Completely new to High Elves

[Zachar1as]

So I started warhammer probably like 5-6 years ago, and have played on and off with my lizardmen army. I've been thinking about branching out and looking into a new army. Ive narrowed it down to elves in general, I've been researching, High Elf lists, tactics, prices, etc. I have also been diving into dark elves as well as high elves. Although im leaning more towards High elves or Dark elves. Im hoping that you guys can help me make a decision. I would like a competitive army, I really enjoy the magic phase, and I wanna play a more shooting heavy army if viable. Ive always been a infantry lover over cav but open to suggestions. If I was to be looking to start around the 1500 point range is there viable lists or I guess strong lists that have a good amount of infantry, a lot of shooting, and great magic? Any help or advice in going forward would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks

[Jimmy]

Well naturally I think you'll get a lot of High Elves responses here. Dark Elves can certainly put out a higher volume of fire but that's certainly not to say High Elves can't run a heavy shooting list. I won't go into details if I think it's effective or not however it certainly can be done.

We look far prettier than our dark kin anyway so there's your answer right away. High Elves.

[Zachar1as]

Hey there Jimmy, I appreciate the response. I've in fact, been leaning towards high elves, I agree with you on looks, my main concern is from browsing the forums seeing them be a bit cookie cutter for lack of a better word. I see lots of big cavalry buses, Id really like to make a competitive list that isnt a ton of cav. Is there any strong builds that dont have as much cav in the list?

[RE.Lee]

Well if you look closely most of those Cav Buses are actually White Lion deathstars Seriously, there are several good builds based around infantry - most people use White Lions, but the Phoenix Guard are also growing in popularity, while Swordmasters have their followers as well - being utilized primarily (but not exclusively!) in MSU lists. There really isn't a netlist for the High Elves at them moment, I think.

[Zachar1as]

Funny you say that, The white lion models are what attracted me to the High Elves in the first place. In these White lion deathstars how many do people run for great effectiveness? Whats the best to run them in 7x3? In my warhammer circle, Ill be playing WoC probably the most, and Ogres, Dwarfs, Wood Elves, and High Elves. Im most worried about the WoC.

[roryday4]

To deal with WoC I'd recommend bringing an archmage of metal, and a load of Phoenix guard, due to their ward saves (which won't be negated by marauders with great weapons) from there, build as you see fit

[Vermillion]

To deal with WoC I'd recommend bringing an archmage of metal, and a load of Phoenix guard, due to their ward saves (which won't be negated by marauders with great weapons) from there, build as you see fit

Won't see many GW marauders anymore, usually nurgle halberd warriors as core infantry now backed up with chariots

[Zachar1as]

Its it bad to run a big block of White Lions with a Phoenix kind of as the anvil?

[RE.Lee]

An army with a 2 decently sized blocks (21-28) of infantry (PG and WL mostly) is becoming a very popular army build. Axiem plays it so check out his battle reports. Check out my blog to learn how I got battered by Empire but still had a lot of fun

A deathstar would be much bigger (around 40) and usually includes a number of characters, with High Archmages/Everqueen and a BSB a common sight.

EDIT: I got confused about Furion's list.

[Ratvan]

What you run really depends on what type of army you like to play, as RE. Lee says there really isn't a standard list for any playstyle although large WL blocks are popular. For instance I play a shooting heavy fast MSU list that I still need to write bat reps for (3 from 3 at latest local tournament - placed 4th due to better results from other players)

[Zachar1as]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Ratvan what im looking to do is see if the way I play is viable for competitive play base around less cav. Basically these are things ive already made up my mind about if I was to play High Elves. First is White Lions, I love the models, love the great weapons. I might be interested in running this as a so called deathstar. I really love the phoenix guard models, but is it really possible to get a 25+ unit of WL with an PG type anvil? I like the normal spearmen, but see lots of folks dont find they are worth it. Whats the optimal number of archers to have. I'd love to have a more shooting heavy list, I would definitely use 2+ Bolt throwers. I like the frost phoenix. Im not a big MSU type of guy, I prefer blocks of stuff. I wouldnt mind having some cav, I just dont want 9+ core cav, and 9+ special cav. Id like a more infantry type army. Is there any solid possibilities built around that, or is it pretty weak in comparison to the cav heavy lists? Thanks again for the responses, ive learned a lot here so far.

