Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Stormcast Eternals

Lo and behold the might of the Stormcast Eternals!

If you want to always have multiple wounds and fight for Sigmar, the Stormcast Eternals are for you! Stormcast Eternals all have at least a 4+ save and 2 wounds per model making them a tough force to take down in hand to hand combat. At the moment they seem more focused on having X models and ensuring those X models survive until the end of the game through various hero abilities (immune to Battleshock, regain wounds, increase their already durable (for AoS at least) 4+ save and bonuses to hit). At the same time, your guys don't punch all that hard, though your Paladins (read: Elite) more than make up for that. Thanks to their hardiness and comparatively low damage output, they are the epitome of "easy to learn, hard to master," much like their 40k cousins. They recently got an update as of February 2017, tactical page in the process of being updated.

The new book included the vanguard wing auxiliary chamber, rules for using specific Stormhosts and new battalions. Also included are new warlord traits, relics, prayers for your priests (read Lord-Relictor and Lord Veritant), and mount traits to make that stardrake an even bigger threat.

Why play Stormcast Eternals?

Pros

Fairly tough, well-armored Troops.
Newbie friendly, very forgiving of mistakes.
You have a constant supply of new models. Seriously, you've had one big release per year every year since the game launched.
Lots of options in both Heroes and Units to pick from, making it possible to fill out a wide variety of battle strategies.
Have many abilities to restore Wounds.
If you're into metal music, there's plenty of thematic songs to choose from.

Cons

Expect to throw out your previous Battletome on a yearly basis with all the new Models coming out.
Your Bravery Scores are relatively low.
When you bring 5 guys, almost everybody else brings 10. So if your opponent is on a objective you need to smash him in the knee caps to do it.
No real way to stop Mortal Wounds and with your high saves and elite units they can really sting.
They are Space Marines in Fantasy.
You're army is both the most played army and the most hated (if that's an issue.)

Allegiance Abilities

Battle Traits

If your army has a STORMCAST ETERNALS allegiance and chose to take the STORMCAST ETERNALS allegiance abilities, it has the following rule:

Scions of The Storm: 40K Deep Strike. You may hold up to half of your units in reserve instead of deploying, and at the end of each movement phase, decided if you want to set up one or more reserve units on the battlefield. Each unit not set up this way before round 4 are slain. Setting up anywhere more than 9" away from any enemy models. Potentially useful, but can also shoot yourself in the foot. It does let Paladins get across the board really fast so definitely has its uses.

Shock And Awe: Subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks that target friendly STORMCAST ETERNAL units that were set up on the battlefield during the same turn. A nice little bonus that makes your Sigmarines just a little bit harder to kill as they rush into combat from deepstrike, or, a good way to give your sniper knight or ballista or judicators just a little bit of safety from shooting on the first round as well.

Stormhost

If your army is a Stormcast Eternals army, you can give it a Stormhost Keyword. ALL Stormcast Eternal units in your army gain that keyword, if they already have a Stormhost, like Vandus or Nieve(Side note, all named characters, save for the Celestant-Prime are part of the Hammers of Sigmar Stormhost.), it does not replace it, but it also doesn't prevent other units in your army for having a different Stormhost keyword. Furthermore, it's worth noting that unlike 40K Chapter Tactics, picking one of these forces your General to take a unique Command Trait, and "the first hero to receive an Artifact of Power" (so probably your General again) is forced to take a specific unique Artifact that only that specific Stormhost has access to. In other words, while you gain a new special rule and a unique Command Ability, you are forcibly locked in for some important decisions. It's up to you if you want to be more freeform and have more choice with your Command Traits and Artifacts, or play with a specific Stormhost.

Hallowed Knights

The anti spell-caster Sigmarines, if a friendly Hallowed Knights unit is affected by a spell or endless spell, on a roll of a 6+, they ignore the effects of the spell for a turn. Very nice for dealing with those pesky Nighthaunt armies who basically chain cast as many spells as they please with a silly amount of bonuses to cast.

Celestial Vindicators

This is the more melee/charge heavy Stormcasts, as they get to reroll hit rolls of 1 for attacks made by friendly Celestial Vindicators units, if they made a charge roll this turn. A nice addition if you're split up and charging multiple different units at once. But, again, our Prayers and spells can imitate this fairly well, so don't feel strongarmed into it. You also gain the following:

Command Ability: Righteous Hatred - Gives a unit within 9" of one of your Heroes (or 18" if your General is using it) an extra Melee attack.
Your General must use the unique Single-Minded Fury Command Trait, which gives any of his unmodified hit rolls of six to cause an extra point of damage.
The first Hero in your army to be given an Artifact must be given the unique Stormrage Blade, which upgrades one of your Melee Weapons with the ability to (if you choose to use the ability) gain an extra pair of attacks, in exchange for lowering his Save by one.

Hammers of Sigmar

GW's special golden boys got treated pretty well. Their stormhost bonus adds +1 to the bravery of friendly Hammers of Sigmar units, which isn't the most exciting but it's rarely a buff you won't appreciate, though like all the others it's more useful in certain matchups (Legions of Nagash in particular). You also gain the following:

Command Ability: Soul of the Stormhost - When a friendly HAMMERS OF SIGMAR REDEEMER unit (Liberators, Sequitors and Steelheart's Champions) is destroyed, roll a dice; on a 5+ you may return it to the battlefield 9" away from enemy models.
- It's hardly reliable but for 1CP the chance to put a 20 man Sequitor unit back on the battlefield is worth it just for the look on your opponents face if nothing else.
Your General must use the unique We Cannot Fail Command Trait which grants him a 9" bubble of a 6+ save on mortal wounds and wounds allocated. Yeah we can bring back units and get Deathless Minions.
- It only affects units entirely within the bubble but this is a decent alternative to Staunch Defender as Mortal Wound saves are basically not a thing in Stormcast.
The first Hero in your army to be given an Artifact must be given the unique God-Forged Blade, which upgrades one of the Hero's Melee Weapons to let his Hit rolls of 6+ have +1 damage. This is alright I guess.
Special Characters: In short? All of them (except the Celestant Prime which we can still take).
- Vandus Hammerhand is really good with a battleshock immunity bubble and one of the best command Abilities in the army.
- Gavriel Sureheart's Command ability is amazing with the army Alligence ability as it's confirmed to stack meaning for 2CP you can deep strike Paladins 9" away and charge them in with a +6" to range all but guaranteeing the charge.

Anvils of the Heldenhammer

These guys got stuck with the old Stormcast army wide rules, allowing you to reroll failed battleshock tests for all Anvils Of The Heldenhammer units. Considering the relatively low bravery for most of our units, this might come in handy, but, is overshadowed by someone like Vandus, who just ignores battleshock for all units within 24" of him from the Hammers of Sigmar Stormhost. Overall not bad, but there are ways to do this better. You also gain the following:

Command Ability: Heroes of Another Age - Allows a unit within 9" of the Hero using it (or 18" if it's your General) to either attack with all the Missile Weapons the unit has, or make a Pile-In move and attack with all the Melee Weapons they're carrying.
Your General must use the unique Deathly Aura Command Trait, which lowers enemy Bravery by -1 within 6" of him
The first Hero in your army to be given an Artifact must be given the unique Soulthief, which upgrades one of the Hero's Melee Weapons to let it deal a Mortal Wound on a 3+ to any enemy models it wounded but failed to kill.

