The Lumineth Realm-lords bring loads of new tricks and tactics to the Warhammer Age of Sigmar scene. Our playtesting team had fun trying out several different styles of play, and we asked them to share their favourite army lists with us. Let’s have a look.
Les Martin: Ever since we first got the book to look over in playtesting, I have been fully in love with the Great Nation of Ymetrica. It made sense for me to create a list using my favourite one.
This army is based around the awesome Stoneguard – they are, in my opinion, THE go-to unit when you’re writing lists around Ymetrica. With the Enduring as Rock rule already applied to them (reducing the Rend characteristic of incoming attacks by 1), it becomes even better in the Ymetrica Great Nation – Alarith units increase the effect to a whopping Rend reduction of 2!
To be competitive in Warhammer Age of Sigmar, you need a “low drop” army to offer you the best chance of deciding if you want to go first or second. The Alarith Temple allows you to fit most of the army into the formation, making the list above a “four drop”, and Skin to Stone makes your troops even more survivable!
The army is a hammer and anvil, with your Stoneguard being the anvil and Avalenor the hammer! Ideally, you’ll want some Stoneguard to follow the Stoneheart King on the turn you charge to really take advantage of Lightning Reactions.
Both Stonemages are there to provide some interesting spell support, with Crippling Vertigo slowing down your enemy and Voice of the Mountains inflicting Bravery penalties. They also allow the Stoneheart King to fight at full strength even though he might have taken damage thanks to the Stonemage Symbiosis rule.
Last but by no means least, you have two units of twenty Auralan Sentinels. These elite archers will have enemy support Heroes running scared, and then they can shoot volley after volley into units pinned by your super-tough Stoneguard!
Paul Buckler: The Great Nation of Syar is one of my favourites in the new book. Two aetherquartz reserves per unit is a great boost, and the ability to use two per phase thanks to their command ability really helps.
The list is based on symmetry, with the units working in pairs to maximise their use of aetherquartz. The Speed of Hysh spell is a vital cog in the army, hence why I have used it throughout.
In this army, the Dawnriders give some mobility whilst the Sentinels reach out and kill support Heroes. The Aethervoid Pendulum adds versatility as any of the units can cast it – for example, at the beginning of turn 2, Dawnriders can send it scything across the enemy’s flank. Then you can have (or get handed) a second turn, and cause up to 2D6 mortal wounds. Have Archmage Teclis dispel it before recasting it for a potential total of 3D6!
To take advantage of the Syar command trait, Goading Arrogance, I forego Teclis being the general to allow a Scinari Cathallar to distract someone like Archaon – and probably be slain for their trouble – whilst everything else tries to damage him.
The army has a bit of everything, and with the boost from the aetherquartz it’s just a case of getting the units into the right place at the right time!
Bryan Carmichael: I have always loved elite armies, and few are more elite than the Lumineth Realm-lords – they’re the archetypal combined-arms force.
My list is heavily focused on Dawnriders as I’m a naturally aggressive player and they favour my play style. I’ve chosen the Great Nation of Zaitrec as this means that when the Dawnriders are operating far away from Teclis they’re more likely to cast critical spells – and the Hyshian Twinstones can further ensure success.
The plan is to have Teclis cast Voice of the Mountains, Total Eclipse, and Protection of Teclis, then use his last spell to cast Speed of Hysh on one unit of Dawnriders.
One unit of Wardens will cast Hyshian Twinstones, while the other casts Ethereal Blessing onto the same unit of Dawnriders. These riders cast Power of Hysh onto themselves, and you then line them up at the juiciest target – shoot at it with the Sentinels and charge in with your souped-up Dawnriders!
The sheer damage this combo inflicts, on top of the reduced bravery from Voice of the Mountains and doubled cost of command points, usually results in a large hole in your opponent’s army – not to mention the 10-strong cavalry unit left in their ranks. With two other Dawnrider units in your army you can repeat this tactic multiple times, or combine them in your second for a massive charge to inflict further carnage.
The Wardens and Sentinels form a solid base around Teclis, and are capable of either sitting back and protecting objectives or switching gears to move up the table and destroy anything left after the Dawnriders charge.
And there we have it! Three killer lists that are sure to cause trouble for your opponents. Everything here can be pre-ordered today, so give them a shot and see what you can come up with!
Have a favourite combo of your own? Tell us about it over on the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Facebook page!