Topic: Using guardians offensively AND defensively!

[- Aegis -]

I am soon going to try what I hope will be a good little tactic, one which has probably been done somewhere, but that I haven't seen. This Biel-Tan will be used against SMurfs , but if it works well, I may try it against others. I plan on taking the FULL 20 model squad of Guardian Defenders, and adding a Starcannon platform for kicks. I will then toss my Avatar into their midsts, and have him join them as an Independant Character can. I will also toss in the fully pimped out Warlock (he's got a Witchblade) with Conceal. With 22 models in this unit, it gains some interesting properties. It becomes the ultimate shield. I plan to have a whole squad of Wraithguard clumped in the middle, protected by the enveloping Guardians, and led by a Warlock w/ Enhance and a Singing Spear. Closely following this formation will be my expensive Farseer, who has pretty much every toy available to him: Runes of Witnessing, Singing Spear, spirit stones... and Fortune and Guide. I use Fortune on the guardians, so now they have a twin-linked invulnerable save, and Guide on whoever needs it (the Wraithguard, my 2 trailing War Walkers w/Starcannons, or the 2 Vypers w/Brightlances). The Waveserpent full of Banshees (and an exarch w/executioner) wont need guide for it's Brightlance, because it has the twin-action going on there. Written out, the list looks like this:

HQ: Avatar +80

HQ:Farseer w/Guide, Fortune, Spirit Stones, Singing Spear +137
Bodyguard: 2 Warlocks w/ cc Weapon, Pistol, Enhance, Embolden +51

Elites: 5 Wraithguard +175
           1 Warlock w/Singing Spear and Enhance +44

Troops: 9 Howling Banshees +144
             Exarch w/ Executioner +37

Troops: 20 Guardians w/Starcannon platform +210
             1 Warlock w/ Witchblade, Conceal +46

Transport: Waveserpent w/Brightlance +125

Heavy Support: 5 Dark Reapers +181

Heavy Support: 2 Vypers w/Brightlance +130

Heavy Support: 2 Walkers w/Starcannons +130

Total: 1508 pts.

I figured I would just trund upfield, slowly, trying to utilize cover as best as I can with close to 30 models clumped together. I did the math, and the Guardians will last quite a while. against the average SMurf gun, the Bolter, it takes a little more than 5 shots to kill one Guardian. The actual number comes out to 16/81 shots. The Vypers and Serpent destroy any enemy tanks, (or whirlwinds, which would be devastating) and the protected Starcannons will decimate any CC unit the comes close. so? Defensive and Offensive? Eh?

What do you think?

[Tresserhorn]

If your using SwordWind you're missing a troop choice.  Guardians are elites.

Other then that It doesn't seem like a bad idea, but your walkers are gonna get shot if they're not covered by something or hiding on 1st turn.

Tress

[tokonyo]

The strategy is good, but the underlying problem crops up when they toss in some tough close combat units like a huge orc slugga mob. That's why I would put in a wraithlord or two to help you out.

Check your craftworld eldar book. There are a bunch of mistakes as to where certain units fall in the org chart. (vypers, banshees, etc.)

Also, the war walkers cost 100 each, not 65. You have to pay for two starcannons per walker.

As stated in a few other threads, never get spirit stones unless you've already taken up your two HQ slots. Just get another farseer, and give him the other powers. Spend two extra points to get him a close combat weapon and shurikan pistol, and you'll have three more wounds for two extra points.

I would actually say your army is ulthwe instead of biel-ten. Get another guardian squad, by dropping the wraithguard. (more black guardians would probably be more useful anyway) Then your starcannon and guardian shots will do a whole lot more damage.

You're probably also going to have a great deal of trouble with any transport rushes, especially the rhino rush. You don't have enough troops to take the rush, and you don't have the firepower to stop it. Likewise, a serious shooty army would have a bunch of ordnance that could really put a dent in your offense. Two vypers and possibly a serpent won't be able to stop all of them.

Basically, your defense doesn't have enough power, and neither does your offense.

That's the main problem with eldar, you can't do strategies that are both offensive and defensive. In order to do that, you have to get the troops that are specialized for offense and defense. Getting both types leaves both the offensive and defensive troops too outnumbered to make a significant difference.

[PF199]

On top of what has been said, you are going to take too long to reach the enemy or they are going to assult you, that type of mass of troops crawling towards the enemy is easy to aviod, your an eldar player you cant afford to let the opponent gain the monvablity over you.