Knights Excelsior

An interesting Stomhost to be sure, though it requires a bit of book keeping, especially in higher point value games against hordes of units. If a Knights Excelsior unit makes an attack that destroys an enemy unit, you can re-roll hit rolls of 1 for attacks made by that Knights Excelsior unit for the rest of the battle. Interesting thing to note is that it does not specify in melee, so, perhaps a good use for your Knight-Venator, or your Celestial Ballistae, for potential character sniping abilities.

Celestial Warbringers

These guys are pretty tricky, as their ability is that at the start of the first battleround, after determining who goes first, but before the first turn begins, you can set up D3 friendly Celestial Warbingers units and set them up again. Could be very interesting, especially in combination with the ability to deep-strike again. You could potentially bait some enemy firepower with a juicy target, only to set it up in deep strike instead.

Tempest Lords

At the start of your Hero phase, roll a dice, on a 4+ you receive 1 extra command point. Relatively boring, but, for armies that are command point hungry, this could be a lifesaver. Also, innately very powerful even if you're not super command point hungry. You also gain the following:

Command Ability: Rousing Oriatory - Allows a TEMPEST LORDS unit or hero within 9" of the Hero using it (or 18" if it's your General) to re-roll Wound rolls of 1 until your next Hero Phase.
Your General must use the unique Bonds of Noble Duty Command Trait, which adds 1 to any wound rolls with Melee Weapons if he is within 6" of another TEMPEST LORDS Unit.
The first Hero in your army to be given an Artifact must be given the unique Patrician's Helm, which allows you to get a Command Point on a roll of a 5+ every time you use a Command Point. Combined with the ability you gain when you pick the Tempest Lords, enjoy endlessly shitting CP all over the place!

Astral Templars

Add 1 to hit rolls for attacks made by Astral Templars units that target a monster. Unless you're fighting a whole ton of monsters in your particular Meta, I don't think this will be getting much use. Especially with Lay Low the Tyrant. Situationally useful, probably not worth the Stormhost.

Command Traits

A STORMCAST ETERNALS General of an army with a STORMCAST ETERNALS allegiance and has chosen to take the STORMCAST ETERNALS allegiance abilities can choose one of the following Command Traits:

Shielded by Faith: A 5+ save for your general for mortal wounds.
Consummate Commander: While your general is on the battlefield roll a D6 at the start of your hero phase, on a 4+ you also receive +1 command point
Cunning Strategist: D3 STORMCAST ETERNALS get a 5" move before the first battle round begins.
Zealous Crusader: Your general can re-roll charge distances.
Staunch Defender: Your general and every STORMCAST ETERNALS wholly unit within 9" add 1 to saves if they have not charged this turn.
Champion of the Realms: +1 attack for a weapon on your general.

Artifacts of Power

One HERO in your army (+1 per additional Warscroll Battalion) may take a relic from the following tables:

Storm-Forged Weapons: Pick a weapon that is not used by a mount for one of the following bonuses

Strife-ender: +1 attack for a melee weapon (+2 against a CHAOS unit).
Blade of Heroes: re-roll failed to hit rolls made with a melee weapon against HEROES or MONSTERS.
Hammer of Might: wound rolls of 6+ cause double damage for a melee weapon.
Fang of Dracothian: re-roll wound rolls of 1 for a melee weapon.
Obsidian Blade: improve the rend characteristic of a melee weapon by 1.
Gift of the Six Smiths: pick a melee weapon, each turn you may re-roll one hit, wound or damage roll for an attack made with this weapon.

Heaven-Wrought Armour:

Armour of Destiny: A 6+ save after the save for an unsaved wound or mortal wound.
Armour of Silvered Sigmarite: -1 to hit for melee weapons directed at the HERO
Drakenscale Armour: Re-roll failed saves for this HERO against weapons with a Damage characteristic greater than 1.
Mirrorshield: -2 to hit for missile weapons directed at this HERO.
Spellshield: This HERO may unbind a single spell in each enemy hero phase as if it were a WIZARD, if the HERO is a WIZARD it may unbind 1 additional spell
Featherfoe Torc: Units which can fly must re-roll successful hit rolls for attacks directed against this HERO.

Artefacts Of The Tempest:

Talisman of Endurance: +1 wounds.
Obsidian Amulet: negate a spell used on this hero on a 4+, other units are affected as normal.
Luckstone: Once per battle you can change the results of one hit, wound, damage or save roll for this HERO to the result of your choice.
Seed of Rebirth: On a 4+ in each hero phase you heal 1 wound.
Sigmarite Pendant: When this hero is slain, cause D6 mortal wounds to the unit that slew them on a 4+.
Quicksilver Draught: Once per battle this HERO may pile in and attack in the combat phase before any other units, even if it is your opponent's turn.

Treasured Standards: For heroes with the TOTEM keyword, AKA Knight-Vexillor

Hurricane Banner: This HERO and any friendly STORMCAST ETERNALS units within 12" can re-roll all rolls when running and charging.
Lichbone Standard: Friendly STORMCAST ETERNALS units wholly within 9" of this HERO heal one wound in each of their hero phases.
Pennant of Sigmaron: If a friendly STORMCAST ETERNALS unit within 24" of this HERO fails a battleshock test, on a 2+ only one model flees from that unit.

Mystic Lights: For any hero with a lantern - Lord-Castellant, Lord-Veritant or Knight-Azyros

Shriving Light: -1 to enemy bravery (-2 for CHAOS) within 6" of this hero.
Fury Brand: In the hero phase, give +1 to attacks for one weapon on a HERO within 6".
Lantern of the Tempest: Enemy units that direct missile attacks against friendly STORMCAST ETERNALS units wholly within 12" of the bearer must re-roll hit rolls of 6+.

Celestial Staves: For Lord-Arcanum or Knight-Incantor only

Staff of Focus: Once per battle, in your hero phase, the bearer can add 1 to casting rolls for the bearer until the end of the phase. In addition, if the barer casts a spell that inflicts any mortal wounds during that phase, add 1 to the number of mortal wounds inflicted on each unit that the spell effects.
Mindlock Staff: Once per battle, at the start of the enemy hero phase, you can pick an enemy Wizard within 12" of the bearer. That Wizard Cannot cast any spells that phase.
Staff of Azyr: In your hero phase, if the bearer successfully casts any spells that are not unbound, subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks that target the bearer until your next hero phase

Scrolls Of Power: For Lord-Arcanum or Knight-Incantor only

Scroll of Unraveling: Once per battle, at the start of the enemy hero phase, the bearer can use this artifact. If they do so, in that hero phase, enemy casting rolls that are equal to th spell's casting value are unsuccessful, and the caster suffers d3 mortal wounds.
Scroll of Condemnation: Once per battle, in your hero phase, the bearer can use this Artefact. If they do so, pick an enemy Hero within 12" of the bearer. Until the end of that turn add 1 to wound rolls for attacks made by friendly Stormcast Eternals that target that model.
Storm Scroll: Once per battle, in your hero phase, the bearer can use this artifact. If they do so, pick up to 6 different enemy units on the battlefield, and give them each a different number from 1 to 6. Then, roll a dice. If the number is the same as the roll, that units suffer D6 mortal wounds.

