Eldar - Iyanden - 1000 points
Spiritseer
5 Dire Avengers
Wave Serpent, holo field, cannon, scatter lasers
5 Dire Avengers
Wave Serpent, holo field, cannon, scatter lasers
3 Jetbikes, cannon
3 Jetbikes, cannon
2 War Walkers with Bright Lances
Wraithknight, heavy wraithcannons
1500 points
Spiritseer
5 Dire Avengers
Wave Serpent, holo field, cannon, scatter lasers
5 Dire Avengers
Wave Serpent, holo field, cannon, scatter lasers
5 Dire Avengers
Wave Serpent, holo field, cannon, scatter lasers
3 Jetbikes, cannon
2 Hornets with Pulse Lasers
6 Swooping Hawks
Wraithknight, heavy wraithcannons
Wriathknight, heavy wraithcannons
2000 points
Spiritseer
5 Dire Avengers
Wave Serpent, holo field, cannon, scatter lasers
5 Dire Avengers
Wave Serpent, holo field, cannon, scatter lasers
5 Dire Avengers
Wave Serpent, holo field, cannon, scatter lasers
5 Wraithguard
Wave Serpent, holo field, scatter lasers
3 Jetbikes, cannon
3 Jetbikes, cannon
2 Hornets with Pulse Lasers
6 Swooping Hawks
2 War Walkers with Bright Lances
Wraithknight, heavy wraithcannons
Wriathknight, heavy wraithcannons
So plenty of big guns, high volume of fire and mobility for objectives. The Eldar tick all the boxes.
The missions from the players pack were rolled for at the start of each round so the different points levels of the lists could not be customized.
Game 1 - 1000 points Grudge Match
In this mission we had to secretly write down 3 enemy units and 3 of our own. These would be revealed at the end of turn 3. For each enemy nominated unit destroyed is worth 3 points and each you keep alive is worth 3 to you. Secondary was objectives as per the Emperor's Will mission.
I played a young fella named Dougal from the Taranaki. He had a Tau list with Kroot, 2 Fire Warrior units, Ethereal, Broadside, Commander and Bodyguard and a Gun Drone unit. I chose his Kroot, Broadside and Commander as my targets while keeping my Wraithknight and Jetbike squads alive. I went first and eliminated his large Kroot unit and Broadside in the first turn. He advanced his Fire Warriors mid field but I had the squishy targets safely inside their Wave Serpents. The game was pretty one sided with the Eldar whittling away at the Tau. His Commander and Crisis team as well as Gun Drones had a go at my flanks but didn't do too much damage and got taken down by retaliatory fire. Pretty convincing Win to the Eldar 20-0.
Game 2 - 1000 points The Scouring(Rulebook Mission) Secondary used 5 tactical Objectives cards per turn.
I played Rob with his Tyranids. Rob had a Flyrant, Deathleaper, Harpy, Tyranocyte with Gaunts, 2 Mucoloid pods and a Trygon Prime. Rob set up his Flyrant, Harpy and Deathleaper. I think I seized first turn!? Anyway I fired everything I could at the Flyrant before it could take to the air and with volume of fire took it out for First Blood. That put a big dent in Rob's plan and the game was all about my Wraithknight after that. After his Harpy flew towards my lines the Wraithknight rolled a 6 to hit, then 6 to wound, failed jink and Boom 1 shot Harpy. The Trygon Prime arrived amongst some ruins but the Wraithknight moved to a position that afforded the prime no cover. One 6 to wound later and Boom dead Trygon. The rest of the Tyranids had come in and got eliminated, the game ended turn 4 with the Wraithknight heading Deathleapers way. You can only snap shot at Deathleaper but one 6 later and he was gone too. Win 20-0
Game 3 - 1500 points Trenches of the old war
We had to set up 5 objectives length way down the table 12" apart. It was vanguard strike set up with the objective nearest your own lines being worth 1 then increasing in value until the furthest was worth 5 vp. Secondary was to kill enemy HQ and Elites.
