Editing Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Kill Team(8E) Xenos (section)

===ELD Units===
*'''Guardian Defenders (Leader, Comms, Medic, Scout, Veteran):''' Your basic cheap as chips guardians are simple, but effective. You aren't the toughest, you aren't shiny, you ain't special, but you are fast, reliably accurate and at 7 points a dude, they're excellent for filling out infantry-heavy lists. Take a bunch with a souped up Dire Avenger Exarch as your leader, and go to town with a horde of citizen soldiers trying to be a professional army.
**'''Heavy Weapon Platform (1):''' Unlike many other armies, who'll often just carry their special weapons themselves, Guardian Defenders need to plant them on a separate model and babysit them if they want to actually use it. This makes them somewhat expensive and inefficient as vectors for heavy firepower compared to everyone else. This is exacerbated by the fact that you can only take one, it can't be a specialist, gain experience or be part of a fireteam. This doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, though. Shuricannons and Scatter Lasers can rinse through GEQ models reliably enough, while Starcannons and Bright Lances can tear through MEQ and multi-wound models fairly easily. Plus, its higher wound count and better armor save means that it'll take a modest amount of firepower to bring it down. Plant your Comms specialist behind it to ensure you get the most out of your shots.
*'''Storm Guardians :''' Your melee skirmishers, armed with Shuriken Pistols and some rather pitiful beatsticks. They are your cheapest choice, but they'll likely struggle against armored enemies, anything particularly shooty or anything that actually knows how to make a fist. What they can do is ideally swarm a specialist/leader and try to bury them in melee saves. They can perform decently enough against units like Tau, Guardsman, or even other flavors of Eldar (within reason), though regular Guardian Defenders will likely outperform them against almost everybody else.
**'''Storm Guardian Gunners (2):''' These guys are your special weapons bearers. Fusion guns are a nice counterpart to the Shuriken spam, and with battle focus you can run up and blast apart models at full BS. Bonus points if you make them comm specialists for a speedy  +2 to hit delete button. If you'd rather try to drown your opponent in saves, you can also equip them with a flamer to auto-toast peeps before you go in for the charge.
*'''Rangers (Leader, Comms, Medic, Scout, Sniper):''' Just like in the full 40k game, Rangers serve as your snipers. They don't suffer any penalties for firing at their weapon's full range, and can plant a Mortal Wound on any unlucky sop on a wound roll of 6+. Dealing with these cloaked bastards at range can be particularly daunting as well; they get an additional -1 to-hit modifier if they're obscured. This makes them fantastically durable, as anyone shooting at them from half-range or further could be dealing with a frustrating -3 modifier! At 11 points a model, they're your most expensive ''standard'' unit. All that said, they're still reasonably priced support units, though as they don't really benefit from Battle Focus (Ranger Long Rifles are Heavy Weapons) and are practically helpless at melee, they are not ideal for contesting mid or cross field objectives. And while 11 points per dude isn't terribly expensive, they start to eat into your maximum body count quite quickly. Use a few of them to harrass/assassinate key enemy units or to heavily discourage enemies from entering certain areas of the map.
*'''Dire Avengers (Leader (Exarch only), Combat, Comms, Medic, Sniper, Veteran) :''' A Dire Avenger may be three points more than a Guardian Defender, but for that you get an extra six inches of range (Wouldn't you pay 3 points for an extra six inches wink wink), a slightly better armor save, better overwatch (5+), grenades and better leadership. Depending on what specialists you wish to take, these guys can serve fantastically, though they'll definitely be a premium compared to your other options.
**'''Dire Avenger Exarch (1):''' A Dire Avenger Exarch makes a fantastic leader for any kill team, and is flexible enough to accommodate any kind of focus you're gearing your team for. Shooty Exarchs can take one or two Avenger Shuriken Catapults (since they're free, you should ''always'' take two) for run-and-gun teams. Fighty Exarchs can be kitted out with a Power Glaive or Dire Sword for glorious combat, each of which can take a Shuriken Pistol for little potshots here and there. Exarchs have a built in 4++ Invuln covering 2 wounds, making them slightly harder to drop than the rest of the dudes he's leading. That said, Power Glaive Exarchs can support fellow Dire Avengers by using the Shimmershield to confer a 5++ Invuln to any of other Dire Avengers within 2". Respectably cheap, an Exarch's all but required for your kill team and makes for a good centerpiece to base your composition around.
