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Inspired by several threads on Dakka.  Thoughts on Master Strategist in the YMDC really had my mind working on this.

All completely theoretical.  I don't own a single Eldar model and likely won't, ever.  Still, I think there's a lot of untapped potential in the Codex yet, and I thought I'd throw this out to the wolves here. 

Basic concept is VP denial, with objective grabbing at the end.  If I'm not mistaken, UKGT format didn't award points for massacres and such, so even a slight VP edge can win points.  This list is just designed to chip away at the enemy.  It assumes that Master Strategist stacks and that Swooping Hawks can Skyleap in the same turn they Deep Strike.  I predict it will be very unfun to play against and, if it doesn't win, will at least sap your opponents will to play 40k and go play WarMachine, perhaps a victory in itself.
<strong style="">
HQ:[/b]

2x 110 points        Autarch with Jetbike and Fusion Gun

Tried to keep these cheap.  Just there for their master strategist ability and to try to pop some tanks.  I'd considered Reaper Launchers instead, but decided on the Fusion Guns since you never know.

<strong style="">Troops:[/b]

4x 135 points        3 Guardian Jetbikes, 1 shuriken cannon, Warlock, Spear, Conceal

The whole of the groundpounding element.  General idea is to plink away with the shuricannon and occasionally take shots with the spear at vehicles that get too close.  These guys would be working like battlesuits, relying on terrain to keep them alive.  Conceal is there to deal with those shots you just can't avoid, like indirect fire.
<strong style="">
Fast Attack:[/b]

3x 173 points        6 Swooping Hawks, Exarch with sunrifle, skyleap, intercept 

The real meat of the list.  These guys should be dropping anywhere from 12-15 large blast templates a game.  I've heard people say that most experienced players can deal with that with little difficulty, and that tournament lists won't be bothered by it.  I'm not convinced.  After all, the idea with this list isn't to wreck the enemy, it's just to do enough damage to eek out a win.  Intercept is mainly points filler.  The Sunrifle is there in lieu of more Swooping Hawks, since it's a bargain compared to the price of more models.  I actually predict that these guys won't Skyleap in turn 5, particularly if you've got second turn.  You want to make sure they're on the table for turn 6, and you'll probably need at least a round or two of shooting out of them to deal with other objective grabbers.

<strong style="">Heavy Support:[/b]

3x 190 points        Fire Prism, Shuriken Cannon, Holo-Field, Spirit Stones, Vector Engines

Ironically perhaps the most fragile portion of the list, though with all the defensive upgrades they should have some staying power, especially with 60" range.  It's seems likely that at least one Fire Prism is going to be getting shaken each turn, hence the redundancy.  If they all manage to fire, then all the better (S7 AP2 Large Blast?  Yes please!)  The shuricannons are mainly points filler and just a little extra punch.  If your opponent isn't sick of pie plates by the end of this game, he's got a screw loose.

1849 points

No countercharge elements.  What is there to charge?  The idea is to stay out of assault at all costs.  Set up a refused flank and jet to the other side with the whole army on turn 1 if you need to, then get down to the business of chipping away on turn 2.

There you have it.  Flame away, gang.

Ezz

Heh. Nice Ezz.

For maximum strength, I would drop the autarchs all together and add eldrad and baharroth. Use the prisms as push back, then redeploy with eldrad. Eldrad isnt mobile, but if hidden well enough, he makes good VP denail. Baharroth because thats more '''cheesy" templates.

No +2 to reserves then, which is kind of the point of the list in tandem with Hawks jumping in every turn.

I would drop the hawk squads to basic 5 man with exarch and skyleap, and give the autarchs lances and mandiblasters. Then you would have some counter-charge for when some fast assault units hit your bikes.

I have a somewhat similar list in the works, but with 3 Falcons loaded with 2 dragons/1 harlie squad and 2 min pathfinders as troops.

 

Nice theory. But I can assure you that no one will be allowing the rubber band tactic to be used. You are only allowed one "movement" per movement phase. So when you Deep Strike in, thats it. No Skyleaping out.

general hobbs, for the millionth time, it is legal, like it or not.

read the ymdc threads regarding such, or carefully read the rules.

again, its legal.


The point ezzeran is making is an abusive list that...wel....stinks really.

