AoS 2 - Sylvaneth Discussion

[Landohammer]

1 hour ago, Popisdead said:

What do you think of 3 Ancients and a Treelord?  Too much?  I just have a fondness for the big guys.  I have day dreams of 4 Treelords AND them being effective.  ... room to dream I guess.

I don't think there is ever a reason to bring multiple Ancients. None of his abilities stack.

The free tree summon is once per battle regardless of how many ancients you have. The command ability is fine but you don't really need 3 copies of it. The warscroll spell is just trash.

I would stick to 3 Treelord models at the absolute most. And build them as Durthu, Treelord Ancient, and Treelord. 

[Trevelyan]

12 minutes ago, Landohammer said:

I don't think there is ever a reason to bring multiple Ancients. None of his abilities stack.

None of his abilities could stack. Heed the Spirit Song rerolls 1s however many times you might apply it and none of the others are stackable to begin with. You lose out on multiple Awakening the Woods spells (but see option below) but you can give each of them different alternate spells, or even the same spell and decide which casts - between Awakening, summoning a wood an casting your chosen spell there are options for three TLAs to cast different spells with an identical selection. 

I assume you are really talking about Silent Communion being once per game and not once per unit. I find that a fairly weak argument insofar as a) having multiple TLA still gives you greater choice of where you put the free Wyldwood - don’t underestimate the value of being unpredictable/having options; and b) summoning a Wyldwood is not the only reason to take a TLA in the first place. 

The primary reason to take a TLA is that it combines a durable second line wizard with a reasonable ranged attack and adequate melee? Plus it lets you bring another Stomp. There is enough value in the TLA aside from Silent Communion that it would be valid (maybe at a slight discount) even without it. 

[Trevelyan]

10 hours ago, Landohammer said:

So in all my games vs Gotrek, I have actually had trouble avoiding him lol.

My least satisfying games have been against fast lists (FEC, Slaanesh and Orcs) that mostly sent a few chaff units to run interference. So it’s not strictly true that he killed nothing, but rather that they had the means to ensure that he got bogged down killing trivial stuff rather than the juicy targets that I wanted him to kill. 

These games weren’t a loss (other than the FEC where is misjudged distances and he got a lucky 11” charge over my line with his Crypt Flayer Horde) but then tended to be fights on one table half/objective while Gotrek bullied a few things trying to control the other. I suppose he played a part, but it was more as a deterrent than as a satisfyingly crunchy god of war  

 

[Popisdead]

17 hours ago, Landohammer said:

I would stick to 3 Treelord models at the absolute most. And build them as Durthu, Treelord Ancient, and Treelord. 

Sorry I was speaking in reference to Lord of the Clan where you have to take 2 anyway. But thanks.  I have a Durthu (or two,..).

[Landohammer]

18 hours ago, Trevelyan said:

None of his abilities could stack. Heed the Spirit Song rerolls 1s however many times you might apply it and none of the others are stackable to begin with. You lose out on multiple Awakening the Woods spells (but see option below) but you can give each of them different alternate spells, or even the same spell and decide which casts - between Awakening, summoning a wood an casting your chosen spell there are options for three TLAs to cast different spells with an identical selection. 

I assume you are really talking about Silent Communion being once per game and not once per unit. I find that a fairly weak argument insofar as a) having multiple TLA still gives you greater choice of where you put the free Wyldwood - don’t underestimate the value of being unpredictable/having options; and b) summoning a Wyldwood is not the only reason to take a TLA in the first place. 

The primary reason to take a TLA is that it combines a durable second line wizard with a reasonable ranged attack and adequate melee? Plus it lets you bring another Stomp. There is enough value in the TLA aside from Silent Communion that it would be valid (maybe at a slight discount) even without it. 

We are gonna have to agree to disagree on this one. A single TLA is already a stretch, but I can see the value in the free forest and command trait. Its a good way to guarantee a second forest hits the table, Durthu and Dryads LOVE that command ability.

