# Dark Eldar, Imperial Guards or Grey Knight?



## madcore (Jan 29, 2011)

Hey all,

I am getting ready to start a new army and i just can't make up my mind. Here are the three choices i have in mind and why i would like to have them...Please feel free to add you arguments, HELP ME CHOOSE ONE.

Dark Eldar: Well they are fast...and i mean fast and in the 5th edition with an abundance of cover, they are quite powerful, add to that that the new models are quite awesome (apart from the whyches)

Imperial Guards: I love the look of imperial guards, in fact, i like pretty much everything about them, the only thing is that to build a decent army, it cost a lot of money and in order for me to spend that kind of money, i need to be sure they are competitive....Are they?? I have never played against them....and the fact that they are only shooting makes me wonder if i am gonna grow tired of it

And Grey knight: I must admit i love Grey Knights....the only problem is that people around my place keep telling how cheesy they are, that they are too strong etc....personally i would not mind playing against them...but i have always tried to be an adversary that is fun to play against....so this might sound stupid...but i am kinda holding back just because people are complaining that they are too strong....

I must admit i am kinda stuck...and i need to make a decision...i just can't stop thinking about that...God i love and hate this game..lolll it is addictive :russianroulette:

Which one would you choose and why?


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## Hurricane (Feb 27, 2010)

All three armies are highly competitive with Imperial Guard probably sitting on top of the pile so you can bet that all of them will be contenders on the table. Grey Knights and Dark Eldar will take a tad more time to get the hang of however as DE are glass cannons and GK have a more elite force. IG can field tons of incredibly cost effective special weapons and just sit down and fire every turn from their side of the board, for the most part anyway.

I would personally choose DE if I could choose an army again. The entire codex is well written and they have a number of beautiful models from which to choose. They are fairly different from any army out there imo so my vote is for them.


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## Malferion (Mar 9, 2011)

Dark Eldar are very hard to play from what I've heard but i don't know anybody who plays them personally. Imperial Guard are very competitive... I have a friend who is absolutely brutal with them. GK are getting a lot of bad hype since they just came out with a new codex, but that happens with pretty much every new dex, so people will stop ranting about them eventually.
All of them are competitive in their own way, you just have to decide on a playstyle.
DE are fast, but not very tough or resilient.
IG have great vehicles and a lot of cheap troops to throw at the enemy.
GK have really good but very points expensive units. Their main weakness is a low model count that they make up for with awesome stats and equipment.
Economically, I'm not 100% sure, but my guess is that GK would be the cheapest to get an army started with.
Personally, i would choose GK but that's because I like space marine armies and I knoe how to play them fairly well. Imperial Guard would be my second because of the wide selection of great tanks.


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

Yes, Imperial Guard are competitive... In 5th edition. They are probably the most powerful codex out there. But by the time you finish building them, 6th will probably already be here and by then, their competitive list may be null and void.

That goes for all of these armies. 6th may make them more or less powerful. It's a gamble whatever you do.

I would say Dark Eldar, because they require more of the player making it more rewarding to outmanouver, crush and humiliate your foes. IG just sit there in their boxes like cowards, and Grey Knights can field as little as 7 models in a 2000 point army. Plus, Dreadknights and Stormravens look like shit.

I am pretty confident 6th will bring about changes to end the reign of mechanized lists, meaning IG will hurt the most. DE won't necessarily feel that pain with their cheap cardboard designed-for-turn-one-only transports.


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## KhainiteAssassin (Mar 18, 2009)

as others have said, all three armies have their merrits and fears for strengths when the game goes to a new edition.

IG are the easiest to play of the three, but with the current metagame, will probably be hit hard from another metagame change hit not almost all completely in their favor.

the GK are expensive as Fuck, they are an elite force, though still competitive, their lack of models can very quickly become a disadvantage.

the DE are a very VERY powerful army, in the right hands and with some luck they can table people within 3 turns, with the huge amount of fire power they can wield thanks to fairly cheap units, and strong weapons. they do take a high amount of tactic skills though, knowing what cover to use, knowing target priorities, and other small tactics. and their well written codex and large range of varied units that can take almost any metagame work for it, will keep them fairly strong in the next edition of the game.


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## AAAAAAAAARRRGGHH (Apr 17, 2009)

Dark Eldar: Easily the best army imo (yeah, only because I play them obviously). They are hard to learn, and hard to master. Beautiful models, possibly the best written 5th ed. codex and very rewarding gameplaywise. But their playstyle is definitely not for everyone, so you should be very sure of yourself before you pick them up.

Imperial Guard: Without a doubt the most "competitive" army of three. Their codex is really good, in certain matchups even ridiculous, and they aren't very hard to play. 
I can only say, if you love them you can easily invest. Right now IG are rock solid on the tabletop. 

Grey Knights/Daemonhunters: Anyone saying these are cheesy are merely suffering from "new codex syndrome". It's also precisely what happened with the 5th Tyranid codex. OMGIMBARULESEVERYWHERE!! But now, tyranids are seen as the weakest 5th ed. army around. Go figure. No, Grey Knights may be good, but they certainly aren't OTT. I may go so far and say they aren't all that good. Seeing as they are so few in number most armies can run in circles around them, so they actually takes some skill. 

They are also, although rather expensive, the cheapest of the three because, not only don't you need a lot of models, you also don't really need a lot of tanks (which are clearly the most expensive part of any army) for them to work, so there's money to save here.

Unfortunately, IMO some of their models are total shit and their fluff is pretty abysmal at times.