*'''Striking Scorpion (Leader (Exarch Only), Combat, Demolitions, Scout, Veteran, Zealot):''' The most flexible of your elite choices, your Scorpions are your strongest standard, non-wraith unit. An effective S4 courtesy of their Scorpion Chainswords lets them punch down GEQ targets moderately well. While the standard Scorpion lacks any real way to punch through armor directly, each one is equipped with Mandiblasters that can potentially put a Mortal Wound on a foe just before the combat phase begins. One of the main selling points of the Striking Scorpions, however, is their bonus to hit targets currently in cover in the fight phase. In a game where being obscured is such a major defensive aspect for many of the factions, this makes it fairly easy for your Scorpions to force players out into the open lest they give your elf ninjas the advantage in a fist fight. Take caution though, even though your Striking Scorpions are your only non-Wraith/Commander units to have a 3+ save, they're still a measly T3 elf. Don't get reckless with their positioning.
**'''Striking Scorpion Exarch (1):''' For when you want to tear apart those pesky power armored mon-keigh but can't afford a wraithblade. On top of all of the standard Striking Scorpion rules, your Exarch gains extra attacks in the fight phase whenever he hits on a 6+, potentially giving him a ludicrous number of swings. Apart from the standard Scorpion gear, your Exarch can take either a Biting Blade (for when you're strapped for points but feel like -1 AP is better than zero) or a Scorpions Claw (for when you don't want your enemies to walk away from a CQC encounter with you while being decently shooty). While both options have their place, even a bare-bones Exarch can still potentially bury MEQ/TEQ under saves.
*'''Howling Banshee (Leader (Exarch Only), Combat, Comms, Veteran, Zealot):''' Your sword-swinging ladies serve as your anti-armor melee specialists. A minimum movement speed of 8" makes it very easy for them to close the distance to their targets, especially when combined with their ability to re-roll charges. If that in itself wasn't enough, their Banshee Masks disable ''all'' enemy reactions to the charge (no overwatch, no falling back), letting them truly get the jump on exposed enemies. Even though their Power Swords don't particularly care too much about armor saves, the Banshees lackluster strength stat makes it somewhat challenging for them to deal with MEQ or TEQ targets outside of swarming them with models.
**'''Howling Banshee Exarch (1):''' A touch more durable than the regular Banshees, your Exarch has a couple things going for her that make her very appealing to take. Unlike her basic underlings, your Exarch defensively benefits from a -1 to-hit debuff hindering enemies from retaliating against her in combat in addition to the natural Acrobatics and Banshee Mask available to her kin. Offensively, she has access to a couple of extra tools perfect for carving up the MEQ/TEQ targets in the form of the Executioner, or she can opt to maximize her attack output through the Mirrorswords she can take. Second option sadly sacrifices her Shuriken Pistol, but it's a small price to pay.
*'''Wraithguard (Demolitions, Heavy, Veteran):''' Your heavy hitters and the only unit you have that can be a Heavy or Demolition specialist. Wraithguard have access to two of the strongest ranged weapons in the game, both hitting at a (frankly sickening) S10 AP-4. Yep, these will wound even Death Guard and Custodes on a 2+. They themselves have resilience to rival those two factions: T6 with 3 wounds apiece means that it will require a concentrated effort on your opponent's part to down one of these. The bad news? Wraithguard are slow, expensive (indeed, you can purchase 5-6 Guardians for one of these) and have terrible range for their guns. Faster armies, like other space elves for example, can generally outpace your Wraithguard and prevent them from reliably landing any shots on them. The Heavy and Demolitions specializations can help offset this problem, though keep in mind that they cannot level up in extended campaigns.
*'''Wraithblade (Combat, Veteran, Zealot):''' Your choppy wraiths, as their name implies. Exclusively melee units, Wraithblades can find it somewhat difficult to engage faster armies such as other flavors of Eldar or Tyranids, but they are terrifying to behold once they get into combat. Hitting at a minimum of 2 attacks at S6 and AP-2, GEQ armies are effortless prey to the Wraithblades. In turn, at the same T6 and 3 wounds as their ranged variants, they are nigh indestructible against many of the standard S3 melee attacks they would receive in turn. If you so desire, an Empower/Enervate Warlock/Spiritseer may make it literally impossible for any melee attacks at S3 to wound them at all.

====ELD Commanders====
*'''Autarch (Ferocity, Leadership, Logistics, Melee, Shooting, Stealth, Strategist):''' Your all-rounder Commander at 55p base, Autarchs can serve as excellent close quarter combat commanders. With their 3+/4++ string of saves, access to a Power Sword, Fusion Pistol, Mandi-Blasters and Swooping Hawk wings, Autarchs can put Harlequins to shame with their frankly disgusting melee potential. Their unique Path of Command stratagem can help support nearby troops with re-roll support on their shots, though clumping up your units to abuse it can make them vulnerable to multi-hitting weapons such as Flamers or Grenades. As far as the Autarch's specializations go, it is the most flexible of your commanders and can fill a variety of roles the rest of your army might be lacking.