However,  competitively, a vanilla treelord and a branchwraith are just better for the same exact points. You get a better fighter, and a better caster. So duplicating TLAs is just exacerbating the shortfall.

Yes the TLA has access to traits and artefacts, but lets be honest, those are usually going on a Durthu or an Archie. 

My personal issue with TLA is the bracket. After 3 wounds he goes down to 2 attacks plus impale. That is insane for a 260pt monster. Thats an average of like 2 wounds. You would get more damage out of 5 Spites.

 

 

[Trevelyan]

On 4/3/2020 at 4:25 PM, Landohammer said:

However,  competitively, a vanilla treelord and a branchwraith are just better for the same exact points. You get a better fighter, and a better caster. So duplicating TLAs is just exacerbating the shortfall.

Yes the TLA has access to traits and artefacts, but lets be honest, those are usually going on a Durthu or an Archie. 

My personal issue with TLA is the bracket. After 3 wounds he goes down to 2 attacks plus impale. That is insane for a 260pt monster. Thats an average of like 2 wounds. You would get more damage out of 5 Spites.

A Branchwraith plus Treelord are better than a TLA? The Treelord is arguably a better melee fighter insofar as it gets one more attack, although the TLA has the better ranged attack. But is the Branchwraith a better caster than the TLA? Outside of summoning Dryads, it doesn’t do much - the Branchwraith has fewer wounds and worse saves so dies more easily in spite of Blessings of the Forest. It can’t support front line units nearly as well. Saying that the Branchwraith is a better than the TLA is akin to arguing that apples are better than oranges because you’ve presupposed that’s everyone likes apple juice. 

The traits and artefacts are going on Durthu so the TLA gets no credit for being able to take them? Again, that presupposes that you are taking Durthu and not taking enough artefacts for other units. The Vesperal Gem is one of the strongest artefacts we have but you certainly won’t be giving that to Durthu. 

Bracketing the TLA does hurt, but that’s common to all monsters in AoS and citing it as your big personal issue seems strange. Dropping from three to two melee attacks is harsh - it represents a 33% drop in melee combat effectiveness (ignoring Impale). But you’re clearly a fan of Durthu, and what happens when he drops by a few damage points? Durthu goes from a flat 6 damage to a variable d6 damage on his melee attacks for an effective 42% drop in melee combat effectiveness. Why give Durthu a pass when he drops more than the TLA?

I wouldn’t advocate taking multiple TLAs in every list. But they are serious value in Gnarlroot where you want them supporting melee units up front (Branchwraith need not apply) and you probably aren’t taking a Durthu to begin with. Gnarlroot gives them a 2+ hit reroll 1s ranged attack and 3+ hit reroll 1s melee attacks all doing d6 damage. That’s more reliable than you’d expect before you add in the spells, the battalion bonus (LotC is worth taking in Gnarlroot) and the support for other units.  I’m guessing you’ve never tried it, but it is worth a go. 

[Landohammer]

2 minutes ago, Trevelyan said:

A Branchwraith plus Treelord are better than a TLA? The Treelord is arguably a better melee fighter insofar as it gets one more attack, although the TLA has the better ranged attack. But is the Branchwraith a better caster than the TLA? Outside of summoning Dryads, it doesn’t do much - the Branchwraith has fewer wounds and worse saves so dies more easily in spite of Blessings of the Forest. It can’t support front line units nearly as well. Saying that the Branchwraith is a better than the TLA is akin to arguing that apples are better than oranges because you’ve presupposed that’s everyone likes apple juice. 

The traits and artefacts are going on Durthu so the TLA gets no credit for being able to take them? Again, that presupposes that you are taking Durthu and not taking enough artefacts for other units. The Vesperal Gem is one of the strongest artefacts we have but you certainly won’t be giving that to Durthu. 

