Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Eldar (section)

===HQ===
*'''Autarch:''' The Craftworld's generic captain-type character used to manipulate reserves while having all the wargear options to somewhat fit into every niche. Now with reserves being completely determined by player choice, you'll want to take an Autarch over another Farseer for his aura: All {{W40Kkeyword|<CRAFTWORLD>}} units within 6" may re-roll 1s to hit for both shooting and melee attacks. Aside the tactical benefits to supporting multiple units at once for no extra effort, the ability to work for all attacks makes it a useful buff for your entire army regardless of their combat role. Although the Wargear options in the Codex are very limited, all of the old wargear options available in the Xenos 1 Index are still legal to take, so long as you adhere to any updated point costs and rules regarding them. The basic Autarch on foot is, of course, the cheapest variant at 77 points including gear. If you need your Autarch to keep up with faster units but absolutely cannot afford any of his mobility upgrades, Faolchu's Wing is a great way to compensate.
**'''Autarch Skyrunner:''' The fastest Autarch variant with the most flexible weapon loadouts available , the Skyrunner is an ideal supporting character for other bikers. Tag one to a squad of Shining Spears, Vypers or even Warlock Conclave Skyrunners to have a veritable little deathball.
**'''Autarch with Swooping Hawk Wings:''' The "default" Autarch sold by GW, the ability to deepstrike and leave the battlefield can give him virtually unlimited coverage to support your units, though the Skyrunner is almost quick enough to simply dart between locations to perform the same role (for the same price, no less). The SHW Autarch can more easily hide among your troops or simply bow out in a pinch, however.
**'''Autarch with Warp Jump Generator (Legends):''' The cheapest mobility upgrade is ''potentially'' the fastest, giving your Autarch 4d6 inches of bonus movement. As with anything dice based, a few bad rolls can severely undermine your repositioning options compared to your other choices but it's hard to argue with the WJG's price tag.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="10>
'''Weapon Loadout Options:''' Originally the most flexible of your HQ choices, almost all of your non-default weapon choices are now considered as a Legends variant and no longer supported for competitive play. Bummer. At least you can use them in friendly matches.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''Mandiblasters''': The Autarch's default headpiece. Just like the Striking Scorpions he took this from, it slaps a mortal wound on enemies in melee combat on a 6+ before any fighting actually begins. Honestly this is a very lackluster perk since the autarch will have significantly more trouble proccing it compared to a standard squad of Striking Scorpions simply due to their higher body count.
*'''Fusion Pistol''': A sidearm that lets your autarch side swipe a S8 AP-4 blast at anything 6" or closer to him. Given that your Autarch is practically a dedicated melee unit these days, 
*'''Power Sword''': Comes stock on the winged and Skyrunner Autarchs in the codex, and an option for the regular and Warp Spider Autarchs in the Index. SU, AP-3, D1. Its main use is being taken to upgrade to one of the ''three'' power sword relics available to Eldar players.
*'''Starglaive''': Exclusive to the footslogging Autarch in the codex, and has the exact profile of a powerfist (Sx2, AP-3, Dd3). Remember, you're S3, making you a mediocre S6 with this, and hitting on a 3+ due to the unwieldy rule. 
*'''Laser Lance''': Exclusive to Skyrunner Autarchs in both the codex and the index, and has both a ranged and melee profile - R6"/melee, S6/U, AP-4, D2, melee becomes SU+2 if you charge. Honestly the best melee weapon available, and you're gonna take a Saim-Hann Skyrunner Autarch, you're gonna give them this, you're going to upgrade it to the Novalance relic, and you'll dress him up as the lost Shining Spears Phoenix Lord.

