Competitive Ulthwe revisited

Two years ago, I wrote a blog post on Ulthwe Eldar being competitive. It was written before the new Space Wolves, Blood Angels and just as the Imperial Guard codex was released. Looking back at the post, I see that some of my points aren't valid anymore, and the army wouldn't be able to beat the armies I am playing against today. So let's take another look at it!



Keeping in mind my rules for Ulthwe Army Lists:

1. No Aspect Warriors
2. No Wraiths
3. Only Farseer as HQ
4. At least one unit of Warlocks as the Seer Council
5. Only Guardians or vehicles driven by Guardians

Currently, we are operating at 1750 points in my gaming circuit, so let's keep to that.

A Farseer is essential, as is his Seer Council. Mounting them on jetbikes gives them mobility to use their Destructors is key if you want the Seer Council to be your hammer. If you rather want it to be your anvil, they can be on foot. The Fortune psychic power is also a must, as this increases their survivability no end! Last, Runes of Warding is a no-brainer which you should always take in a take-all-comers army.

• Farseer w/Jetbike, Fortune, Runes of Warding
• 6 Warlocks w/Jetbikes, 3 Destructors, 2 Embolden, 1 Enhance

We will also need some Troops. I have had great success with a small unit of Guardians with a Bright Lance, deployed out of harms way. They aren't quite dangerous enough to warrant many troops going after them, but can wreak havoc in the enemy's armour line. They get Embolden, so they won't run away after losing a few models.

• 10 Guardians w/Bright Lance, Warlock w/Embolden
• 10 Guardians w/Bright Lance, Warlock w/Embolden

Next, we need some mobile anti-tank. The Seer Council can take most hordes straight on, but will struggle aganst Land Raiders and the like. Ideally, this would be 5 Fire Dragons in a Wave Serpent, but because we don't like Aspect Warriors we can't take them.

• 10 Storm Guardians w/2 Fusion Guns, Warlock w/Singing Spear in Wave Serpent w/Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons and Spirit Stones
• 10 Storm Guardians w/2 Fusion Guns, Warlock w/Singing Spear in Wave Serpent w/Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons and Spirit Stones

We now have a lot of Troops. Let's take even more!

• 6 Jetbikes w/2 Shuriken Cannons, Warlock w/Destructor
• 6 Jetbikes w/2 Shuriken Cannons, Warlock w/Destructor

Finally, let's take some heavy support for all our Troops.

• Fire Prism w/Spirit Stones
• Fire Prism w/Spirit Stones

Total points cost is 1749, and we end up with a list that can be really annoying! It isn't easy to catch the Eldar on the move, and the slow elements in this list isn't really that important for the enemy to take out! You have quite a lot of firepower, high mobility, a Seer Council that can both take and dish out a lot of damage and a lot of Troops to take those vital objectives. In a pinch, you have 4 Fast Tanks that can crash enemy-held objectives and contest for that turn 5 win.

It should be noted that this list is highly inspired by my buddy Knut's Eldar list. Even though he runs Fire Dragons, an Autarch and no normal Guardians, the feel of this army is still pretty much the same.

Video Battle Report: Ulthwe vs Tau

I've gotten some request for speaking English in my Battle Reports, and this is my first attempt in doing so. Please note that English is not my primary language, so be nice :)

Please let me know what you think about this Battle Report format, especially compared to my other Video Battle Reports.

For this Battle Report, I fielded my Ulthwe once more against my buddy Norau's Tau army. We played a mission from an upcoming tournament.

Alpha mission: Objectives
If both players claim an equal number of objectives, they both get 8 Battle Points
If one player claims 1 more objective, he gets 10 Battle Points, whereas his opponent gets 6
If one player claims 2 more objectives, he gets 12 Battle Points, whereas his opponent gets 4
If one player claims 3 more objective, he gets 14 Battle Points, whereas his opponent gets 2
If one player claims 4+ more objectives, he gets 16 Battle Points, whereas his opponent gets 0

Beta Mission: Quadrants
A player that has 1-3 units (scoring or otherwise) in either quadrant that were not used as Deployment Zones, that player earns 1 Battle Point
If a player has 4 or more units in these quadrants, this player gets 4 Battle Points

Gamma Mission: Enemy Leader
The player that kills or routs the enemy HQ unit with the highest points value gets 2 Battle Points.