Bracketing the TLA does hurt, but that’s common to all monsters in AoS and citing it as your big personal issue seems strange. Dropping from three to two melee attacks is harsh - it represents a 33% drop in melee combat effectiveness (ignoring Impale). But you’re clearly a fan of Durthu, and what happens when he drops by a few damage points? Durthu goes from a flat 6 damage to a variable d6 damage on his melee attacks for an effective 42% drop in melee combat effectiveness. Why give Durthu a pass when he drops more than the TLA?

I wouldn’t advocate taking multiple TLAs in every list. But they are serious value in Gnarlroot where you want them supporting melee units up front (Branchwraith need not apply) and you probably aren’t taking a Durthu to begin with. Gnarlroot gives them a 2+ hit reroll 1s ranged attack and 3+ hit reroll 1s melee attacks all doing d6 damage. That’s more reliable than you’d expect before you add in the spells, the battalion bonus (LotC is worth taking in Gnarlroot) and the support for other units.  I’m guessing you’ve never tried it, but it is worth a go. 

 

 

Branchwraith vs TLA as wizards: The difference comes down to the warscroll spell. The branchwraith has one of our best warcroll spells while the TLA has one of our worst. In addition, you have your caster separated from your tank, so you don't lose your caster when you sacrifice your treelord to a scary unit. The shooting attack is admittedly pretty strong. But I would still prefer a chance at 10 dryads a turn! 

Factoring in second artefacts also kinda turns this argument upside down, because you are paying a tax for those and they can drastically improve a unit's performance. Is your TLA + gem better than my TL+BW? Yes, but it should be bc you buffed him with a 100pt item.  I  I bet your free Glade artefact isn't going on your TLA. If we wanted to compare buffed characters, I think the BW with the Stave is even stronger. Because she can use throne to buff her spells to the point that she gets 10 dryads+a forest every turn guaranteed. 

Sorry if I seem like a Durthu apologist. I actually don't like him that much. Having to stay near a forest is crippling vs experienced opponents. For beatstick characters I prefer Drycha or Alarielle. The mobility is clutch.

All monsters bracket, but the TLA is one of the worst brackets I have ever seen on a monster at this points level. With that said, I will admit the TLA is still an ok option in certain lists. But I will never ever ever ever condone two in a list. 

 

[Trevelyan]

2 hours ago, Landohammer said:

Branchwraith vs TLA as wizards: The difference comes down to the warscroll spell. The branchwraith has one of our best warcroll spells while the TLA has one of our worst.

...

The shooting attack is admittedly pretty strong. But I would still prefer a chance at 10 dryads a turn! 

...

I bet your free Glade artefact isn't going on your TLA. If we wanted to compare buffed characters, I think the BW with the Stave is even stronger. Because she can use throne to buff her spells to the point that she gets 10 dryads+a forest every turn guaranteed.

...

Sorry if I seem like a Durthu apologist. I actually don't like him that much. Having to stay near a forest is crippling vs experienced opponents...

...

With that said, I will admit the TLA is still an ok option in certain lists. But I will never ever ever ever condone two in a list. 

 

I can only assume that you don’t rate the TLA spell because you don’t play with TLAs and therefore don’t cast Awaken the Wood very often. If you genuinely think that a 6 cast spell that can inflict mortal wounds on multiple units at a time is bad then I start to wonder what your basis for comparison actually is. 

The other mistake is treating TLA and Branchwraith as an either/or choice. It clearly isn’t. You can have a Branchwraith sitting in your back lines in relative safety while your TLA is supporting frontline units. 

How much do you want to bet I don’t give a glade artefact to a TLA? Seriously, name any price, because I’ve already mentioned Gnarlroot, and if you think I’m wasting the Chalice of Nectar on a Branchwraith to let it summon marginally more Dryads over the course of a game then you really don’t understand that glade. So yes, I regularly give the glade artefact to a TLA. 

I do give a Stave to a Branchwraith if I take one, but it is rarely my first choice of artefact to take. 

