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Okay, I probably won't be starting for a while, but I know what I want - more or less.

Highly mobile, very fluffy, able to put up a respectable fight against other, friendly, fluffy armies. The idea is to be able to make a few lists from 500 to 1'500 points.

My shopping list looks something like this. I have an idea that it may not be all-powerful, but is it terrible?

Autarch w/ Jetbike

Farseer & 3x Warlocks

3x Guardian Jetbike w/ Warlock

10x Guardians

5x Pathfinders

5x Shining Spears

2x Vypers

2x Falcons

I love me some jetbikes, so I really don't want to loose them (sort of a dealbreaker) but have little idea how most anything on the list performs - other than that Shining Spears aren't actually that good (but I love them!). I also strongly feel as though I haven't nearly enough troops. More Guardians, or Dire Avengers? I know DA are popular, but I'd probably have to give them a Wave Serpent right? At least Guardians can sit back and let the support platform do its thing...

The Falcons have BS 3 which seems like it will really hurt - but the Fire Prism is just plain ugly and cannot transport my Farseer/Pathfinders. Is the trade-off worthwhile?

Is there a sensable way to cram more jetbikes into this army?

I'm not sure but I think the Farseer and Warlocks in the HQ choice can take jetbikes, but I'm not entirely sure as I haven't seen an Eldar codex in a while.

By god, you're right!

Don't know how I missed that.

One thing I would add/change:
Either get a warlock for the guardians and give him conceal
or
Put them in a wave serpent.
A single 10-man squad simply will not last.

I like shopping lists.

Autarch w/ Jetbike

Farseer & 3x Warlocks

3x Guardian Jetbike w/ Warlock

10x Guardians

5x Pathfinders

5x Shining Spears

2x Vypers

2x Falcons

But yours is a bit strange.
Better use the following:

Farseer

Autarch

2x 10 Dire Avengers

5 Fire Dragons

3 Serpents

2 Fire Prisms

3 War Walkers

I appreciate your thoughts, Wuestenfux. That's not sarcasm, I actually do.

Nevertheless, I really have to ask: did you read my post? The bit other than the shopping list? The bit where I declare my love for Jetbikes? Where I said that a lack of Jetbikes was a dealbreaker. The bit where I asked if I could have more jetbikes?

The bit where I ask specific and general questions about how units perform? Or what units I might swap in/out of the list?

(the bit where I said I thought fire Prisms were ugly?)

'cos I don't actually see a single jetbike on the list I had 'better' use...

You didn't even say 'Loose the Jetbikes because'.

Why must you crush my dreams!? Why?

I think I'll go into the garden and sulk.

In any event, thank you to Cobra and Cambak for helpful suggestions.

For guardian jetbikes, you're going to want more than what you have there. The bottom line is, they are big models, and they are only toughness 4 with a 3+ armor save, which isn't that tough. If you want to really enjoy the jetbikes, go for them all the way. Big squads of 9+warlock are fast and fairly shooty. Add some skimmers in the HS section and maybe some vypers from Fast Attack, and you have a nice army.

a squad of 3 jetbikes is going to go away as soon as someone looks at it wrong. A squad of 9 is fairly durable when used correctly.

Ahem, toughness 4 with a 3+ save is the same as a space marine and a Necron, both rather resilient. Move them flat out and you even give them a decent cover save. And to pull your arguement apart yet more, it is merely a shopping list to begin, he would probably get more.

I am now going to look like a complete arse as I get this wrong!

Azezel wrote:Why must you crush my dreams!? Why?

I think I'll go into the garden and sulk.

Oh man do I share your pain. I play an Iyanden footslogging Eldar army (as Wraithlords/guards are my "jetbikes"), and its gone to the point that I can't be arsed asking stuff on interwebs forums.
Why? Because they all tell me my lists sucks, and suggest that I should get *gasp* dire avengers, fire dragons, serpents and prisms. And when I tell them I've never lost a single game with them (out of around 15 now) its because my friends all suck.

