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Serpent of Fury [Broken HTML]

Submitted By: Algavinn of the Many Paths Date: August 7, 2006, 12:00:00 AM Views: 2925
Summary: Article by Algavinn of Biel-Tan addressing the use of the Waveserpent for mobile 'drive by' tactics. To be updated for 5th edition.

<p class="body">The Fish of Fury, is a tactic using powerful shooting units in fast moving vehicles to effectively execute a ‘drive by’; a transport dropping its unit close to an enemy and annihilating them with a withering hail of fire, and then moving on to another target.  The unit jumping out is generally exiting from the rear of its transport, shooting at the enemy from underneath the craft, and maintaining a long enough range that any survivors cannot move around and assault them.</p>

<p class="body">For Eldar, Biel-Tan and mechanized players in particular, this Tau convention compensates for the delay in close combat aspects jumping from their transports and assaulting.  This has a huge impact on the Eldar army, as it can use a unit that can crush an entire opposing unit like a CC aspect, but with the speed of ranged weaponry.  With other units we must use powerful but fragile units, such as Warwalkers, Vypers, and Dark reapers, or our CC aspects that must wait a turn before getting into combat.  This has pushed the Eldar community towards units such as Warp Spiders that are fast to arrive, but don’t have the delay of a transport based unit, while still hosting a large amount of firepower.  True it has always been a good unit, but as Biel-Tan and others face more challenges in forth edition than third, these units become more useful and important.  Yes I am trying to convince the readers to at least think on it and try an Eldar fish of fury, but it may not be for everyone and I do not claim it is the only or best option, just that it is a good one.</p>


<p class="body">So on to the Serpent of Fury.  The main units you hear about are the Fire Dragons, Wraithguard and the Dire Avengers.  There is however others that I will speak on, or give mention to, as the Eldar army is dependant on its diversity and specialization, which is most definitely true here as well.  Let’s start with the vehicle itself.  Though the Falcon has a transport capacity, the difference in size between itself and the Waveserpent make all the difference.  The Falcon is good for holding smaller units, such as mini-councils, and tank busting Fire Dragons, as opposed to squad-slagging SOF units.  Below are listed the number of 'kills' a unit or weapon will cause, these are the statistical probabilities that come from the BS, STR and AP of a weapon, such as a Waveserpent firing its extra shuriken cannon at an IG squad.  Number of shots multiplied by probability of hitting, multiplied by probability to wound, multiplied by probability of bypassing amour. (3x0.5x0.83=1.245).  Most figured are minorly rounded up.</p>


<p class="subheader1">The Waveserpent:</p>  <p class="body">The workhorse of the mechanized Eldar army.  This is your deliverance and with it the stars shall be stained with the blood of your enemies.  Equipment is the first thing to get down. </p>

<p class="subheader1">Equipment:</p>

<p class="body">-Spirit Stones are a must, as they are cheap, and can make a big difference whether your SoF squad will make it into shooting range of their target, or make it at all.</p>

<p class="body">-Star Engines while not an extremely expensive equipment choice, does mean one less aspect warrior somewhere, while it will typically only be an extra 2d6” on the first turn, after that you need to move more precise amounts to use your SoF efficiently.</p>

<p class="body">-CTM is an expensive choice, albeit a useful one, but it depends on your overall army style.  Do not take it on whim, as it is hard to find size three terrain and it is too expensive without specific intent in mind most of the time.</p>

<p class="body">-I find that all other pieces of equipment are not worth mentioning.</p>

<p class="subheader1">Weapons:</p>

<p class="body">-Bright Lances.  An important part of a mechanized arsenal, any Eldar arsenal really.  These are a good choice for anti-tank purposes, or supplementing the SOF unit by adding an insta-kill to each target, especially against Farseers, crisis suits, other IC's etc.  Mostly the bright lance is for MC’s or tanks, but it adds 0.625 kills against standard infantry units (T6 or below, non-invulnerable saves).  Suggested either for a non-supplemental role (shooting at tanks and not helping the squad it carries), or for shooting at MC’s, vehicles, or offering instant kills against tough opponents.</p>