[Ratvan]

Its definitely viable and can work well, I prefer LSG over archers and spears but a large Spear block can work, you'll need to support it well with magic however as our core is fairly weak but with Wildform or Mindrazor can perform great on the table. Really from what I can see is you want a combined arms approach focusing on Elite Infantry

[Loucipher]

(...)what im looking to do is see if the way I play is viable for competitive play base around less cav.

From what I see here, people tend to field infantry armies in two ways: either as a solid gunline with maxed out RBTs and archery, coupled with MSU hard-hitters, or as a classical "hammer and anvil" with shooty support. Thing is, our current army book allows both, and there's potential in either type of army.

Basically these are things ive already made up my mind about if I was to play High Elves. First is White Lions, I love the models, love the great weapons. I might be interested in running this as a so called deathstar.

That's the way many HE players use them. If you build on them, keep them well-protected with the BotWD, however, and keep their flanks covered. They'll pay you for this unleashing zounds of S6 hits on anything that crosses their path

I really love the phoenix guard models, but is it really possible to get a 25+ unit of WL with an PG type anvil?

Depends on the points, but seeing as many tournaments are played with army lists worth around 2,4-2,5k, the answer would be yes. An anvil of 24 (6x4) PG coupled with a hammer of 28 (7x4) WLs, both with FCG, and with BotWD for the WL (manadatory IMHO), will run you 834 points. That's about 70% of what you can use on Special choices for a 2,4K army.

I like the normal spearmen, but see lots of folks dont find they are worth it.

I'll use a quote from the excellent analysis by rothgar13:

My opinion on these guys is go big or go home - either you pack a block of 35+ that can either break Steadfast or drown people in a deluge of attacks (hopefully buffed so that they actually damage armored/tough troops), or you leave them on the shelf.

That's pretty much nuff said. Read the whole thing here if you want to know more about what's worth deploying, and how.

Whats the optimal number of archers to have. I'd love to have a more shooting heavy list, I would definitely use 2+ Bolt throwers.

If you want this, aim for the gunline. 4 RBTs will cost you 280 points, plus as many blocks of 15 Archers as you need to fill cores. Oh, remember to field Sisters of Avelorn as well. ~20 SoA fits in nicely with 4 RBTs. Top off with MSU hard-hitting deflectors that you'll need to shield your gunline from HtH. You can use both Cavalry and Infantry units for that.

I like the frost phoenix.

Who doesn't Flying, terror causing, with in-built Ward save, and hits as hard as a Moon Dragon, just one less time. This is, it does have a hefty price tag even for a Rare choice (though it does cost less than a Moon Dragon), so if you think about fielding a Frosty, don't count on many RBTs and/or Sisters, especially in various comped tournament setups (in ETC, unridden Frosties get special comping attention drawn to them).

Im not a big MSU type of guy, I prefer blocks of stuff.

Thing is, with the new Martial Prowess rule, almost anything can be fielded as a solid block and guaranteed to fight in at least 3 ranks. Some units are just better at this role than others. Swordmasters of Hoeth do lose some of their tooth when fielded in deep formations. White Lions and Phoenix Guards, on the other hand, lose none.

I wouldnt mind having some cav, I just dont want 9+ core cav, and 9+ special cav.

A few squads of Reavers/Silver Helms are always handy, if only for flanking, and blocking march moves. Reavers in particular excel at this. Field 2 squads of five, and you virtually can't go wrong.

Id like a more infantry type army. Is there any solid possibilities built around that, or is it pretty weak in comparison to the cav heavy lists? Thanks again for the responses, ive learned a lot here so far.

I'm more of the cavalry type myself, but given that the 8th edition has shifted the power balance towards infantry in general, I find many infantry builds more viable than ever. For some people, even spearmen/LSG can work well if they have a solid idea on how to use them. You need to have a concept of how exactly you want to play, and then use the right tools for the job. I can assure you our new book has all of them.

[Zachar1as]

Thanks Loucipher, very very informative and you cleared lots of my doubts. So this is kind of the list im gearing towards building. 30ish archers, whats the best formation to run these? ive seen 5x3, is that the way to go? 2x 5 reavers, is bows worth it, or is just the spears better to roll with? 8 Silverhelms, so i can have a bit of punch and because a box of 8 is fairly priced compared to other cav. 20 PG, 28 WL, 2-3 bolt throwers and a frostbird. Whats the best route to go for hero/lord choices. I really love the magic phase, its what first attracted me to lizards, and id like a similar magic heavy list with HE. How many nobles should I get, and is 2 mages worth running like a lvl 4 and a lvl 2 with a different lore? Another question I have is there any instance where a prince or noble can be geared to withstand challenges from chaos. Thats the biggest worry I have is playing against WoC and getting rolled.

