I know they are good for their points cost, but Im looking to either keep or get rid of my serpents in favor of basic raiders.

Ive debated with these for so long. I have 8 Serpent Riders, used them a few times, and Im not sold.

I mean.....the only difference for them, is for one point more, you get poison blades, which yes, is good.....but ive not had much success with them.

And you get plus one to fight.
Generally, most good cavalry models dont have a fight that makes the +1 in fight different. Either you tie with men, or lose to elves with fight 3 anyway.

Furthemore, the regular raiders have more options for wargear.

Generally, what I would do is put 8 of them(thats how many I own) with Suladan, and then in another warband, bowmen. I still find the Guard lacking a punch. They arent that tough, and their killing power is good against non D-6 troops. Against other cavalry, these guys are average.

IDK. I have not found them worth it to keep. I have a ton of raiders and the Serpents are worth much more to trade/sell is what Im getting at.

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BLACKHAWK 2010 2013 2015 DYNASTY

Personally, I'd use normal raiders and take the extra points and invest in watchers of karna. Those guys are amazing!

Yeah I have 9 watchers and want to get at least a full warband.

And exactly.....I can take a regular mounted raider, and ever four mtd troops, theres room for another watcher/soldier of other type pretty much. And with a low D army like this, you need numbers. I agree with that point.

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BLACKHAWK 2010 2013 2015 DYNASTY

Not to mention the watchers have 2a and with spear support they are the. Up to 3a. Plus extra courage for those pesky terror guys, and built in magic resistence. The serpent guard arent bad, and for a themed force theyd be great, but i'm going to put my money on the watchers everytime.

To hit your full warband of watchers, have you considered using regular haradrim warriors in a black color scheme? That is what I did. Granted, I don't play competitively, but it was a heck of a lot cheaper to buy a sprue of haradrim warriors and paint them black as opposed to buying a bunch of watchers. Then again, at 9 watchers you're 1 pack away from a set of 12 so I guess this is a moot point.

It's a classic example of what role you need filled. Raiders are great. A war-spear and bow makes them incredibly versatile. But they're only F3 and they don't get poison on the charge.
That's not to take anything away from them, I'm simply comparing strengths. Personally I really like the Guard, I tend to take 5 in a Warband with Suladan and they enjoy recreating the charge of the Rohirrim at Pelenor, cutting through everything. For myself that's where the F4 is so valuable, you're beating or drawing with everything less than an elf and when you win that's 4 strikes with a +1 to wound re-rolling 1's, absolutely devastating to most enemies.

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I personally would keep on the sole reasoning that they are OOP and IMO decent sculpts... of course it is up to you

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"A king is he that can hold his own, or else his title is vain." - Maedhros

They are gorgeous sculpts. OOP though means more value for trade etc.

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BLACKHAWK 2010 2013 2015 DYNASTY

Guards are alright. One point over a normal guy with spear to get F4 and poison is decent value, although Harad has plenty of ways to get F4 in the front rank anyway - but I suppose you can then feint with those.

Serpent Riders, although technically the same (+1pt, +1FV and poison), are much more of an improvement I think. Sure, it's lower than Elves and you'll beat most Goblins/Hobbits anyway, but against anything else it will either allow you to win or even the odds. Winning fights is essential for cavalry, as there is a greater advantage to winning (double strikes on charge) and a greater disadvantage to losing (a single wound on Defence 4 and you've lost 5 more points than an infantry model would've been). Mounted archers (Raiders) are great too, but any cavalry specifically for melee purposes wants to be F4 if possible. Indeed, that's one of the reasons why Erkenbrand is so nice with Rohan (granted, +2C and a cheap 3 Might hero is rather pleasant too), and they don't even get poison for that extra point.

To understand what a great unit they are, use an army with some points dedicated to them. THen play the same game changing only those points with some other cavalry, against the same army. Keep testing em and you will see a huge difference. Even against armies that you will not wait for it, they will be much more effective. I wish them (not gw but the next company) to re-release 'em..................

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