Detachment Focus: Seer Council

Codex Aeldari equips the Asuryani (and friend) with eight powerful new Detachments to choose from. In today’s articles, we’re breaking down what each and every one of these has to offer Aeldari aficionados.

With the release of the Aeldari Codex it’s time to deep-dive the multitude of factions that comprise the Craftworld’s diaspora. Contained in this book is a representation of just about every major archetype of Eldar lore, and in this focus, we’ll cover a Path of the Seer-oriented detachment that in part covers a major aspect of the forces of Ulthwe and similar Craftworlds. This is the Seer Council detachment.

We’d like to thank Games Workshop for providing us with a preview copy of these rules for Review purposes.

Detachment Overview: Seer Council

This is a bit of an odd ball detachment in this codex. While most detachments include Psykers as an element, this detachment maintains it as the sole focus rather than a supplemental element. As a result, it feels like it’s missing some of the dynamism that the other detachments in this codex offer. Among all the major Craftworld archetypes, Ulthwe seems to have been split out with the Black Guardians at the center of one detachment, and the Ulthwe seers as another. That said, if you really lean into the Ulthwe Seers then this is the right place for you. The focus here will be on your psyker units, how and where you position them to best effect your army overall, and then execute on your gameplan with the timely and effective use of stratagems, often free. 

While the detachment won’t necessarily favor any specific units outside of psykers, it will discourage use of Wraith units and non-infantry as very few such units gain any benefits from this detachment. This is a foot-dar army and ironically enough, may mean many Guardian units – both as bodyguard and as main element. 

Detachment Rule: Strands of Fate

It’s back! Kind of. Not really. Similar to the Fate dice of old, at the start of the first battle round the Aeldari player will generate Fate dice by rolling a number d6 as determined by the battle size (6 at 2,000 points). Each time you use one of the detachment’s six stratagems you may discard a corresponding Fate dice to reduce the cost of that stratagem by 1 (making them free unless your opponent is taxing them, as they all cost 1). Note that this doesn’t let you use the same Stratagem multiple times in a phase.

A table within the codex provides the specific reference stratagem for each Fate die result, however, for ease of understanding in this article, each result of the Fate dice will correlate to the order in which the stratagems are presented below in parentheses. As a result of this mechanic, the strength of the detachment rule will be entirely dependent on the strength of the stratagems and the average utility (internal balance) of the set. We’ll cover this more in the Stratagems section.

Enhancements

Surprising no one, the enhancements available to this faction are strictly limited to Asuryani Psyker models. The Seer Council enhancements are comparatively weak vs some of the other detachments, but there are a couple that I think will have good utility in a well constructed list. 

• Lucid Eye – In your command phase, modify the result of one of the Fate die by 1 (either direction). I think this is probably a must-take in every detachment. It will be critical to making the most of your Fate die and detachment rule. It’s an excellent enhancement and you’ll rue the early loss of a character that carries this.
• Ruins of Warding – Models in the bearer’s unit have a 4+ Feel No Pain against mortal wounds, Psychic attacks, and Devastating Wounds. These types of enhancements are situational and the use case for a Psyker is pretty limited on unit options. You may consider this for a Windrider blob or a Storm Guardian blob, but even then you may well never see it come up in a game or across a tournament. The types of weapons or attacks dealing mortal wounds are either limited in availability or attacks, and for devastating wounds, the underlying weapon profile is usually capable of easily killing an elf. 
• Stone of Eldritch Fury – Add 12” to the ranged attack characteristic of Psychic attacks for the bearer. Also uninspiring. In general, the psychic attack profiles of an individual psyker are variable in their output and range isn’t really the limiting factor to their effectiveness. Might best be used on a Warlock for a 24” heavy torrent.
• Torc of Morai-Heg – Once per turn, may increase the cost of an opponent’s stratagem by 1 CP if the targeted unit is within 12” of the bearer. This is a nice utility Enhancement which should be a second selection if the points allow for it in your list construction. The capability to limit your opponent’s CP economy is difficult to enact but very effective when you do.

Stratagems

Given the interplay with the detachment rule, we’ll overview the stratagems first then discuss how they interact with the Strands of Fate rule after.  We’re presenting them here numbered according to the Detachment Rule.