<p class="body">-Eldar Missile Launchers.  These are an interesting piece of weaponry that I myself don’t like using.  They are again not bad for insta-killing models, have a good utility against medium to low armor tanks and transports, as well as some anti-infantry ability.  Against light infantry (T3 SV5+) you get about 0.5 kills per model under the template, and 0.12 kills against heavy infantry (MEQ, T4 SV3+).  Not a bad choice when fighting Tyranids, or similar opponents where your SOF unit will fight MC’s, light vehicles, or will need an added instant kill.</p>

<p class="body">-Shuriken Cannons.  A good weapon to use against a light personnel target, and enemy light vehicles.  They give about 1.87 kills against light infantry, and 0.61 kills against heavy infantry.  The best light infantry weapon, and despite its 24” range, it will reach most enemies considering it is on a fast vehicle.</p>

<p class="body">-Extra Shuriken Cannon.  This follows the same role as the twin-linked shuriken cannons, but is only BS3, and is an expensive upgrade.  This only adds 1.25 kills against light infantry and 0.41 kills against heavy infantry.  This adds some extra firepower and makes it so that if the twin linked turret is knocked out, the Waveserpent can still add some firepower to the fray.</p>

<p class="body">-Scatter Laser.  This plays the same role, again, as the Shuriken Cannons, but with an extra range.  With the speed of the vehicle and the range of the weapon, you should be able to hit most enemies.  The Scatter Laser averages 3.5 shots, so gives good anti-personnel and light vehicle damage.  Against light infantry 1.43 kills are added, and 0.72 kills against heavy infantry.  The Shuriken Cannon statistically adds more kills than the Scatter Laser but the occasional extra shots and range may sway some people towards it, while its unpredictability is a drawback to many.</p>

<p class="body">-Starcannon.  The choice anti-personnel weapon of most players.  The same role is filled as the other strength six weapons, but because of its good armor penetration it goes the extra mile against heavy infantry and MC’s/characters.  It gives 1.86 kills against light infantry, terminators, and everything in between.  This is the best choice if facing MEQ opponents.</p>

<p class="body">Take what fits your overall needs and what works well with the squad your Waveserpent carries.  When your overall armies anti-tank needs are not met, make sure you stock up on anti-tank weapons before adding a few kills to anti-personnel.  And now the SOF units themselves.  When looking at the possible kills they provide think about what weapons on your Waveserpent would be most fitting.</p>


<p class="subheader1">Fire Dragons:</p>  <p class="body">Probably the most famous FoF unit in the Eldar roster, as well as one of the most efficient with its lethality and reasonable points cost.  The Fire Dragons are host to the fusion gun, a.k.a. the terminator killer.  A strength six weapon that will drop any but invulnerable saves.  They are good against light infantry, heavy infantry, monstrous creatures, transports, heavy vehicles, everything really.  However, the Fire Dragons, as well as ALL SOF units, suffer from a 12” range on their standard weapon so you must make sure you get them close enough to the enemy to utilize every last one of them.  Despite the catch it is still a powerful unit, as long as it is used right.  This is the same for all Eldar units.  The Tau army is based off of raw firepower, the Eldar are not.  We have advanced weapons, mobility, and excellent units.  They must be used well.</p>

<p class="body">So back to the Fire Dragons.  This is the face-all SOF unit, which will perform reasonably to miraculously well against all opponents.  Against light infantry, heavy infantry, and terminators, it rears 5.48 kills.  With the addition of, say a Starcannon on your Waveserpent, you get 7.34.  This will take down any normal squad to either one that will run, not pose much of a threat, or it will be wiped.  Against hoard where units are often over 10 models strong you will need more than one SOF unit, or supplementary fire.  A solitary fire dragon squad, though, will be killed against a 20 model termagaunt squad.  Against all else the Fire Dragons will shine.</p>

