The Empire is back (sort of) in one of the most anticipated battletomes since AoS first hit the shelves. Here’s four more city army lists to try!
Travis Perkins is back with the second part of his series breaking down the new battletome for Age of Sigmar Cities of Sigmar. Find out which city’s army is the best for you!
Last week we started covering the new Age of Sigmar Cities of Sigmar battletome. If you’re curious about those three cities (Hammerhall, Living City, and Greywater Fastness) check out that article here. Now we’re going to finish looking at the last four cities and put together a list based around them!
City Abilities:
- Wizards gain the empowered ability of any of the endless spells they cast regardless of what realm the battle is in.
- If your general has wounds characteristic of 6 or less you can add 1 retinue of 5 to 20 models for your general. Every time your general takes a wound or mortal wound your retinue can instead take it on a 4+ if they are within 3” of them.
- If you general has a wounds characteristic of 6 or less you can pick 1 friendly hero to be his adjunct. In you hero phase roll a dice for that hero if they are within 3” of your general, on a 4+ you receive 1 extra command point.
- 1 in every 4 units in a cities army can be a stormcast eternal and are given the cities of sigmar keyword
Now let’s dive into the next round of cities themselves!
Phoenicium
Phoenicium is the last of the major cities in the realm of life and so must come from that realm. This is a place that worships both Sigmar and the great Ur – Phoenix at the same time, and thus they embrace the cycle of death and rebirth like no other mortals.
- Add 1 to hit and wound rolls from melee weapons if any friendly units have been destroyed this turn.
- Add 1 to wounds characteristic of frostheart and flamespyre phoenixes.
- Command Ability: Use start of combat phase, pick 1 friendly hero flamespyre or frostheart phoenix. Until end of phase if a friendly Pheonicium model is slain it can fight before it is removed from play.
- Unique Command Traits, Spells, and Artefacts
This army is all about frostheart and flamespyre phoenixes so its always a good place to start with what your building your army around. But this army also really lends itself to Flagellants as well with that command ability. So, we are going to make our general a human to get them as battleline but add in a bunch of phoenix models.
- Freeguild General: General, Leader 1 of 6: 100 Points
- Battlemage: Generals Adjutant, Leader 2 of 6: 90 Points
- Anointed of Asuryan on Flamspyre Phoenix, Leader 3 of 6: 300 Points
- Anointed of Asuryan on Flamspyre Phoenix, Leader 4 of 6: 300 Points
- 40 Flagellants: Battleline 1 of 3: 280 Points
- 40 Flagellants: Battleline 2 of 3: 280 Points
- 20 Freeguild Greatswords: Generals Retinue, Battleline 3 of 3: 320 Points
Total 1630
That is a lot of models, for this army to have but we need some more damage output and something to surprise out opponent. Lets in a pair of Assassins to hide in our Flagellant units and then a Luminark of Hysh for some mortal wound output.
- Assassin: Leader 5 of 6: 80 Points
- Assassin: Leader 6 of 6: 80 Points
- Luminark of Hysh: Behemoth 1 of 4: 210 Points
Total 2000 Points
This army is all about using that command ability on the Flagellants, who get better as they die. Use them to take whatever objective and hold it for as long as possible and care zero about them dying. Mop up with your general and his bodyguards and you should be able to play zone control for a good chunk of the game.
Anvilgard
Anvilgard is a pirate city based in the realm of fire, so it must come from that realm. They are all about shady deals, backstabbing, and stealing all your stuff so naturally the dark elves of old found a natural home in this city.
- Choose one: 1 additional hero can take an artefact, 1 additional monster can take a trait, or you receive D3 extra command points.
- A Dragon, Kharibdysses, or War Hyrdra has a Drakeblood curse, choose 1 in your army and select a trait from the table
- Command Ability: Use at start of battleshock phase, 1 friendly unit wholly within 12” of hero. 1 model in that unit is slain, however, you do not need to take any battleshock tests for friendly units wholly within 18” of that unit.
- Unique Command Traits, Spells, and Artefacts
What is sad is that a perk for this army is being able to bring the hydras as battleline, but unfortunately, they are just not that good. This force will focus around a pair of dragons and taking the bonus artefact trait. Then taking the best battleline units you can which is the blackguard who can really dish out some damage.
- Sorceress on Black Dragon: Leader 1 of 6, Behemoth 1 of 4: 300 Points
- Dreadlord on Black Dragon: General, Leader 2 of 6, Behemoth 2 of 4: 300 Points
- Celestial Hurricanum With Celestial Battlemage: Leader 3 of 6, Behemoth 3 of 4: 280 Points
- Luminark of Hysh with White Battlemage: Leader 4 of 6m Behemoth 4 of 4: 270 Points
- 20 Blackguard: Battleline 1 of 3: 280 Points
- 20 Blackguard: Battleline 2 of 3: 280 Points
- 20 Blackguard: Battleline 3 of 3: 280 Points
Total 1990 Points
This is probably my least favorite army because I think the city was built around using the Hydras as battleline and unfortunately they are just to many points for what they do. But if you have some older dark elves you want to use blackguard are a solid battleline unit and can dish out some damage. Plus you get to play with a lot of the bigger behemoth models sitting on your shelf.