Durthu doesn’t actually have to stay near a wood. It certainly helps if he does, but he does work even without a wood nearby. I prefer Drycha too, but Durthu isn’t split between ‘woods = good’ and ‘no woods = bad’. The woods make him better,  and even a skilled opponent can’t hide from woods all of the time - a skilled Sylvaneth player should be able to tip the balance and pick where to fight too at least some of the time. This is pertinent to the TLA discussion, because forcing fights near woods also increases the value of the TLA spell. 

If you would never ever ever ever etc condone more than one TLA, I’m curious to know how you would build a Gnarlroot list. 

[Landohammer]

2 hours ago, Trevelyan said:

I can only assume that you don’t rate the TLA spell because you don’t play with TLAs and therefore don’t cast Awaken the Wood very often. If you genuinely think that a 6 cast spell that can inflict mortal wounds on multiple units at a time is bad then I start to wonder what your basis for comparison actually is. 

The other mistake is treating TLA and Branchwraith as an either/or choice. It clearly isn’t. You can have a Branchwraith sitting in your back lines in relative safety while your TLA is supporting frontline units. 

How much do you want to bet I don’t give a glade artefact to a TLA? Seriously, name any price, because I’ve already mentioned Gnarlroot, and if you think I’m wasting the Chalice of Nectar on a Branchwraith to let it summon marginally more Dryads over the course of a game then you really don’t understand that glade. So yes, I regularly give the glade artefact to a TLA. 

I do give a Stave to a Branchwraith if I take one, but it is rarely my first choice of artefact to take. 

Durthu doesn’t actually have to stay near a wood. It certainly helps if he does, but he does work even without a wood nearby. I prefer Drycha too, but Durthu isn’t split between ‘woods = good’ and ‘no woods = bad’. The woods make him better,  and even a skilled opponent can’t hide from woods all of the time - a skilled Sylvaneth player should be able to tip the balance and pick where to fight too at least some of the time. This is pertinent to the TLA discussion, because forcing fights near woods also increases the value of the TLA spell. 

If you would never ever ever ever etc condone more than one TLA, I’m curious to know how you would build a Gnarlroot list. 

I'm sorry but the TLA spell is bad. Its really really bad. In competitive play, nobody hangs out near my woods. Like ever.  Especially multiple units. In nearly every situation I find Regrowth preferable. But yes, if I don't have any wounds on my monsters, and have several enemy units near a forest within range. I may opt to cast the warscroll spell.

I admittedly don't play gnarlroot. I have found that any kind of magic investment is not a good idea in today's meta. There are a lot of armies that just shut down magic, including Tzeentch, Nagash, Khorne, or any list with Archaon. Besides, if I want my wizards to hit hard, winterleaf is just flat out better and doesn't come with any kind of prequisite for the buff.

I'm not going to knock anyone for playing different and fun lists, but competitively I just don't see Gnarlrool+TLA lists standing up in any tourney I have been to. 

 

[Alessio]

Can I use the Hunters ability for re-rollings saves in combat if I made a charge in the same turn?

Also I'm new to sylvaneth and i'm trying to think some lists and I'd like your opinions about this. Thanks!

Treelord Ancient (260)
- General
- Command Trait : My Heart Is Ice 
- Deepwood Spell : Regrowth

Branchwraith (80)
- Artefact : Spiritsong Stave 
- Deepwood Spell : Throne of Vines

Arch-Revenant (100)
- Artefact : Frozen Kernel 

UNITS
30 x Dryads (270)
10 x Dryads (100)
10 x Dryads (100)
6 x Kurnoth Hunters (400)
- Greatswords
6 x Kurnoth Hunters (400)
- Scythes

BATTALIONS
Forest Folk (140)

ENDLESS SPELLS / TERRAIN / COMMAND POINTS
Chronomantic Cogs (80)
Extra Command Point (50)

[Landohammer]

52 minutes ago, Alessio said:

Can I use the Hunters ability for re-rollings saves in combat if I made a charge in the same turn?

