Mech Eldar is a difficult army for both players to enjoy. Having a large number of skimmers is a difficult thing for many gamers to face, and many are not too shy to tell you about it. Then again, I don't really care, as I'll not face my fragile Eldar against a gunline without protection. All you can really do is try to mix it up a bit. Try not to use the same units over and over again. A few are ok, but your army list is just spamming the few units you chose.
This is my 2250 list (from memory):
Farseer w/ Jetbike, Spear, RoWit, Guide
-=- 3 Vypers w/ Scatter Laser, Shuricannon
*** This unit is there strictly for fire support against other light skimmers, like Land Speeders and Piranha, light transports like Rhinos and Ork Trucks, and against massed hordes like Orks and Tyranids. 21 Rerollable Str6 Shots can pretty much guarantee that their target takes a whoopin. Weakness: This unit is very fragile and has a tough time weathering return fire. Keeping it concealed is often difficult in an army of Skimmers, even when the board is filled with level-3 terrain.
Autarch w/ Jetbike, Lance, Fusion Gun, Mandiblasters
-=- Shining Spears (4) w/ Exarch w/ Withdraw
*** A speedy assault/counter assault unit capable of hitting the enemy lines hard on turn two (with other elements of the army) or ridding the board of Terminators and other hard nasties. 14 Str6 power weapon attacks at high initiative will do wonders against anything that doesn't qualify as a 'horde' or a 'main battle tank'. Weakness: This is a very expensive unit for so few models, and massed small arms fire will still take it out with ease. Keeping these guys hidden until they charge in is a must, but is also difficult in larger games.
2x Guardian Jetbikes (4) w/ one Shuricannon.
*** These are my snipers and objective grabbers. They can use their Shuricannon to hunt light vehicles and small squads, and if necessary, they can charge into a combat for the purpose of overwhelming a struggling unit. They should never charge into combat unsupported, and even when supported, serious though should be given to it. These guys are fast, but fragile. They are also the cheapest scoring unit in my army, and worth their weight in gold during Alpha-level missions. Weaknesses: We've covered most of it. They're fragile with very limited combat potential, but they are scoring units with speed, and that helps.
10x Dire Avengers w/ Exarch w/ Twin Direpults, Bladestorm
-=- Serpent w/ Twin Starcannons, Stones
10x Dire Avengers w/ Exarch w/ Twin Direpults, Bladestorm
-=- Serpent w/ Twin EMLs, Stones
*** I like to use these guys to really get into the enemy's face and pepper it with shurican spice. The Serpent is there to get them into position and to help remove light vehicles or heavy infantry. These guys generally do very well for me. Defensively, I like to shoot the Avengers into terrain near the center of the board and dare the enemy to root them out. Weaknesses: First, Avengers are very fragile, and not combat minded at all. They like to shoot & scoot ONLY. Also, I like to keep Serpents cheap. Too many upgrades are likely to cost you another full unit. But, this does also mean that the Serpents may crash all the harder, most likely taking a handful of the Avengers with it.
10x Banshees w/ Exarch w/ Executioner
-=- Serpent w/ Twin Scatter Lasers, Stones
*** This is my in-your-face combat machine. The rest of the army takes out the weaker troops and the vehicles, while these ladies and the Spears take out the heavier infantry. Virtually no unit in the game can survive the combo-charge of the Spears and the Ladies, but then again, virtually no unit in the game costs as much as these two units combined, so its a wash I suppose. Weaknesses: The ladies are fragile, as all Eldar are, and despite having a bucket-load of power weapon attacks, these gals are only Str3, which means they need that many attacks to keep from getting wiped out when the retaliatory strike lands. Giving these girls some extra protection, in the form of a supporting unit (Serpent/Spears/Jetbikes/Avengers) can go a looooonnng way toward making them a game winning unit.
Falcon w/ Stones, Holofield, Shuricannon.
-=- Ya know, after 5 years with Eldar, I still haven't put any Dragons into my Falcon, but I have the models set aside just in case I need to bump this list up to 2500 or 3000pts. It is a good tactic, just a slightly boring/annoying one for your opponent. This is my secondary unit for my Farseer w/ Guide. Should the Vypers fall, then the Falcon with 2 Str8 attacks and 7 Str6 attacks takes over as my Guided Firestorm. The Falcon tends to piss people off just by being there, to makes a good fire magnet. Also, I don't have to tell anyone that there are Dragons in the tank (or not), though I usually do. In last option situations, the Falcon can retrieve a diminished unit of Avengers or Banshees from a no-win predicament. Weaknesses: Well, BS3 is one, as well as its primary role as a transport. In this list, it just doesn't transport, well hardly ever. Your opponent will most likely glance it into inconsequence, thus keeping it from shooting the entire game. But, even so, it still counts as a scoring unit.
2x Fire Prism w/ Shuricannon, Stones, Holofield
*** These two are my only dedicated anti-tank units. Their task is to remove Land Raiders and Monoliths from the board. Only when that has been accomplished, will they move on to laying large blasts down on enemy infantry. The Shuricannon is there so that the tank can still field a worthy role even when the Prism Cannon has been destroyed. Weaknesses: Not too many to worry about, really, except that they will be fire magnets and they really carry only one weapon strong enough to label it a Tank. It has no transport option (not really a problem) but is the only full skimmer (not Vyper) in the list that does not allow for it.
There ya go. 2250pts, 10 Scoring Units, and a good mix of shooting, moving, and combat for an Eldar army. At least, in my opinion, that is. This list has won tourney games and one 1st place finish in a local tourney, though it does make for tight matches against a competent opponent. It will roll over new players, though, so is not played as often as my IG, which has a somewhat softer feel to it. The key point, though, is that there is no element to the game that is not represented in this list. This helps to make it a more enjoyable game for your opponent, and yourself.
