Hey guys its Cavalier, commission painter for Frontline Gaming and co-host of Splintermind the Dark Eldar Podcast, here today to discuss how Chapter Approved 2018 has changed one of the lists I’ve challenged myself with this edition: my Iyanden list! For more great list ideas and tactics, articles, check out the Tactics Corner.
So I’ve been torturing my opponents for most of the edition with an Alaitoc + Flayed Skull combination (lately sprinkling in Soaring Spite Harlequins) and have had amazing success with it. From time to time I’ve mixed things up and used my Iyanden themed army and had great success with it as well. However Chapter Approved has dramatically changed what I can bring to that list, especially with changes to Forge World offerings, specifically the Warp Hunter.
Now let me stress… this is a THEMED list. This is not the list I’d play if my life depended on it, but this list does have elements that you can break apart and sprinkle into more competitive lists. That being said this is something I’ve experimented with for a long time now since getting to playtest the Vigilus book and found it to be very good. So lets dive in!
Iyanden Wraith Host Battalion (2000pts)
- (70) Prince Y’riel
- (65) Spirit Seer (Enhance: Pystronome of Iyanden)
- (110) Farseer (Protect + Doom)
- (160) Guardians x20
- (112) Guardians x14
- (60) Rangers x5
- (195) Wraithblades
- (215) Wraithguard x5: Scythes
- (147) Serpent x3 Cannons
- (147) Serpent x3 Cannons
- (375) Wraithknight (Sword + Shield)
- (172) Warp Hunter (Catapults)
- (172) Warp Hunter (Catapults)
Points Savings:
So to begin with my list has saved around 350pts after Chapter Approved. That is insane! Granted a lot of that comes from the Warp Hunters and Wraithknight, but those are great tools that Eldar finally have access to once again. This is great because those are units I spent a lot of money, time and effort to paint considering their showcase status in my collection.
Playstyle:
What I love about this list is that its a total change-up to the typical damage denial approach Eldar feature. This is a list where almost every unit is taking advantage of the Iyanden Craftworld Trait, their special relic, their special Stratagem, the Wraith Host specialist detachment and the stratagems available therein, for details on the Wraith Host, check out my article I wrote last week which you can read: here. Its a list that uses units that fights at close range making Iyanden a very solid choice for this type of list whether it be the Guardians who benefit from morale control, the Wraithblades who are kicking out 45 attacks hitting on 2’s (Enhance) re-rolling all hits when using Guided Wraithsight against a Spirit Marked unit (which the Wraithknight can benefit from as well), while the Warp Hunters can either hang back or charge in as well and go flame mode.
This is a list that has a good anti-infantry from the Guardians, Wave Serpents and Wraithblades. The Wraithknight, Warp Hunters and Wraithguard can all function to deal with Knights and tanks and you got enough psychic support to help get the job done.
Conclusion
So whether your an Iyanden player looking to take advantage of all the new stuff from Vigilus and Chapter Approved, or maybe just an old Eldar veteran looking for a fun list that offers more of a challenge than your stock standard Alaitoc or Ynnari build, give this list like this a chance in your next game. It can hit extremely hard and take a punch as well! If you are interested in more Aeldari discussion check out our podcast: Splintermind for exclusive Drukharii and all things Aeldari news and discussion. If you are interested in following my painting exploits check me out on Instagram! Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
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