<p class="body">As if they needed it, you can add a bit of extra punch to your dragons with an Exarch.  The extra BS only changes the 5.48 kills to 5.62, a very small change, but the Exarch is allowed some equipment and abilities that may be worthwhile.  The Firepike for one, doesn’t increase your overall kill output, but adds the utility of an instant-kill shot per volley.  This itself, unless you’re going for a specific MC or enemy unit you need to get down before it gets you, is a small and expensive reason to take an Exarch; the price of two aspect warriors.  The ability Tank Hunter is much the same.  It can be useful, but unless you have an intended need, it is superfluous and just an added expense, in a unit this large.  Burning Fist is where you get some utility out of the Exarch.  It is added security in the case that you get assaulted in CC.  Assuming it got full attacks and was unwounded, a charged Fire Dragon squad would get 2.2 kills against light infantry, and only 0.54 against a MEQ opponent.  With burning fist you go from 2.2 and 0.54 to 2.68 and 1.21.  This looks like a small amount but it starts making a difference over a series of turns if you are trapped in combat, or it will help finish off a weakened unit (such as exceptionally large…or lucky opposing squads). </p>

<p class="body">All in all I believe that the unit should be kept stock to keep it cheap, and therefore as efficient as possible.  The most fitting weapons to put on their Waveserpent tend to be Starcannons to deal with heavy infantry, and Shuriken Cannons for light infantry.  Any anti-tank weapon taken on a Waveserpent is typically to kill a vehicle at range while moving the Fire Dragons in towards their target, as supplementing a Fire Dragon’s anti-tank abilities is near purely redundant.  A full unit of Fire Dragons, plus their Waveserpent, comes to 290 points.  Consider the cost of your opponents Landraider, his/her terminator squad, and dreadnaught.  It ceases to seem so large a cost when you consider what your opponent is likely to field and imagining them turn into a wisp of smoke.</p>

<p class="body">Against light infantry with Shuriken Cannons: 7.4 kills

Against heavy infantry with Shuriken Cannons: 6.1 kills

Against light infantry with Scatter Lasers: 6.95 kills

Against heavy infantry with Scatter Lasers: 6.2 kills

Against light infantry with Starcannons: 7.4 kills

Against heavy infantry with Starcannons: 7.4 kills

Against light infantry with EML (plasma): 5.5 kills

Against heavy infantry with EML (crack): 6.1 kills

Against light infantry with Bright Lances: 6.1 kills

Against heavy infantry with Bright Lances: 6.1 kills

Against light infantry with extra Shuriken Cannon: additional 1.25 kills to above figure

Against heavy infantry with extra Shuriken Cannon: additional 0.4 kills to above figure

Effect of Guide on Fire Dragons (now 9 strong to make room for Farseer): 6 over 5.5</p>



{mospagebreak}


<p class="subheader1">Dire Avengers:</p>  <p class="body">While not as versatile as the Fire Dragons, the Dire Avengers can perform as well against light infantry as Fire Dragons perform against heavy infantry.  Against MEQ these don’t make much of a dent, so they must be used either with support, or against their proper target; light infantry.  Based on the rumors of the new codex this squad will be getting even better with an increase in weapon range, which will help SoF units significantly, and an alleged ‘shuriken storm’ ability.  These changes would make the Dire Avengers much more effective against large squads, such as are found in the Tyranid and Ork armies.  The base damage of a full Dire Avenger squad, as all of your SOF units should be full squads, is 8.7 kills against light infantry, and 2.9 against heavy.  With the addition of a Waveserpents Shuriken Cannons, the statistic is brought to 10.57 against light infantry.  This means a standard dire avenger squad can wipe out an entire unit of opposing 10 strong light infantry.  With the possible new rules we find 13.1 kills base plus the Shuriken Cannons, bringing it up to 14.9.  This is the most effective SOF unit against light infantry.  A full squad, plus their Waveserpent is 240 points.  This is reasonable for wiping a squad a turn.</p>

