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OK, so you are missing some important information from the rulebook and I will try and explain some of it here.

So you don't have to run the formations as described in the Eldar Codex. What you can do is a Combined Arms Detachment, aka CAD, this is listed in the main rulebook.

Mandatory:
1 HQ
2 Troops

Then you can add up to:
1 HQ
4 Troops
3 Elites
3 Fast Attack
3 Heavy Support

So using the units from your list you would have:
HQ:
Farseer w/Bike + Spear + Stone 135
Warlock Conclave w/ Bike 50

Troops:
Windriders w/Scatter 81
Windriders w/Cannon 81
Windriders w/Cannon 81

Elites:

Fast Attack:
2 Vypers w/Shuriken Cannon 110
Warp Spiders w/Exarch 105

Elites:
Firedragons w/Exarc + Transport: 250

Heavy Supprt:
4 Dark Reapers w/Exarch 115

The advantage here is that you don't get forced into taking units you might not want, or upgrades you might not want, but you lose out on the formation bonuses.

So for example, running a CAD with 3x3 Scatter Bikes, you don't get Tempest of Blades, but on the flip side you save 55 points on a vyper and 50 points on a warlock, not to mention that scatter laser is a better weapon in every other round that is not tempest of blades.

Aspect Host you might want to keep, it's a formation you can put in with your CAD. The advantage is +1 BS, the disadvantage is having to take 3 units of Aspect Warriors when you might not want that many, and you don't have to pay for exarch upgrades if they don't give you anything.

Another bonus with running CAD is that you can, for example, run 2 units of 1 vypers rather than 1 unit of 2 vypers (as long as you have the available fast attack slots). The advantage is that if something is firing at a squad they can potentially take out 2 vypers, and those 2 vypers have to stay together. If you split them up into two units, an enemy unit can only kill 1 vyper each round and you can put each viper on each end of the table if you like.

The same thing goes for windriders. Using CAD, you can run a unit of 5 windriders and one unit of 4 windriders. rather than 3 units of 3. The advantage is that if a windrider in a 5 man unit dies, you don't have to take a morale/leadership test (you always take these if you lose 25% of your unit), Also if you want to use your farseers Guide power on a unit of 5 then you have 5 reroll to hit bikes rather than 3.

The disadvantage is that if you are fighting something that has heavy volume of fire, or has AP3 and Ignore Cover (so you can't use your 4+ jink save), or is Large Blast, they can max kill 3 bikes at a time rather than 5. Also, if something forces you to jink with your bikes then you only have to fire snap shots (these are resolved at BS1) with a 3 man bike unit rather than a 5 man bike unit.

If you are wondering what units are troops and what are elites, then you have to look at the symbols at the top of the page in your codex for the unit entrees. For Example a triangle is troops and a lightning bolt is fast attack.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
BTW, since you are interested in Iyanden, following CAD you can add up to 3 units of Wraithguard as Elites, 3 Wraithlords as Heavy support and 1 Wraithknight as Lord of War. You can only have 1 Lord of War in a CAD, so if you want more than 1 then you have to switch back to using the eldar codex formation. Then you run 1 windrider formation and up to 12 wraith constructs with wraithknights.

Yeah, what he said. About as good an explanation as you'll get without actually reading the rulebook.

Wow! Hugely detailed post Acidian. Thank you, there's plenty to think about there and to look at online! I'll almost certainly update this thread with a revised list (again!)

Thank you!

RooT wrote:
Thanks for the info!

Me too! I absoutely wanted to play a 1000pt wraith Iyanden list (love the fluff, love the models) but thought i couldn't without taking a core formation.

Is there a way around that? I'd much prefer a HQ Spiritseer, a few wraiths etc.

You have to run a CAD instead. Spiritseer as HQ, then take two troops, then take your wraithguard as elites and wraithlords as heavy support.

You should really invest in all of the rules....You can get the deathstorm starter box's mini rulebook on ebay for about $35 USD.

Forgot to add that troops from CAD have Objective Secured. What this means is that your troop units will hold an objective even if there are other enemy models in range. As long as those enemy models don't also have objective secured. This is a big deal and can win/lose you matches. Troops that are in a formation do not get Objective Secured, unless otherwise specified.

For example, in my latest match I was fighting a space marine player, in the last round I turbo boosted my windriders to the objectives. Two of the objectives was contested by space marines, which also had objective secured, so none of us got the point for these objectives. However, the last objective was held by a dreadnaught, which doesn't have objective secured, this won me the game. This is also another reason why it 'can' be better to have multiple small troop squads rather than two large ones.

