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2015/04/23 19:44:23
Subject: The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Tyranid Update List p.240)
Well, at least they aren't free. 15-pts is a fair deal. Do you know if they can turn on or off the skyfire? Otherwise, they'd have to snap-shot at ground units.
Yea no doubt, still makes me irritated that I pay almost double for my imperial armies though.
The Eldar missile launcher comes stock now with plasma missiles, krack missiles and flack missiles. So yes it can opt for a different round depending on target which is amazing.
Automatically Appended Next Post: BTW the most annoying thing about the Crimson hunter formation is the fact it was a normal formation, so anyone can get 3 really awesome fliers to round out their list.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/23 19:47:21
Honestly, I'm not concerned at all about Eldar Missile Launchers. Look at Marine armies. They've had the option for flakk missiles for a long time already (since 6th). How many competitive marine lists do you see running them? It just isn't as points-efficient as the standard scatter laser.
Consider this, For 30-pts, you can upgrade the guns on 2 Eldar tanks to 2 Eldar missile launchers. That's 2 shots that can potentially do 2 wounds a turn (before jink cover saves). Or, just go with the stock scatter lasers (or shuricannons?) on the 2 tanks and then you can afford to get another jetbike with scatter laser. Now that's potentially 12 S6 shots that can potentially do up to 12W of damage. The stock scatter is just the all-around better TAC weapon. If you want to go anti-air, as an Eldar player, I would go for specialized units such as the crimson hunter formation or maybe AA-vipers. Otherwise, I'd stick with the scatter laser for the majority of my firepower. That is what I feel you will see in most Eldar lists going forwards.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/24 00:11:51
Yea I am not suggesting that the eldar missile launcher is great, but lets be honest, it's miles ahead of the hoops imperial armies jump through, not to mention it's WHO can carry them. On marines you can buy them on devastators, tac squads or scout squads only. All sub par choices, while eldar can put them on versatile cheap units like WS, vypers and war walkers. Imagine if a rhino could take a missile launcher for 15 pts that could fire all varieties of missile, or a typhoon? you'd sing another tune for sure.
The best AA comes from the crimson hunter formation however, its dirt cheap for what you get IMO.
I was just working on my Green tide, and I realized the 36 Scatter Laser Jetbikes kill it in 2 rounds of shooting.
They also kill 2 Flyrants (8 unsaved wounds) on the ground in 2+ cover, or 1 flyrant (4 unsaved wounds) in the air. All that, and they only cost 972 points.
To contrast that to current day, 5 Wave Serpents with a Dire Avenger tax cost 975. VS Flyrants in 2+ Cover they do 7 unsaved wounds, and against flyrants in the air they do 3.3 unsaved wounds. So Jetbikes are essentially killier than Wave Serpents ever were. They are slightly easier to kill at least. Each Flyrant can kill 3 a turn. Unfortunately, you can get lots more than 36 jetbikes in a list.
2015/04/24 17:32:12
Subject: The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Tyranid Update List p.240)
Flyrants are a great counter to new eldar. What you should be worried about however is the 3 flyer formation (forget the name) that allows you to take 3 cromson hunters which always have a 4plus jink and it becomes rerollable when they jink.
2015/04/24 21:58:17
Subject: The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Tyranid Update List p.240)
Coming up this weekend, I will publish a mini-tactica on Tyranids vs the New Eldar .
Tyran wrote: The problem is that only Flyrants are really viable against Eldar as the Eldar will vaporize anything that is on the ground.
Not necessarily. With the loss of long-term cover-ignoring firepower (as well as wave serpents becoming less popular), 2+ cover will be an issue for the new Eldar to deal with. TMC's within malanthrope range, lictors going-to-ground in ruins and similar tactics as these will actually require considerable resources for the new Eldar to deal with. Granted, they can potentially have the firepower to deal with these units, but I don't think that they will necessarily "vaporize" anything that is on the ground.
But I do agree that flyrants will probably be our best answer against them. Not just for their durability, but the fact that they are probably the only ones who can catch those JSJ (jump-shoot-jump) bikers.
Good thing to know is this. Eldar missile launchers DO have skyfire. HOWEVER, if you fire it using the skyfire profile, then it is only S7 AP4. That's not so bad for our flyers....unless you're talking about the hive crones and harpies.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
the shrouded lord wrote: So it looks like my wraith-dar will be my new competetive list.
You know, onece I have more then five models of it.
I don't think spamming them will make an Eldar army competitive. However, I do think that a competitive Eldar army should include at least 1 or maybe 2 units of wraithguards.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2015/04/25 05:19:19
jy2 wrote: Good thing to know is this. Eldar missile launchers DO have skyfire. HOWEVER, if you fire it using the skyfire profile, then it is only S7 AP4. That's not so bad for our flyers....unless you're talking about the hive crones and harpies.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
the shrouded lord wrote: So it looks like my wraith-dar will be my new competetive list.
You know, onece I have more then five models of it.
I don't think spamming them will make an Eldar army competitive. However, I do think that a competitive Eldar army should include at least 1 or maybe 2 units of wraithguards.
I'm personally not sold on the new Wraithguard. They're 160 for the slowest unit in the book. Great weapons yes, but will require either a Serpent or an allied Archon. At this points we're going to cost more than a Landraider for a unit that drops down and shoots 5 D shots. Yes, these are absolutely brutal. But, there's a 45% no 6s are rolled, and that point anything with a cover or armor save is likely alive. And Khaine help you if your opponent doesn't have a single landborn target that is highly expensive, as you can count on that Wraithguard squad being tied up for the game or dead after that drop. Now with ignores cover, I will say that the D Scythes are better, and cost 50 points more to outfit a unit with them. At this point we're hitting 300+ points for a minimum unit that can actually get in range reliably. Again, you drop, hopefully (and probably) kill one unit, and then again get targeted. And let's be honest, they're an expensive distraction, but the Scythes no longer have that "6" chance of ignoring Invulnerables. If a Knight in an AdLance puts his shield on the same side as the Wraithguard, then those 5 Flamers average... 1.66 HPs. Whoopee! Those guys are so dead...
