Best Daemon Army to Enter AoS

[TonyH122]

Hi Folks, 
So I'm a dedicated all-things-Chaos 40k player who has recently developed an interest into AoS, and wanted to ask your advice on getting into the hobby. I have a large collection of Daemons (I need to update my signature), and thought that they would be a convenient first port of call for entering the business. I was wondering which of the AoS armies (DoK, MKoN, DoT, HoS) provide the most options for a decent army composed only (or overwhelmingly primarily) of Daemons. I have basically 2 of every unit that Daemons offer, except for Greater Daemons. So perhaps I'll refine my question to which army provides the best option for a decent Daemon force that doesn't necessitate having 3 (or even 2) Greater Daemons? 

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Edited January 25, 2020 by TonyH122

[zilberfrid]

I would say Tzeench.

Slaanesh might win more tournaments, but has a massive bitter taste because it is overpowered, and is really dependent on the big guys.

I hear Khornflakes don't do demons that well.

Nurgle is outdated, as far as I know.

 

I am far from an expert though...

[NJohansson]

Slaanesh is character heavy - so you need multiple Keepers for maximum efficiency. You can go one or zero Greater daemons with the rest so really up to your preference. Power wise - Tzeentch (Change Host) or Slaanesh (character heavy) is probably most competitive at the moment (Nurgle really needs an update in the current Meta). But really up to your meta - cutthroat, then (based on your requirement of single GD) definitely Tzeentch (especially if you have loads of flamers/horrors) - if relaxed then any that you like.

[peasant]

Flee from nurgle IS almost dead

[Aelfric]

Well, if you'd asked me what the best Demon army is in a couple of weeks time - I would have said Seraphon.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Aelfric

[TonyH122]

Thanks for the advice, guys! As I already have all the models, I'll inevitably give them all a go, but, as per common consensus, I'll start with Tzeentch while getting hang of the game!

 

Thanks so much!

[Fiddybucks]

Horrors were recently changed to be one unit (like 40k) horrors start as pinks, split into blues and split into brims so for every pink you are going to want 2blues and brims, unlike 40k these are “free” you can buy blues or brim units at a discount. 

if you have a loc , pinks (with their blues/ brims) flamers, exalted flamers. I would recommend eternal conflagration change host.  
you can sprinkle in heralds, changeling and blue scribes.

 

loc

20 pinks (BL)

3 flamers(BL)

3 flamers (BL)

exalted flamer (1-6)

4x (blues, brims, screamers, flamers, exalted flamers or heralds) 

Should be pretty fun until it gets nerfed lol. 

 

 

[Death1942]

Don't touch Tzeentch until the FAQ because they will change.

Nurgle I would say is easy to play (big beefy bodies sitting on objectives) but they are an old army now and probably are due for an update.  They typically don't do well at tournaments and if they are doing well it is usually mixed in with other chaos units.

Khorne are pretty good but you will need a decent summon pool on the side for their blood points.  They want to kill a lot of models and have a lot of their models killed so they can summon lots of powerful units.  Khorne mixes super well with other chaos factions and their mortal line also mixes really nicely (into a combined Khorne army).  They can be a bit tricky to play as they require a surprising amount of thinking and planning to pull off their game plan.

Slaanesh is still really strong despite the nerfs, they need a big summon pool as well and are typically hero heavy (two keepers plus a bunch of smaller heroes).  I find their good armies all look basically the same which can get dull, their other builds are unfortunately really weak.  They can mix with other chaos (beasts of chaos can do a half decent mix) but typically you don't ever see them mix.

It really depends on your desired play style and how much thinking you want to put into your games.  I would say daemons typically require a decent game plan (not really point and click) and almost all of them require armies larger than you start with (due to summoning).  That aspect is tricky because depending on what you summon the price of the army can jump a fair bit.

[Lure Of The Gods]

Also maybe keep an eye on this Wrath of the Everchosen book which is coming out in a couple of weeks. I think that might have specific rules for exactly what you're looking for (ie. a daemon army with a mix of everything and not aligned to the one god).

[NurglesFirstChosen]

Currently Tzeentch obviously 

[TonyH122]

Well, the upcoming release for Wrath of the Everchosen shows that my move to AoS is ordained by the gods! Rejoice!

 

As for these replies, you guys are the duck's nuts! All of this is so helpful. I'll break down my thoughts.

 

General: I'm pretty loose when it comes to play style, and I tend to enjoy it all. So it really just comes down to basic functionality. As for the individual armies, I'll break down my thoughts, based heavily on your suggestions.

 

Nurgle: It seems that people are not really excited about this. I do appreciate that it's a user-friendly army, being tough, and of all of the Daemons I have the most of all of these. I'm even one of those weird 40k players that has a bunch of Beasts of Nurgle. Reading around these forums, I see that the thinking is that Nurgle are barely functional as a whole Battletome, let along gimping oneself just to Daemons. Also, as I ran the standard recently-nerfed Chaos soup list in 40k, with a heavy dose of Plaguebearers, I'm a bit tired of not killing anything, and just letting waves crash up against me. I might, then, give my stinky boys a bit of a rest for the moment.