Check out www.invasion.no for more on the Invasion tournament.

Some Ulthwe tips for a reader

A while back, I met a fellow Ulthwe enthusiast at Oslo Miniature Games Club. He was in the process of fleshing out his army, and has some questions in that regard. For your reading pleasure, I've decided to post response here.

Viktor said:
Hi!

I've started painting my Eldar guys, but I haven't a clue what to give the infantry and vehicles.

Which weapons should i give my Dire Avenger Exarch? What about the weapon platforms for the Guardian squads?

I want a Seer Council with a couple of Warlocks, and one Warlock in each Guardian squad. How should I kit them out?

I've written my list below. Should I make any changes to it? DO you have any tips on which weapons I should take?

HQ:
Seer Council 388 pts
Farseer: Witchblade, Shuriken Pistol, Ghosthelm, Runes of Witnessing, Fortune
Farseer: Witchblade, Shuriken Pistol, Runes of Witnessing, Guide
Farseer: Witchblade, Shuriken Pistol, Ghosthelm, Runes of Witnessing, Guide, Mind War
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Augment, Runes of Witnessing
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Augment, Runes of Witnessing
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Embolden
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Enhance
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol

Elite:
8 Warp Spiders 176 pts

Troops:
Guardian Defender Squad: 168 pts
10 Guardians
2 Crewmen and Eldar Missile Launcher
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Conceal

Guardian Defender Squad: 168 pts
10 Guardians
2 Crewmen and Eldar Missile Launcher
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Conceal

Guardian Defender Squad: 163 pts
10 Guardians
2 Crewmen and Star Cannon
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Conceal

5 Rangers 95 pts

Fast Attack:
1 Vyper with Bright Lance 65 pts
1 Vyper with Bright Lance 65 pts

Heavy Support:
Falcon: 210 pts
Pulse Laser, Star Cannon, Shuriken Cannon, Holo-field, Spirit Stones

Wraithlord: 120 pts
Bright Lance

3 War Walkers: 300 pts
2 Star Cannons each

Points total: 1998 pts

A comment from the guy I stole the list from:
What's really great with it is that everything except the Rangers can move and shoot, so when the enemy gets closer i can just go backwards and still fire att my full potential. Or if i have to claim an objective i can walk there in the last few turns and take it while still firing everything.

I appreciate any help from a fellow Ulthwe player!!
Viktor

My response:
Thanks for writing in, Viktor! I don't see myself as an expert on competitive Ulthwe, but I have played quite a few games in a friendly setting.

First of all, your list is currently illegal. The list was written using the old Craftworld Eldar codex, which is outdated now. You should get the newest codex if you haven't already, and make your list out of that book.

HQ: You can have at most two Farseers. If you're going to field them on foot, I recommend taking Eldrad Ulthran. In fact, I rarely take two farseers. They are a support unit, and Eldrad is more than capable of supporting a fairly large Eldar army.

If you have some conversion skills, I'd recommend making a jetbike council. One Farseer with Fortune, Doom and Spirit Stones, six or seven Warlocks, 1 Enhance, 1 Embolden and the rest with Destructors. This unit can deal with pretty much anything in the game, is highly mobile and very resilient

A Seer Council on foot is pretty good, but they really need a transport, preferably a Falcon grav tank. My Seer Council is often like this:

• Farseer w/Spirit Stones, Runes of Warding, Fortune, Doom, Singing Spear
• 4 Warlocks w/Destructor and Witchblade
• Warlock w/Embolden and Singing Spear

These guys can take out almost anything, and will rarely end up pinned if the Falcon crashes or if they suffer casualties.