Prayers of the Stormhosts

Every PRIEST in a STORMCAST ETERNALS army gains an additional prayer to a which can be used in addition to their other abilities in the hero phase, in the same vein as spells for other armies mages.

Divine Light: 3+ to cast, choose a unit wholly within 18". If it is an enemy, you may re-roll 1's to hit when attacking that unit until your next hero phase. If you choose a friendly unit, enemy units re-roll unmodified hit rolls of 6 when attacking that unit until your next hero phase.
Bless Weapons: 4+ to cast, a friendly unit wholly within 18" gains an additional attack for every unmodified hit roll of 6 until your next hero phase.
Bolster Faith: 3+ to cast, friendly units within 9" do not have to take battleshock tests until your next hero phase. Does not require the unit you cast this on to be wholly within. So use this on units with lots of models.
Abjuration: 3+ to cast, pick a enemy WIZARD within 12" from the priest. If successful the priest can attempt to unbind a 1 spell by that WIZARD in that hero phase.
God-King's Aspect: 3+ to cast, subtract 1 from bravery for units that are within 6" from this priest until your next hero phase.
Lightning Chariot: 3+ to cast, remove a friendly STORMCAST ETERNAL unit wholly within 9" of this priest from the battlefield and set them up again anywhere on the battlefield more than 9" from an enemy units. It may not move in the subsequent movement phase.

Steeds of the Celestial Realms

One mount in your army (+1 per additional Warscroll Battalion) may be "exceptional" and take a trait from the relevant tables.

Generic Traits:

Lithe-Limbed: +1 to move characteristic.
Savage Loyalty: If this HERO is slain in the combat phase, on a 4+ the unit that slew them takes D3 mortal wounds.
Keen-Clawed: Any wound rolls of 6+ in the combat phase for this HERO's mount are resolved with a rend of -3.

Dracoth Traits:

Drake-Kin: If this HERO suffers damage from an attack with a damage characteristic greater than 1, on a 5+ the HERO only suffers 1 Damage from the attack.
Thunder Caller: The HERO's Dracoth's Storm Breath ability has a range of 16" rather than 12".
Pack Hunter: +2 to Attacks of the HERO's Dracoth's Claws and Fangs if another friendly model is riding a Dracoth within 6".

Stardrake Traits:

Storm-Winged: Roll dice for one enemy unit this HERO passes over in the movement phase. On a 2+ the unit takes D3 mortal wounds. Impractical in most situations due to the size of the Stardrakes large size.
Thunderlord: Roiling Thunderhead ability has a range of 24" rather than 18".
Star-Branded: When referring to the Damage table of this HERO, treat it as having suffered one fewer wounds than it actually has.

Gryph-Charger Traits:

Wind Runner: When this HERO rides the Winds Aetheric, roll an extra dice on the distance they can move.
Aethereal Stalker: When this HERO is set up, choose an enemy HERO. This HERO can re-roll all failed hit and wound rolls made for its Gryph-charger's Razor Beak and Claws attacks that are directed against the chosen HERO.
Indefatigable: re-roll the distance when this HERO runs.

Dracoline Traits:

Bounding Leap: This model is eligible to fight in the combat phase if it is within 6" of an enemy unit instead of 3", and it can move an extra 3" when it piles in
Pride Leader: Add 1 to hit rolls for attacks made by friendly Dracoline units while they are wholly within 9" of this model.
Ear-bursting Roar: At the start of the combat phase, you can pick an enemy within 3" of this model and roll a dice. On a 4+ subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks made by that unit until the end of the phase.

Tauralon Traits:

Swiftwing: You can re-roll run rolls for this model
Lashing Tail: At the end of the combat phase, you can pick an enemy unit within 3" of this model and roll a d6, on a 4+ it causes 1 mortal wound.
Steel Pinions: Roll a d6 every time this model suffer a regular or mortal wound, on a 6+ the wound is negated.

Endless Spells

New to Second Edition, you're one of the first to gain Faction Exclusive Endless Spells! These can only be cast by STORMCAST ETERNAL WIZARDS.

Everblaze Comet: Comet of Casandora, Stormcasts edition. When it comes down, it hits everything within 10" for a bunch of Mortal Wounds determined by a D3 roll - on a 1, the unit takes a single Mortal Wound. On a 2, the Unit takes a further D3 Mortal Wounds, and on a 3, the Unit takes 3 Mortal Wounds! Ontop of this, the Comet remains in play and spits out Mortal Wounds at any Units within 5", though this time on a 1-3 it only does one Mortal Wound, while on a 4+ it does D3 Mortal Wounds. Also, all Wizards must subtract 1 from their casting rolls while they are 5 inches or closer to the comet. This spell has the potential to diss out an obscene amount of Mortal Wounds, but a word of caution: even though the spell continues to damage units and bother Wizards after it has been casted, the Comet cannot be moved once it has been placed in the table. This, combined with the fact that it costs 100 points, forces you to be extremely cautious about where and when to put it.
Celestian Vortex (AKA the HAMMERNADO): It's a Hurricane of Hammers that dispenses Mortal Wounds (12 dices on 6+) and gives any Unit within 6" of it -1 to hit with Missile Weapons. Additionally, it wounds on a 5+ against Chaos units. Thanks to its 8 inch movement and the fact that it can move after being set up, the Hammernado proves to be a cheap (Only 40 points!!!) and effective way to damage Chaos forces and screw range units (If you manage to cast it against a Tzeentch army, they are in for a bad time)
Dais Arcanum: This is what is known as a STORMCAST ETERNAL WIZARD that has ascended past a STORMCAST ETERNAL WIZARD. A big disk for your Wizard to ride on, it grants them Fly, 12 inch movement, +1 to their Save and an additional Unbind. For just 40 points, you can hop in a Knight-Incantor or a Lord Exorcist, and make them go even further beyond. Your opponents are going to love it, trust me...

Warscrolls

Common keywords in these warscrolls are ORDER, CELESTIAL, HUMAN and STORMCAST ETERNAL.