'''Legends'''
<br>Any and all Autarchs can take anything in this list, ''however'' they become classified as a "Legends" variant and are thus illegal in any competitive play banning Legends units. Still worth noting for those few that do or for those who only play casually.
*'''Banshee Mask''': Not a weapon per-say, but still a wargear option. Of the two headgear options, the Banshee Mask is arguably the superior option due to it disrupting overwatches on the charge. This is immensely valuable on a Skyrunner Autarch due to his incredible mobility. Have a secondary melee squad of Wraithblades, Striking Scorpions or Shining Spears (arguably the best option) tag along so they can join the Autarch in combat without fear of eating any overwatches.
*'''Scorpion Chainsword''': a S:U+1 melee weapon. Meh, but it's only 1pt. Still pass and grab the power sword.
*'''Shuriken Pistol''': Interestingly, this is only standard on the Legends Autarch profiles, and got dropped upon modern iterations. The only reason to take it is because it's free.
*'''Avenger Shuriken Catapult''': Like the name suggests, the index autarch can take the Dire Avenger's Shuriken Catapult variant. Generally this would be a hard pass, since the only thing these guns have going for them is that the autarch can dual-wield them and that they're arguably the cheapest ranged weapons available to them. If points are so hard to come by that you have to settle for these on your autarch, you should reconsider your list. 
*'''Death Spinner''': The Warp Spider's signature gun. The higher strength and AP value on these guns make them a reasonable choice on faster autarchs intended for anti-infantry duties.
*'''Fusion Gun''': This is in the codex as an option for the Skyrunner Autarch, though all other autarch become Legends class units if they take it. Just like the Fire Dragons and Storm Guardians whipping these guns around, your autarch will want this for any  anti-tank/monster needs you may have. Skyrunners can make excellent use of these, but the real MVP abuser of this gun would probably be an autarch running a Warp Spider jump pack.
*'''Lasblaster''': From the armories of the Swooping Hawks, the lasblaster provides the same volume of fire that two avenger shuripults or death spinners can provide at longer ranges, but at weaker strength with ''no'' chance of AP. Especially given that it's more expensive than ''two'' avenger shuripults and can't even be dual wielded, just avoid this one at all costs.
*'''Reaper Launcher''': Discount Maugan Ra anyone? There are exactly two loadouts that'll be using this; a vanilla autarch camping in a corner with some Dark Reaper buddies or a Saim-Hann autarch skyrunner equipped with this and the Nova Lance. When paired with the Mark of the Incomparable Hunter warlord trait, your autarch can snipe enemy characters from across the table with ease (flat 3 damage hitting on 2+ and re-rolling 1's? Wounding most characters on a 2+ or 3+? Yes please!). The major drawback, especially on skyrunner variants, is the rather high point cost it can incur.
</div>
</div>

*'''Farseer:''' A classic HQ choice, and long a staple of the common Eldar list. Now he is everything you loved and wanted rolled into a nice 110 points package (115 with a spear). A codex version now is one of the best psykers available in the entire game, just have a look: ability to cast and deny 2 powers per turn, while Runes of Farseer allows for one free reroll of any number of dice in any psychic phase be it yours or your opponents. All that on a great base of 5 wounds 4++ and the ability to ignore any mortal wounds on 5+ with their ghosthelms even if it is a rail gun, sniper fire or exploding vehicles. After all that, GW decided that Farseers are not reliable enough and gave their ghosthelms the ability to ignore mortal wounds from perils on 2+, due to RAW your Farseer could not care less about exploding Warlocks in the background. They know two powers from Runes of Fate, in addition to Smite, and can attempt to cast/deny 2 powers in the psychic phase. Considering how versatile Runes of Fate powers are Farseers can be kitted out to perfectly suit whatever strategy demands. Fortune/Guide for excellent back line babysitting of expensive point sinks, while Doom/Executioner is really good for a front line support. Also you should not forget many strategems are tied to {{W40Kkeyword|Farseer}}, such as '''Forewarned''', '''Unparalleled Mastery''', '''Seer Council''', and '''Runes of Witnessing''', all making Farseers even more versatile. Ironically, because Guide and Fortune work on your Hemlocks, Titans, Wraithknights, Wraithlords, and Wraithseers, and Doom supports ''everything'', they are ''better'' at supporting those units than Spiritseers or Warlocks are. 
**'''Farseer Skyrunner:''' Superior in every way to a regular Farseer, and only 25 pts more expensive. Being on a Jetbike allows for 17-22" of repositioning for his psychic powers and deny the witch aura, while also boosting his resilience - T4 and an extra wound means he can take quite a few more sniper shots than his footslogging counterpart. Stack him with ''Protect'' and he becomes quite tanky, perfect for delivering aggressive powers like Executioner and Mind War. Don't forget that his twin catapults hit on BS2+. 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="10>
'''Weapon Loadout Options:''' Outside of the ranged weapons that come stock on your Farseer (Skyrunner), you do have your pick of melee weapons to kit him out with.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''Witchblade'''
**Free and very effective against anything relying on toughness to shrug off damage. In the "best" timeline, your Farseer isn't using this because Farseers don't usually thrive in melee combat, so you're only taking it to keep costs down.
*'''Singing Spear'''
**Take this if you can spare the points. Farseers can thrive in mid-field areas where they can still support your backfield gunlines while also debuffing/smiting enemy forces with their varied psychic powers. A singing spear can let your Farseer also contribute a powerful ranged hit on opponents that get a little too close to your side of the field.
</div>
</div>