Elites: Warp Spiders are great, but make sure they actually fulfill a role in the army. I haven't actually used them, but have played against them quite a few times. They are very effective, as long as the enemy heavy wepons have something else to shoot at. Keeping them away from assaults and small arms fire is often pretty easy, though.

Troops: Being Ulthwe, we need Guardians! Ten guys with a heavy weapon is great, but their greates weakness is morale. Lose three, and they have to take a Morale Check. As the Guardians will likely be in cover, they really don't need Conceal. They need Embolden! Cheaper and better.

Sneaky tip: If you take 12 Guardians and a Warlock, you have 13 models in the unit. A morale check from 25 % casualties is taken at 4 models lost. This is unlikely in a single round of shooting if they have sufficient cover, seeing as the Guardians often are a low-priotiry target.

I feel that the Bright Lance is the best weapon for them. With ten models, good cover and Embolden, they are a real pain for your opponent to get rid of, and a constant threat to his vehicles.

The Rangers really should be upgraded to Pathfinders. Getting that 2+ cover save is golden!

You ask about Dire Avengers, but they aren't in your list. I use them sometimes, and find that the Exarch is best kitted out with dual Shuriken Catapults and the Bladestorm power. They can be a pretty good tarpit against some enemies with Shimmershield, but far from all of the nasty gribblies out there.

Fast Attack: I really like Vypers, but they are very easy kill points. I often use two with Bright Lances myself. If you keep them in reserve, they can keep out of the worst trouble and get side shots on enemy armour.

Heavy Support: If you want a Wraithlord, take two. Also, a single Falcon will be shot out of the sky really fast. I often use a Wave Serpent tag-teaming with my Falcon, conserving my Heavy Support slots, and ensuring that at least one side of the Falcon will be safe from melta weapons. Weapon-wise, I recommend that you take only a single Shuriken Cannon on the Falcon, and use the Pulse Laser most of the time.

Three War Walkers with Star Cannons were great in 4th edition, but in this edition, each gun has one shot less, is more expensive, and because of easy cover saves . I take Scatter Lasers instead. Two shots more and much cheaper. Volume of shots are generally more important than armour piercing capabilities, especially against light transports and troops in cover.

General tips: You should consider more vehicles and Storm Guardians.

Flamers/Melta are more awesome than ever, Storm Guardians can have both. For a multi-purpose unit, take two Fusion guns and a Warlock with Destructor. Following up the shooting with a charge can be desvastation against the right foe. If you decide to let the Seer Council and Defenders do anti-tank, you can give the Storm Guardians two flamers. This will effectively eat up over 10 orks or a combat squad of Space Marines in a single round of shooting. Add in the fire from their transport and some supporting element, eliminating a full 30-ork mob in a turn is not especially difficult.

Vehicles are always good, and the Eldar ones are better than most. The Defender Guardians doesn't need transportation in my opinion, but Storm Guardians and the Seer Council do. With transports equipped with Star Engines, you can do some ridiculous objective grabs late game. Even in Kill Point missions, the Eldar vehicles are great because they can take a lot more punishment than the other races' transport vehicles.

Ulthwe Eldar is competitive!

The Eldar have foreseen this
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

I've played my Ulthwe list a few games now, and won every single one. Granted, I've not played against the cheesiest cheddar around, but none of the games have been army selection wins.

The two latest games were against Tau and Necrons. I'm actually surprised the list works as well as it does. I was under the impression that Aspect Warriors, Harlequins or Wraiths were required to fill some requirements in the Eldar army, but I believe I was mistaken. Of course, my success could be the result of blatant luck on my part.

After playing a few games, I find that the army and my tactics cover several aspects essential to a 40k army list; speed, firepower, close combat prowess and resilience. In addition to this, it forces the opponent to react to it, rather than the other way around, due to its speed, damage potential and the outflanking War Walkers.