Named Leaders

Astreia Solbright:

Aventis Firestrike:

Celestant-Prime: Only one can be included in a Pitched Battle army. While not exactly named, this here is, bar Vandus Hammerhand, your unique character to hold you over while we wait for the rules for Sigmar that'll probably also come whenever FW decides to make rules for that bastard. The 'first' Stormcast Eternal, this is one bad dude. Recently reduced in price from 360 to 340 points in the General's Handbook 2017. Prime has a very powerful shooting attack, dramatically one-upping the Lord-Celestant on Dracoth by tossing a comet onto the battlefield. His close combat potential seems to have potential, having 3 attacks base. That said, for every turn, you don't set him up, he gains two additional attacks with Ghal Maraz. Also, whenever he deploys, all enemies within 12" of him suffer -2 Bravery until his next Hero Phase. Let's put it this way: Nagash will kick his ass. The Glottkin will kick his ass. Archaon... will probably think twice, as might the Mortarchs. The point is, this guy only looks like a combat monster, but he's your artillery equivalent, except for really big games, where you can afford to leave him off the table for two or three turns.
- Alternatively if you build your army to be hyper defensive with a bunch of shielded Liberators with a Castallant's lantern, you could very easily just set up on the extreme far edge of the board and camp there to force your opponent to spend ages trekking over to you, while you take turns lasting only a couple of seconds (Use a Command Ability, use the Lantern, maybe a quick snipe with the Knight-Venator, turn done.) This way you'll be in Turn 3 by the time you reach combat and will be able to last a few more turns after that due to your high defense. By the point, you need to bust out the Celestant-Prime to counter-attack, so many turns will have passed that he'll dominate anything he gets into combat with.
- In fact, the Prime is a lot better than it would seem at first glance. With his "Orrery of Celestial Fates," once per turn, you can CHANGE one of his rolls to any result you want. Meaning, each turn you can either: almost guarantee 3 Damage in combat if you change the Hit dice (Ghal Maraz wounds on 2+ and has -3 Rend), or almost guarantee that 9" charge the turn he enters play, or avoid one non-mortal wound to him if you change the Save roll (even against -3 Rend opponents!), or make his meteor attack work in a 12" bubble (that will also give you perfect control to avoid hitting your own guys!). This last option is the best one: usually, you'll hit at least 3 units, meaning an average 6 mortal wounds, and Battleshock tests for 3 units, at -2 Bravery if they're at 12" or less! If you make him appear in the right spot, and when many enemy units are at combat with your guys, you'll force A LOT of Battleshock test at -2 Bravery. Your second turn is ideal for this: most of your units will be engaged, and with 5 Ghal Maraz attacks, if you change the hit dice, the Prime deals each turn something like 9 wounds in combat (except against a handful of super-protected units, like Stonehorns or Phoenix Guard), which is MIGHTY. But in your turn, it's probably better to change the radius roll for the comet and deal myriads of mortal wounds. This guy requires a lot of skill to play, but if you do it right, his 340 points cost will be repaid in no time.

Vandus Hammerhand: Lord-Celestant of the Hammerhands, the first chamber of the Hammers of Sigmar. He's Sigmar's favorite Stormcast, and it shows. On the tabletop he has a brutal command ability, granting all Hammers of Sigmar units within 12 inches an extra attack. His tempestos hammer, Heldensen, deals 3 wounds rather than D3 and his dracoth Calanax has 4 attacks rather than 3. He automatically grants battleshock immunity to all Hammers of Sigmar units within 24 inches.

Neave Blacktalon: The new Stormcast Eternals Hero Hunter. 7 Attacks that generate more attacks on any hit roll of 6. Her axes and pistol go from D1 to D2 if you target an enemy HERO. She can run and shoot in the same turn. Her best ability is "Windrider" - When a friendly Stormcast Eternal unit within 6" uses their Ride the Winds Aetheric ability, Neave Blacktalon can follow in their wake; she can immediately move in the same manner up to the distance moved by the unit she is following, provided that she ends this move within 6" of them and more than 3" from any enemy models. If she moves in this way, Neave Blacktalon may not run or charge in that turn. Neave Blacktalon is taken from the Hammers of Sigmar Stormhost and always wears their colors in battle.

Gavriel Sureheart: Lord-Celestant and yet another member of the Hammers of Sigmar. Despite this, he can be used with any Stormhost and his +3 to charge rolls within 9" of him applies to all Stormcast Eternals. He trades the Lord Celestant's regular weapons with 2 damage -1 rend sword with 3 attacks and a Thundershield.

Leaders

Celestant

Lord-Celestant: A strong hero on foot that can do an average of 1.75 mortal wounds in the shooting phase and 1,77 damage at -1 rend + 0,66 damages in the melee phase (more if he charges). when he is within 3" of an enemy he can use command ability to give nearby Stormcast Eternals units(including himself) a +1 to hit during the combat phase. At first, he seems to lose out to his brother on the Dracoth, but in the end, you're exchanging personal killing power against the powerful support that might end up being worth more than the hilariously unreliable breath attack of the Dracoth. Make sure you surround him with lots of melee units and keep him alive. He's harder to use than the mounted version, but with careful positioning, he'll be more effective while taking up fewer Wounds. If you want to get powerful, get his Command Ability on some Retributors so that they activate Blasted to Ashes on a 5+ instead, making for a potentially game-breaking combo.
- Blast to ashes is on an unmodified 6 now, so this guy doesn't buff rets nearly as much.

Lord-Celestant on Dracoth: A guy in pompous golden armor and a big cloak who can be equipped with a Dracothian Guard weapon and rides a dragon on lightning. Couldn't be more Power Metal if he tried. He's very killy in close combat and his command ability grants a huge bubble in which Stormcast Eternals don't have to take Battleshock. His ranged attack is potentially devastating, but only if the enemy was stupid enough to bunch up all his important stuff and you get very lucky. With a 50% chance to deal damage, it's nice to have, but you shouldn't rely on it. Due to being mounted, he moves at a fast pace and has 7 wounds as opposed to the "general" hero base of 5. This guy is hard hitting, fast and durable meaning you want him up in the front line where he can lead the charge and give everyone the benefit of his aura.
- the Celestant Weapon choice:
  - A glaive that deals more damage on charges,
  - A Hammer that deals Mortal Wounds and stops enemy Pile-ins on hit rolls of 6.
  - another Hammer that deals more attacks on charges
  - A Axe that that makes more attacks for each Nearby Stormcast unit cheering you on.

Lord-Celestant on Stardrake: aka Rage Made Manifest Hoo boy. Recently received a cost reduction from 600 points down to 560. Looking at the stat-wheel, this guy compares quite well to Nagash, with sixteen wounds at a 3+ save and a high flying Move. Melee-wise, the Drake looks lacking at first, having just about the same profile as a Vampire Lord, with four attacks at 3+/3+/-1/D3, which is a good profile, but not stellar for such a huge model. The Celestant on top adds to the beastie by wielding either the same Hammer you're used to from the starter set Celestant or a Sword with much worse To Wound rolls (4+ instead of 2+) but which makes 3 To Wound rolls instead of 1 if you rolled a 6+ To Hit, making him nice and blendy and as usual, both profiles get more attacks if you charge. He also bears a Shield, which does the same thing you're used to and can cause Mortal Wounds on the guys who punch your Celestant. And then you see why the Drake looks so lacking in melee: At range, he can either barf lightning, which works like a Grey Seer's unique spell, rolling as many D6 as the enemy unit has models and every 6 deals a Mortal Wound or he can instead shoot comets, which have infinite range and hit D6 units for D3 Mortal Wounds, then before combat, he can just flat-out eat up to 3 enemy models, with higher chances to succeed if their Wound-stat is low and after combat, he swings his tail, which deals Mortal Wounds and is more accurate against larger units. His command ability grants all Drakes and Dracoths in your army reroll To Wound with their Claws, Jaws et cetera, including the Celestant's mount. And he can also adjust casting rolls for all Wizards around him by +/-1. Simply put, this guy is not an auto-win button, and his Command Ability is somewhat lackluster, but he raises holy hell by having a huge threat bubble and crapping out an enormous amount of Mortal Wounds all over the field.

