CAD (Primary Detatchment)
HQ
Autarch (Banshee Mask, Avenger Cat, Firesaber) -joins larger DA unit
Troops
10 x Defenders (Warlock, Scatter Laser)
7 x Dire Avengers
Fast Attack
7 x Swooping Hawk (exarch)
7 x Warp Spiders (exarch)
Heavy Support
War Walker (2 x Scatter Laser)
War Walker (2 x EML)
Lord Of War
Wraithknight (Ghostglaive & scattershield)
Aspect Host (+1 WS)
10 x Dire Avengers (Exarch, power weapon plus shimmershield)
7 x Howling Banshees (Exarch, Executioner)
7 X Striking Scorpion (Exarch, Scorpions Claw)
1,496 pts
61 models
11 KPs
This list is designed for tactical flexibility, giving me lots of options to choose from depending on opponent, terrain, going 1st or 2nd, and eternal war or maelstrom missions. It's relatively fast for a footdar list too, which again adds to the flexibility.
The two main overarching strategies are reserves, or charge up the field. The list is short on long and mid-range weaponry, so it's important to get in the opponent's face early.
Reserves tactic would involve the hawks and spiders deep-striking, the walkers outflanking, the scorpions infiltrating as far forward as possible, and the rest footslogging up the table, using wraithknight as mobile cover/bullet magnet as required. Main benefit to this tactic is to deny opponent early shots at my more valuable units before they are in range to retaliate, and giving the war walkers a reasonable chance at getting some side/rear armour shots. Downside is the risk (mitigated with the autarch) of units arriving piecemeal, and most of my heavy weapons being off the table early.
Charge up the filed is pretty self-explanatory. -Scorpions would still infiltrate forward, the rest would move forward, making maximum use of cover and again this would include the wraithknight as mobile cover & bullet magnet.
Defenders are fire support for the close combat units, with option of objective-camping. Renewal would be a very handy power to support WK / exarchs /Autarch with, but conceal is the reason for the warlock.
Smaller DA squad are also for fire support, particularly for TEQ targets, and can tarpit or objective-camp in a pinch.
Swooping hawks are anti-air, anti-tank, anti-GEQ, and objective-grabbers for maelstrom
Warp Spiders are anti-transport, anti-troop, anti-MC, and objective grabbers for maelstrom
Scatter walker is anti-transport & anti-troop
EML walker is anti-air, anti-tank & anti-troop
WK is the big bad. There to scare the bejeesus out of my opponent, be a bullet-magnet, provide mobile cover for those that need it, be my go-to unit for "kill a unit" maelstrom objectives, and generally wreck face.
The DAs plus Autarch and Banshees are designed to work in tandem. DAs soften up targets with shuriken fire and take assaults / tarpit as required / follow up the banshees as required. Banshees lead the charge to negate overwatch, or join an assault where the DAs have been charged. The combination of +1WS and the firesaber-autarch changes the DA from just a tarpit unit to a pretty decent cc unit in it's own right, and their anti-charge abilities complement the anti-overwatch abilities of the banshees quite well, so I think this pairing could be quite effective on the field.
The scorpions will typically infiltrate into cover or out of LOS if possible, positioning themselves to try and pin some opponent in their deployment zone (and avoiding any D-scythe toting WG or the like). It's a brave commander who will send his infantry forward into charge range of scorpions, and there are not many guns in the game that can beat both their cover and armour saves. So the idea would be to restrict his movement as much as possible, while waiting for the rest of the units to arrive for a co-ordinated strike.
