O! What do you do with an Eldar Autarch,
What do you do with an Eldar Autarch,
What do you do with an Eldar Autarch
Now it's Sixth Edition?
- popular Corsair shanty, author unknown
That's food for thought!
The Autarch has long been the 3rd round draft pick of HQ slots - a relegation I disagree with, but whatever. Things haven't changed for him so much in 6th edition aside from the addition of Snap Shot, Precision Shot and Look Out Sir.
What has changed? Reserves! Reserves now happen on a 3+ starting on turn 2. Oh and you can only keep half of your army in Reserve. Crazy, huh? Rather begs the question of why you would need an Autarch at all, eh?
The new Reserve rules really put the kaibosh on the tried and true Fritz strategy of staying off the table until turn 5 and then contesting all the objectives.
Why then would you bring an Autarch to pump up your reserves? Well, ask a terminator what the big difference is between a 5th ed power weapon and a 6th ed power weapon. Sure, 1s are rolled from time to time, but 1s and 2s more so, and making your reserves roll has become more important in a way...
If you have flyers. Granted, the Eldar don't have any flyers right now officially. Indeed, you would only be able to use one where Forge World models are allowed; for example in a Corsairs army. Even so, just wait until the Eldar flyer release which is no doubt headed our way soon.
There's also Skyleap. With the (alleged) increased viability of Swooping Hawks, if it's a strategy you choose to employ, you will want to use Skyleap as frequently as possible, and a 2+ on every turn from turn 2 is about as reliable as it gets. It can also keep you from having your units in reserve when the game finally ends.
Agreed that Master Strategist isn't quite as potent as it once was, but it's still an option for a flyer or Hawk-spam army. Perhaps the best thing about MS is that the bonus to die rolls is an optional bonus, and you don't have to apply it until after all the reserve rolls have been made.
The Eldar Autarch and You
by Fonkin | Jul 11, 2012