Topic: Of Guardian Jetbikes & Vypers

[Anhrathe]

I haven't played a game in 5th ed yet but I'm envisioning a tactic whereby I use Guardian Jetbikes to screen a unit of Vypers with 2x shuricannons.  18 S6 shots, is a lot of mobile firepower, and with the new rules, if I have to stop to shoot, I may as well unload everything I've got.  I figure using the jetbikes will give the Vypers a cover save, if my opponent shoots at them, and if he shoots at the bikes, they're much more survivable than the vypers, I tend to run them in packs of 6 or more with a warlock with conceal.

Anybody used this tactic with any efficacy?

[Wyrmnax]

I would rather just use warwalkers. Park them into terrain for the same effect.

The problem with this idea is that shuricannons put your vehicles into small arms range, and small arms can kill both vypers and warwalkers.

Also, it is very likely that your jetbike guardians will be in rapid fire / assault range. That kills them very fast.

[Gutstikk]

It can work, but it's better suited to 1K lists and below, where two farseers can keep both the bikes and the vypers fortuned. It's actually a good start to a 1K army, something like:

178: Biker seer with doom, runes of warding, fortune, stones, spear
118: Fortune bikeseer with spear
205: 6 bikes with 2 cannons joined by warlock with spear
180: 3 Vypers with 2 shuriken cannons each

681 pts

Could add a full ten scorpions and some Pathfinders to bring it up to 1k. You'd have to baby your scoring units bigtime, but it's a nice versatile start to an army.

[Wrexasaur]

If you want to provide cover for jetbikes you should be using Wave serpents, which are standard in 1500 point Eldar lists.

Vypers are just not worth their points, ESPECIALLY as a pseudo-shield. War-walkers w/ scatterlasers are just better at their jobs, but they lack the speed (which is still not worth the cost) of vypers. On that note it sounds like you are spamming Strength 6 weaponry, good luck against MECH armies. Eldar anti-tank is overpriced and etc... but the fact is you need a couple of big guns (S8+) to actually put a fight up against most armies. The fact that Eldars speed has been so heavily compromised by the new editions, and new codices means relying on units that used to be good for some reason, will put you at a serious disadvantage in the current edition.

GW should rename themselves Citadel mini's, because they are just that bad at making games.