First Stab at an Alaitoc Army

My old brain has been churning in overdrive lately as I scour the internet for rules leaks and what not with respect to the new Eldar Codex.  So I'm thinking my first list I take will not be my mythical all plastic army, but an amalgamation of my old models and new.  The list I'm thinking about is as follows:

HQ:
Illic

Elite:
10 Scorpions - Exarch, Claw, Mighty Blow

Troops:
10 Rangers
5 Path Finders

Total Points is looking like it will be 605 for above.  Not sure what I would add to the list to flesh it out but I think might serve as a solid foundation to build an army around.  Helldrakes and Tau would mess it up.  Fun start though to a thematic army.

The Rangers would have stealth and shrouding as well as the pathfinder squad (if I attach Illic to the rangers).  Illic has split fire so the jacked up range on his rifle is not wasted.  Scorpions stick around to deter assaults.


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After some thought I think I have my first 1850 list I will run.  Following the rule of cool, the plan is to include more of the new models.  New list is as follows:

HQ:
Illic

Elite:
10 Scorpions - Exarch, Claw, Mighty Blow

Troops:
10 Rangers
5 Path Finders
10 Avengers - Wave Serpent, Scatter Lasers, Under Slung Shuriken Cannon
10 Storm Guardians - Wave Serpent, Scatter Lasers, Under Slung Shuriken Cannon, 2 Fusion Guns, Warlock

Fast:
Crimson Hunter

Heavy:
Wraith Knight - Sunburst Cannon, Scatter Laser
2 Fire Prism's

Total Points: 1850 on the nose

So, only need to put together Wraith Knight, Crimson Hunter and Illic this weekend and my list is built and well on the way to being painted.  Rule of cool demands that I include as many of the shiny new models as I can.  Over all the list has many inherent weaknesses but it also draws on many strengths (at least as I see them) of the new codex.

Loving Avengers, the way I see it either run them sans Exarch (and just rely on all the new inherent buffs) or go all out.  First list I plan to run has left the Exarch out simply so I can afford to upgrade the already expensive Wraith Knight.  Crimson Hunter... love and hate it.  Av 10 looks like it will be a real pain to deal with.  On its face its stats are pure gravy but talk about a glass cannon.  The way I figure it should be run is to keep it as cheap as possible and build a list that forces an opponents target priority to provide the best defence.  Speaking of the best defence lets welcome to the Eldar the Wraith Knight.  While it does not have the defensive stats of the Tau MC, it does come equipped with Toughness 8 and a relative decent save.

Originally I was planning to run the Wraith Knight stock with just 2 wraith cannons but my experience with Chaos is that if you are willing to pay the points for an MC, go all out and pick up the upgrades.  I think the Wraith Knight is a good option stock that forces you to take advantage of cover saves such like wave serpents can help provide (and ultimately forcing you to play trixy as any good Eldar should).  But the suncannon is just too juicy to pass up.  Its like taking a Demon Prince without considering taking the black mace.  One scatter laser to provide twin linking and only one is required.  Any more weapons and you start sacrificing the mobility offered of the Wraith Knight for fire power.  And its fire power that can be found elsewhere in the list.

Fire Prism's lets talk about those for a moment.  3 different firing modes and you no longer require 2 of them to unlock their potential.  Again the list is about target priority, for a reasonable price I get 2 tanks that modify their weapon to deal with any manner of target.  One thing I really like is that now they can take a snap shot against a flyer if the opportunity presents itself.

Looking at Storm Guardians, I think with the boost to their inherent stats they will become a go to unit.  Add in a Warlock and their utility becomes quit good in my opinion.  Also, with the increased stats, you do not require to plan the unit around a specific Warlock power.  Any power that is rolled just becomes gravy.  I also wanted to make sure a Warlock was included in the army to provide at least a 1 in 6 chance that I get the power that heals a wound.  Seems a great thing to have when you are rolling with a 6 wound toughness 8 MC with a 3+ 5++ save

Finally we have the Wave Serpents.  As is the internet, the ragged masses are crying out against the NERF.  Frankly the Wave Serpent (again in my humble opinion) is now a staple of any competent Eldar army.  One just needs to approach the tank as a gun boat first and transport second.  With scatter lasers, and an under-slung shuriken cannon the tank now puts out 7 twin linked BS 4 strength 6 shots.  Equipped this way it is cheaper than a Baal Pred with assault cannons and heavy bolters.  Being able to transport 12 models is just gravy.  Added to this is the option to exchange the defencive ability to change pen hits to glances on a 2+ to an offensive shot that allows for a further d6+1 strength 7 shots that ignore cover and are pinning.  Gorgeous... simply gorgeous.  I love the new incarnation of the wave serpent.

So you may be able to tell I'm fairly excited with the new release of the Eldar Codex.  Stay tuned for more random thoughts as they come to me...