Arcanum

Lord-Arcanum: A wizard and Leader of the Sacrosanct Chamber and has many abilities. Ok in a fight. When surrounded he can Break Spirit Flasks to deal Mortal wounds to everyone around him including himself. Once per Turn, he can heal a recently slain Stormcast model (that is not himself) back to 1 wound allowing him to hold the line longer or crawl back to the nearest Cleric. For spells, he can upgrade his Arcane Bolt back to its original d3 Mortal wounds and d6 on a casting of 10+. His Unique Spell while on foot is Thunderclap which subtracts 1 from hit rolls of a single enemy unit's attacks.

Lord-Arcanum on Gryph-Charger: Comes from the Soul Wars Box. Like other Gryph-Charger, his movement increased to 12", Gaining 3/+3/+3/-2/D1 Beak & Claws attack that inflicts a Mortal wound on a natural hit 6. It also gains the ability to Ride the winds Aetheric which lets it make a 6D6" As if it could fly but it can't charge that turn. It has a different Unique spell that Heals D3 wounds on a Stormcast Model and D6 instead on a cast of +8, this spell can make him good friends with Dracoths. His Command Ability allows a Sacrosanct Evocators to Auto-Cast Empower or allows Castigators and Sequitors to use both options of their Aetheric Channelling

Lord-Arcanum on Celestial Dracoline: Similar to the Gryph-Charger States but has one less in rend, but makes up for it by increasing its Claws damage to d3 on Charges. Dracolines also subtract 1 from enemy Bravery. Its unique spell creates a 12" line that inflicts a Mortal wound to an enemy unit on a 5+ for each of its model that falls under the line. its unique Command Ability Gives +1 attack to the Claw weapons of nearby Evocators mounted on Dracoline.

Lord-Arcanum on Tauralon:

Other Wizards

Lord Exorcist: A Wizard that Specializes in Close Quarters Exorcising. He has the same stats and weapon Profile as the Lord-Arcanum. During the Shooting Phase, he Deals a mortal wound to all Daemons and Nighthaunts within 6" on a 4+. His Unique spell Roll a dice For each Enemy within 6". If (d6 + units' Bravery < 10 ) than that unit is dealt d3 Mortal wounds if the said unit is a Deamon or Nighthaunt their affective Bravery is Halved(rounded up) for the purposes of this spell.

Knight-Incantor: A Stormcast wizard. She has a decent body and an ok wizard. On her Possession, she has a dispell scroll to auto stop an endless spell or Nagash from wrecking you for the moment. She also has explosive Flasks she can brake once per game to create an explosion that can that can inflict up to 3 mortal wounds to nearby units (including to herself), upgrading to d3s if the unit has 10 or more models. the best use of your Hero gets too in the thick of things, taking out the enemy in a blaze of glory or clearing a path so the paramedics can patch her up. Finally, Her unique spell creates a Storm that inflicts a mortal wound and gives -1 to Charge and Run of all enemies within 18".

Priest

Lord-Relictor: Your foot-slogging cleric with a wicked skull helm. He can control the storms, meaning he can choose to either heal a friendly model for D3 wounds (best used on other Heroes), or to lose what is basically Arcane Bolt without a casting roll on an enemy, with an excellent bonus that anyone hit also takes a -1 To Hit-penalty in the following turn. You will also choose 1 of the 6 prayers (which can be cast each turn in addition to one of the 2 just described). While no slouch in combat, he's nowhere near as good as a Lord-Celestant; of course, this isn't why you take him. The best use for him is in the "secondary" line, using his healing buff to keep your men in fighting shape and lending a hand with the lightning storm anywhere they're struggling. Heroes and paladins of all types will find him a very good "best bud." The comparison between him and the Lord-Celestant is easily explained: the Celestant is the fighter of the party while the Relictor is the ~~chaplain~~ cleric. Remember that the healing storm can't actually bring things back to life, it only heals stuff that's still alive. Frankly, the guy is awesome. The advent of Prayers gives him two options to influence the game in the Hero Phase, neither of which can be unbound. Favorite combo - "the FUCK YOU button": Give him the prayer Divine Light and then use his Lightning in enemy mode. With luck you'll have a unit that's taken D3 wounds, is -1 to hit, and your whole army gets to re-roll ones against them. All for the cost of two Gryph-hounds! Bargain!

Lord-Veritant: Another Priest, Has an extra wound compared to standard heroes just like the Castellant, and gets a pretty good melee profile (4 attacks at 3/3/-1, 2 damage each). Again, like the Castellant, he gets a Free pet gryph hound (see Fast Movers below). This guy is a wizard killer. He can unbind one spell in the same way as a wizard, and has a 50/50 chance of doing D3 mortal wounds to an enemy wizard within 7". Which isn't a spell so there is no way for the enemy to stop it. Also if the gryph hound is within 6" of the enemy wizard, you get +3 to your unbinding roll. The gryph hound is no slouch in combat either, doubling its attacks as long as the enemy is within 3" of the Veritant. Last but not least he is a priest, so don't forget to throw some extra prayers on him. His role is more of an assassin than the Relictors more support role, choose accordingly for him when deciding on prayers.

Others

Drakesworn Templar: If you like your Drake better without a meh Command Ability. Like Paladins, Dracoths and Dracoth Celestants, the Templar gets the obligatory choice of your three favorite weapons, and again all of them do different things: The Axe gets 6 swings at 1 damage and has a chance of drastically worsening enemy Pile-in moves, great to keep your Templar safe from small gribbles. The Hammer is more or less a Retributor's hammer but with damage 3, but with the extra goodness of 6+s To Hit making 2 To Wound rolls instead of 1. This can ruin a monster's day all on its own. The Lance also gets you a nice effect: If you roll a 6+ To Hit against a monster with it, you instantly deal D6 Mortal Wounds. Be aware that D6 Mortal Wounds can potentially be worse than your normal damage of 2, though. Again, the Hammer is the more balanced choice, right between Monster killer and tarpit cleaner, but it's not as specialized as the other two; pick the one you think is most appropriate, the Drake will probably do most of the work on its own anyway. He gives a +/- of 1 to Nearby Wizards. He also has a bow which pretty much lights the enemy up with phosphorus, granting +1 To Hit for Dracothian Guard in the combat phase. Use this with Concussors for best effect.

Lord-Aquilor: The post given to the leader of the Vanguard Auxiliary Chambers, aka the Stormcast Eternal Rangers. He's got decent combat stats and some ranged capability, and also comes with both the "flanking" ability of Vanguard-Hunters and the "jump" of the Vanguard-Palladors (not both at the same time, though). Nice and all, but his real meat comes with his Command Ability: it's the same flanking thing of the Vanguard-Hunters, but for him AND a unit of either Vanguard-Hunters, Vanguard-Palladors, Vanguard-Raptors or Aetherwings that are within 24" of him. The possibilities are endless: set up an alpha strike with Vanguard-Palladors, save a unit in peril, grab TWO objectives, make Vanguard-Raptors infuriatingly immortal, controlling the flow of the battle, or mess with your opponents' plans (and head). But most of all, he's loads of fun: teleporting every turn lets you do some strange things and have some strange battles, what with being unpredictable and keeping your opponent guessing. Particularly good if you're going for a hit-and-run-and-shoot-you-to-death Vanguard Auxiliary Chamber army.

