Thursday, April 14, 2011

Poll Open for the April 2011 Army List Challenge

There are four entries for this month's Army List Challenge.  The idea was to take a weak element of any codex and make it the theme of an effective army.  The lists are below and a poll is open to the right.  Please vote for which one you consider to be the most effective army list that also best articulates the theme of the challenge!


David (Eldar)


1500pts Eldar Wind Rider Host (Sort of)

Autarch – Laser lance, jetbike, mandiblasters and fusion gun – 140

Autarch – Laser lance, jetbike, mandiblasters and fusion gun – 140

6 Jetbikes – 2 x shuriken cannon, Warlock – singing spear, embolden – 205

6 Jetbikes – 2 x shuriken cannon, Warlock – singing spear, embolden - 205

6 Jetbikes – 2 x shuriken cannon, Warlock – singing spear, embolden - 205

Shining Spears x 5 – Exarch, Star Lance, Withdraw, Skilled Rider - 237

Shining Spears x 5 – Exarch, Star Lance, Withdraw – 227

2 x Vyper Jetbike – Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon – 140

Total – 1499 points

The basic plan for this list would normally be to reserve everything, using the Autarch’s Master Strategist rule to manipulate when my units come on, most likely turbo boosting for the save when the units arrive on the board. The Vypers and Jetbike squadrons will stay at a distance to hunt down transports and try to get flank shots on heavier vehicles while the shining spears hug cover as much as possible while they close with the enemy. The Autarch’s will be used for assaulting enemies in cover, possibly both of them at the same target if it is a tough enemy (as they have plasma grenades while the shining spears do not) while the spears units will go for enemies out of cover (preferably those that have just been dumped out of their transport). The Autarchs and Shining Spear Exarchs will also use their strength 8 ranged weaponry (star lances, fusion guns) to crack open vehicles at short range before using their jetbike move to get out of assault range but only if the strength 6 weaponry fails to do the job.

The Jetbike squadrons will also be used for last minute turbo boost objective grabbing (the other troops will be used to contest if necessary).

I think would class as a ‘weak’ list as the shining spears do not have assault grenades, or the weight of attacks necessary to compete with a lot of close combat units nowadays (plus they are expensive and fragile), hence the inclusion of the Autarchs to improve combat ability and manipulate the arrival of reserves.

If I was to try and make this list more competitive, I would probably take it from the dark eldar codex instead (LOL!)

Seriously, I would take a Farseer (with Doom and Fortune) instead of one Autarch and probably only take one squad of shining spears to try and get more jetbikes or Vypers in there.


TheGraveMind (Tyranids)

The Sarge is Acting Strangely.....Again

Parasite of Mortrex 160
Venomthropes x2 220
Venomthropes x2 220
Ripper Swarm brood x9, Adrenal glands and Toxin sacs 182
Ripper Swarm brood x9, Adrenal glands and Toxin sacs 182
Ripper Swarm brood x9, Adrenal glands and Toxin sacs 182
Ripper Swarm brood x9, Adrenal glands and Toxin sacs 182
Ripper Swarm brood x9, Adrenal glands and Toxin sacs 182
Sky-slasher swarm brood x7 105
Sky-slasher swarm brood x7 105

Rippers are the smallest Tyranid organisms that have models. Any unit that is 12" away from synapse and fails their Ld test (LD of 5) takes that many wounds as they start eating themselves (no saves allowed). They are T3 W3 swarms. Anything S6+ will instant kill them, and any blast causes 2 wounds. So any Blast that is S6+ will be removing 2 models for each wound it causes.

To make this list even possible to play with out having my units eat themselves to death by turn 2 I added in the Parasite, which extends the "rippers don't eat themselves" range to 24", which still isn't that good as I'll be clumping my rippers together.

I added a few Venomthropes so I could at least try and make a few cover saves as I died in droves as I came at the enemy. Rippers have become so bad, not even casual lists consider taking them. The models are more likely to be used as flock on other tyranid bases than as the actual models themselves.


Suneokun (Chaos Space Marines / Thousand Sons)

But I am mightily invulunerable ...

Ahriman - 250pts
6 Possessed led by a Champion with Icon of Chaos - 197pts
19 Thousand Sons led by a Sorceror with Gift of Change - 527pts
19 Thousand Sons led by a Sorceror with Gift of Change - 527pts

TOTAL 1500pts

Wow, that's a lot of Egyptian Cyberman ain't it. That 5+ invulnerable is gonna be really useful. Combined with Ahriman, he's well hard! 250pts for a 3+ T4 no eternal warrior model ... what could go wrong?

I hope they don't bring a Vindicare Assassin, or three. Or even use long range AP3 weaponry - bastards. Or mortars... or hide behind cover.

That 1D6 slow and purposeful move might be tricky after he's headshot my Sorcerors ... hmmm?


BoxerSaint (Imperial Guard / Conscripts)



The Chenkovian Conscription
---------------------------

CCS w/Straken, Regimental Standard, 3xMeltaguns, Chimera -245

Lord Commissar - 70

2xPriests w/Eviscerators - 120

PCS w/Chenkov, Chimera, 4xFlamers - 155

2xInfantry Squads w/Lascannons -140

50xConscripts w/Send in the Next Wave -275

PCS w/3xFlamers, Chimera - 100

2xInfantry Squads w/Autocannons - 120

50xConscripts w/Send in the Next Wave -275

-1500 pts
-----------------------------------------

100 Conscripts, sprinting across the field, with Straken and a Lord Commissar following them. Furious charge if they get the charge, with rerolls from the Priests. If they take a charge, they have counter attack from Straken, using the Lord Commissar's leadership.

Then we have a have a few heavy weapons in the background. It won't kill much, but it should be hard to get rid of.

2 comments:

Mephistopheles said...

the only 1 that really is a list made of the weakest point in a codex is the tyranid 1. not 1 single scoring unit for takin objectives.

the chaos force is easy to fix, with making those squads smaller down to 3 squads with a rhino attached to each. would even leave room for another unit choice possibly.

the eldar list isnt all that bad. as a whole, the army can zip around to contest and capture at last minute thanks to turbo boost, and theres multiple fast units able to work together, shielding a squad by turbo boosting infont of it with another and the like, which makes target priority more difficult, though it does lack in anti tank weapons. in effect this is a slightly different version to the most effective dark eldar armies of old.

and the guard army is actually utilising the units in the manner that they are made for. a unit is only a weak element when its not used as its ment to be used. thats how conscripts should be used, as mass fodder giving cover saves to everything behind them while they themselves die em mass.

the nyd list is definately focused on the weak point of the army, but its not the most effective list that could be made with that weakness.
the chaos list is a so-so in terms of weakness and utilising it to make an effective army.
and the guard and eldar lists are effective armies utilising units as they were designed imo.

so, my vote for the theme is the nyds, but for effective army list its tied between the guard and eldar, yet the chaos list could be with a lil modification.

TheKing Elessar said...

The Guard, sadly, are the most effective army with the trash employed here. lol

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