Topic: 1500pts with Jain Zar

[Alfonso]

In an effort to mix things up I've been trying to use Phoenix Lords more often (i'm a little tired of the Eldrad/Yriel Seer Council set up). I like Karandras the best of the PLs, but Jain Zar is cheaper, and I play mostly marine armies so she is more effective as are her disciples. I find that using her instead of Karandras frees up some points useful for bright lances since at this level my opponents will surely use a land raider, along with 10 terminators (they are that predictable, i assure you). here is the list:

HQ

Jain Zar
Farseer with spirit stones, runes of warding, Doom and Fortune

Elites
8 Banshees including Exarch with Executioner
Wave Serpent with Spirit Stones and EML

Troops
10 Guardians with Scatter Laser and Spiritseer Warlock with Embolden (x2)

10 Dire Avengers including Exarch with Shimmer Shield, Distract, Bladestorm
Wave Serpent with Spirit Stones and EML

Heavy Support

Wraithlord with 2 flamers, EML and Bright Lance (x2)

In terms of tactics, I would create a fire base with the guardians and wraithlords protecting any objectives in my deployment zone while the Seer, Jain Zar and her banshees wait for the right time to strike. The Dire Avengers mostly wait in their transport clsoe to the banshees and make late runs on any objective to capture it or contest ir. If needed, they can shoot bladestorm the amphetamine parrot out of any enemy units nearby and then pin themdown in combat (make use of that shimmershield and distract).

Now, I'm also inclined to use 3 war walkers with 2 scatter lasers each instead of one of teh wraithlords (i'd free up the extra points by downgrading the EMLs in the serpents to shuricans). War walkers are great at popping light vehicles and forcing insane amounts of armour rolls on any one unit for my opponent (i love to watch those termies roll 1s!), but again, it would leave me short on the land raider-busting weapons. 5 dragons in a serpent are also a possibility here, although the hand to hand combat protection the wraithlords offer my guardians cant be matched by them or the walkers.

thanks in advance for the suggestions!

[Wyldhunt]

The thing about the Wraith Lords is that they won't be around your farseer, and are fairly likely to get hit by wraith sight at least once. Still, the lances on them are really helping against the land raider.  War Walkers would help you decimate infantry squads with shooting and are also decent for taking out transports.  I like this because I'm worried that your Banshees will get blasted to pieces after wiping a single squad if you don't have something to weaken multiple enemy infantry squads in advance. It looks like you only have the single wraith lord, and I don't think that it will help you much against a land raider.  You have a very slim chance of glancing with the EML and an OK chance of penetrating with the bright lance, but I wouldn't rely on that to disable the raider. I say go with the Walkers as they can handle light transport AND infantry and to just ignore the land raider if you can.

If you can squeeze out the points for the fire dragons, they'd be an ok option as well, but make sure you have all your units in position to try and finish off or at least tie up whatever comes out of the raider (terminators, right?) in the same turn or else your dragons won't live to shoot a second target. 

[c10ralph]

@ Wyldhunt 

The thing about the Wraith Lords is that they won't be around your farseer, and are fairly likely to get hit by wraith sight at least once.

I think you might have overlooked the spiritseers in the guardian squads. Since the 'Lords are hanging around the guardians, I think they'll be fine.

Also,

It looks like you only have the single wraith lord, and I don't think that it will help you much against a land raider.

I missed the (x2) at first as well. The point is still valid, because I don't trust a single lance to hurt a landraider, so I wouldn't drop a wraith in exchange for the warwalker, but there are two in the list.

As far as the list goes, as long as you can protect that banshee serpent long enough to get the girls to their target, I like it a lot. I feel that you may be short on anti-armor, especially if you've got a competitor with two landraiders or enough hard targets to be the equivalent, but I don't see a place where I'd be able to squeeze the points for dragons etc. out without seriously compromising your list elsewhere. It does appear to be one of the more balanced lists I've seen and I don't really see a glaring weak spot. With only two tanks though, and both of them being very important to your objectives, you may have to play less aggressively than fits my style. But that's my personal opinion. I like serpent mounted storm guardians myself. They do well at anti-horde with flamers and anti-tank with fusion guns. A fun mix when guardians start winning games for you. Have you used this list before? Also, do you have other models to replace what you're using?

[Alfonso]

No, I haven't used this list before. I used a similar one of 1000pts, minus Avengers and Wraithlords, and with shuricans instead of scatter lasers on the guardians plus squad of scatter laser walkers. It did very well; I twice trounced 1000 points of Blood Angels with it in back to back games.

I like Storm Guardians as well, always in a serpent and with a Destructor warlock. I retooled the list and added serpents with bright lances for my guardian squads, making it a fully mechanized list with some points to spare. It likely makes the list better, tougher, and a lot more mobile. One of the reasons I wanted my guardian squads outside transports is that I can pop light armour with the scatter laser, although having transports for them means I can easily move them around to better positions. A lot of give and take here.  I think I'll try both in coming games; it's been a while since I last used wraithlords.