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Would anyone consider running an Autarch with a unit of warp spiders? Please share your ideas concerning numbers and equipment if you've used it or have any ideas about it!

GearheadXII

My brother plays eldar and we've been duking it out on the reg (with varying degrees of competitive lists) since 3rd edition. I play Daemons for the most part now, and I can tell you, I was not a fan of seeing 10 spiders accompanied by an Autarch with generator, banshee mask, and Shard of Anaris. Autarch will beast anything that does not have EW (granted lots of things do) in a challenge, hands down. You'll never get to strike before him, and every wound is Instant Death. It's not the MOST competitive unit you can field from the Eldar codex, but it can be strong if played properly.

Weaknesses are that it is an expensive unit that isn't all that durable.

Strengths are speed, agility (I list this separately since spiders can pull all sorts of movement shenanigans), and that the unit can threaten most units in the game in the shooting and the assault phase. Combine this with hit and run and it's golden.

Again, it's not the strongest combo Eldar can bring to the table, but it is a fun to play unit with a lot of potential.

I only have a small secondary force of Eldar, but I've been trying out an Autarch with a Phoenix gem and warp pack, with a few spiders around him.

I initially thought of using the Warppack to get a relentless reaper launcher Autarch, but then decided giving him a power weapon was more to the point.

That said, he didn't do so well, losing the spiders to Overwatch and then being too far from the fight to pile in and ending up stranded. I think I'll try it again n future.

I tried this once, and had to take a morale test turn one on the Autarch's LD 10. He failed and they ran off the board.

It left such a bad taste in my mouth, I've never tried it again.

My only complaint with this idea is that for the same price as a warp pack, you could get a jetbike that gives him +1 T and greater mobility being able to move up to 48" in a turn.

Spiders warping also have a chance of removing the Autarch (as it is a random model lost) and kind of scary to lose your HQ just like that.

A Jetbike is better in almost all cases. It can even join a warp spider squad without problems, since both unit types have the ability to perform moves during the assault phase.

But if you want to use a warp jump generator, you can make it work. A Reaper Launcher or Death Spinner would probably be the best weapon to use in that case - fairly cheap and shooty.

Giving him melee equipment when he has a warp jump generator seems questionable. I don't think warp spiders should be getting into close combat, even with a powerblade exarch. If you do go this route, give him a banshee mask and a Shard of Anaris - he will always hit first in challenges, and can usually ID his opponent. But if "effectiveness" is your main criterion, then a jetbike can run same equipment for the same price, and get +1T and hammer of wrath.

I would not consider running an Autarch for any reason. They don't do anything more useful than an extra how ever many points spent on more Warp Spiders, in this case. Nor an extra however many points of largely anything else, in all other cases.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 DanielBeaver wrote:
A Jetbike is better in almost all cases.

Jetbikes can't run, and prevent the unit from running. Battle Focus is pretty important to Warp Spiders.

Don't see what stops the Spiders running? They also add reserve rolls which can be pretty helpful.

Jetbikes can't *use* battle focus, but the Autarch does *have* it. And relentless, which could matter depending on loadout.

Can you turbo-boost while the rest of the unit runs? (Not that it's a good idea, since the Autarch would forgo shooting). I do take the point that not being able to run would basically cut 50% off of the potential move distance of warp spiders, which severely gimps them.

pm713 wrote:
Don't see what stops the Spiders running? They also add reserve rolls which can be pretty helpful.

Units run, not models.

Jetbikes, as bikes, can't run. Therefore the unit can't run


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 DanielBeaver wrote:
Can you turbo-boost while the rest of the unit runs?

Also no. Warp Spiders can't Turboboost, and bikes can't run.

In a mixed unit, they can't move at all in the Shooting phase.

Thanks guys, got some good ideas. I'll see what I can come up with!

Why not.
One can do crazy things with Warpspiders and the Autarch can fully benefit from the Exarch powers.