A new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar is right around the corner, and it’s bringing some big changes to the way some of your favourite factions play. We’ve been looking at a new army each day, and now the time has come to peer into the wild places of the Mortal Realms and see how the Sylvaneth are doing.
If you fancy vengeful spirits of the forest, willing to do whatever it takes to keep those who would despoil their territory from harming even a single branch, the Sylvaneth might be just right for you.
Who Are the Sylvaneth?
Alarielle the Everqueen, the goddess of life, leads legions of fierce, fleet forest phantoms to war. Though these spirits are empowered by life magic, they’re far from the peace-loving fairy folk of children’s tales. Their roots drank deep of the blood-tainted waters of endless war, and they have been bent towards vengeance, their branches twisting into tearing claws.
The Sylvaneth seem to spring up from everywhere and nowhere, materialising where they’re least expected, and vanishing as quickly as they came. A canny Sylvaneth general can threaten the entire board during games, stymying your opponent’s efforts to pin them down or hem them in.
When it came time to ask our playtesting team about the Sylvaneth, Laurie Huggett-Wilde leapt at the chance to talk about them. He’s a big fan, having played them quite successfully in competitive Warhammer Age of Sigmar tournaments for years.
Laurie: Experienced Sylvaneth commanders will find that the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar is going to benefit them in a number of different ways. With changes that encourage armies to be built primarily with minimum-sized units, strong units like Kurnoth Hunters, Tree-Revenants, and Spite-Revenants will do quite well. Reinforced Dryad units still form a vital core to your army, of course, and the Awakened Wyldwood is as essential as ever.
The Sylvaneth benefit from a boost to some of their command abilities and artefacts. The Treelord Ancient’s command ability, which triggers in the hero phase, can give a huge chunk of your army additional protection...
...especially with Kurnoth Hunters extending its effective range.
With so many more command points in play, your heroes can utilise more of the cool abilities your Sylvaneth possess.
A wargrove that’s caught my eye in the new edition is Gnarlroot. Their ability to re-roll hit rolls of 1 for units near a Wizard is handy...
… but coupled with adding 1 to hit rolls from the All-out Attack command ability, it’s very potent indeed.
Just imagine Alarielle’s Spear of Kurnoth hitting on 2+, and re-rolling the odd 1 that makes it through.
Biggest Winners
While the entire army has gotten a boost in the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, some units fared even better than others with regards to rules updates. Laurie was kind enough to share his top three picks for essential units.
Alarielle the Everqueen
Laurie: Alarielle’s rules update in Broken Realms: Kragnos make her even more of a powerhouse. Combine her ability to heal 2D6 Wounds each hero phase with an extra 1D3 from Heroic Recovery. With the Monster keyword, Alarielle can initiate a Titanic Duel monstrous rampage in the combat phase, making both her and her wardroth beetle even more deadly – especially if you use her command ability, Ghyran’s Wrath, to re-roll those rare failed wound rolls.
Spirit of Durthu
Laurie: A Spirit of Durthu has always had the potential to do staggering damage – and even more so with the new boosts he can get. Make use of Their Finest Hour for a once-per-game +1 to wound, along with the All-out Attack ability granting +1 to hit, to make him a death-dealing beast. Combine this with the Harvestboon wargrove’s ability to re-roll 1s to hit if they make a charge move, plus an extra attack for Fertile Ground, and the Silent Sickle artefact for another – and you’ve got 6 attacks, hitting on 2+, re-rolling 1s. Oh, and wounding on 2+, causing up to 6 wounds for each failed save. Simply amazing.
Kurnoth Hunters with Bows
Laurie: With five Wounds each, Kurnoth Hunters count for two models on objectives, making it difficult for your opponent to shift a unit of six. The Heartwood wargrove artefact of power allows them to re-roll their bow shots, which is fantastic when combined with All-out Attack.
Kurnoth Hunters also pose a real threat when charged, as they can Unleash Hell and fire at the oncoming unit – still benefiting from that re-roll.
Finally, if your opponent does somehow take a chunk out of them and leaves you with just a couple left, you can use Rally in your turn – each 6 you roll will bring back an entire Kurnoth Hunter with all 5 wounds refreshed.
Thanks for the wise words, Laurie. Some armies really reap the benefits of the added command points in the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, and as Laurie points out, the Sylvaneth can certainly be counted among them.
As a new season of strife descends upon the Mortal Realms, why not take up the warsong with a Start Collecting! Sylvaneth box and the battletome? If you prefer your armies scuttling in the dank shadows and feasting on toxic mushrooms, you should stop by tomorrow for a look at our next faction.