I’m Emmanuel from The Killzone podcast on the FLGN and Strategic Advantage on youtube! I’m excited to talk about the new Corsair Voidscarred kill team, introduced to Kill Team in the Nachmund expansion box set!
TL;DR – Space Elf Ninja Pirates and Sonic the Hedgehog were put into a blender, and we’re left with this masterpiece!
The team is made up of one leader, the Felarch, and 8 other scallywags – some of which are quite impressive models. They come to us in the Nachmund box set alongside their heretical power-armored opponents, the Legionaries (more on them in a future article!). Their base stats are similar across the board, having the standard 6” / 3-circle movement, 2 APL, and 4+ saves with 8 wounds (with the Leader gaining an additional wound). That is where the similarities between the models end! I’ll break down some of my favorite operatives on this kill team a bit later, as their power really comes from what the team does as a whole.
They have access to three unique faction Tac Ops: one is free points, while the other two I really can’t see being a strong competitive choice but have value in narrative games. Their first Tac Op, Flawless Raid, is essentially an auto-pick. Long story short, if you’re winning, here’s some more points so you can keep winning. Of course, if you’re already winning do you need the help from this Tac Op? Probably not but it does make it easier to maintain that lead. The other two Tac Ops are fun and flavorful but have way too many moving parts to reliably score so you won’t miss out if you pass on them.
Much like other “bespoke” teams (i.e. not from the compendium) they have a unique gimmick, leaning into the aeldari’s speed and agility. Every model is allowed a free dash when they activate, at any point during their activation. This turns your operatives into quasi-3APL models, as many 3 APL models are using 2 out of those 3 action points for a move and a dash anyway. This compounds with two of their strategic ploys (Plunderers and Aeldari Agility) allowing for even more zipping across the battlefield.
But wait, there’s more! In addition to movement bonuses, their board presence is further bolstered by the tactical ploy One Step Ahead. This allows you to re-deploy two operatives at the end of the initiative phase in the first turning point. This occurs AFTER you and your opponent have completed the scouting phase, allowing you to effectively counter-deploy knowing both (a) the starting position / orders of your opponent’s operatives, and (b) knowing who has first activation. This is a powerful way to ensure your models are effective in the first turning point, and furthermore a fantastic way to mitigate the slight disadvantage for deploying first if you are Defender.
The last thing I want to highlight before we get into the models is one final tactical ploy – Light Fingers. This allows you to complete a mission action for free with any operative. Not 1 AP less – FOR FREE. This counts for your Tac Ops as well, not just primary mission objectives – looking at you Vantage and Plant Signal Beacon. This synergizes so well with their movement, allowing you to get almost anywhere you want on the board and score points when you get there. There are many more good strategic and tactical ploys available, but the ones highlighted above will likely see the most play.
Alright, now for the best part. The ninja-pirate-elves. I’ll keep this brief and point out the standouts and what equipment I think works very well for them.
Voidscarred Fellarch
With both a Neuro Disruptor and a Power Weapon hitting on 2’s, your Leader is a lethal model. Their Coordinated Strike special ability allows them to chain activations with a friendly model within 3” / Square of them. Use this to gang up on big targets or rush an objective to take control or mission action before your opponent has a chance to respond.
Voidscarred Way Seeker
This team gets a psyker! This model is an auto-take, and in standard aeldari fashion they have some incredible abilities. Their Lightning Strike is a powerful shooting attack. Freezing Grasp can reduce a Marine’s total movement from 9” (move+dash) to only 4” (move – 2”/circle, and no dash allowed). The coup de grâce however is Warp Fold, allowing you to trade places with a visible friendly operative 6” / Pentagon from you. This opens up so many opportunities from leapfrogging melee models forward or allowing an engaged Way Seeker to move forward, cast lightning strike, and then swap with a concealed model to prevent return fire. That second psychic ability isn’t guaranteed however…you must roll a D6 and on a 1 or 2 you suffer 3 mortal wounds and cannot cast an ability (and lose the APL too!). For that alone I recommend taking the Lodestar Helm which lets you ignore those wounds…the psychic ability still fails however.
Voidscarred Shade Runner
Here’s where the Ninja comes from, in the aforementioned ninja-pirate-elf-team. This is the only operative with the Fly keyword, making them fantastic at completing secondaries like triangulate and vantage. Their special ability, Slicing Attack, can allow them to move within engagement range and make a single melee attack during a normal move. This is a great “clean up” ability allowing you to move about the board mopping up nearly-defeated enemies while still efficiently completing mission objectives.
I could go on all day. There are so many other combinations and synergies, like the Starstorm Duelist with Deadly Ambush, the pokemon trainer Kurnite Hunter’s spearow bird friend has a chance to remove an enemy operative’s conceal order to open up a target for your Sniper (the Fate Dealer), or a Heavy Gunner’s movement restriction being mitigated by the Way Seeker’s Warp Fold ability. Suffice it to say, there is so much to this team–the tricks seem limitless.