Random math and laughter aside, I think that a Wraithknight can effectively do anything the Guard can, with more durability and other functions. So while Eldar are great, I don't think that Wraithguard are the unit to truly show that off. They are a very, very expensive Nuke to drop on someone that will quite possibly just be shot right back off the board. Vauls and WK are my (if I played Eldar) D weaponry of choice. I am much more scared of those than anything Wraithguard can do!
2015/04/25 06:01:07
Subject: Re:The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Tyranid Update List p.240)
jy2 wrote: Good thing to know is this. Eldar missile launchers DO have skyfire. HOWEVER, if you fire it using the skyfire profile, then it is only S7 AP4. That's not so bad for our flyers....unless you're talking about the hive crones and harpies.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
the shrouded lord wrote: So it looks like my wraith-dar will be my new competetive list.
You know, onece I have more then five models of it.
I don't think spamming them will make an Eldar army competitive. However, I do think that a competitive Eldar army should include at least 1 or maybe 2 units of wraithguards.
Oh, the wraith element is purely thematic. The entire reason I started the army was because I love the way wraith units look, and I don't really plan on beng that far on the competetive scene anyway. I was just making an observation that it seems eldar havegone even higher up the power ladder.
*Insert witty and/or interesting statement here*
2015/04/25 07:15:09
Subject: Re:The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Tyranid Update List p.240)
jy2 wrote: Good thing to know is this. Eldar missile launchers DO have skyfire. HOWEVER, if you fire it using the skyfire profile, then it is only S7 AP4. That's not so bad for our flyers....unless you're talking about the hive crones and harpies.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
the shrouded lord wrote: So it looks like my wraith-dar will be my new competetive list.
You know, onece I have more then five models of it.
I don't think spamming them will make an Eldar army competitive. However, I do think that a competitive Eldar army should include at least 1 or maybe 2 units of wraithguards.
I'm personally not sold on the new Wraithguard. They're 160 for the slowest unit in the book. Great weapons yes, but will require either a Serpent or an allied Archon. At this points we're going to cost more than a Landraider for a unit that drops down and shoots 5 D shots. Yes, these are absolutely brutal. But, there's a 45% no 6s are rolled, and that point anything with a cover or armor save is likely alive. And Khaine help you if your opponent doesn't have a single landborn target that is highly expensive, as you can count on that Wraithguard squad being tied up for the game or dead after that drop. Now with ignores cover, I will say that the D Scythes are better, and cost 50 points more to outfit a unit with them. At this point we're hitting 300+ points for a minimum unit that can actually get in range reliably. Again, you drop, hopefully (and probably) kill one unit, and then again get targeted. And let's be honest, they're an expensive distraction, but the Scythes no longer have that "6" chance of ignoring Invulnerables. If a Knight in an AdLance puts his shield on the same side as the Wraithguard, then those 5 Flamers average... 1.66 HPs. Whoopee! Those guys are so dead...
Random math and laughter aside, I think that a Wraithknight can effectively do anything the Guard can, with more durability and other functions. So while Eldar are great, I don't think that Wraithguard are the unit to truly show that off. They are a very, very expensive Nuke to drop on someone that will quite possibly just be shot right back off the board. Vauls and WK are my (if I played Eldar) D weaponry of choice. I am much more scared of those than anything Wraithguard can do!
The thing is, they don't cost any more than they used to, but now they've got an even better weapon than before, and one that is an actual viable weapon to either knights and deathstars. Basically, they are a good insurance policy against heavy armor and deathstar armies, which is a niche that every TAC army can always use. That is why I don't recommend spamming them, but taking a unit or 2 is IMO a good choice for most Eldar armies. BTW, woe to the Imperial Knight who charges a unit of 5 D-scythes....
The WK is the closest thing to a must-take (along with the windrider jetbikes) in the Eldar codex. 1 unit of WG can be used to complement him as a secondary high-priority threat. The only thing about the WK is that he dies to grav weaponry like there is no manana. When Eldar goes up against White Scars or grav centurions, the WK will more often or not be a liability. However, D-scythe WG's can be useful against centurions (and other deathstars).
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/25 07:15:49
One of the selling points of Wraithguard is that they Ignore Cover too so it's easy wounds but more importantly, they can be attached to a Haemonculus with a WWP. Speed ain't an issue when you can put yourself anywhere on the table.
I think LictorShame would do extremely well against new Eldar. All those S6 and Destroyer shots...wasted on Spore Mines and Mawlocs don't really care about JSJ
Automatically Appended Next Post: Thanks for doing the tactica jy2. Will it include a batrep too or just mathhammered theory?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/25 11:13:57
YMDC = nightmare
2015/04/25 12:19:09
Subject: The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Tyranid Update List p.240)
jy2 wrote: Good thing to know is this. Eldar missile launchers DO have skyfire. HOWEVER, if you fire it using the skyfire profile, then it is only S7 AP4. That's not so bad for our flyers....unless you're talking about the hive crones and harpies.
