Flyer vs Eldar

[Orblivion]

A friend of mine has started to go more and more towards vehicle spam with his assorted Eldar lists, and I was wondering which flyer people thought would be better to bring against large amounts of flyers the likes of Venoms and Raiders.  I figured the Stormhawk seemed the most obvious choice because of Interceptor and the additional to hit bonus from the Icarus Stormcannon, but I just have no experience with either the Stormhawk or the Stormtalon.  Any thoughts on which of our new flyers would fare best against Eldar vehicle spam?

[Jolemai]

An answer out of left-field perhaps, but have you considered taking a Librarian Dreadnought with Wings of Sanguinious?

[Orblivion]

An answer out of left-field perhaps, but have you considered taking a Librarian Dreadnought with Wings of Sanguinious?

 

Already in the list actually ;)

[Aothaine]

You can also deck out a DC with jump packs to anti-air or a normal assault squad. The Sanguinary Guard are also pretty decent at wrecking vehicles by assaulting them.

 

Dreadnoughts with Lascannons are good as well. You should be able to field at least two of these for the cost of one eldar flyer. 

 

Something else that works really well is fortifications. 

[Panzer]

The Hunter could work nicely against FLY vehicles. It's a durable Lascannon hitting on 2+ (if no negative modifier) with a re-roll to it after all.

[Jolemai]

I realise that I have started off the talk of alternatives, but sometimes you don't have to out-do an opponent at their game.

 

That said, I am interested to know which of our newer Flyers would fair better against Eldar :blush:

[Are Verlo]

FW is kind of expensive in cash (£/$) , but a sicaran battletank could do some work. As a added bonus if will never suffer minus to hit vs flyers (is it alaitoc that gives -1?)

[Karhedron]

If you want an aircraft specifically then the Storm Hawk is probably the best non FW bet. If you are just looking to counter skimmers generally then melee is seriously worth considering as it bypasses the Alaitoc -1 to hit as well as Wave Serpent fields. I play Eldar as well and my Serpents fear melee more than firepower despite 8th being a "shooty" edition.

[Jorin Helm-splitter]

I don't think trying to fight fire with fire is wise in this case. Venoms, Raiders, Hemlocks, etc. are key units for Eldar, whereas post faq/chapter approved I don't know if a marine flyer would rate. You have some incredible jump pack melee and that is probably your best option.

 

I'd say the stormhawk would be the better option, if that is the route you decide to go in. 

[Kasper_Hawser]

Stormhawk will also be good by virtue that he doesn't have vehicles but has a LOT of skimmers or units with the FLY word, then you'll eat him for lunch. Lastalon, Twin Assault cannon and Typhoon will ensure a sturdy gun platform that will be useful towards everything. Plus it doesn't look half bad compared to the toaster Stormtalon or boxy Storm raven.

Edited December 22, 2017 by Kasper_Hawser

[Arkhanist]

If FW is an option then the Xiphon is worth a look; it's a pretty cost effective 2+ to hit twin lascannon and missile platform against flyers.

[Zuri Prime]

Really though, a Stormhawk Interceptor or two will absolutely rock a Dark Eldar player, and give a Craftworlds player pause.

[Charlo]

Do Mortis Dreads still get the bonus to hit flying if they stand still?

 

If so, you can get a Relic Mortis Contemptor with 4 Lascannon shots that hit on 2+....!

 

May even be able to pop a Cyclone Missile Launcher on top too, might be in the FAQ? (Or Typhoon... I forget which one it is on the dread now).

Edited December 22, 2017 by Charlo

[BloodTzar]

I do face Eldar a lot, with flyer heavy list; I am shifting back to "DoA" type , where I spam las preds with sang/DC anvil/hammer type.

Eldar is one of the best anti flyer armies out there; allays hit on 3 - S8D3 rockets, S10autohit flamers, smite spammers...

 

~BT

[dakkamasta]

My most frequent opponent plays Dark Eldar and Harlequins as his main armies and all I can say is that my two Stormhawks have been horrifyingly effective against his vehicles. Due to mainly having low toughness, 4+ save and 5+ invul (4+ for the harlequin stuff), any weapon with an AP better than -1 is wasted, which is where the skyhammer missiles and icarus stormcannon shine the most. They also counter their mobility since I find these vehicles tend to kite you around the board with their high movement values. Considering that those weapons hit these units on 2's (3's if it's a venom, starweaver or flyer) they are incredibly efficient at bringing them down.