So I've been around these boards for quite a few years now, and made comments and critiques on many an army list, but yesterday I finally took out my own Eldar army to the field of battle! The list performed quite well, netting massacres/solid victories in both of the games I played - though this may be due to my opponent's armies being hamstrung by the missions. Anyway, I will admit that the list was mostly formed by wanting to try out a variety of units and see how they all work, but I'd like your opinions on how to make the list better.
HQ:
Farseer, RoWarding, Spirit Stones, Doom, Guide, singing spear - 138
The army buffer, I have a lot of units in the army that benefit from Doom, and Guide can make Reapers or Avengers quite nasty.
Elites:
6 Fire Dragons, inc. Exarch with Dragon's Breath, Crack Shot - 113
Snakes on a plane plan, though of course not limited to taking out vehicles - used them quite effectively to wipe out a 6-man HB Dev squad in one game.
10 Banshees, inc. Exarch with Executioner, War Shout - 187
Wave Serpent, twin shuriken cannon, spirit stones, vectored engines - 130
The real hammer of the army - fragile as it is! They form either a counter-attack squad against agressive armies, or can go off hunting on their own as need be.
Troops:
10 Dire Avengers, inc. Exarch with SS/PW, bladestorm, defend - 177
The other primary unit. They form essentially the Farseer's bodyguard and are in return often helped by him with his powers. They can usually hold their own in close combat against decent enemies, at least until the Banshees arrive.
3 Jetbikes, shuriken cannon - 76
Part throwaway unit, part just fast unit, part last-turn table-quarter holder. One game I used them quite effectively to lure an assault squad into bladestorm range, the other I used them to JSJ and snipe around, then challenge a table quarter.
5 Pathfinders - 120
Snipers par excellence of course, also helped by Doom and occasionally Guide, useful against MCs and Terminators sometimes. Can infiltrate to deny opponents spots for them to infiltrate if need be.
Fast Attack:
8 Warp Spiders, ic. Exarch with dual DS, power blades, Withdraw - 218
The last of the main units, I just love these guys, from the amount of high-strength firepower they can put out to the fact that they can be really fast if need be. They allow me to react to any surprises my opponent may have, and can often survive longer than would be expected thanks to the 3+ save. In this small an army, I think the powerblades add a bit more effectiveness and versatility to the list.
Heavy Support:
5 Dark Reapers - 175
Really, possibly overcosted and not useful against too many armies, but worth their weight in gold against Marines, especially with guide/doom. They can either deploy and deny opponents good places to deploy, or just wipe out squads. They also attract firepower that would otherwise be directed at my tanks or other squishy units. The exarch is I think overpriced in this squad and doesn't add enough, so I've not put one in.
Falcon, shuriken cannon, spirit stones, holofield - 165
Not quite a god-falcon - note the lack of VE, mostly because of points - but it's still nice to be on the other side of the holofields for once. Transport for the Dragons mostly. I don't think I ever got to fire it once in the two games I played, so I see no need to upgrade its weapons further.
Total: 1499
The list has a pretty good mix of selections from the FOC, and at least one unit that can handle anything my opponent fields. The general plan is to advance up the field behind terrain with the DAs and Spiders, with the Pathfinders and Reapers providing covering fire, the jetbikes running interference, the Falcon dropping off the Dragons to slag something and then supporting the rest of the army, and the banshees forming either a mobile strike force or a counter-assault unit as the situation calls for. The Farseer Dooms the most dangerous unit in his sight each turn, and Guides either the Reapers or Avengers usually.
So, please, suggest any comments or criticism you have. Again, I mostly threw this list together to try out various units in the army, and I'm not exactly trying to tune it to tournament viciousness, but holes in tactics or other problems that I haven't addressed would be welcome.