"Astrologer will finally give us a melee option for elves" Did they forget that Chain Blades exist?

I'm genuinely asking, why isn't the Chain Blade already considered a Melee option for Elves? functionally it is a Melee weapon, it triggers counter attacks and heavy stander(last I knew). Yet I've seen several comments from people saying that Astologer will be the melee option for elves as though Chain Blades don't exist.