[Loucipher]

Thanks Loucipher, very very informative and you cleared lots of my doubts.

Glad I can be of help. Doing my best

So this is kind of the list im gearing towards building. 30ish archers, whats the best formation to run these? ive seen 5x3, is that the way to go?

From personal experience, two smaller units of Archers are better than one big unit. Both options cost the same points (you pay for 30 buddies with longbows anyway), but:
- two smaller units are easier to deploy and manoeuvre with (half the frontage means less space occupied and easier wheeling, and if you deploy two units some distance away, the enemy must split his efforts or concentrate on one, leaving the other to plink away with impunity)
- you can shoot 2 targets instead of one (this limits overkill especially against armies that use many small "chaff" units)
- if your archers get charged and slaughtered in HtH, you don't lose all of them at once, just the one unit that got caught.
The downside is that you'll need two separate buffs, or a bubble-cast buff, in order to increase their firepower should you need this. For most roles, however (killing low-armour rank-and-files, and clearing weaker chaff) this will not be a big issue.

2x 5 reavers, is bows worth it, or is just the spears better to roll with?

Their bows are S3, just as longbows, so it's the same killing potential. Less range, but you're usually bound to be within range anyways - sometimes even closer than 12" for close-range shooting. I'd say depends on the role you see for them. I usually try to have bows on them. If I don't expect them to go into melee (pure shooter/redirector/march blocker), I could then swap spears for bows to shave off the points.

8 Silverhelms, so i can have a bit of punch and because a box of 8 is fairly priced compared to other cav.

Silver Helms also have a 5+ unit size, and they claim extra rank only 5 models wide. I'd go for 2 x 5, similarly with Reavers. Alternatively, put a Noble with something magical in them, and use them against weak-to-medium enemies.

20 PG, 28 WL, 2-3 bolt throwers and a frostbird.

In the end, it looks like a "jack-of-all-trades" army list. Built around hammer & anvil strategy, with some shooting, some flying, and some HtH power. The key word is "some"... which does not necessarily mean "enough".

Whats the best route to go for hero/lord choices. I really love the magic phase, its what first attracted me to lizards, and id like a similar magic heavy list with HE. How many nobles should I get, and is 2 mages worth running like a lvl 4 and a lvl 2 with a different lore?

Having 2400 points to work with, I managed to squeeze an Archmage, a Mage, a Prince, and a BSB Noble into a roster. You should be able to do likewise. Maybe an Archmage, two Mages, and 2 Nobles (one BSB) might even be viable?
Anyway, if you want a strong magic phase, one Archmage, and two supporting mages are the way to go. The other two need not be Lv2, they might go Lv1, and together with an Archmage, divide up all the lore spells, or select another lore with good signatures, and use them if they do not roll anything valuable. A High Magic Archmage with two Beast auxiliaries can work very well, but that's just an example. I'd put them among the archers, or in the anvil unit to take advantage of the ward saves.
As for the Nobles, you'll definitely need at least one, and that is the Battle Standard Bearer. If you can squeeze in another one, and put him in the anvil/hammer unit, so much the better.

Another question I have is there any instance where a prince or noble can be geared to withstand challenges from chaos. Thats the biggest worry I have is playing against WoC and getting rolled.

A short answer: forget it.
A longer answer: forget it unless you boast at least 3++ ward save, and sneak in a buff or two. Preferably both.
High Elves usually don't survive challenges because of our single biggest deficiency: low Toughness. A Chaos Lord or an Exalted Hero routinely wounds us on 2+, and he doesn't even need magic items for that. The former even hits our Prince on 3+. We hit them on 4+ (with rerolls, nonetheless), and wound on 5+ (Chaos Lord) or 4+ (Exalted Hero) before any modifiers from weapons/buffs/other sources apply. And don't even think about taking on Daemon Prince... it's like trying to stop an 18-wheeler with a wooden barrier.

