To all Eldar players this question inevitably crops up: which unit do I take, Howling Banshees or Striking Scorpions? In truth, it is not an easy one to make.
Now the obvious answer is both, as this is the ideal situation, but in smaller games or if, like me, you haven't got either rich parents or several bars of Nazi gold you found whilst digging in Switzerland then it becomes a very interesting problem.
If I was any good sort of writer then I would go through the basic merits of each troop type with a few examples of how to use them, make some generalised sweeping conclusions and throw in a few personal anecdotes to fatten it out, so lets do that.
I remember way back in pre-millennial times when I when into GW with Dysartes to buy the beginnings of my Eldar army having this same debate, back then when I was ignorant (then? Ed) I got myself 4 banshees and an Exarch. I also remember the first game I played with them; they all died from shooty ranged death. This would be repeated many times until I finally worked out how to use them effectively, and the same thing happened years later when I got round to buying Scorpions. The obvious lesson from this is I learn like a WW1 general - after losing wave after wave of your own men, transports become a very good idea. Today neither my Banshees or Scorpions will leave the shed without a Wave Serpent to ride in, but using those effectively is a whole different article.
Howling Banshees:
When you think of Howling Banshees you think of those lovely power swords they carry. It's only natural and to most people it is their one selling point. At S3 they aren't the strongest CC troops but, lets face it, they are designed to kill armies with 3+ saves and a full squad of 10 lead by an Exarch with an executioner does this wonderfully well (as long as the fickle gods of probability play ball).
It is worth mentioning the other little bonuses that these lovely ladies have. For a start, they are armed with a Shuriken pistol - "So what?" you may say. "Power sword, power sword" true, but against certain armies the pistol is actually a viable option. When facing Guard or Orks a round of S4 AP5 shuriken fire is better statistically than the extra S3 AP1 sword attack. Secondly, like most Eldar, they have the option to fleet-of-foot which can be a useful insurance policy to get into assault range. Finally when they do charge the Banshee mask makes sure that in most cases they will be hitting first.
Like all Eldar they are amazingly fragile - a 4+ save only goes so far and at T3 they ain't all that tough. Without a transport they become soulstone factories - hit and run is the best option; unload, FoF if necessary, charge, pull back into the transport and harass some other flank. Try not to get bogged down in combat as they get whittled down far too quickly.
Scorpions:
Sadly these green guys often get overlooked in favour of 'power sword...', but having used them recently I've found to my surprise that they are great at what they do. Essentially what you have is a faster T3 Marine with an extra S4 attack in every round of CC, in short they are great value. Unlike the Banshee these troops can get bogged down in combat and come out fighting. In short they are hard (well T3 hard) the 3+ armour save stops a lot of heavy bolter hits and at S4 they are more than capable of dealing death. Armed with a Chainsword and Pistol again you face less of a dilemma against troops with a 5+ armour save, 'fire' as a general rule if you can kill the enemy without them making a save this is a good thing.
For a few points you can upgrade these guys with haywire grenades, which can be well worth it - especially in small games and in larger fights they have the power to topple any fool that brings a Monolith. The final trick in the scorpions tail is the mandiblaster - a S4 weapon incorporated into the helmets of your green warriors, which can be enough to turn the tide in any fight. The Exarch can be given a Scorpions Claw (power fist) which though striking last is enough to crush the most stubborn of huge gribblies or get an instant kill when needed.
Unlike other Eldar, Scorpions can't FoF, but can infiltrate if the Exarch is given the Stealth skill and the scenario allows it. I must admit that I never infiltrate them as I give them a Wave Serpent. The main downside that most people see with Scorpions is that considering the most common troop type faced shouts 'for the Emperor' a lot and has an uncanny knack of surviving a lot of death thrown their way, but then again against Scorpions it's a pretty even fight if you think about it.
Conclusions:
When asked which is better my answer would be neither, it depends on the job you want them to do. Well, that's a lie - in 40K in 40mins Scorpions are the way to go, as they survive for longer and the haywire grenade option clinches it, but only in that instance.
When facing Marines or Necrons, then Banshees are the way, but when facing Guard, Orks & Nids, Scorpions are the choice to go for. Against Tau either is good, they just don't like it up em.
My personal advice take both, at 10 strong with Exarchs, and stick them in Wave Serpents and charge them in. Please remember to support them - after all, they are Eldar and they do have a penchant for dying - it's a thing they do. |
Scorpions
or Banshees? - Daffrid