Even then, the missiles don't have ignores cover and the only platforms that can gain cover ignoring abilities (via psykers or innate) are more or less limited to 1-shot per turn (Reapers and Guardians - Guardians can get up to 3, but that requires a 30-strong blob which is unwieldy and otherwise inefficient). As long as either Crone or Harpy can keep a toe in cover or stay within shrouding range they won't really have to worry about the missiles that much (and arguably, if they are shooting at a Crone or Harpy they aren't shooting more valuable Tyrants).
2015/04/25 13:17:33
Subject: The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Tyranid Update List p.240)
So the new Eldar codex just came out and there is already a lot of fear among the gaming community with regards to their new release. Massed S6 shooting from fast, ObSec jetbike troops, cheap skyfire throughout the army, Lord of War wraithknights that you can now spam and the proliferation of Destroyer weaponry within the codex makes it sound even more frightening than the previous iteration of the codex, which many already considered to be the best army in the game. So, are they really that bad? Are Tyranids destined to be slaughtered by the mighty, mighty space elves? My initial thoughts....no. Not by a long shot. The new Eldar is a very strong army. However, they are not ridiculously over-powering, at least not to our bugs. We do have the tools to deal with them.
This tactica will be presented from the Tyranid perspective. How have Eldar changes affected Tyranids as an opponent and how can we combat them? I am going to break this tactica into 2 parts.
Part I - The Good, the Mild, the Bad and the Ugly
The first part will take a more in-depth look at the Eldar units and rules and how they will affect our Tyranids. I will be focusing more on the changes in the new codex and consequently, the effect that they will have on us.
This part, I will go into detail with regards to the strengths and the weaknesses of Eldar in relation to Tyranids. I will also offer insight as to what you will typically see in a competitive, Take-All-Comer's Eldar army. Finally, I will explore how Tyranids can combat the new Eldar.
PART I - THE GOOD, THE MILD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
The Good
This part will focus on the changes to the new Eldar codex that is good for our Tyranids.
Wave Serpents: The new wave serpents got hit with the nerf-bat as expected. This is great for Tyranids. They lost the ability to twin-link their shots with scatter lasers. The serpent shield is now a 1-use-per-game weapon and Eldar Holo-fields are now just 5++ Invuln's (as long as the serpent isn't immobilized). Now granted, serpent shields are still potentially lethal due to being 2D6 cover-ignoring shots. However, with them being a 1-time use weapon, overall, wave serpents just aren't as dangerous as they used to be. Just make sure to keep your venomthrope/malanthrope out of Line-of-Sight (LOS) or in a bastion/bunker and we should be able to weather their storm.
You will see the focus of the wave serpent shift from an actual, offensive tool to more of an actual, delivery system. That's right. Most of the wave serpents that you will see will be delivery systems for wraithguards and fire dragons or as protection for the Eldar Warlord. Otherwise, the number of wave serpents you will see in Eldar armies will go down dramatically.
No more Daemon Summoning! That's right. Eldar no longer have access to Malefic powers. Good-bye and good-riddance.
No more Mantle of the Laughing God. That piece of artefact was probably the most annoying artefact on the Eldar army for Tyranids to deal with - 2+ re-rollable cover on a unit that you just couldn't catch. Unless you have cover-ignoring firepower, which Tyranids don't have, good luck trying to get Warlord from the Eldar opponent or trying to stop him from casting his psychic powers.
Holo-fields: It was just plain annoying to try to shoot down AV12 skimmers with 3+ cover (and with mainly only S6 guns). Well, now Holo-fields are only 5++ Invuln's as long as the skimmer isn't immobilized (no benefit if immobilized). That does make them slightly more resilient to Tyranid assault, but mainly, most competitive Tyranid armies tend to shoot more than they assault. In any case, the change in Holo-fields is a good thing for most opponents.
Scatter Lasers: Scatter lasers used to twin-link the other guns for an Eldar tank or monstrous creature. Thankfully, now it doesn't anymore.
Guardian Hosts: This is the standard formation for Eldar Craftworlds, just as the Reclamation Legion is the standard formation for the Necron Decurion. I am liking the shift towards these types of formations as the norm for all the newer codices coming out. In most cases, these formations require you to take a minimum number of units which a lot of competitive players consider to be "tax" units in order to take the units that they really want. In a sense, these formations help to reduce pure-spam armies to a degree as well as to reduce the number of fully-optimized armies by forcing players to take units that they normally wouldn't take. Now there are ways around this - like running a Combined Arms Detachment (CAD) instead - and most of the Eldar units are good enough to have a use in the army. But still, these formations help to deter an Eldar army from just spamming the very best units in the army. Finally, while these formations do provide certain benefits for the units in the formations, they also take away a very important trait of typical CAD Eldar, and that is there are no Objective Secured units in any of these formations.
The Mild
Autarch: He hasn't changed much since last edition. However, you will still see him as the commander in Eldar lists just because he is one of the cheapest HQ's in the codex and he allows the the Eldar player to manipulate his Reserves.
Farseer: He's actually gotten slightly better. Now, with a Farseer, you can re-roll 1 Psychic Test or Deny the Witch test in each Psychic phase. He is still a staple of most Eldar lists and, IMO, probably the most popular Eldar HQ choice. You will see him a lot.
Warlock Conclave: The Warlock Conclave actually got slightly nerfed in this edition. Now, instead of getting 1 psychic power per Warlock, you can only get up to 3 psychic powers (Mastery Level 3) depending on the number of warlocks you take (1-3 warlocks = Level 1, 4-6 warlocks = Level 2, 7+ warlocks = Level 3). However, now you can take a Warlock as a sergeant for many Eldar units and their Primaris power is pretty good. Stick a Warlock on a bike (Warlock Skyrunner) with a unit of Windrider jetbikes and now you are looking at a unit with potentially Shrouded 2+ jink cover! In addition, you will still see Warlocks because the Seer Council - which consists of 2 Farseers and a Warlock Conclave - is still a good Eldar unit.