I had the pleasure of playing Dave Foster. I have known Dave via 40k for many years now but it had been a long time since we had actually played each other. He had brought an incredibly aggressive Chaos Marine assault army. The only long range gun he had was 1 autocannon! He had Khorne Lord with Axe on Jugger, 3 Marine squads in rhinos, Khorne Bezerkers in Rhino, 2 units of Khorne spawn and 2 Maulerfiends. Dave went first and came barreling across the table at me. Those Spawn and Maulerfiends move fast! Next came what could be a series of the luckiest rolls for a chaos player...ever. I swung some of my force out onto one flank and proceeded to fire into Dave's assault force. His maulerfiends made 10+ 5++ saves vs my anti tank guns and I managed to knock over maybe 1 or 2 Spawn. Dave next charged a maulerfiend into a Wraithknight but thankfully that is all that made contact. The Maulerfiend took a wound off the knight and the knight Immobilized the Daemon engine. I think it took until turn 3 for me to get First Blood. I managed to immobilize the other Maulerfiend as well and after Khorne Bezerkers and Spawn got into the Wraithknight it eventually died. Concentrated fire eventually took out the Khorne Lord and Spawn before they got into combat. Then it was a very careful game of trying to take control of the objectives which Dave had been able to park units on while I was dealing with his assault element. I think it may have been a draw if it had ended turn 5 but it went to 6 and I pushed him off some key positions taking the win. Great fun game. Win 20-0.
Game 4 - 1500 points Purge the Alien - Secondary take control of the highest point on the table not in your own deployment zone.
I faced off against Dean with his Space Marines and Imperial Knight. He had Tigerius, 2 Tactical squads in Razorbacks, 2 tri las Predators, 5 Grav Centurions and a Knight. Dean rolled his Psychic powers for good old Tiggy and got Invisibility first go, uh oh! We rolled to play long ways and set up out of first turn grav range. Darn went first and advanced casting Invisibility on the Gravturions. Again I think it took until turn 3 until I got First Blood but by then the Knight and Grav star was almost into my lines. I managed to take the Knight out but Dean successfully got Invisibility off every turn and as the game progressed moved just ahead in kill points. I attempted to lock the Gravturions in combat mid game but the Dire Avengers I had failed the charge. By games end I had a Wraithknight holding them down but in hindsight I should have done this much earlier in the game. Dean won the Primary but we drew the Secondary. Loss 3-18
Day 2
Game 5 - 2000 points The Relic, secondary - kill the most expensive unit
I was playing Nathanial with his Quad Riptide list. Nathanial is someone I've known for quite a while but never actually played at an event so it was nice to finally play him. The Tau force had Farsight, Shadowsun, O'Vesa, 2 units of Crisis suits, 3 Riptides, 2 units of Kroot and Fire Warriors in a Devilfish. I finally got Invisibility with my Spritseer. I went first and jumped a Wraithknight onto the Relic then cast invisibility on it(Pro move). The Kroot had infiltrated slightly forward but enough to threaten the Relic and maybe tarpit my Wraithknight. I fired everything thing I had and I think I took all 30 Kroot off the table turn 1. Nathanial was happy I had left his Riptides alone but I was OK with my decision. The Tau returned fire and between malfunctioning Nova Reactors, Invisible Wraithknights and Gets Hot rolls I think they did more damage to themselves! In my second turn the Wraithknight handed off the Relic to the Wraithguard but I failed to cast invisibility! I did take out a Riptide and soften the others up. Nathanial's reserves came in with Farsight threatening the middle and a Devilfish going after my Swooping Hawks. He fired everything and destroyed the Wraithguard and Spiritseer and stripped wounds from my central Wraithknight but then failed a charge with O'Vesa. My central Knight had 1 wound left and jumped back to the Relic while my Warlord knight dropped into his central spot in front of O'Vesa and co. After a punishing round of shooting from the Eldar the Tau had lost a few more key models and I successfully assaulted a wound O'Vesa. Hitting with 4 attacks the Wraithknight finished off the named Riptide and then Farsight! Nathanial called it there as his centre had collapsed. O'Vesa was also his most expensive unit netting me Secondary. Win 20-0
Game 6 - 2000 points - The Bait - Primary D3+2 Objectives
Secondary - Opponents had to set up 2 troop units as per Deep Strike in a Diamond formation 6" around the centre point of the table. They would not scatter and would have Feel No Pain, Fearless and Stubborn for the game. Enemy units were worth 3VP but if you could keep your own alive they were worth 4VP.