*'''Warlock:''' Your cheapest and frailest HQ choice, Warlocks are fantastic (and necessary) force multipliers for most of your aspect warriors, and due to the dual functionality of the Runes of Battle, are extremely flexible and can adapt to changes in the field a bit more easily than some of your other HQs. That said, your Warlock honestly won't be bringing much to the table on his own due to his lower strength smites and single cast limiting your options. Defensively, a 4++ isn't much when he only has 2 wounds with GEQ stats. Single Warlocks desperately need to keep out of line of sight with a full bodyguard ready to keep them safe if there's anything that poses an immediate threat to them on field. Unfortunately, caution must also be taken even when using their powers, as they lack the protections your Farseers have and even a single perils of the warp runs a very serious risk of killing the Warlock ''and'' wounding nearby friendly units. Save your CP re-rolls for his casting if he's a key component to a formation you're running.
**'''Warlock Skyrunner:''' For only 15 more points, you can plop your Warlock onto a Jetbike to let him get where his psychic powers are needed much more quickly than having him hoof it everywhere. The Skyrunner variant also has an extra wound at T4, to help keep him around a little longer, coupled with a little extra firepower in the twin-linked Shuriken Catapult strapped on the bike itself. If you're paying this much for the warlock, it may not be a bad idea to go ahead and splurge a little more to give him a Singing Spear to help him hit with a little more staying power. With Warlocks being so expensive for a 2W model, the new footslogger's price point honestly makes the Skyrunner variant a goddamn bargain, and it should legitimately be considered unless points are ''that'' hard to come by.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="10>
'''Weapon Loadout Options:''' Your Warlock has exactly two choices in weapons he can bring on top of his shuriken pistol. The Skyrunner also gets the standard issue twin shuriken catapult all jetbikes get, so that's neat.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''Witchblade'''
**The free default blade in most cases is all you'll need. You generally don't want to make your Warlock an easy target due to his frailty, so keeping him away from most direct combat situations is advised. No need to pay for features you're not using!
*'''Singing Spear'''
**If you ''do'' want your Warlock participating in fights, paying the extra 5 points for a decent ranged attack is probably worth it. This is of particular note for the Skyrunner version due to the fantastic overlapping range it shares with the shuriken catapults the jetbike has.
</div>
</div>

*'''Warlock Conclave:''' Your only non-{{W40Kkeyword|character}} HQ unit serves as a very handy toolbox, albeit with a catch or two compared to the rest of your choices for this slot. Even at MSU, being able to know two different powers gives them an unparalleled flexibility as a vector for Runes of Battle, though you'll need to take at least four or more models in the unit to really take advantage of that. At a newly reduced price to 35 points per dude, it's certainly a much more feasible feat these days. Ideally, your Warlock Conclave can function as an elite bodyguard unit for a linchpin Farseer (like Eldrad himself) in generic lists or Yvraine (who ''really'' benefits from having expendable psykers as a bodyguard) in a Ynnari detachment. Keeping company with a Farseer opens up the extremely handy '''Seer Council''' stratagem that can be used in conjunction with the '''Concordance of Power''' and '''Unparalleled Mastery''' stratagems to unleash a deluge of psychic casts per turn when needed. When building your list, keep in mind that while the Conclave can cast more powers and stronger Smites the more models it has, the unit can get extremely expensive quickly.
**'''Warlock Skyrunner Conclave:''' For 13 more points per dude, bump up each model's toughness and wound count by one and give them all the the power and mobility of a jetbike. Despite the price reduction, skyrunner conclaves are still potentially the most expensive HQ choice you can take depending on how many you're looking to run, so keep that in mind while building your lists.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="10>
'''Weapon Loadout Options:''' Aside the complementary shuriken pistol your Warlocks pack, they have the same choice of melee weapons your stand alone Warlock and Farseer get. If they are riding a Skyrunner, they also get a twin shuriken catapult per bike.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''Witchblade'''
**Your Warlocks' default weapon is honestly all they should really need in most cases, especially since trading these out for Singing Spears gets very pricey very fast.
*'''Singing Spear'''
**Even at an otherwise measly 5 points a pop, it adds up very quickly when you slap them on every model in your squad. Due to being free game to your opponent, you may generally want to avoid overpaying on a supporting unit that can easily get spanked off the board if your opponent so desires. A minor exception is if you're taking a Skyrunner Conclave; you're already paying out the ass to field a Conclave on jetbikes and the Singing Spears get really nice synergy with the underslung catapults. The added mobility and durability afforded by the jetbikes also makes them significantly harder to immediately deal with, so you may as well give them the extra offensive presence to match.
</div>
</div>

