Hey guys Cavalier here, commission painter for Frontline Gaming and co-host of Splintermind the Dark Eldar podcast. After a long, long time of playtesting I thought I’d share my five favorite units to use with the new Ynnari.
As mentioned above I was involved in the playtesting process for Ynnari. It was a long and extremely interesting journey. While the majority of the internet thinks Ynnari are dead, I’ve found in extensive playtesting process that they are far from dead and can be extremely effective when leaning on the right units.
I’ve had an extremely good run with Ynnari and won almost every game throughout out playtesting and since. When supported by standard Eldar fare like Wave Serpents, Ravagers, Hemlocks and my favorite the Warp Hunter Ynnari combat units become exceptionally deadly. Yet you do have to dive into the Eldar tool box to get the job done. Hopefully this list will help jump start some list building ideas. Lets dive in!
Top 3 Units
Wraithblades–
My number 1 go-to unit throughout playtesting has been Wraithblades. They bring toughness, volume of wounds and great offense that benefits immensely from Strength from Death. I tried both varieties in my games and both were excellent. The +1 WS on the charge and the high volume of Str 6 attacks from the Wraithblades are perfect for mulching infantry. With a little support they also get very good staying power with Shield of Ynnead for a 5++ and healing/resurrection from Word of the Phoenix. The +1 WS is also a huge deal for the Axe + Shield guys as they essentially get the Enhance spell from the Runes of Battle for free when Strength from Death is in effect. With multiple routes for re-roll wounds (not just the one off Doom spell) these guys become a lot more deadly in a Ynnari host than in a Craftworld detachment.
Always fighting first with these guys is likewise fantastic as it adds just another layer of toughness to their already great armor, tougness, wounds and Invuln saves (whether inbuilt or granted from spells).
Strats and Psychic Powers- The strat I found myself using again and again for these guys was Inevitable Fate. This is basically auto-Doom though it works only in combat. Using either style of Wraithblades with re-roll wounds represents a massive increase in offensive effectiveness. Hitting on 2’s with dual swords, 3’s with axes, re-rolling 1’s to hit with the Visarch (or an Autarch) nearby allowing Wraithblades to punch way above their weight class.
In terms of psychic powers Word of the Phoenix to heal or ressurect was massive. It kept this unit grinding away all game in almost every game I played during playtesting. Unbind Souls for re-roll 1’s in combat was great too, but I found myself using the stratagem more than the spell. Shield of Ynnead is the other huge winner for the dual sword variety. Access to a 5++ for these guys is a bit of game changer for the dual swords guys and with Yvraine casting it on a 6 its fairly reliable.
Unit Combinations- Ynnari demand a double battalion because their stratagems while very good are quite expensive. Yvraine and the Visarch were my go-to’s and they work extremely well with Wraithblades for a number of reasons. The re-roll 1’s in combat from the Visarch are essential. With the Visarch nearby the Ghost Sword variety are out 20 Str 6, AP-3 Dmg 1 attacks, hitting on 2’s re-rolling 1’s with easy access to re-roll wounds via psychic powers. Axe and Shield guys are chucking out 15 Str 7 AP-3 Dmg D3 attacks hitting on 3’s re-rolling 1’s This is fantastic offense that doesnt need any psychic support if you manage your CP well. They also get incredible staying power when you combo them with Yvraine who is healing and resurrecting them on a 4+ with Word of the Phoenix and giving the Wraithguard with Dual Swords a 5++ with Shield of Ynnead.
The other unit that really pairs well with them is Wyches. I used Wyches with Shardnets and Impalers to trap enemy units in combat and keep my opponents from falling back so as to shoot the Wraitblades in their own turn. This combo really forms an anchor point for a Ynnari battle line and with so many armies trying to benefit from aura abilities I found it very easy for the Wraithblades and Wyches to target multiple units simultenously and with the help of the Wyches stay stuck in combat. I found the Axe and Shield guys worked best with this approach since they have less attacks and tend not to overkill units but both combinations worked very well together.
The Wave Serpent is a must for these guys. A single unit of 5 with a Serpent with Vectored Engines (advance on T1 to get a -1 to hit) was really great. The Serpent is also great for just jumping out, assaulting units like tanks and the like to shut down return fire in subsequent turns. Also it can be used to help trap units in combat without support from the Wyches.
Howling Banshees
Banshees were an essential tool for me in playtesting, more so for their tactical uses than their offense. They key thing is their ability to ignore Overwatch, which is why I favored a 10 girl unit, so I could string them out and shut down as many targets as possible or possibly wrap + trap especially with their Wave Serpent (which was mandatory for me). Shooting armies are the biggest threat to Ynnari, but when loaded in Wave Serpents in Venoms, and using a big unit of Banshees to shut down gun lines, or deadly tanks (alongside their Serpents which operate in the same way) you can really counter those shooting armies.
Their ability to easily make combat also goes a long, long way. Banshees can advance and charge and get a +3 to charge when they do advance (always advance). When getting out of a Wave Serpent they get 14 + D6 inches of movement making it very easy for them to get to those high priority targets.
The other key ability for Banshees is War Shout which gives them a -1 to hit in the Fight Phase so long as the Exarch remains. I slated my Banshees as go-to units for Lightening Fast reactions meaning they are -2 to hit in combat meaning they can go up against even really scary combat threats and survive quite easily, especially with a little psychic support.
Their offense is also very good. I’d love to see them go up to 3 attacks each like Incubi, but 21 power sword attacks hitting on 2’s (re-rolling 1’s with the Visarch or Autarch) when Strength from Death is active even at Str 3 is nothing to sneeze at, especially with easy access to re-roll wounds through psychic powers and stratagems.
Yet like I said, shutting down overwatch and their potential -2 to hit in combat is what really proved their worth time and time again.
Strats and Psychic Powers- I know I’m repeating myself, but Inevitable Fate for re-roll 1’s is huge when you are going in for the kill with Banshees, or even trying to rack up an extra bit of damage if you are going against something above the Banshees weight class. Yet more than that its Lightening Fast Reactions. Getting the girls to a -2 to hit in combat is more important than putting wounds most of the time, since I typically sent the Banshees out to trap units in combat and take away shooting in subsequent turns.