It finally happened, Cody and I had to play each other in the last round of a tournament! I don't think he was very happy about it ;) I had actually designed Cody's list a few weeks prior to the event when he was contemplating using Orks and I tabled him with Grey Knights in 4 turns. His list was Librarian, 2 Grey Knight terminator squads, 3 Dreadknights with teleporters, swords, Psycannons and Incinerators. Rifleman Dread, 2 Interceptor units with Incinerators and an Imperial Knight. Needless to say we know exactly what each others army does. I set up Wraithguard and a bike squad as the bait where Cody had to deploy the 2 Terminator squads
We played long ways and I won first turn. I got the Spirit mark ability for my Warlord so moved the Wraithknight within 12" of a Terminator squad and marked it. Kept everything else at extreme range. With the buff the Wraithguard with supporting fire took one GKT squad straight off the table and by the end of the phase only 1 single Terminator remained from the second unit. Cody shunted all 3 Dreadknights into the front of my army and the Knight went for the Wraithguard. Thinning the Wraithguard out the Knight went in assault but didn't roll to flash and with free FNP a couple Wraithguard survived but I could not shoot at the Knight. Usual mass fire ensued and I think I may have dropped a Dreadknight on my left flank but did little to the 2 threatening my right. The Imperial Knight finished off the Wraithguard and advanced towards my Wave Serpents. Cody moved his unwounded Dreadknight right up to my Wraithknight and cast Sanctuary and Force. Preparing to take that Wraithknight off I overwatched at the charging Dreadknight, 6 to hit, 6 to wound... failed invuln save. Cody was not a happy camper and I couldn't blame him. His Imperial Knight trashed a Wave Serpent. I managed to finish off the 3rd Dreadknight and take a couple more Hull Points off the Knight but needed to move up field to take objectives. The rest of the game was one of the most challenging I've had in a long time. Cody forced morale tests on my sneaky Jetbike squads on the 5th turn forcing them off objectives and it looked like a draw but, we rolled a 6th turn and it was just enough for me to finish his Librarian and Interceptor squads giving me the advantage. He called it there, his Imperial knight had rolled through my back lines and I had resorted to stringing out Dire Avengers to slow it down. The closest of games. Eldar win.
So once everyone had finished with terrain and tables packed away we had the prize giving. I had been voted Best painted but as I had placed the prize would go to thew next in line - I had also received a lot of votes for Cody's Grey Knight army which I had also painted. Phillip Porter with his Grey Knights got the award but straight away gave me the plaque saying I deserved it, he was happy with the prize voucher. What a bloody good guy =) Next came the places. Adam Thornton came 3rd with his Tyranids, Dean who had beat me in Round 4 got 2nd and I finished in 1st!
So I was very happy, Cody was disappointed as he had just missed out on 3rd and Alex was lamenting the poor showing of his Deathwing. What can we take away from this, well Alex is now looking at Necrons for Maelstrom in May. Cody is good with his Grey Knights it just sucked that we had to go head to head last round and I yet again am looking at non Eldar options. I have already made lists for Blood Angels, Tau, Dark Eldar and Necrons, all being achievable before Maelstrom with the models available to me. Just have to pick a codex... heard that before...
By the way if you can take an Imperial Knight, just take one. They will either cause a ton of damage, soak a lot of fire or mutually take out another Knight in a Titanic Explosion. If a Tyranid player shows up with one, why not!
