Warhammer 40K: New Aeldari Corsairs Rules – How Good Are They?
Goatboy here with a review of the new Aeldari Corsair rules that popped up this last week. Let see how good they are on the tabletop.
It is a pretty neat set of new Aeldari Corsair rules with some amazing new models. While I don’t think these rules will set the world on fire it is a cool set to check out. The models are really good and it is nice to see GW fleshing out the Corsair units. I expect will see some more options in the future as the army’s Corsair sub-faction is just not quite there yet.
Aeldari Corsair Minis
Let’s start at the top with the new models. We have an updated Yriel kit that looks great. It is a very nice kit and the models rules are a nice update to bring him into 10th edition. If you remember he was lost in the warp when the book came out and now the Space Elf Pirate is back in action. We have the normal Redeploy power we can expect to see from sneaky leaders as well as the ability to grant either of the Corsair units Sustained hits 1 which is a powerful ability to help those units spike up. He hits pretty hard with a damage 3 attack which is an important piece of tech in the upcoming wars of 3 wound per model units.
Kharseth is the next new character and their rules are pretty neat too. They give out a 12″ can’t deepstrike/set up bubble from him as well as having a very interesting utility psychic power called Dread of the Deep Void. If a unit is hit by this they gain the Riven effect that allows all Aeldari units to get a +1 strength when targeting that unit. This could be very helpful to push damage into a tough foe or just ensure your Aspect warriors murder their target.
The Vyper finally got updated which while interesting it isn’t the showcase for that new model. The Starfang seems to be the better choice of the kit with the ability to give Stealth to a friendly Aeldari unit within 36″ as well as having some nice shooting attacks attached to its body. I do think it is odd the Starfang has the gun facing backwards but we are already playing a game where our tanks shoot from their back corner track.
The final new unit is the Corsair Skyreavers which are an updated FW kit if I remember. These are your mixed up unit with a cool jump pack, a pile of options, and attitude to match. These guys seem pretty interesting as they are kinda cheap and can quickly move quickly. They do have some cool weapon options as well which can help them be successful. I do wonder if they should have mixed this kit with some kind of close combat variant to make it match a bit more the aspect warriors.
Aeldari Corsair Detachments
Besides those new units they also got two new Detachments to help them fill a bit more Corsair like. I still think this army needs a few more options to truly fill it out as the current Corsairs taken were due to being very cheap and able to deploy in fun ways. These updates don’t add a ton to that army overall but you can do some interesting things with these detachments.
Eldritch Raiders Detachment
The first one is Eldritch Raiders which creates a very fast army of Corsairs. There are two bespoke rules for this one – the first is giving all your Aeldari units the ability to advance/charge and if they are Anhrathe, Rangers, or Shroud Runners they can reroll that advance. This is pretty powerful set of rules to allow your army to get anywhere and do things. The second is that your Anhrathe unit can be given a Corsair Enhancement. These are similar to the Pantheon of Woe C’Tan updates that they add a point cost to those units and grants them an ability.
There is one for Yriel and his unit that gives them an extra battle focus token when doing an Agile Maneuver on a 3+. There is another that gives the unit Lance for their Melee weapons. There is a shooting attack upgrades that gives the unit Anti-Monster/Vehicle 5+. The final one gives an infantry unit the ability to do a Fade Back Agile Maneuver without spending a Battle Focus Token and other units can still use that maneuver. All of these seem alright and not overpowered.
The Stratagems are alright with a +1 damage ability for your Corsairs Voidscarred in shooting/fight phase which seems good. You can get a +1 to your OC for 1CP in the command phase so you could pirate a contested objective. There is a 5+ feel no pain during the fight phase for 1CP as well. You have a 1CP +1 to wound a unit if your strength is below their toughness. You even get a -2 charge power on an enemy unit within 36″ of a Ranger, Shroud Runner, or Starfang. The final one lets you pull a unit back into reserves and if they are below starting strength they get those models returned to the unit (no characters). All of these seem good.
Overall this is an interesting detachment that just needs more Corsairs options to make it worthwhile. Will have to see if more come to make this powerful as its Stratagem suite is good and their rules are pretty interesting. I don’t think this is going to show up at all during an event but it does showcase a fun way to do an army by GW.
Corsair Coterie Detachment
The last one is the Corsair Coterie that gives you two rules for your army. The first one is that if an enemy units ends within range of an objective marker you control they take d3 mortal wounds on a 2+. This seems pretty fun way to “grenade” the enemy while they try to do some of their missions. The next bit is like the other detachment in that they have a set of unit upgrades you can purchase as enhancements for your army.
The first one is called Infamy and it gives the unit a -1 OC aura to the enemy units. The next one is the Webway Pathstone that grants the unit the deep strike keyword as well as the ability to go back into reserves once per battle. Archraider gives one model in the unit the Vect power to cause a 12″ aura of +1 to CP costs for the enemy. The final one just gives the unit a 5+ invulnerable save. The Archraider appears to be the best as anything that messes with the CP economy is a powerful thing.
The Stratagem suite is all set up to be 1CP abilities. You have a reroll 1’s to wound that becomes full rerolls if the unit is Anhrathe and the enemy is on an objective. You have a fallback charge ability that also lets Anhrathe units throw a grenade with the enemy they were engaged with. You can give your Rangers/Shroud Runners ignores cover, rapid fire 1, and +1 AP on their shooting attacks. You get a move after killing a unit in the shooting phase of d6+1 for Anhrathe units. You get a 18″ Lone Op power that also grants the unit Stealth. You finally get a Surge move after a unit was shot at and one of the models was destroyed of d6+1 inches.
The Verdict
These Detachments all seem ok and again it seems like an alright army. It does combo more of the Aeldari units with the Corsairs but I don’t think it is going to be bringing any trophies home. It feels like another fun and fluffy way to play this army and let you take more of Corsairs to do some fun and pirate like things.
I think we will be waiting for the 11th Edition Codex Aeldari and one more round of mini/rules updates before the Corsairs will be able to stand on their own.