The key psychic power is Shield of Ynnead to give them a 5++. Since this is an aura effect spell it can really benefit multiple units. I found myself giving this spell to Farseers even if Yvraine had it as well, just in case she died I had someone else to cast the spell. Banshees are a fantastic recpient for this, as again, using Lightening Fast Reactions to get the to -2 in combat, with a 5++ really gives them a ton of staying power.
Unit Combinations- Most of the time I used my Banshees as lone operators who would just go out and shut down multiple units in combat, using their masks to ignore overwatch. The one requisite unit for Banshees is a Wave Serpent. Banshees will get shot to pieces without them. Yet the Wave Serpent is also perfect to assist Banshees in simply tying units up in combat. A Wave Serpent is a massive model and can easily tie up multiple units in combat. Its tough enough to survive combat as well and can also give the Banshees a bit of shooting support (and your army in general). Using the Serpent Shield to blast out some mortal wounds is also good, especially if the Banshees are in combat with a real combat monster that mitigates their potential -2 to hit in combat (a WS 2+ unit or the like) so that with either Unbind Souls or Inevitably Fate (both re-roll wounds, psychic and strat respectively) they can weaken or take the beasty down .
Wyches are also a great tag-team with Banshees as Banshees can shut down Overwatch and the Wyches can get in with their Shardnets and trap units in combat.
Wyches
Wyches were also an essential tool for my Ynnari. I found them occupying many roles, often within a single game. The Sharnet and Impaler (MANDATORY) are prefect for trapping units in combat, especially in multi-assaults with units like Wraithblades so that you can prevent return fire on not only your Wyches but units like Wraithblades (or whatever) they are assisting. Also their high number of attacks, even at Str 3, are perfect for dealing with hordes, especially since when Strength from Death is in effect they are hitting 2’s re-rolling 1’s when the Visarch, an Archon or Succubus is nearby. Combat Drugs gives them a ton of versatility allowing you to tailor them a bit to whatever you may be facing in combat (bonuses to strength, toughness, movement etc.). Access to re-roll wounds is also huge when you need them to kill something as opposed to merely trapping it with Shardnets.
On top of that they are troops so can help you fill up your troops selections for the all important battalion.
A sort of side benefit is that you can load them up into Venoms which give you a -1 to hit transport that provides blistering anti-infantry fire support which is so essential to thinning hordes and allowing you to go after choice targets instead of just wading through a sea of enemies.
Strats and Psychic Powers- I found Wyches to do fine without psychic and strat support, but both re-roll wounds strats and psychic powers are useful when you need to kill something (but hardly necessary). The strat I found to be pretty useful is a Taste for Death. When you kill something with a ranged attack you add1 to hit rolls for attacks made with melee weapons. This sounds odd but allow me to explain how this works. So say your Wyches are locked in combat with 2 units… say a character and another unit. You could pump all your Splinter Pistol and Blast Pistol (which I highly recommend in a Ynnari build) into the character and killing him. This essentially gives you the +1 to WS that you would get on the charge. A designers note would’ve been handy on that one as I didn’t understand it until recently (different rules in playtesting made me look at this differently). Its only a 1 CP strat but it can very handy to keep the offense flowing at max efficiency.
Unit Combinations- Wyches give a lot to other units. Like I mentioned near the top of the article, Wraithblades LOVE Wyches. The Ghost Bois get a lot from their Shardnet wielding sisters as they can be used to keep the Wraithblades in combat (getting healed and ressurected) and free from return fire. Wraithblades are the core melee tool for Ynnari and Wyches do a ton to keep them in the game on top of their already great toughness.
Yet beyond that taking them in Venoms is huge. The anti-infantry is essential for horde clearance. The -1 to hit is likewise huge and using the Venoms to go into combat to tie units up on their own, or to help trap with Wyches.
Conclusion
So these are my 3 lynch pin combat units for new Ynnari. I lost only a single game in playtesting with my Ynnari and these units featured in every one of those lists. If you guys are interested I’ll detail my favorite Ynnari list and how it worked in games if you are interested.
I know most people think Ynnari are dead, but with the right combination of units they are right up there with the better Aeldari subfactions. They may not be as obvious as Black Heart or Alaitoc but if you can get the hang of Aeldari assault they very very deadly and can be infuriating for your opponent with insane accuracy of their offense, fights first and re-roll wounds all over the place.
If you are interested in more Ynnari discussion check out our podcast: Splintermind for exclusive Drukharii and all things Aeldari news and discussion. We’ve already done our solo break down of the new rules, but have an episode just waiting to release with Lawrence Baker from Tabletop Tactics and Wes from D6 Evolution coming up that features an in-depth breakdown of Ynnari highlighting all our favorite combinations and units. If you are interested in following my painting exploits check me out on Instagram! Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
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More please! I’d be interested to see an example list.
Do you go pure Ynnari?
What Craftworld troops do you use?
Three Wave Serpents with Banshees + Wraithblades in takes up half my list, with the other half taken up by 4 modest HQs and 6 Troops (3×5 Wyches in Venoms + 3×8 Storm Guardians).
How do you deal with Monster/Vehicle heavy opponents?
I feel like I need a non-Ynnari detachment to add fire support (to trigger SfD, if nothing else).
I’m struggling with Ynnari.
Hey bud thanks man! I do go pure Ynnari as I love the Reborn Wyches for fights first and +1 WS.
So for CWE troops I use rangers. They are cheap, I like the mortal wounds, help against characters and they are great for objective camping.
For monsters I have 3-5 Venoms with a battalion of warriors. For vehicles I rely on blasters and warp hunters. Also using Venoms, Wave Serpents and the Banshees to get them in combat and make them fall back next turn. Also the Wraithblades are a serious threat to vehicles.
In playtesting I actually found going pure Ynnari and just using units to trap vehicles in combat. Lean on Drukhari to get yourself a fire base with Venoms, Warriors and Blasters. They are super versatile bringing anti-tank and anti-infantry in a fast scoring platform that CWE just dont have
Thanks man I’ll do an article on my list next week!
From a flavour perspective, I find myself liking the new Ynnari. Lord of Rebirth is fun, they have some nice artefacts and the new Word of the Phoenix seems far more thematic.
However, the requirement to include a Ynnari character in every detachment that you want to use Ynnari is something I find absolutely crippling.