Storm Guardians: This unit got a mild buff. Before, you have to take 10 guys in the unit. Now, you only have to take 8 guys and you can still buy 2 special weapons for them. Overall, you save 18-pts on the unit. You still won't see them much, but with the decrease in price, you might see more Eldar players running them in the Guardian Stormhost formation.
Rangers: They are the same as before, but with 1 improvement. Instead of Stealth, they now have Shroud.
Dire Avengers: Dire Avengers have actually gotten better in this edition. Currently, the Exarch has 2W instead of 1 as well as a 4++ Invuln save (a free 10-pt upgrade!). Better yet, now the entire unit can Overwatch at BS2 or gain the Counter-attack + Stubborn USR's. So with all these improvements, why did I rank this unit as just a Mild unit? Because the nerf to Wave Serpents means that you just won't see these guys as often anymore. Whereas in the previous edition, they were the de facto troop standard, the changes to wave serpents in this edition means that they just won't be used that often anymore unless one is running the Aspect Host or Dire Avenger Shrine formations.
Howling Banshees: The Howling Banshees have gotten much better in this edition. The unit has dropped down in price by 10-pts, the Exarch has 2W instead of 1W and comes with War Shout, which is actually a very good power, for free. Lastly, the unit received the equivalent of assault grenades with their Acrobatic rule. So despite all of these improvements, why won't we still see them very much? Because of the nerf to wave serpents and more importantly, because of the lack of assault vehicles in the army. But with the improvements, you should see some Eldar players dust off the models from storage and use them on the tabletop.
Striking Scorpions: Scorpions are another sparsely-used Eldar unit which should see more playing time in this edition. Like the banshees, they've gotten better in this edition, with a 2W Exarch who gets bonus attacks depending on the Initiative of his opponent. Now that's a boon, especially when you consider that he can potentially strike with 4+ I6 S6 AP2 attacks in close combat! On top of that, the entire unit gets Shrouded should they Infiltrate.
Wraithblades: Wraithblades have gotten better in this edition as well. The entire unit is 10-pts cheaper and now they come with Rage for free! They are no where near as popular as their cousins, the Wraithguards, but I think they are a viable assault choice in an Eldar army. As a matter of fact, I can see some Eldar players running them as an assault deathstar or mini-star.
Shining Spears: Yet another improved but not very popular unit. With the improvements to the unit, perhaps we will see them more often on the tabletop. As with all Aspect warriors, the Exarch of the Shining Spears has gotten better. Now he has 2W instead of 1W and he gets the equivalent of Monster Hunter AND Tank Hunter as well! As for the unit, now they get an automatic 4+ cover as long as they have moved in the previous Movement phase.
Falcons: All of the Eldar Heavy Support tanks have gotten better. Now, all of them can be taken in squadrons. In addition, when you take a squadron of 3 falcons, the entire unit can Deepstrike without scatter via Cloudstrike.
Fire Prisms: All of the Eldar Heavy Support tanks have gotten better. Now, all of them can be taken in squadrons. In addition, when you take a squadron of 2+ fire prisms, now you can combine their shots via Linked Fire.
Avatar of Khaine: The list of units that have gotten better in the Eldar codex goes on and on, and the Avatar of Khaine is no exception. You still won't see him very often, except in mostly a Footdar list, but he's gotten better as well. Before, his Khaine Awakened special rule gives all friendly Eldar units within 12" the Fearless USR. Now, in addition to Fearless, the Khaine Awakened special rule gives friendly Eldar units Furious Charge and the Rage USR as well! Also, his close combat ability has improved. Now, he is an actual threat to walkers with the Wailing Doom. Before, it was just a S6 AP1 weapon. Now, it is a S8 AP1 Armourbane weapon in close combat. I can see this guy as the centerpiece in a Guardian Battlehost or Guardian Stormhost formation.
The Bad
This part will focus on the changes to the new Eldar codex that is bad for our Tyranids (and others).
Eldar Missile Launchers: Now, all Eldar Missile Launchers (EML) come with built-in Skyfire mode. (In the previous edition, you had to pay 10-pts extra for Skyfire mode and not all EML's had that option.) While it isn't free (it's 15-pts), it's still 10-pts cheaper than before and a very versatile weapon with 3 firing modes - a S8 AP3 shot, a S7 AP4 Skyfire shot or a S4 AP4 blast for crowd control. More importantly, it can be taken by almost every single Eldar unit that can take a heavy weapon. You just may see the EML replace the Scatter Laser as the Eldar Take-All-Comer's weapon of choice.
Exarchs: Exarchs in general have just become must-buys on units that can take them. There is almost no reason not to. They are much, much better now than before. Each exarch has been upgraded to 2W as opposed to just 1W previously. Also, each exarch now gets a free special power that used to cost points before and every power on every different unit is useful.
Eldrad: Eldrad, who is already very good, has gotten even better. Now, he is 15-pts cheaper than before! Wow! Now he did lose his ability to re-deploy D3+1 units. However, his Warlord trait allows him to give D3 units in the Eldar army the Scout USR. Overall, you will still him him in Footdar lists and potentially as part of the Seer Council as well.
