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This is a Biel-Tan Brigade that brings two additonal supreme command detachments, at least one of which is ulthwe for eldrad, and a whopping 14 command points. It's an almost full footdar list, minus the shining spears, that's able to bring a lot of the best units the codex is offering right now. I'm thinking biel-tan because there's a fair amount of shuriken weapons throughout between all the guardians and the shining spears, technically the scorpions count as well; I imagine ulthwe or alaitoc would also work. The main event of the list are nine spiritseers plus eldrad ulthran to form a ten-smite strong psychic bomb. All models are bringing 4+ wounds, a 4+ invuln, and a full powered smite, all of which can be screened through character keyword. I'm surrounding that core with 60 guardians, which have been recently shown to be a very strong choice out of the dex at only 8 point per model. Two shuriken shots each plus all those bodies makes for incredible screening and kill potential with all the psychic support. Tucked in with the blob will be the dark reapers, which benefit nicely from being able to move and shoot freely while always hitting on a 3+. They wont be protected from shooting, but being tucked into the guardians you wont have to worry about them being charged. Hanging on the outside are nine shining spears, which serve a bunch of flexible purposes, they can hold objectives, or go out and grab them, provide solid dakka, threaten a scary counter charge, and if need be can go out and bring the melee fight to the enemy. Finally the elites section is there two provide a little anti-tank, as well as a must deal with backfield distraction. The ten dragons will come in via webway strike, with the scorpions, I imagine, infiltrating in to try and claim an opponents objective. It's a very high model and wound count, with actually an incredible amount of offensive output potential, once you sit down and run the numbers. I think it checks off a lot of the current competitive boxes and has great game against most of the competitive lists at the moment.


Brigade & Double Supreme Command Detachments 14 CP

HQ – Eldrad Ulthren
HQ – Spiritseer w/ Witch Staff & Ghosthelm of Alishazier
HQ – Spiritseer w/ Witch Staff
HQ – 4x Spiritseers w/ Witch Staff
HQ – 3x Spiritseers w/ Witch Staff

Troops – 10x Guardian Defenders w/ Shuriken Cannon
Troops – 10x Guardian Defenders w/ Shuriken Cannon
Troops – 10x Guardian Defenders w/ Shuriken Cannon
Troops – 10x Guardian Defenders w/ Shuriken Cannon
Troops – 10x Guardian Defenders w/ Shuriken Cannon
Troops – 10x Guardian Defenders w/ Shuriken Cannon

Elites – 5x Fire Dragons
Elites – 5x Fire Dragons

Elites – 6x Striking Scorpions

Fast Attack – 3x Shining Spears
Fast Attack – 3x Shining Spears
Fast Attack – 3x Shining Spears

Heavy Support – 3x Dark Reapers
Heavy Support – 3x Dark Reapers
Heavy Support – 4x Dark Reapers

Given the psy-boosts needed to make Shining Spears Do-Their-Thing, you might find points to combine the Shinging Spears into one unit of 9, and then just needing 2 vypers to fill in the FA slots for a Brigade. Three little units of 3 will spread the psy-buffage too thin, Quicken, Protect, Conceal, etc. Your proposed use is not near devastating enough, not like their true potential. The LVO top 3 eldar lists doing just that ....

So, Eldrad out for a generic farseer? One less Scorpion, Spiritseer out for a warlock, etc.

Thanks for the suggestion, I haven't seen the LVO lists yet.

peteralmo wrote:
Thanks for the suggestion, I haven't seen the LVO lists yet.

They are in the Tournament Discussion section.

Essentially, 2 WaveSes, 17 or so Dark Rs, 9 Shining Spears, 3 sets of rangers, and assorted warlocks & spiritseers, and a farseer to buff the Shining Spears to insanity.

One copy of the list was brought to yesterday's RTT; they guy went 1 and 1, and then had a 'buy' due to another payer dropping. It needs a lot of practice and synergy coalescing to work.

Yeah I went and looked at it after you mentioned it. It's cool for sure, I don't know that I'm that committed to playing a list thats trying to do exactly that kind of thing, to that level. I play a combination of fun games at home, and "competitive" games at my LGS. I like to challenge myself and play competitive, somewhat optimized lists within that space, but I also like to keep it fun and individual. If LVO tournament player is on the far right, and complete fluff home table top player is on the far left, I think of myself and my list building as being center/center-right.

Fire Dragons on foot deepstruck with the statagem? Seems kinda risky, good screen = Dead wasted Dragons.

Also, not concerned about the Beta smite rules? You could suffer heavily from that.

AdmiralHalsey wrote:
Fire Dragons on foot deepstruck with the statagem? Seems kinda risky, good screen = Dead wasted Dragons.

Also, not concerned about the Beta smite rules? You could suffer heavily from that.

I don't really subscribe to the philosophy that because screening is a thing you can no longer plan on using things like dragons on foot to drop in. You have total flexibility, for one, if a certain target is heavily screened, then don't bring your dragons in there. Secondly, there's no rule that says you must bring them in on turn 1 and waste them on a screen, maybe you hold them back until turn 2 or 3 when the screen has been dealt with. Thirdly, screening may be near fool-proof for preventing a charge, but shooting doesn't work that way. You need a pretty large screening force to completely take juicy targets out of shooting range.

On the issue of the beta smite rules, I hadn't looked at them too closely. Obviously having done so now they completely wreck this strategy, and I would never run a list like this under those rules. IMHO, I think the beta rule on smite manifestation is going way too far and I hope it doesn't make it into official rules. Can smite be toned down a bit? Sure. But this is basically saying you get 2, maybe 3 smites a turn then you're done. That just whole cloth negates entire strategies of certain armies, or significant parts of armies, I'm looking at grey knights and thousands sons, but also things like true ulthwe lists. The entire reworking of the psychic phase in 8th edition is built around the ubiquitous smite, and many units are not even worth there points costs if not for the fact they can reliably smite every turn. I get that they designed something that is maybe too strong, but you need to figure out a way to tone it down without killing it, maybe make all smite 1 mortal wound, with d3 mortal wounds for rolls of 11 or 12.

Looks like a lot of fun. How does it do tabletop wise? I understand the smite spam, but, how would you deploy this? I assume you leave the seers near the back, and keep them defended with the defenders to, well, defend them?