Also I'm new to sylvaneth and i'm trying to think some lists and I'd like your opinions about this. Thanks!

Treelord Ancient (260)
- General
- Command Trait : My Heart Is Ice 
- Deepwood Spell : Regrowth

Branchwraith (80)
- Artefact : Spiritsong Stave 
- Deepwood Spell : Throne of Vines

Arch-Revenant (100)
- Artefact : Frozen Kernel 

UNITS
30 x Dryads (270)
10 x Dryads (100)
10 x Dryads (100)
6 x Kurnoth Hunters (400)
- Greatswords
6 x Kurnoth Hunters (400)
- Scythes

BATTALIONS
Forest Folk (140)

ENDLESS SPELLS / TERRAIN / COMMAND POINTS
Chronomantic Cogs (80)
Extra Command Point (50)

That's a solid and fun list! Thats exactly how I field my Kurnoth Hunters.

Unfortunately the Tanglethorn Thicket ability triggers at the start of the charge phase, so performing a charge would turn it off.

If I had to nitpick your list (and this is me really stretching) I would say drop Cogs for either Balewind Vortex or maybe some of the Sylvaneth Endless Spells. Cogs is great but super pricey. Spiteswarm Hive and/or Balewind fill similar roles and can't be turned against you.

[Alessio]

1 hour ago, Landohammer said:

That's a solid and fun list! Thats exactly how I field my Kurnoth Hunters.

Unfortunately the Tanglethorn Thicket ability triggers at the start of the charge phase, so performing a charge would turn it off.

If I had to nitpick your list (and this is me really stretching) I would say drop Cogs for either Balewind Vortex or maybe some of the Sylvaneth Endless Spells. Cogs is great but super pricey. Spiteswarm Hive and/or Balewind fill similar roles and can't be turned against you.

I'm very indecided about the cogs because I took it in order to have +2 charge bonus with my units in reserve when they pop up and the fact that I can cast it far away with my branchwraith(2 spell artefact) out range of enemy dispelling and with a +2 (throne of vines) that gives me more probabilities, or maybe I just don't know how to use the spiteswarm hive. I see hard to cast it with my TLA (who is closer to the enemy and the units that I want to make charging) with no bonuses in range of enemies dispelling and all my units have to be entirely within 8" of the endless spell, I just see too hard to make all of that and a 9" charge we know, doesn't always make it.

How do you use the spiteswarm hive?

Thanks for your help

[SylvanHunter]

It clearly states change the move characteristic to 11", not change the roll to a 6, and do NOT roll a run roll, therefore it is not considered running, you're moving the same as your movement characteristic. By definition a run is in addition to the movement characteristic, your characteristic has changed to 11". It's poorly worded, but when you break it down it's very straightforward. You can move 11" but cannot declare a run move. 

[Landohammer]

2 hours ago, Alessio said:

I'm very indecided about the cogs because I took it in order to have +2 charge bonus with my units in reserve when they pop up and the fact that I can cast it far away with my branchwraith(2 spell artefact) out range of enemy dispelling and with a +2 (throne of vines) that gives me more probabilities, or maybe I just don't know how to use the spiteswarm hive. I see hard to cast it with my TLA (who is closer to the enemy and the units that I want to make charging) with no bonuses in range of enemies dispelling and all my units have to be entirely within 8" of the endless spell, I just see too hard to make all of that and a 9" charge we know, doesn't always make it.

How do you use the spiteswarm hive?

Thanks for your help

So the biggest drawback to Cogs is that it buffs your opponent too. Spiteswarm is 30pts cheaper, gives +3 instead of +2,  and only buffs sylvaneth units. It can also activate in your opponents turn to give you a small buff. 