*'''Spiritseer:''' Now costing 55 points, their primary role is ''intended'' to support {{W40Kkeyword|Spirit Host}} units (including themselves), which get re-rolls of 1s to hit while the Spiritseer is within 6" of the ''target''. However, while Hemlocks, Titans, Wraithknights, Wraithlords, and Wraithseers have the {{W40Kkeyword|Spirit Host}} tag, none of the Runes of Battle buffs work on them, so a Spiritseer is actually quite bad at supporting them; instead, Spiritseers excel most at supporting Wraithcannon Wraithguard and Wraithblades, and also serve as more cost efficient Warlocks for Smite and melee output. For just a 10 point bump, you gain a better smite, double the amount of wounds (thats 4W), and BS/WS 2+ compared to a foot slogging warlock while missing out on just a few stratagems like '''Seer Council'''. That is one helluva bargain! The most crucial is 4W that means that Spiritseers are guaranteed to survive the first perils and aren't ''that'' afraid of sniper fire. If going just for RoB delivery vector they are better served under Alaitoc Attribute but with 4W Ulthwé is a still good choice.
**'''Modelling Note:''' It looks like GW hasn't ''completely'' forgotten about the non-Imperial factions amid all the new releases, and a shiny new Plastic Spiritseer model was released for the new Wake the Dead set!

