I've tested the Hemlock Wraithfighter before and it has been underwhelming to say the least which is why it was the only unit to earn an F grade in the Tally. But it seems so useful on paper. And in the second game, it finally proved itself, causing a unit of chaos bikers to flee and than forcing the reroll and having them fail their rally attempt to continue off the board . This saved an entire flank and turned the game into a rout. This only had a 8% chance of working so I wouldn't suggest this as something to build an army around, however when it works it is game changing. One thing to remember is that once a unit is falling back it autofails all morale other than regrouping. So 25% casualties or a tank shock are guaranteed to force it to fall back again.
The crimson hunter did better but suffered from a lot of 1's to hit and inability to roll 4+ with rerolls on 4 dice vs. a vendetta. I have to admit I wasn't a fan of the plane but it is growing on me even if it is expensive. I'm looking forward to testing it with starcannons.
The nightwing continues to perform like it did under codex, I didn't think about it last night so I haven't confirmed this yet but the cannons probably gained the bladestorm rule. I think in general the nightwing and crimson hunter are too similar and unfortunately the nightwing is better than the crimson hunter. 35 point for hitting on 2's instead of 3's and 4 AP 2 shots instead of 6 possible AP 2 shots is good but the loss of shrouding and agile is a big deal. Taking three flyers was definitely a new experience and I was surprised at how effective they were together. They also reinforced the value of the autarch and his +1/-1 to reserves.
On a minorly related note, someone also ran the math on eldar anti-flyer options on dakka. They are fairly interesting. The post can be found here. Not surprisingly, the crimson hunter can in on top. Warp spiders came in second.
The Crimson Hunter kind of irks me. The fluff says that they are piloted by these really awesome Aspect pilots and yet it's an AV10 box that has no way to defend itself from incoming fire. At least the Tau one has chaff that can protect the flyer from Interceptor shots.
ReplyDeleteOverall though, the damage output on the Crimson Hunter seems good. It was decent when I ran it. It just lacks heavily in the defense area. I was hoping for no Snap Shots after Evasion or a bonus cover save or something.
Have you had trouble with Interceptor fire in your tests?
Those are almost exactly my thoughts on the plane as well. Interceptor is a big concern. I think there are some ways to get around it, such as swooping hawks for defense lines and using vector dancer to stay out of range, but that will continue to be a cat and mouse type game as Eldar players learn how to counter certain scenarios and non-Eldar counter back. How it shakes out in the end is hard to tell.
ReplyDeleteNeither of my games to date have had Interceptor, one relied on a Vendetta and the other on a pair of turkeys to serve as their anti-air.