What’s more, the overall army bonus just feels niche beyond all reason. Eldar and DE both tend far more towards shooty units (and DE isn’t even permitted to bring its most effective melee units in a Ynnari detachment), and the latter’s PfP makes the bonus to hit from Soulburst entirely redundant.
The first two examples you list (Wraithblades and Howling Banshees) do indeed benefit from Unbind Souls. However, they’d get the exact same benefit from Doom, which comes with the added bonus of also helping non-melee units. You also mention Shield of Ynnead, which seems an odd choice for a unit that can have a 4++ as standard. You can even further augment this with Protect and/or Fortune. So in place of the 3+/5++ that Ynnari can give them, they would instead have 2+/4++/5+++. That just leave their accuracy, but once again regular Eldar have them covered with Enhance and/or Fortune. The only thing you’re really lacking is Word of the Phoenix, but IMO that doesn’t even come close to making up for all the powers and abilities you lose by not taking regular Eldar. Maybe a couple of units will be marginally worse off, but the rest of your army will thank you.
Howling Banshees? I don’t think you listed a single thing that wasn’t already available to them via normal Eldar.
Wyches at least gain something new out of psychic support (as well as an Archon’s ability to buff both their shooting and melee ability). However, I’m still not convinced that going Ynnari is worth it. Yes, you get some psychic support but the cost is sacrificing all your army-wide abilities – including ones that could help vehicles and other ranged units.
I want to like the new Ynnari, I really do (and I say this as someone who had no interest in their prior form). But I’m sorry to say you haven’t sold me on them.
Hey Vipoid, I get where you are coming from. The character thing to me is something I really think is a problem. The Visarch is way overpriced (he needed a 40pt decrease IMO) but his re-roll of 1’s to both CW+DE is still fantastic despite his points. Yvraine is also really good. Her psychic reliability is fantastic and she really does great on the frontlines since she is basically a Succubus + Farseer combined, especially with Wraithblades around her.
In my experience Strength from Death is excellent. Eldar have great melee options and fights first and +1 WS is a fantastic buff to them. IMO Ynnari are a definitive counter to Orks and Genestealer Cult on Strength from Death alone. Fights first is a major, major ability and getting that army wide so long as something has died (friend or foe) is excellent.
The thing with Wraithblades is you are trading the defense from CWE (which takes a lot of successful psychic tests on expensive characters) for excellent offense. Dont get me wrong, Doom is great. But Ynnari have access to 2 combat versions of doom, one thru strat, one thru psychic powers and if you go Harlies you can use a Troupe Master to get even more doom with his re-roll wound bubble (and Harlies hitting on 2’s re-rolling 1’s with the Visarch, re-rolling wounds without any strats or psychic powers are excellent).
As for Shield of Ynnead on Wraithblades, the dual swords guys dont have invulns. Their ridiculous volume of Str 6 attacks with easy access to re-roll wounds is such a phenomenal asset to have in any Aeldari army. Getting them an Invuln save, getting them up to WS 2+ with re-roll 1’s with an Autarch nearby and re-roll wounds thru strat or power is a just phenomenal. Plus using Yvraine to heal or keep resurrecting them keeping the train rolling, especially when you trap units in combat and prevent them from delivering ranged return fire.
Again Howling Banshees, getting the WS 2+ without having to dedicate a Warlock to them is absolutely excellent. Not having to invest in 55pt character with 2 wounds to MAYBE get its psychic powers off to buff them to WS 2+ is awesome especially on a unit that you really want to free-lance and go out shut down threats through getting into assault (and evade most combat threats with a -2 to hit after lightening fast).
Also you are not sacrificing all your army wide abilities. You are keeping battle focus, power from pain and rising cresendo which is huge.
Sorry if you are not convinced. All I can say is go out there and try them and I think you’ll be surprised. The raw Eldar data sheets can really carry their own weight without leaning on the crutch of Alaitoc or Vect. I can only convey my own experiences and like I said I’ve only lost 1 game with them since playtesting and I’ve played them against local tourney winners and average joes. They are challenging to play but have tremendous upside if you can coordinate them well. I know I’m not a tournament pro or anything but I win the majority of my games and I found them to really be exceptional.
My advice is just try them in a game perhaps as small patrol detachment with just a couple of units of Wraithblades just to get a feel. If you’ve not played any Eldar combat units besides old Ynnari spears I think you’ll be surprised, but you wont know unless you give it a shot.
Agreed about the Visarch being overpriced. Yvraine seems okay (can’t stand her model, though). I’d quite like to give the Yncarne a go but he seems absurdly expensive compared to stuff like Daemon Princes.
Regarding Strength from Death, part of the issue might be that I’m a primarily DE player, so I can’t help but feel shafted by it. Because we keep PfP, it basically makes the SfD bonus worthless from turn 3 onwards. Not only that, but it’s a melee-only bonus and all our best melee units are off-limits when playing Ynnari. I’ll accept your word that it’s better for Eldar, but for their dark cousins it seems lacklustre.
Regarding Wraithblades, the offence vs. defence thing is fair. My issue is that the offensive bonus is melee-only, whilst the normal bonus can be applied to either.
Also, I appreciate that the dual-sword versions don’t have invulnerable, but between Fortune and Protect I think you can still make them at least as durable in an Eldar list. That said, those can only affect 1 unit each, so if you’re running multiple units I suppose that’s a significant advantage for Ynnari.
About Howling Banshees, I’d have thought rerolls to wound would be far more important than a bonus to hit (given that they already hit on 3s but wound most enemies on 5s or 6s). Still, I can see the appeal.
When I talked about sacrificing army-wide abilities, I meant stuff like Flayed Skull and Alaitoc. To me at least this is important because these abilities generally affect *all* your units – not just the melee ones.
In spite of what I’ve said, I actually would like to give Ynnari a try. The issue is that I don’t want to just add a ton of Eldar units to my DE army, which sadly seem to be the only way to use them.
Cool man. I’m a huge DE player too and I’ve played Flayed Skull all edition long and written multiple articles trying to give Flayed Skull a try so I totally get it. (Flayed Skull + Alaitoc has been my standard all edition).
But if you play Flayed Skull I think you’ll have a leg up on getting the hang of new Ynnari as the Warriors in Venoms as a fire base and are essentially sprinkling some Wyches and CWE assault units on top of that for a great melee wing.
