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Metawatch just released. Enjoy that new 49% win rate stat.

Reapers were always the horde killers. They just need assistance in the form of non-faction hero buffs or command points. Even if you're of the mind that giving Bladegeists and Dreadscythes 2" reach gives you less reason to use Reapers, you weren't using them anyway because of that dependence on those buffs, our subfactions not favoring them, and the meta not requiring them. They've always had that reach, can fight in two ranks, and reach over the top of Chainrasps, but most tourney lists didn't include them despite that. So, nothing really changed. It's a buff for Scarlet Doom, sure, but that faction has always been about eliminating threats on our turn. SD's power wanes over the course of a game, so if you didn't win in turn 1-2, you aren't winning in 3+. All this buff does is make Bladegeists a better pick in non-SD builds; as you now have a 3/3 wandering kill unit you don't have to spend a ton of resources propping up. Emerald Host is the opposite. All about getting objectives early and screening out, wasting away key enemy units over time. You see Hexwraiths in this subfaction a lot, not because they are getting buffed, they're not, but because the Emerald Curse will do the damage for you while you use fast units to attack a backline or form screens. Reapers didn't fit into that style, but Bladegeists did, and now they have more of a reason to be picked when not battleline. Wards are huge right now, so this change is really the biggest buff to Quicksilver. Removing wards as an option for the enemy with a relatively cost-efficient unit that self-buffs and self-defends that can now fight in two ranks? Harridans stick around a bit longer than most units, so now you're not slow-playing by building a list around them. In other words, our best meta pick is now actually playable in a meta tournament. Glaivewraiths...I don't want to ignore them, but this change is barely beneficial. You won't invest in these guys enough to make their weapon range a factor.

We've been asking for this since the very beginning! So I somehow suspect there's something wrong...

Welp, I'm in the AoS Coach Discord now. Time to lurk a bit. EDIT: I'm reminded why I don't think Discord is the future people think it is. Everything NH is in one channel. One. Channel. Not a stitch of organization to all that.

Any highlights?

I'd like to know this, as well. I've been out of the game quite a while and it is...confusing...looking at the changes and updates right now. But, to throw in my severely uneducated opinion on all of this: Unit Coherency: We have a fair few units this applies to (before losing models), those being Hexwraiths (5), Spirit Hosts (3), Craventhrone Guard (5), Chainghasts (2), Glaiveraith Stalkwers (4), and Myrmourn Banshees (4). Of those, only Spirit Hosts and Chainghasts can be reinforced and still benefit from this change. Functionally, I don't see this doing a ton for us. Spirit Hosts can be reinforced once and 6 of those guys is a very good screen that you have more positional options for now. But, you'd never reinforce Chainghasts more than once, if at all, and it doesn't make throw-away units like Glaivewraiths any better. If Glaivewraiths could ingore this rule at 8 models you'd finally have a use for them. Rally: So this is now capped at no more than 10 returned wounds. Did anyone ever get this CA to do more than that? Seems to help safeguard our middle-style plays and open up more options for non-MSU. Nighthaunt still wants to be MSU for the slot machine, but you could potentially Rally half a reinforced unit of Spirit Hosts back. Look Out, Sir!: Okay, love this. How could you not? Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed and Reikenor, sorry, you are omitted from this, but all of our other heroes are now immune from being pot-shot from across the board? We're less hero-reliant than we were last edition, but --let me check my AoS app...yep, Olynder is still only 7 wounds-- even Lady Olynder is invisible to enemy fire from 12" out. This helps you by giving you time to position your army before our heros are wiped out. Arcane Tome: Nerf! This is a nerf. Can't give it to our Wizards anymore. Can only cast Arcane Bolt, some other spell that's uselss to us, or an endless spell. Points update: Any time we get a points benefit like this is a good thing. Kind of. The idea of point cost changes is to balance an army when considering other matchups, and this suggests that since the last retooling we're now underpowered again across the board. Enough so that we got sweeping changes to points to try to shove more models into the field. Take that however you will. These I can follow relatively easily, but as someone who played one singular game in the last handbook and now we have Andtor, I'm more than a little confused on things like Andtorian Locus or Primal Magic. And what's Regiments of Renown? Are they slowly bringing back warscroll battalions? As merceny groups?

Yep.

I'm loving this new age of Nighthaunt!

Those Longstrikes. I have yet to face them, but I want to.

So which one of you is this? https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg7u4NqNRTO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Absolutely beautiful take on the grim bloody motif that looks easy to do. EDIT: Here's how to do it. I think I can just do the oil and blood steps to my existing scheme to great effect. I'll have to test it and see. EDIT 2: I've taken the liberty to write out the steps used in the video. I converted any non-Citadel paints to Citadel as close as I could color-wise, in case one cannot or wishes not to find the alternatives listed. I think the Oils, Blood, and Final Model Touches steps can be used over existing paint jobs to quick-and-dirty up some grimdark models. That's what I'll be testing some time in the future, and if it works out I've got an answer to my grimdark cravings.

The one I linked is very easy. I reached out to the painter and this is what they said. Models 1. Spray Primer: Chaos Black 2. Spray Primer, Zenithal method - Gray Seer (this means pick a point that a light source would be and spray only from that direction) 3. Layer Paint: Corax White over edges and flames 4. Contrast Paint: Aethermatic Blue or Hexwraith Flame (if green is desired) over some edges and all flames 5. Shade Paint: Nuln Oil Gloss over the Aethermatic Blue or Hexwraith Flame Bases 1. Astrogranite Debris Texture 2. Nuln Oil or Black Templar Contrast

There's a similar style I'm in love with that I keep saying if I ever repainted my army this would be what I'd do. I just haven't been crazy enough to do it, though. I'd just do a blue in the same vibrance as the green here.

In love with the bloody.

Here's mine: https://www.ablucem.com/nh-gallery I think most people pick a style and try to apply it to everything in the army. Before we got the Scarlet Doom, Dusk made this delicious gorey Bloodhaunt that perfectly fits the subfaction now, but it wasn't the intention when he started it. The only "rule" I'd suggest anyone stick to when painting up their models is to have an element in them that's the same across your entire army, even if the paint styles differ entirely from unit to unit. Like the same basing, or they all have a certain pop of color. That way they can still look unified as an army when on the table.

https://woehammer.com/2022/07/31/aos-meta-stats-w-e-24th-july-2022/ It looks like we've officially arrived, guys! Welcome to the 50%+ club.