Lord-Castellant: 1 wound more than the standard hero on foot, this hero is slightly better than Lord-Celestant in the combat phase (2,66 damages at -1 rend and 2" range). His lantern's ability inflicts 1 mortal wound to a Chaos unit or an average of 1,5 mortal wounds to a Chaos daemon unit. If there aren't any such foes around, it can make Stormcast Eternals units more resistant and occasionally heal them. As above, the Celestant may be the fighter, the Relictor is probably the cleric and the Castellant is definitely the paladin. He's at home up front where the Celestant could be (though the Castellant lacks any command ability of his own), but equally at home in the secondary line warding your Eternals with his lantern (wording means that you can gain and lose wounds at the same time while your units will have a majority 3+ save thanks to him) or even as a beastmaster if he fights with a bunch of gryph hounds in close proximity. His lantern's other ability is very nice if a little circumstantial, auto sniping a Chaos Marauder equivalent or letting him damage daemons something fierce without even trying. Finishing off a Chaos hero who's down to his last wound is fun. All in all, he's a flexible choice. He's good at buffing up units that are going to be taking some saves ensuring you've got enough men to hold on that little bit longer. Extra rage points when all your opponents attack simply heal a wound back on your Liberator squad.
- Comes with a free Gryph-hound when he is set-up.

LORD-ORDINATOR: A mustachioed non-Engineer that buffs Warmachines. add 1 to hit rolls to War Machines whole within 6" and has a Command ability ~~to let a War Machine fire twice.~~

Knight-Azyros: Your flying support Hero. Has the same average melee profile as the Relictor, but gets 3 special rules to make up for it. One is huge in concert with the Thunderstrike Brotherhood, providing a homing beacon that lets you ignore the 9"-from-the-enemy restriction so long as your deep strikers hug the Azyros. The next let any unit re-roll 1s To Hit against enemies if their target is close to the Azyros and finally he can deal a bunch of Mortal Wounds to all enemy units within 8" once per game. If you find a situation where this is useful, go for it. Otherwise, the guy isn't a powerhouse, but he doesn't want to be. If you want him, simply tweak your army a bit to accommodate him. Prosecutors with Javelins profit a lot from his buff, and a Thunderstrike Brotherhood might utterly annihilate opponents thanks to him. Keep in mind that Judicators already reroll 1s to hit against Chaos, so he's better for supporting Prosecutors in general or Judicators against any other army.

Knight-Venator: Your flying shooty Hero. Has a whole bunch of good shots at a ridiculously high 30" range, but is by far the worst Stormcast Hero in melee. He can also shoot a special arrow once per game that can either hurt a Monster real bad or murder the face off of a normal Hero with D6+3 Damage. Use his bullshit range to stay away from the enemy and laugh while you drop a ton of damage exactly where you need it each turn. Keep him away from the enemy unless you're feeling VERY desperate or hitting a target of opportunity, such as an artillery crew.

Knight-Heraldor: Your only Hero with a 4+ save. In melee, his profile is slightly worse than the Relictor and the Azyros. Why do you use him? Because he's got a big, honking Trumpet. With it, he allows a Stormcast unit to Retreat, Run and Charge during the same turn, AND cause damage to opponents huddled up in a terrain piece. Pick a Chaos Dreadhold and cackle ~~maniacally~~ righteously. Remember his horn doesn't specify that enemy units get hit, so pick your targets wisely or else that Retributor squad might find itself a man short right before a charge.

Knight-Vexillor: Your Standard Bearer. In melee, he's a Hammer-Liberator with twice the attacks, and he can have a pick of two banners. No matter which you pick, Stormcast Eternals around him get to reroll charge rolls. Also, the banners have these effects: The Meteoric Standard grants you a one-shot version of the Prime's Cometstrike Scepter, which means a big boom. The Pennant of the Stormbringer, on the other hand, lets you pick up a Stormcast unit and then redeploy it anywhere so long as you stay 9" away from enemies, sadly no longer guaranteeing a charge or dropping mortal wounds on nearby enemies. No Longer the go-to option it was, but still potentially very useful. This guy is the polar opposite of the Lord-Castellant; he's slow and hard to use, but the potential payout is far greater if you find creative ways to employ him.

Knight-Questor: (From Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower) Well IF you want to field him, be our guest. The Questor is very self-sufficient, meaning he's not dependent on any buffs but doesn't dish any out either. He tries to be a duelist, but in the end, his mediocre combat potential holds him back. On the other hand, he never ever dies thanks to his re-rollable 3+ Save. He's five Wounds that will always pull their weight but will never bring you in more than you paid for him.

Errant-Questor: Warhammer World exclusive, so expect to pay inflated eBay prices if you can't get there yourself or ask a friend. Similar profile to the Knight-Questor except instead of a rerollable save, he ignores Rend. This might be preferable when facing armies that pile it on. At setup he can take one of three oaths; the first one lets him take wounds for a nominated Stormcast Hero as long as he's within 3", like an automatic Look Out Sir. The second lets you name a Hero in the enemy army, which gives the Errant free rerolls to hit and to wound versus that guy. The final and arguably best oath gets you an extra attack, cumulatively, for every 10 wounds you inflict - and with a base of three attacks at 3+/3+/-1 doing D3 damage each, that isn't too hard. He also rerolls all failed charge rolls, no catch. All in all a pretty strong character; team him up with a Celestant on foot and Castellant for your own little Stormcast Adventuring Party.

Knight-Zephyros: a Generic Neave Blacktalon. 6 Attacks that generate more attacks on any hit roll of 6. She can run and shoot in the same turn. Her best ability is "Windrider" - When a friendly Stormcast Eternal unit within 6" uses their Ride the Winds Aetheric ability, ~~Neave Blacktalon~~ Knight-Zephyros can follow in their wake; she can immediately move in the same manner up to the distance moved by the unit she is following, provided that she ends this move within 6" of them and more than 3" from any enemy models. If she moves in this way, ~~Neave Blacktalon~~ Knight-Zephyros may not run or charge in that turn.