Karandras: Not only did Karandras become better in this edition, but he's also dropped in price by 30-pts! When he comes in from Reserves, he can come in from any table edge (and he passes this ability onto the unit of Striking Scorpions that he is attached with). He also does a wound to a model engaged with him on a 2+ with no armor saves allowed (4+ if a Gargantuan Creature) and also provides Shrouded to a unit that infiltrates with him. I can see him in a Footdar list or in a deathstar list to provide more punch to the unit/army.
Baharroth: This guy is going to be very popular in any Eldar deathstar army. Seer Council, wraithstar, whatever....you'll see him as a part of any true deathstar Eldar build. Heck, you may even see him in a Harlequinstar build. So why will he be so popular? 2 main reasons, really. #1) He has Hit-&-Run. #2) He is now 25-pts cheaper than before. Other than that, he is a good unit to tank incoming shots due to his 2+ save and him being Eternal Warrior. Also, he can leave the unit and going into Ongoing Reserves on Turn 4 (via the Skyleap special rule), only to come back in on Turn 5 without scatter onto an objective (via the Herald of Victory special rule). This guy is the new "Baron Sathonyx" of the Eldar deathstar builds.
Fire Dragons: They were good before and were on many Eldar lists. They are even better now. Now, fire dragons get +1 on the Vehicle Damage table and the Fire Dragon Exarch can re-roll 1 To Hit, To Wound or Armor Penetration roll per turn. If not for Destroyer Weapons being so readily available in the army, fire dragons would be the #1 choice for AT against ground armor in the army.
Swooping Hawks: This is another great unit that has become even better. Swooping Hawks can now move 18", which is already huge enough by itself. But on top of that, they now have the Intercept special rule. That has just made them the deadliest anti-flyer weapon in the game. What it is is when a unit of Swooping Hawks move over a flyer or a flying monstrous creature, that unit takes 1 S4 AP4 Haywire hit per model! Say bye-bye to your flyer. It doesn't even get a cover save! At least it isn't as bad against our FMC's, but woe to the stormravens, night scythes and all the Forgeworld flyers out there. The exarch allows the unit to come in from Deepstrike without scatter. Overall, it is an extremely good unit and you will be seeing them in a lot of tournament Eldar armies.
Warp Spiders: The amount of good units getting even better in the new Eldar codex just ceases to amaze me. This is truly a codex of the "rich" getting "richer" and the Warp Spiders are no exception. Just be aware that when you target them, they can make a special 2D6" jump move in the enemy Shooting phase with their Flickerjump special rule. And if their move should take them out of LOS or range, then you've just wasted your shooting because you cannot target another unit. Wow!!! On top of that, the Warp Spider Exarch allows the unit to automatically pass all Pinning, Fear, Regroup and Morale tests! Holy what-the-frag?!?
Crimson Hunter: A 20-pt drop in price makes the Crimson Hunter easily the Eldar's best flyer and most reliable, ranged AA platform. As an added bonus, the Crimson Hunter Exarch makes Precision Shots on a 5+ instead of the 6 that was the previous edition. But wait, they get even better when you take them in their special formation (more details on that later in the tactica).
Vyper Squadron: A decrease of 10-pt per model makes the Vyper a really affordable and cost-efficient unit, especially for those who want to run MSU Eldar. I think that this is a really under-rated unit. For 100-pts, you can get a very fast, 4HP unit that (2 Vypers) that fires 12 S6 shots (which become AP2 on any To Wound rolls of 6). They are the 2nd most efficient shooting tank in the army (6 shots for 50-pts, or 8.33 cost/shot ratio). The most efficient would be the next entry on this list.
Scatter Walkers: Basically, this unit is a unit of War Walkers with 2 Scatter Lasers. At a 10-pt discount per model from previous, a unit of 3 scatter walkers is 30-pts cheaper than before. Now what does that give you? It gives you the #1 most efficient shooting tank in the army (8 shots for 60-pts, or 7.5 cost/shot). Yes, if you see Scatter Walkers in an Eldar list, take them out and do it quickly. You really do not want to go through 5 turns of Scatter Walker shooting.
Hemlock Wraithfighter: The Hemlock Wraithfighter isn't the best flyer in the army. However, it is potentially the most dangerous. Now, its armament include 2 D-weapon blasts. And while its Heavy D-scythes might not be as dangerous as the wraithcannon, it is very deadly, especially against multi-wound units. Moreover, the Wraithfighter is now a full-blown Level 2 psyker as opposed to just a Level 1 psyker with only the Terrify psychic power in its previous incarnation. Now, prepare to see the Wraithfighter come stock with Conceal for 2+ jink cover and Psychic Scream. Or if the Eldar player is feeling lucky, he might instead go for Invisibility or Shrouding.
Dark Reapers: Sigh. This is getting depressing. Never in the history of 40K writing has so many units in just 1 codex gotten better. Dark Reapers are another very good unit that has gotten better. They are now 5-pts cheaper per model, or 15-pts cheaper for the unit. The unit now becomes twin-linked against zooming flyers, swooping FMC's or any unit that turbo-boosted or moved flat-out (and those units cannot take Jink saves against Dark Reapers!). On top of it all, the Exarch gets Fast Shot for free. This is definitely a unit worthy of consideration for any Eldar army.
Night Spinners: All of the Eldar Heavy Support tanks have gotten better. Now, all of them can be taken in squadrons. In addition, when you take a squadron of 2+ Night Spinners, you can now combine their shots via the Monofilament Shroud. Basically you get +1 Shot and +1S for each additional Night Spinner that contributes to the Monofilament Shroud. And if that wasn't enough to rank it among the "Bad" Eldar units, how about a decrease of 15-pts per model? An absolutely great anti-horde unit.
