NRVCon List Building - Eldar - 1,850

Tomorrow I'm getting my first practice game for NRVCon, which is using the NOVA packet, against Aidan. Just a reminder, NRVCon will be in my hometown on April 23-24; if you're remotely in the area, definitely consider coming down for the 32-player tournament. The top 4 will continue on to single elimination rounds on Sunday. A bit more information here, and registration here. With that out of the way, on to list building. I've more or less settled on Eldar as my army for the event, so let's get into it.

One thing I am looking for in my list is that it doesn't require me to buy new models, or paint many. This means no Jetbikes, since I don't own any. I'm also leaning a little toward a mech build to allow me to play quick games.

The next decision to make is whether my list will use a Warhost detachment or if it will instead have a CAD core with two formations. The unit composition will honestly probably be the same, but the difference would be having ObSec or auto 6" runs. The Warhost version looks a bit like this:

• Eldar Warhost:
• Pale Court (Core): Aspect Lord-shrine
• Farseer
• 3x5 Warp Spiders: Exarch
• Aspect Host (Aux): +1 BS
• 5 Warp Spiders: Exarch
• 2x5 Dire Avengers: Exarch
• Wave Serpent: Shuriken Cannon, Scatter Laser
• Wraith-Construct (Aux):
• Skathatch Wraithknight: Deathshroud Cannons, Scatter Laser
• Fist of Vaul (Aux):
• 3 Warp Hunters: Holo-fields

The investment in the Warp Hunters is pretty heavy, and adding 45 points into the squadron is a tough choice. That said, by math, Holo-fields add a hullpoint for each Warp Hunter. Another concern is that the Farseer doesn't have a great place to go. The army is very fast, between the vehicles and auto-run 6". 

The alternate of the list uses a CAD, and looks like this:

• Combined Arms Detachment:
• Farseer: Singing Spear
• Autarch: Warp Jump Generator, Fusion Gun, Banshee Mask
• 2x5 Dire Avengers: Shuriken Cannon, Scatter Laser
• Skathatch Wraithknight: Deathshroud Cannons, Scatter Laser
• Aspect Host: +1BS
• 3x6 Warp Spiders: Exarch
• Fist of Vaul: 
• 3 Warp Hunters: Ghostwalk Matrix

A couple minor changes here, one being that the Warp Hunters are getting Ghostwalk instead of Holo-fields. One thought is to fish for the Conqueror of Cities Warlord trait and bury the Warp Hunters in cover. The Wave Serpents having ObSec is nice, but means they'll likely have a more defensive role than offensive. 

Both lists are going to rely on the Wraithknight and the Warp Hunters to do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of dealing damage. One big concern with this list will be heavy alpha that can eliminate those power units before they do their damage. 

For tomorrow's game, I'm leaning toward the Warhost list, so we'll see how that fares. What are your thoughts on the lists and what would you change?