Eldar Corsairs: What the future holds.

The future of Corsairs.
Well I decided to email Forge World the other day to ask what the plans were for Eldar Corsairs. To no one's surprise, they emailed this back to me:

"Hi there.

We will be reviewing the rules for our Eldar models over the next few months to bring them in line with the 6th ed 40k and the new Codex.  However, work schedule for our book team is currently very busy so regrettably we are not able to give a more specific time frame than this, sorry."

I expected as much but was worth a shot. Obviously the "next few months" at least might imply before the end of 2013 so that in itself is something. However, all of this got me thinking about Corsairs in general and how they now fit in with the updated Eldar codex.

Why take Corsairs

The core reason for taking them was to gain access to new vehicles, flyers and of course BS4 troops. The basic Corsair was far better than a Guardian simply because they had +1BS and access to an array of weapons. Now however, the basic Guardians is on par with these guys. They cost the same, have the same BS and have Battle Focus. However, I still think Corsairs are pretty awesome simply because they have access to Jet Packs. This got me thinking as to what the future of Corsairs would look like. This is a very brief overview of only a handful of units.

1. Corsair Squad.

One point of confusion is the profile for the Lasblaster being assault 3 in the new codex. However, IA11 still refers to it as assault 2. This will largely come down to whether or not you and your opponent are playing RAI or RAW. If you both decide that a Lasblaster is now assault 3 then cool, if not, then you're stuck with assualt 2. Sounds petty but it can make a huge difference once Doom is in the mix. I'm going to guess that these guys will go up in points, especially if they gain Battle Focus as a standard rule.........which would be awesome. Deep strike in a squad with two Fusion Blasters and Two EML's, shoot a vehicle and then just run and then jet pack away...nice! This brings me onto another thought. Since Shuriken weapons gained the Bladestorm rule, deep striking in unit's armed with flamers, Shuriken Cannons and catapults is actually a decent tactic.

2. Wasps.

Very likely to see a points increase, especially if they gain Power Fields like their Codex brothers. Jump-shoot-jump is still the best tactic for these guys. Load them up with Shuriken Cannons and go crazy. Interesting point of discussion is that a kitted out Wasp taken with normal Eldar is 10 points cheaper than normal walkers. Which is better? BS3 Wasps that can J-S-J or more expensive Walkers that are BS4 and have Battle focus. 5+ Invul is nice but you should always be getting cover with the jump move anyway.

3. Hornets.

They are nearly the same cost as the standard War Walker so if your gaming area lets you use FW then take them (pending $$ of course). 5+ Jink, AV11 and double Shuriken mounted on a skimmer that can scout.....way better than normal War Walkers. I think most people will be waiting to see what will change with this unit since it seems to be the most common IA fielded for Eldar. A drop in vehicle equipment points to standard codex will make them even better.

4. Void Dreamer.

Always been confused by this guy. Their powers are pretty useless at the moment. Changes? I'll guess Mastery level 2 since they are described to be similar to "Warlocks." I doubt there will be much changed in terms of the Psychic powers they use aside from possibly having access to Divination or Runes of Battle.

5. Wraithseer.
Hmmm, will slot in very well with the Iyanden supplement. Will obviously lose the redundant "Greater Spiritseer" rule. Drop to str8 like standard Wraithlords are now. Hopefully they get Mastery Level 2. Their powers are pretty sweet at the moment so I don't think you really need to change much more (4+ fnp on Wraithguard is pretty beefy).

6. Warp Hunters.
Always awesome.......always. Except for one thing, Fire Prisms are just as good. Warp Hunters are bad ass, especially since you can roll up to a unit and flame them. It will undoubtedly gain the Distort rule like most of the d-weapons in Eldar. The X will likely be replaced by Str10.........which would be hilarious on the flame template so we can expect the flamer entry will likely be reduced in str to compensate.

7. Corsair Prince.
Hilariously fun to play with. Ally in one to your Iyanden Codex and simply Deep Strike Wraith Guard units across the board.........Pretty much can go hand in hand with almost any army as his "choose three units to gain the deep strike rule" is applicable to your entire force. Also decent for Deep striking in unit's of Guardians who can just Battle Focus straight after. I would imagine that this mechanic will change with the update since it was never designed to be used with Allies.

Corsairs have always been cool. I hope that they get updated sooner rather than later as I wouldn't mind some additional options. If anyone has any sneaky Corsair tricks up their sleeve I want to hear about them. You can even write your own post about it and we will put it up for the world to see (that goes for any sneaky tactics that we haven't heard of).

Cheers.