*'''Wraithseer (Forge World):''' Your sturdiest generic HQ unit by far, Wraithseers are stacked with a staggering 12 wounds at T8 and a 3+/5++ save, making them nigh indestructible compared to your other choices for this slot. This durability ''is'' slightly hampered by two things: as characters with 10+ wounds, they're free game for everybody with a gun and they suffer from a degrading statline. The latter issue can easily be worked around; {{W40Kkeyword|Iyanden}} practically removes the damage table while Bonesingers and/or Tears of Isha can heal Wraithseers D3 wounds a turn each. Offensively, the Wraithseer packs heat in the form of any standard heavy weapon, a Wraithcannon, or a D-Cannon as their ranged option with a complimentary Ghostspear for close encounters. Like prior editions, Wraithseers are highly synergistic with other Wraith units (specifically Wraithguard/blades and Wraithlord) and benefits from Spiritseer support. As such, they tend to operate best in a spirit host-type detachment, but can still shine on their own with proper support. Speaking of support, Wraithseers have access to 3 unique powers (with only one cast per turn and no Smite of any kind), two of which are strictly designed to support their Wraith buddies.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="10>
'''Psychic Powers:''' The Wraithseer's ability to cast/deny one power a turn can be quite handy, if only to protect against opposing psykers in non-Spirit Host lists. Armies sporting a few Wraithlords and Wraithblades/guard can, however, find a few of these powers a bit handy.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
**'''Enliven''': Warp Charge 6 (72.22%).  Allows a friendly unit of wraithguard/wraithblades/wraithlord to roll two dice for that unit's advance/charge and discard the lowest roll. This gives Wraith units the hilariously ironic privilege of being the only Craftworld units that can get Fleet in 8th edition.
**'''Foreboding''': Warp Charge 8(41.67%).  Reduces the leadership of every enemy unit within 6" of the Wraithseer by 1. Situational and not very reliable, but can be stacked with other powers/effects to create potent leadership bombs (A nearby Hemlock casting Horror alone can drop Ld by an additional -3, for example).  
**'''Deliverance''': Warp Charge 7 (58.33%).  Grants the targeted unit of Wraithguard/Wraithblades/Wraithlord 6+ FNP. Weirdly, cannot cast it on himself. Does not stack with Ulthwe's attribute and is outperformed by Fortune, though the latter may be better reserved for squishier, still living Eldar.
Even if you don't have it cast any powers, it can still at least deny one enemy cast and can still easily tear most enemies apart at range or in melee; more than can be said for the rest of your psykers (granted, their powers are considerably more useful/flexible). Currently at 100pts base, Wraithseers are definitely a force to consider for people good with Forge World kits.
</div>
</div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="10>
'''Weapon Loadout Options:''' Though the complimentary ghostspear is quite good for dealing with anyone who strays too close, the Wraithseer's ranged arsenal is actually quite varied and can be tailored to help shore up areas of your army that may be lacking. That said, one of these guns in particular stands out among the others for obvious reasons.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''Shuriken Cannon'''
**A decent mid-strength gun that doesn't penalize the Wraithseer's accuracy for moving and shooting. As cool as that is, it doesn't have either the volume of fire or impact per shot to really be worth taking over any of your other choices.
*'''Scatter Laser'''
**Probably the most acceptable choice of the standard selection, the scatter laser offers just a touch more in the dakka department than the shuricannon does and is marginally cheaper for it. If you must take the cheapest possible Wraithseer, consider at least giving it this to make sure it can still do something at range.
*'''Starcannon'''
**A good MEQ/TEQ killer at a reasonable price, the starcannon can soften up a smaller unit of infantry just enough that a followup charge can easily clear it out. That said, a single starcannon often doesn't provide enough ranged pressure on its own to be worth taking on your Wraithseer.
*'''Bright Lance'''
**Bright lances are normally a pretty good choice for dealing with enemy tanks or monsters, and that much is still true here. Only the melee ghostspear hits up to four times per turn at a higher strength with extra bonuses against enemy vehicles and is free to boot. Compared to your other ranged options, the bright lance might seem like a decent option if you want to shave off a few points, but it just does so much worse comparatively that you may as well just skip it entirely.
*'''Aeldari Missile Launcher'''
**The AML provides both anti GEQ/MEQ support in addition to its anti tank/monster role, so it's a decent option. The variable number of shots does make it a bit worse than the scatter laser or even shuricannon if you explicitly intend on using it for anti infantry, and even the bright lance offers a bit more consistent armor negation against bigger targets (not even mentioning how much better the D-Cannon is at this yet), so unless you are absolutely uncertain as to what you're going to be fighting, stick with one of your other options.
*'''Wraithcannon'''
**An...odd inclusion, especially as no kits outside wraithguard exist for the weapon, [[Counts As|but it can still take it somehow]]. The only other assault weapon available to your Wraithseer, it has a decent niche for an anti vehicle/monster melee Wraithseer since it can close the gap and remain slightly more accurate while doing so, but its garbage range and extreme price tag makes it unsuitable for anything else outside this role. Even then, the potential accuracy drop incurred from moving the other heavy weapons might be made entirely irrelevant given the higher number of shots they're capable of.
*'''D-Cannon'''
**This is the Wraithseer's pride and joy, though this puppy is staggeringly expensive. Though it's nearly half again the price of the Wraithseer itself, the D-cannon can easily take advantage of its ability to ignore line of sight to tear tanks, monsters and superheavies a new asshole. The variable d3 shots can potentially make up for the accuracy lost for moving with the gun, more than can be said for any of your other anti large weapons and the (albeit unlikely) potential to slap up to 18 wounds on a target per turn can let you effectively erase any target short of a relatively healthy Imperial Knight. A fantastic way to abuse the ability to ignore line of sight to take advantage of the Mark of the Incomparable Hunter warlord trait to [[rape|snipe enemy characters with a S12 gun]], making the Wraithseer one of the best character hunters in the game. Keep in mind though, having a 145 point freely targetable warlord that presents such a danger to your enemies' characters, tanks and monsters will make it that much more of a priority mark for your opponents, and only one Wraithseer in your entire army can be used to snipe like this.
</div>
</div> 


