AoS 2 - Sylvaneth Discussion

[Inquisitorsz]

13 minutes ago, Trevelyan said:

Honestly, I don’t like either of those as Gnarlroot lists. 

The other units all get rerolls too. I imagine the hunters will roll around with Drycha. She can cast mirrorpool to keep up with any teleports.

I couldn't really fit outcasts with the two big girls and enough generic heroes to make use of it. I like the flexibility of having 2 + 1 hunter units. 

If I had more dryads I'd consider summoning them and that would probably change the list a bit. 

I don't care much about the Gnarlroot trait.... The winterleaf one is just as average. 

It's all about the items. 

13 minutes ago, Trevelyan said:

You could give the Dryad Throne of a vines too - she only needs to cast it first turn (Alarielle gets it thereafter) but it helps a lot with her summoning. 

Only one of them can have throne right? Or can they both have it but only cast it once? 

In any case that's what the chalice was supposed to be for while alarielle had the spell.

Cheere for the input though. Winterleaf is probably the easier option for someone with so little experience. I like the Gnarlroot version but it's probably harder to play. 

[Naem]

Hey guys, I decided on Sylvaneth for my next AoS project and got a really good deal on some minis, including a Start Collecting Box. Quick question: can the Treelord model from the SC be build as a TLA and TL like the regular Treelord box, or is it just the Treelord in the SC?

[Trevelyan]

24 minutes ago, Inquisitorsz said:

The other units all get rerolls too. I imagine the hunters will roll around with Drycha. She can cast mirrorpool to keep up with any teleports.

. . .

I don't care much about the Gnarlroot trait.... The winterleaf one is just as average. 

It's all about the items. 

. . .

Only one of them can have throne right? Or can they both have it but only cast it once? 

The Gnarlroot trait benefits anyone with a caster to back them up. That means you need Drycha or Alarielle supporting a unit to benefit. If either of the girls died then you lose the reroll. That then presents you with a challenge as they are both prime targets in their own right,  and making them lynchpins for buffs to other units only exacerbates that. You’ve then got the dilemma: do you protect them behind a layer of Hunters to preserve the buffs but limit them to ranged attacks, or do you allow them to fight but risk losing them? In contrast the Winterleaf trait applies to everyone so you don’t actually need the girls to hang around with other units. 

. . . 

Picking a Glade purely for a single item is  probably not ideal. Especially when the purpose of that item is just to enhance your Dryad summon. Getting an extra batch of dryads on the table is nice, but it’s not a game change in itself. Consider that the unit you summon in T1 will only be able to move/teleport on T2 and will need to make a 9” charge of it wants to fight before T3. The Hive can help with that, but a competent opponent will be able to block you out of good teleport positions but ensuring that there is nowhere within 6” of the Wyldwood that isn’t also within 9” of an enemy unit. I find that the most realistic use for Dryad units is coving backfield objectives, and occasionally securing unprotected enemy objectives. You don’t need to dedicate significant summoning resources for that. 

I used to get really excited about summoning Dryads. Then I started to question what they really did for me. 80 points for a summoning unit is good value, but is it necessarily worth taking the effort to enhance further? At best, each 100 point Dryad unit is a 5% increase in total army value for a 2000 point game. If you did go with Winterleaf then the Frozen Kernel applies to an alpha strike Scythe Hunter unit with Arch Rev buffs can happily wipe out at least a third of the enemy army. That’s a tidy swing in its own right and can leave the opponent unable to respond if you remove their key units. 

Other army traits are worth considering. Gnarlroot Kurnoths are even tougher than usual. I had a unit of six take Archaon to the face last week and only lose two Hunters (Tanglethorn Thickets plus Gnarlroot The Earth Defends) the remaining four managed to kill Archaon in return, just tipping over the edge with their Trample Underfoot. That’s the sort of thing to consider when weighing up Glades - how do you want to play (offensive, defensive, other?) and which Glade supports that best. 

It sounds like you want an offensive army with lots of Kurnoths And some heavy hitters. That’s not a game plan that Gnarlroot helps nearly as much as Winterleaf. 

. . .

The only limit is on who casts the spell - one attempt per turn - but multiple units can take it.

