How Do You Use Eldar Striking Scorpions?

Less than two months ago, shortly after the release of the new 6th Edition Eldar Codex, I took a brief look at some of the Eldar Aspect Warriors in the latest edition of Warhammer 40K. One type of Aspect Warrior that didn’t immediately catch my attention were the Striking Scorpions.

Was that an oversight (as some of the comments claim)? Is there some secret spark of awesome hidden in the Striking Scorpions that I fail to see. Or, are 6th Edition Striking Scorpions only a mediocre choice in an army list full of fantastic options after all?

Help me decide!

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#1 – Striking Scorpions: What Do You Get?

Striking Scorpions are, pointswise, among the cheaper Aspect Warriors, though they still cost more than a (6th Edition) Space Marine. For that, you get your basic Aspect Warrior statline (Skills good, Initiative 5 is always welcome, Toughness 3 because they are still Eldar). Obviously, Striking Scorpions also benefit from the new army-wide Battle Focus and Ancient Doom.

Specifically and unique to the Striking Scorpions, they bring the following bonuses to the table:

On the other hand, the following downsides need to be considered:

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#2 – Striking Scorpions: What To Do With Them?

So. Given what you get with Striking Scorpions, how would you use them?

• Slaying Orks: Obviously, this is the kind of fight the basic Striking Scorpion is made for. Low armour, T4 enemies that strike after I5 is where the Scorpions excel. It’s a job Striking Scorpions can do on the (relative) cheap, as Eldar units go anyway.

• Exarch Delivery: Without going into too much detail, the Striking Scorpion Exarch can be tooled up to make a nasty opponent. With a Scorpion’s Claw, the Exarch is dealing Str. 6 AP2 hits, which is useful for more than just Orks. The selection of Exarch warrior powers – Monster Hunter, Crushing Blow, Stalker – is nice if you have the points.

• Deathstar: Last but not least, one could really sink points into the unit, adding an Exarch with all the toys, Phoenix Lord Karandras, an Autarch perhaps, building a “Scorpion Deathstar”.

Those at last, are ways to use them I would think of? If you have another secret use for them, feel free to share it!!

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h2>#3 – Striking Scorpions: Why I Doubt Their Usefulness?

The problem, at least with the above, is that I don’t think Striking Scorpions are necessarily the best unit available for these roles.

For slaying Orks (or similar low-armour infantry), the torrent of Shuriken any Eldar army unleashes will, usually, take care of that problem rather nicely. Of course, if there’s nothing but Orks being played in your local club, Striking Scorpions will still do this job, and do it well. It just isn’t the first priority of things I think of when I build an Eldar list.

For delivering an Exarch, I find it difficult to square the added cost of the unit (and enemy attention) with a useful application. A few flanking Scorpions without a tooled-up Exarch are sometimes ignored. Things like a Scorpion’s Claw, on the other hand, will inevitably draw attention.

If they do, 3+ saves aren’t what they used to be in the days of Heldrakes, nor are stealthy cover-saves in the time of markerlights. A Striking Scorpions unit that “looks dangerous” is usually gone from the table far too quickly for my taste.

Finally, for embedding an Autarch (or Farseer), other units (Swooping Hawks, Dire Avengers, Warp Spiders, Eldar Jetbike most of all) seem to work better for that purpose. Few Independent Characters (Karandras aside) work well with an infiltrating stealth-unit, and many other units in the Eldar Codex seem to offer more to an IC riding with them.

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#4 – Striking Scorpons: The Verdict?

Are Striking Scorpions bad? No, far from it. Please don’t read this article this way.

A unit of Striking Scorpions (personally, I’d keep mine cheap) doing their ninja-schtick behind enemy lines will almost certainly be a useful distraction.

On the other hand, I don’t think they are a “must-have” either. Not so much because there is anything wrong with the Scorpions themselves, but more because there are other entries in the Codex that are simply better at doing most of the jobs I imagine the Striking Scorpions would take on in an Eldar army?

What do you think?

• Have you used Striking Scorpions in a 6th Edition Eldar army?
• How are you using your Striking Scorpions on the table?
• What would you recommend to people looking to field some Striking Scorpions?

Leave a comment!

Z.