It may just be the year of the Xenos after all. 40k Kill Team Commanders just got another preview and this time it’s for the Xenos we’ve wanted!
Games Workshop previewed another Kill Team announcement this morning. Kill Team Commanders are right around the corner as we’ve already seen the Imperial Leaders as well as now, the Xenos ones. Explore what kind of edge your Commander is going to bring to your faction.
Asuryani Commanders
Playing Asuryani in Kill Team has unlocked three different Commanders for you. You’ve got options here and there’s not one that’s necessarily better than the other.
If you take the Autarch, you unlock mobility, potent power weapons, and tactical genius. Alternatively, you can shoot for a psychic presence and buff the rest of your squad.
Warlocks and Farseers are both Psykers, but the Farseer is cheaper in case you need to cram some points into another specialist. As for their powers, they’ve got Conceal/Reveal and Guide. Conceal/Reveal goes off on a five so you’ll basically always be casting it. If you do, manifest the power, you can give one of your models another -1 to hit or treat an enemy model as being unobscured. That’s so much value for a warp charge of five!
Use Guide on one of your models with a potent one-shot weapon to increase those chances of tagging the enemy!
Harlequin Commanders
The Troupe Master, Shadowseer and Death Jester make up the triad of Commanders available to Harlequins kill teams. A Troupe Master is a swift and deadly killer at close range, and their Choreographer of War Aura Tactic is a bargain at just 1 Command Point.
Troupe Masters get an absurd amount of attacks on the tabletop for their points. Well, they’re even more potent in Kill Team. Gear your team to be melee specialists and charge in all at once. For just 1CP, they can reroll all failed wounds within 6″ of the Commander. You’ll be able to chew through most of the enemy team in once phase as long as you roll right.
Death Jesters don’t care about you trying to hide. They just think it’s funny. They ignore all obscurity on their target in the shooting phase. But perhaps the most attractive thing about this is Deadly Hunter is a static ability. You don’t need to roll any dice or spend any CP.
Shadowseers are getting their own Psychic power called Webway Dance. Shadowseers can cast a Psychic power that essentially gives everyone around him in a 6″ bubble a 6+++ FNP. If they’ve already got a similar ability, they can reroll 1’s. not too shabby.
Dark Eldar Commanders
The Vysa Kharavyxis Commander Set offers a dedicated gladiatrix who gains one additional attack with every flesh wound suffered thanks to her Dancing With Death ability.
Now let’s take a look at the Dark Archon in Kill Team. He’s a little silly.
The Dark Archon gets his iconic 2++ invulnerable save in Kill Team just like he does on the tabletop. First of all, he’ll probably be the tankiest of all the Commanders. Considering that successful wounds are harder to come by in Kill Team.
As for the Haemonculus, he’s getting an exclusive stratagem that can increase the toughness of a model by 1. Depending on what you have in your team versus what you’re going up against, that can be a pretty big deal.
Necron Commanders
As for Necrons, you’ll be able to take an Overlord or the fancy new Cryptek model from Forgebane.
If you’re looking for a more defensive Commander, the Aura Tactics available to a Cryptek are a useful alternative. A Cryptek can even be upgraded with a Canoptek cloak, allowing it to fly and granting the freedom of movement to easily bypass even the densest terrain.
if you’re looking to beat some face and Kill those teams that have the AUDACITY to have a beating heart, take an Overlord. If you take the named Overlord, Ankra, he will have an ability to reroll failed charge rolls. That’s spooky when you consider that he’s got a Void Scythe as his main weapon.
three CP is hefty, but it’s for a good reason. on a 2+, your Overlord can bring a model back to life without any flesh wounds. Necrons are hard enough to kill and they just got a lot harder.
2CP for the iconic My Will be Done rule in 40k. It also affects all the models in 6″ instead of the usual 1 with most abilities.
Ork Commanders
Orks kill teams can be joined by a Warboss, Big Mek or Painboy. The Warboss is a close-combat monster, able to happily cut his way through multiple opponents or even a rival Commander in short order.
This is exactly what the Orks in Kill Team needed honestly. They have crappy saves and crappy shooting. They would get blown off the board because they were too slow and couldn’t compete with other lists. Now, you can bubble up around your boss and increase the chances of making a charge ten-fold. This stratagem is TOTALLY worth 2CP.
As for the Big Mek, try to get an 11 or higher and just do flat D3 mortal wounds.
For just 1 CP, you can give everyone around your Pain Boy a 6+++ FNP and even take flesh wounds off models. That is total value.
If you take the named Ork out of the box, Gurtzog Wurldkilla, he’ll already be tougher than the other bosses at T6. Thanks to his Dead ‘Ard rule.
Tyranid Commanders
Tyranids are bringing the big boys to Kill Team. One being a Tyranid Prime and the other, a Broodlord.
1Cp to have everyone around your Tyranid Prime hit better? That’s a 2+ in combat for some things. For 1CP, you could essentially ignore the -1 to hit for obscurity in the shooting phase or bury a model for hits in close combat.
With a Warp Charge of five, you can give that nasty Broodlord a 5+++ FNP that can reroll 1’s if he’s got a similar ability already. Just as a side note, it goes without saying that Broodlords will be melee BEASTS with their monstrous rending claws.
Genestealer Cult Commanders
Genestealer Cult kill teams can be led by their Magus, Primus, mighty Patriarch or Acolyte Iconward, who all share the handy Unquestioning Loyalty ability (see below) that will help you keep them alive.
You can regenerate CP with GSC by using the Look OUt, Sir! ability on your Commander. GSC are known for jumping in front of certain death to save their leaders. Whether it’s out of free will or influenced by the Hive Mind, we don’t know. But this is definitely useful!
Mind Control is regarded as one of the most powerful psychic abilities in 40k and it’s coming to Kill Team. Take over your enemies plasma gun-toting model and overcharge it! You might end up kill two models!
If your Kill Team has a Primus, you can spend 2CP to get a free move for each model on your team when you roll a 5+. Not bad, but you definitely won’t be moving more than a couple models if we’re being real. This stratagem can also only be used at the start of the first battle round.
Tau Commanders
If your kill team includes a healthy dose of pulse weaponry, you’ll almost certainly want to include a Cadre Fireblade as your Commander. Not only is he a dead-eye shot with his pulse rifle and armed with a markerlight, but his Volley Fire Aura Tactic will greatly augment your kill team’s firepower. Meanwhile, if it’s maximum flexibility you seek, an Etherealcomes with a choice of no less than four Aura Tactics, such as Storm of Fire and Sense of Stone.
Pulse rifles are a massive 30″ range to begin with. Most of the time, your opponent’s models will be within rapid fire. Bubble up some Fire Warriors around your Cadre Fireblade and get a whopping three shots per model within 6″ of him.
As a side note, if you take the named Cadre Fireblade, Twinflame, your models around him will be able to overwatch of a 5+ instead of the normal 6+. Combine that with For the Greater Good and you’ve got another shooting phase!
Tau are looking to be a gun line Kill Team with all these stratagems revolving around character auras. If you bring an Ethereal, you’ll be able to reroll 1’s for just 1 CP.
Like a bunch of the other stratagems we looked at earlier, Tau are getting a reskinned version. They can get a 6+++ FNP and reroll 1’s if they’re already affected by a similar ability. Just remember to keep everyone within 6″ of your Ethereal.
And there you have it! This has been one massive preview for all of the Kill Team Xenos Commanders that are right around the corner. With that being said, which Commander are you going to be using? Which one seems the most powerful? What’s your favorite stratagem previewed from today? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