But yeah Wyches, Wraithblades and Banshees are really good. So are Harlies but they need an article all for themselves when running as Ynnari. Incubi are great with Ynnari too but the 2 CP thing is brutal. Despite that whenever I used them they were fantastic especially clearing hordes and allowing the Wraithblades to go after juicy targets.
If you are a DE guy Im sure you know about Lawrence Baker. We recorded a great episode with him and he’s had an entire new Ynnari done on commission.
Anyway man thanks for at least having a good back and forth with me. I’ll post a link in my next Ynnari article so you can here Lawrence’s Baker’s thoughts on them because he had a lot of interesting points. Anyway thanks for reading bud super appreciate it
Well, technically I play Poison Tongue but I use a lot of Venom-Warriors anyway. 😉
But yeah, thanks for replying. And I’m indeed most curious to hear Lawrence Baker’s thoughts on Ynnari-DE.
It was a pleasure conversing with you.
Good man playing Poison Tongue! Great chatting with you too bud I’ll keep you posted 🙂
I have no idea how A Taste for Death got past cursory reading, let alone intensive playtesting.
I know its a weird strat, but it works like this. Say you have a unit of Harlequins or Wyches locked in combat with two unit say a character and an infantry unit. You shoot your pistols into the character and kill it… because you are locked in combat you would not get +1 to WS that turn (because you didnt charge). Pop this strat and you’ll get that +1 WS even though you didnt charge
It’s just such an unbelievable edge case and there’s a hundred ways to improve it. You need to either be in combat with 2+ units for more than one turn (already a dicey proposition unless you tripointed or trapped with wyches, which is also why ASF isn’t usually great) and finish off one of them with pistols for a marginal buff, or else kill something with normal shooting then charge something else, which only works if you’re hitting on 4s or worse.
No disrespect intended to you or the other playtesters’ work, but I’m honestly baffled at the decisions behind this stratagem, and it’s far from the only one — from the Yncarne’s cost to Incubi needing to waste CP to work to the insane amount of listbuilding restrictions to the blandness of Revenant. It honestly feels like the top priority was making sure Ynnari weren’t dominating top tables anymore and getting a fluffy, interesting ruleset (like Assassins got, as well as pretty much every book since Knights) was a distant second.
Believe me man there I thing that I wish were different too. A strat for +1 BS, lift the named character requirement, incubi getting SfD automatically, a couple of key strats from the codices poached, points reductions, cram multiple aeldari factions into 1 detachment etc. etc. but we as playtesters only give feedback. But as a base I can tell you from experience Ynnari have what it takes to perform at a very high level, but it takes familiarity with some of the lesser used Aeldari tools to get the most out of it and choosing solid stand alone shooting units to support them. And you dont have to believe me but representing the lore on the tabletop is always ours and GW’s top priority, especially on this project.
I did find a use for this strat in a game the other day. Wraith lords and knights, when wounded, can finish of a squad to get them back to hitting on 2’s.
While niche, it is a nice bit to have
Really great write up, thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m actually really interested in Ynnari now, they don’t scream power like they used to but they seem like a fun hyper aggressive army to play.
Just out of interest what are your thoughts on Incubi? Really want to include a few units using the strat to give them strength from death just for flavour but no idea if they’re actually good.
Hey bud thanks! Yeah Ynnari are by no means as obvious as say Alaitoc, Prophets of Flesh or Black Heart where the gimmick is right in your face. But they are still very good.
Yeah Incubi are great in a Ynnari detachment, the only thing is the CP cost for them is brutal. Its not a deal breaker in your average game, because mine have been brilliant for me, even in competitive games. They pair excellently with Wraithblades and the Visarch, a 5++ from Yvraine, fight first is brilliant. The only thing is the CP cost for giving the SfD.
But if you take Walker of Many Paths and sneak them into a Vanguard you can get the CP back fairly easily. But yeah they are great from an offensive point of view no doubt… and keeping Power from Pain really helps them. I love em
So far I’ve had the most success playing with lots of bodies to fuel the powerful characters.
I really like all the choices you mentioned, but I must also recommend experimenting with Ynnari harlequins also.
Their troupes let you fill a double battalion while still offering you more of an elite infantry. A troupe master with the hungering blade is also a monster. Troupes also offer a nice balance of bodies to fuel your characters, while still being worth bringing back with word of the phoenix.
A troupe unit with kisses is also really nice for blitzing the enemy warlord to trigger souls of the strongest.
Combine them with bansheese/wyches to assault the front then have harlequins charge over them to wrap units from the back.
I will also ad a qualifier that I dont see them at the top tables, but they are a very fun army to play.
Soulburst becomes this mini game and you can force your opponent to make interesting choices. Yncarne is prob overcosted now that it cant fight twice, but its unique mechanics can let you do a lot of interesting things.
I think overall it was a good reset for the faction, and setting up GW for an eventual codex that can make them really shine. In the meantime they will prob dissapear from final rounds of tournaments, but they sure are a fun army to bring to the store.
Couldnt agree with you more on all points. Harlies are fantastic in a Ynnari build and if you have the balls, so is the Yncarne. Dropping her in your opponents turn 1″ away then charging on your turn 2, heroic intervention, the 6+ FNP she can give to units like Wraithblades and her offense are ridiculous. Plus she can teleport everytime a unit dies, so she can kill something, then teleport away before the opponent gets to swing back (if it survives).
Its definitley a good reset. There are definite holes in the rules set, but the core is very solid and totally viable.
Anyway great stuff man agree with you on all counts, thanks!
Ynnari definitely have some interesting tricks, but every time I look at them I see what they don’t have: namely, strong defensive abilities or movement enhancers to get their units into combat without dying. Now, if your board is packed full of terrain so that you can hide a whole army of infantry units out of sight, then sure, they’ll do great, but that’s not really something you can rely on.
And I’m not even talking about comparing them to the “old”Ynnari- that’s obviously futile and pointless, because those rules aren’t legal anymore. But compare them to your options in Craftworlds and Drukhari and they start to look pretty bad. Always Strikes First is pretty much strictly worse than the Vexator Mask, which works defensively (and that is the main time you need it.) Ynnari can get rerolls to wound from a couple sources, but Craftworlds can as well (Doom, Runes of Witnessing) and they have the added bonus of getting Quicken, which is an absolutely critical spell if you want to get your Wraithguard into combat without losing half or more of the squad.
