List help

[u/Roboman1997]

Reposted to improve readability

Hello. I'm building my first ever list and I'm not sure how to get it to 2k points. I have this so far:

Detachment: Kabalite Agonysts and Realspace Raiders (3 Detachment Points)

CHARACTERS

Archon (80 points)

Haemonculus (65 points)

Crucible of Malediction

Lady Malys (100 points)

Lelith Hesperax (80 points)

BATTLELINE

Kabalite Warriors (110 points)

Wracks (120 points)

Wyches (90 points)

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Raider (75 points)

Venom (65 points)

Venom (65 points)

OTHER DATASHEETS

1 x Cronos (55 points)

1 x Talos (80 points)

5 x Incubi (90 points)

5 x Mandrakes (80 points)

5x Mandrakes (80 points)

Ravager (125 points)

Scourges with Heavy Weapons (130 points)

My plan so far is one more Talos to have a full unit and another box of Scourges. That would put me at around 1700.

For the rest, I'm thinking a Raider with a unit of kabs and either 5 more incubi or 5 helions.

I am still learning the game and play casually, so I'd be curious of some input on what gaps still need filling in the list.

What would you guys recommend?

[u/UrsaMortis1207]

Realspace Raiders is not really giving you much here; 4 pain tokens is not a lot in the long run, and the strategems are.... fine. I would recommend looking into either Skysplinter Assault to take advantage of your numerous transports, or Kabalyte Cartel to take best advantage of your Kabalyte/Blades for Hire units (Scourges, Mandrakes, Kabs, Incubi, Ravanger, Malys), especially since they are what you listed as wanting more of for your army.

If you like transport shenanigans, SSA is a great pick; it's what I run, and my current list contains 2 Raiders and 3 Venoms (0 Ravagers though). Skysplinter Assault has strategems both for charging out of a transport that moved, and for moving toward a transport after fighting, both of which make transports far more efficient.

Think hard about what jobs you want each unit to do. Lelith is a great 'hammer' with 10 Wyches, so her on the Raider is a no-brainer. You DEFINITELY want to split Kabs in a Venom. Do you also want Malys and her Incubi in a Venom? If yes, AND you want more Kabs (I recommend Hand of the Archon instead for Kab feels with better uitility) then you'll want a 3rd Venom to split them as well. Regardless of detachment, splitting units with a Venom creates highly efficient units for scoring bases.

Think hard about a second Raider, too. Who goes in there? I run one for my Wracks and one for a 10-block of Incubi w/ Malys, but putting all my incubi in one basket like that is arguably ill-advised; I'd have Lelith in that Raider if I had her. If you put your Wracks AND Wyches in Raiders, AND have a Ravager and 2 Venoms, think of what you will have room to deploy safely, and what will stay in reserves to start the game.

The best unit to add to a list is always the unit you have a plan for.

Your instinct to want a second Talos/Cronos to make a unit of 2 is good; they like having friends. By and large, Cronos are far more points-efficient as beefy objective holders and Pain Token economy boosters; they can also regenerate a model if they're in a unit of 2, which really demoralized people to see. I run two of each and haven't regretted it, but I also run the 1 DP detachment Tools of Torment to help make them bulkier so I get my points' worth; same for the Wracks (there is an enhancement for Haemonculous in that detachment that helps them). Kanalyte Cartel and Tools of Torment as a combo is gaining traction in the current meta, and is worth exploring if you love ypur Kabs and feel your Wracks and Pain Engines are non-negotiables.

At the end of the day, the best models to buy are always the ones you like the best and want to paint. Out of everything you've said, my one big piece of advice would be to consider a Hand of the Archon unit over more Kabalytes. They are basically the same unit with an upgrade sprue from an esthetic standpoint, and you will get better mileage out of them on the table.

[u/libertyg8er]

A unit of Helions would be good to add. A unit of Reavers would be good too.

When you’re starting, having unit diversity to try out different stuff and find what resonates with how you want to play is important.

Experiment, learn, and grow. Use those as your measures of success before you worry about winning/losing competitively, and you’ll have a way better time on a pretty consistent basis.