OK, so I just popped to my local Warhammer store (Tot Rd, London) and found out that unbound armies are a thing and that it would allow me to make the thematic army I first wanted to make before all this!

The help I've already received in this list won't go to waste since I'll use much of it as I expand to 1850 points, however below are two options for a theme-heavy unbound Iyanden army. Unfortunately, 1000pts doesn't allow me to get the formation since all the units (with no upgrades at all) come to 1067pts.

Idea 1
Spiritseer, spirit stone of anath-lan, kurnous' bow
95pts

Wraithguard, d-scythes
210pts

Wraithguard, d-scythes
210pts

Wraithlord, flamer, ghost glaive, scatterlaser
140pts

Wraithknight, ghost glaive and scattershield, 2 starcannons
335pts

Total 990pts

Idea 2
Spiritseer, spirit stone of anath-lan
85pts

Wraithguard, d-scythes
210pts

Wraithguard, d-scythes
210pts

Wraithguard
210pts

Wraithknight, suncannon and scattershield, 2 starcannons
335pts

Total 1000pts

As always, feedback welcome!

At 1K, I wouldn't run the Knight although he would be powerful, quite annoying for your opponent. Run Wraithlords instead, or even make it a CAD with some Guardian defenders on foot to supplement the Wraith units.

Most places frown on unbound, or ban it for events. though yours doesnt even look unbound to the untrained eye.. You are one unit of wraithguard away from taking the wraith host formation, why not just up your point lvl to 1250?

2nd list, 3rd unit of wraith guard. D scythes? If not, they are 160 not 210.

With that said, im not sure how well the army will do. You've got tough units but almost zero mobility, support, or utility. You're basically just hoping 2 units of 5 guys can walk up the table before dying.

You could just do normal CAD

Spirit seer

3x jetbike 3x scatter
3x jetbike 3x scatter

Wraith guard - scythes
Wraith guard - scythes
Wraith guard - wraith cannon

wraith lord - flamer x2, ghost glaive
Wraith knight - Wraith cannons x2
1247pts

At least this way you have SOMETHING that is fast, more long range guns, more target saturation, objsec troops and keeps your army essentially how you wanted it.

Funny, I dropped by the local GW store in Oslo last week as well, since the store I usually buy stuff at was sold out of bikes. First thing the guy working there told me was to start playing unbound, so it kinda feels like they are actively trying to push people into unbound, probably so people will buy more of the expensive units.

If you play unbound then you have to always tell your opponent that you are playing unbound, and they can also refuse to play you with good conscience. When you go unbound you can make lists with 6 wraith knights at 1850 or god knows how many flying hive tyrants. It can get pretty nasty really fast. Tournaments are in general bound, and local play groups usually run bound by default.

That said, you can make a bound list with 40 scatter bikes and deep striking D-scythes, so it's not like it's balanced anyway.

Scatter bikes are so retardedly good that there is no reason not to take some. Even more so as they work as a 36" move objective grabbers with ObSec in the last rounds of the game.

Farseer is better than a spiritseer because you can use it for guide, priescence (same as guide-ish), Doom and Fortune. He also makes for a good warlord as he has higher toughness on a bike (makes it harder to instakill), has 3+ save, can be put in with other bikes, has 1 more warp chage point, can reroll psychic tests and deny the witch (against him), and has better weapons.

Spiritseer is awsome in a wraith host though, but not as warlord as you will push him forward to abuse the rerolls to hit.

2 knights at 1k.... ouch.

One thing you might want to learn is that the poeple who play 40k are either not smart and will accept your game, only to rage quit after after about the knights unfairness, the people who will straight up deny you a game because they already know how good the knights are, and finally, the type of people who are up for a challenge and accept. Those people are rare.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Acidian wrote:
Scatter bikes are so retardedly good that there is no reason not to take some.

Sure there is, I can actually get games without them.

 ninjafiredragon wrote:
2 knights at 1k.... ouch.

One thing you might want to learn is that the poeple who play 40k are either not smart and will accept your game, only to rage quit after after about the knights unfairness, the people who will straight up deny you a game because they already know how good the knights are, and finally, the type of people who are up for a challenge and accept. Those people are rare.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Acidian wrote:
Scatter bikes are so retardedly good that there is no reason not to take some.

Sure there is, I can actually get games without them.

Just don't go crazy with them. I have been doing 2x3 at 1000 and 4x3 at 2000 and I think that isn't so bad. It's still a really good unit, by all means, but at least you are sticking to the minimum you need to capture objectives effectively. If we had any other interesting troop choice we would pick that. If GW would have let us use wraithguard as troops, in stead of giving them D (like it was in the last codex) then that is what I would be running still.