The trick is that you have to abandon the idea of deepstriking (which is always risky bc you can be zoned out). And instead just do a forest teleport. Here is my method.

Deploy Hunters in free wood

Summon second wood

Cast Spiteswarm

Activate Spiteswarm to buff Hunters. Extra points if you have both hunter units in range in case you roll a 1 on Venom

Teleport Hunters

Charge at +3 (rerollable always)

Note that this is actually the core strategy behind Dreadwood armies, since they can teleport anywhere on the battlefield and aren't reliant on a second wood (or a TLA). So you may want to consider that Glade as well.

 

 

[Lanoss]

Hmm I thought the same initially @SylvanHunter but it does specifically state “if you declare a unit will run” to me that says the unit is running and it’s just an auto 6

Thoughts?

[Alessio]

@Landohammer  I see now that's a completely different strategy thanks for clarifying me that!

[SylvanHunter]

On 4/7/2020 at 2:52 PM, Lanoss said:

Hmm I thought the same initially @SylvanHunter but it does specifically state “if you declare a unit will run” to me that says the unit is running and it’s just an auto 6

Thoughts?

@Lanoss that's definitely the confusing part of the rule. I'm not sure what their motivation was for wording it so strange, but since it specifically says alter the characteristic I believe it's intended to not be considered a run. I also feel if it were an auto 6 it would be less expensive, the battalion is 140 points (on top of at least 800 points in models) which leads me to believe it's a bit stronger than that considering the value of the other battalion rules. I really hope this is included in the FAQ soon.

[Lanoss]

I completely 100% agree with yiu

Needs a little faq 

[SylvanHunter]

On 4/7/2020 at 9:12 AM, Alessio said:

Can I use the Hunters ability for re-rollings saves in combat if I made a charge in the same turn?

Also I'm new to sylvaneth and i'm trying to think some lists and I'd like your opinions about this. Thanks!

Treelord Ancient (260)
- General
- Command Trait : My Heart Is Ice 
- Deepwood Spell : Regrowth

Branchwraith (80)
- Artefact : Spiritsong Stave 
- Deepwood Spell : Throne of Vines

Arch-Revenant (100)
- Artefact : Frozen Kernel 

UNITS
30 x Dryads (270)
10 x Dryads (100)
10 x Dryads (100)
6 x Kurnoth Hunters (400)
- Greatswords
6 x Kurnoth Hunters (400)
- Scythes

BATTALIONS
Forest Folk (140)

ENDLESS SPELLS / TERRAIN / COMMAND POINTS
Chronomantic Cogs (80)
Extra Command Point (50)

I agree with Landohammer, and I would add one more thing: Split your Greatsword Hunters into 2 squads of 3. The swords only have 1" range so they cannot swing in 2 ranks, and on a turn you haven't charged you'll be using Tanglethorn Thicket so your pile-in will only be 1" as well, making your threat range only 2" on a model just under 2" wide, making it difficult to get all 6 in combat unless you're swarmed which won't last long due to their incredible effectiveness against hordes. You'll also get an extra Huntmaster that hits on 2's which is always nice! The Scythes are your big squad, they make a good defensive unit, your swords are your min squad you throw into stuff. Also with a hunter heavy list you'll want to bring the Gladewyrm for heals, and the Spiteswarm Hive to get them across the table or reroll 1's to saves on a turn they're about to charge. Personally I would drop the Branchwraith, Forest Folk Battalion, Cogs, and command point, drop the 30 dryads to 20, swap one of the dryad min squads for 5x Tree-Revenants (Rend, and Waypipes are awesome), and instead grab the Gladewyrm, Emerald Lifeswarm, Spiteswarm Hive, and Durthu, and split those swords into 2 squads of 3. I like to put Durthu in a Hunter heavy list, but I'm a Heartwood player so that's what I like to run. Winterleaf is obviously strong, and the 6's extra hit counts on Durthu's 6 damage sword so put him by a wildwood and smash face.

