Wigglehost by Cool Car Inc
Total Points: 1995
Army Analysis
Strategic Analysis
Army Grade
Army Strength
This list's primary strength is its exceptional mobility and overwhelming alpha strike potential. The combination of multiple Swooping Hawk and Warp Spider squads allows for unparalleled board control and secondary objective play. They can strike where needed and redeploy, making them a constant nuisance for the opponent.
The core threat is the 10-man Fire Dragon squad led by Fuegan, delivered via the Falcon grav-tank. This combination is capable of obliterating the most durable vehicle or monster in the game in a single volley, crippling an opponent's strategy from the outset. The inclusion of three other Phoenix Lords with their Aspects provides further specialized and highly effective damage output against a variety of targets.
Army Weakness
The army's defining weakness is its profound fragility. The vast majority of units have Toughness 3 and mediocre saves, meaning they will crumble under any amount of focused firepower. This list cannot afford to engage in prolonged firefights or wars of attrition.
Furthermore, the list is heavily reliant on its alpha strike. If the Falcon carrying the Fire Dragons is destroyed before it can deliver its payload, the army loses its primary anti-tank solution and a significant portion of its offensive power. The high number of characters also makes it susceptible to giving up full points on the Assassinate secondary objective.
Overview
This is a classic Aeldari "glass cannon" list that epitomizes the concept of a surgical strike force. The game plan is to use extreme mobility to dictate the flow of battle, score secondary objectives with ease, and deliver a devastating alpha strike to remove a critical enemy asset. Success hinges on precise target prioritization, careful positioning to mitigate the army's fragility, and the successful delivery of the Fire Dragon unit. It's a high-risk, high-reward army that is powerful but unforgiving of mistakes.
List Balance
The list is heavily skewed towards fast, fragile, and specialized units. It invests a significant number of points (over a quarter of the army) into characters, creating powerful hero-led squads but also concentrating power in a few key places. While there are dedicated units for anti-vehicle (Fire Dragons), anti-elite (Dark Reapers), and anti-infantry (Warp Spiders), there is a distinct lack of durable, general-purpose units to hold the frontline. The balance comes from having a tool for every job, but each tool is delicate and must be used with precision.
Statistics
- Total Points: 1995
- Total Units: 20
- Total Models: 77
- Characters: 5
- Battleline: 2
Critical Units (Auto-Includes)
- Fire Dragons & Fuegan: The army's primary anti-tank solution and alpha strike tool. Their success is paramount.
- Falcon: The delivery system for the Fire Dragons. Protecting it until it can deploy its cargo is a top priority.
- Swooping Hawks & Warp Spiders: These units are the engine for scoring secondary objectives and controlling the board through mobility.
Anti-Vehicle
- Fire Dragons
- Fuegan
- Falcon
- Wave Serpent
Anti-Elite
- Dark Reapers
- Maugan Ra
- Howling Banshees
- Jain Zar
- Corsair Voidreavers (Neuro disruptor)
Elite
- Eldrad Ulthran
- Fuegan
- Jain Zar
- Lhykhis
- Maugan Ra
- Fire Dragons
- Dark Reapers
- Howling Banshees
Infantry
- Corsair Voidreavers (x2)
- Dark Reapers
- Fire Dragons
- Howling Banshees
- Rangers (x2)
- Swooping Hawks (x3)
- Warp Spiders (x3)
Role - Fire Overwatch
- Warp Spiders (Devastating Wounds)
- Fire Dragons (if positioned correctly)
- Dark Reapers
Role - Screening & Chaff
- Rangers
- Corsair Voidreavers
Ability - Scout
- Rangers (Scout 7")
Ability - Infiltrators
- Rangers
Unmatched Mobility
With three units each of Swooping Hawks and Warp Spiders, plus grav-tanks and infiltrating Rangers, the army can dictate the pace and location of engagements, ensuring it can always strike at the most opportune targets while dominating secondary objectives.
Devastating Alpha Strike
The Fire Dragon 'bomb' is one of the most reliable and powerful anti-tank tools in the game. Successfully eliminating a key enemy lynchpin unit on turn 1 or 2 can decide the game before it truly begins.
