There’s one unit in particular out of the Raven Guard codex that is especially brutal. Check out the full inside look on the Chapters’ Eliminators.
Eliminators come with a hefty price tag out of the box. At $50 for three models, it’s definitely a hobby investment. However, they’re probably Raven Guards’ star unit. To put things into perspective, normally, all the enemy’s T4 characters are dead or hiding by the end of turn two with these guys on the field.
Are Raven Guard Eliminators Too Good?
Eliminators are your basic Primaris in Phobos armor with a souped-up Sniper, special rounds, and a camo cloak. They can infiltrate, which is nice but usually, they’re in the deployment safe from any melee. You can bring a squad of three for just under 80 pts. At S5, they’re wounding most characters on a 3+ and can even target units without needing LOS.
They started at S4 in Shadowspear, however, all 3 profiles are S5 now in the Space Marine codex.
Being an Assassin-type unit, the special ammunition we mentioned earlier really makes them a crazy toolbox unit on the cheap. More specifically, Raven Guard Eliminators wreck characters more than any other Chapter. Mainly for their Doctrine bonus.
By the time turn two rolls around, your Eliminators will be hitting on a 2+ and wounding most characters on a 2+/3+. What’s even more brutal is that the mortal wound ability on the sniper’s Executioner round procs on a 5+. Sure, in the first turn, the Snipers will have an additional AP tacked on for being a Heavy weapon. But Surgical Strikes is just too good to pass up.
Assuming you roll perfectly, you can do twelve damage with three models costing under 100 pts. Now imagine that damage pointed at something like a Smash Captain or Techmarine manning a Thunderfire Cannon. With the rounds wounding on a 2+, you can pretty much kiss them goodbye.
Plus, thanks to the Eliminators being so cheap, you’re more than likely going to find three squads in every list.
Do They Need a Nerf?
It’s no doubt that they’re a strong unit, but are they too strong? At the end of the day, they’re still almost 100 pts for just 6 T4 wounds.
Plus, they’re Raven Guards’ only REAL moneymaker unit that’s not a character. How do you deal with Eliminators? Do you play a shooting or melee army?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
