought to life. This Detachment packs the punch of a Harlequin’s Embrace, let’s get into what makes it tick.
TheChirurgeon: This is really clever as it incentivizes you to take a more even count of Harlequins and Drukhari units, or at least to time your kills well, so that you can have bonuses when you need them. If you just run all Drukhari and a Death Jester, this isn’t going to do that much for you.
Enhancements
Board control and tempo are key to making this Detachment sing, and the enhancements are all targeted at giving you a leg up on your positioning, and additional ways to apply pressure to the opponent.
- Archraider (15 pts) – Harlequins or Drukhari model only. If your bearer starts the game embarked in a DEDICATED TRANSPORT, then that Transport gains the Scouts 9” ability. Time to set Aethersail! This is an auto-take for blood thirsty Archons who want to get their raiding party into the thick of the action as quickly as possible. Archons with Incubi or a Court can set up for a true alpha strike which is also very good as a psychological threat when deploying it as a hammer to drive towards the enemy. A Troupe Master in a Starweaver could also make some early headway, but there are other enhancements that may help them get there too…
- Webway Walker (15 pts) – A Harlequins or Drukhari model gains Deep Strike for their unit. You also get re-roll charges if the bearer’s unit is losing the wager until the end of the turn. I’m less bothered about the second bit, because the main application here as I see it is to give yourself a nice Rapid Ingress threat that doesn’t need a transport. A small incision squad of Incubi with an Archon goes a long way to keeping the opponent honest!
- Reaper’s Cowl (25 pts) – Harlequins model only. The bearer’s unit have the Stealth and Infiltrators abilities. This helps you get an early board presence by setting up a Troupe (probably with Troupe Master) somewhere midboard. Using it well will require a bit of practice, but this is going to let you dictate early game pressure, and feels like a big reason to take this detachment.
- Conductor of Torment (20 pts) – A Drukhari-only enhancement, this allows you to manipulate the wager in your command phase. If Drukhari are losing the wager you can gain a pain token and now count as winning the wager. Equally, if Drukhari are winning, you can spend a pain token and the Harlequins are now winning the wager. Reaper’s Wager is a detachment which rewards controlling the tempo of the battle and this enhancement helps you to do just that. This enhancement is nice but at the same time I don’t think that I would build my list to include this but if I have 20pts spare then this is great for an anchoring Archon and Court.
Stratagems
The Reaper stratagems are very much targeted at delivering your units into melee, and helping them sing (or dance, hehe) when they get there.
- Malicious Frenzy (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – One DRUKHARI or HARLEQUINS unit gains either LETHAL HITS or SUSTAINED HITS 1 in your Shooting phase or the Fight phase. This stratagem rocks. Drukhari have access to full rerolls via Pain Tokens, so dropping this on any of their dedicated damage dealers will take their output through the roof. Expect to use this an awful lot.
- Shorten the Odds (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Used in your Movement phase, after you Advance. Pick a Drukhari or Harlequins unit and it’s still eligible to shoot and charge this turn. We started off with a banger and we’re following up with an oft-maligned lack of speed with the ability to advance, shoot and then charge; it’s not even restricted to Wych Cult units either. Is this a stratagem which should be a general rule? Maybe, but the option is back and it feels great.
- Fateful Role (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – This is a textbook 4+ fight on death in the Fight phase for a Drukhari or Harlequins unit, adding 1 to the result if that unit is losing the wager. 1 CP for a potential 3+ fight on death is huge in a combat trading army, and will help you boss combat match ups. Drukhari units especially love this as they can use Pain Tokens at the START of the phase, safe in the knowledge those full re-rolls can be applied even if the opponent takes them down first. It’s also just great on cheap trading units that lack durability.
- Scintillating Tempo (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Used in your Movement phase or the Charge phase to make a Drukhari or Harlequins unit unable to be targeted with Overwatch. Ignore Overwatch, the strat… it’s back! Not seen as a strat since the Cult of Strife detachment in 2021’s Book of Rust, Reaper’s Wager offers Ignore Overwatch to ANY Drukhari and Harlequins unit for a CP. We all know how key avoiding the enemy’s firepower is and this has the opportunity to be huge, another amazing stratagem vying for your CP.