+1 to hit conditionally- and a condition that isn’t always easy to fulfill, mind you, as some armies (e.g. Knights, Plaguebearers, Flyer Spam, etc) won’t have any easy kills for you to pick off- isn’t that exciting of a bonus. Sure, it’s great when you can be WS2+ rerolling 1s, but the margin of improvement over “just” WS3+ rerolling 1s isn’t actually that high- and you give up many powerful melee combat options to get that, like Supreme Disdain and Wrath of the Dead. You’re losing that stackable -1 to hit from Craftworlds and +1Str/ignore morale from Drukhari, both of which are far stronger abilities and there’s nothing stopping you from mixing the two together for maximum effect.
The relics and warlord traits are almost all great, and if you didn’t have to burn half your HQ slots on named characters in every army they might be a lot more tempting- but Ynnari asks you to give up a _lot_ in order to get some bonuses that are often fairly marginal at the end of the day. Will ten Wraithblades that hit on 2s and reroll wounds annihilate most things they come in contact with? Sure they will, but so will ten Wraithblades that _don’t_ have those bonuses, or that “just” have the bonuses that Craftworlds can offer them- and those Craftworld ones will be vastly tougher to kill (-1 to hit, +1 armor, 5+ FNP, 4++ save) and much quicker at getting into a fight. I tried to be open-minded when listening to and reading your reviews, since you’ve obviously had a lot more time to play around with this stuff that the rest of us have, but I just can’t see the justification from anything but a fluff perspective.
Hey AP. Always appreciate your feedback man. Yeah definitley the lack of movement tricks is a big miss. But just in my experience you dont want to go with tons of infantry on foot. I found that a double battalion of mechanized drukhari + CWE was really the way to go. So while I 100% agree their should have been some movement tricks from a fluff perspective alone, you can totally mitigate it with wave serpents and venoms which add a ton to a Ynnari army. Also because you dont have access to protect, fortune etc. you want to mech up anyway.
About the Vexator Mask you gotta remember thats a localized thing that you are loading into a raider/venom which is a risky proposition (especially against Imperial soup and a vindicare). Its a great tool dont get me wrong, but decentralizing the ability and giving it to every unit in your army is absolutely fantastic. The same goes to the re-roll wounds. Yes Doom is awesome (and runes of witnessing is ok) but being able to spread that re-roll wounds from up to 3 sources is fantastic, especially since the go-to way of activating it is a strat requiring no roll offs (barring Vect or genestealer vect which is mitigated by the fact that you have psychic version for redundancy or a troupe master with harlies).
The only time I had trouble getting SfD to trigger was when we were playtesting against FW Custodes and I was playing pure Reborn CWE. When you have blasters and blast pistols dotted across your army, or are using Harlies with fusion and haywire it really mitigates a lot of ahat (which are awesome with Ynnari as the combat abilities of the bikes really spike). Yes you are giving up a lot of CW stuff (and things I think should have translated over) but again you are getting stuff like re-roll wounds, hitting on 2’s re-rolling 1’s and fight first which are major game winning abilities especially against horde combat armies like genestealer cult, orks etc.
To get specifically into Wraithblades and trade off with CWE the thing I like about them is you dont need 3-4 different expensive characters having to get psychic powers to get them to do their job. Also unlike the CWE you really dont want to take 10 blades with a 3-4 characters buffing them. You really only want 1 unit with the Visarch standing near them and a strat on standby to get re-roll wounds and a single psyker to give them (and anything within 6″ which is huge) a 5++ if you went with dual swords.
Dont get me wrong, you are giving up major advantages with the CWE but you are also getting very, very significant advantages that require way less support to get the job done. When you give them a Drukhari firebase of warriors in venoms (and venoms for your Wyches) with blasters and blast pistols scattered across I think you can get a very balanced army with high impact shooting and melee. Also you can always just take them in smaller detachment and treat them like a Prophets of Flesh detachment to give a more shooty Aeldari detachment of another flavor some really high impact punch.
There is definitley a learning curve (moreso in just getting the balance of shooting to melee right) but again like I said above, I can only speak to my own experience. I’ve had a really good run with them and want to keep mixing and matching and see if I can sustain the success and replicate the success I’ve had with my standard Alaitoc + Flayed skull combination. Its more challenging but I think their is really unique high impact offense that combined with fights first with the right units that make these guys totally viable, though tricky to play.
Mechanized possibly has more potential, but it’s got issues of its own- like getting demeched turn 1 by enemy shooting. Lacking the same protections that the infantry are lacking (-1s on the Craftworld side, 6+++ on the Drukhari one), Ynnari mechanized forces are gonna be a the mercy of enemy guns as well, and while the Wave Serpent is certainly a good tank, it’s not gonna be able to hold up for long when it’s just got -1 damage protecting it. You could potentially be throwing out Shield of Ynnead to try and keep a couple Serpents protected, but that is going to drastically limit your mobility, since none of your characters can keep up with the Serpents.
Five Wraithblades in particular I just don’t find are enough- attrition stacks up too quickly, and you just don’t have enough hitting power to consistently wipe out the things that charge you. If you get mobbed by a unit of thirty Boyz, the max block of Wraithblades can beat them- they’ll take a casualty or two in the process, but they will win. Five Wraithblades will not, even with all the psychic support in the world, and I don’t think that any of the other units available to Ynnari do the job, either.
Taking Ynnari as a one-off seems more feasible, but honestly I still don’t like it- again, what do they do that basic Aeldari don’t do better? (We will, for the moment, set aside Harlequins much as the article does- I think they are a wholly different consideration, in no small part due to the very different things that they gain and lose.) A Craftworlds melee detachment actually comes out much better a small inclusion than Ynnari does, because there the limitation to one of each buff spell is irrelevant (whereas in theory the advantage of Ynnari is that their buffs are army-wide or area effects in most cases, able to hit multiple units.)
I think that the units you mention- Wraithblades, Banshees, Wyches, etc- are all good units. But they are good units because of their base stats and abilities, not because of the things that Ynnari bring to them. The Ynnari tricks are not worthless, but they come with so many downsides that it’s very hard for me to justify them in most cases.