====Special Characters====
*'''The Avatar of Khaine:''' Now back to the HQ slot after 7th shifted him to the Lord of War section, he's every bit the buffed monster he should be, but has taken a steep price increase from 195 to 220 points (thanks Chapter Approved 2018). He is as survivable as he was before with a 3+/5++, but now thanks to his awesome Molten Body special rule, he can ignore regular ''and'' Mortal Wounds suffered on a 5+. Not to mention his Wailing Doom is utter carnage, be it at range or close combat. S8 AP:-4, and inflicts D6 wounds (roll 2d6, discard the lowest for both shooting and melee). He hits on 2+ just like every decent character, so just stick him with an autarch for those all important re-rolls, as his attacks is just pure gold. He's awesome against characters, vehicles, and high-priority targets as he should be, but due to the way overkill now works only Mortal wounds spill over, so the Avatar of Khaine at best can kill 5 infantry models. This makes him much more prone to tarpitting from hordes than he was in 7th. He is also Character with less than 10 wounds, so screen him with whatever you want - an Alaitoc Guardian blob with shuriken cannons, buffed by ''Protect'', ''Conceal'', and ''Celestial Shield'' makes the perfect bodyguard, fending off tarpits and being absurdly durable. 
**Worth noting that the Avatar allows ALL friendly '''Asuryani''' units within 12" to reroll charges...and makes them immune to morale. This is very helpful when running mixed craftworlds - he's basically giving you a combination of Saim-Hann and Iyanden's craftworld abilities, so you'll get the most mileage out of him if he's buffing Ulthwe, Biel-Tan, or Alaitoc. Rerolling charges makes Eldar even ''faster'', as many of your units can close the gap and then use Fly to escape next turn (while locking down your opponent and basically using them as a human shield). This is horrifying when combined with a Banshee-star list.
**Where the Avatar of Khaine ''really'' shines is in a Footdar list where infantry can make the most out of his 12" aura, however, he can quickly become deadweight in a mechanized list where he cannot keep up with vehicles that move more than twice his speed. 
** Mobility concerns have always been problematic for the Avatar. Giving him Falcon's swiftness warlord trait helps a lot. That, and/or Matchless Agility if you have the command point to spare and there's no other unit that benefits from it more.

====Phoenix Lords====

[[Fail |Sadly, Phoenix Lords can't take a Warlord Trait]].  All of them buff their own aspect in some fashion (three of them provide re-rolling of 1s to hit; as a result, Fuegan and Maugan Ra don't buff their Exarchs if said Exarchs didn't trade up for another power).  They share a "baseline" profile of M7, WS/BS 2+, S/T 4, W6, A4, Ld9, and a 2+ save.  All of them are {{W40Kkeyword|aspect warrior}}s, but none of them have the actual keywords of the aspect they represent.  There are no Phoenix Lords for the Crimson Hunters, Warp Spiders, or Shining Spears (that last is because [[Drastanta]] is busy challenging [[Jaghatai Khan]] to a bike race, but for the other two, we have no idea who their Phoenix Lord even is), although it's worth noting that Karandras is <s>just faking it; the [[Drazhar|real one]] works for the Dark Eldar.</s> {{FWIP}} '''Ignore the vile and insidious propaganda of the [[Dark Eldar |dark kin]], Commander; for their treacherous words will only lead you astray from the path.'''

