As the hazards of space travel in the 41st Millennium go, invasion by Aeldari pirates isn’t a common occurrence but boy are you in trouble when it happens. Their particular brand of hit-and-run warfare combines blisteringly fast troops with genius tactics, many of them pioneered by the greatest Corsair captain in history – Prince Yriel of the Eldritch Raiders.
“Well,” we hear you fleetmasters say, “At least he’s not here in the Maelstrom where we already have Red Corsairs to deal with.”
Yeah, so, about that…
Known far and wide for his legendary defense of Craftworld Iyanden against the voracious Tyranids, Prince Yriel has been a fixture of the Aeldari faction for many years. He returns to the full roster with a vengeance – turning any squad he joins into a potent close combat threat with his Piratical Hero ability. Corsair Voidscarred are already deadly enough due to the power swords they all carry into battle, and making them hit more often tunes up their damage significantly.
That’s even before Yriel himself pitches in, lest we forget he carries the infamous Spear of Twilight. This mythical Aeldari weapon dices up pretty much anything smaller than a battle tank, and while it’s probably going to be the death of him one day,* that’s future Yriel’s problem.
The good captain is joined this time by the Void Dreamer Kharseth, a powerful psyker responsible for keeping the Eldritch Raiders on course. Their ability to sense and react to minute disturbances in realspace is invaluable when enemy drop troops are inbound, while their unique psychic abilities destabilise the fabric of reality and prime affected units for follow-up attacks.
While these heroes are mucking it up on the ground, the new Corsair Skyreavers soar overhead for a spot of high speed hit-and-run action. They may be fragile, but they’re no slouch in close combat and can bring two powerful guns for every five models – great for picking off vulnerable rearguard units and support Characters with Lone Operative.
Besides, who needs raw durability when you can Raid and Run? Whether you’ve polished off a unit or see no value in a protracted melee, your Skyreavers can simply leave the area when it suits them. Bonus points if they mosey out of sight behind some terrain.
Finally, the Starfang uses its speed and vicious Drukhari weapons to zip around deleting the opponent’s elite infantry with high power disintegrator cannon bursts and hails of grenades. The Starfang grenade launcher even does double duty as a protective aid for your own Corsairs, as it can launch Hallucinogen Grenades to obscure friendlies from enemy fire from across the battlefield.
You can get all of these new Corsair miniatures first in the Battleforce: Eldritch Raiders box going up for pre-order this Saturday, and we all know that the earliest to the prize gets the booty.
* It actually succeeded once, but Yvraine worked her magic and made him better.