[Zachar1as]

Loucipher great points! So heres a list ive sorta generated based on the models im for sure going to buy. If you could let me know some of the options to make for a pretty competitive list that would be great

LORDS
Archmage
lvl 4

HEROES
NOBLE
BSB

CORE
15 Archers
mus

15 Archers
mus

SPECIAL
28 White Lions
FC, BotWD

RARE
Bolt Thrower

Bolt Thrower

Great Eagle

Frosthear Phoenix

that would put me around 1400, if im trying to get a 2400 point solid list, what way you take the core and the special. Im growing on cav, I really like the models I just dont want a majority of my army cav. Is 3 bolt throwers viable and would it be beneficial to add some sisters in my rare choice? the only thing im set on is at least 2 bolt throwers. I will probably want to run 2 mages, a lower level 1 or 2 with metal to help with all the armored armies that are in my warhammer circle. I really dont like chariots of any type so im ruling those out. I also am not a huge fan of sword masters. Im a huge fan of a shooting heavy list so anything to add to that would be great, as long as its not overkill and the list can still be competitve. Is this a good base if these are all models, and units Id really like to the play with or would be harder to tailor a competitive list with a base like this?

[Loucipher]

Hmmm. Now that I see your list, my impression is that you're aiming for a gunline - especially that you yourself stated that you are a fan of such list. This is not a bad idea, but I have a few comments/questions - maybe I can get you thinking about some additional choices/tactics:
1. I assume you're not fielding only the archmage. No matter what Lore you take, you risk not rolling the spells you'd want to have. Besides, if that one Archmage fails to cast, you cannot use the remaining dice. Plus, anything that might happen to him (an unlucky miscast or something) makes your army powerless magically. You say "2 mages". I say "yes, at least". From my experience, 3 is the optimum number, and possible to field in 2400 roster.
2. What role do you envision for the Hero that is not BSB? I had an impression that you'd use him to bolster the hammer (so that the BSB can stay with the anvil), but I can't see any hammer unit in your list as of now.
3. Why musicians for Archers? They do allow quick reforms, and give +1 to Rally, but that implies you'd want to move them, and change formation with them. 3x5 is optimal, and with 30" range, there should be no need to move the Archers - if there is a need to reform/reposition the Archers urgently, something has gone clearly wrong.
4. Why just 2 Bolt Throwers? A gunline roster usually has at least 3, often 4. I assume this is in order to squeeze in the unridden Eagle and Frosty. Maybe it's worth making one of the beasts mounted (sacrificing some of the Hero/Lord points for that), and increase the number of RBTs and/or add Sisters of Avelorn into the mix?
5. Honestly, I am also a bit shy of the Chariots, so I cannot really challenge your thinking about them. I hear that they can work wonders in a "fast and hard" setup (accompanying cavalry and other fast units), but for me, they are too much of a glass cannon - their Impact Hits are a wee bit unreliable (and you cannot even give them scythes for that +1 Impact Hit) and too easy to destroy (I remember a battle against the Druchii where the Cold One Chariot was mercilessly sliced into wooden splinters by a unit of Swordmasters, and that was 6th edition, with no supporting attacks from the rear, mind ya). I am sure others will chime in on how you can include Chariots in your battle line.
6. I can, and will, challenge your thinking on the Swordmasters. They are one of my favourite special choices, and the 8th Edition has given them a real punch: even with ASL/ASF cancel-out, their Initiative allows them to go first versus almost anything but other Elves, and they've got 2 attacks per model, being the only unit thus blessed beside the Dragon Princes. Just 5 of them nets you 10 S5 attacks (11 if you include Bladelord, which is IMHO a good bargain at 10 pts). Against fast chaff the enemy might use to block your archers, two of these units will be deadly. Just keep them nearby your archers... and when something wanders near, charge them in and watch the carnage.
7. Once more to the cores: as much as you don't want your list cavalry-heavy, I'd advise you to take some. A successful gunline is not all about shooting - it's about buying you enough time for your shooting/magic departments to really take a toll on the enemy. You will succeed if, and only if, your gunline disrupts, decimates and disorganizes the enemy so that only a few remains hit your line piecemeal, making it easy for you to dispose of them. This is a matter of firepower (enough shooting units, and enough mages), but more importantly, it's a matter of time. If the enemy can reach you, and start charging at you as soon as Turn 3, you're obviously doing it wrong. You must be able to stall him until Turn 4, and ideally, until Turn 5. Now, flying units can help, but cavalry (especially the Ellyrian Reavers) are equally good at it, but cheaper. You can deploy them on the edge of your DZ, move them 12" towards the enemy using the Vanguard move (blocking similar moves by the enemy if you're fast enough - the Vanguard units cannot move within 12" from each other), then, move them back (or to the side) a bit, blocking their march moves, redirecting charges, and peppering them with arrows. If you do it long enough, and smart enough, the enemy might take 4 turns just trying to cross the field and get to you - all the while your gunline blasts away. A line or two of Silver Helms can also be nice, for localized counterattacks (with a mounted hero, a 8-10 SH unit may even be your hammer, and significantly more mobile than any infantry unit you might envision for that role).