1. Presentiment of Dread (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Command phase, target a Asuryani Psyker – select one enemy unit within 18” and visible to the psyker. That unit must take a Battle-shock test with a -1 modifier. Situational, but given the Command Phase use, this may be used to save an objective from an opponent who controls at the start of the round. Certainly not guaranteed, but this is still a situationally strong stratagem and can be the difference between a win and a loss. Were Wings writing this he would note that this pairs nicely with a Hemlock.
   Wings: I would – I legitimately think that if a Hemlock goes anywhere it’s in this detachment, as it’s a reasonably good delivery platform for a bunch of these (particularly this and Isha’s Fury), and with this one specifically can snipe stuff over ruins because it’s an Aircraft.
2. Forewarned (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – In the fight phase, after an opponent has selected targets, target one Asuryani Infantry (excluding Wraith Constructs) within 9” of an Asuryani Psyker model, and subtract one from the hit and wound rolls against that unit. A very solid stratagem and likely best used on a Guardian blob or a key Phoenix Lord led unit of Aspect Warriors. However, it will be of limited use against units with rerolls of hit, wound, or both.  
3. Unshrouded Truth (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – In your Movement phase, target one Asuryani Infantry (excluding Wraith Constructs) that has not yet moved and is within 9” of an Asuryani Psyker model, remove the unit and immediately set it back up on the battlefield more than 9” from enemy models. An excellent stratagem for mission play as any cheap/utility infantry option can become an action unit. Alternatively, can be used to reposition a Guardian blob (with support weapon), or throw Fire Dragons at the enemy. A really flexible tool to have in your back pocket with endless possible uses.
4. Fate Inescapable (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – In your Shooting phase, target one Asuryani Infantry (excluding Wraith Constructs) that has not yet shot and is within 9” of an Asuryani Psyker model, unit gains Ignore Cover and can increase the AP of the attack by 1 on a critical wound. Situationally useful. The Aeldari have a number of units or options to strip cover in this codex but the increase to lethality this can provide should not be overlooked, particularly on units with high volumes of fire like Dire Avengers or Guardian Defenders.
5. Isha’s Fury (Epic Deed, 1 CP) – In your opponent’s Movement phase, just after a Normal, Advance, or Fall Back move, select one Asuryani Psyker model within 9” of that enemy unit. Roll six d6, for every 3+ the opponent’s unit suffers a mortal wound. Again, very situational but can be particularly effective late game to remove pieces already damaged from prior turns. Alternatively, a method of adding some additional chip damage or utility to a unit that might not make it through the turn alive. Notably it does not require line of sight and so a Pskyer may position themselves to inflict damage on an enemy while the psyker remains hidden. 
6. Psychic Shield (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – In your opponent’s Shooting phase, just after an enemy unit has selected its targets, one Asuryani Infantry (excluding Wraith Constructs) that has not yet shot and is within 9” of an Asuryani Psyker model, the unit cannot be selected as the target of the attack by models outside of 18”. Another situationally useful, but powerful, stratagem. The sneaky use of this will be to mitigate an opponent’s shooting where only some models are within 18”, which will both prevent retargeting and also make it more likely that you can execute a Fade Back Battle Focus move following the attacks, and potentially putting you out of range of any further units shooting at them. Particularly useful on a Guardian Defender blob, or just standing 10 Dark Reapers in the open flipping the enemy off while pelting them with missiles. 

The analysis here will be predicated on the fact that you are going to be taking the Lucid Eye enhancement as it is central to the detachment rule and getting the most out of it. With that assumption, your initial Fate roll results are going to be less important than the order in which you use them. Each round, at the start of your turn, you are going to want to figure out what stratagems you believe you will be using both in your turn and potentially your opponent’s turn, and plan your Fate dice accordingly, adjusting one that you do not think you’ll get much use out of into one you believe you will. Either to give you the option for a free strat, or to maintain a double of it for future rounds. Bear in mind that you will still have CP options available to you, and more than any other detachment, you will be able to freely spend those CP on core stratagems or to cover down on a missing Fate dice. 