*'''Asurmen:''' Has an additional attack (A5) with his S+1 AP-3 D1d3 sword, which inflicts an additional 1d3 Mortal Wounds on a 6+ to wound, and has two Avenger Shuriken Catapults for ranged combat. Like his Aspect, he Overwatches on a 5 or 6, but you take him for the invuln: he has 3++ in melee and a 4++ at ranged, and more importantly, friendly {{W40Kkeyword|aspect warrior}} units within 6" gain a 5++, or a 4++ if they're Dire Avengers.  This means he can buff both other Phoenix Lords, and some of the stranger Aspect Warriors, like Crimson Hunters and their Exarchs. Combine this with the Protect Warlock power and you can have [[Awesome |Dire Avengers with a 2+/3++ in cover. 2+/3++/6+++ if they are Ulthwe]]. Yes that is right, when you factor in all of the [[Eldar |-1 to Hit Eldar can stack on top of this]] (even without going Alaitoc), he can potentially give your [[What |Baseline Infantry durability to rival the Custodes]]. He is an expensive Phoenix Lord at 150 points, but damn well worth the price for an Aspect Warrior list. 
** With some support, Asurmen can be disgustingly tanky in a fight. Cast Protect on him to bump his saves up to a 2+/2++ when in combat, which can be further supported with Enervate/Drain if you so desire. That said, your opponent may simply bow out and try to light him up with ranged firepower to reduce/negate some of this buffed durability, so try to have a squad or two of Striking Scorpions/Howling Banshees help surround priority targets.

*'''Baharroth:''' The quickest (M14) and cheapest of the Phoenix Lords at 110 points, and with good reason. He has the same Cry of the Wind and Skyleap abilities his Swooping Hawks have. Also, if he moves over an enemy unit or deep strikes near it in the movement phase, roll a die for every model in the unit (max 3d6) for the unit, and every 4+ dishes out a mortal wound. He gives friendly Swooping Hawks re-roll 1s to hit (but strangely not himself), and all {{W40Kkeyword|aspect warrior}}s gain +1Ld within 6" of him (with friendly Swooping Hawks gaining +2Ld). You can drop him wherever his support abilities are needed.  He also has a Swooping Hawks Exarch gun, and an S+1 AP-3 D1d3 sword that debuffs any ''units'' it wounds with a -1 to hit until the end of the turn.

*'''Fuegan:''' If you thought Fire Dragons were awesome, wait until you get a load of this guy. His Firepike is still the same anti-tank or anti-Monster gun at 18" Assault 1 S8 AP-4 D1d6 (rolling 2d6 discarding the lowest when the target's within 9"), a Fire Axe which is AP-4 D1d3 (and Fuegan is S5!), and melta bombs. He's pretty kitted out as is, but his abilities make him truly shine. He re-rolls 1s to wound against Monsters and Vehicles, and he re-rolls 1s to hit at range ([[Awesome|and gives this same bonus to friendly Fire Dragons within 6"]]). In addition, he has a 5+++ FNP, making him almost as survivable as Asurmen against normal weapons (and flat out better against mortal wounds), and if he suffers at least one wound in the Fight phase, then at the end of it, once per game, he gains a permanent +2 to his strength ([[Rape|making him S7]]) and attack characteristics ([[Rape|that's 6 attacks]]). At 140 points, he is a costly beatstick, but a good one at that.

*'''Irillyth (Forge World):''' Speedy and shooty with deepstriking privileges, Irillyth is second only to Baharroth in sheer mobility (M12), but packs a hell of a lot more firepower than his flighty brother. Irillyth's Spear of Starlight (24" Assault 1 S6 AP-3 D2) allows him to make an additional shooting attack for each successful hit he lands, up to a maximum of 4 total hits! To top that off, his Reaper of Souls ability lets him re-roll 1s to wound {{W40Kkeyword|infantry}} in the Shooting phase. Given his rather shooty nature, many would assume that he would be easy prey when it comes to melee. However, rather than having a Dispersed mode on his Spear of Starlight, it has a melee mode that stabs people 4 times at S+1 (S5) AP-3 for 2D (D3+1 if he was the one who charged), meaning even Primaris marines and Terminators may hesitate before trying to punch him to death. Combined with his 2+ save, Irillyth has a Spectre Holo-Field that subtracts 1 from enemy To Hit rolls, which if in cover and buffed by a Warlock's Conceal, can make him a real bitch to get rid of. The last notable perk he's got going for him is his spooky fear bubble (the Spectre of Death) that makes all enemies within 18" of him or any of your Shadow Spectres roll 2D6 (discarding the lowest roll) for all Morale tests they take.  Note that this stacks with the Exarch rule, for TWO unkept low dice on morale checks, ''and'' is an infinite range buff - he doesn't need to be near the unit he's buffing, just for both of them to be alive (he doesn't even need to be on the table!).
**'''Leadership bomb''': The wording of The Spectre of Death and Shadow of Death (from the Shadow Spectre Exarch) rules allows you to create a terrifying Morale check on 3D6, discarding the 2 lowest, for an enemy unit within 6" of a Shadow Spectre Exarch. Throw some Horrify/Mind Shock Pod/Phantasm Grenades in there, and even those Custodes just might run.
***In case you're wondering, the averages on 1d6, 2d6kh1, and 3d6kh1 are 3.5, 4.47, 4.96, so stacking the two unkept die rules is pretty worthless; instead, if you do take Irillyth, use him as an excuse not to take an Exarch, which will save you 5 points per squad.  Irillyth's rule has much better range, anyway.

