[Still Will]

1850 Eldar - I Suck!

Hello All

My name's Will, this is my first time posting here. Everyone seems pretty nice, so I thought I would start a thread and ask for help.

First things first, I 100% admit, I suck. So anyone who wants to post "you suck, play another army," all I can say is "yep, I suck, but it's Eldar or bust at this point. I've no time or money to start another army from scratch."

Okay, we good? Good. Here's what I usually field

HQ
Avatar
Eldrad

Elites
8 to 10 Banshees, Exarch with Executioner and Counter Attack
Ride in a Wave Serpent usually with Shuriken Cannons

8 Fire Dragons
Ride in a Wave Serpent, usually with Cannons

Fast Attack
Vyper with a Missile Launcher

Troops
10 Dire Avengers Exarch with Bladestorm
Ride in a Wave Serpent with Shuriken Cannons

10 Guardians with a scatter laser platform and a warlock with either conceal or embolden

10 Storm Guardians, Warlock with Enhance, 2 fusion guns

Heavy
1 Wraithlord with a Shuriken Cannon and a Wraithblade
1 Wraithlord with a Bright lance and EML
2 War Walkers with 2 scatter lasers each (as a unit)

Basically the Avatar and Wraithlord with the blade walk forward to draw fire. The storm guardians walk behind them, usually with Eldrad attached. Eldrad fortunes, dooms and guides things as necessary.

The 3 wave serpents stay close together and shoot up past the avatar/lord. When the time is right, the fire dragons disembark and pop a tank. Then the dire avengers bladestorm whatever falls out. Then the banshees mop up.

Two weeks ago I got whupped by vanilla marines fielding at least 8,000 rhinos and 16,000 plasma cannons. yesterday I got whupped by Nidzilla with about 45 monstrous creatures pooping out little gaunts. Before that, I got whupped by Blood Angels with a dreadnaught that got more attacks every time it killed things. Before THAT, I got my butt handed to me by space wolves.

So, any help would be, you know, helpful. I have no idea how to handle the 5th edition game play of tons of tanks and tons of monstrous creatures. Most of the people I play against play some variation of marines, and one guy plays tyranids.

Thanks!​

 

[Still Will]

Thanks for the advice and the welcome! One quick question, what does TL stand for?

Here's what I own:
Yriel
another Farseer with a 3 man warlock counsel
an autarch
5 dark reapers
8 swooping hawks
another vyper with a scatter laser
10 scorpions
8 rangers/pathfinders

Now, specific questions if that's okay.

drop the Avatar

Any specific reason why? He's been pretty effective for me at least at soaking up shots and tar-pitting most stuff.

your Avengers look OK

oddly enough, these are my least effective units. They do nothing. I average 4-5 wounds per bladestorm, which my opponent usually saves, and then the avengers get charged and wiped out.

Not that I'm against any of your advice of course! Just hoping to have more of a dialogue so that I can improve.

 

[Still Will]

Hey, I appreciate the help, and I need this kind of discussion/thinking. I've been playing the Eldar for 4 years now, completely alone and in a vacuum. The only place I ever tried to get help was the Tau Online Forum, and I got the "go play another army" line from them. Rage's 5th edition tactica has been a very educational read for me.

I see your point on the avatar. I was running Yriel with the Banshees for a while. What if I drop the Avatar for Yriel, and put Eldrad with the Dire Avengers? I'm thinking then that I can get a solid gun line with the guardians, war walkers, wraithlord and maybe reapers...

Or I could put Eldrad with the gun line to fortune, doom and guide...

And I've been toying with putting some rangers back in the list especially for monstrous creatures. Any opinions on their effectiveness in 5th?

I've never found the dire avengers to be effective on the charge with their 3 strength... so I'd rather keep them kitted for shooting/bladestorming. I'll just have to be more careful with that 18 inch range.

So here's what I'm toying with

HQ
Eldrad
Yriel

Elites
10 Banshees, Exarch with Executioner and Counter Attack
Rides in Wave Serpent with TL BL

8 Fire Dragons
Rides in Wave Serpent with TL BL

Fast Attack
Vyper with Eldar Missile Launcher

Troops
10 Dire Avengers, Exarch, Bladestorm and 2 catapults
Rides in Wave Serpent with TL BL

10 Guardians, Scatter Laser, Warlock with Embolden

6 Pathfinders

Heavy
Wraithlord with wraithsword and Shuriken Cannon

2 War Walkers

5 Reapers with Exarch with Crack Shot

I believe that totals 1811, so that's a weird number to play with. I could put in a second vyper...

 

[Still Will]

Thanks.

Where would you put the HQ's?

 

[Still Will]

Here's the final list

HQ
Yriel
Eldrad

3 Warlocks, 1 with Enhance, 1 with Embolden (is it true they can join a separate unit than Eldrad)?

Elites
8 Banshees, Exarch, Executioner, War Shout, Counter Attack
Wave Serpent with TL BL

6 Fire Dragons
Wave Serpent with TL BL

Troops
10 Dire Avengers, exarch with bladestorm and two catapults
Wave Serpent with TL BL

10 Guardians with a scatter laser and a warlock with embolden

5 Rangers

Heavy
Wraithlord, 2 Flamers, Brightlance, Wraithblade

2 War Walkers, 2 scatter lasers each

3 Dark Reapers, Exarch with Crack Shot
1850 exactly.

 

[Still Will]

Hey, sorry it took me a while to get back to people! Thanks for the help, the list is much more competitive right now. Here's what I'm running:

HQ
Yriel
Eldrad

Elites
8 Banshees, Exarch with Executioner
Wave Serpent with TL BL
6 Fire Dragons
Wave Serpent with TL BL

Fast
Vyper with Scatter Laser

Troops
10 Dire Avengers, Exarch with 2 catapults and bladestorm
Wave Serpent with TL BL

10 Guardians, Scatter Laser platform, Warlock with Embolden

5 Pathfinders

Heavy
Wraithlord with Wraithblade, Missile Launcher and 2 flamers

2 warwalkers with 2 scatter lasers each

3 Dark Reapers Exarch w/ Crack Shot

It went pretty well. I made one major mistake by taking my yriel and banshee crew out of cover and charging a squad of marines, but coming up about 2 inches short because of a bad run roll. They got toasted by flamers (which might have happened anyway in the building)

Next game is tomorrow, I'll post a better report then.

 

[Still Will]

Thanks for the tidbits!

I find that the Avatar has been getting hit with way too many Strength 9 lascannon shots lately. He's been dying too quickly, even with fortune on him!

I've been using the Fire Dragons, Avengers and Banshees as a 1, 2, 3 punch. Eldrad casts spells, the fire dragons jump out and pop a tank, the avengers shoot whatever falls out, and the banshees mop up the rest.

Sadly, my opponent didn't show last night. So the two guys that were there were nice enough to play a couple of three man kill team games. I won two of the 3 games we played!