Still have no idea how its combat action is supposed to be used. If your fighting a unit that does 1 damage it will still do 1 damage if you give up an attack in the first combat round. I suppose if there is a unit that does 2 damage it will go down to 1 damage, but then you'll probably take two damage since you gave up an attack. Maybe if there is a bunch of enemy units that do 2 damage it might be worth it.

With it's two command icons, I imagine it's more of a damage control until the unit can be retreated.  That's why it has high health and low damage.  Wins command struggles, retreats to HQ before it takes a lot of damage.

However, it's quite unusual for a unit that retreated to HQ to be useful for command again. Unless we get powerful cards that are exclusive to the Harlequin trait, there's no much point in going for this instead of the Soaring Falcon.

True.  Though this unit could accept wargear attachments.  In an Eldar/Tau (or Tau/Eldar) deck, it might see better use.

makes it incredible difficult to snipe in combat phase. you would have to deal 8 damage to take it out in one shot. cant be killed early game. Not ment for attack. 

This'll get more interesting with later flying synergy and any time we get options to ready.

I think I figured it out! Hypex Injector on the Vaulting Harlequin. Play a dark eldar event like raid, power from pain, or archon's terror after triggering the Vaulting Harlequin. This may become more viable with Urien Rakarth coming out.

Still terrible with 1 ATK. So you need the Hypex Injector and yet another card to buff ATK. Pretty sure you can get something better with 3 cards and 3~ resources.

Attachments seem to be the trick here. While Dark Eldar seem to be a dead end, I think it's a bit better to slap a repulsor field and/or a stealth cadre on it, this immediately fixes some of its main problems while at the same time emphasizes its strength (survivability) and is just about the only thing that the Harlequin can do better than its main competitors (Soaring Falcon and Altensar Rangers). I still think that fire warrior elite is better as the repulsor field carrier, but hard to argue with two hammers for three. Still not enough to make it a good card, in my opinion, unless there is more synergy to be had with its keywords in the future.

I think the average of this cards rating should be 3/5.

Sure it is nothing to special but it does have 2 command to work with and becomes much better with attachments for the cost of 3 altough more than 3/5 can't be squeezed out of it. 

It's not that this card is "nothing special" it's that it's eclipsed by other cards within the same faction that perform better in the same cost slot.  What would your goal be with this card?  Resilient capper?  The Falcon does that better.  Capper that can fight?  Rangers do that better.  What does this card do that another 3 cost unit can't do better?  Fly?  Who cares?  Unless they come out with cards that interact with Flying and/or Harlequins this card will remain bad. 

This card would have been so much better if it said "When this card is exhausted, it has flying" Then it would find a space for sure. I am not willing to say this card is just straight up bad though. I would run this in Tau/Eldar decks as a worthy include for a 3 command unit for Repulsor Impact Field. 

I would have been satisfied if this unit had 2/2/4 for stats and the ability was "pay 1 resource to give this unit flying".  Then I'd like it

Well, remember that you can use its ability before any combat at any planet starts, so effectively, it can start every combat as a 1/4 Flyer that came from HQ that phase. The other thing I can see it used for is a "place holder" effect for bluffing. If I have initiative, I can use this as a "throw away" action, potentially getting to see what my opponent might play in a given situation before committing to a more meaningful action myself.

 If I have initiative, I can use this as a "throw away" action, potentially getting to see what my opponent might play in a given situation before committing to a more meaningful action myself.

This is a fantastic idea.

Well, remember that you can use its ability before any combat at any planet starts, so effectively, it can start every combat as a 1/4 Flyer that came from HQ that phase. The other thing I can see it used for is a "place holder" effect for bluffing. If I have initiative, I can use this as a "throw away" action, potentially getting to see what my opponent might play in a given situation before committing to a more meaningful action myself.

Can you give it flying if it came in with the Warlord? Doesn't it exhaust after it arrives at the planet, but before combat phase starts? Or is this one of those cases where the "exhaust this unit" part isn't actually part of the cost of the ability?

Can you give it flying if it came in with the Warlord? Doesn't it exhaust after it arrives at the planet, but before combat phase starts? Or is this one of those cases where the "exhaust this unit" part isn't actually part of the cost of the ability?

No, you can't. The magic happens at the word to: "Exhaust this unit to have it gain Flying until the end of the phase."

Can you give it flying if it came in with the Warlord? Doesn't it exhaust after it arrives at the planet, but before combat phase starts? Or is this one of those cases where the "exhaust this unit" part isn't actually part of the cost of the ability?

