Topic: What?

[Rumblebelly]

WHY in the codex update did they make the mandrake cover save cumulative?  What are they going to do, stay in the forest and trade fire with their splinter pistols?  This has to be the silliest update to the codex.  I say add five points to their cost and give em poisoned blades.  

Basically, I think the Mandrakes needed improving, but this is like giving Soul Seeker ammunition to a character.  It's neat, but not effective.

Anyway, now that I am done ranting, what do you guys think?

Rumble

[Aulan Cnesha]

more power to the eldar!  

[Kabal of the Bleeding Sun]

I would have to agree.  The Mandrakes are overall a squad that would be dedicated to assault, and the added cover save does nothing for them in this role.  With all of the rules regarding Mandrakes, this is not an effective update.  They lack any real use at the moment compared to there points also.  If anything paranoia factor, and so that they can surprise and tie up a big shooty type squad so that you can get your HQ or wyches into the mix, but that is what raiders are for isn't it?  They get them there before they get any shooting   but sometimes you never know what the powers that be are thinking   anyways, I haven't actually ran my army yet, but I have read through that very short, very lacking codex half a million times, I might be wrong, if anyone has effectively used, or has an effective plan for Mandrakes, that would warrant me buying the miniatures please let me know  

[Slayer]

Mandrakes are just retarded!!  Same pts as a basic marine! Wahoo-3 strength!

They cant tie anything up, they die so easily, and for so many points!  Maybe giving them punishers.....

[Don't Yell at mE!]

mandrakes are there for one reason only: they're bottom feeders.

they're there to wait for a weakened unit to come their way and then pounce, or to help out an assualting DE unit in need of backup.

I think the logic (what little of it there is) in GW's decision was for this to be more effective, so that mandrakes can remain in the shadows a little bit longer.

And, I don't suggest fielding them against anything except the Imps, the Tau, and maybe the 'Nids, since the mandrakes can probably make short ork of their infantry in CC.

[Trunkhead]

don't care, don't use em, won't use em, they didn't get fixed.  only thing they could possibly be used for is taking table quarters and setting up a crossfire

[Kherad]

I don't understand what GW was thinking when they made the mandrakes. They got really cool fluff, fit dark eldar perfectly and got a amphetamine parrotload of specialities, but still they suck bigtime. Drop they new cumulative coversave rule and give some sort of weak poisonblades, always wounds on 4+ or something.

[Holiday]

Even better give them straight out poison blades and a pistol.  1 attack at 2+ to wound ( 2 attacks on the charge).  And I agree the cover save bonus is less then useful, completely retarded.

[TheMightyPikachu]

heres a good one
grotesque auto fallback
mandrake cross fire!

[Holiday]

that would be alright if you could get them that far.  Remember there is no fleet of foot.

[dark_wind]

the only good think mandrakes are for is to look cool...and you hafta admit they do look cool

[Kabal of the Bleeding Sun]

Ok I do have to admit they do look cool, but Man.  It is the same theory as they use with the Hellions  .  They make some cool looking figures knowing we will buy them for the look of them, and after we have spent the money and time to assemble/paint them, we are bound to try and use them, giving other races a chance at the tournaments  .

[Dark3lazer]

IMO i always though of  mandrakes like wyches but trained as assassins/infliltrators(sp?) instead  

[Karakth]

I never used Mandrakes and never will. I constantly play against my bro who collects Black Templars. They NEVER fall back. They just can't. Which makes catching them in crossfire impossible.

[Tekno]

heres a good one
grotesque auto fallback
mandrake cross fire!

Too specific.....  So I have to pay all these points for them first.  Set them up in just the right place.  Then hope the enemy decides to ignore the dot and move right in front of it.  Then if that all comes though all I have to do is get a unit of grotesques in a raider over there....  Then presto the unit is dead!

Mandrakes suck.  They sucked before, they suck after.  I won't buy any of them, they can't take hits, they can't give hits.  Your essentially paying for the right to place a few dots on the table, an opponent who isn't braindead knows they can't do squat anyways.

[Kabal of the Bleeding Sun]

True enough, if you were even thinking about the auto fallback crossfire use scourges.  Let the enemy move towards grotesques, charge them, win, autofallback, and then have had your scourges fly up behind them/ or deep strike, or whatever so they are there w/ 4 SC's.  Just my theory, or you could use a raider squad, or anything else with the firepower that you can get in there fast... which isn't too hard with the DE.

[Rhysk]

The main fix I would suggest wouldbe to give them all poisoned blades or something. Maybe weaker poison. At least something that would help them would something tougher than a gretchin...Then I'd pay the points for them...

[Kabal of the Bleeding Sun]

I agree whole heartedly.  Give them something so that they can do something besides be a dot on the board that supposedly inspires fear.  (not from anybody who has read the codex)

[TheMightyPikachu]

rolls of 6's to hit cause the attack to be at doulbe str (6)
like decapitator, representin a hit on a vital bodypart with their wicked blades

[Kabal of the Bleeding Sun]

That is an idea, but I don't roll enough 6's when it really counts lol.  But it is something as opposed to having stackable cover save.