Guardian Battlehost Formation: This formation includes 1 Farseer, 3 units of Guardian Defenders, 1 unit of Vypers, 1 unit of War Walkers, 1 Vaul's Wrath Support Battery and 0-1 Warlock Conclave. So what makes it so good? I mean, the troops within have to give up Objective Secured. But in return, they get free Heavy Weapons platforms. That is potentially a 180-pts cost savings (if you run 3x20 guardians)! Moreover, all of the units in the formation are useful and most of the units in the formation gets Preferred Enemy if they fire at a unit within 12" of a Guardian Defenders unit. Overall, this is a great foundation for a Footdar list.
Guardian Stormhost Formation: This formation includes 1 Farseer, 3 units of Storm Guardians, 1 unit of Vypers, 1 unit of War Walkers, 1 Vaul's Wrath Support Battery and 0-1 Warlock Conclave. So what makes it so good? I mean, the troops within have to give up Objective Secured. But in return, they get 2 free special weapons and 2 free power weapons. That is potentially a 150-pts cost savings and you only have to run 3x8 guardians! Moreover, all of the units in the formation are useful and most of the units in the formation gets Preferred Enemy if they fire at a unit within 12" of a Storm Guardian unit. Overall, this is a great foundation for a Footdar list.
Seer Council Formation: This formation includes 2 Farseer and 1 Warlock Conclave. The farseers have to join the warlocks and cannot leave the unit. However, models from this formation cast psychic powers on a 3+ instead of the normal 4+. Expect the Seer Council to still be the premier deathstar in the new Eldar army.
Dire Avenger Shrine: I must say, I really like this formation. The Dire Avenger Shrine formation consists of 3 units of Dire Avengers. Dire Avengers have gotten better in this edition, but it is the Dire Avengers Shrine which makes them truly great. Now all models in this formation gets +1 BS. Moreover, once per game, all dire avengers in the formation get +1 shot to their shooting attack. Finally, all models in this formation can re-roll any failed Morale, Pinning and Fear tests. This is a great formation for any Footdar list, or you can even run them in Wave Serpents for a mechanized Eldar list.
The Ugly
These are the changes to the Eldar codex which makes them very, very good. As an opponent, it is these changes that make the new Eldar so very, very tough to play against. You better bring your best, because if you don't, the game is very likely to get very ugly.
Distortion Weapons: Destroyer weapons really do not belong in regular games of 40K. Now I can understand having Destroyer weaponry on a single Lord of War, but having Destroyer weaponry readily available for the masses? Yeesh! And it isn't just 1 unit that can take them. A wide range of units can take them. Besides the Wraithknight, you have Wraithguards, the Hemlock Wraithfighter and Vaul's Wrath Support Batteries which can carry them. Moreover, they come in different sizes and shapes, from a single shot to a blast to a template weapon. Worse yet, they are all on different FOC slots and do not compete against each other in the Eldar army. Thus, run a normal Eldar CAD and you can actually spam those Destroyer units, taking up to 3 each from the Elite, Fast Attack and Heavy slots as well as 1 from the Lord of War slot.
Windriders: This unit will no doubt be the most popular unit in the entire Eldar codex as well as 1 of only 2 must-take units in the army (with the other being the Wraithknight). Now why are they so good? Unlike in the previous edition, where you need to take 3 bikes before you can take 1 heavy weapon, currently, you can take 1 heavy weapon for each bike in the unit. Wow!!! That means a unit of 10 bikes can take 10 scatter lasers. That's 40 S6 shots in 1 turn, and that is from just 1 unit!!! You can legally take 6 of these units in a normal CAD for a total of 240 S6 shots per turn!
Furthermore, if you take the Windrider jetbikes in a normal CAD, they become Objective Secured units. They are hard for many opponents to deal with due to their super-long 48" threat range (12" move and 36" shooting range) and their ability to move again (2D6") in the Assault phase. They can potentially shoot you and then move out of LOS so that you cannot shoot them back! And the Windrider jetbikes are so fast that assault armies will have a hard time just trying to catch them. Move towards them and they can just turbo-boost 36" away from you (plus their regular 12" movement for a total of 48"). Finally, they can add a Warlock sergeant to the unit. This can potentially give the unit 2+ Shrouded Jink cover if the Warlock takes the Runes of Battle psychic powers, thus making a incredibly resilient unit just that much harder to kill. Windrider-spam will truly be a nightmare for most armies to deal with.
Wraithguards: This unit is potentially the hardest hitting unit in the codex, with 5+ Strength D shots per turn. It is a super dangerous unit that can easily take out tanks, walkers, monstrous creatures, IC's and elite units as well. And if that wasn't bad enough, you can give them D-scythe template D weapons to murder almost any unit in the 40K world. Then laugh as enemy assault units try to assault it, only to eat 5+ D3 Destroyer Wall of Death Overwatch hits. Without a doubt, this is the most dangerous unit in the codex to most armies.
Vaul's Wrath Support Battery: Now the normal Vaul's Wrath Support Battery (VWSB) isn't so bad, that is, as long as you do not upgrade it with D-cannons. Upgrade it with D-cannons and it now becomes the cheapest weapons platform in the game to carry a Destroyer weapon. But wait, it gets worse. It doesn't just fire single shots. Rather, it fires barrage blasts. All for a measly 55-pts per. The only saving grace is its rather limited shooting range of 24". But if you want a cheap D-platform, then this unit is it.
