List Building Example: Analyzing a List (Part 2)

List Building Example: Analyzing a List (Part 2)

It’s been a hectic week and I didn’t get the chance to sit down and write the article I was planning. Instead, I’m going to do a list analysis on my friend Kyle’s Eldar/Corsairs list.

Corsairs Raiding Fleet:
Sky Burners:
Hornet, Pulse Lasers, Shroud
Lynx, Shroud
Void Dreamer, ML3, Jetpack
Jetbikes, Shuriken Catapults

Command Crew:
Prince, Bike, Shadow Field, Mask of Secrets, Master Crafted Void Saber

Eldar Combined Arms Detachment:
Jetseer
Jetseer
5 wraithguard, D-Scythes
3 Scatterbikes+Warlock
3 Scatterbikes+Warlock
Skathach Wraithknight, 2x Hellstorm, 1 Scatter Laser

Dark Eldar Allied Detachment:
Archon, Webway Portal
Kabalite Warriors

This list uses a mix of generalist, gimmicky, and niche units to make an all-comers list that can take on a lot of different threats. The biggest issue this list faces is that it can be difficult to pilot, knowing when to hold things in reserve and when to start them on the board. It also has a low model count, meaning every unit lost is a big blow, especially when not every unit can take on any threat.

Let’s start with the obvious generalist units. Scatterbikes are one of the best units in the game. They fill a troops tax, are incredibly fast, relatively tough, and can threaten a wide variety of targets. There’s not much more that I can say about them or Jetseers other than that they are powerful and versatile units.

This list was made for ITC format games, so the Skathach Wraithknight leapfrogs the regular one in power in my opinion. The choice for the hellstorm templates over the melta was made because the lynx and hornet bring plenty of quality shooting that the melta cannons normally would, and the army otherwise lacks ignores cover except from psychic powers.

The Archon and Wraithguard are an interesting gimmick unit. If you don’t know how this unit works, the Archon allows his unit to deep strike without scatter. That means he’s going to reliably get 3 or more templates from his wraithguard on any unit that requires removal, which will kill just about anything. The gimmick, of course, requires relying on a reserve roll which is unreliable, but even including the cost of the Kabalite warriors, this unit isn’t too expensive and can help play mind-games with his opponent.

The hornet is a nice niche unit that adds a few more high-strength shots to the army while being able to deep strike pretty reliably and getting a rerollable invulnerable save on the turn it does. It’s cheap, so not much more to say about it.

The Lynx is a powerful generalist unit capable of laying down A LOT of D, either 3 twin-linked shots or one large blast. The option to use the blast is huge in ITC where invisibility only reduces it’s BS. Additionally, it’s pretty vulnerable, being a vehicle and not a superheavy, but being in the sky burners detachment lets it deep strike (with rerollable reserve and reduced scatter) which gives it a way to protect it without losing too much firepower.

The Void Dreamer, Prince, and Shuriken Bikes are all gimmick units that don’t really need separate explanations. The Shuriken bikes are cheap and can be a major annoyance thanks to their ability to move after shooting and then again in the assault phase. The prince can tank a unit’s leadership, threaten weak backline units with his power weapon, and tie up units with his 2+ invulnerable save (potentially rerollable with fortune). Ultimately, the prince won’t stand up to real melee units or focused firepower thanks to his low toughness, but he’s a decent bully unit. The Void Dreamer is adaptable, but slow and squishy, making him sometimes useless when he can’t get to where he needs to be to use his power.

Next week we’ll be back on schedule with a post about win conditions. If you have questions about the list analysis I’ll be happy to answer those as well.