Aeldari webway gate: The portal opens

[Karhedron]

To accompany the new Harlequins codex, Eldar are getting a shiny new webway gate.

 

 

Based on the Wraithknight, I am guessing that all Eldar factions can use it, not just Harlequins. Current rumours suggest that it is deployed before the battle (same as fortifications) but units that enter play from Reserves may come in from the Gate and ignore the usual 9" restriction for enemy models. This basically creates a big zone where your opponent will fear to go or create a big target that he will need to eliminate before the can advance in safety.

 

Best of all, the price is listed as only £25 which is quite surprisingly cheap for such a big kit.

[Halandaar]

£25? Wow, i have to say I was expecting a much higher price tag given the size.

[Captain Coolpants]

Im really digging the paint scheme of the webway. Has anyone done that look on normal models? Curious to see how it will look army wide.

[Karhedron]

It's not too far off the colour scheme I use on my vehicles which is dark blue (Kantor blue) and then highlighted up to Lothern blue. I would have imagined the Webway gate being wraithbone coloured but I think the beauty of this kit is that you can go either way with it.

[Lord Asvaldir]

I'm surprised how big the portal is, I was expecting it to maybe be big enough for the various Eldar grav tanks but that thing is substantially taller than even a wraightknight, pretty cool. Looking forward to grabbing one for my dark eldar. 

[Withershadow]

The rules are terrible but should make a fun narrative terrain piece.

[Karhedron]

I have to admit the rules are somewhat disappointing. If the enemy get close to the Portal it is effectively useless as you still have to obey the normal restriction of deploying more than 9" from enemy models. Harlequins should be able to make some use of it as they have a 1CP stratagem to to allow them to deploy more than 1" from enemy models rather than > 9". They also have a 1CP strat that allows the gate to deploy one extra unit if it is destroyed. Unless CWE and DE get those stratagems, it is effectively worthless for us (or at least highly situational).

 

The only marginal use I can think of is to deploy it slightly forward of your deployment zone and use it to bring a big unit like a Wraithknigth or big unit of Dark Reapers on in your own turn and in your deployment zone to prevent them being alpha'ed if your opponent gets the first turn. 120 points is quite steep for protection against something that is only going to happen 50% of the time anyway. In the case of infantry, you can almost get a Wave Serpent for those points which will provide the same protection and be much more useful during the battle.

 

I will look to see if CWE and DE get stratagems to use it in CA. Otherwise, I think I will not be getting this after all.

[Withershadow]

I have to admit the rules are somewhat disappointing. If the enemy get close to the Portal it is effectively useless as you still have to obey the normal restriction of deploying more than 9" from enemy models. Harlequins should be able to make some use of it as they have a 1CP stratagem to to allow them to deploy more than 1" from enemy models rather than > 9". They also have a 1CP strat that allows the gate to deploy one extra unit if it is destroyed. Unless CWE and DE get those stratagems, it is effectively worthless for us (or at least highly situational).

 

The only marginal use I can think of is to deploy it slightly forward of your deployment zone and use it to bring a big unit like a Wraithknigth or big unit of Dark Reapers on in your own turn and in your deployment zone to prevent them being alpha'ed if your opponent gets the first turn. 120 points is quite steep for protection against something that is only going to happen 50% of the time anyway. In the case of infantry, you can almost get a Wave Serpent for those points which will provide the same protection and be much more useful during the battle.

 

I will look to see if CWE and DE get stratagems to use it in CA. Otherwise, I think I will not be getting this after all.

Why pay 120 points for that when you can just webway portal them? Even with the stratagems it's eh, because unlike the Necron mechanic, you can't double up on the stratagem to bring out 2 units when it's destroyed.

 

I can see it being fun in a narrative scenario where you fight for control of the gate. Add an objective that is the control panel, and whoever holds the objective can use command points to bring in free reinforcements from the gate.  And it's cheap enough to just be terrain fodder. 

 

I am disappointed since I was hoping to be able to play big mobs of Kabalites and Harlequins piling out of this thing, but oh well.

[Lord Asvaldir]

If there was no 9" restriction about enemy models I could foresee it being decent, as it's an alternative way to bring units on from off the board, just in one specific location. The 9" restriction really sucks though, basically makes the gate just deep strike but with no flexibility about where you can place your models, so I don't see why I'd use it. 

[Happy-inquisitor]

The rules are terrible but should make a fun narrative terrain piece.

 

If you have a Harlequin detachment I think you could play some mind-games with an opponent because of the stratagems. In principle the ability to bring a unit out from reserves over 1" away from enemy models is really powerful so that creates a substantial danger-zone on the table. 

 

Also so far as I can see it can deploy all the way up to the midpoint of the table for area denial of infiltrators etc and is pretty durable.

 

Is it worth the points - questionable when compared with all the other super-awesome stuff Aeldari can bring to the table. But so long as you have a Harlies detachment I can see some value in it. 

[Psilence]

If you big deal the units in reserve enough it becomes a distraction carnifex.

 

If they’re dumping all their fire power into the gate they’re not shooting you other units.

 

I plan to bring one, and model it like a star gate :)