[Pennydude]

20 minutes ago, SylvanHunter said:

@Lanoss that's definitely the confusing part of the rule. I'm not sure what their motivation was for wording it so strange, but since it specifically says alter the characteristic I believe it's intended to not be considered a run. I also feel if it were an auto 6 it would be less expensive, the battalion is 140 points (on top of at least 800 points in models) which leads me to believe it's a bit stronger than that considering the value of the other battalion rules. I really hope this is included in the FAQ soon.

And see, I think it's pretty clear that you only get the auto-6 if you run with the unit.  You declare whether the unit will run or not when you move with it during the Movement Phase.  Normally if you declare that a unit is running, you roll the die and add that much to the move characteristic of the unit. If the unit declared to run is a part of the Free Spirit battalion, you don't roll the die and instead just add 6" to the move characteristic.  It's still a run.

[Landohammer]

16 minutes ago, SylvanHunter said:

I agree with Landohammer, and I would add one more thing: Split your Greatsword Hunters into 2 squads of 3. The swords only have 1" range so they cannot swing in 2 ranks, and on a turn you haven't charged you'll be using Tanglethorn Thicket so your pile-in will only be 1" as well, making your threat range only 2" on a model just under 2" wide, making it difficult to get all 6 in combat unless you're swarmed which won't last long due to their incredible effectiveness against hordes. You'll also get an extra Huntmaster that hits on 2's which is always nice! The Scythes are your big squad, they make a good defensive unit, your swords are your min squad you throw into stuff. Also with a hunter heavy list you'll want to bring the Gladewyrm for heals, and the Spiteswarm Hive to get them across the table or reroll 1's to saves on a turn they're about to charge. Personally I would drop the Branchwraith, Forest Folk Battalion, Cogs, and command point, drop the 30 dryads to 20, swap one of the dryad min squads for 5x Tree-Revenants (Rend, and Waypipes are awesome), and instead grab the Gladewyrm, Emerald Lifeswarm, Spiteswarm Hive, and Durthu, and split those swords into 2 squads of 3. I like to put Durthu in a Hunter heavy list, but I'm a Heartwood player so that's what I like to run. Winterleaf is obviously strong, and the 6's extra hit counts on Durthu's 6 damage sword so put him by a wildwood and smash face.

If he drops the Branchwraith he will have 3 endless spells on a single caster. As it stands he has 3 casts (with thrones) so he would be going from 3 casts to 1 cast but only saving 20 points. Also I prefer Regrowth over Lifeswarm, and regrowth is free!

Yea going with 2x3 or 6 Greatswords is kind of the age old debate. Either is fine IMHO. In this particular situation I think he should stick with 6 since he is attempting a teleport alpha strike. He can only send one unit per turn, so 6 would maximize the impact (and help him survive countercharges).

 

[Popisdead]

3 Swords are also not bad at defending an objective. 

[Alessio]

18 hours ago, SylvanHunter said:

I agree with Landohammer, and I would add one more thing: Split your Greatsword Hunters into 2 squads of 3. The swords only have 1" range so they cannot swing in 2 ranks, and on a turn you haven't charged you'll be using Tanglethorn Thicket so your pile-in will only be 1" as well, making your threat range only 2" on a model just under 2" wide, making it difficult to get all 6 in combat unless you're swarmed which won't last long due to their incredible effectiveness against hordes. You'll also get an extra Huntmaster that hits on 2's which is always nice! The Scythes are your big squad, they make a good defensive unit, your swords are your min squad you throw into stuff. Also with a hunter heavy list you'll want to bring the Gladewyrm for heals, and the Spiteswarm Hive to get them across the table or reroll 1's to saves on a turn they're about to charge. Personally I would drop the Branchwraith, Forest Folk Battalion, Cogs, and command point, drop the 30 dryads to 20, swap one of the dryad min squads for 5x Tree-Revenants (Rend, and Waypipes are awesome), and instead grab the Gladewyrm, Emerald Lifeswarm, Spiteswarm Hive, and Durthu, and split those swords into 2 squads of 3. I like to put Durthu in a Hunter heavy list, but I'm a Heartwood player so that's what I like to run. Winterleaf is obviously strong, and the 6's extra hit counts on Durthu's 6 damage sword so put him by a wildwood and smash face.

