Hive Commander Question

[Bigthunda]

Hey guys, just wondering: If a winged hive tyrant with the hive commander is put into reserves and is waiting to deep strike, does his hive commander still come into play? So, if the tyrant is still in reserve do you still get the +1 or does he have to actually be on the table to affect the reserve rolls?

[Mr.Pickelz]

i believe he is required to be on the table for his effects to work. Same goes for eldar and GK's. In order for their powers to work, they need to be on the table prior to activating said powers/effects.

[Ghoulio]

Hey guys, just wondering: If a winged hive tyrant with the hive commander is put into reserves and is waiting to deep strike, does his hive commander still come into play? So, if the tyrant is still in reserve do you still get the +1 or does he have to actually be on the table to affect the reserve rolls?

He just needs to be alive for it to work, so if he is held in reserve it still works since he is still alive. It is no different from IG Astropaths or Eldar Autarchs. I gotta say I don't understand why people try and say you can't use it when not on the board, makes no sense (its kind of like when people used to say Mawlocs couldn't deepstrike onto units).

[wkz]

... I gotta say I don't understand why people try and say you can't use it when not on the board, makes no sense (its kind of like when people used to say Mawlocs couldn't deepstrike onto units).

Simple: there ARE reserve rules that do not work if a model is not on the table. Of course most of these rules specifically mention "model must be on the table in order for <rule> to work", but there are enough of them out there...

Asking if "hive commander" in reserves working is actually a good, valid question to be honest..

[Bigthunda]

He just needs to be alive for it to work, so if he is held in reserve it still works since he is still alive. It is no different from IG Astropaths or Eldar Autarchs.

Yeah Ghoulio that's the same reasoning I was using, at first I was assuming he had to be on the board but the more I thought about it the more I want to argue for this side (especially since I'm building a reserve list and think it would be awesome to deep strike the tyrant AND get bonus reserve rolls!)

Thanks for the input guys, definitely seems to be a grey area though- I could justify both sides honestly

[Bigthunda]

Oooh also it's a passive ability, so he never technically "activates" it. Much like Bjorn's Ancient Tactician ability- giving a reroll before a single model is on the table! Bingo?

[mathhammer]

There isn't a finite answer.

The original ruling on reserves came from the Eldar FAQ/Codex, which using it causes the IG +1 to reserves to also not to work off the table.

Recently the INAT FAQ has allowed the reserve modifications to work more off the table. So it really comes down to if you use the INAT or not. Most major tournaments use INAT so I would recommend their rulings.

As in all things for a grey area like this ask your opponent or tourney organizer.

[Tynskel]

this is not a INAT issue. The wording for Hive Commander, if I remember correctly, states while the Tyrant is alive. The tyrant is still alive while in reserves.

[mathhammer]

and sadly you are not alive while in reserve, you are in a limbo state.

The best point on this is if a Mawloc is reduced to 4 wounds and then returns to reserves does it get to regenerate while in reserve?

Q: Can you cast powers while in reserve?
A: Up to the SW FAQ this answer was no btw.

If your model is in reserve when the game ends it is considered dead, not alive.

[Wildeybeast]

Further confirmation of this can be found in the Lictor rules. The pheremone trail rule clearly states that the Lictor must be on the table for this rule to work, whereas the rules for Hive Tyrant and Swarmlord only have to be alive to use it, meaning it can be used if they are in reserves.

Also Bigthunda, if you are planning to play this tactic, its worth taking a Lictor as his +1 roll stacks with the Hive Commander ability, as does the Swarmlord's Ancient Alien Cunning rule!