Codex Aeldari has arrived, and with it I’ve taken it upon myself, (in my unyielding excitement), to write a Strike Force list just based off of my first glances into the book, in less than an hour. This is a whole new series and I figured it would be a cool idea to see what can be cooked up by me or a team member when put under the gun.
Without any more small talk, let me dive into the list, and why I’ve chosen the units that I have!
-Ultwe Patrol Detachment- (995 PTS)
HQ
Farseer Skyrunner (120 PTS) (Warlord)
-Powers: Will of Asuryan, Doom, Crushing Orb
-Relic: The Ghosthelm of Alishazier
-Warlord Trait: Seer of the Shifting Vector
Autarch Skyrunner (100 PTS)
-(1 CP Extra Relic): Sunstorm
NO FORCE ORG
Warlock Skyrunner (65 PTS)
-Powers: Empower / Enervate
-Weapons: Singing Spear
TROOPS
2X5 Rangers (70 PTS Each)
-Wargear: Wireweave Net
FAST ATTACK
2X6 Windriders (140 PTS Each)
-Weapons: 4x Twin Shuriken Catapult, 2x Shuriken Cannons
HEAVY SUPPORT
2x Night Spinner (145 PTS Each)
-Weapons: Shuriken Cannon
-Traveling Players: Harlequin Light Patrol- (1005 PTS) (-2 CP)
HQ
Shadowseer (125 PTS)
-Powers: Fog of Dreams, Twilight Pathways
-Pivotal Role: Mirror Architect
Troupe Master (110 PTS)
-Weapons: Kiss, Fusion Pistol
-Pivotal Role: Veiled King
-(1 CP Extra Warlord Trait): A Foot in the Future
TROOP
2x5 Troupe (90 PTS Each)
-Weapons: 1x Kiss, 2x Fusion, 2x Neuro Disruptor
FAST ATTACK
5x Skyweavers (250 PTS)
-Weapons: 5x Haywire & 5x Star Bolas
HEAVY SUPPORT
2x1 Voidweavers (90 PTS Each)
Weapons: 2x Prismatic Cannons
DEDICATED TRANSPORT
Starweaver (80 PTS)
Starweaver (80 PTS)
-(2,000 PT, 8 CP)-
This was one of the funnest lists I’ve built in a long time! Let me dive into what all we are looking at here starting with my choices of the subfactions. I tend to have a playstyle that favors defensive buffs, playing my game, and largely ignoring the opponent. Starting with the Craftworlds detachment I’ve chosen Ulthwe for a multitude of reasons. Ulthwe gives us a single wound re-roll, +1 to our first psychic test with each Psyker, an army-wide 6+ Invulnerable save, and a 5+ shrug against mortal wounds!
With Strands of Fate being my Craftworld monofaction bonus the +1 to Psychic and having a 6+ Invulnerable save, I can spend Strands of Fate dice to guarantee my Psychic test and auto-pass saving throws when I really need to. I think Ulthwe has all the right tools to abuse Strands of Fate as a mechanic, and their relic, The Ghosthelm of Alishazier, makes the package even more appealing! This is going to give my Farseer an extra Runes of Fortune power AND an undeniable psychic power or action if the result of my tests are a 9+.
I’m also a huge fan of their stratagem, especially considering that Windriders have the <GUARDIAN> keyword, meaning I can have them hitting on a 2+ when they shoot their fairly nasty weapons. With the Farseer providing a re-roll of 1 Strands of Fate Die, I’m extremely confident of the list's lasting power and abuse of psychic secondaries like Psychic Interrogation.
Next is the Harlequins Patrol, using the Traveling Players new rule. What Traveling players allows me to do is take a Patrol of Harlequins and still retain my Craftworlds mono-faction bonus Strands of Fate. I’ve chosen to take the Light Saedath which causes my opponents shooting attacks that target me outside of 12” to fail on a Hit Roll of 1-3. This isn’t it, however, Light also allows me to move or advance and count as having Remained Stationary for my shooting phase!
With the Mirror Architect Pivotal Role on my Shadowseer, (making my Harlequins within 6” of her to count as 6” further away than they are), the opponent would have to be nearly right next to me for their attacks to have any sort of efficiency.
The rest of both armies operate as a swiss army knife to get the most mileage out of every single point I spent on the units. My bikers can Retrieve Nachmund Data and potentially still shoot thanks to the Will of Asurman Psychic Power. Psychic Secondaries are easily completed, thanks to the 3 Psykers in my list, and with the Stratagem Multifaceted Mind I can even do a Psychic action and still cast another power. Lastly this list has the firepower and tricks to trade the opponent off of objectives, (even if they’re hiding), for Stranglehold to also be a reliable Secondary. If need be I’ve even built the list in such a way that my Night Spinners & my Skyweaver bikes are my To the Last options.
The amount of raw firepower in this list is exciting to me! With the fragility of both armies it was important to me that they always trade-up well and have built in defensibility. The forward deploying Rangers demand an answer, the gun platforms overperform with buffs and stratagems, and a few melee scalpels have been built into the for the ability to go in where I really have to.
All in all I’m extremely excited to see where this book goes in the future, and already have a ridiculous amount of other list ideas. This book is DEEP, and there’s a lot more avenues you could go with it. Heck, even the damned Fortification is great! Make sure you get the Datacards, beautiful dice, and all the other goodies the army has to offer!
Thanks for reading a long and checking out my possibly wacky list! Make sure you find our weekly podcast, Tabled Talk, wherever you get your Podcasts!