*'''Jain Zar:''' The first of Asurmen's students has returned, both in plastic and with updated rules! Right off the bat, Jain Zar is a terrifying melee combatant who wields both ''Silent Death'' (an assault 4 S4 AP-3 weapon) and the ''Blade of Destruction'' (a buffed Executioner that hits at S6 AP-3 DD3 with re-rolls for failed wounds) on the mostly standard Phoenix Lord statline. Combined with the flurry of special abilities native to her aspect, such as overwatch immunity, advancing after charging with an extra 3" added if she does so, she will find it particularly easy to get stuck into combat and do some heavy damage. Jain Zar wouldn't be a Phoenix Lord if she didn't offer any incentives to run her aspect with her, so in comes her ''Cry of War Unending'' ability. This grants Jain Zar and all Howling Banshees within 6" the Always Fight First rule (and all the caveats that come with it), which might have some niche use if enough Banshees can fully cut off enemy units from [[/d/|pulling out]] of the fight. Jain Zar's last notable ability, ''Storm of Silence'' is arguably her main selling point now. Allowing her to make attacks equal to the number of enemy models within 2" of her, this transforms Jain Zar into a GEQ/MEQ blender that can single-handedly wipe entire squads off the board in a single fight phase. Unfortunately, this kind of discourages having more than a squad of banshees accompany her since outside acting as meatshields on the approach, they'll more likely just get in the way in the fight phase. 

*'''Karandras:''' Hell yes, our infiltrating super-ninja warrior! He has the average Phoenix Lord stat-line and currently runs at 125 points. He comes with a host of special abilities: the Master of Stealth and Shadow Strike rules of the Striking Scorpions, and his Scorpion's Bite is a Mandiblaster mask that hits on a 5+ and shoots 4 times instead of 1 (Averages 1.3 Mortal Wounds per combat round). He also has exploding attacks (6s to hit generate a single additional attack that DOES NOT explode) on himself, and grants it to all Striking Scorpions within 6" of him. His Scorpions Claw has lost the -1 to hit Penalty meaning he is one of the scariest close combat characters we have (short of the Avatar or Yncarne) with 4 S8, AP-3 Exploding attacks that deal d3 damage each. If you give him Empower, [[Awesome|he is wounding everything below T8 on a 2+, letting him take on anything short of a Super-Heavy]], and [[Rape |Enhance means his attacks explode on a 5+, or 4+ if the target is covering in cover]]. However, with how the Psychic Rules worth in 8th Edition you might be better off using those powers on the blob of Scorpions that he is babysitting instead.

*'''Maugan Ra:''' Our shooty Lord, at 140 points, and the slowest of them, at M6. He can shoot his Maugetar twice, using either profile in each salvo (and target them independently).  Both profiles are 36" Assault X S6 AP-1 D1; the "Shuriken" profile has X=4 while the Shrieker profile has X=1, but if it slays an {{W40Kkeyword|infantry}} model, its unit suffers another 1d3 mortal wounds. While it sounds awesome, 2 Shuriken Cannon shots that ''might'' cause Mortal Wounds will always be outperformed by 8 Shuriken Cannon shots.  His Scythe is also a powerful S+2 AP-2 D1d3, making him decent at taking on enemy characters or Monsters. Abilities-wise, as mentioned, he can fire his gun twice in each shooting phase (allowing him to get 8 Shuriken Cannon shots off per turn), re-rolls 1s to hit for his ranged weapon and grants that same ability to all Dark Reapers within 6" (this in addition to always hitting on 2+ means he only has a 1/36 chance of missing a shot), and re-rolls to-wound rolls of 1 when targeting {{W40Kkeyword|chaos}} units.