So as of late I have been toying with the idea of running an Eldar main army. I know what you're thinking, and no it isn't because of the awesomeness of Wave Serpents or the really cool Wraithknights. It is for Striking Scorpions! I have been having a blast playing this army and think it has some potential. it has played some stiff competition and came out on top of it all! It has taken down Omega Prime's Necron Flier-Wing, Frankie from Frontline Gaming's 11 Oblits, Matt Bess's 7 Drop Pods, and both Horde Orks and Horde Nids!
Here is the list!
HQ
Farseer w/ Shard of Anaris, Stone, Jetbike- 170
EL
x9 Striking Scoprions, Exarch w/ Claw- 193
x9 Striking Scoprions, Exarch w/ Claw- 193
TR
x6 Jetbikes, x2 Cannons- 122
x6 Jetbikes, x2 Cannons- 122
x5 Dire Avengers, Serpent w/ TL-Lance- 185
x5 Dire Avengers, Serpent w/ TL-Lance- 185
Allies
Baron- 105
x5 Warriors, Venom- 110
x5 Beast Masters, Fiend, x5 Khymera, x6 Flock- 250
Ravager w/ Nightshields- 115
TOTAL: 1750pts
So I like this army for a couple reasons. For one it is something I haven't seen anyone run. It's new and I think it can take people by surprise. I have been playing with the same core of Dark Eldar and Eldar models for awhile now. It has been getting rather dry. So this new army has had me focused and winning games with strategy and cunning rather than buckets of dice. Plus I like when people think Strikign Scorpions are bad. Than they just own em!
For two, I like Striking Scorpions and their ability to distract people. They don't score, but they will start the game 18'' away from you. If you don't kill them, they will charge Turn 2. And because most people take this bait, the Beasts get to run up the field all fine. if people want to concentrate on the Beasts, that's fine too, I will then have the Striking Scoprions and Serpents ready to hit you.
For the third and final reason.... I have a TON of Eldar models and this will make me paint them if I intend o using them for a tournament!
I know this army is not without weaknesses, trust me there are several glaring ones! I will list out what I think the strengths and weakness of this army are. Please, if you disagree, let me know!
Strengths
1. Surprise- I covered it above; I don't think a lot of people will know how to play against this or how target priority should go
2. Balance- I have something for everything! I do not have overwhelming AI, AT, or AA. I have some here and some there. I can deal with a little of everything if it came at me. I won't be caught pissing in the wind if 3 Landraiders or 5 fliers show up.
3. Speed- This army is on you Turn 2. Be it the Scoprions or the Beasts, this army will be in your grill Turn 2. They have the weapons to deal with almost anything as well.
Weaknesses
1. Fliers- So the real flier defense I have is the Wave Serpents. I only have 2 of them. Helldrakes especially will roast me. A guided ravager could help, but not reliable. I would need to kill a significant amount of their army if I want to survive the Helldrakes.
2. Gunlines- Things like Thud Guns, Sabres, and the assortment of IG Heavy Weapons can bring the hurt. First turn is needed as well as some bad die rolls for my army to make it to the line. i think the Striking Scorpions would have to make some nice save rolls and endure a very heavy Overwatch before getting into CC. Hopefully they can do it! Tau Gunlines could provide some problems, but because they don't have the low AP to just kill units. Missile-Sides will be a problem, but I think I can deal with them accordingly. Riptides I have found are a little unreliable. I know pathfinders boost their ability to deal damage durastically but they would be target priority #1.
3. Snowball Effect- Things can snowball with this list rather quickly. If I start losing units, things get bad. This sounds obvious, but because the army is built around supporting each other, if a support goes down, the list is very vulnerable. Because the list relies on Shock and Awe, if it doesn't Shock or Awe, the list is done for.
As an aside, I wanted to make a quick comment on Strikign Scorpions. A lot of people on the interent have been dogging them (shocker right?). Lots of people think they got worse. I just want to know how? They have a basic Eldar statline... WS 4 BS 4 Str 4 (w/ weapon) T 3 Int 5 LD 9 Save 3+. They possess Plasma Grenades, Fleet now!, and Mandiblasters.
The latter equipment is what makes them awesome! New Mandiblasters are awesome! Scorpions in base contact at the Int 10 step in CC suffer a Str 3 hit! This hit occurs every round! Now I realize Mandiblasters last codex gave an extra Str 4 attack. However, With that extra attack you need to roll to hit. Do you wound more often? Sure... But with the new Mandiblasters the Roll To Hit is eliminated and the only thing that you need to worry about is a straight Wound roll. Being able to hurt anyting up to T6 is awesome! Stacking on an extra wound or two against an MC or a horde or Orks or Nids is very nice and can turn the tide of battle. And it happenes at each Int 10 step!
The real gem in the Strikign Scorpions is the Str 6 Scorpions Claw that the Exarch gets. it comes at a steep price (30pts! Yikes!) but it strikes at Int and with an AP of 2. All in all to get the claw it will cost you 40pts with the Exarch's cost built in. The Exarch will have 4 Attacks on the Charge, hitting at WS 5, strikes at Int 6, and has a 2 shot Shuriken weapon at BS 5! It is a must have for the Exarch.
An honorable mention equipment piece goes to the Shuriken Pistol the Scorpions carry. With only 12'' range, you won't be kill loads of enemies, but with the potential to hurt ANYTHING, it is definately a nice piece of equipment to have.
So there you have it.... A big wall of text about a new list. You also have a small analysis of Striking Scorpions. I will be trying this out in the coming future and will let you know of the results! let me know of any questions you have or concerns on the list! Thanks for reading!
-YEE! YEE!