Basically: if you want to build a gunline, you can do it with the models you listed, but you'll need to add something to that list. Just remember two things: you'll need something to defend your gunline with, and something to slow the enemy down as he comes to you. Magic and shooting alone won't win you battles.

[Bolt Thrower]

Loucipher is doling out some great advice. Some things I would add (or just agree with) are:

1. As you grow to 2400, based on the playstyle you seem to be after, I'd definitely get the RBT count up to 3-4. I would also add the Sisters anywhere from 7-10. The higher strength bows with flaming can really boost your overall shooting effectiveness against regen units/models.

2. As your core needs to increase, I'd lean more towards reavers in order to drop your eagle from rare to open up points for my thought above.

3. I wouldn't rule out a large unit of archers (30 models). I've run that with some strong results starting as a horde formation 10x3 and then reforming to ranks of 5 when enemies move in. They always perform better in close combat than expected! The main drawback is not being able to have multiple targets when shooting with them, however when I have brought two units I find I often end up shooting them at the same thing more often than not. With 3-4 RBT and a unit of sisters, you should have plenty of targeting power.

4. I find Phoenix Guard units even as low as 20 models are survivable and would be able to stick and support your more fearsome lion unit.

5. Don't forget the Reaver bow!

[Zachar1as]

Wow, alot of great information there. I really appreciate the response. I actually love your criticism, I would love to run 3-4 bolt throwers. Do you find these pretty reliable in these numbers. I actually loved a lot of the suggestions both you made and this is kind of the route I was thinking of going base off those suggestions.

LORDS
Archmage
lvl 4, Book of Hoeth, Reaver Bow 300

Noble
Gw, Armor of Caledor 196

HEROES
Noble
BSB, not really sure how to build him...

Mage 170
lvl 2, DS, Reaver Bow


CORE
15 Archers 150

15 Archers 150

8 Silverhelms 204
Mus, Standard, Shields

5 Reavers 85
Bows

5 Reavers 85
Bows


SPECIAL
28 White Lions
FC, BotWD 444

20 Phoenix Guard
FC, Razor Standard 345


RARE
Bolt Thrower 70

Bolt Thrower 70

Bolt Thrower 70


So this is what I have so far, I don't want an unreal cheesy list, but I want it to be competitive. Is BoH and BotWD a little too much to have in the same army? I dropped the phoenix completely, as my older brother runs 3 cannons with his dwarf list, and my other brother is rocking 2 iron blasters in his army. Id love to make room for sisters, just not sure where I can get the points. This is already over 2400, is my characters too heavy? I play WoC and Ogres so they can have some pretty tooled out heroes i'm worried about being challenged with. I really like the phoenix guard model, just didnt know if it would fit well in the list. I think 20 would be awesome to field. I wouldn't mind adding a 4th bolt thrower, but I feel sisters would be much more useful, for flaming attacks and great BS. What would I use as war machine hunters? Also whats the best formations to run SH. With 8 you'd still want them 5 in front right? Id really like to run 10 sword masters to hold down my archers, I just feel i'm running out of points. Id really love to keep the white lions at that size, I love that model and I feel rocking a big block like that will be fun. Do I have enough killing power, or high str attacks to hang with WoC, Dwarfs, and Ogres? I also play against wood elves, and high elves. Would it be effective at all if I dropped the SH completely, and ran 5 Dragon princes instead? Or is 5 kind of a bad number to run? I like the route the list is going as well, it seems like a fun list. Has anyone tried a list similar to this and had success? Another concern I have is, when eventually when WoC, Ogres, And dwarfs get to me, that ill get destroyed in combats. Whats your guyses thoughts so far, what changed would you make. Also what would I have a hard time against with a list built like this? Whats the biggest weaknesses, and can this type of list work well as an all comers list? Thanks again for all the advice.

[Asmodian]

HEROES
Noble
BSB, not really sure how to build him...