- Murderer’s Circus (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Used in the Fight phase when one of your units is selected as a target. Gives enemy units-1 to hit in combat against the selected unit. This is fantastic on Talos or Grotesques, helping them reach even greater heights of durability in key exchanges. You may use it on your less durable trade pieces occasionally too, but I can see the fight on death being the go to there instead.
- Dance Macabre (Strategic Ploy, 2 CP) – Used in your opponent’s Movement phase after an enemy ends a Normal, Advance, or Fall back move and ends it within 9″ of one of your INFANTRY units. That unit can make a normal move of D6” (or 6” if your unit is losing the wager) It’s not a bad stratagem and we all know how clutch reactive moves can be but 2 CP is going to be hard to find when you are spending your game utilising Sustained Hits, fighting on death and ignoring Overwatch.
Playing This Detachment
Sky Serpent: Reaper’s Wager is a detachment which rewards controlling the tempo of the battle and getting the most of both Drukhari and Harlequin units. It will be important to stage, plan and choreograph your fights in an order which rewards your Commorrites and ghosts of the Webway as they fight in tandem in a dance which Cegorach would be proud of.
The re-roll 1’s to hit and wound for the losing faction are fantastic and with Harlequins losing the wager at the start of the battle, utilising some fast hitting Troupe (with an infiltrating Troupe Master) can lay down some seriously heavy damage at the start of the game. But misdeploy or misuse that unit and you could face an uphill battle.
Beyond the obvious forward deploying Troupe unit, Skyweavers really feel like a unit that Drukhari players will be adding to their armies and are another unit which can look to pepper some early firepower at any exposed tanks with their rerolls when losing the wager.
(Lowest of Men: The Solitaire and Death Jester deserve honourable mentions too, as lone ops that see their efficiency boosted nicely if they’re losing the wager. God speed to everybody relying on the Solitaire for a key trade, my prayers are with you…)
The stratagems really are the stars of the show here and breathe life into a lot of Drukhari damage dealers. Sustained Hits makes so many Drukhari units sing. From the obvious Tencubi to the Court of the Archon, Talos and Grotesques, your Haywire Scourges, Voidraven Bomber (if you can afford it now…) and Tantalus have the opportunity to lay some serious firepower down. That’s before we consider a grinning Troupe Master and their wager losing 12 strong Troupe…
The stratagems are so great that you could likely run this detachment without any Harlequins at all. But the mini game synergies will add a lot and we can of course keep a watchful eye on any changes to the Harlequins in the upcoming Codex: Aeldari.
Strengths:
- Delivery: Advance and charge, infiltrate on a good melee unit, a scout moving push vehicle, and a turn off overwatch stratagem. These are the things a combat army that wants to get places thrives on!
- Damage: Drukhari units thrive from accessing SUSTAINED and LETHALS, and the wager rerolls help everything punch that little bit more efficiently. Several staple dark elf melee and shooting units are about to find a new ceiling.
- Flexibility: Adding Harlequins into your army will unlock the wager mini-game, but the detachment buffs are also appealing enough and powerful enough to work without them. The buffs themselves can work on a wide range of units and you have ways to juice shooting AND melee, so this is a proper all rounder detachment despite it’s cute theme.
Weaknesses:
- Fragility: Ultimately, there are no ways to really boost your survivability here. This is on brand – Drukharlequins should be glasscannons, but that definitely means misplays will be costly, and armies that can hit you on their terms will take a costly toll.
- Resource Management: Drukhari are already an exercise in resource management with pain tokens, and the wager is another game on top of that! Generals who fail to manage both adequately will find themselves drying up on output, and CP spend discipline will be crucial. No stupid overwatches please.
- Space Dependance: Having a cool infiltrate and a scout move can be turned off in some games by a lost roll off and a big first drop from the opponent in no man’s land. The units you want to apply these to will be expensive and fragile, so you’re going to have games where there isn’t a logical channel to stash them in after space denial from the opponent. Be sure to have suitably devious a way to punish this planned!