(Also, I think you are vastly overrating Fights First. Having played Emperor’s Children and Slaanesh Daemons, it just… doesn’t come up that often, especially for an army with low durability. Sometimes, yes, it will be a free “interrupt”… but a lot of the time, it does nothing because the enemy wiped you out in a previous round, or they’re only charging with one unit, or you wiped them out in a previous round. It just doesn’t have a ton of value by itself, especially when it is only activated conditionally.)
ASF just strikes (heh) me as one of those abilities that are vastly overrated by the designers as a holdover from the old initiative rules, and will remain so until the fight order, charge and/or fallback rules are modified.
If 40K played like AoS, where charging didn’t give you automatic ASF it would be a very different animal, but that would completely change the game in a number of other ways as well.
I have to say, I am a lot more drawn to Ynnari now. For one, I don’t feel as constricted when making an army list. I always hated that in old Ynnari, if I wanted to bring a Fire Prism, I was bringing a unit that could only help trigger SfD for another unit, but not benefit from it itself… I feel now that every unit I take has a purpose and can benefit. Sure, my Prism really does not want to benefit, but it *can* now.
Secondly, I think as a mainly DE player, the ability to now take dual Kabal detachments w/o using a worthless special character (sorry Draz, your cool in all but I wouldn’t take him at 1/3rd his cost) opens up a fair number of possibilities. Especially as it now offers some decent psychic defense in Yvraine.
Third, again, as a DE player, if I go Ynnari, I can again field kabal and cult units without actually losing my detachment traits. This is actually a fairly big shift for me to wrap my head around… I can take a venom of warriors and of wyches and still benefit from the fight first SfD…
Finally, while I definitely am feeling the loss of some strats and powers, there are some very, very interesting combinations that I see now… one in particular I am looking forward to is a Skyrunner Autuarch with Lance, Fusion gun, Banshee mask, Locket relic and exploding attacks WL trait… Getting bonus attacks and movement for kills means this guy can seriously wrack up some hurt! Being able to (a) still advance and charge, (b) fire and fade him, (c) Heal via psychic powers and (d) rez him off a 2cp strat on a 4+ (and I am always going to expect it to be a 3cp in case a re-roll is needed) means this guy is extremely tactical, flexible, and dangerous.
All in all, I think I need to get 10+ games in to really get a feel, but I think after a slight adjustment process, there is a lot to play with here.
Hey Faith thanks for stopping by man, long time no see. Yeah combining Warriors and Wyches into a single detachment is HUGE. I treat it as overarching obsession and its great.
Also hell yes on the Autarch on bike. Fusion gun, hungering blade, banshee mask. I plan on running a Ynnari detachment with the Autarch using Ynneads Net to advance and charge, then a Saim-Hann detachment with Spears quicken + advance and charge.
Definitley takes time to get adjusted like you were saying. If you’ve not run anything but Ynnari bikes for melee it takes some adjusting but if you are used to meched up deployment of aeldari combat units, jump in the waters fine! Lol
Anyway thanks man glad you are stoked!
I mean, no argument that Draz is trash, but he does fight twice with a bunch of attacks on a weapon with pretty good AP. I would for sure take him over the Visarch at the same price, since I think he wins the one-on-one duel if it comes down to that.
New ynnari all about the stabby, but no love for the quins from you.
Haha trust me brother I didnt leave them out because they aren’t good. They get a MASSIVE bump in power from Ynnari. They just require an article unto themselves. But the bikers become super in good in combat, and the troupe goes Super Saiyan.
With the Visarch, troupes hitting on 2’s re-rolling 1’s, re-rolling wounds with a troupe master (with hungering blade) is ridiculous. Taking Drukhari with mixed warriors and wyches to support them gives them the fire power they need too.
They are excellent and I will cover them!
I agree with Abuse Puppy’s points.
Respectfully, this seems like a puff piece for the most part. It may be relevant to casual games or the lower tables at a GT/Major, but I don’t think your points hold up to critique if you assume your opponent is competent and/or playing a competitive list.
I also disagree that the “try it and see” point of view is valid in this case. As an example, people run prophets of flesh above the other covens. I am sure there are some people who play the other two, but anyone who is a competent player or is playing a competitive list will just inherently assess prophets of flesh as the better option by a mile and take that one. They do not need to “test” the other ones before coming to that conclusion.
In my opinion, Ynnari give up way to much just to access less efficient and less powerful rules.
In the case of Craftworlds, I think the comparison is very one sided. Wraithblades, even without buffs, are arguably equal to their Ynnari counterparts (-1 to hit from >12″ compared to +1 to hit in melee). The OP claims that you don’t have to rely on a bunch of expensive support characters when you go Ynnari, but then goes on to explain that the Wraithblades need the 5++ spell and a reroll 1s aura from Autaurch/Visarch. Those 200+ points of characters can easily be compared to a Farseer and Spiritseer, who clock in at 175 points. They provide reroll 1s to the wraithblades, can give them a 4++ with the vigilus detachment, can give them 5+++, cast doom, let them move twice, give them protect, etc. Even just taking the spiritseer alone makes them arguably better than the Ynnari version. Even their transport, the wave serpent, is easier to kill if its Ynnari (which is a big deal if you go second). Howling Banshees on the other hand were never taken before and I don’t think a +1 to hit will change that. Given that an Autaurch can just take a banshee mask, I don’t know how relevant Howling Banshees will be.
Druhkari Wyches certainly get a buff from Ynnari (although I think army wide Str4 for them from Cursed Blade is arguably better). Kabals get objectively worse as they are primarily shooting based and lose their obsessions. Harlequins give up very little to become Ynnari (although losing access to their stratagems is a bit of a hindrance, as is giving up the move twice spell, the solitaire, and ignore overwatch potential). Whether those versions are better than the pure versions is debatable, but I think a good player could pilot either version to victory. However, I don’t know if the Ynnari buffs to these two factions will do much to change their competitive ranking. Harlequins, whether Ynnari or pure, are still harlequins.
I am not saying you cannot make a good Ynnari list, and I guess we’ll just have to see how they perform on the circuit. My prediction though, is that Ynnari will perform poorly in a competitive environment. I suspect we will see the tournament statistics for Ynnari bear this out (assuming we get a large enough sample size to even form reliable statistics ).
