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I took my Eldar to last years 'Ard Boyz and learned a lot. Many of my mistakes came from careless playing (I really played poorly), but I managed to make it to the Finals using my basic 1850...but on steroids. It was a WarWalker list with Eldravatar Guiding, a strong base of Guardians backed up by Harlequins, a couple vypers and a falcon flying around loaded with Firedragons.

In 1850, my Scatterlaser armed WW's can do horrendous amounts of damage to an enemy army. At 2500, the amount of damage they do to the enemy army 'overall' is really neutered...and they generally have more ways to handle them. I had problems with anti-tank, and while I had some HtH ability, there was nothing really SCARY about the army besides the harlequins.

Steleks recent posts about Warlock Jetbike Retinues really got me thinking, and while I dont think I'll have the money/time to convert a mess of Warlocks on jetbikes (really unfortunate, as I'd really like to try that unit), I think I've come up with a really decent list for this year at the 'Ard Boyz.

Ard Boyz Eldar 2500

HQ

Avatar
Eldrad
-(10)Warlock Retinue-1xEnhance, 1xEmbolden (in case they leave the Avatar's synapse range), 1xDestructor (because I had 10 pts left.
-Wave Serpent w/Bright Lance, SS, SE

ELITE

(10)Harlequins with full command, 5xKiss, 2xFusion
(6) FireDragons w/Exarch-fire pike tank hunter, crack shot

TROOPS

(10)Dire Avengers w/Exarch-2xDASC, bladestorm
(21)Guardian Defenders w/Bright lance, Warlock-enhance
(21)Guardian Defenders w/Bright lance, Warlock-enhance
(15)Storm Guardians w/2xFusion, Warlock-Singing Spear, enhance

HEAVY SUPPORT

Falcon-Shurican Cannon, Holo, SS, SE
Prism-Holo, SS
Prism-Holo, SS


I already have almost everything I need to feild this, all but 8 Warlocks. I'll prolly start testing it today.
Questions? Comments?

Avatar

Right... and Avatar! Fun fun!!!

Eldrad
-(10)Warlock Retinue-1xEnhance, 1xEmbolden (in case they leave the Avatar's synapse range), 1xDestructor (because I had 10 pts left.
-Wave Serpent w/Bright Lance, SS, SE

Is that Eldrad with Warlocks in the same Wave Serpent? What happens if it gets shot down? Then you're a little screwed, eh?

ELITE

(10)Harlequins with full command, 5xKiss, 2xFusion

They need some kind of transport, imho.

(6) FireDragons w/Exarch-fire pike tank hunter, crack shot

Same here, only more than the Harliquins. Falcon!

TROOPS

(10)Dire Avengers w/Exarch-2xDASC, bladestorm

Pretty cookie cutter. Looks good to me.

(21)Guardian Defenders w/Bright lance, Warlock-enhance

(21)Guardian Defenders w/Bright lance, Warlock-enhance

NidMaster40000 wrote:
Is that Eldrad with Warlocks in the same Wave Serpent? What happens if it gets shot down? Then you're a little screwed, eh?

You shooting at an (sometimes) empty WaveSerpent rather than a loaded falcon or two prisms that are blasting away at you? Thats the choice you'll have to make.

Not really. The warlocks may not be sitting in the transport at all times. Depending on the situation, I may/may not have the unit residing in the transport, making the Wave-serpent just another brightlance floating around, unless I NEED to get somewhere in which case its a transport for Eldrad and company OR the Harlequins...addressing your next concern....

concerning harlequins

They need some kind of transport, imho.

...they got it.

Is that 21 Guardians in one squad? Wow! I'd consider dropping them down to about 15 or so and maybe getting another small squad of them. Maybe get a Scatter Laser instead of Bright Lance in one of the squads...?

At the 'Ard Boyz, 10 guardians was nothing to handle at 2500. With the new cover rules, and the Avatar making them fearless...its a huge tarpit for HtH or something thats pointless to shoot at. It's also 1 Kill point less than the suggestion of splitting into two units.

HISSS. Really? Storm Guardians? I've only had bad experience with them, but more power to ya. IMHO, S3 isn't enough to gonna do much against much of anything. Against MEQ armies, you'd get crushed because they're better than you. Against swarm armies, that you will see, you'll get crushed because there are more whatevers than Stormies. Drop for my Defenders.

I like em'. They're the ones that DO wind up getting shot up before they get close enough for fusions to kill a tank, and if they get ignored....since they're just storm guardians and no real danger...they POP that tank. 14 Guardians and a warlock enhanced and made fearless by the avatar is definatly dangerous to DOOMED MEQ's. I actually really like storm guardians...they work well enough for the points.

