DE: The Hemlock and the Crimson Hunter

Space banshees screaming you to death.

Hi everyone.  I've been working on two lists right now that feature both the Hemlock in one list and Crimson Hunters in another list.  My favorite setup right now for the Crimson Hunter is just the stock version with 2x Bright Lances.  They still hit on 3s even with Heavy weapons because of their innate BS of 2+, so they are one of the best damage dealers in the game vs. Flyer units.  They're pretty cheap if you consider their firepower, they can be buffed with Guide and their Pulse Laser is one of the best damage weapons in the game.  The big thing here is that the 3 dmg base is a very damaging weapon vs. anything that has 3-wounds base.  This includes Wraithguard, Nob Bikerz, Crisis Suits, you know, the same units that I think are going to well in this edition.  When you have a weapon that does 2 dmg, you're not quite there and any damage you do on a 3-wound target is slightly wasted.

As for the Hemlock, I don't think this thing needs any introduction.  S10 is a very magical number because this means that you still wound T5 things on 2+.  The AP-4 is just icing on the cake, but the thing that matters the most of the unit is the fact that you have auto-hits with 2D3 with 2-damage each.  I guess you can't have everything, but the fact that you can Overwatch with auto-hitting weapons is just ridiculous against anything trying to melee you in flight.  To make things even more ridiculous, the Hemlock can cast Conceal on itself for a further -1 to hit on top of Hard to Hit, which makes him -2 to hit from ranged attacks.  At T6, 12W, ignoring any BS degradation when taking damage, and Spirit Stones to boot, this is one of the best fighters in the game.  Not to mention that everything around 12" of these guys are automatically at -1 leadership because of Mindshock Pods.  When you combine this with DE PGLs, you can inflict some serious debuffs during the enemy morale phase.  What can I say?  I love the model, I love the lore, and I love how effective they are now in the new edition.  I'm taking two, end of story.

With that said, here's my new list:

1998
Ynnari Spearhead - 4 CP

HQ:
Farseer = 113

TROOP:
5x Warriors, Blaster, PGL = 53
5x Warriors, Blaster, PGL = 53
Raider, Dark Lance, Shock Prow = 116
222

ELITE:
5x Wraithguard, D-Scythes = 225
Wave Serpent, VEngines, Stones, 3x Shuriken = 163
388

5x Wraithguard, D-Scythes = 225
Wave Serpent, VEngines, Stones, 3x Shuriken = 163
388

FLYER:
Hemlock Wraithfighter = 211
Hemlock Wraithfighter = 211

HEAVY:
Ravager, 3x Dark Lance = 155
Ravager, 3x Dark Lance = 155
Ravager, 3x Dark Lance = 155

You'll immediately notice here is that I'm dropping my Battalion detachment for a more elite list.  I only have 2 units of 5-man Warrior squads in a single Raider for troops, Wraithguard with D-Scythes that auto-hit and 2x Hemlocks to do their business against the enemy.  The 3x Ravagers allow me to maintain long-range anti-big stuff pressure, and the Farseer can drop from the Wave Serpents to cast Doom on enemy targets while casting Guide on my Wave Serpents.  Overall, I'm super happy with this list and I think I'm going to practice with it in my next game.

Eldar rules the skies.

Next, here's a Crimson Hunter list that might be effective against enemy Flyers.  They're cheaper than the Wraithfighters, and gives me a little more flexibility through having 2x SC Venoms.

1996
Ynnari Spearhead - 4 CP

HQ:
Farseer = 113

TROOP:
5x Warriors, Blaster, PGL = 53
Venom, 2x Splinter Cannon = 95
148

5x Warriors, Blaster, PGL = 53
Venom, 2x Splinter Cannon = 95
148

ELITE:
5x Wraithguard, D-Scythes = 225
Wave Serpent, VEngines, 3x Shuriken = 153
378

5x Wraithguard, D-Scythes = 225
Wave Serpent, VEngines, 3x Shuriken = 153
378

FLYER:
Crimson Hunter, 2x Brightlance = 183
Crimson Hunter, 2x Brightlance = 183

HEAVY:
Ravager, 3x Dark Lance = 155
Ravager, 3x Dark Lance = 155
Ravager, 3x Dark Lance = 155

Well, what do you guys think?  Which list do you think is better and more flexible?  I'm personally leaning towards the Wraithfighters, but the Crimson Hunters do some serious work against Flyers (cough, enemy Mechdar).