<p class="body">The only upgrades allowed to the Dire Avengers are those found on the Exarch.  These again, as with the Fire Dragon Exarch, are largely defensive, but it can be quite useful for charging to finish off the last few surviving members of a larger unit and finding safety there from shooting.  The Exarch himself costs more than a single aspect warrior, so will merely detract from your army if you do not expect to get into CC with him.  The most worthwhile equipment available to him is a shuriken pistol and power weapon.  This is an excellent choice for facing the chance MEQ opponent, or just for finishing an opposing squad in CC.  Along with this he is afforded the powers Distract and Defend.  Defend is most useful when the Exarch is the last model left, and can start taking more direct attacks.  Distract, however, is a great power for slowing down a unit and keeping it locked in place, especially if you find your Exarch in base to base with the opposing squad leader.  If you expect to be charged, or that you yourself will wish to charge or you will be throwing away 30+ points.  An attached Farseer adds a couple of kills to the unit, but it would probably be more useful to have fortune if one was attached, as the unit will already wipe size 10 or fewer squads, and when facing 15-20 model hoards, more than the single SoF unit will be required anyway.  The best Waveserpent weapon is most likely going to be Shuriken Cannons, or Scatter Lasers.</p>

<p class="body">Against light infantry with Shuriken Cannons: 10.6

Against light infantry with Scatter Lasers: 10.1

Against light infantry with Starcannons: 10.6

Against light infantry with EML (plasma): 8.7+ 0.5 per model hit with template.

Against light infantry with Bright Lances: 9.5

Against light infantry with extra Shuriken Cannon: additional 1.25 kills to above figure

Effect of Guide on Dire Avengers (now 9 strong to make room for Farseer): 10.5 over 8.7</p>



<p class="subheader1">Guardians:</p>  <p class="body">There are various forms of guardian SoF units, such as Black Guardians, normal Guardian Defenders, and the Flamey Squad of Death (FSOD).  The Black Guardians are as effective as Dire Avengers damage wise though are not as resilient, but this may be a tradeoff you are willing to take for the cost of 200 points instead of 240.  Normal guardians are quite cheap but the higher armor save and lower BS start to make a real difference, especially when one notices that the AP of most basic weapons is five.  As for the FSOD, I believe that is more fitting elsewhere and not considered as an SOF but I found it worth mentioning, because of the popularity of its use.  Consider guardians as the Dire Avengers above, and decide whether the points difference is worth the lower BS and higher save.  A normal guardian squad against light infantry will cause 6.6 deaths plus the Waveserpent make 8.4 kills.  This is enough for most IG units, so it may be the better way to go, but in the end it is all up to you and what opponent you face.</p>


<p class="subheader1">Wraithguard:</p>  <p class="body">These mini-behemoths are the most expensive infantry unit on the Eldar roster, but the only one that is categorized as heavy infantry.  Wraithguard are immensely resilient, both to shooting and in close combat, able to receive huge amounts of return fire and still fight on.  Against light or heavy infantry the Wraithguard are ineffectual as a SOF unit but they gain much survivability for it and they are still highly efficient against enemy vehicles, even outside the 6” range that Fire Dragons must have.  One problem with Wraithguard units, is despite their resilience and firepower, only five plus a seer can fit into a Waveserpent, somewhat limiting their firepower.  Because of their limited numbers and weapons that always wound on a 4+, they are more fit for taking on MC’s, vehicles, and terminators or other smaller but tough/valuable infantry units.</p>

<p class="body">Wraithguard units should come with a Warlock, or Farseer to ensure they do not randomly stop for a turn.  A Warlock should take either enhance to make them truly fearsome in CC, or conceal if your opponent has a large number of AP3 or better weapons.  A Farseer would turn this into a truly disgusting squad with fortune, or could use mind war well to add damage and remove particular models (heavy weapon crewmen for example) to reduce return fire, or add to the damage against MC’s.  Either seer would do well to have a witchblade if CC is expected, though it may be superfluous considering the strength of the Wraithguard themselves’.  A unit of five will cause 1.65 kills (less than their Waveserpent’s Starcannon), but against MC’s, any roll to wound of six will inflict instant death.</p>

