[olderplayer]

I'm not sold at all on shades. I'd play RBTs over shades. Also, you need some mobility to go after war machines. That means a unit of dark riders, maybe also a unit of harpies. For some reason, your army looks small for 3000. I'd look at Lore of Metal for the Lvl 4. The buffs to AS and +1 to hit and shooting can be extremely valuable.

DE core is still somewhat weak.

BTW, if I play DE (may play Warrriors given open lists and no comp of Ard Boys). I'm looking at running a COK block with BOHG (ASF banner) and with a stubborn and well-protected dreadlord and protected BSB (re-roll at LD 10 to avoid stupidity) and use the Cauldron ward save and MR buffs to protect the unit until it gets into combat. It moves faster, hits harder, and generates more CR and VPs than BG.

 

[olderplayer]

On the last point, you have 3000 points to work with, so the cost of the COK unit is not that bad and the re-roll on stupidity tests with a BSB running nearby (not in the unit, on a dark steed) with a subborn, difficult to kill LD10 general/dreadlord makes the unit very tough and almost unkillable with a Cauldron blessing and some MR. It runs synergistically with the hydras better than the BG unit.

The rules for warmachines are different in 8th edition. Now, they are toughness of the machine against shooting. In my metagame, shades just never get deployed close enough to kill warmachines before they get charged, shot up or die to magic.

Agreed on DR being a lot of points, but they still can harass and shoot and bait and flee. At least look at a cheap unit of harpies, a unit of 6 can take out a cannon or warp lightning cannon or bolt thrower or stone thrower on turn two and will force enemy to either target it or die. The vanguard move allows them to get out to a place to threaten exposed warmachines and run past flanks and charge on bottom or turn one or on turn 2.

From a points value stand point, RXB with shields is the best core unit due to ability to shoot in two ranks and the AP shots. Corsairs make sense as a screening force with the SSS banner, but are otherwise not very effective, so I only run one unit and rarely run them beyond 21 models (two ranks or three ranks by 7 when an extra rank makes sense for stubborness). I'm finding my corsairs get killed a lot but benefit from the RHB due to ability to move and shoot one turn and short range stand and shoot (qucik to fire) on the next turn and then take a charge.

Consider a cheap flaming banner for the spearmen. It gives fear to war beasts and can shut down regen.

Lore of Metal helps a lot with warriors of chaos, Lizardmen, soem VC builds, and empire (kills steam tanks) which will be seen a lot in my area in 8th edition. It also has an augment that boosts the shooting (+1 to hit plus AP plus magical) and another that adds to the armour save (5+ scaly skin) that makes the BG unit and core units far more resilient. The final spell in Lore of Metal is one of the most potent and effective I've seen. I've played with and against lore of shadow and have just not been as impressed with it; the casting costs are high for a lot of the best spells and they require combos (which are tough to get off reliably in 8th edition winds of magic) to be as effective.