Hey all! It's been a long time since I played, but an itch got me back into the game recently. I picked up all the new books I needed (which was expensive enough as-is given the flier supplement and Harlie separation) and just had my ceremonial stomping of my first game back the other day. Meaning, I was completely crushed by arrival Tyranids. I had fun though! So, some thoughts/questions for you all...
I see the footdar advice thread in here, but man did I struggle. Of course forgetting some rules hurt, but I felt even while making my list there wasn't a good way to deal with a reserves arrival list, especially one with fliers. Turns out I was right (at least from a footdar perspective). Perhaps wraithknights make life easier, but I really want to avoid the cheese and don't understand why GW went the route of gargantuan creatures in non-apoc games (well, except for the obvious $$) so for now I want to avoid taking that unit.
While my sample size is just one game, it feels like the best counter is having the option to do something similar. At least not being forced to deploy to an empty board, making it easy for the enemy to arrive and counter your setup, leaving you to try and run and consolidate.
Thus, taking a cloudstrike formation with an aspect host of Dire Avengers and Fire Dragons seems like a strong play.
Generally, I'm stuck between completely abandoning footdar w/o a wraithknight or trying to pull off some hybrid. The hybrid lists though seem to only get synergy at the 2k+ points level given how much the cloudstrike formation takes. Here's the formations I'm thinking for that:
Cloudstrike: 405 pts
3x falcons, Scat Lasers, Underslung Cannons
Aspect Host: 372 pts
6 Dire Avengers, Exarch
2x 6 Fire Dragons, Exarch
That's about as barebones as you can make it without going all DAs.
But I'm having trouble figuring out what to pair this with. Obviously an Autarch, but it sucks not being able to run my WJG model with Spiders given his lack of Flickerjump. This led me to considering running one with Scorpions in a Wave Serpent (perhaps Yriel, perhaps just a banshee mask) and outflanking them, but assault units out of Wave Serpents seem very tough to run in 7th. Am I overreacting to the new transport rules?
I suppose the Autarch could go with one of the units in the falcons, but I'm worried he will just die quickly. How do you guys recommend you deploy the Autarch in an army with a setup like this?
Some other units I think would go well in this army:
1. Anything fast, so bikes, spiders, and hawks.
2. Anything that outflanks, so scorpions and war walkers
3. A Crimson Hunter. Not having anti-air sucks. Although I worry it can't kill a flyrant outright unless you ground it, and a flyrant can totally kill a CH outright.
4. A jetbikes seer Council. The Autarch could go in here, but I just don't have these models and they are $$$.
But all of the above units are expensive, meaning very few models on the table. Has anyone had success combining the above with footsloggers? Probably built around a DA shrine, perhaps another aspect shrine, and wraithlords. I'm worried it would just mean my army was split in two, and a mobile opponent would just pick off each half one at a time. But if anyone has had success, I'd love to hear about it! Thanks!