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The unit does need to be ready at the beginning of the combat phase in order to use it since you do need to exhaust in as part of the cost. That means that if it came from the HQ with the warlord in the Command phase, it will already be exhausted and you can't use the ability until it readies again. BUT -- if it does start the combat phase ready (e.g., already at a planet during the command phase or readied in the command phase with some effect), you can use the ability, exhaust it, and give it flying before any combat begins. It will then be exhausted at the beginning of combat at that planet, just like it would have been if it HAD come from the HQ with the warlord. The difference being that it'll have flying at that point.

Still think this card is very underrated, for sure it will not be the best but as ktom mentioned, you can do things with it if you play it well. It is one of the most resilent 3 drops with 2 command. Compare this to a grand scala of 3 drops (even within the Eldar faction) and effectively having a tapped 1/8 unit works well for me, add in attachments and you now have a good hitter with a huge behind.

Still think this card is very underrated, for sure it will not be the best but as ktom mentioned, you can do things with it if you play it well. It is one of the most resilent 3 drops with 2 command. Compare this to a grand scala of 3 drops (even within the Eldar faction) and effectively having a tapped 1/8 unit works well for me, add in attachments and you now have a good hitter with a huge behind.

If you want a resilient 3-drop Command unit though you need look no further than the Soaring Falcon. Even that doesn't make all decks, and with Altansar Rangers being another 3-for-2 (less resilient but a very good unit), I'm not sure how you'd fit in the Harlequin (even if for some reason you wanted to).

Also remember flying is rarely ever doubling HP. Since the damage is rounded up and there are a lot of units that hit for 1 or 3 damage it's a much smaller boost to HP most of the time. Additionally unsupported its 1 damage means at best it's bought itself the time to retreat - at which point its Command becomes useless and you'll wish you just had a Falcon you could have moved away from the combat instead.

As for attachments, I'd much rather give my Rangers a big gun. Finally the fact you have to sacrifice action economy to even trigger it makes a big difference. I'd much rather attack with a unit and kill an enemy unit (thus saving myself potentially more HP than from the flying boost anyway, not to mention potentially saving a much more useful unit). In this game the best way to prevent damage is killing the things that do it to you by using your attacks efficiently.

If you want a resilient 3-drop Command unit though you need look no further than the Soaring Falcon. Even that doesn't make all decks, and with Altansar Rangers being another 3-for-2 (less resilient but a very good unit), I'm not sure how you'd fit in the Harlequin (even if for some reason you wanted to).

 

Also remember flying is rarely ever doubling HP. Since the damage is rounded up and there are a lot of units that hit for 1 or 3 damage it's a much smaller boost to HP most of the time. Additionally unsupported its 1 damage means at best it's bought itself the time to retreat - at which point its Command becomes useless and you'll wish you just had a Falcon you could have moved away from the combat instead.

 

As for attachments, I'd much rather give my Rangers a big gun. Finally the fact you have to sacrifice action economy to even trigger it makes a big difference. I'd much rather attack with a unit and kill an enemy unit (thus saving myself potentially more HP than from the flying boost anyway, not to mention potentially saving a much more useful unit). In this game the best way to prevent damage is killing the things that do it to you by using your attacks efficiently.

The point of this card is that it is actually in between the options of both. Which might not seem like an incredible card (which it isn't) but does offer more flexability as either the Falcon (because it can be equiped with Attachments) or Rangers (because it can survive a Warlord hunt). This flexability can be an important factor for future meta games, which is why I can not rate it below 3/5. It remains to have 2 Command Icons (which is great for any drop) and have the ability to survive.

For sure the Rangers are more happy with a Attachment (altough less survivable) and the Falcon is Mobile but the lategame can actually be set up rather well when the Harlequin's have an Attachment. The main reason why I feel a multitude of people don't like the card or rate it as late as possible is because the Eldar as a faction allready have enough 3 drops to work with. Unlike the Death Guard Infantry card for example, this card has the potential to win command and hang around for a long time, making it's direct competor the Falcon which currently cannot hold the great Banshee Blade. 

Cards, in my opinion, should not be rated in a vacume "card vs card" comparison but as a flexible/optional card. Which is how I rate cards because of the eventual options they'll have within their potential decks.

I personally predict that we'll see 3x of these in a deck at the same time we see a card that synergises with the Harlequin trait, towards the end of this cycle, or near the start of the next one.

Have to agree with you, on the other hand I still cannot rate this card as the worst from the Warpack, without Command or 1 less we probably could but fact remains Eldar now have the cards to protect it and also have a body that can eventually become really important in the lategame. Moreso than the Rangers or Falcon can because of it's solid behind and option to recieve the better Attachments.

I'd like to resurrect this card now that we have the whole Warlord Cycle. What do you guys think? Maybe it would synergise with an upcoming Autach Warlord which might have Flying. 

I'd say its a good card to slug it out with a Warlord snipe. Maybe add in an Ion Rifle.