Warhammer 40K: Will The New Vespids Be Meta?
The new Vespid Stingwings have new wargear. Can they make the jump from Kill Team to full sized 40k games?
Over the weekend Games Workshop showcased the new miniatures coming to Kill Team with Hivestorm. In the box we’ve got the Tempestus Aquilons vs the Vespid Stingwings.
Today, I want to take look at miniatures of the Vespids. They have some new weapons coming and I’m wondering if that’s going to be enough to really push them from a rarely seen unit* into a legitimate and deadly force multiplier for the T’au. Will they be meta? That’s the question! So let’s get into it.
*Their lack of being used might have something to do with their kit being old, non-plastic, and hard to get…but that’s another reason these new plastics are exciting!
Here Come The Vespids
First up we need to call out a few things. We don’t have the stats on these new weapons. And we also know they are coming to Kill Team first. But that second thing means it’s only a matter of time before those options drift over into 40k proper. That said, we’re going to have to base these weapons on what was revealed during the live stream. And their guns sounded pretty mean.
Having said all that, one thing we DO know is their current weapon and unit stats. For 65 points you get 5 Vespids. They are basically jump troops with a rather gnarly weapon. The Neutron Blaster. It’s a rather deadly gun when it’s in range, too. Statwise it’s got an 18″ range, 2 attacks, BS 4+, S5, AP -2, and does 2 damage a pop. The weapon has always been considered a “Marine Killer” but has been limited by the range and speed of this unit. Arguably, this is the best version of the weapon since it’s introduction.
With the new plastics having at minimum this same weapon I think T’au players have a reason to bring them if nothing else for the novelty of the unit. It’s a hard sell however as there’s still loads of competition in the T’au Codex for heavy-hitting weapons that can pretty much do the same thing as Vespids but at safer distances. Or can get up close and do more damage with more numbers.
But at the current price of 65 points, even if nothing else changed, I could see taking a squad or two JUST for having something new and different. But they ARE getting some new and different weapons.
The Vespid Longsting sure looks like they are getting access to a rail rifle. But not just any rail rifle. Apparently this version has been upgrade with the same sort of neutron crystal technology as their blasters. That should sound terrifying — because it is!
They also have a new flamer weapon courtesy of the Swarmguard. This weapon (at least in Kill Team) has the ability to do a fly-over attack which sounds nasty. For 40k, I’m betting this will count as some sort of a auto-hitting weapon. And if it’s also got some of that nasty neutron tech, it just might melt even the heaviest of armor, too.
Speaking of heavy, the new Skyblast Vespid also has a new Grenade Launcher option, too. Again, we don’t have the details on this particular weapon, but I think you can see the benefit of having an even heavier weapon in a fast moving unit like Vespids.
Another interesting operative in the Kill Team is the Shadestrain. They can essentially go invisible so have a stealth option coming, too. It’s not the first time we’ve seen T’au mess with stealth-tech either! Let your mind wonder with those possibilities.
Finally, one more thing that was mentioned during the preview about the Vespids is that their weapons actually perform better when they move. The harmonic nature of the Neutron Crystals synergize with the Vespid wings. It’s going to be interesting to see if this particular rule gets added to the Vespid Stingwings in some other form.
So Will The Vespids Become Meta?
There are a couple slight problems with this particular update however. The first is the fact the T’au already got their codex for this edition. Now, GW can just release the updated datacard for the Vespid Stingwing with all these options when the box eventually comes out. That’s probably what will happen. But that could take time. At that point all the buzz (sorry for the pun) for the Vespids might have already died down. It’s really going to depend on the timing and T’au players even care about using Vespids.
That brings up the second problem that I’ve already teased at above. There’s a LOT of competition in the T’au army for the Vespid’s spot. The one saving grace for them right now is that really cheap point cost for the (literal) bang they bring. We’ll have to see how GW points them out and how their alternate weapon options come into play (or not).
Vespids have always been Space Marine killers. The problem has been getting them there to do it. But the new minis might just make the case for T’au players to get creative with them and give them a fair shake. Who knows? They might just shake-up the meta!
For 65 points…we’ll see if they stay that way.