Now once you wrap your head around how legal rubber hawking is, now wrap your head around skyleaping out of falling back. Also technically legal.

Skyleap is a beardy rules indeed in need of some major clarification.

General Hobbs, you are off-topic. If you want to debate the legality of the manuever, you know which forum to use.

@General Hobbs: Read the beginning of the thread, please. Assuming it can be done.

@Hellfury: The problem with Eldrad is that he's on foot. He's easy VP's in a list like this, even with his IC status. Too many eggs in one basket, I think. Eldrad gives the enemy a target, and a rather big one. I don't mind giving fire magnets to the enemy, but I think Eldrad is a bit too much of one. Besides, the re-deploy doesn't much matter. The whole army can move at least 24" in one turn if it does nothing else.

And Raider has it right with the Autarchs. I was looking at the Pheonix Lord, but I got to thinking that this list can already drop 6 pie plates a turn, so... I think it's enough! In fact, the only thing I would change with the HQ would be the weapon on the Autarchs. I'm leaning towards reaper launchers, because I think the Autarch's would be too far forward to benefit from IC protection.

@Banesword: Interesting idea, but it's two different list concepts. The idea with this list is to simply not give the other guy much of a target. First off, 5 man squads means that the Hawks are poorer objective grabbers, and thats bad. Lances and mandiblasters would be a complete waste on the Autarchs. Like I said, what will my opponent be assaulting? I can get 30" of movement a turn out of the jetbikes if I do nothing else with them. What will possibly keep up with them enough to assault them? Even if a unit is assaulted, it would be a jetbike squad, and I can afford to lose one of them.

I'd considered the pathfinders as a troops choice, but I can't see presenting the enemy with that kind of a target. Besides, I needed a way to deal with vehicles, hence the spearlocks. That's really all these bike squads are allowing me to do: serve as escorts for the spearlocks. I actually think I have the vehicle thing locked up pretty good. Seven BS4, S9 shots should do it. Or three squads of haywires if things get desperate.

I'd really like to see someone try this, just for grins. I have an friend who has an Eldar army, and might even have most of the models to do this with. Maybe I'll try it out and see.

Ezz

Honestly, I think coming up against an opponent who isn't braindead in an objective based game it'll get squished.

All someone has to do is park units on each objective and voila - no objective grabbing by the hawks.  The bikes are very fragile at such low numbers, and the Prisms probably won't be shooting much because they'll be target #1 (three glances is all it takes to defang the list).

It would certainly take a lot of people by surprise and will win games on a regular basis, but I wouldn't count on it taking a high ranking position in a tournament once all is said and done.

Rubber banding is both legal AND intentional, like it or not.

The list you posted, is not particularly dangerous though. All of the firepower in in Prisms that will never actually get to fire. And while the hawks is while they deny your opponent their vps, you will never actually make up the points they cost. (except against guard and orks) They also must end the game on the table, so unless you went second they have to hide in hard cover to not get shot up. On top of that, they cant take control of an objective that the opponent is already on top of. (This goes for the jetbikes as well)

Two false assumptions-

1. That a unit must "get its points back" in kills to be worth it. Ignoring larger issues of army synergy and other uses, in a pure VP calculation, a unit is worth its points if it scores you more points than it loses. If the unit is never dropped under half, any points it scores whatsoever are profit on the VP scale. The same can be said of a group of units. Even against marines, if three Hawk squads can knock a single Marine squad under half while staying at or over half strength themselves, they are still ahead of the curve.

2. That a unit cannot contest an objective while an enemy unit is contesting it. All of the standard missions in the 40k rulebook involve objectives which can be contested by having a scoring unit within a certain distance of a point. Even on the 6" distance objectives, your opponent will have to park and spread out several units to make it impossible for you to put a hawk unit in distance. He can make it more dangerous, certainly, but it takes several units in the right place to make it impossible to drop in and contest. In Recon, he would need a huge IG or Tyranid horde. In a quadrant mission, even the horde armies can't do it.

That said, I do suspect that the army would have a lot of trouble scoring ENOUGH points on a basic shooty MEQ army build or drop pod list, or against necrons, to do better than a draw. And there would be a very real risk of losing based on damage to the Fire Prisms, which despite their durability would be soaking a whole lot of firepower.