Hey Jeff feel free to disagree and play whatever you want but its not a puff piece. The Eldar factions are all I play and I’m bored to tears winning with just Alaitoc and my fave Flayed Skull. I am always looking for new ways to play Eldar of whatever faction. If it was a lost cause I wouldnt waste my time. Its a challenging playstyle with a ton of upside for those willing to put in the reps
I always look for new ways to play and it would be nice if the ITC ruled on the faction if you take a Ynarri character but choose to remain CW, DE, harlequin. It gives DE a true deny the witch.
“While the majority of the internet thinks Ynnari are dead, I’ve found in extensive playtesting process that they are far from dead…”
Isn’t it, like, the entire point of the Ynnari that they’re dead? Or at least, a bunch of them are? And that’s where their powers and abilities come from? 😉
They died… then they came back lol Its poetic if you think about it lol
Oh, I’ve got a question for you, Cavalier – what about Ynnari Striking Scorpions? Are they just inferior to Howling Banshees?
Brother believe me I love my Striking Scorpions. I have 20 lovingly converted ones, but they are tough to run. I think the overall utility of Banshees trumps them, but Abuse Puppy wrote an EXCELLENT article on Scorpions if you are interested and I love recommending the article whenever I get the chance…
But definitley prefer them in an Alaitoc detachment in big squads deepstriking a healthy distance away.
https://frontlinegaming.org/2019/03/13/craftworlds-codex-review-elites-striking-scorpions/
https://frontlinegaming.org/2019/03/11/craftworlds-codex-review-hqs-karandras/
As I have mentioned a few times, I use a unit of 5-6 Scorps in my list and I actually really like them. I think people try to play them as a primary assault unit and that just isn’t what their stats support at this time. Well, they never really did that, maybe back in 4th but that’s about it.
What they do very well is taking one of your opponent’s backfield objectives from them, taking out a wimpy unit and then holding that objective down. They do just enough damage to smoke a unit of say Cultists, Scouts, Guard, etc. and then are just tough enough to hunker down in a good spot and earn you some points. Their ability to self-deliver anywhere on the table and then punch a bit is no joke. Plus the mandi-blasters can be surprisingly effective and the Exarch with the Claw also can go hot and do far more damage than one would expect. In a list with lots of threats around the board, they help a ton with winning the mission and establishing board control.
Spot on here. They also can work well as a primary anti-horde assault unit if you are combining them with Karandaras, as they can spit out an absurd number of attacks.
They would be a perfect fit for combining with Ynnari’s +1 to hit bonus… if only you could field Big Special K alongside them to use that +1. Sadly, this is not possible, which is a huge strike against them as an option.
(Also, Banshees are super-rad and people have no idea.)
Oh, Banshees are awesome. I have been saying that for ages. Everyone gets hung up on the fact that they don’t kill much but that is entirely missing the point. They’re an incredible utility.
Thanks for the replies and the advice, everyone. 🙂
Hey AP. Yeah I know… the exclusion of the Phoenix Lords really doesnt make sense to me. The K man would be a lot of fun. Also yes. Banshees are great and no one knows. I think its the curse of Fine Cast
@Reece- Yeah Banshees are the business. Such a phenomenal utility
Interestingly enough, the big K can go into a CWE det8,and nothing stops him from buffing ynnari scorps
I think another unit that I’ve seen mentioned once that really benefit from ynnari is striking scorpions. A separate supreme command detachment to add karandras would make them crazy. Getting additional attacks on 4 to 5+ if an enemy unit is in terrian throws out a massive amount of attacks, with the exarch getting up to 9 by himself.
Also the yncarne needs a points reduction, but is fun to play with bouncing around.
Totally. Agree 100%… I really over looked the Scorps… and the fact that they dont need a transport is a big deal. Gonna give this a try for sure. I got 20 Scorpions waiting for some action
Ynnari just lost any role or identity.
The rules imply a close combat army, but they lack all abilities that make cc armies in 40K viable such as more reliable DS (GSC, Bloodletters), toughness to weather the shooting going there old fashioned (Custodes, Coven), double-fight to at least wrap things (all cc armies), abilities to super-charge movement (e.g. Swarmlord or even just non-Ynnari Craftworld stuff with quicken).
I just don’t see how they can hang with things like Kraken Genestealers or Grotesques or even Blood Angel Death Company lists or whatever.
Them not having any fight (or any act) twice seems like the biggest oversight both for fluff and crunch honestly. The way a bunch of abilities are worded (“soulburst actionS” rather than just “strength from death”) makes me think a more complex and powerful mechanic for SfD had been considered but later scrapped, perhaps due to time constraints. But seriously, not even a 3CP stratagem?
Cant say too much because of the NDA, but it was a very long and involved playtesting process.
But trust me man, I hear you on the 3 CP mega strat. Fights twice would’ve been huge. But like I mentioned I think this is a very good base, with some great tools that can really compete if you can get the balance of units right.
Anyway really enjoyed your comments man. Thanks for going back and forth with me
I really wished to like the new Ynnari, but everytime i make list i find that other things do it and even better.
Not allowing Homonculus units and solitare in Ynnari detachment. Beast don`t get SoD and you even have 2 CP tax to include Incubi.
They have only 11 unique stratagems and most of them look like filers, something just to include to to reach the number:
Taste for death, Soal of the strongest, Acolyte of Ynead, Shrine of the whispering god look just like filers.
Their best stratagem require to get all the 3 characters and of course they got almost 0 point decrease and powers that are subpar CWE. To make the matters worst they even locked the main characters warlords traits. Until CA where they can get serrious point decrease i don`t see them as comparative choice.
It`s nice to see people are trying to use them and i wish you luck.
Very interesting review!
I’ve always liked Wraithblades and they only benefit from new Ynnari, which is awesome and is highlighted very well here.
Wyches on the other hand, I’ve never noticed that synergy before! That’s awesome. Only issue I have is I’m trying to make a footslogging army. It’s a themed list and thus is trying to use as little mech as possible… any ideas on shoehorning Wyches in as foot slogging? Currently running with some Skyweavers, Storm Guardians, and Hornets as fire support with Characters set us as assassination like units
Hey bud thanks! Yeah Wyches are a natural. They are a bit over looked currently (although they out performed other Drukhari at LVO) but I’ve loved them all edition long. But Footslogging them is really tough in a Ynnari list. You really need the anti-infantry support of the Venom. Stormies aren’t bad on foot because they are so low-priority and if you are going up against Orks and Genestealer Cult (or any mass assault on the regs) you can equip them flamers and take advantage of fights first and not worry too much about it.