Sugesstion one:
Banner of Eternal Flame and as much armour as you can buy. Combo with thouse archers/WL. Keep them close, so you will be able to get that flaming attacks delivered as you want. And you can spare points on that Sisters and buy something more usable.

Suggestion 2: Go shooty, give him Reaver Bow, potion of Strenght and use him as big monster executioner.

8 Silverhelms 204
Mus, Standard, Shields

Drop to 5-6, remove Standard.
8 are not enough to be flanker, and to much to be chaff/redirector sweeper. They must be mobile, and they must be able to flee from combat. New rules forces you to loose one model(standard bearer Last Stand rule) if you flee from combat. For staying longer in HtH for cavalry is unneccesary, and with naked 8 it is like asking for wonder.

Honestly, I am also a bit shy of the Chariots, so I cannot really challenge your thinking about them. I hear that they can work wonders in a "fast and hard" setup (accompanying cavalry and other fast units), but for me, they are too much of a glass cannon - their Impact Hits are a wee bit unreliable (and you cannot even give them scythes for that +1 Impact Hit) and too easy to destroy

Tiranoc Chariots are good. Small footprint allows them to get in place and charge things easier. Small footprint makes them excellent supporters in any fight. Small footprint lower their chances to be hit by artillery. Their price is their asset - for 70pts you get efficient chaff/redirector/warmachine hunter killer, that can be expendable - thing somewhat underestimated by HE player that cannot afford things to be....expendable. And Tiranoc model is very nice.

I remember a battle against the Druchii where the Cold One Chariot was mercilessly sliced into wooden splinters by a unit of Swordmasters, and that was 6th edition, with no supporting attacks from the rear, mind ya

6th edition was a little bit different - chariots could be destroyed by S7 hit, and also static CR was much more decisive factor. As in HtH it was easy to get S7 hit, chariots was juicy targets to inflict some CR in one blow. In this edition, raw damage is better - and k6 S5 hits before initiative for 70pts is tasty. No S7 autokill and T4/w4 means no easy kills on that toy. And swiftstride allow them to hit infantry, inflict wounds and run away.

I really dont like chariots of any type so im ruling those out.

Do I have enough killing power, or high str attacks to hang with WoC, Dwarfs, and Ogres?

It depends on how you intend to hang with them. If you want to go into HtH with them....you will loose.

[Loucipher]

Now that's more like it. Two mages can hold out the Magic phase, and will have some serious spells at their disposal. 2 units of Ellyrian Reavers with bows are just right as well. Cleverly played, they'll make your opponent grit teeth and mutter curses. And if you lose them, you won't lose much in points.
Hammer and anvil also looks pretty nice. If you keep them close and working with each other, they can do a lot of damage on just anything. BotWD on the WL, and the Razor Standard on the PG, plus Ward saves on both units, should work really nice against heavily armoured WoC deathstars. Even Chosen Chaos Warriors should think twice before they enter the fray with these units.

Just one comment: going by what you and Asmodian wrote, there's way too many Reaver Bows in the list. Seriously, guys... three Bows? You're overdoing it

Sugesstion one:
Banner of Eternal Flame and as much armour as you can buy. Combo with thouse archers/WL. Keep them close, so you will be able to get that flaming attacks delivered as you want. And you can spare points on that Sisters and buy something more usable.

That would be a poor man's substitute of the Sisters, especially if you get short on Rare points (which may happen if you dream of 3 RBTs and Frosty in your list). Bear in mind: BSB with Banner of Eternal Flame gives you just Flaming Attacks, but they're still S3 on the unit of Archers. Sisters' Bows of Avelorn also have Flaming Attacks, but are magical to boot, have S4, and modify armour saves by additional -1 vs Forces of Destruction (which includes Chaos). In fact, I'd be thinking heavily about substituting RBTs for Sisters entirely versus Chaos, and about the only thing that might stop me is the superior range of the RBTs, and their ability to shoot @S6 with no AS and D3 wounds per shot - something definitely worth having versus various WoC metas built around crowds of Gorebeast-chariots.

Suggestion 2: Go shooty, give him Reaver Bow, potion of Strenght and use him as big monster executioner.

Not half bad an idea. In this case, might as well mount him on some flying beast to deliver him somewhere you can put the Reaver Bow to good use... or put some serious weight to a critical HtH combat. PoS can be used in HtH as well, so you keep both options open this way. However, this build needs some serious shielding vs high Strength shooting... and some forethought during play.