Thanks for your suggestions. Yes I see, the only think with the units of 3 hunters its that I'm going to have more drops and if I take out the battalion even less and I thought that having the initiative it's something very important with sylvaneth( casting spellsT1, positioning woods etc.)

What do you think about initiative? is it so important for us?

 

[acr0ssth3p0nd]

Hey all, I'm gonna make this brief because I'm on my too-short break at work, but I've been thinking about how Sylvaneth could regain a competitive edge in the current meta, and specifically how to do that by focusing on our strengths - board control and terrain weirdness, which can suffer heavily depending on the table.

Here's some rough mechanics I've thrown together, which allow us to get more use out of our board control identity and Wyldwood mechanics. Opponents can still zone us out, but it's a lot harder to do so.

Notes in red. 

 

Nature's Reclamation

At the start of the battle, before units are deployed, each SYLVANETH wizard who knows Verdant Blessing may choose to know the Spiritual Reclamation or Vengeful Reclamation spell, instead.

This allows us to make the call on the spells we know depending on the board and terrain setup. 

Terrain features that can be effected by Spiritual Reclamation and Vengeful Reclamation must be at least 6" wide, and no larger than 15" wide at any point.

Helps mitigate some of the shenanigans as to what counts as a "Terrain Feature."

You may only have one casting of Verdant Blessing, Spiritual Reclamation, and Vengeful Reclamation each turn. For example, if a wizard successfully cast Verdant Blessing, another wizard could not attempt to cast Spiritual Reclamation or Vengeful Reclamation that turn.

Prevents the ability to bypass the "one casting per spell per turn" limitation inherent to Verdant Blessing. The intention is that these spells widen your options for Wyldwood effects, not increase your maximum rate of deployment of those effects.

 

Spiritual Reclamation

Spiritual Reclamation has a casting value of 6. If successfully cast, choose one terrain feature without a faction keyword wholly within 20" of the caster and more than 1" from any other model, terrain feature, or objective. This terrain feature gains the Sylvaneth keyword, and now counts as a friendly Awakened Wyldwood for the purposes of allegiance abilities and warscroll abilities that you to deploy or redeploy a Sylvaneth unit. Additionally, in the hero phase, if a spell is successfully cast by a Wizard wholly within 6" of this terrain feature and not unbound, roll a dice for each unit within 1" of this terrain feature which does not have the Sylvaneth keyword. On a 5+ that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds after that spell’s effects have been resolved.

 

Vengeful Reclamation

Vengeful Reclamation has a casting value of 6. If successfully cast, choose one terrain feature without a faction keyword wholly within 20" of the caster and more than 1" from any other model, terrain feature, or objective. This terrain feature gains the Sylvaneth keyword, and now counts as a friendly Awakened Wyldwood for the purposes of any Sylvaneth warscroll abilities that do not allow you to redeploy a Sylvaneth unit. Additionally, at the end of the charge phase, roll a dice for each unit within 1" of this terrain feature which does not have the Sylvaneth keyword. On a 6, that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

 

These spells basically turn terrain features into half-a-Wyldwood, splitting the difference between woods that allow teleportation and woods that provide other buffs. This represents sylvaneth wizards conjuring vines and roots to tear down buildings and ruins and reclaim them for nature. Obviously, if you have the space, you want to conjure a full Wyldwood instead, but these give you a measure of functionality on terrain-dense boards. 

Edited April 10, 2020 by acr0ssth3p0nd

[Aezeal]

Nice Across.. but we've just had a book so don't get your hopes up.