Black Blade

Just bought into DoK with two Battleforce boxes. Really excited to get building. My plan is to expand into a Temple nest battalion. What are players fears when it comes to GHB 2019 for us? I'm worried we are going to get nerfed into the ground. I didnt pick them up to kill hobby but I would still like to have one of the stronger armies for a change.

I agree I would say he is kinda meh (something I would say is typical of a lot of first release stormcast). Running him as Vindicators has seen more success for me, sometimes with -3 rend artifact etc. I havent tried ignax scales on him but thats probably the final thing I have yet to try. His command ability would be good if you actually had to take battleshock tests regularly. I think he would be a lot better with one more wound and one more attack on his weapon. Yeah he is better at smaller games but most games are 2k. You are right there are more tools to deal with him and it's usually a lot of mortal wounds coming his way. As stormcast you get one artifact and one only most of the time. So I've always tried to take different artifacts to trigger the thunder hammer but then he gets mortal wounded to death. So I will try ignax scales and barring any good results Im dropping him until his condition changes in points or rules.

I'm trying my damnedest to make the Lord Celestant on Dracoth work. Anyone have any tips? He just seems to die so easily and he himself dishes out so little.

I don't know if @Lemon Knuckles is a genius or insane... most likely both but this metaphysical/ philosophical talk about the very essence of Age of Sigmar is what I live for.

I'm proud to say I won my FLGS 8 week escalation league. First event I've ever been in and i was the only one to go undefeated. All with Stormcast. Thanks to the folks here that helped me understand my faction better. I started a thread below about it.

I play casually and we have been in a escalation league over the past 7 weeks at the local shop. I am one of three SCE players, the other two are at the bottom of a list of 13 meaning so far they have won the least. I am undefeated though and the current resident villain. Its not a super competitive environment, there are zero DoK or Nagash armies and I don't have access to the best lists because I just don't own those models. After playing this league which is the first of its kind I have ever participated in I think i have a good feeling for how the army is ( or isnt) balanced. Sequitors and Evocators should go up in cost. They are not just good for their points but they make all other options in their category not be taken. Every list I write I look at my Fulminators and my Retributors and think about including them but then I think Evocators are better than both AND cheaper than both... That is not all Evocators fault though. I think 220 is fine for them but ALMOST ALL our "old" elite units should fall in cost. Sequitors are in the same boat, having 5 great weapons in a 10 man unit vs 2 in a 10 man Liberator squad is enough to justify the additional 20 points. However I would never take Sequitors at 160 which is where I have heard some people say they should be. A lot of this imbalance in my opinion comes from GW finding its footing in AoS 2.0 which means first run Stormcast are often weak or underwhelming. Liberators having a worse profile across the board vs sequitors, paladins being slower than other units and have only 2 attacks per man on an elite unit, Dracothian Guard not being conditional Battleline.... all these are relics of a game system developed without matched play in mind, with no consideration of points cost balancing and I hope GW addresses them in the next Stormcast update because some of these deserves buffs as well as points changes.

Two very powerful support heroes when used strategically. I find that they do not have overlapping roles in my armies. The Heraldor has the highest value ceiling in my opinion. Getting his horn ability to affect multiple enemy units can be huge but the short range of his run/charge/retreat ability has bit me more times than I care to mention. He has trouble keeping pace with the things he wants to affect like cavalry. The Vexillor has a lower ceiling but his value is in being reliable. He is fairly durable, more so than the Heraldor so he should stick around longer. His ability has a large bubble of effect. And both banners are fine but I ALWAYS take the Pennant. Being able to teleport any Stormcast unit from anywhere on the board to any other place on the board, no range restrictions is huge for objective based games.

Appreciate your advice but the whole point of the convo you were quoting into was about how to abuse Ballistas specifically against Nagash/MW/spam armies. I was giving him the best scenarios for using that unit.

What strategies are they using to avoid or disrupt high tide for you?

I guess I'm being blinded by my own experiences here. I have a pretty casual matched play scene at my the shops I play at. We are competitive but casual; maybe 1 or 2 guys is a try hard like you're mentioning with Nagash and MW spam etc. but we just refuse to play them. I realize now your experience is probably different than mine so by all means do what you need to survive in that situation. Take 4 Ballista, an Ordinator AND an Azyros and then take Anvils Host and fire them off more times than you're normally allowed to shoot in a turn. Good luck to you.

Honestly you could do these calculations pretty easily on your own but @Lucur pretty much summed up why I said take an Azyros over the Lord Ord., ill go ahead and elaborate further. For 40 points less you get a mortal wound bomb and a re-roll 1's aura in a 20" bubble that affects shooting and melee attacks. The Azyros is also quite mobile making him a flexible asset. If you are trying to have a 3 or 4 war-machine knot that holds down a corner take the Ordinator but the Azyros gives you a similar buff with additional utility that out stripes the Ordinator with 1 or 2 ballista. Plus people won't despise you for taking an azyros and ballista the same as if you take 4 ballista and Ordinator and just table them so they didnt even get to play the game.

That's easy, two ballistas without an Ordinator. He is kinda too expensive now and his buff is ok to warmachines but not something you can't get for cheaper elsewhere. I would take an Azyros long before I would take an Ordinator.

Most "first wave" units should have a combat buff. Looking at you liberators, bloodwarriors and paladins. Things were less killy across the board. Magic was less potent and mortal wounds or rending was much more sparse in most cases. Liberators should get the wound and hit profiles or sequitors. Bloodwarriors and Paladins should get another attack on their profile. Prosecutors should have another wound and another attack on their profile or maybe two heavy weapons per unit.

can anyone either give me directly, or link to a breakdown of shockbolt bow/ ballista damage outputs?