Ulthwe 1250 points
Farseer - Runes of Warding, Spirit Stones, Fortune, Doom
5 Warlocks - 2 Singing Spears, 3 Destructors, Embolden, Enhance
3 Guardian Jetbikes - Shuriken Cannon
10 Guardians - Warlock (Embolden), Bright Lance
10 Storm Guardians - Warlock (Destructor), 2 Flamers
Wave Serpent - Star Engines, Spirit Stone, Twin Starcannons
2 Vypers - 2 Bright Lances
Falcon - Shuriken Cannon, Spirit Stone, Holofield, Star Engines
2 War Walkers - 4 Scatter Lasers

I wrote a post about tactics for this army @ 1750 points, but the same points are still valid.

I'm mightily impressed with what a Farseer and five Warlocks can do. Dooming a unit and throwing down three Destructor Templates is incredibly killy, even against units with good saving throws!

Scaling up to the big battles: Eldrad Ulthran!
In larger games, I'll take Eldrad instead of a standard Farseer. His ability to Doom two units simultaneously is incredible! The Falcon with the Seer Council and the Wave Serpent with the Storm Guardians can destroy most anything when they jump out and start handing out the hurt. There is rarely anything left! Cleverly placing the vehicles in front of enemies offering fire support will give the Guardians Cover Saves, and the Seers already have a Fortuned 4+!

I'm thinking of taking all Destructors for the Seer Council. WS5 and I5 on the Warlocks is awesome against Space Marine armies, and the ability to re-roll Morale Checks can not be underestimated. However, I'm wondering whether it is necessary. Three Destructors is very killy, but five is borderline insanity!

Will it win against (insert "web list" of the month here)?
The army isn't dead 'ard, but that's not the point. In a club setting you often want to play an army that will win when you play it well. Not just because it has 2+/3+i saves, master-crafted Thunder Hammers and twin-linked Multi Meltas, but because you play better than your opponent.

Army selection win

When some players go to tournaments, they gamble that they won't meet that army. This is the army which you haven't optimized your army for and will make you lose, no matter what you do. A balanced approach can win you any game, an extremely optimized one can actually lose the game for you before it has even started!

I firmly believe that any good tournament army should at least be able to win against anything the opponent can bring. If the enemy deploys 150 Orks, and you concede the game immediately because you brought 12 Lascannons and 25 Space Marines, it is your own fault!

This is what I mean when I say "Army selection win". In this setting, the meta game has become more important than the actual game itself, a trend I think will kill the tournament aspect of the hobby if it is allowed to flourish. Fortunately, 5th edition's focus on objectives have mitigated this quite a bit.

The Ulthwe army can deal with tank spam, 'zilla, elite infantry, hordes, mobile and static lists alike. It may not be super effective against all opponents, but its ability to win is strong.

What do you think? Am I just rambling, or are my Seer/Guardian tactics worthwhile?

Video Battle Report: Eldar vs Necrons

This week, the stalwart defenders of Craftworld Ulthwe met up with the grim forces of the Necrons.

The game was 1250 points, and the mission was "Capture and Control", from the main rulebook. In short, both players place a single objective marker in their own deployment zone. The player that controls more objective markers at the end of the game wins.



We are speaking Norwegian, but you guys should be able to understand what's going on anyway, as I've written about the action in English. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask questions in the comments.

The music is by Clint Mansell, from the motion picture "Doom". Check out the Varese Sarabande website for the album. The tracks used in this clip are, quite appropriately, named "Doom", "Kill' Em All" and "Go to Hell".

Did I do any blatant mistakes? Would you have done anything differently? Feel free to comment! :)

Video Battle Report: Eldar vs Tau

Once again, I have played against the defenders of the so-called "Greater good", the Tau.

I played a game of 40k against my buddy playing Tau at Oslo Miniature Games Club (www.2d6.no).

The game was 1250 points and the mission was Kill Points. To make things a little more interesting, we had a secondary objective at the center of the table. This objective was worth the same as having the most Kill Points.

I played my Ulthwe army, with no Wraiths and no Aspect Warriors. Seers and Guardians for the win! Fortunately, the Eldar vehicles are piloted by Guardians, or this army build would never work. The Falcon, Wave Serpent and the Vypers are essential components in the list.



