Jstove here with a buyer’s guide for starting Stormcast Eternals, the poster boys of Age of Sigmar. Look at some good options and what to stay away from.
The biggest reason to play Stormcast is that it’s the 40k version of a Grey Knights or Custodes army that actually works. Everything that is fun and interesting about GKs and Custodians is true for Stormcasts. The models are elite, easy to paint, limited in number and light on cost in hobby dollars. They also can give as good as they take in a fight. The key difference between Stormcast and elite 40k armies is that in AOS, elite low model count armies can actually work.
3 Things To Consider When Starting AoS Stormcasts Now
Rob Baer himself won the ATC’s First Age of Sigmar tournament with a list that had fewer models in it than he has fingers and toes. (Editor’s note: not really)
If you want to play golden boys in a game where they aren’t chumps, take a look at Stormcast. If you want to get into AOS but want to stay on the cheap side, take a look at Stormcast.
Strengths of Stormcast
- Affordable: Stormcast are the poster boy faction of Age of Sigmar and are available in the starter box. eBay should also be crowded with Stormcast from the 1st edition starter as well.
- Space Marine Love: As the franchise poster boys, Stormcast will always be first in line for rules and models updates.
- Easy to Paint: Stormcasts are covered head to toe in metal armor and only 1 in 5 models may ever actually have an unhelmeted head. In most cases, these guys also have options to put a helmet on.
- Low model count: Stormcast are the super elite low model count army that every Space Marine and Custodian wishes he was. Each Stormcast model has at least 2 wounds and is the size of the Terminator. The chumpiest chump of the Stormcast could kick the crap out of a Primaris marine. They make them look like wusses. Being low model count and super elite is also less of a problem in Age of Sigmar than in 40k, thanks to how damage works in AOS, you’re actually rewarded for overkilling a weaker foe because excess damage carries over from model to model.
Weaknesses of Stormcast
- Space Marine Syndrome: Because Stormcast are poster boys that always go first and get new toys before everyone else, they might not always age that well. However, Age of Sigmar is just now on its second edition, so it’s still early to say whether or not this will be a trend that the Stormcast inherit from their 40k cousins.
- Overwhelming: Stormcast have a huge roster of models that pretty much all look the same with minor variations of armor or weapons. All their units also have dumb names. This makes their army book nearly impossible to read for the first time. It’s difficult to figure out exactly what each unit is and what it’s supposed to do.
Selecting your Toys
Age of Sigmar has army composition rules similar to 40k, you must have troops. In a standard 2000 point game of AOS you are going to need 3 battleline units. (Battleline=troops) In a Stormcast army, these units can be as small as 5 models. This means that at 2000 points, your Stormcast troop commitment is only 15 models minimum.
When you play Stormcast, you select your army backward. Stormcast is a lot like chaos space marines when selecting troops. The Chaos Lord “unlocks” the unit that shares his mark. So a Khorne lord unlocks Khorne Berzerkers, etc. Stormcast are the same way. Different lords unlock different dudes as troops. What this means is that you’re probably going to pick your general based on which of the four eligible units you want to make your troop commitment out of. Each of these separate units have their own playstyle differences. We’ll go over all of them right now.
Keep in mind that you can still use all of these units with any general, but they will only qualify as battleline when the correct general is running the show.
Liberators
- The most basic Stormcast hammer and shield foot trooper. Liberators are unlocked by default.
- The cheapest of all battleline troop. Great if you want to pinch points to buy big stuff elsewhere. (100 for 5)
- Lay Low the Tyrants: This special rule gives Liberators a +1 to hit against models with 5 or more wounds making liberators dangerous monster hunters. Especially if they’re wombo-comboed with a support character to buff them.
- Liberators re-roll armor saves of 1 with their shields so they’re pretty durable.
Use liberators if you want to focus your list building on huge buff models and just want a durable and cheap unit to hold the line.
Judicators
- Default unlocked like Liberators.
- Trade hammers for a choice of ranged weapon. Either a single shot bow that hits like a brick or a rapid-fire crossbow that rolls lots of dice.
- Re-rolls 1s to hits against CHAOS keyword enemies.
- Is significantly more expensive than Liberators. (160 for 5!)
As a general rule, I’m not into judicators and I don’t recommend them. First of all, they aren’t as easy to grab on the cheap as Liberators. Second of all, Stormcast are actually spoiled for shooting and there are cheap and effective ranged units that I just like better than them.
Sequitors
- Unlock by selecting Lord Arcanum as a general. Lord Arcanums are support casters that automatically come with resurrection and heal spells.
- Affordable: Sequitors come in the starter box.
- Reliable math hammer. Sequitors hit and wound on 3s with their basic weapons.
- Durable: Sequitors re-roll armor saves of 1 with their shields.
- Self-buffing: Sequitors can choose to give themselves re-rolls of hit rolls or armor saves every combat phase. (this does trigger in yours and your opponent’s turn.)
- Cost more than Liberators. (120 for 5)
Sequitors are actually pretty great and thanks to their re-roll powers, they don’t need a lot of help from other units in the army to perform. They also come in the Soul Wars starter box and have an ETB add-on kit. Because they’re so good at taking care of themselves, they’re great in armies where you want to focus all your synergies and combo powers on other units.
Vanguard Hunters
- Unlock by selecting Lord Aquilor as general. Lord Aquilors are speed heroes with movement tricks and lots of attacks.
- Ambush tactics: Hunters can come out of reserves on any table edge and hit the ground as close to 7” to your opponent.
- Massive damage output: Hunters have 2 shots with a pistol and 2 attacks with their melee weapon. Each basic trooper has four dice to work with. Keep in mind in AOS you can still shoot in melee. Hunters never stop pulling triggers once they hit the table. They can also run and shoot in the same turn too.
- No shields, so no re-rolling ones.
- Cost more than liberators. (120 for 5)
If Genestealer cultists were Space Marines, they would be Vanguard Hunters. Vanguard Hunters are a super fun high damage output battle line unit that can dish out lots of attacks regardless of how or when they show up.
So thats pretty much it for year one Stormcasts, check back soon for my bundle breakdown that includes years two and three of releases.