Whoops, wrong list.

Thanks, I made a mistake its the realm of Light, mist have mistype. I agree I like sequitors, my hope was to pepper units of hunters with scythes with the Judicators concentrated fire before they get their save buff. The liberators were just going to be used as a screen to soak up wounds. Thats a good idea on the "lightning chariot to speed of lightning combo" I think I will aim for that. My justification for the comet is his two wizards and his big foot print of an army. The comet coming down multiple times in a game outside dispel range and hitting everything within 20" of its center has won me games where mortal wounds have been necessary to victory. Also it doesnt require line of sight which negates his woods. Ill consider the sequitor change though.

Thanks for the advice, wasn't trying to post the list because I was unsure of basically everything else. I consider the comet essential and I know I will be taking evocators for sure and fulminators maybe and an Arcanum of some type for sure. I expect to face a spirit of durthu with a 2+ save and a lot of hunters. We are playing total commitment in the realm of life, so there are no reserves allowed which nullifies all my allegiance abilities. I will post my working list below, and criticism is welcome. Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals Mortal Realm: Ulgu Leaders Lord-Arcanum on Celestial Dracoline (240) - General - Trait: Staunch Defender - Artefact: Miasmatic Blade - Mount Trait: Ear-bursting Roar Lord-Relictor (100) - Prayer: Divine Light Lord-Castellant (100) Knight-Incantor (140) - Spell: Lighntning Blast Battleline 5 x Liberators (100) - Warblade & Shield - 1x Grandblades 5 x Judicators (160) - Skybolt Bows - 1x Shockbolt Bows 5 x Judicators (160) - Skybolt Bows - 1x Shockbolt Bows Units 10 x Evocators (400) - 10x Grandstaves - Lore of Invigoration: Celestial Blades Endless Spells Everblaze Comet (100) Total: 1500 / 1500 Extra Command Points: 0 Allies: 0 / 400 Wounds: 83

Playing a 1500 point game, with 3 battleline requirements this weekend against Sylvaneth. Trying to decide if I should take 2x Fulminators and 10x Evocators OR 4x Fulminators and 5x Evocators. Can I get some advice please? Also I can drop the Arcanum to a Incantor so I can upgrade 1 of my 3 liberators to a judicator squad

That comet won me my last game and when I have rerolls to hit on 1's I always roll 2s.

Thinking about taking this to last league game. Hows it look? Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals- Stormhost: Celestial VindicatorsMortal Realm: UlguLeadersLord-Arcanum on Celestial Dracoline (240)- General- Trait: Single-minded Fury - Artefact: Miasmatic Blade - Spell: Azyrite Halo- Mount Trait: Ear-bursting RoarLord-Arcanum (180)- Artefact: Stormrage Blade - Spell: StormcallerLord-Castellant (100)Lord-Relictor (100)- Prayer: Divine LightBattleline10 x Sequitors (240)- Stormsmite Mauls and Soulshields- 5x Stormsmite Greatmaces5 x Sequitors (120)- Stormsmite Mauls and Soulshields- 2x Stormsmite Greatmaces5 x Judicators (160)- Skybolt Bows- 1x Shockbolt BowsUnits5 x Evocators (200)- 5x Grandstaves- Lore of Invigoration: Speed of Lightning5 x Evocators (200)- 5x Grandstaves- Lore of Invigoration: Celestial Blades2 x Fulminators (240)BattalionsCleansing Phalanx (120)Endless SpellsEverblaze Comet (100)Total: 2000 / 2000Extra Command Points: 1Allies: 0 / 400Wounds: 104

No need to take 5 unnecessary liberators when there are better ways to spend your points. Also Vandus is pretty underwhelming/ costs too much especially at 1250 point. If you take a generic LCoD (still think it's a bit much at this level) and drop the libs that gives you 140. Then if you consider you're 50 short thats 190. Take an Arcanum or even an Incantor with one of the 40pt endless spells. Also divide your Evocators into 2 groups of 5. We are already an elite army and have fewer pieces than the enemy so the more flexible you are the better.

in my experience making that autocast empower ability happen is really great. However the comet usually gives me something stormcast lack, a fast response board control element.

Thats a fair statement and not one I disagree with, I should have to take more time to clarify my original comment as follows: "I have to say, after playing vs a unit of Morsarr Guard, Evocators on foot are not undercosted (20 points at most) and evocators on dracolines are waaay over costed by at least 60 points... [provided Morrsarr are considered a fine and balanced unit; I say this because I have never heard them complained about in the way I have heard about sequitors and evocators.] I still stand by my statement with this clarification. They would be over-costed at 260 points and maybe still worth it to take them but not because they are fairly priced but because the rest of our elite options are also overcosted and evocators perform the best out of those elite units. Gav and Gav bomb is a problem, I hope they change their FAQ, it's a ridiculous interaction that leads to immersion breaking/game breaking results. This is the Achilles heal of Evocators, -1 rend. They just aren't that sturdy... and thats fine. I dont want to be misunderstood, it's fine that is their weakness and at 200pts its fair. Barring the toxic Gav bomb interactions, they are a great unit but one your opponent can try and react to if they are a good player and not just auto lose to them.

I have to say, after playing vs a unit of Morsarr Guard, Evocators on foot are not undercosted (20 points at most) and evocators on dracolines are waaay over costed by at least 60 points.

This new Grot warband has some interesting mechanics in it. I remember brainstorming that a faction could have different inspiring conditions within itself and I was chided rather harshly on reddit. I look forward to seeing how these new warbands will play, all the future Nightvault releases are appealing to me and I want to pick them all up this go around.