We are speaking norwegian, but you guys should be able to understand what's going on anyway, as I've written about the action in english. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask questions in the comments.

SPOILER ALERT! Watch the video before reading any further!
As for tactics, I made a few really stupid mistakes in this game:

1. I lingered with my Wave Serpent, even though the Tau had a Twin-linked Fusion Blaster up its tailpipe. I should have used the Star Engines to get out of there immediately!
2. I deployed too wide, and left units unsupported. My War Walkers were completely stranded, and my Storm Guardians and regular Guardians should have been dead thrice over! I was lucky, really lucky. Only two of the Guardian Defenders survived, and three of the Storm Guardians. Between them, they passed five Morale Checks and one Pinning Test. Really lucky, but not well played.
3. I gave up the objective. Sure, the Falcon can take a lot of damage, but the Fusion Blaster-armed Battlesuit was still alive after turn 5, so he could have taken out the Falcon, and the 22 Fire Warriors would have had no problems in taking out the Seer Council! The game ended after turn 5, and I contested the objective. Lucky for me, but again, not well played.

In addition to my mistakes, the tau player made some of his own. The Hammerhead trying to tank shock the Seer Council was unwise. I don't think the he will do that mistake again.

All in all, I won, but it really could have gone either way. One more turn, and both Guardian units would have been wiped out, the Falcon and Seer Council were in serious jeopardy, and I would have been unable to reliably contest the objective.

Do you guys see any other mistakes I made? Could you have done better? Feel free to comment!! :)

Finished: 5 Eldar Rangers

I bought these back in 4th edition, right when they came out. The models are amazing, both detail and design is excellent.


Their camo cloaks was painted Scorched Brown, followed by a liberal application of Graveyard Earth. Kommando Khaki for the top layer + highlights, followed by a dash of Flesh Wash in the cloak's creases. Then i applied Gryphonne Sepia over the entire cloak to smooth the rather course layering I had done, and to matt down the Flesh Wash. Finally, I touched up the highlights again, and the cloaks were done.

The undersuit was overbrushed dark grey, the face painted plainly with rather light highlights.

The blue gems are painted almost like described in the Eldar Codex: Necron Abyss, Enchanted Blue, Ice Blue (or rather something similar i mixed up).

All in all, I'm pleased with the result. They are clearly camouflaged, but at the same time interesting to behold.

Battle Report: Eldar vs Tau

I played a game of 40k against my friend Norau a few days ago. He plays Tau, and I tried the Ulthwe list that I posted earlier.

Eldar :: Ulthwe

No Wraithlords allowed!
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

In the good, old days we had special rules for each of the five largest Craftworlds: Alaitoc, Biel Tan, Iyanden, Saim Hann and Ulthwe. Today, you can build armies representing all the Craftworlds from the same Codex, but even so the best lists are often very similar. All the armies are heavily mechanized, Guardians on foot are absent and Fire Dragons are the only anti-tank unit.

Is it possible to build an Ulthwe themed list that is competitive?

To make the list truly Ulthwe, I have defined the following set of rules:

1. No Aspect Warriors
2. No Wraiths
3. Only Farseer as HQ
4. At least one unit of Warlocks as the Seer Council
5. Only Guardians or vehicles driven by Guardians

Here is my attempt at approximately 1750 points:
HQ
Eldrad Ulthran
5 Warlocks (Embolden, Enhance, 2 Singing Spears, 3 Destructors)
Troops
10 Storm Guardians (2 Flamers), Warlock (Destructor) in a Wave Serpent (Twin Starcannons, Spirit Stones, Star Engines)
10 Guardians (Bright Lance), Warlock (Embolden)
10 Guardians (Bright Lance), Warlock (Embolden)
6 Jetbikes (2xShuriken Cannons), Warlock (Destructor)
Fast Attack
Vyper (Bright Lance)
Vyper (Bright Lance)
Heavy Support
Falcon (Eldar Missile Launcher, Holofield, Spirit Stones, Star Engines)
3 War Walkers (6xScatter Lasers)
2 D-Cannons

Tactics :: Objective mission
Eldrad and the Seer Council sits in the Falcon, driving close to the Wave Serpent with the Storm Guardians. Their task is to take out the least defended flank, forcing the opponent to send forces to deal with them. If they are not dealt with, the Guardians can even take an objective.

