Warhammer 40K Meta Hotness: Aeldari’s Worst Offenders!
Goatboy here, with this week’s meta hotness. Instead of going over a list, let’s talk about the game’s 3 worst offenders for the Aeldari army.
The last week of events was thoroughly crushed by Aeldari armies. There were so many in the top 8’s that it was a bit depressing to try and find any one list to talk about. Heck I hope we see GW really look and check these Space Elves. If they don’t, soon there wont be a reason to go to an event if you are not playing these guys.
Pull up a chair, grab a coffee, and let’s talk about why these three different units are just no fun for the game currently. Each of these things can differ a bit based on the event you played. Some places have tried to curb some of the bad interactions with Towering and terrain. Still, it doesn’t seem to matter too much, as while that crumbling building might stop the first turn of pain it does not stop the later turns of laser death.
The Wraithknight
And with that little intro let’s get into the first offender and probably the poster boy for unexciting game wins. The Wraith Knight has always been an odd little kit in the game. We have seen it gone from initially being amazing with D stomps, terrible in some of the editions as they could never hide, and now back to being a murder machine. You throw in some long range D Cannons, the ability to see you all over the table, and the always special chance of rolling a 6 to wound (or Strands of Fate-d to be a 6 to wound) and you all of a sudden watch your unit disappear in a puff of smoke. These models did it all and were hard as heck to remove on top of that. A ton of wounds, damage prevention, and fast movement just meant they could do it all and it didn’t matter who they fought against.
I expect these guys to get hit, hit hard, and left on the shelf in the future. If you are looking to start and Aeldari army (if you can find the parts that is) I would wait to try and purchase a Wraithknight or two. There is no way it stays as lethal for long. It just isn’t healthy for the game to have it prancing around the table top zorching your friends from across the field.
The Fire Prism
Next up we have the Fire Prism which is a very powerful tank that can damage you from across the tabletop. It is less oops I rolled a 6 like the Wraithknight but its damage potential is so high you always have to be afraid of it. It slowly floats out the side and if the initial one can’t see you the other one surely can. They power up, do a spirit stone high five, and wreck your face like you just weren’t there. On top of all of that they are also a Aeldari vehicle so they have access to Strats and abilities to keep them safe and sound. Oops did they come out and you can all of a sudden see them? Too bad, they will just Phantasm away and leave your giant kill machine left out in the open.
The crazy thing about the Fire Prism is most lists just run 2. Becasue the rules are so strong, you only need those two to do enough damage. There isn’t a need for three as their ability to power up just needs their other friend to help out, hit all the buttons, and overcharge it to victory. Remember friends Hulls don’t care about Desolation Marines and small arms fire.
The Night Spinner
The final piece to those three course meal of matched play Aeldari pain is the Night Spinner. It is another decently priced hull that has no LOS shooting, Devastating Wounds, Twin Linked, and is a blast weapon. Yup you get a plethora of rules all stacked up and ready to wreck your face with damage. It isn’t even like it is 24”! It sits back at 48” and wreck your units with filaments of death. No LOS shooting is just one of those things that is never very fun to play against. It is just not an exciting interaction and you add it to a hull that is hard to remove it becomes a perfect backfield objective holder.
Something Must Be Done
All three of these units are things that will for sure be looked at in the future. There is no way we just leave these guys running the table for months on end. Until GW smacks the Aeldari wit the nerf-bat, be prepared to face some Aeldari – especially if you win a few games in the beginning. There is no way to dodge their pain when doing well on the battlefields of 40K.
Good hunting out there!
