Topic: Pheonix Lord List Comp: 1,750 Maugan Ra & Shining Spears

[volatilegaz]

Battalion

HQ
Autarch Skyrunner -Laser Lance & Mandiblasters
Warlock -Singing Spear, Conceal/Reveal
Illic

Troops
11 x Defenders -Shuriken Cannon
10 x Defenders -Shuriken Cannon
10 x Defenders -Shuriken Cannon

Fast Attack
3 x Shining Spears inc Exarch with Star Lance
3 x Shining Spears inc Exarch with Star Lance
3 x Shining Spears inc Exarch with Star Lance


Spearhead

HQ
Maugan Ra (Warlord)

Heavy
4 x Reapers inc Exarch with Tempest
3 x Reapers inc Exarch with Tempest
3 x Reapers inc Exarch with Tempest
3 x Reapers inc Exarch

Transport
Waveserpent -Spirit Stones, Shuricannon, twin shuricannon

1,743 pts, 10 drops

I've kept the Aspect Warriors as MSU for the free Exarchs, flexibility & effective immunity to moral, but I might be better grouping them up together to reduce the number of drops and make it easier to ensure they fit within the HQ buff range?

Also not sure if Conceal or Embolden is better for the Warlock baby-sitting the Guardians?

The list might struggle a little against hordes, which is why the 3 tempest launchers are there, plus Illic for Commissar-killing.
Alpha-strike is clearly an issue too, so Maugan and 3 of the DR squads start in the Serpent, possibly the Warlock too. After that, one of the guardian squads can take the serpent for some mobile anti-infantry/objective grabbing. The rest of the force is relatively mobile so I'll be able to make use of whatever cover is available.

[edited to include waveserpent and correct for the fact I'd forgot to pay for the HWPs]
[edited again to replace rangers with Illic]

[Bego]

I like the overall concept. To be honest I had a similar list in mind.

First of all, I would try to get one Wave Serpent hiding as much as possible Reapers and Maugan Ra for first turn. I will also reduce the number of drops slightly (not sure if you're playing with Chapter Approved rules already, where the number of drops doesn't hurt as much anyway). Depending on the deployment map that can also give you some free additional movement when disembarking.

At the same time I would go for one unit of Wraith Guard. They can be in the open for first turn and will swap places with the Reapers and embark the Serpent. Later on they can follow the Spears and hold distant objectives/the center of the battlefield. The Serpent can add some firepower or try to protect the Spears by area denial at narrow places, so the Spears are the one charging.

I would also try to fit in a Hemlock Wraithfighter staying close to the Spears. With a successful conceal it will hugely increase their durability, adding its own firepower/psychics on top.

[MechTau]

I really like the Tempest launcher, it's one of the strongest weapons Eldar have against any infantry!

Only problem is that Exarch special skill of Crack Shot is redundant with Maugen Ra's The Harvester

So precisely the weapon that benefits the most from Maugen Ra, or at least gives you the most chances to do so with its sheer volume of shots, is already on an Exarch who has that passive ability anyway.

It's a little hard to get synergy out of Maugen Ra, given his abilities and the abilities of Dark Reaper Exarchs. He's quite a few points. It's not easy to use him better than, say, more dark reapers.

(BTW small maths: assuming Maugen Ra makes all Dark Reapers 16.6% "better," then he would need to buff almost 1000 points of Dark Reapers to pay for his aura, if his model didn't shoot or assault at all.. Of course he's also worth something on the battlefield, so this isn't the case. But it's sad for him that 1/3 Dark Reapers don't benefit from him being around.)

[volatilegaz]

I would try to get one Wave Serpent hiding as much as possible Reapers and Maugan Ra for first turn.
At the same time I would go for one unit of Wraith Guard.

I actually had a Serpent & Wraithguard in my early draft of this list, but dropped it in lieu of more reapers & spears. I've put back the Serpent to protect the reapers from Alpha strike as you suggest, but I think the wraithguard and Wraithfighter, whilst adding a lot to the list, would require me to dilute the main force too much.

It's a little hard to get synergy out of Maugen Ra, given his abilities and the abilities of Dark Reaper Exarchs. He's quite a few points. It's not easy to use him better than, say, more dark reapers.

(BTW small maths: assuming Maugen Ra makes all Dark Reapers 16.6% "better," then he would need to buff almost 1000 points of Dark Reapers to pay for his aura, if his model didn't shoot or assault at all.. Of course he's also worth something on the battlefield, so this isn't the case. But it's sad for him that 1/3 Dark Reapers don't benefit from him being around.)

I'm not convinced any of the Pheonix Lords are particularly brilliant value, but Maugan Ra comes close. In addition to the 17% increase in (non-Exarch) Reaper effectiveness, his shooting is about equivalent of 4 x Shuriken Cannon HWPs and his assault is about equivalent of 4 x Banshees (depending on the target). Plus his effective range, save, wounds & toughness are all better than most other HQs, making him an excellent choice for Warlord.

[Fenris]

I think the list is fine, however I think shining spears and dark reapers overlap in favored targets too much to warrant so many of each. With Maugan Ra as focus, I think you could swap one or two  units of S.spears for something else.

As for screening units I think Kabalites (with dark lances) would be preferred over Guardians. A small unit (or 2) of Wyches could do wonders too, by holding up a melee unit until the S.spears can swoop in.

Rangers are also generally a poor option IMO, but could have a psychological impact on IG/AM.

Drukhari don't need a warlock like guardians, so that slot could be spent on Illic rather than the rangers?

[MechTau]

Drukhari don't need a warlock like guardians, so that slot could be spent on Illic rather than the rangers?

I've seen online that people who play with Illic see good results. He plays well, does pretty good, isn't too expensive, and can actually kill people unlike rangers who are currently criminally underpowered. I really want to try him out.

[volatilegaz]

Good suggestions, chaps.

I'm not going to go with Drukhari, just because I don't play them.

But swapping Illic for the Rangers seems like a good idea. -Statistically Illic does slight less damage than 5 rangers, for slightly less points but with longer range and a bit of an assault threat thrown in. Overall a good trade. I spent the extra on serpent stones and an extra guardsman.

Thanks!