<p class="body">All in all Wraithguard are the ideal unit for taxiing from vehicle to vehicle and MC-to-MC undoing your opponent’s army, and surviving between stops.  They do well against Tyranids, and armor heavy opponents for this reason.</p>

<p class="body">Guide will change 1.65 kills to 2.21.  This is a very small difference when it comes to infantry, so I suggest if a Farseer is present, go with fortune, it will assist the Wraithguard in their particular role.</p>

<p class="subheader1">Warp Spiders:</p> <p class="body">Yes!  Warp Spiders!  Despite their high mobility and 3+ save Warp Spiders are very viable SOF units.  Waveserpents are ideal for shipping Warp Spiders directly to the enemy, without having to risk the large gaps between cover, or having to use cover at all on a more crowded board.  Once delivered, Warp Spiders can go off on their own, and the transport can either exist as a gunboat, or a taxi for shot down/left behind units.  One problem however, Warp Spiders cannot use a dedicated transport, but we usually only see spider squads of 6-8, so a squad of 6 can still remain efficient and pump alot of firepower into the enemy, especially if it has not taken losses from shooting/the extra jump while advancing, so a Falcon here is noteworthy.  I won’t go further into this unit, but it is one worth mentioning, as the Warp Spiders are not dependant on their transport after it gets them to the enemy.  The dependency on the Waveserpent is one weakness of all SOF units as many of them are best against a specific opponent so can be taxied to that unit, or where your forces need support most.  It is an option to remember.</p>


<p class="subheader1">To Summarize:</p>
<p class="body">-As with all Eldar units SoF squads must be used properly against their ideal opponent and/or with support or in support of the rest of the army.</p>

<p class="body">-All SoF units (at least for now) are limited to a 12” range so must be used carefully to ensure the safety of the firing unit, and the decimation of their target.</p>

<p class="body">-Unless an SoF unit can survive with reasonable casualties or wipe out return fire, they should be assisted by either another SoF unit, or supplemental fire such as a Falcon based unit, or Vypers, Warwalkers, etc.</p>

<p class="body">-Fire Dragons are the cure-all SoF unit for light to heavy infantry and vehicles.  This is the typical anti-MEQ SOF unit, or the mix of light-infantry and vehicles/MC’s we find when fighting IG/Tyranid/Ork opponents.  A Fire Dragon unit that is strictly fighting tanks might be better to be dropped to six strong and put in a Falcon.  Starcannons and Bright Lances tend to be the best weapons to augment a Fire Dragon SoF unit, as their main targets will be MEQ, MC’s, or vehicles.</p>

<p class="body">-Dire Avengers and guardian SoF squads are the prime choice for hoard armies, as long as you have sufficient firepower elsewhere to deal with vehicles and MC’s.  One word of warning is to ensure that you send in enough firepower to crush a flank, so that despite you wiping the IG squad you went for, you do not get wiped in turn by 60 lasgun shots.  Shuriken Cannons are the best supplemental choice here.</p>

<p class="body">-Wraithguard are the Eldar MC hunter of choice, as well as a good vehicle hunter.  When hunting infantry the Wraithguard kill slowly, instead of crushing the opponent in one turn.  They will wear down the enemy while weathering blow after blow without faltering.  Do not be afraid if they are fired upon or charged, they will hold up the enemy and drain them, but given their expense, they are not the ideal sacrificial lamb.  Bright Lances or EML’s are a good choice here to assist in vehicle/MC hunting, as well as adding instant-kills.</p>



<p class="body">So this has been the Serpent of Fury.  Think about it the next time you need a unit dead quick and are sick of using such short lived units as Warwalkers to do it, or hate seeing your 10 strong CC squad cut down before it reaches combat.  Give it a try and see if it fits in your army.</p>

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