This army is an update from the concept I did
here.
The army list itself has been updated and expanded, but the background remains the same. This list is intended to represent the strike force that Eldrad led against the home world of Ghazkhull Thraka, in order to prevent the rise to power of Thraka's rival, who was more interested in slaying the Eldar than in butchering the Mon-Keigh. I feel that this list is not only a more effective configuration, but that it also better represents that strike force.
Such a strike force would not have been able to fight as a static element, especially on the homeworld of a major ork Waaagh. That strike force would have to be mobile, and very aggressive; striking without warning and then fading before the orks could muster a counter-attack. For that reason I have taken a much more aggressive approach with this list. Much of the anti-swarm firepower comes from short ranged guns carried by the infantry, who are mounted in transports for flexibility and some protection. I know that this list is likely to take a lot of casualties, but I figure that Eldrad's task force would have consisted of volunteers who new the risks, and therefore I don't feel the risky, aggressive approach is un-fluffy.
(100) Farseer w/Fortune & Runes of Warding.
(299) Warlocks x10 w/ Embolden x2, Enhance x2, Singing Spear x3.
(145) Wave Serpent w/ Twin-Linked Bright Lances, Spirit Stones.
(162) “Black Guardians”. Dire Avengers x10. Exarch w/ Power Weapon, Shimmershield & Defend.
(110) Wave Serpent w/ Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons, Spirit Stones.
(162) “Black Guardians”. Dire Avengers x10. Exarch w/ Power Weapon, Shimmershield & Defend.
(110) Wave Serpent w/ Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons, Spirit Stones.
(127) Storm Guardians x10 w/ Flamer x2. Warlock w/ Destructor.
(110) Wave Serpent w/ Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons, Spirit Stones.
(130) Storm Guardians x10 w/ Fusion Gun x2. Warlock w/Destructor & Singing Spear.
(110) Wave Serpent w/ Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons, Spirit Stones.
(125) Guardian Defenders x10 w/ Scatter Laser. Warlock w/ Embolden.
(155) Wraithlord w/ EML & Bright Lance.
(155) Wraithlord w/ EML & Bright Lance.
Total: 2000 points
64 Infantry, 2 Monstrous Creatures, 5 Vehicles
5 Scoring Units, 14 Kill Points
I expect the first question many of you will ask is, "Where's Eldrad?" The answer is I couldn't fit him into the list without compromising its functionality. Personally, because of how the army fights, I feel its better (from a fluff standpoint) without him, as its unlikely that he would be spending his time in the swirling melee when the entire task force would be relying on him for guidance and leadership. Therefore my Farseer is his trusted lieutenant; a younger and more aggressive Eldar who prefers to be in the thick of it.
If you REALLY feel Eldrad should be in the list, you'd have to drop one Wraithlord, remove Defend from both DA Exarchs, and downgrade the Bright Lances on the Seer Council's Wave Serpent. Eldrad would then go with the Guardian Defenders, Fortuning that squad and the remaining Wraithlord while using Guide or Doom in addition, as needed. However, that configuration sacrifices too much anti-tank firepower in my opinion, which is why I am posting the list you see above.
Army Design Concept:
I tried to stay as true to the Ulthwe background as I could with this army. The army is led by a "Seer Council", and is made up mostly of Guardians. The Dire Avengers are the only Aspect Warriors in the list, and I used them to represent the "Black Guardians", elite among the civil servants of Ulthwe. The Exarchs might be a bit too upgraded for the "fluff nazis", but I figured my elite Guardians were entitled to elite leadership. Basically, they function as if they had a Warlock with the Enhance power, but since I can't give an Exarch a Witchblade, he got the Power Weapon/ Shimmershield combo instead. I also gave him Defend, and that was strictly a personal choice to make the unit more resilient, since they are likely to spend a fair amount of time on the ground, rather than hiding in their transport. Alternatively, you could give the Exarch Bladestorm instead of Defend, and use it as a substitute for Destructor. Either way, I think of the Exarchs as "Super Warlocks", one step above the average Warlock.
Strategy:
This army basically functions as two battle groups; one mechanized and the other dismounted. Due to the background of the army it is heavily geared towards destroying swarm type armies; however I've taken steps to make sure it can function against "all-comers". Initially, all available units capable of doing so will focus on neutralizing enemy armor, prioritizing any armor units that also have anti-armor capabilities of their own. Because my anti-armor firepower is limited to two Wraithguard and one Bright Lance equipped Wave Serpent, I fully expect that the Seer Council will be participating in this phase of the battle as well, destroying vehicles in assault, once they get into position.
Once the enemies armor assets are neutralized, I will have a significant advantage in mobility, and I will seek to exploit and preserve that advantage. Phase two of the battle plan will be isolating and destroying enemy dismounts, again prioritizing those that can hurt my transports. The Wraithlords and the Guardian Defenders will attempt to place themselves in control of an objective during this phase. I will NOT place them on an objective any earlier than this, because I do not want to invite the early destruction of one of my scoring units. I expect the other units will be taking heavy casualties, so I want to preserve this one as best as I can by making it less of a target in the first few turns of the game.
Once the enemy's anti-armor assets have been wiped out, I will continue to destroy their infantry, focusing on eliminating scoring units as quickly as possible. I will combine multiple units of my own against individual enemy units, hopefully wiping them out without giving them an opportunity to retaliate. Transports will be used to block enemy assaults, redeploy my forces, and possibly tanks shock units off of objectives in the final turns of the game. My mechanized troops will be used very aggressively during this phase of the battle plan, and I expect them to take heavy casualties. However, if a unit becomes depleted and manages to survive with a few models left, I'll likely load them back into the transport and keep them mounted to preserve a scoring unit.
Re-writing this Craftworld themed army has inspired me to write a list for each of the main Eldar Craftworlds, and as such this is the first in a series of five Army Lists that I will be doing, focusing on making lists that fit the background first, and are competitive second. I welcome any comments you might have (Moc, Gutstikk, rate them if you're interested), but I'm not looking for any suggestions to improve the lists, as I consider them finished products.
C.S.