So to answer your question: It's a toss up. Pick what you like the most and you'll think is the most fun in the long run. All we really can provide is the reasons why you should pick whatever you end up with.


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## Phrazer (Oct 14, 2008)

If i could have all my money back on the armies ive collected over the years and have ONE of your choice of armies i would go Guard. A massive massive guard army, all painted up and ready to rock looks amazing. My mate has a wicked Vostroyan army and (even though i would never admit to him) I am very jealous!!
The best thing is they can be any army you want them to be. Small and mobile or huge and lumbering they can tick all the boxes. And you get Marbo as well


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## madcore (Jan 29, 2011)

Thanks for the answer guys....

In some post i keep reading that IG could get hurt in the 6th edition. Anyone knows when we could expect a 6th edition?

Sorry for my ignorance, i have been playing this games only for a year....a part from the cover rules i fail to see how could they become suddenly weak... Their codex seems pretty strong..... But then again i am quite the newbie here...


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

I guesstimate we have 2-3 codices to go before 6th edition. So 9-18 months.


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## Caliban (Nov 27, 2010)

its really to do with how hard it can be to take down vehicles. at the moment it can be tough and as such mech is very tempring but should this change then armies like IG could suffer greatly whilst GK who field little in this way will be pretty untouched and DE don't expect turn 2 vehicles anyway so it doesnt effect them


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## aboytervigon (Jul 6, 2010)

IG are very fun to play but they are mainly used in transports, and if transports become dangerous IG will get hurt, very badly. Dark eldar looks like a lot of fun and the new models are gorgeous I would have to go with them as grey knights are very good BUT will easily loose to horde armies.


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## KhainiteAssassin (Mar 18, 2009)

Caliban said:


> its really to do with how hard it can be to take down vehicles. at the moment it can be tough and as such mech is very tempring but should this change then armies like IG could suffer greatly whilst GK who field little in this way will be pretty untouched and DE don't expect turn 2 vehicles anyway so it doesnt effect them


well your wrong on a few levels, i dont expect my skimmers to all survive a turn, i still expect some to survive.

Everyone would be effected by them going away from tanks again in the next installment.


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## madcore (Jan 29, 2011)

This might be just me but i find it very hard to conceive tha GW would walk away from vehicules....after all they are among the most expensive models...

As a company all they're after is profitability...i think they made that clear...just look at the glue bottles...$10 and its not even half-full...

I might be wrong too


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## KhainiteAssassin (Mar 18, 2009)

madcore said:


> This might be just me but i find it very hard to conceive tha GW would walk away from vehicules....after all they are among the most expensive models...
> 
> As a company all they're after is profitability...i think they made that clear...just look at the glue bottles...$10 and its not even half-full...
> 
> I might be wrong too


i do not think that the meta game will be completely moved away from vehicles, but they could make tanks easier to kill again, making a mix of them the metagame again, or they could do a multitude of other things. and have you seen the recent price hikes? they are raising the price of plastic infantry not the tanks.


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## madcore (Jan 29, 2011)

> they are raising the price of plastic infantry not the tanks.


Good point....

loll...i really can't decide...one day i want Dark Eldars and the next i change my mind....loll.. its pathetic...


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## KhainiteAssassin (Mar 18, 2009)

madcore said:


> Good point....
> 
> loll...i really can't decide...one day i want Dark Eldars and the next i change my mind....loll.. its pathetic...


it comes down to a simple thought for me.

which army LOOKS the best for you, what play style do you enjoy. from there worry about making it competitive.

EVERY army can be competitive with the current design of things, not every army built any way can be, but every army, in the right hands has a chance at being at the top. just some are more difficult to bring there then others.


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## turel2 (Mar 2, 2009)

I vote for DE. The have alot of nice models, and have a good codex.

Thier play style is very glass cannon. But if used right will be more cannon than glass.


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## yshabash (Apr 11, 2010)

As others have said IG are very powerful now but they will be taking hits in 6th edition. My advice is to pick the army with the flavor you want, no new ruleset will ever replace that. DE will always be fast, IG cheap and shooty and GK expensive but [email protected]$$

My vote personally goes to DE and kreig (even though I don't play either, but want to start both when budget permits) because they CAN be competitive if built right and at the same time they are really fun armies that'll keep you entertained for more then a month like some other armies *cough* 

DE are really fast and furious and with a new rulebook and gameplay that is unique to their army they can be a big asset if played right, but they are unforgiving.

Kreig focus on mechanized infantry, cityfighting and defensive tactics. They are almost complete oppisites to DE, however they can also create a force that'll send a chill down someone's back;

Kreig player: Well, better set up my 9 leman russess with 2 lascannon sponsons and a twin linked lascannon on top, and wait till you see my other 1000 points.


BA player who also payed 1000 points but for 3 squads and a land raider:
.........f***




Anyway its your choice but as stated previously you should focus more on the theme of the army then the rules that'll get scrapped in two months.


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## madcore (Jan 29, 2011)

Thank you all guys for your help...

I have made my decision and purchased my first box of imperial Cadian troop...i just can't help it...i like the look the have and i love to shoot...

Already having a Chaos army it would have been dumb to go the GK way...at least for the moment.

If i know myself i will probably start building a DE army on the side at some point...so in the end i'll probably get at least to of the three...

Thank you all for your help, this community is incredible.


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

Good lunk!

Edit: um, luck, rather.


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## Malferion (Mar 9, 2011)

Pro tip: get tanks. lots and lots of them
Have fun, loyalist dog!!! jk good luck with ig


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