That said, unless you  are really committed to summoning maximum Dryads, and have a solid plan for them, I would rather keep Alarielle casting the throne, and two other buffed spells, from the start. Alarielle one the throne is a good way to summon the Hive. Branchwraith with the Chalice is better, but then you’re back to delaying the summoning.

That’s why I have a lot more non-character casters in my Gnarlroot lists - the artefact is strong, but it is wasted on a Branchwraith. 

[Dammitt_Jim]

47 minutes ago, Naem said:

Hey guys, I decided on Sylvaneth for my next AoS project and got a really good deal on some minis, including a Start Collecting Box. Quick question: can the Treelord model from the SC be build as a TLA and TL like the regular Treelord box, or is it just the Treelord in the SC?

Welcome to the faction!

Yes, the Treelord in the SC box can be built as either Treelord Ancient, Treelord or Spirit of Durthu. It's fairly easy to magnetise the different heads and weapon arms too to give you some flexibility.

[Inquisitorsz]

@Trevelyan

Awesome thanks for the feedback

[Trevelyan]

1 hour ago, Inquisitorsz said:

@Trevelyan

Awesome thanks for the feedback

You are welcome. I hope it goes well, you’ll have to come back and tell us!

[Inquisitorsz]

28 minutes ago, Trevelyan said:

You are welcome. I hope it goes well, you’ll have to come back and tell us!

Will do. Right now I'm just desperately trying to finish the army. 

WIP Photo attached 

[Trevelyan]

That’s awesome!

Far too much of my army is still just grey plastic. 😞

[Inquisitorsz]

48 minutes ago, Trevelyan said:

That’s awesome!

Far too much of my army is still just grey plastic. 😞

It's mostly contrast paint doing some heavy lifting lol 

[Trevelyan]

34 minutes ago, Inquisitorsz said:

It's mostly contrast paint doing some heavy lifting lol 

What did you use for the bark?

[Inquisitorsz]

1 hour ago, Trevelyan said:

What did you use for the bark?

It's just wyldwood thinned down with contrast medium (about 1:1 or 1:2) over a mostly white undercoat. 

I tried to do some zenithal preshading with the airbrush but anything darker than pure white made the colour greyish and washed out. So then I just undercoated mostly in white and let the contrast paint do most of the work. 

I will eventually do some highlighting of the wood, but I'll do all the base work on the army first so it's usable then do as many details as I get time for. 

Edited January 13, 2020 by Inquisitorsz

[a74xhx]

I've been rethinking Gnarlroot, and I'm starting to think it's the TLA general glade. Our other wizards are either named or small and squishy to benefit from the artefact and trait.

Looking at trying this list next. Light on bodies - just 32. I considered dropping 3 Kurnoths for dryads or tree revs and switch up the wyrm to a skullroot. Maybe swap 6 scythes for 2x3 greatswords. Not set on the 2nd wraith spell either. Thoughts?

Allegiance: Sylvaneth - Glade: Gnarlroot
Branchwraith (80) - Artefact: Spiritsong Stave - Deepwood Spell: Throne of Vines
Branchwraith (80) - Deepwood Spell: Deadly Harvest
Arch-Revenant (100)
Drycha Hamadreth (320) - Deepwood Spell: Regrowth
Treelord Ancient (260) - General - Trait: Nurtured by Magic - Artefact: Chalice of Nectar - Deepwood Spell: Verdurous Harmony
5 x Spite-Revenants (60)
5 x Spite-Revenants (60)
5 x Spite-Revenants (60)
6 x Kurnoth Hunters (400) - Scythes
6 x Kurnoth Hunters (400) - Scythes
Outcasts (100)
Spiteswarm Hive (50)
Gladewyrm (30)
Total: 2000 / 2000  Wounds: 112
 

[Trevelyan]

That Gnarlroot wants a TLA general is fairly self evident for the reasons you suggest. I would go further and suggest, as I have upthread, that Gnarlroot benefits from more than one TLA. 

The Gnarlroot lists I have been experimenting with typically start with two TLAs and Drycha as the frontline casters, with a Branchwraith in reserve. That’s 920 points. 

I always like 6 Scythe hunters as my primary melee beatstick for another 400 points (1320 total). 

That leaves 680 points to play with for battleline and other extras. 

