Since Wraithguard don't see very well, you must provide a Seer for them, or else they will sit out the turn on a roll of 1. A squad this expensive can't be left sitting around, since they will probably only get to use those fancy weapons once or twice per battle anyways. I always give them a Warlock or Spirit Seer. A Singing Spear has the same range as a Wraithcannon and nearly the same chance of causing damage to a vehicle or opposing model, but don't feel slighted if you don't have the points to add one. Just give your Warlock a close combat weapon and a special warlock power and off you go. Conceal is great for helping your walking Wraithguard survive the heavier-style weaponry that is likely to be leveled at them and works even better if you can get a nearby Farseer to cast Fortune on them. Enhance is a good choice if you expect your Wraithguard to enter Close Combat with creatures that are less than 5 in both Weapon Skill and Initiative. Destructor is handy if your Wraithguard will be traveling by Wave Serpent and jumping out close enough to make use of the flamer template. As always, when firing a squad with mixed weaponry- resolve the template weapon(s) first. If you don't, your opponent might remove the casualties closest to your flamer model or pull models that are conveniently bunched together just begging to have a blast template positioned over them.
For mobile Wraithguard, I will cast Fortune on a Wave Serpent full of these behemoths and send them the full 24 inches toward the enemy vehicles and/or heavy squads. Placing the vehicle, I try to set it up so that if the Wraithguard exit the vehicle and go 2 inches LEFT they are within 12 inches of an enemy squad, if they exit 2 inches to the RIGHT of the hatchway, they are just out of 12 inch range. If the Wave Serpent gets blown away, their fortuned 3+ save should help keep them intact and the direction you jump them out of the vehicle can control some of what happens next.
The Assault Buddy System. To keep Close Combat decisive, I will use a second (or buddy) squad to assault along side them. The buddy squad will sometimes be marching along side (or behind) the Wraithguard but is more often traveling in a nearby Wave Serpent. This arrangement provides the following benefits:
The Bait and Switch. Similar to the Assault Buddy technique above, this strategy also involves a second squad. The Wraithguard are the bait and a second assault-style squad with be the switch. Move the Wraithguard and the switch squad into position during the movement phase. Try to position the Wraithguard so that when you assault your opponent with your switch squad, the Wraithguard will be shielded from enemy fire by the close combat. Resolve any shots against their targets, then charge the switch squad into Close Combat and have your Ghost Warriors squat down a bit so they can't be seen (or targeted) over all those swinging chainswords and pistols.
With any luck your opponent won't be able to target them next turn and you'll get a chance to suck a few more enemy models into the Warp with those fancy Wraithcannons!
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My Ruale Army uses the Iyanden rules, so Wraithguard are included on ALL my Ruale Army Lists. Deciding to add an expensive squad like Wraithguard to any other Eldar Army List can be a difficult decision. If your opponent comes up with a potent means of killing them, he can rack up points in a hurry. With my Ulthwe army I will consider using them against just about ANY opponent, especially Tyranids (I like the 'instant kill' Wraithcannon rule against Tyranid Guard, Hive Tyrants and Carnifex) and Imperial Guard with lots of vehicles (glance on a 4, penetrate on a 5+).
The weapon of choice for these ghosts is the Wraithcannon, the closest thing in the Eldar arsenal to a 'perfect' weapon. High strength (6), low AP (1) used with a Ballistic Skill of 4 to let them hit something on a 3+. In addition, any hit has the potential of damaging a vehicle (regardless of armour) or killing a model (regardless of wounds). If it had a range of more than 12 inches, then Wraithguard would most likely be the most sought-after units in the Warhammer 40k universe. As it is, using the weapon means that the unit is in assault range, leading me to the option that all Wraithguard units need: A Warlock.
If I use a squad in a Wave Serpent, I will deploy them in partial cover ('hull-down') with the front/side armour exposed to avoid devastating blows. If I use a walking squad, I will keep them toward the front of the battle line to get their Wraithcannon in range as soon as possible. If the enemy has some serious firepower to throw at them, I will deploy them behind a Guardian Defender squad to keep them from taking too much fire the first few turns.
With a walking unit of Wraithguard I keep them moving each turn. Wraithcannon can't do much damage from more than 12 inches away. The direction I move them has to do with opportunity. The Wraithguard do best when shooting multi-wound/high toughness opponents and assaulting mediocre-save, low toughness opponents. I try to move them into position to do both.
Although their ballistic skill is already a respectable 4, it is important to get as many hits as possible to maximize the possibility of an 'instant-death-six' wounding roll. For this reason, I will sometimes have a Farseer cast Guide on the Wraithguard to let them re-roll their misses and make their few shots count.
Due to their small numbers and few attacks, rarely will a close combat involving Wraithguard end quickly in your favor. Their strength, toughness, good save and fearless nature will help them do favorably in most assaults, but it usually takes a few turns. For this reason, I usually do one of two things when they get into assault range...
