Calisson - Bies from the Delf forum here.
Your arrival in D.net was not unnoticed! 
I don't write much in here, but I read what's going on. I've seen several threads that you started in parallel in the two forums.
Back on topic.Harpies.In the useful units DE may bring in, you forgot to mention harpies.
55 pts for a unit of 5 flying little beasts, 2 attacks each, no armor. And they are core!
They will destroy a warmachine in turn 2. Or they will screen a more expensive unit. Or they will march-block. Or they can suicide-charge a unit sheltering a magic-user.
Quite vulnerable with no armor, but they won't panic any other unit if they are destroyed.
DE armies.DE can be seen in many different mixes of
Melee, Agility and Influence.
DE have access to:
- a very reliable mass melee, albeit fragile,
boosted by an exceptional variety and quantity (including assassins) of melee characters, albeit expensive;
- to the best ability to control time and space, although either expensive (monsters) or fragile;
- to a very reliable shooting although not that powerful,
and a very aggressive albeit risky magic offence
and a commendable magic defense.
DE can select any aspect and excel in it, or mix two aspects and get outstanding results, or can combine all aspects and still thrive in that, too. However, if DE can dominate one or more of any area of the game, their high costs means that they can't do it all.
As a consequence, you cannot tell beforehand to which style the DE army you'll face will belong.
Seven different mixes :Melee mostly. Styles: Horde of warriors with few characters. Khainite or other theme army. Mixed infantry. Heavy cavalry. Single über-unit.
Description: Infantry units complementing each other, each made for a specific goal, some useful against specific foes, with the adaptability of assassins and COB (Cauldron of Blood). Or several similar units. Or a larger, main unit, with characters. Always rushing for melee.
Drawbacks: Must get quickly in melee in order to become immune to shooting and to most magic. Should be wary of side-charges by enveloping foes, which it has naturally little ways to avoid, especially if glued into a tar pit.
Agility mostly. Styles: WAAC (Win At All Costs). Monster mash. Chariot army.
Description: Elusive army, ultra-maneuverable, terror/fear causing.
Drawbacks: Very, very few units. If tar pitted, will loose quickly to SCR (Static Combat Resolution).
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Style: Elusive army.
Description: Catch me if you can! Kill only small vulnerable units, avoid everything else.
Drawbacks: Usually not a winning tactics.
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Styles: MSU (Many Small Units). Assassin army. COB heavy army. Burger Khaine (2 Executioners + 1 COB).
Description: The maneuver aspect is predominant, whatever the foe.
Drawbacks: Overcoming large units may prove difficult. If too many characters are there, the army lacks bodies.
Melee & Agility. Style: Balanced melee army.
Description: Probably some of the most powerful armies belong to there. Little to no shooting, only defensive magic, but there is a combination of mobile units and hard hitters. For tacticians.
Drawbacks: Different speeds in the army induce successive waves. Not easy to get rid of light annoying troops at distance.
Melee, Agility and Influence. Style: Balanced army.
Description: The intent of magic & shooting is to get rid of the opponent's light troops so that you can dictate the maneuver with agile troops and hit with melee troops. The maneuver aspect is important here, but more important is the adaptability. Less powerful but more adaptable than balanced armies without magic & shooting. The goal is to use the most astute tactics to win, rather than with share power.
Drawbacks: Although the army has many different tricks available, they are not pronounced and may all be countered. The army must adapt differently to each opponent and find it’s weak point.
Melee & Influence. Styles: Defensive, or static army. The Shade Death Star also belongs to here (an über unit of 40 Shades with characters providing magic defense & ASF).
Description: Prepare for melee, considering it is inevitable, taking melee units & characters and not maxing magic/shooting. Here, the magic & shooting are supposed to weaken the foe's main units, sufficiently for melee units to receive the charge and finish them. The same tactics is used for any opponent, and there is no particular emphasis on maneuver.
Drawbacks: The opponent might bring a stronger shooting and get the best. Or a very fast opponent will get rid of the shooting and ignore the melee part.
Agility & Influence. Styles: Guerrilla. Flying sorceresses (including Monster-riding).
Description: The idea is to avoid melee by running away, and kill mostly at distance whoever is vulnerable.
Drawbacks: Magic is fickle and mobile shooting is weak. Facing a strong mass, it won’t scratch it. Facing a static shooting army, it will get shot down.
Influence mostly. Styles: Magigunline. Elusive Magic. Pure gunline. Multiple shade death starlets.
Description: Maxed for magic and/or shooting. Melee is considered an accident, for which you just get an insurance (Black Guard, for example).
Drawbacks: Quite helpless against fast armors such as most monsters and heavy cavalry. It’s a gamble. And, admittedly, it is a little bit boring for both opponents.