You can add the minimum Outcasts battalion for 280 points, leaving 200 more to play with (more Kurnoths or something else), but I find that often isn’t enough bodies to adequately screen the casters. For that reason I tend to take a unit of 20 dryads and two smaller units of Tree Revenants (for multi-purpose mobility) and a standard Treelord to give access to LotC and a second artefact (Vesperal Gem) 

My most recent list was:

Drycha (Regrowth)

TLA (General, Vesperal Gem, Verdurous Harmony)

TLA (Chalice of Nectar, Regrowth)

Branchwraith (Throne of Vines)

6x Kurnoth Hunters (Scythes)

Treelord

20x Dryads

5x Tree Revenants 

5x Tree Revenants

Lord of the Clan

Gladewurm 

Spiteswarm Hive

You can swap the spells about and drop one or both Tree Rev units for Spites. In theory you could drop LotC, the Treelord, Drycha and some spells (or play around with the battleline) for Alarielle, which might be interesting to try. 

Edited January 14, 2020 by Trevelyan

[Zanzou]

wow im asleep sorry

Edited January 14, 2020 by Zanzou

[Trevelyan]

31 minutes ago, Zanzou said:

wow im asleep sorry

Dare we ask?

[Zanzou]

17 minutes ago, Trevelyan said:

Dare we ask?

Just me failing basic reading comprehension on Inquisitorz post a page back.

Instead I have another question.  Out of curiosity has anyone found any possible way to buff the spell casting rolls of Alarielle/Drycha other than just throne of vines?  They cannot carry any traits or artefacts, but does anyone know of any alternative buffs they could receive from a third party source that I've missed? Chronomatics cogs can allow additional casts, but I was wondering if there is anything to buff their actual rolls?

Edited January 14, 2020 by Zanzou

[Trevelyan]

I don’t know of anything off the top of my head. I’d be curious to see whether anyone else does?

[Arnied3]

Was planning on running a very similar list as @Trevelyan detailed at my next tournament (26th Jan). But I also had a winterleaf list and was thinking about this combo but wanted to check here first:

If i buff a unit with Arch Rev's Call to Battle and then pop the Kernel can that unit use the buff for an extra attack on both rounds of fighting? 

[Craze]

12 minutes ago, Arnied3 said:

If i buff a unit with Arch Rev's Call to Battle and then pop the Kernel can that unit use the buff for an extra attack on both rounds of fighting? 

Yes, it will buff both attack sequences, as it buffs them for the whole Combat Phase.

[Arnied3]

Excellent...............😈

 

[Trevelyan]

9 hours ago, Arnied3 said:

Excellent...............😈

 

It is gloriously effective. I’ve taken down a Ghoul King on Terrorgheist and something in the region of 9-12 Crypt Flayers in a single Alpha strike using that combo. The rest of the game was short. 

[Goldmund]

Are you taking allies with Sylvaneth. If so, what allied units would you choose and why? 

[Craze]

I have tried taking pointy Eels in some games and was really happy with their overall performance. The immense movement really helped me with applying pressure from turn 1 , as I often struggled to do something meaningful if I had to go first.

[Landohammer]

7 hours ago, Goldmund said:

Are you taking allies with Sylvaneth. If so, what allied units would you choose and why? 

This has come up a few times before so I will summarize my previous posts

Ahkelia Morrsarr - Fast, hit hard, and resilient. Helps to put pressure on your opponent/objectives early on without the need for teleports.

Wildwood Rangers - Reliable anti-monster unit. A unit of 20  is conveniently priced between 3 and 6 Kurnoth Hunters and can fulfill the same role. 

Celestar Ballista - Efficient (both $ and points) way to have a meaningful shooting phase. 

Sisters of the Watch - Effective shooting phase

Characters - Waywatchers, Lord Relictors, Knight Azyros, Knight Incantors, and Tidecasters.  All are reasonably costed and contribute something that Sylvaneth lack. 

[Undeadly]

Howdy ya'll! I haven't been on this side of the forum for a hot minute, but I thought I'd hop in and ask for some advice on how to proceed with my Sylvaneth collection:

So far, I was able to get quite a decent collection when the new Sylvaneth book came out, as I picked up Looncurse, a SC and then purchased 2 more Treelords, Drycha, another box of Revenants and a Branchwraith. Although, I am now running into the problem of how to effectively build them, and how to expand them as an army. I am also, admittedly, daunted by the cost of Trees. Any advice on how to get this army growing?