@Irisado- Thank you very much Irisado. I'm glad I figured out the mystery and I'm glad you like my newest model. I'm really loving painting these guys and with a big playable army completely finished I can take my time with my new units and make sure they are just the way I want them, and learn some new techniques along the way like doing little symbols and what-not. BTW I'd love to see some of your models if you ever feel the inclination! I've always wondered what your army looked like!
@Everyone- Hey guys well I decided to do a review of IA:11 v.2 So welcome to the first of my Doom of Mymeara review articles. I'm going to start with the Corsair army list before moving on to the rest of the book. This series is more of a "preview" than a review as I've not had any experience with the new units. It'll be all theory for awhile, yet as the games pile up I will ammend these articles before posting them in the Corsair section of the forum. So anyway lets begin!
Imperial Armor 11: Doom of Mymeara 2nd Edition ReviewInitial Impressions- Before breaking down the actual army list and its FOC I thought it'd be good to touch on my impressions on the Eldar Corsairs as an army. Simply put, they are extremely good. They have incredible speed, maneuverability and versatility. They feature tons of blistering fire power, access to tons of exotic weapon choices on almost every unit and more methods of deployment and delivery than any other army in the game. Their weaknesses would most notably be their fragility and lack of high-powered assault which will certainly be a foil to them. Also they boast fantastic psychic powers, but their perils chart is something to behold as multiple results basically turn the psyker against his own unit/army and even put the character in control by your opponent!
The infantry wing of the army deals death by a thousand cuts, while armored support is capable of delivering knockout blows like few other armies. The Eldar Corsairs in my opinion are right up there near the top echelons in the world of 40k. While certainly lacking the raw power of Dark Angels, Necrons, Craftworld Eldar, their ability to specialize entire swaths of the army and equip them with top-flight weaponry and deploy them across the tabletop in almost every way conceivable will enable them to go toe-to-toe with any army in the game.
Eldar Corsairs Force Organization
Commentary- Eldar Corsairs can be run using a Combined Arms Detachment, or Unbound just like any other army. Running them in a single CAD is a direct and simplified way of running this rather exotic army and give you access to their full complement of FOC slots. However they also have access to a second FOC akin to the Harlequin Masque known as the Corsair Raiding Company which offers TREMENDOUS benefits. Besides some limitations in the number of FOC slots the only requirement for the Raiding Company is two mandatory HQ selections which is hardly a bother considering how cheap, versatile and effective the Corsair HQ options are. You then have 2 more troops, 2 Elites, 2 Fast Attacks, a single Heavy slots and a single LOW slots. The trade off being the incredible Coterie Specilizations which the primary Company and its optional Coteries can choose at no additional cost, granting them powerful Universal Special Rules that enable them to specialize in a specific battle-field role, whether it be tank busting, assassinating enemy characters or deep-striking reserve specialists. More on this later.
Corsair Raiding Company FOC-Structure
0-1 Command Crew (Optional)
1 HQ Mandatory
1 HQ, 1 Elite, 1 LoW Optional
1 Primary Coterie (Mandatory)
1 HQ, 1 Troop Mandatory
2 Troops, 2 Elites, 2 Fast Attack, 1 Heavy Optional
0-3 Additional Coteries (Optional)
1 HQ, 1 Troop Mandatory
2 Troops, 2 Elites, 2 Fast Attack, 1 Heavy Support Optional
The primary company can then be supplemented by additional Coteries that follow the same format but without additional LOW slots. However these additional Coteries are treated as Allies of Convenience as they are hail from separate bands of Corsair bands and their loyalties lie with other Corsair Barons and Princes. While this is a drawback it is offset by the fact that they can choose a unique Coterie Specialization separate from that of your primary company which is where the magic really happens with the Corsair army list. This enables you to have small battle groups enhanced by invaluable force multiplying USR's to accomplish specialized tasks for your army which are of incredible importance considering the relative fragility of the units.
Coterie Specilizations
The Coterie Specilization is without doubt one of the most exciting aspects of playing a Corsair army. Similar to the options once presented in the 3rd Edition "Craftworlds" supplement which gave unique rules and options for each of the classic Craftworlds, the Coterie Specilization gives a whole set of rules and modifiers that enhance a particular playstyle. Whatsmore in addition to your primary Company, each additional Coterie that you take its own Specilization. The possible combinations are truly mind boggling.
Titan Breakers- Anti-tank and anti-walker buffs.
Head Takers- Buffs for a unit each time a character in that unit engages in a challenge.
Vault Breachers- All infantry gain access to Dissonance Breach Charges.
Sky Burners- Deepstrike and Reserve specialists whose chances of succeeding in deepstrike and reserve are greatly enhanced .
Nighthunters- Nightfight specialists
Hate Bringers- Hate Bringers gain bonuses against a chosen target and receive Victory Points for destroying that unit.
Commentary- The Coterie Specializations are no joke. These aren't just nods to the fluff they invaluable enhancements that create an almost Aspect Warrior-esque specialization for huge chunks of your army. In my opinion the Coterie Specializations vault Eldar Corsairs towards the top-tier of Warhammer 40k armies. It enables them specialization equal to any Craftworld army, the Deepstrike precision of 7th ed Dark Eldar but the bewildering array of options of the 5th edition Dark Eldar codex.
I feel Forgeworld really spent a lot of time crafting the Corsair army list. The complexity of the Specializations and the balancing effect of the Internal Politics rule set the foundation for an army that should stand the test of time for years to come.
The Corsairs can be easily be molded to fit any playstyle. They've got deepstrikers, mobile cavalry and skirmishers which suit my playstyle but they also have crazy long range options as well such as Hornets, Nightspinners and Flyers that pack a wallop and are only enhanced by the Coterie Specializations. If you end up playing Corsairs there are many different paths you can take your collection which is why I say this army will stand the test of time for years to come. The versatility and punch this army offers will not fade IMO. Anyways guys hope you enjoyed the first installment of the review. Let me know your thoughts if you are interested in playing Corsairs and I can answer your questions as well. Stay tuned more army pics, terrain features and campaign stuff to come. See you guys soon!
EDITED: Within insights from Chris- Thanks buddy!