*'''Farseer (Leadership, Logistics, Psyker, Strategist):''' Arguably the most reliable Psyker in the entirety of Kill Teams, not only are Farseers able to freely re-roll any number of dice used for manifesting powers once per phase, but can avoid Perils of the Warp on an effective 2+ (Regular Mortal Wounds on a 5+). They can also know 2 of the 3 powers available to them and cast both of them in the same turn, making them very effective buff vectors for the rest of your army. While Farseers can indeed participate in melee/shooting to a modest degree (WS/BS of a 2+ with melee weapons that always wound on a 2+ ''is'' pretty damn good after all), they lack the specializations and skills to excel at it like your Autarch can. As such, Farseers should primarily be regulated to supporting your specialists or primary forces.
*'''Warlock (Logistics, Melee, Psyker, Shooting):''' The "poor man's" Commander starting at 20p baseline, the Warlock is the cheapest and weakest commander available to you. With only 2 wounds to his name, you'll definitely want to keep this guy out of line of sight at all costs if you want to keep his Psychic buffs/debuffs in play. Additionally, you'll want to keep at least one CP in your pocket for any accidental Perils you may cast with him; it's quite possible for your Warlock to just blow himself up trying to protect your dudes. However, his psychic versatility is unmatched among other commanders, making him ideal for flexible lists.
*'''Spiritseer (Elites) (Leadership, Melee, Psyker, Stealth, Strategist):''' Your Spiritseer appropriately makes his entrance onto the kill teams scene alongside your wraith units. It should come as no surprise that he offers his unique brand of exclusive support to them through his Spirit Mark stratagem in addition to the Runes of Battle support he can provide to your army as a whole. With twice the number of wounds as your Warlock, he's not remotely as afraid of being up close and personal as the Warlock is; kind of a necessary aspect if you plan to use him to support Wraith units. A WS/BS of 2+ combined with his Witchstaff makes him shockingly effective in melee, though his T3 and 4++ makes him somewhat easy to retaliate against both in combat and at range.
** At first blush he comes of poorly in comparison to the otherwise comparable Farseer. An almost identical statline, but with worse weapons, fewer wounds, only 1 psychic manifestation per round, only 1 deny the witch, no Ghosthelm and no psychic reroll. All while being 6pts MORE expensive. The question you have to ask is "Are the Stealth or Melee specialisms, trading access to Runes of Fate for Runes of Battle or his Aura tactic really worth all you lose?".
*'''Amallyn Shadowguide (Stealth):''' Now available as a Commander! Starting at 30 points base, Amallyn has a reasonable price point for what she offers; a Ballistic Skill of 2+ coupled with her great range means she can pick off enemy models down field while remaining a frustrating target herself due to her innate -1 to hit modifiers and buffed saves while obscured. What's more, is that her ability to ignore terrain and models for her movement means that she can be extremely challenging to pin down, with her power blade making her significantly more dangerous to engage in Melee than any of your Rangers would be. While Amallyn is unfortunately limited strictly to the Stealth specialization, it does actually compliment her skill set rather well, both for defensive and offensive purposes. She does suffer from two major shortcomings worth noting, however. Amallyn only comes stock with 3 base wounds at the same GEQ statline as her kin, making her the second frailest commander available to you. Additionally, Amallyn doesn't really offer any real support for the rest of her team, making her something of a "lone wolf" commander. While this means that your overall team won't really suffer if you lose her, it's not really gaining anything from taking her over a Farseer or Warlock either.
*'''Illic Nightspear (Elites) (Level 3 Legendary Hunter):''' Your famous Alaitoc-born ranger is a genuine force to be feared in a gametype as infantry focused as Kill Teams. His unique rifle is absurdly strong; a 48" range weapon that ignores range-based penalties that always wounds on a 2+ is good on its own. But the AP-3 and flat 3 damage? This runs a very real chance of straight up killing many of the standard units most armies can field with a single shot. Even enemy commanders with 4 or more wounds can't afford to be caught downwind of this guy. He also rerolls 1s to hit and to wound against Necrons, which is situational but useful.
**With the new Dev Commentary he's now not an option in Matched Play at all, as they've made it mandatory that all commanders be taken at Level 1 going against their own rules in the Commanders book.