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EldarOnline => Eldar => Topic started by: The Reborn on October 19, 2018, 05:17:45 AM
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Hi everyone,
I have recently acquired some defenders, having never used guardians at all before. I just wondered, how do you use yours (if indeed you use them), please?
Thanks, Reborn. :)
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The temptation has often been to hold back and use them defensively, partly because of the name and partly because of their relative fragility. I am usually inclined to say that it is better to avoid this tactic though, as opponents with longer ranged weapons which fire more shots will just eliminate them.
A more effective way to use them is as mobile fire support for Aspect Warrior units. Their fire power is actually pretty handy and they are not as costly as Dire Avengers, which are the most obvious competition for the role that Guardian Defenders perform.
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They are a fantastic unit backed up with the webway strike strategem. A unit of 20 dropped in 12" away from an enemy unit, backed up by guide and/or doom, will evaporate almost any unit in the game. Once they are on the table, they are great at creating board control, as your opponent has to deal with them, or they'll toast another unit. They are cheap enough, that you don't really care if they die afterwards.
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Irisado, Killersquid, thanks guys. :)
I hadn"t expected such attacking suggestions. It's great though because that's how I like to play.
Cheers guys.
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Always take a shuriken platform. Two if you run 20. If you webway drop or ride in a Serpent it's always useful to let the platform take the wounds first. Specially in cover, it can usually tank quite a few wounds against Bolter equivalent weapons.
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I agree with the others that Guardian Defenders are best used for shorter ranged shooting. If you can get close enough for them to use their shuriken catapults, they have great damage output. If you can shoot at a Doomed target, you get a lot of chances to roll a 6 to wound, which is excellent. They're not as tough as our other options and lack the unique wargear and rulea of Aspect Warriors, but the amount of good strength shots with potential AP is great.
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To add to what is already said - which is all spot on - there's one more nice little trick that you can pull with Defenders: combine psy power "Protect" with stratagem "Celestial Shield".
Once you drop your 20-strong unit of Defenders (ideally with a couple of platforms) from the Webway into the enemy position, you can cast Protect on them. Next turn, when your opponent decides to focus them, you declare Celestial Shield - and all of a sudden your Defenders are protected with 3++ Invulnerable save (while platforms also have 2+ armour). That can be outstandingly strong.
I agree with most previous comments in that Guardians can (and imho should) be used as "heavy-hitters", in which case they are better fielded in 20-strong units - and in that case they are better deployed via Webway. Under the current rules, they'll only arrive on turn 2, which makes them a sort of "2nd wave attack" unit. Note that due to their short range they would almost never be able to attack anything on turn 1 anyway, so Webway deployment really has no downsides.
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I agree on what has been said earlier and maybe here's something more to consider:
Drop a unit of 20 defenders + 2 shuriken platforms, boost an Autarch to nearby and use the black guardians stratagem. This should render ~45 hits, and kill most units with 10 wounds or less. Casting doom on the target could also almost double the damage.
The celestial shield is not bad either but it usually results in the opponent picking other targets in my experience, so make sure they have few options to do that.
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/../use the black guardians stratagem.
Doesn't that require your whole army to be Ulthwe, though?
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It only requires the detachment your guardians are in to be Ulthwe. Not the entire army.
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You can mix craftworlds in the same detachment, but you wouldn't get the craftworld trait. you would however get access to the strat.
A use a blob of Ulthwe guardians in my Ynnari detachment just to use that strat (and soulburst if possible)
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GD's be used in both defense and attack, given the changes to the fly rule, they make a solid option as a screening unit for your reaper squad. Stop those nasty flying assault troops from getting to them :)