Theory-crafting – Eldar Corsairs (Anhrathe)

Hi All,
As my most successful ITC season came on the backs of a fun, janky Eldar Corsair list I thought it might be worth examining whether the new Anhrathe units can be compiles into something vaguely competitive. Sadly the old Corsair Reaver Bands have gone the way of all legends but two new units have sprung up in their place.

Units:
HQ:
Yriel. The only HQ option available to Corsairs Yriel isn’t a terrible option. Given when I played with them last there were no HQ options available (which made list building under the old systems a delight lol) things could be worse. Yriel gives the army an okay close combat punch but runs afoul of the main limitation of the army which we will get to later.

Troops:
Voidreavers: In many ways the new unit is an upgrade over the old corsair reaver bands. While you lose the “annihilate everything” brace of pistols for your units and the long range punch of the missile launcher the wraithcannon gives you a significant threat, and their special rules are much better. I prefer the shuriken rifles to the old shredder carbines and they mesh well with the corsair ability to get auto-wounds.

Elites:
The Voidscarred: I feel it will take some time to fully mine all the value that this unit offers. With a staggering amount of options you can tool these squads for specific tasks. While I an annoyed that some wargear is heavily restricted (I know units with 10 long rifles would likely be OP but even 1 per 5 would be fine. It’s not like it would be hard to get these from other (arguably better) units. It also feels weird that some of these models feel like they should be HQ options for a corsair army, but GW didn’t want to bloat the codex any more then they already had.

List building:
Unfortunately, you are very restricted in what lists you can build using this army. Since you only have 1 HQ model that locks you out of most battalions. Thus your best bet is a vanguard detachment.

++ Vanguard Detachment -3CP (Aeldari – Craftworlds) [71 PL, 9CP, 1,543pts] ++

Craftworld Selection: Corsairs

Detachment Command Cost [-3CP]

• HQ +

Prince Yriel : Iyanden: Enduring Resolve, The Eye of Wrath, The Spear of Twilight, Warlord

• Troops [18 PL, 345pts] +

Corsair Voidreavers: Corsair Voidscarred w/ Wraithcannon , Plasma Grenades
. 8x Corsair Voidreavers: 8x Shuriken Pistol & Aeldari Power Sword
. Voidreaver Felarch : Shuriken Pistol

Corsair Voidreavers : Corsair Voidscarred w/ Wraithcannon , Plasma Grenades
. 8x Corsair Voidreavers : 8x Shuriken Pistol & Aeldari Power Sword
. Voidreaver Felarch : Shuriken Pistol

Corsair Voidreavers : Corsair Voidscarred w/ Wraithcannon , Plasma Grenades
. 8x Corsair Voidreavers : 8x Shuriken Pistol & Aeldari Power Sword
. Voidreaver Felarch : Shuriken Pistol

• Elites [48 PL, 1,108pts] +

Corsair Voidscarred : Corsair Voidscarred w/ Ranger Long Rifle , Corsair Voidscarred w/ Shuriken Cannon , 7x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Shuriken Rifle , Plasma Grenades, Soul Weaver
. Voidscarred Felarch : Shuriken Pistol
. Way Seeker: Shuriken Pistol, Smite, Witch Staff

Corsair Voidscarred : Corsair Voidscarred w/ Ranger Long Rifle , Corsair Voidscarred w/ Shuriken Cannon , 7x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Shuriken Rifle , Plasma Grenades, Soul Weaver
. Voidscarred Felarch : Shuriken Pistol
. Way Seeker: Shuriken Pistol, Smite, Witch Staff

Corsair Voidscarred : Corsair Voidscarred w/ Ranger Long Rifle , Corsair Voidscarred w/ Shuriken Cannon , 7x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Shuriken Rifle , Plasma Grenades, Soul Weaver
. Voidscarred Felarch : Shuriken Pistol
. Way Seeker: Shuriken Pistol, Smite, Witch Staff

Corsair Voidscarred : 2x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Corsair Shredder , 6x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Pistol & Aeldari Power Sword , Corsair Voidscarred w/ Wraithcannon , Plasma Grenades, Soul Weaver
. Voidscarred Felarch : Shuriken Pistol
. Way Seeker: Shuriken Pistol, Smite, Witch Staff

Corsair Voidscarred : 2x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Corsair Shredder , 6x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Pistol & Aeldari Power Sword , Corsair Voidscarred w/ Wraithcannon , Plasma Grenades, Soul Weaver
. Voidscarred Felarch : Shuriken Pistol
. Way Seeker: Shuriken Pistol, Smite, Witch Staff

Corsair Voidscarred 2x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Corsair Shredder, 6x Corsair Voidscarred w/ Pistol & Aeldari Power Sword, Corsair Voidscarred w/ Wraithcannon , Plasma Grenades, Soul Weaver
. Voidscarred Felarch : Shuriken Pistol
. Way Seeker: Shuriken Pistol, Smite, Witch Staff

++ Fortification Network -1CP (Aeldari – Craftworlds) [24 PL, -1CP, 455pts] ++

• Configuration [-1CP] +

Craftworld Selection: Corsairs

Detachment Command Cost [-1CP]

• Fortification +

Fortress of Redemption : Heavy bolter (Fortification) , Redemption Lascannons, Redemption Missile Silo

++ Total: [95 PL, 8CP, 1,998pts] ++

Okay so there is a lot to unpack here (hey, you in the back stop laughing). One of the biggest issues for corsairs is their inability to fill out an army list. maxed out squads in a vanguard detachment will really only get you to 1660ish points. you can’t take any transports as, while they can be transported by Waveserpents and such they do not have the Anhrathe keyword which blows up your entire detachment.

Also since you can’t combine any other detachments without losing your pure status for the ITC points in Corsairs (if that still exists?) you are forced to look into other options for filler points: enter the Fortification Network Detachment. Now I think you make a strong case to drop the Fortress of Redemption and add in a Webway gate (this synergizes very well with Yriel’s ability to start more units in reserve too). I just liked the heft and shooting output of the fortress for your backfield, plus T10 and 30 wounds is nothing to sneeze at. Your squads can put out some decent shooting since they auto-wound on 6’s to hit, and the D-Cannons can give you some mortal wounds. Honestly, trying to pick the best fortification might only net you 3-4 points per game but it is a refreshing chance to consider options you would never look at otherwise.

Honestly, Corsairs are still paying for their previous sins from the Doom of Mymerea book, and their role as cheap filler in Ynnari armies. You might fight your way to the mid-tables with this list (and annoy all the TO’s as you try to wedge your terrain onto a table). but this army remains a meme. Like the Ynnari, the Corsairs remain a half-army that GW doesn’t know quite what to do with. Their aesthetic and place in the lore is great but (beyond a brief time in the sun in 7th ed) this has never translated to great rules. I think GW (or God forbid, FLG) should give Wave Serpents, Falcons and Venoms the “Anhrathe” keyword. This army isn’t going to dominate the meta and this change would not impact other armies in any way. I would like to see more HQ options too, but forcing you to take Yriel might also limit their ability to unintentionally dominate the meta too.

So what do you think? Are we going to see Fortresses of Redemption suddenly sell out? Corsair meta confirmed? Let me know in the comments!

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