How do you beat Eldar w/ a mech list?

[terminatorAM]

I've been playing the same Eldar player somewhat regularly for the last few years and we have been pretty well matched, but ever since the 5th ed. codex came out i havent been able to beat him, we tie most of the time and sometimes i loose but have yet to actually beat him. I play a mech force at 2000pnts he uses mostly aspect warriors of all kinds but with a falcon and wrathlord along w/ several other fast units thrown in his list. So has anyone found a decent way to take these guys on with vehicles and mounted troops or am i using the wrong list?

 

Are mech marines a good idea to use against eldar? I dont have either lists on me now but if it will help anyone I will post them later. thanks in advance

[yergerjo]

If you are facing mechanized eldar don't bother with lazcannons. Melta is still the way to go even if you do not get the 2d6 AP, everything gets bumped down to STR 8 anyways, so laz is unnecessary. With Melta you still get the +1 on the damage chart from AP 1, and since you will usually need a 4 to glance their AV 12, it still gives you a shot at hurting them. Also use your range to advantage, since you can never get 2d6 always shot your meltas at MAX range.

[CylonDorado]

If you are facing mechanized eldar don't bother with lazcannons. Melta is still the way to go even if you do not get the 2d6 AP, everything gets bumped down to STR 8 anyways, so laz is unnecessary. With Melta you still get the +1 on the damage chart from AP 1, and since you will usually need a 4 to glance their AV 12, it still gives you a shot at hurting them. Also use your range to advantage, since you can never get 2d6 always shot your meltas at MAX range.

 

I don't know about that. He said falcons, and those don't make S9 into S8, those make you roll two dice on the vehicle damage chart and pick the lowest. Sure, a multi-melta will work too, and it will be great for the AP1, but range is an issue against skimmers, unlike with the las-cannon.

 

What are the vehicles you use? If he uses a lot of aspect warriors and isn't as mechanized as you, you might want to think along the lines of pie plates. And anything that can keep those falcons (fire dragons I asume?) away from your tanks.

[terminatorAM]

as far as vehicles i usually use 2 rhinos, razorback w/ tl lascannon, a podded dread, sniper dread, dakka pred, and an LRC. the main problem is while i have more armor that the bulk of his infantry can do little to stop i cant hold home objectives well because im unsure whether to cluster my forces there in singular defence or move them out and take his force apart little at a time (hasnt worked well because of several units ie. falcon, fire dragons, wraithlord)

[Grey Mage]

Dont seperate your units unless its to go after objectives... hell tear you apart one half at a time if you do.

 

Take an agressive approach. Go after what can kill your vehicles first... fire dragons, wraithlord, falcon, etc. Then go after his troops.

 

Shameless Plug:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...howtopic=165294

[waaanial00]

Many will disagree with the following tactic:

 

Make your Podded Dread a Venerable one. I have found the reroll to be very good at avoiding damage, the extra BS to be very good at hitting the targets and the extra WS very good at hitting troops.

 

Other Tactics are focus on one vehicle at a time. Dont move on with your shooting until you have wrecked it. Start with the weapons which have the highest chance at wrecking the vehicle and then work down your list, this will mean that you do not waste shots which could other wise kill the troops inside on reckless vehicle shots (its a basic tactic that seems so simple you will wonder why you didnt do it before).

 

A Landspeeder Storm filled with Scouts and a Power fist or Melta Bomb makes for a great first turn vehicle wrecking run. Give the storm a Multi Melta and you might just get two for one if they are close enough and your BS3 guy can hit.

 

Landspeeders with Multimeltas deepstriking are also a good answer to most of lifes little armour problems. The fact that they deepstrike means that they avoid any first turn shooting in tact.

 

Against Eldar I would normally field a Whirlwind, they ruin Eldar's day and are a steal for their points. Thunderfire has got to be a strong contender as well. Against that Wraithlord drop pod some Sternguard into 12" range of him and you should see that annoyance dissapear fairly quickly.

 

Wan

[Vel'Cona]

Eldar were the terror of any MEQ player back in 3rd and even in 4th edition, at least until they got a sufficient drubbing in the 4th/5th codex. They still pose lots of dangers for a C:SM player, particularly at medium to close range, thanks to Bright Lances and Fire Dragons. The key to dealing with them is not to over concentrate your units, ie. don't give them a big tasty thing to kill and shut down your whole offense (in general this is really the key to building any good army, but if your composition fails at this Eldar will be the most telling army to fight).

The first thing to remember, is most of their foot infantry are 4+ AS or worse, so Heavy Bolters, Autocannons, and Assault Cannons really earn their points against the majority of Eldar units. They also suffer from low Toughness in general, so mass fire will generally take a greater toll. For the more durable units, like Wraithguard/Wraithlord, Assault Termies are a great, straightforward answer. The Farseer and Warlock bodyguard can be a really frustrating unit to deal with, particularly if your opponent takes them up a notch with Eldrad (many do). A good answer to them is a Libby to soak the occasional Psychic attack, and more importantly Fortune which is pivotal to their success. Again, concentrated, durable assault units can generally take out even the toughest of the Eldar's CC specialists.

Probably the most common complaint for C:SM armies is dealing with the skimmers, namely Falcons, Wave Serpents, and lately Fire Prisms. For the Falcon and Fire Prism, Mech armies can answer well with concentrated melta fire from Combi'd Sternguard or fast-moving MM Attack Bikes/Landspeeders. Another good choice is any unit with Missile Launcher or Autocannon, especially if said unit is mobile enough to engage the fast skimmer on level ground (Predators, Land Raiders, and Dreadnoughts). Remember, they'll ignore half your shots when "moving fast" (on average) so it's more important to achieve multiple damage results than one really powerful shot. For Wave Serpents, you won't have to worry about Holofields messing up your damage results, but you will need to deal with capped 8 Strength and no additional dice. This essentially means that, once again, multiple damage results will be more telling.

I'd also like to note, that if you'd like to answer Falcons with a little of your own fast skimmers, the Land Speeder Typhoon is a very strong contender. It can engage at 48" with two Krak Missile shots, while moving 12" to take advantage of fast skimmer cover! I highly recommend this variant as a roving hunter/killer unit for taking out other fast skimmers, especially in light of its compareable mobility and ability to Deep Strike!

I'd say in general a C:SM mechanized army can handle pretty much any comer, though changes to playstyle/composition may be necessary to deal with the metagame opponents you'll meet (Dark Eldar and Tyranids require a radical change in approach). Eldar are less dramatically different, but you will still need to adapt a slightly different stance than you take against the standard "shooty" or "assaulty" opponent, as Eldar tend to mix elements of both, with high mobility and variably equipped units (much like Mech C:SM itself).