I'd probably get some more Guardian Jetbikes though, but thats just me
And in a jetbike theme i'd try to not have anything on foot (So in falcons/serpents), just because it'd look really nice

SuperioR wrote:

Oh man do I share your pain. I play an Iyanden footslogging Eldar army (as Wraithlords/guards are my "jetbikes"),

Hands across the sea, Brother.

A squad of foot-slogging Guardians seemmed like a good idea - what with a scatter laser and camping on the home objective etc - but you make a compelling argument. Besides, for the cost (£) of ten guardians I can have three Guardian jetbikes.

And I completely understand why you love Wraithlords/guards. I played a 500 point game last week Vs Eldar and damned if my poor Sisters could put a scratch on the Wraithlord. It's brutal and beautiful - everything the Eldar should be.

As for survivability - I had imagined that T4 S3+ would be pretty rock-solid - especially since (as I understand it) Eldar jetbikes can scoot out from behind cover, shoot and then scoot back again in the assault phase?

That said - if I did have ten of them, I could split them into smaller squads for low-point games. And foot-slogging Guardians never quite seemed right - Eldar are the very last race that can afford to field a horde of anything. Especially their civilians.

I'd really like to make an Ulthwe themed army with Storm/Defender squads, Eldrad, and Wraithlords; but i can see using Guardians over Avengers making it much more difficult...being as squishy as they are

THIS! IS! EXTRA-HERETICAL!!!!!!


On a serious note....
Jetbikes are fun, but in all reality.... SM and Ork Biker armies are better....

Azezel:
Your point about having the footsloggers on a home objective is valid.
However, one of the main strengths of bikes is that camping objectives is generally unnecessary. Jetbikes can turboboost (a 24" move) as long as they aren't in combat, back to pretty much wherever you need them whenever you need them there.
Also you are correct about the Jump Shoot Jump tactic.

Azezel wrote:

And I completely understand why you love Wraithlords/guards. I played a 500 point game last week Vs Eldar and damned if my poor Sisters could put a scratch on the Wraithlord. It's brutal and beautiful - everything the Eldar should be.

Where on earth do you find enough points in a 500 point game to buy a wraithlord?

Nightwatch wrote:

Azezel wrote:

And I completely understand why you love Wraithlords/guards. I played a 500 point game last week Vs Eldar and damned if my poor Sisters could put a scratch on the Wraithlord. It's brutal and beautiful - everything the Eldar should be.

Where on earth do you find enough points in a 500 point game to buy a wraithlord?

Its easy:
HQ
Farseer, Runes, Guide (100)

Troops:
Guardians x15 w/ Missile Launcher (140)
Guardians x10 w/ Missile Launcher (100)

Heavy Support:
Wraithlord! w/ Starcannon, Bright Lance (160)

Put the Farseer with the big mob and win!

One squad of Guardians w/ Shuriken Canon, one squad of DA, and the Farseer had Doom, not Guide (which isn't ideal Vs sisters), but yeah, it is possible in 500 points. And not only possible, but it took out my Immolator, murderized my Celestians and contested an objective. It strikes me as a good thing to take a Wraithguard at 500 points.

Azezel wrote:One squad of Guardians w/ Shuriken Canon, one squad of DA, and the Farseer had Doom, not Guide (which isn't ideal Vs sisters), but yeah, it is possible in 500 points. And not only possible, but it took out my Immolator, murderized my Celestians and contested an objective. It strikes me as a good thing to take a Wraithguard at 500 points.

Wraithlord*

Anyways, yeah, I've only played a couple of 500-1000p games, but if you take cheap swordlords you shouldn't have problem fitting them in, as their only 100p.

But we're getting offtopic now

For videos and other stuff about Jetbike armies you can go to http://saimhann.blogspot.com/ or to his youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/WayOfSaimHann