Meta Game

After listening to the 11^th Company pod cast this week I got to wondering: has the meta game shifted to favour the Eldar.  I think it’s common knowledge that the recent FAQ’s respecting the Dark Angels and Black Templars has breathed new life into those old codex’s.  In fact it appears that a Belial led Deathwing list has become very competitive with the advent of the FAQ’s as showcased by recent tournament results.  I would suggest that another direct result of the FAQ update will be a shift of the current meta game (mechanized msu et al.).  With the rise of Deathwing and the dawn of a new era of Grey Knights, I suspect that the current top three contenders for competitive armies will now have to adjust for the upstart terminators. 

The question then is will any adjustments made to these top three armies (Guard, Wolves and Blood Angels) to compete with Deathwing and the soon to be released Grey Knights benefit the Eldar.  Off the tip of my brain I think you will start seeing a lot more plasma thrown around to deal with all the 2+ saves on the table.  I also suspect that s.8 fire power might take a dip to compensate for the rise of plasma.  If this happens I believe it could result in taking some pressure off the dated Eldar codex.  I would much rather deal with plasma spam than missile spam against my wave serpents.  What else though? 

As far as the Eldar are concerned, I think they match up fairly well against Deathwing and Grey Knights.  The Farseer Runes of Warding will be sure to send plenty of Grey Knights into the warp and the gobs of s.6 fire power available to the Eldar is a competitive answer to Deathwing terminators.  But how will the top teir armies respond?  Just as important, how will the readjustment affect other xenos books such as Nids or Dark Eldar.  For example, shadows of the warp will have a dramatic effect on how the Grey Knights build a competitive list, which in turn will affect how top tier armies will build lists to deal with the new competition.  Taken further, can the Eldar take advantage of all these changes?

I’m not sure if the Eldar might inadvertently have gained a competitive boost but I am certain the meta game has shifted.  It is spring time and with the spring comes along a new season of big tournaments.  As such, I believe there will be some upset lists that will surprise a lot of players.  I certainly hope that is the case in any event.  And I most certainly hope that my pointy eared toy soldiers might have gained a little bit of a competitive edge.