Wraithknight: One of the best MC's in the entire game of 40K has just gotten better. Say what? That's right. You heard me. The really, really good Wraithknight of yesteryear's codex has become even better in today's codex. How so? Simply by making him a Gargantuan Monstrous Creature and by giving him Destroyer weaponry. As a GMC, this guy is seriously under-costed, especially when compared to some of the other GMC's in the game. You can either kit him out as shooty with ranged D or as assault with close-combat D. Moreover, you can now equip him with 2 extra weapons, thus allowing him to shoot all 4 guns and at 4 different targets. He can then charge any of those 4 targets.
Being a GMC also makes the Wraithknight so much tougher to kill. He is now only wounded by Poisoned weapons on 6's, comes with FNP and cannot be insta-killed (weapons that cause Instant Death do D3 Wounds to a GMC instead). Thinking about tying him up with a tarpit unit? Well, now you have to contend with Stomp attacks as well. His only real weakness is to buffed-up grav-weaponry (i.e. the Centurionstar) but other than that, he is rock solid and a nightmare for most armies to deal with.
Aspect Host Formation: I must say, I really like this formation. The Aspect Host formation consists of 3 units among any of the following: Dire Avengers, Howling Banshees, Striking Scorpions, Fire Dragons, Swooping Hawks, Warp Spiders, Shining Spears and Dark Reapers. ALL of those units have gotten better in this edition, and as if that wasn't incentive enough to run them, the Aspect Host surely puts them over the top. Now all units in the formation gain either +1 WS of +1 BS. What!?! That's right. Imagine taking BS5 Fire Dragons, Dark Reapers and Warp Spiders. And the cherry on top? All these units get to re-roll failed Morale, Pinning and Fear tests. Yeesh! A great addition to any Footdar lists and really, any Eldar army.
Crimson Death Formation: This is yet another formation which takes a very good unit, the Crimson Hunter, and makes them even better. The formation consists of 3 Crimson Hunters, of which 1 must be upgraded to be an Exarch. It then gives these units Preferred Enemy against flyers and FMC's. It also gives the unit 4+ cover that is always "on". But that's not all...if a Crimson Hunter in the formation jinks, its 4+ cover is re-rollable. Overall, this formation is simply amazing and arguably the best anti-air tool in the new Eldar army.
This message was edited 12 times. Last update was at 2015/04/30 17:23:07
Had another practice game with my list for Killadelphia today, I've gotta say having that Superbeast melee Tyrant is a lot of fun and is proving to be quite effective. I think he works so well on account of there being so many other primary targets for turns 1 and 2, whether its the Malanthrope or the three flyrants with one being Warlord, or the baby making Tervigons. I know I cant sway anyone one way or the other, but the Ymgarl factor has been so helpful tactically that it's bloated 40pt cost I actually dont mind as much paying.
Shall be going to a 1500 pt tournament and as far as I know, it's anything bar unbound allowed. I was thinking of taking two alongside three Flyrants (who did serious damage at the 1250 one I went to), and maybe some Gargoyles for scoring/tarpitting/nuisance. Exocrine too if I can fit in points, I just love AP2 shooting from him these days (claimed Riptides, Tac squad that would have stolen my objective, Maulerfiend. Too good for me not to include)
YMDC = nightmare
2015/04/26 17:28:42
Subject: The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Eldar Tactica p.318)
Iechine wrote: Had another practice game with my list for Killadelphia today, I've gotta say having that Superbeast melee Tyrant is a lot of fun and is proving to be quite effective. I think he works so well on account of there being so many other primary targets for turns 1 and 2, whether its the Malanthrope or the three flyrants with one being Warlord, or the baby making Tervigons. I know I cant sway anyone one way or the other, but the Ymgarl factor has been so helpful tactically that it's bloated 40pt cost I actually dont mind as much paying.
Shall be going to a 1500 pt tournament and as far as I know, it's anything bar unbound allowed. I was thinking of taking two alongside three Flyrants (who did serious damage at the 1250 one I went to), and maybe some Gargoyles for scoring/tarpitting/nuisance. Exocrine too if I can fit in points, I just love AP2 shooting from him these days (claimed Riptides, Tac squad that would have stolen my objective, Maulerfiend. Too good for me not to include)
At 1500, I'd go with no more than 1 tervigon, especially considering you are planning to take 3 flyrants and the exocrine as well.
Also, it's important to know what types of missions you will be playing. If the tournament is going full Maelstrom, then I'd probably ditch the tervigon altogether for slightly more mobile, scoring units. However, if the missions incorporate any of the Eternal War missions, then keep the tervigon.
They'll be EW :/ so I look forward to playing gunline again haha.
I was thinking of dropping the Exocrine for another Tervigon actually, just in case one shut up shop. Get some Gargoyles too for a mobile cover screen and a fast tarpit unit. I know I'm gonna be up against a Wraithknight, I just know it man. I see the Eldar player gleefully licking his lips with Craftworlds
YMDC = nightmare
2015/04/26 19:33:32
Subject: Re:The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Eldar Tactica p.318)
I think LictorShame would do extremely well against new Eldar. All those S6 and Destroyer shots...wasted on Spore Mines and Mawlocs don't really care about JSJ
Maybe. Jetbikes might fear Mucolids cause of the Ignores Cover Ap3, but Spore Mines are less scary. It's possible with clever placement you force your opponent to have to shoot the Mines, but in general they won't have to. They can just move 12" over or away from them - with only a 3 inch move, d6/2 run, and a 2d6/2 charge move, they likely won't catch them on the charge even if they deep struck 1" away. Their strength of blocking movement lanes is greatly diminished by an entire army that jumps around the table. Smart play with them could block off certain zones that the Eldar player might be tempted to flee into, or force him to move out of cover, or something. But it will definitely be hard to do. No one will be wasting Str D on them though - maybe Wraithguard would fear a Mucolid, but Wraithknights don't care.
