Happy new year everyone!
I'm putting together a 1750 list for 2 upcoming tournaments. I'd like everyone to take a look and feel free to comment.
HQ: 273
Farseer (RoWa, SS, Guide, Fortune) 140
Farseer (SS, Doom, Fortune, Singing Spear) 133
Troops: 396
5x Dire Avengers (60)
5x Dire Avengers (60)
4x Guardian Jetbike (138)
with Jetbike Warlock (Embolden)
4x Guardian Jetbike (138)
with Jetbike Warlock (Embolden)
Elites: 410
5x Fire Dragons (205)
Wave Serpent (TL Scatter Lasers, SS)
5x Fire Dragons (205)
Wave Serpent (TL Scatter Lasers, SS)
Fast Attack: 140
2x Vyper Squadron (Scatter Lasers, Shuriken Cannon) (140)
Heavy Support: 530
Falcon (Scatter Lasers, Holo-Fields, Spirit Stones) (175)
Falcon (Scatter Lasers, Holo-Fields, Spirit Stones) (175)
3x War Walker Squadron (Twin Scatter Lasers) (180)
Author's Name
Azelexx
Army Theme
Mechdar
Army Size
1749 points, 4 scoring units
Strategy
Resilient Firepower.
Eldar is definitely not the cheapest army to play (both point-wise and pocket wise), any Eldar player trying to roster a competitive list would no doubt spend a decent amount of time trying to optimize their point allocations, meanwhile struggle over the little "either this or this?" situations. At the end of the day, I believe it's up to playstyle more than anything.
My list attempts to fill in the short comings for Eldar, which is obviously (1) Overpriced army (2) Ineffective anti-tank options and (3) Fragile survivability. Feel free to disagree.
Regarding to overpriced (point-wise) army, we're talking about almost every unit in the army. Therefore my list is constructed based on the best price:effectiveness ratio.
(HQ) Farseers as HQ is probability the most beneficial choice as Eldar psychic powers are just that awesome. Especially when any Eldar army will most likely split/spread their forces during the course of gameplay, having two cheap Farseers will make sure your other units get the psychic love they deserve. I put them in falcons so they almost impossible to kill.
(Troops) Scoring units are increasingly vital in 5th Edition tournament missions. At 1750 level I'd say 4-5 is a good number, 3 is kind of pushing it. I chose 5x Dire Avengers in Falcons because it's the most resilient option in the Eldar Army. Sure, you could have guardians in wave serpents or 5x Dire Avengers in wave serpents for a CHEAPER option, but no offense, wave serpents don't really shoot well and are vulnerable at range. Falcons provide S8 pulse lasers and another weapon of choice, allowing it to be a decent threat yet hard to take down at long distance. But then again, BS3 for Eldar vehicles are pretty fail...
As much as I like to have heaps of small squads of Dire Avengers in tanks, the point system does not allow it and the next best option in my opinion are Jetbikes. Putting them in reserve for as long as possible. If they DO come on early, I'd just turbo boost them on my table edge as far away from enemies as possible. However they ARE vulnerable to barrage enemies such as Whirlwinds (URGH hate those things), those threat will try to be neutralized by outflanking walkers.
(Elites) Fire Dragons are the anti-tank life savers of Eldar. Nothing is more point effective than Fire Dragons in Wave Serpents. Amen.
(Fast Attack) See, this is where controversy and the whole "either this or this?" situation comes in. Some people dislikes Vypers and have suggested to me alternatives such as some seer council or close combat specialists (Harlequins) as that's what I'm apparently lacking. However I tend to disagree. Vypers, like War Walkers, are cheap Eldar Mech that are loaded with good weapons. Sure, open top AV10 is weak, but vypers can be where you want WHEN you want (thanks to being a skimmer). At 36" away from the enemy shooting scatter lasers, opponent could waste long range heavy weapons on it..... or deal with the bigger threats such as Fire Dragons zooming your way and walkers dishing out 3 times the scatter laser shots. Therefore vypers are fairly insignificant, but provides synergy with the army.
(Heavy Support) Falcons you could argue that it doesn't fit with my "cheap" army. Because to be honest they ARE pretty expensive. But then again they are your toughest infantry/HQ carriers.
War Walkers is like the biggest bargain in my opinion for the Eldar army. It's like walking into the mall on Boxing Day sale. 180 points for 8 scatter lasers REALLY??? Either put them behind cover (if going 1st turn) or have them outflank. I always put them behind cover, and have a farseer in falcon beside them casting Guide and Fortune... and that's about as annoying as Eldar gets.
Tactica
Tactics wise, if I'm going first turn, I'd deploy falcons and wave serpents and position the walkers where they can start grinding away the enemy, if enemies are in tough mech, then outflank them to deal with long range threats to my jetbikes. Jetbikes are on reserve ALWAYS. Vypers are put on reserve depending on the opponent... but most times they do end up in reserve to see how the battle flows in the first turn, then come up as a supporting unit. Psychologically opponents will be so focused on the 4 annoying skimmer tanks, that they don't pay much attention to the 2 little flies that pops onto the board (unless it's kill points)
Jetbikes just hang around away from the enemy until the time is right to commit (not fight, but capture or contest objectives). If the game doesn't end at turn 5, unfortunately Jetbikes get shot at, assaulted, watnot and hardly survives, so turn 6 and 7 becomes Eldar's favourite "contest-hammer". But thanks to Dire Avengers in Falcons, at least half the scoring units are still safe.
Fluff
Hmm....was never good at stories. But since my army is pretty much a "mirror list" (two of everything), it'll be pretty cool if there was a craftworld where they believed in order and structure so much (because looked how free ambitions and emotions got them into....YES THAT'S RIGHT THE DAMN WARP) that the entire society was based on symmetry and synergy. Patterns and co-operation has become their way of life to the extent that it has become ritualistic. The Mirror Craftworld believed more in technology and firepower more than the wonders of the warp, in fact they try to reduce the usage of warp psychic powers as much as possible. Full mech army was aimed at delivering deadly blows and ending battles quick and swiftly so Farseers could minimize their connection with the warp.