Eliminators

[march10k]

Are they any good?  $50 for three infantry is highway robbery, of course.  But:

 

1) Do they get the job done?

 

2) Are the sniper rifles good for picking out characters?  Does the threat of them force inefficient use of enemy characters?

 

3) Are the las-fusils any good?  One less strength and 12" less range than a lascannon...

 

4) Shoot and scoot by giving up 1/3 of your shots seems awful.  Is it?  If you could go above three models, the calculus might change...

 

I am curious about them, but the idea of putting 9/10 squad markings on snipers is just...blech!

[phandaal]

Never have I ever brought Eliminators to a game and not felt like they were a waste of points. Problem is everything in 40k is just so dang lethal. You get one shot maybe before your opponent evaporates them. Or your opponent just ignores them because they are not a threat.

 

They look cool though. So there is that.

[Karhedron]

The Sniper Sergeant is a great caddy for "Bolts of Judgement" via the "Marked for Command" stratagem. This is a great option as it does not use up a more powerful character but still puts the bolts on a model with a BS of 2+.

 

Now you have a model who hits on a 2+, wounds on a 2+, has AP-2 and 3 Damage. That significantly ups the threat of the sniper squad and makes even a single squad a legitimate threat to Characters.

[Marshal Mittens]

I like them. It's like 75 points for 3, making them not much more expensive than intercessors, and a lot of armies really rely on auras from special characters. I often run 3 squads with my Celestial Lions, and they frequently at least earn their points back. I usually focus psykers and characters.

[XeonDragon]

I like them. It's like 75 points for 3, making them not much more expensive than intercessors, and a lot of armies really rely on auras from special characters. I often run 3 squads with my Celestial Lions, and they frequently at least earn their points back. I usually focus psykers and characters.

 

^ this. They are good are plinking wounds of characters, but they can also be very mobile with bolt carbine on the sergeant. Move-shoot-move is awesome for (1) grabbing objectives late in the game and (2) hiding behind cover, popping out, shooting, then popping back in cover. Because the bolt carbine is assault, you can move, advance, shoot and move to really hustle them up the board or darting between terrain features. Nifty. 

[Tokugawa]

Move-shoot-move is useful for grabbing objectives. This unit don't earn their cost back by killing models more expensive than themselves; this unit earn their cost back by earning VPs.

[ValourousHeart]

Are they any good?  $50 for three infantry is highway robbery, of course.  But:

 

Here is a neat trick to reduce the cost of Eliminators.  If you can find the easy build Reivers pick up 2 sets and one box of Eliminators, along with some green stuff.  The eliminators box set comes with 3 lascannons and 6 sniper rifles for 3 bodies.  Hope that helps.