@wave serpents: i don't know we're really going to be seeing them used defensively. i think you're just going to see them alpha strike the opponent's face off T1 with all his serpents. it's still a fast skimmer, so it's going to move forward 6" and unload, adding its weight of fire to the bikes and WK and rest of the usual suspects. there's not much need to play defensively when you shoot 1/3 to half of the opponent's army off the board T1.
2015/04/26 20:57:08
Subject: The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Eldar Tactica p.318)
gigasnail wrote: @wave serpents: i don't know we're really going to be seeing them used defensively. i think you're just going to see them alpha strike the opponent's face off T1 with all his serpents. it's still a fast skimmer, so it's going to move forward 6" and unload, adding its weight of fire to the bikes and WK and rest of the usual suspects. there's not much need to play defensively when you shoot 1/3 to half of the opponent's army off the board T1.
You can still play the serpent aggressively for a strong alpha-strike. However, after the serpent blows its "load", it is more of a defensive vehicle due to its serpent shield working more defensively than offensively. This is how I see most people play them. Go for a strong alpha-strike with the serpents and the rest of the army. Then deliver their payload - from fire dragons to wraithguards to howling banshees or whatever - to wherever they need to go. After that, move back, shoot and go for objectives on T5.
i concur; but is alpha striking then playing standoff with the rest of the guns at range really playing any more defensively than they already were? it was never an close assault boat, except for to drop WG or FD down (which it still can do). it's firepower is thankfully diminished now but is still annoying and nasty on a DT.
2015/04/26 21:25:38
Subject: The Strengths of the NEW Tyranids - Foundation for Competitive Tyranids (Eldar Tactica p.318)
gigasnail wrote: @wave serpents: i don't know we're really going to be seeing them used defensively. i think you're just going to see them alpha strike the opponent's face off T1 with all his serpents. it's still a fast skimmer, so it's going to move forward 6" and unload, adding its weight of fire to the bikes and WK and rest of the usual suspects. there's not much need to play defensively when you shoot 1/3 to half of the opponent's army off the board T1.
You can still play the serpent aggressively for a strong alpha-strike. However, after the serpent blows its "load", it is more of a defensive vehicle due to its serpent shield working more defensively than offensively. This is how I see most people play them. Go for a strong alpha-strike with the serpents and the rest of the army. Then deliver their payload - from fire dragons to wraithguards to howling banshees or whatever - to wherever they need to go. After that, move back, shoot and go for objectives on T5.
I disagree, I see it the opposite. Your wrong about the shield btw, once fired it now longer works in any form, offensively OR defensively. So stay resilient and then on critical turns use the shield. Is it one time use? Sure, but scatter lasers no longer became necessary and your shield has a much higher result when used thanks to 2d6 shots. The serpent is also cheaper, basically freeing up points for scats on your bikes.
I don't see spam as necessary and further I see it as a major pitfall for eldar players. You'll see less serpents overall, but used correctly they will be more effective. Serpents should house things like dark reapers while allied DE venoms and raiders ship wraithguard and firedragons. Most cheesy eldar lists will use bikes for troops, not DEVU serpents.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/26 21:25:57
gigasnail wrote: @wave serpents: i don't know we're really going to be seeing them used defensively. i think you're just going to see them alpha strike the opponent's face off T1 with all his serpents. it's still a fast skimmer, so it's going to move forward 6" and unload, adding its weight of fire to the bikes and WK and rest of the usual suspects. there's not much need to play defensively when you shoot 1/3 to half of the opponent's army off the board T1.
You can still play the serpent aggressively for a strong alpha-strike. However, after the serpent blows its "load", it is more of a defensive vehicle due to its serpent shield working more defensively than offensively. This is how I see most people play them. Go for a strong alpha-strike with the serpents and the rest of the army. Then deliver their payload - from fire dragons to wraithguards to howling banshees or whatever - to wherever they need to go. After that, move back, shoot and go for objectives on T5.
I disagree, I see it the opposite. Your wrong about the shield btw, once fired it now longer works in any form, offensively OR defensively. So stay resilient and then on critical turns use the shield. Is it one time use? Sure, but scatter lasers no longer became necessary and your shield has a much higher result when used thanks to 2d6 shots. The serpent is also cheaper, basically freeing up points for scats on your bikes.
I don't see spam as necessary and further I see it as a major pitfall for eldar players. You'll see less serpents overall, but used correctly they will be more effective. Serpents should house things like dark reapers while allied DE venoms and raiders ship wraithguard and firedragons. Most cheesy eldar lists will use bikes for troops, not DEVU serpents.
I missed the part with Serpent Shields being expended completely after firing. I will go back and modify my review later. In that case, the serpent isn't really a defensive vehicle but rather, a true delivery vehicle. I don't see it being spammed at all. However, I do see other units, mainly windrider bikers, being units that will be spammed in an Eldar CAD army. That is the only true spam I see in the army, assuming wraithknights are being limited in most tournaments.
gigasnail wrote: i concur; but is alpha striking then playing standoff with the rest of the guns at range really playing any more defensively than they already were? it was never an close assault boat, except for to drop WG or FD down (which it still can do). it's firepower is thankfully diminished now but is still annoying and nasty on a DT.
Due to a misintepretation of the rules for the Wave Serpent, I will go back and modify my review of it. However, the final outcome still stands. The changes to wave serpents is a good thing, both for Tyranid players as well as for the rest of the 40K world.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/26 21:43:10
.....Bay Area Open GT 2013 - Best Tyranids 
.....LVO GT 2014 Team Tournament - Best Generals
and Mawlocs don't really care about 