Drop to 5-6, remove Standard.
8 are not enough to be flanker, and to much to be chaff/redirector sweeper. They must be mobile, and they must be able to flee from combat. New rules forces you to loose one model(standard bearer Last Stand rule) if you flee from combat. For staying longer in HtH for cavalry is unneccesary, and with naked 8 it is like asking for wonder.

Seconded. I'd either go 5 models, Champion included (for a fast chaff-hunting unit), or at least 10, with full command and mounted Hero included (for a disrupting flanker). Anything in between is suboptimal.

Is BoH and BotWD a little too much to have in the same army?

I know ETC comps these choices. But even if you play along the ETC restrictions, and don't use Frosty, you're covered.
If there are no restrictions placed on army composition, the only thing I can say is: go for it and don't look back.

I dropped the phoenix completely, as my older brother runs 3 cannons with his dwarf list, and my other brother is rocking 2 iron blasters in his army.

That's the warmachines for you. IMHO, the 8th edition has really made the cannons and the like overpowered. Up until now, you had to guess the range at which you'd be firing - this allowed for a little margin of chance. Now, with all the guesswork taken out, the only work to be done is to measure the range, subtract some 10 inches (taking both overshot and bounce into account), and fire away. Most of the time, the cannonball will just go where you send it.

Another concern I have is, when eventually when WoC, Ogres, And dwarfs get to me, that ill get destroyed in combats.

Read my previous post. Against HtH-competent armies, you keep them out of HtH as long as possible, and pound them with archery/magic as hard as possible. If you can do it, you win. If not, you lose. Simple as that.
True, I wrote earlier that your hammer/anvil combo looks powerful enough. I stand by what I wrote. They do. Honestly. But they're also soft on defence, just as all Elves are. If you send them to HtH with full-strength enemy deathstar... there'll be trouble. Load the dice in your favour. Buff your guys, debuff the enemy, and then go in for the kill.

What would I use as war machine hunters?

Depends on what you're after. Usually, fast cavalry and/or flying models fill these roles. Regular cavalry for tougher crewmen. Whatever it is, it needs to be fast. Alternatively, you might just use your bolt throwers to eliminate the enemy machines. I've seen this tactic used a few times (and had it used on myself once, to a good success), so it's worth trying.

As for all the other questions, it's really hard to answer them without some serious testing. That's your role: you build a list, test it out, and change what doesn't work. Your questions as of now are typical of a General who hasn't tested his units against various builds. Only a few test battles can answer them.
One piece of advice: if you want to test a particular unit before committing money to buying it, proxy it in battle using other models you have, and see what the unit is worth. If you like it, you can then buy it. If not, you save the cash and test something else. One technique we use in our playing milieu is to use cardboard "placeholders" of a given unit and formation. This is extremely cheap, and still lets you test the unit out.

[Bolt Thrower]

It's starting to shape up overall. The list is illegal, though. You can only have 1 of a magic weapon--so no multiple reaver bows. Magic weapons are unique items and as such can only be taken once in an army.

That said where do you put it? The nobles are the obvious choice as their ballistic skill allows for them to be more effective in hitting. And here is where I think you kill two birds with one stone: first, I'd put the reaver bow on the BSB and then decide if you want him on foot or mounted. Mounted he can get by a bit of a better armour save, but with your list, I think he may add more benefit on foot. So something like the reaver bow, shield of merwyrm, and some other protective trinket (golden crown or maybe?) would work with some dragon armour. With the BSB settled, I think you drop your other noble who doesn't really have an identified purpose that I can spot. Then, secondly, losing the second noble open up points for a small unit of sisters.

BUT WAIT! That's not all!

If you reduce your helms a bit and use some points from that dropped noble (don't spend them all on the sisters) you could fit in a 4th RBT. They don't call me Bolt Thrower for nothin'!

Finally, when you take the reaver bow off the lvl 2 mage you can replace it with the ring of fury which will give you even more ranged threat and a little ward save to boot when it is cast. Or try to give the archmage a ward save item instead.

Don't be afraid to bring things even if they are at first perceived as overly strong. I regularly write lists with the BotWD and the Book of Hoeth. The players you face will bring their nasty stuff too. When you face those strong combat armies, blast them up as much as possible first using your chaff to slow them up. And if it's ogres, make sure YOU are the one doing the charging--they bring the pain when they charge!