Return of the swooping hawks- no that isn’t a mistype, I’ve been reevaluating my position on swooping hawks and their place in the Eldar warhost. More than ever we have to move past looking at the points = base line stats + wargear in evaluating Eldar units. T3, 4+ save, and essentially a las gun for 20+ points a model? Sounds about right for Eldar, just because they are Eldar- you wouldn’t dare see IG or imperials with that stat line and points.
But what else do we gain?
Templates and skyleap.
I’m particularly interested in the skyleap and template combo each turn, effectively turning them into an invisible whirlwind on the table. Gives me something to drop on those back supporting long fangs or units out of cover if they aren’t Space Marines, heck I’ll drop it on Space Marines anyway and force them to roll those armor saves. Is 200+ points worth it for a harassment unit that can’t be killed? It can be negated by reserve manipulation if your army has it, but many don’t and even with the doors that allies open up I’m not seeing the points being spent there.
Have you heard the chaos legions rumors?
Reduced cost for cult troops, and dirt cheap cultists with lots of special weapons- think IG vets for less points. If we see wave of cheap expendable cultists on the table, well those templates will blast them even more.
I can also see the timing of the swooping hawks to contest objectives, or even hold them as they are fast attack depending on the mission as a secondary use.
And then there is that fact that they would just look cool on the table. I consider the ‘hawk models to be one of the top models in Eldar aesthetics- AND when is that last time you saw swooping hawks on the table? I didn’t see any in 4th edition 40K and none in 5th edition 40K so bringing the rainbow would be fun.
My friend has been using that tactic for the last few months of 5th and loves it even more in 6th. I've never been a fan of the hawks myself, and don't even own any, but, even I may be tempted to try them now.
ReplyDeleteOnly really making a table presence in the last turn or two would at least give the Hawks a better chance of surviving. My experience with them has usually been that they sound scary/annoying enough that my opponent focuses some quality fire on them and shreds them if they have been left on the battlefield. So, I could perhaps be willing to pay 132 points for some weak off board artillery that cannot be stopped.
ReplyDeleteHawks are still not worth it IMO, take an allied DE detachment and take some cheaper Wyches with haywire...
ReplyDeleteStill, If you are dead set against using allies, Hawks are good for the haywire aspect as they have more speed than wyches and haywire has the tendency to wreck a vehicle rather than explode it which is important if you want to keep the enemy from being able to charge out of their tanks (if you wreck a vehicle in your turn, units that get out cannot charge in their subsequent assault phase which ends up being your opponent's turn).
For contesting objectives, Guardian Jetbikes are just 1 point more and they have more speed/survivability and they not only contest but score.
Jetbikes are actually pretty rockin' these days. I haven't quite figured out their proper squad size or total amount of squads that works best for me. They just add up so fast and I feel that the rest of my army really pays for it. If I could rock some Destructor on them, that would help, but they NEED Embolden.
ReplyDeletetaste the rainbow
ReplyDelete@spellduckwrong, You can always offset the LD issues that Jetbikes sometimes have by throwing in a character like a Farseer on a bike or Autarch. That Ld10 should be most helpful and as an added bonus, you can always regroup now using the ICs LD regardless of squad size (so if you have only 1/6 jetbikes left and an IC in the unit, you can use the ICs base ld to regroup)!
ReplyDeleteHow does their blast work as far as wound allocations go? Can the template be used to try and snipe models, ie power fists or priests?
ReplyDelete@Kaughnor
ReplyDeleteWe had the same question. Rules as written say resolve as normal so we removed casualties from the direction that the Exarch was when he deepstriked. So, if the opponent leaves a juicy model exposed in the back, drop the Hawks on that side.
@Yriel
Yes, adding an HQ to the squad sure helps. But I am hesitant to put an HQ with a regular bike squad within flamer range of the enemy. Though I have been toying with the idea of putting the reaper launcher on the exarch to contribute some longer range shots along with the shuriken cannons.
If only I could get an Avatar on a jet-trike or something...
err, reaper launcher on the Autarch.
ReplyDeleteI wondered if Swooping Hawks would be useful with the intercept rule. I love the model and always planned to include them in my purchased-but-not-yet-built Eldar army.
ReplyDeleteAvatar on a Chariot! Chariot of FIRE
ReplyDelete