A Sample List
Let’s take a look at what a Reaper’s Wager list could look like:
<Serpent’s Wager> - click to expand Serpent’s Wager (2000 Points) CHARACTERS Archon (100 Points) Archon (85 Points) Beastmaster (120 Points) ◦ 1x Agoniser ◦ 1x Splinter pods ◦ 1x Clawed Fiend fists ◦ 2x Khymerae talons ◦ 3x Razorwing feathers Lelith Hesperax (95 Points) BATTLELINE Kabalite Warriors (110 Points) ◦ 1x Blast pistol ◦ 1x Phantasm grenade launcher ◦ 1x Sybarite weapon ◦ 1x Blaster ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Dark lance ◦ 1x Shredder ◦ 1x Splinter cannon ◦ 5x Splinter rifle Wracks (55 Points) ◦ 1x Liquifier gun ◦ 1x Wrack blades ◦ 1x Hexrifle ◦ 1x Ossefactor ◦ 1x Stinger pistol ◦ 4x Wrack blades Wyches (90 Points) ◦ 1x Blast pistol ◦ 1x Hekatarii blade ◦ 1x Phantasm grenade launcher ◦ 9x Hekatarii blade ◦ 9x Splinter pistol DEDICATED TRANSPORTS Raider (80 Points) Venom (70 Points) Venom (70 Points) Venom (70 Points) OTHER DATASHEETS Court of the Archon (95 Points) ◦ 1x Shaimeshi blade ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Eyeburst ◦ 1x Shardcarbine ◦ 1x Splinter pistol ◦ 1x Sslyth battle-blade ◦ 1x Ur-ghul talons Cronos (50 Points) Incubi (85 Points) ◦ 4x Klaive ◦ 1x Demiklaives Mandrakes (70 Points) ◦ 1x Baleblast ◦ 1x Glimmersteel blade ◦ 4x Baleblast ◦ 4x Glimmersteel blade Scourges (130 Points) ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Shardcarbine ◦ 1x Solarite weapon ◦ 4x Close combat weapon ◦ 4x Dark lance Scourges (130 Points) ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Shardcarbine ◦ 1x Solarite weapon ◦ 4x Close combat weapon ◦ 4x Dark lance ALLIED UNITS Skyweavers (105 Points) ◦ 2x Close combat weapon ◦ 2x Skyweaver haywire cannon ◦ 2x Zephyrglaive Skyweavers (105 Points) ◦ 2x Close combat weapon ◦ 2x Skyweaver haywire cannon ◦ 2x Zephyrglaive Solitaire (115 Points) Troupe (90 Points) ◦ 1x Aeldari power sword ◦ 1x Fusion pistol ◦ 1x Fusion pistol ◦ 5x Harlequin’s special weapon ◦ 2x Neuro disruptor ◦ 2x Shuriken pistol Troupe Master (80 Points)
Drukhari
Reaper’s Wager
Strike Force (2000 Points)
Sky Serpent: This list is all about assertiveness and aggression while showcasing some of the new enhancements.
It’s built upon a Skysplinter Assault list archetype but what is nice about Reaper’s Wager is by scattering a few Harlequin units in (or even none at all) to your current list you can leverage a familiar playstyle but with new toys and opportunities – hello stratagems!
The Reaper’s Cowl sporting Troupe Master leads an early assault with their buffed Troupe, applying pressure alongside the Beastmaster and throng of snarling pets while the Archraider Archon leads their bodyguard of Incubi or Court early into the fray.
The Solitaire and Skyweaver provide additional punch, leveraging the Callous Competition rule as and when, while you dictate the tempo and trades.
You could lean in further, stripping some of the other units out for more circles of Wyches to take the board and deny primary while your combat threats dance with the enemy or potentially dial all in on the Incubi.
Final Thoughts
Sky Serpent: This detachment pumps some more life back into the Drukhari with a very fun playstyle and feels like a good shot of Adrenalight in the arm.
There’s an old saying in Commorragh: ‘Death is my meat, terror my wine!’ and this detachment has the opportunity to age like a fine vintage of the enemy’s tears and whine if Harlequin units improve further in the upcoming Codex: Aeldari.
Is Reaper’s Wager better than Realspace Raiders or Skysplinter Assault? It feels too early to tell, but I’d place a bet with a Death Jester that Drukhari players across the Webway will have a lot of fun testing new lists and playstyles.
Lowest of Men: There is an awful lot to like here, and as a longstanding Drukharlequins (™) lover, it really does feel like Christmas came early. Drukhari players can get stuck in with a detachment that is very melee centric, but has plenty of application across the entire suite of models in their collections whether they bring the clowns along or not, and will really put out some damage when called upon. Enjoy it.
That’s it from us this time folks, but you can expect to see us sallying forth from Realspace with this detachment very, very soon! Thanks for reading.
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