Two Fortuned Eldar-transports full of models capable of dealing with hordes, tanks, walkers and elite troops should make the opponent nervous. Remind the opponent that they can move 36" per turn, and that the Guardians are scoring, and he will not ignore them. They will most of the time draw extreme amounts of attention from the opponent, and should be able to contest one objective at the end of the game.

One of the Guardian squads should park in cover close to the single objective you wish to control at the end of the game. The D-Cannons should also be placed close by, preferably out of sight. Ideally, this objective is on either flank, not in the center of your board edge.

The other Guardian squad should be placed on the other flank, about 30" away, and in hard cover. If they are in a ruin, use multiple floors to mitigate the effects of any template weapons targetting them. Remember that the enemy can only target one floor with a single template. This squad will most likely be ignored by the enemy, seeing as it doesn't control an objective, and there are always juicier targets about. Use them to shoot at enemy transports or deep-striking units trying to get to your objective. Two Bright Lances and Two D-Cannons are a big threat in 5th, with the extreme focus on mechanization.

The Jetbikes should try to delay any troops going for the objective. Destructor and Shuriken Catapults are great against hordes. Don't forget that the Catapults are Twin-Linked. Shuriken Cannons can take out or delay light transports like Trukks, Rhinos or Chimeras. Get that side or rear armour! The Shuriken Cannon's 24" range + the 6" Assault Phase move should keep them out of close combat until it is safe to charge. Don't be afraid to charge walkers. The Warlock is more than capable of taking them out.

The Vypers should zoom about like irritating insects, sniping tanks and elite units like Terminators, Plague Marines, Immortals or Zoanthropes. Their Range will keep them safe most of the time. If nessecary, they can stay next to Eldrad for some Guide goodness. Remember to stay out of range of Bolters and Meltaguns. "Feel free to shoot my Vyper with your Lascannon, just as long as you don't target the Falcon/Wave Serpent." It is often better to sacrifice a turn of shooting in order to redeploy and get that 4+ cover save, rather than gamble on that 4+ to hit. If you stay in the open, you present a juicy target to the opponent. Many Lascannon shots can be wasted on a fast-moving Vyper!

War Walkers should Outflank, either supporting the flank where Eldrad and his boys are doing their thing, or to support the Jetbikes delaying forces trying to take the "home objective".

Tactics :: Kill points mission
Try to get the opponent to take first turn. Put all units in reserve. If this happens, the opponent only has three to five turns to kill your units, while you have four to six. At the same time, you're forcing the opponent to react to your reserves, entering play where needed or right into cover/out of sight.

Use cover religiously! This is twice as important with units that are easy to kill in one shot, like Vypers or D-Cannons. Go to ground if neccesary.

If you're ahead, do a full retreat. Hide in a corner, behind buildings or behind bushes. Get those cover saves. The Vypers should fly all over the place if it can keep them alive for one more turn. Winning by a single Kill Point is enough, there is no bonus for winning by tree.

Hordes will likely not have enough anti-tank to hancle two Fortuned Grav Tanks. Keep them moving for that invaluable cover save. Tank shock and drop four Destructor Templates and two Flamer Templates if you can safely eliminate a unit. Don't get charged. War Walkers can Outflank and stay at long range.

Versus Space Marines or similar armies, Rhinos are top priority. Take out one and hide/run away. Drop Pods are also easy to deal with if the reserve rolls are in my favour.

The worst that can happen is that the opponent forces you to take first turn, and all your units enter play in turn two, with the opponent's units enter right after. If this happens, spread out so he can't bunch up on the fragile Eldar. Assault Terminators are nothing to fear, as they will only take out a single unit at most. Taking out the opponent's transports and fast-moving assaulters will win the day for Craftworld Ulthwe.