 

Khorne: Well, I am a dyed-in-the-wool Khorne boy. When I got into Warhammer in 2004 I ran pure and exclusive Khorne in both WHFB and 40k. Lost every game. Was great. I also think my Bloodthirster is the best model I've ever painted, and I don't even mind having 2 Greater Daemons with them, as Skarbrand looks so different from the normal model. I've been thinking of buying him anyway, and I'm glad to see he's actually good in AoS, unlike 40k. I did have the received opinion that Mortals are where Khorne shines, although I see on the tactics thread here that the opposite opinion seems true, with people saying Mortal Khorne needs a buff. Any further insight on this would be great. I do love me some Khorne, and if they are functional (mid-tier or just below) I'd be interested to hear. I could bear throwing in a Mortal hero or two. That would hardly break the bank, and the models are just beautiful.

 

Slaanesh: I see what you're saying with the models looking a bit same-y, but I've never come across in 40k anyone who plays Slaanesh ever, besides me, so I still think they look great. I do vastly prefer the old Daemonette models, but seriously ****** those things, as their arms will never stay on. But the grab girls have their charm.  I can stand getting a second Greater Daemon, but I would build her as Shalaxai. Would the army be doable with 1x KoS and 1x Shalaxai, the received wisdom being that you need 2 KoS? Currently they're coming a near second in my thinking, but that could change with your input!

 

Tzeentch: Obviously the LVO results show that Tzeentch is functional with pure (or near pure) Daemons. I should also mention that, playing 40k, I have some Arcanite models, in bird-gors. And just to add some variety to my line-up of DPs, and because I dislike the Herald models, I have an Ogroid and Gaunt summoner on and off disc. So I have many options here. I have no interest in, and a distaste for the meta, so I won't be running the list that will hopefully be nerfed. But that LoC, flamers, and horror are strong makes me happy, as this is what Tzeentch should be about. For now I'm thinking of starting here, just to learn the ropes, as it's always good to start with a functional army. My worry is that it's a shooting/psychic army in a melee game, so might not be representative of AoS in general, and so not the best intro.

 

General Again: One further question: I don't really see people running DPs, which is odd to me, as they're basically the only good unit Chaos has in 40k. Is there a reason for this? I do love my Princes, and have plenty of them, and was particularly hoping that they could substitute in for those extra Greater Daemons which I'm so averse to getting. I will mention that my aversion to multiple Greater Daemons is that I see them as centrepiece models, and mathematics necessitates that you can't have two things in a centre. Which is to say that they should be striking, and more than one makes them less so.

[CeleFAZE]

I can't speak regarding the other gods, but for Slaanesh, Shalaxi is a potentially viable choice, but bear in mind that they cannot be summoned. Some players will be okay with you using a model built as shalaxi for a summoned keeper (if you have enough depravity points and they've already been removed as a casualty), but I would try to magnetize the weapons if at all possible at the very least.

Daemon princes can be useful in a slaanesh list, but their primary drawback is the lack of the hedonite keyword, resulting in an inability to benefit from a number of abilities, and also lacking the locus ability that has a chance to force enemies to potentially strike last in combat (offset somewhat by the prince's innate ability to fight first).

For non-greater-daemon choices, the bladebringer on exalted chariot is actually quite effective, with a decent stock of wounds to generate depravity and respectable offense. Bear in mind that only incoming damage to your heroes and damage dealt by them with spells or attacks count for offensive depravity generation, so the mortal wounds from the chariot abilities don't result in any summoning points. Though with soul scent realistically capable of granting 3 additional attacks per enemy unit in 1" range it's a small price to pay. Also the Contorted Epitome is one of the best casters and dispellers in the game, before factoring in allegiance abilities.

Slaanesh does offer a number of list building options that can still be viable, but you'll always be acutely aware that in the majority of cases taking more keepers would've been the more optimal choice.

Also fiends are terrible because they're pretty good at what they do, but they're not heroes and you want heroes to be the ones taking on multi wound targets. Which is frustrating as the new models are rather brilliant.

Hopefully this helps.

Edited February 5, 2020 by CeleFAZE

[backslide]

Legion of chaos ascendant mix them all summon horrors

Belikores command ablity brings back most daemons... nurgle stuff with a extra 6+ feel no pain could get very annoying 

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by backslide

[Blisterfeet]

Taking out player skill > Tzeentch Chaos Ascendant and Slaanesh are near the top of warscroll efficiency.

Then you have Khorne triple Thirster lists

And finally Nurgle with Tallyband or Thrice. 

All are viable and all piloted well can get results. Find the models you live the most, master a list you'll be good 👍