Hallowheart
Hallowheart is a city of magic that is built on a crater that was home to a Tzeentch army at one point. Thus magic is ooze out of everything in this area of the realm of fire, so this city must be from the realm of fire.
- Each time a unit is affected by a spell or endless spell on a 5+ you ignore those effects.
- All wizards can attempt to cast an additional spell
- Command Ability: Use the start of the hero phase, pick 1 friendly wizard and roll a dice. That wizard suffers mortal wounds equal to the roll. Until the end of the phase, all wizards within 12” of the model that suffered the wounds can add that roll to their casting roll
- Unique Command Traits, Spells, and Artefacts
To me this is an army that you’re going to see the most in matched play because magic and ignoring magic is so strong. This city is the best spell casters in the game and are going to be throwing around magic and endless spells like is nobody’s business.
- Celestial Hurricanum With Celestial Battlemage: Leader 1 of 6, Behemoth 1 of 4: 280 Points
- Luminark of Hysh With White Battlemage: Leader 2 of 6, Behemoth 2 of 4: 270 Points
- Battlemage: General, Leader 3 of 6: 90 Points
- Battlemage: Leader 4 of 6: 90 Points
- Battlemage: Leader 5 of 6: 90 Points
- Battlemage: Leader 6 of 6: 90 Points
Total 910 Points
Seriously 12 spells in a turn where you can have you Hurricanum or Luminark take the D6 mortal (then heal them later) to add that to casting rolls on top of their natural casting ability. It’s just silly, but we need to add some units to this as well, and you might as well as add bodies and hold the line troops because all the damage your dealing is coming from magic.
- 40 Freeguild Guard: Battleline 1 of 3: 280 Points
- 40 Freeguild Guard: Battleline 2 of 3: 280 Points
- 20 Freeguild Greatswords: Honored Retinue, Battleline 3 of 3: 320 Points
Total 1790 Points
The rest should be spent on endless spells like purple sun, geminds, pendulm, etc. basically anything you want. If you find you need even more endless spells because of how many casting rolls you get to make, replace the greatswords with guard to free up even more points for endless spells. Don’t worry about hitting your own units with them because on a 5+ they ignore it! This is by far the most powerful city in the book and I believe you will see a lot of magic / endless spell armies come from it.
Tempest Eye
Tempest Eye is the last of the major cities in the realm of fire and so must come from there. It is one built high into the mountain tops and basically live off mined prophecies and celestial orreries.
- Add 3” to the move characteristic and 1 to save rolls of friendly units in the first battle round
- Add 1” to all run rolls
- 1 in every 4 units of this city can be Kharadron Overlords
- Command Ability: Use in your shooting phase, pick 1 friendly unit wholly within 12” of a hero. That unit can shoot even if it ran in the same turn.
- Unique Command Traits, Spells, and Artefacts
This is an army that I kind of struggle with because it seems like a really good army but I just can’t fit my head around it. When that happens I like to first start with the battleline units, and for this city I think you can’t go wrong with 3 units of 10 Freeguild Pistoliers.
- 10 Pistoliers: Battleline 1 of 3, Honored Retinue: 200 Points
- 10 Pistoliers: Battleline 2 of 3: 200 Points
- 10 Pistoliers: Battleline 3 of 3: 200 Points
Total 600 Points
This is giving you a very fast glass cannon type of middle line, these guys are going to basically charge forward and hopefully, they kill whatever they are charging with the massive amounts of shots they are getting. With the alliance trait I want to add both some Stromcast Eternals and Kharadron Overlords though so let’s make this more of a mixed army.
- Knight Azyros: General, Leader 1 of 6: 100 Points
- Aether Khemist: General’s Adjutant, Leader 2 of 6: 140 Points
- 20 Gunstok Thunderers: 360 Points
Total 1200 Points
Now you could fill up on all sorts of other units to complement the massive amounts of range you have going. But I am going to put it into two of what I think are some of the best models for the cities of sigmar. (one doesn’t get the keyword) That is Gortek who kills everything in reach and the Hurricanum.
- Gortek Gurnisson: Leader 3 of 6: 520 Points (all allied)
- Celestial Hurricanum with Celestial Battlemage: Leader 4 of 6, Behemoth 1 of 4: 280 Points
Total 2000 Points
This gives you a pretty mobile gun line while Gortek can basically charge down the middle killing anything he can get his hands on.
Well there you have it a list for every city, there are some that I feel are better than others (Hallowheart and Living City being the best) but one thing the Cities of Sigmar book is not lacking is options. If you have a cities list that you really like shoot me an email with it or put it in the comments!
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