For the Fate dice roll there really isn’t a “bad” roll. Given the ability to adjust a dice per turn in either direction, you’re limited on the result of 1 or 6, but in the case of a 1 which may not find immediate use, a 2 (Forewarned) is also a very useful stratagem mid- or late-game. In the case of a 6, the 5 (Isha’s Fury) is not as useful to have for free due its situational nature, but the 6 (Psychic Shield) is a good result for any time in the game. Generally speaking, 2-4 are all good options due the power of the 3 (Unshrouded Truth). If you find yourself with multiple dice of a single type, note that there is not a restriction on changing the same dice multiple times over multiple turns. How you manage this Fate dice interaction will be one the keys to your game plan.

Playing This Detachment

This is probably the toughest detachment in the codex to play at a high level, in part because it lacks some of the outright power boost that other detachments may provide to the underlying datasheets, but also because it relies on excellent positioning of your Psyker models. The stratagems being universally predicated on a Psyker unit being within 9” to activate means even small displacements can have big game-changing impacts.

Strengths

• Six free stratagems, not at all stressed for CP
• Powerful mobility stratagem facilitates strong mission play
• Highly useful enhancement that really boosts the detachment rule

Weaknesses

• Limited synergy with non-psyker, non-infantry units and combinations
• Restrictive activation ranges on abilities may result in castling and limited board control
• Singular reliance on psyker models for all detachment rules to key on

It is very challenging to predict how this detachment is going to play and look. Ironically this is probably the one detachment where you won’t really consider taking Eldrad because his CP bonus just won’t be impactful enough to justify his cost. There’s also going to be a lot of similarity in list design to the Guardian Host owing to its focus on Infantry. I think it may actually play very similarly as well, just with a different mix of abilities. The Guardian Host detachment will key on primary objective play and boost Guardians (and Avengers) specifically, and while this detachment won’t boost primary play, it will boost Guardians indirectly. This is because there is a need for bodyguards and because Windrunners won’t get the benefit of these stratagems. As a result, 2-4 Guardian squads might be expected, supplemented by whatever Aspect Infantry and support units make sense. Because they’ll make a sizable chunk, you’ll likely boost Defenders with a D-Cannon so they become more valuable than a tax. Reapers, Dragons, Spiders, and Hawks are all good supplements, as well as any transports. Then you’re going to play a conservative, cagey game plan and use a barrage of timely stratagems to impose your will on the game.

I should note that with the errata adjustments released with this codex that Warlock Conclave with a Farseer becomes a particularly spicy choice with this detachment. Wings and I had discussed the possibilities there, but a Falcon to provide wound rerolls for a unit that is going to put out 4d6+8 Strength 7, AP-1, 1D Torrent shots is…  it’s really good and appropriately fits into this detachment spectacularly. Moreover, we aligned on the idea that you cannot use Unshrouded Truth on the disembarked unit after a Falcon has moved/deep struck, but if you want to use it before the Falcon moves, it can provide some real unique options for getting preferential positioning and shots out of the unit while still benefiting from the Falcon’s wound reroll as long as they are able to mutually target a unit.

Wings: This detachment is one of the hardest to evaluate we’ve seen all edition, because on the one hand it essentially “only” has Stratagems for most of its units, but on the other they’re really good Stratagems, and you can burn through them like it’s 8th Edition all over again. For me, if I’m starting a list here I’m looking at what the non-negotiable big hits I can pull off are, and that feels like it’s protecting ten Reapers with Psychic Shield and having three Fire Dragon MSUs locked and loaded to teleport into position with Unshrouded Truth. The challenge from there is building out with enough PSYKERs you actually want to put in your list, and that honestly might be where this falls down – you really just don’t need that many in most Aeldari builds, and the detachment is also weirdly anti-synergistic with Eldrad – you’re already getting a bunch of free Stratagems, do you need more CP?

This is part of why I’m reasonably keen on a Hemlock here, just to get the count up, and I’d probably supplement that with a Spiritseer babysitting some Wratihlords, and then a couple Farseers/Warlocks stashed in Guardian squads, maybe with a single Warlock Skyrunner as an emergency Psyker to throw away on something. The fact that the detachment also has no synergy with Windrider units further ups the challenge of actually getting enough Psykers you want in here. I think there probably is a build in here somewhere, but it’s a real puzzle!

