It figures.

Well, that was predictable, wasn't it?

A New Eldar Codex

Out of left field the new Eldar Codex arrives - excuse me, "Craftworld Eldar Codex"! And far from being a nerf bat, it brought the already strong Eldar codex forward in power. Quite unexpected. My copy hasn't arrived yet but I've taken a look at others' copies and I have to admit I'm utterly blown away.

The Good. I mean like REALLY REALLY GOOD. 

First the improvements. A lot of things have changed for the better. And I mean a LOT has changed.

Toning Down the Serpent Shield

This needed to happen. Nuff said.

Aspects with a Purpose

Finally we have a reason to dust off our aspect warriors. Every aspect got a bump that helps them to function effectively on the table. 

I must admit I'm jazzed to finally field my banshees again. Seems like they haven't been a decent choice at all since 3rd ed. First in 4th ed they lost the ability to disembark and assault, then in 5th power weapons became AP3 instead of Ignores Armor, oh and OVERWATCH!

Dark Reapers should be making an appearance again too. I love my reapers. Now everyone will love my reapers. Love them and despair!

Exarchs that Do The Thing. 

Historically there's been a big disconnect between the aspect and its Exarch's abilities. The Exarch usually does the same thing but slightly better, but then takes off into left field with some crazy stuff that is out of character for the rest of the unit.

Now the Exarch provides support to the entire unit, making them a valuable upgrade, and they sport an extra wound, to boot. Huzzah! 

Craftworld Warhosts

 I love guardians. Now I love guardians even more! The Craftworld Host detachment is fantastic for guardians. Even though there are some mandatory choices I can't get excited about, the benefits of this detachment are undeniable.

Lords of War

Still working this through in my head. On the one hand I'm glad that the Avatar and WK are LoW now. In a standard FOC you will only be able to bring one and that's a good thing. IMO, the internet community at large has overlooked the fact that Regular Joe Eldar player is only going to be able to field one of these bad boys. More about this later.

The Bad, if you can call it that. 

What if I don't want a Farseer?

Yeah, that's right, I like to run no-psyker Eldar. I guess that makes me a much fluffier player than others. I would prefer to have a detachment that allows me to bring an Autarch rather than a Farseer, but with Farseer powers being sooooo good now I guess I won't cry too much. I suppose I can always run standard Force Org, right?

Wraithknights

 What. The. Fuck. The biggest changes in the codex all happened to this guy and I still don't get it. Now they are Gargantuan, excuse me Jump Garganutan Creatures, and come with two Destroyer weapons as a default. And they are still <300 points. I don't get it. Wow. Just, wow. Luckily I only own one of these. Thanks, Obama...

Scatter Laser Bikes?

I don't really get this one either, and I concede the point that a unit of 10 jetbikes with SLs on them will probably be a large problem for almost any army that can't take down big units of bikes with long range Ignores Cover or Ignores Jink. You know, like Dark Reapers can?

OH NOES MY MONEY!!!!

Right now I'm sitting on 30 or so old-school jetbikes. Once I start supplementing this force with the newer models, I don't think I'm going to be able to stop. Then figure in the money I still have yet to spend on new Harlequins models

Community Bawling

This is the biggest negative to come out of the new codex. So much griefing. It makes me glad I don't do the tournament thing anymore. And now there are groups who are trying to ban Eldar from competitive play? Please.

I can see their point, really. The previous codex was already strong and the new one is even stronger. So much of the hatred has focused on the Wraithknight, which was already good without gaining the benefit of being Gargantuan, but I think there's a false perception that the evil no-comp Eldar players will still be fielding three of them in their lists. If you do the math, that isn't likely. In order to get the sweet wraith detachment that allows you to field "TWALV WRIATHKNIGTS OMG HALP!!!" requires you to take a guardian host that's typically going to cost you a minimum of 500 to 600 points with minimal to no upgrades.

In a 1850 point game that leaves you enough to put four wraithknights on the table if you utterly ignore everything else. While I wouldn't enjoy facing off against that list, I think this will be a rare case. In any event, you have complete control over the opponents you face in casual/friendly games.

If someone brings one of those lists, don't play them.

Wraithknights, for all their new destructive power, will most likely be singletons from now on. And when it comes down to it, the great majority of models on any gaming table will be single wound critters. Multi wound models and bigger vehicles will suffer, for sure.

Conclusion

While I don't doubt that the new codex is powerful, the only truly imbalancing thing I can see in it is the potential of Wraithknight abuse, and even that is speculative. Time will tell, as it always does. Remember the Flying Land Raider? That didn't break the game either.

Peace out.