But yeah I wouldnt recommend footslogging Wyches in a Ynnari. But you could ally in some Cursed Blade or Red Grief Wyches to pin units down and then use something like Ynnari Wraithblades as the anchor (but I’d put them in a serpent) . I’d definitley experiment with a really stripped down Ynnari Battalion.
Also good for you using the Hornets. I used them a lot for fire support with my Ynnari in playtesting and found them to be super, super useful especially against Primaris (Hellblasters), Centurions etc. Their 48″ range with pulse lasers, str 6, AP-3 flat 2 dmg is great!
Great article inspired me to give the new Ynnari a try out, please do more articles. More indepth to each individual subfaction CWE, Drukhari and Harlequin and how to make them work in Ynnari exclusively.
Thanks man glad you enjoyed! I’ve done really well with them and really look forward to taking them out into the wild. Playing against Slaanesh a fair amount of times opened my eyes, and playing with a decent alotment of melee too. May the dice be with you!
What do you think about the Wraithseer as a warlord? With Lord of rebirth and Lost shroud? 5++, a damage reduction to the damage to half of it and a healing of 1 per turn? He should be a very stable unit and with the D-Cannon also a good tank cracker, although the range of 24 “may be low.
The combination of Wraithblades (one of my favorite units) and the Drukhari I find very interesting. tie and kill.
If I understand correctly, you play 2 Battallions. a ynnari with wraithblades and one with a drukhari battallions with the wyches and venoms?
Hey Linden yes. I did play with a double battalion, one Reborn Asuryani, the other Reborn Drukhari. I ALWAYS take a good amount of warriors in venoms for dakka and dark light though. At least 3 units
Also the Wraithseer while not optimal is still super fun. My podcasting cohost and friend Brian is currently going the Ynnari Wraithseer route. I wouldnt look for him to crush the world, but I’ve seen Reece use his Wraithlords really effectivley. With a 5++ and damage reduction plus healing I think its definitley worth a spot in regular rotation for lists
Thank you for your answer,
I’m still testing it with the Spears, since I do not have any drukhari yet, but they definitely come to the to-do for Ynnari. The Wraithblade are really great with Ynnari. Wraith units are playing quite interesting through Ynnari. I have not tried lords yet, but if the Wraith Special Detachment works on Ynnari, I would also check it out, but unfortunately that’s not the case. I test it currently with the Wraithseer, since 24 “range is unfortunately a bit low but on my 48” field but good at firing. I usually use it as a tank cracker or killer of large units, preferably single characters. Once he was able to disable the enemy warlord, which the Ynnari are especially happy about -> permanent Power of Death.
The Harlequin as a 2000 list I will also test times as an alternative to the Drukhari Wyches.
Thanks for taking the time to write out your thoughts.
Like everyone else I am weighing up whether it makes sense to go Ynnari, rather than just Craftworld or Kabal.
My current thought is to run one Drukhari Ynnari detachment with Wyches and Incubi. I like the idea of using Venoms and Raiders from my flayed skull or black heart detachment to transport my Ynnari Wyches and Incbui to gain their bonus.
The problem with pure Ynnari in my local meta is that it seems like an auto-loss against the Aeldari flyer spam list which is super popular and Tau.
Hey Sean great ideas. I ran Incubi and found they were fantastic with fights first +1 WS a 6+ FNP and then a 5++ from Yvraine they are great. I also found they worked great with Wraithblades, especially against bigger squads. You could tag them into combats the Wraithblades were dealing with big monsters and vehicles and the Incubi would be ignored.
Dont get me wrong the 2 CP is brutal and something I vehemently disagree on, but a Visarch Incubi Shrine is just too sick lol
But as for Tau… yeah the threat is real which is why I HUGELY recommend Howling Banshees and Serpents. You should be out of range of their massed Dakka in the early goings but using a big unit of Banshees to string out and charge their battle line with the Serpents tagging in after creates huge disruption. The Banshees will wipe the floor with them and they can set the table for Wyches and Incubi to get in there if you take advantage of them huddling close for all the Tau aura abilities.
Also yeah, Eldar flyers are a threat, but if you in serpents and lots of venoms it makes there life tougher. I also recommend Warp Hunters. Warp Hunters tear those suckers out of the sky in flamer mode. If they go after your Warp Hunters it’ll free up your serpents to get after everything else
Hi
dont know if this is already clear but can all aeldari units universally use each other’s transports in a ynnari detachment like the characters. Or are they still restricted by their keywords (even though they all become ynnari) . Would like to put harlequins in venoms ?
As I understand it, Harlequin or Aeldari can not embark into Venoms. Here is always referred to the Drukhari / Craftworld / Masque Infantry. Since the Drukhari / Craftworld / Masque in Ynnari Detachment each have their own keyword, should Harle or Aeldari not embark into Venoms. Exceptions are the triumvirate they have a special rule for this. that would be cool Dark Reaper in Venoms or Starweaver.
Hey I want to start Ynnari because I really love my close combat armies. Care to share an example if a list? I have been trying to make stuff fit but some of the characters seem so damn expensive.
What’s the deal with the Spiritseer and Wraithseer in a Ynnari detachment? Does the Spiritseer’s Spirit Host keyword for rerolling 1s (Spirit Mark) get completely replaced with or just the part? Does the Wraithseer have its own Psyker powers or does it have the Ynnari’s powers and can it even affect Spirit Host units that are Ynnari like Wraithguard? Thanks!
I cannot understand how you can fit all the units to a 2000pts list…. everything is expensive. I am playing mostly harlequins but I would like to test a mixed list with wraiths but when I try to make a list I cannot find the ppints for all these vehicles
Hi, I’m a noob with craftworlds and I like to play with Ynnari, Can yo post your list and coment it a little bit for I can see how work the configurations that you explained above?
Hi @ all,
The color scheme is incredible.I really like that red with gold Does anyone knows which colors were used? Especially the warm red and the shade/wash for that armor.