A Sample List

This one took a bit to build and I left it for last because it’s the hardest. We’ll discuss it on the other side of the list.

”Ulthwe

I’ll start by saying that this is a first cut and it needs to be played and refined because as we discussed, this detachment is challenging. Couple of notes, I did ask Wings to weigh in here and I did accept some items while rejecting others. My theory on the list is to maintain two core blocks of Guardian Defenders with D-Cannons to provide additional punch. The embedded Farseer’s can each provide a hit bonus and there’s redundancy in these units that can screen, redeploy (Unshrouded Truth), and provide a resilient bodyguard with there use of a free Fade Back. The Storm Guardians with a Warlock provide a utility go-forward objective grabber and psyker-bubble extender. Then because it came up and I agree with Wings that if a Hemlock is used its going to be here, it brings some extra go-forward utility and a boost to Presentiment of Dread. That’s nearly half of the army which leaves utility picks. 

I like redundancy in my lists, so I chose Aspects that either double up or provide a similar capability. Dragons, Reapers, and Spiders. A set of independent War Walkers and a single unit of Shroud Runners I like for how they might boost the Guardian/Psyker core and also the Warp Spiders/Dark Reapers (Walkers) and then as mobile/scouting utility in their own right. I’d note that while Wings discusses the 1×10 option on the Reapers, and it is a strong choice, my personal preference on play would rather see them broken out. There’s no wrong choice here it’s just a different style preference and consideration on their use. He did however talk me out of 2×5 Banshees which would have been a silly, foolish pick here.

The Wave Serpents I think are a good option for a few reasons. First, they are mobile and durable in their own right and are my preferred way of using Infantry (mounted – immune from alpha strike/indirect). Second, being able to use reactive moves to get back in should not be underestimated. Third, they can provide shelter or a movement/positioning boost to your Dragons/Reapers or even the Storm Guardians depending on your needs. I love flexibility in my lists and these do a good job of providing options to the army. Because I think the army will want to play conservatively I really like what 2 Wave Serpents can provide to it. I should note that Unshrouded Truth can be used after disembarking, which may factor into a choice to bring a Falcon as well. 

Then the Hemlock. The most ??? unit in the most ??? detachment. Look, this thing makes no goddamn sense and is clearly still in the 8th edition penalty box. Its expensive and despite being piloted by a Spiritseer who is an apparent crack shot with a pistol (BS 2+) they are, I guess, too incapacitated by enabling their Mind Shock Pod, which has a 9” range and therefore can’t be used on a turn it arrives, to adequately point their Heavy D-Scythes, which on the lesser versions automatically hit, at the enemy and hit them more than half the time. It has no rules that would make sense for an Eldar flyer, like Stealth, it’s made of wraith-paper mache, and as an Aircraft, it can’t hide for shit. It can move block, but if your opponent just stares at it hard enough for long enough it’ll crash itself. So why take it? As pointed out, there’s nowhere else it really fits so it’s worth at least giving a spin here, and the benefits for doing so are purely based on it being a Psyker to activate stratagems off of, particularly Isha’s Fury, and the impact of the Mindshock Pod on Presentiment of Dread. It will benefit nicely from a Farseer’s +1 to hit and the other ability buffs from Walkers/Shroud Runners, so I can see it being worth the risk here, but it’s the unit I most have my eye on when testing. 155 points, they are shocked out of their minds.

Final Thoughts

I don’t know man. I just don’t know. Some people pick up a new game and just dive in on whatever mode the game recommends. Then others pick up a new game and immediately turn it to hard. This is the detachment for those people. I think it might actually be a sneaky good detachment but it’s going to take someone who really understands the army and how they want to use it. I frankly love this detachment and I’m excited to get some list ideas hammered out but if I were to take this to a tournament I’d definitely be sure to run the list through multiple configurations beforehand to make sure I knew exactly what and how I’d use it. Really intriguing – exactly what you would want from a Seer Council theme. 

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