I don't have my codex on me, so I'm not gonna comment on these. Looks good, be do you really think the Shuri-cannon is worth the upgrade?

Shuricannon on the falcon isnt an upgrade, its the second weapon. It's got a pulse laser, shuricannon, and twin linked shuricatipults....its a falcon-on-the-cheap.

.Deleted post.

What's been your luck with Fire Prisms? Locally, they've been getting disabled fairly quickly with either a weapon destroyed or just destroyed. Luck of the dice, maybe? It just seems it's gotten easier for whatever reason to make them pretty ineffective.

I'm still not sure about huge Guardian squads. They should be fearless for most, if not the entire, game. Since that is the case, why not get multiple squads. More support platforms seem more useful than a Warlock w/ Enhance. Assault is just not where you want them to ever be in. Even Fearless, they still lose in assault in horrible fashion. Since you can't consolidate into new assaults, you'd at least be able to shoot whatever unit that crushed some Guardians.

Or, 2 squads of Jetbikes that are held in Reserve. They can help be your last turn objective takers/contesters.

Let us know how your playtest games go. I'm particularly curious as we play pretty similar Eldar armies.

You know how I feel about Eldradatar.

I think you will see more DH armies this year than ever before.

DH + Seer Council on Foot = Bad.

This isn't a swipe at your generalship, but I think my 1750 DH list would blow you away in short order.

It's just too mixed a list. At 2500 points it's either a foot horde or a mech horde. This is neither, since 67 of your guys have 2 BS3 shots at long range and you only have 4 tanks. I'd ignore them and take your vehicles out, then get to work on whatever threat you have left.

That Windrider host is CHEAP! If you can find someone willing to grab those Vypers in it, you can get Jetbikes for cheap.

It is the ard boyz after all, it's not like you need to model it up or paint it...or even assemble it completely! lol

FWIW the jetbike council has been around a long time (as an option in the Codex) and yet I have never seen a full one modeled "accurately". No one seems willing to spend the dough on it in the community, why should you?

Stelek wrote:You know how I feel about Eldradatar.

I think you will see more DH armies this year than ever before.

Why? Just because of the landraider rule?

DH + Seer Council on Foot = Bad.

....still got cover save.

This isn't a swipe at your generalship, but I think my 1750 DH list would blow you away in short order.

It's just too mixed a list. At 2500 points it's either a foot horde or a mech horde. This is neither, since 67 of your guys have 2 BS3 shots at long range and you only have 4 tanks. I'd ignore them and take your vehicles out, then get to work on whatever threat you have left.

This is just heavy variation on the list I made it to the finals with last year...scrapping the WW's and putting more anti-tank in its spot. I hear what you're saying though, it doesnt concentrate on one mode of fighting a battle. I'm thinking I can work this as a foot horde that can reach out and touch someone. Then again I did just figure out this list today....and there's still time before the first 'ArdBoyz. (which if last year is any indication, I should be able to bring carnival witch-hunters and score 1st or 2nd place. Competition isnt that stiff in the first round.)

That Windrider host is CHEAP! If you can find someone willing to grab those Vypers in it, you can get Jetbikes for cheap.

It is the ard boyz after all, it's not like you need to model it up or paint it...or even assemble it completely! lol

FWIW the jetbike council has been around a long time (as an option in the Codex) and yet I have never seen a full one modeled "accurately". No one seems willing to spend the dough on it in the community, why should you?

Good points...maybe a biker unit CAN be ready at least by the final heat.

I had alot more competition at my FLGS than at the semifinals.

The finals looked highly amusing to me, just from the armies that got there. lol

An assault GK element with Incinerators will smoke both your Harlies and your Seer Council. People might not see it now, but they are devastating.

I think DH got alot more viable, not just because of the LR rule but because they can bring flamers that annihilate most of the current builds of horde and they put the pain on non-horde (vehicles or MC...S6 have a nice day).

Inability to knock out DH LR because of 5E rules, they always fire a shot at you giving them the ability to be mobile so meltabombs don't do squat...and meltaguns while dangerous get one turn to kill the LR, then the LR + what's inside will crush you....well, all told this makes GK not fear enemy mech armies anymore, which is why everyone avoided them in the first place.

Tri-Falcon just laughed at them.

Now who's laughing?

I have a friend who uses Grey Knights and love his incinerators - they'll really pay off if I start an Eldar army... st/3 makes everything a little disappointing, but I'm not going to be depending on my assault capabilities in the initial stages of the game. The ability to place your assaults will really help - I usually play cc Marines in transports, so I'm also used to rhino cover - I personally plan on taking Banshees, because I foresee terrible problems with marines. Harlies just look a little bit too fragile for my tastes, and the costs required to make them really effective (basically rending).