Extreme Fragility
Nearly every unit in the army is T3 with a 4+ or 5+ save. Any sustained fire, particularly from anti-infantry weapons with high volume or Blast, will inflict heavy casualties. The army cannot afford to be caught out of position.
Single Point of Failure
A significant portion of the army's anti-tank capability is invested in the Fire Dragon unit and its transport. If an opponent can neutralize the Falcon early, the list will struggle to deal with heavy armor for the rest of the game.
Secondary Objective Dominance
The sheer number of fast, redeploying units (Hawks, Spiders) means you can consistently score secondaries like Engage On All Fronts, Behind Enemy Lines, or various action-based objectives with minimal risk, bleeding points from the opponent all game.
Exploit Terrain
Use the army's high movement to jump between ruins and line-of-sight blocking terrain. This mitigates your fragility and allows you to set up perfect firing angles while protecting your key assets from retaliation.
Losing the First Turn
If the opponent goes first and has significant long-range, high-strength firepower, they can potentially destroy your transports or key units before they have a chance to act, severely crippling your game plan.
Effective Screening
An opponent who can effectively screen their deployment zone and key assets can deny a landing spot for your Falcon. This forces your Fire Dragons to arrive far from their ideal target, reducing the impact of your alpha strike.
Army Strength
This Aeldari army possesses incredible speed and surgical precision. Its main strength lies in its ability to project threat anywhere on the board with units like Warp Spiders and Swooping Hawks, which are exceptional at scoring secondary objectives. The core offensive threat is a massive unit of Fire Dragons that will almost certainly arrive from Deep Strike inside a Falcon and can reliably destroy any single target they choose.
Army Weakness
The army's greatest weakness is its universal fragility. The majority of its units are Toughness 3 with poor armor saves. They cannot withstand concentrated fire. Applying pressure across the board and forcing them to make saves will quickly erode their numbers. The army relies on not being hit; once engaged in a fair fight, it will lose.
Overview
You are facing a classic Aeldari scalpel. Expect them to avoid direct confrontation, instead using their mobility to outmaneuver you, score points, and eliminate your key units with specialized squads. Your goal is to blunt this scalpel. Weather the initial alpha strike, screen your important units, and punish their fragile models whenever they expose themselves. This army cannot win a war of attrition; force them into one.
Army Rule
The Path of Command (Fate Dice): At the start of the game, they roll a number of D6s (this list will have 12 + 3 from Eldrad = 15) and keep the results. Once per phase, they can substitute one of their own dice rolls (Hit, Wound, Damage, Save, etc.) with one of these Fate Dice. This makes their key actions incredibly reliable. Expect them to use a '6' to guarantee a crucial damage roll from a melta weapon or to pass a critical saving throw.
Detachment Rule
Unparalleled Foresight (Battle Host): Each time an Aeldari unit from this army is selected to shoot or fight, it can re-roll one Hit roll and one Wound roll. This provides consistent, reliable damage output from every unit, making even their small arms a potential threat.
Core Flaws
The army's core flaw is its dependence on a single, powerful combo (the Fire Dragon bomb) and its complete lack of durability. It has very few wounds on the table for a 2000-point army and relies on avoiding damage rather than tanking it. High-volume, low-AP firepower is extremely effective against them. Furthermore, its reliance on characters makes it an easy target for the Assassinate secondary.
Top 3 Priority Targets (Kill Order)
- Falcon: This is priority number one. It contains the Fire Dragons. If you can destroy it before it deploys its cargo, you have neutralized the army's biggest threat.
- Eldrad Ulthran: As the Warlord and a psychic powerhouse, he is the engine that provides extra Fate Dice. Eliminating him reduces the reliability of the entire Aeldari army.
- Dark Reapers / Maugan Ra: This unit is the primary source of anti-elite infantry firepower. Removing them will allow your own heavy infantry to operate with much greater freedom.
Counter-Deployment & Movement Cues
Your primary goal in deployment is to screen out Deep Strike. Use cheap units to create a 9" bubble around your valuable assets and deployment zone to limit where the Falcon can land. Place your key units out of line-of-sight or as far back as possible to protect them from a potential first-turn assault if the Aeldari player gets it. Be wary of their Rangers; use your own infiltrators to push them back and reclaim board space.