Battleline

Liberators: Your basic melee troops, strong with average durability (4+ and 2 wounds). Starting with 5 burly men for 100 points and maxing out at a discounted 520 points for 30 (only if you take the maximum squad size). Sigmar tweaked those to be used against the strongest Chaos enemies, so always go for the biggest model on the field. Now let's talk a little about weapon options because you can have four different flavors of Liberators. If you want to arm them with a weapon and shield, it doesn't matter which weapon, as the math is the same (0,66 damage per model and you can reroll save rolls of 1 improving them from 50% to 58%) so long as there are no buffs and other special rules to change the odds. Really though, the differences between Sword and Hammer are so marginal you won't really see them; just remember that your Liberators get a lot better at punching if you heap on the buffs, going from 0,66 Wounds up to 1,29 Wounds per model if you do it juuust right. Also, recent update to how paired-weapons work. Now instead of simply rerolling one's to hit an unmodified roll of 6 to hit causes two hits on the target instead of one. Which might actually make it worth checking out for once as now you can with the right lucky rolls acutally have more attacks hit the enemy than what you originally started with. Mind you you will lose the re-roll save bonus if you do this, but than again the new mystic shield spell does the exact same thing (finally giving a reason for you to cast it) making them just flat out better than the weapon and shield variant. Another welcome edition was their bravery was finally upped to 7 instead of 6 (which can be buffed to 8 with Hammers of Sigmar) making morale less scary for these guys.
- Always choose to add the special weapon (the same efficiency again between the two, but doubled compared to the normal weapons and with a -1 rend). But even with all this, don't start to believe that your Liberators are powerful melee units, as a lot of stuff will outclass them on a Wound-to-Damage basis. What they can do is outlast most of those. Their job is to break the charge, hold objectives and keep your heroes safe.
  - Regarding the shields. With the changes to paired weapons now granting additional hits on unmodified rolls of 6 means there is now a legitimate reason to not want to go with the shields. You will lose the re-rolling 1's for saves but with potential extra damage. With the changes to mystic shield and other buffs from your new mages it is entirely possible to make them just as survivable (for instance a paired weapon squad with mystic shield is just as durable as a shield squad but better in combat. Though spells are never guaranteed and their is only a chance at additional hits as you need 6's unmodified. Though with a big enough squad you can increase your chances of 6 with enough attacks. If you are taking smaller squads its probably better to stick with the shields, but in larger groups the paired weapons may see more viability, especially with a mystic shield on them.
- Thanks to Generals Handbook 2017 you can now take Libs in units of 30 with an 80 point discount.

Judicators: Your basic ranged troops, same stats as the Liberators. They can reroll hit rolls of 1 against Chaos in the shooting phase. If you arm them with Skybolt Bow, you can do 0,44 damage per model with -1 rend at 24". With a Boltstorm Crossbow, you can do 0,66 damage per model with at 12" and if you don't move this number goes up to 0,99 damage per model. As with Liberators, always add the special weapon (1,54 damages per model with -1 rend at 24" for the Shockbolt Bow, 2 mortal wounds with the Thunderbolt Crossbow if it hits; the larger the target unit, the better your chances. It has a 1 in 3 chance of hitting a lone monster, so it isn't quite impossible to land a hit if there aren't any blobs of infantry around to blow up). In melee you do an average of 0,33 damage, the bare minimum to reply in combat, which is where these guys don't want to be. When it comes to weapon choice, different tactics apply. Bows will see you getting a better payoff in the long run; let them hang back and pincushion the enemy's units and they'll do fine. However, if you manage to set up the triple shots for the crossbows, you're going to darken the sky with bolts and chortle heartily at all the saves your opponent is forced to take. Spread your Liberators wide, so they act as a net to trap the enemy, then put Judicators behind them to tear up anyone foolish enough to attack you. This way your crossbowmen will start where they're most needed, and you needn't go to any extra effort to set them up.

Sequitors: Battleline if LORD-ARCANUM is your General. All in all, Sequitors are upgraded Liberators: firstly, Sequitors' mauls have a To Hit value of 3+ against all targets, while the Liberators' hammers only have said advantage against beefy enemies. In addition, they can also take a sword instead that only wounds on 4's, but they get three attacks each; These upgrades already sound sweet, but wait until you hear the second one: at the beginning of every combat phase, the unit can choose to be more offensive, rerolling all failed To Hit rolls, or more defensive, rerolling all failed Save rolls. Combining the upgraded shields with a Lord-Castellant or with your trusty Staunch Defender makes them one of the toughest battleline in the game, both stronger and tankier than regular Liberators. 2 in 5 models in the unit can take a Stormsmite Greatmace, in addition to that the Sequitor-Prime can have a Greatmace too. This makes 3 Greatmaces (3+/3+/-1/2) per Unit. You'll have to give up the mortal wound on 4+ in combat, which the Prime is able to dish out with his redemption cache when he is not holding that big hammer. In addition, Greatmaces score d3 hits to Daemons or Nighthaunts on a Hit roll of 6+. These upgrades are not free, as Sequitors are slightly more expensive than Liberators, and on another note you can't take Sequitors in as big a squad as Liberators (max 18 in comparison to the Liberators 30), but this is more than compensated by the Sequitors inherent effectiveness. They are a great option as a battleline alternative, and a fundamental one in a magic-focused Stormcast Eternals army.
- Sequitors vs Liberators: This is going to be a tough one going forward as both units have uses to bring. Liberators have gotten some upgrades to their bravery and weapon options that ups their game in comparison to Sequitors a bit, though Sequitors are still obviously better per model. The Sequitors are more effective in combat and on the defense than Liberators, but are more expensive and come in smaller unit sizes. And since you can fit more models into Liberator squads with the potential of their new paired-weapons to generate more attacks they can potentially put out a lot more attacks, but less effective ones. A good option could be to use both. Use Liberators more defensively, using their greater numbers and reasonable combat abilities as objective grabbers and charge breakers, while deepstriking in the Sequitor units into the enemy lines as assualt units. Really both have their uses and it is up to the player on what they want to do with both.

Vanguard-Hunters: Battleline if LORD-AQUILOR is your General. They are armed with either a sabre or handaxe (which, stat-wise, have the same relationship as the hammer vs. sword on your Liberators) and all carry a Boltstorm Pistol, making them an odd Jack-Of-All-Trades unit. The Pistol has only a 9" range, but they do kick out two shots each. These guys have the nifty trick of being able to run and shoot in the same turn. Further, one in 5 Vanguard-Hunters can be made to carry an 'Astral Compass', which affords an ability similar to 40k's outflank (but better!). Rather than deploying normally with Scions of The Storm, on the first turn during your movement phases, you can just walk them on from any table edge - so long as you are within 6" of that edge, and more than 7" from enemy models. Meaning it's more probable than not you can make a charge against the thing you just shoot, making them pretty good at alpha strike/beheading first turn offensives.
- Coming in at more than Liberators and without the option to take that all-important Sigmarite shield, Vanguard-Hunters are notably more squishy than their brethren. Thier lack of 'special' weapon makes them the only battleline choice that doesn't have something a little more choppy to fall back on (but between ranged and melee attacks they make 4 each, while Liberators make only 2). That being said, the application of a well-timed Astral Compass can really swing things in your favor.

Slow Movers

Castigators: cheaper Judicators with a Smaller unit size and a Skybolt Bow with less range. Like the Sequitors, Castigators have an ability that allows you to choose between 2 different upgrades: during the shooting phase, you can choose to Re-roll 1s to hit or increase their rend by 1. You could also benefit from both by having a Lord-Arcanum use its command ability. Also has d3 exploding hits on 6+ against Daemons and Nighthaunts.

Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows: Snipers with magical giant crossbows that shoot thunders. They have 24" range, or 30" if they don't move; their weapons are very powerful but only shoot once each turn, but with a 6 to hit they instead deal 2 mortal wounds. These are the guys you want for killing commanders/wizards/support heroes/warmachines or just elite units that are highly armored and powerful but not very numerous. Just find them some cover and/or high ground and start head shooting; some screening units, particularly Aetherwings, are also welcome. They can also hold pretty well if some fast melee unit catches to them, because they've got the basic Liberator stat line (but only 1 melee attack and Bravery 7), but don't expect them to survive for very long and send them some support asap. Using a Lord Aquilor to teleport them everytime the enemy is gonna catch them will give your opponent repeated rage episodes and/or seizures, which are always fun things to see.

Vanguard-Raptors with Hurricane Crossbows: "These magical lightning-shooting crossbows my guys have are nice and all", thought Sigmar one day, "but I can do even better". Then he gave them magical lightning-shooting machine guns. So, now they only have 18" range, but make 6 attacks, or fucking 9 if they don't move. Oh, and if they direct all their attacks against the same unit, it gets -2 to their next charge. Support them with some Aetherwings or something that can tarpit the enemy well (like Liberators), and even saints will start flipping tables: if all goes well, they'll never be in melee, while still peppering thing with lots of shots. Use terrain to your advantage, too. They're excellent against hordes with low saves, slow units, or units with good saves but low numbers (with enough paper cuts, even the mightiest armor will be breached). Be aware of units with both decent numbers and armor, tough, they will survive, reach you and kick your sorry ass. If you're still not convinced, because of their low range and the high cost and all, use a Lord Aquilor to just go, Poof, whenever the enemy is going to reach you. Guaranteed to break even the strongest, years-long, "you-saved-my-life-and-married-my-sister" friendships.

Celestar Ballista: Did someone want Quad Heavy Bolters in AOS? Well here you go- The Mustash man now doesn't have to import his guns. The Ballista has 2 firing modes, a 36" shot that hit on 3+ and 4 18" shots that hit on 5+. the best thing about the Ballista is that each successful hit turns into d6 hits.

Paladins

All the paladins have the same basic profile, swapping an inch of movement for an extra wound and point of bravery over their Liberator brethren. All Paladins can alternatively get Starsoul Mace that automatically inflicts D3 mortal wounds (2 in every 5 models). (Evocators don't have Starsoul Maces or the paladins Keyword, but are included Here because of how Paladins-like they are)

Retributors: It's Hammertime! Retributors are the jack of all trades when it comes to Paladins. You've also got a minimum squad size of 3 rather than 5~~, making them easier to cram into your army if you're using a wound cap~~ for open and narrative games, you still have to use 5 on matched games. With each of them getting two attacks at 3+/3+, they'll pile on the saves your opponent has to take, and 2 damage/Rend -1 your opponent will sorely regret every save he fails. While their special ability isn't as gimmicky as the others', it's the most reliable: with every six to hit, they auto deal 2 mortal wounds as they literally blast their unfortunate foes to ash. Probably the best and most consistent all-around choice out of the paladins, there's not much in the game that'll enjoy being in combat with these guys. If you have the Celestant on foot, let your Retributors hug him, because while his bonus to Hit is great for Liberators, it's absolute murder with Retributors as they now hit on 2+ and each roll of 5+ immediately inflicts mortal wounds. It only activates on unmodified rolls of 6 now, no more 5+ mortal wounds.

Decimators: These guys have an ax to grind. They don't like horde infantry, and horde infantry doesn't like them. With a 2" range per guy, you want these men in the thick of the fight, as deep in an enemy unit as possible. Why you ask? Because each Decimator gets one attack for every enemy model within that 2" and at 3+/3+/-1/1 they'll certainly put a combine harvester to shame. Furthermore, enemies have to add 2 to Battleshock tests when within 6" of a Decimator, so even more of your opponent's models will decide to call it a day after seeing their buddies get blendered. The wording of this rule also means that Daemon infantry hates their guts, as their standard can't bring back lost models in close proximity to Decimators. They're far weaker to monsters or characters since they will generally only get 1 attack per guy. You could potentially add a Starsoul Mace to deal with that, but a previous anon covered this merit of this idea quite nicely. You're trading a bucketload of attacks against horde infantry for a few guaranteed knocks against a monster you shouldn't have engaged with Decimators in the first place.

Protectors: Guan Yu would be proud. Protectors come with Big Fuckoff Glaives and are almost as blendy as the Decimators with a whopping 3 attacks each. And thanks to their 3" reach, they can quite easily fight over the top of any other troops you want to put them with. These guys have pretty decent abilities too, deflecting a portion of shooting that is fired either at them or at another unit within 6 inches of them. Despite these fun abilities, though, they're most at home cutting down monstrous creatures. A change up with the latest edition where before they they needed 6's to wound to trigger their spears they now only need 6 to hit unmodified on a monster deal a cool D6 damage characteristic instead of 1 for that attack. Much cleaner than before and potentially cutting down even dragons with ease. Can also reach over a front rank to shank any dickheads who thought they were safe in the back with their 2" weapons. And never ever forget that, potentially, even a single Protector can murder the Glottkin at full wounds. Sure, the chances are about as high as winning the lottery, but the fact that it's even possible puts them head and shoulders over a lot of your other choices.

Evocators: A cabal of Magical Paladins (No Paladin Keyword). They have a strong melee, reroll saves of 1 in the Shooting phase and can deal mortal wounds to a nearby unit after it attacks. As long as there are at least 2 models in the unit, it acts like a wizard but it can only cast its unique spell Empower which re-roll wound rolls for a Sacrosanct(aka units released during Soul wars) and Redeemer units (Aka only Liberators and Sequitors so far). Absolutely ridiculous against armored models since their rule only requires the unit to be within 3" not the models. You will then roll 2 dice for each model in the evocator unit and on a 4+ do a mortal wound. The 'this unit' in the rules refers to the evocators.

Fast Movers

Prosecutors with Celestial Hammers: With the ability to fly 12", these guys are basically assault marines. The hammers shoot 18" at 4+/4+. This goes up to a 3+/3+ when you close to face-smashing range, which won't be hard considering that they can charge 3D6; never forget that, especially when you are setting them up via Lightning Strike, as it grants them a significantly better chance of making that 10" charge. These guys will lend your army some much-needed mobility. Soften up a big enemy unit for a charge, pick off wizards and war machines, or zoom on to a much-needed objective. For every one in three, one can take a special weapon: Either the Grandblade or Grandhammer you were already used to, or 1" range version of the Decimators' greataxe. The main advantage of these is that, with one for every three Prosecutors, you get enough special weapons to really change the unit's role. With a Grandaxe or two, they can help you clear tarpits while not being as useless against single targets as an actual unit of Decimators, for example. The other two can add a good bit of punch, but do note that neither have a ranged profile. Also note that Sword and Hammer can also be used by the Prime, getting more mileage out of the better profile unless you are playing with 9 models per unit, you can't take plenty multiples from the same weapon on a minimum sized-squad, refer to the most recent FAQ; you can use weapons according to the profile and the words "and" and "or".

Prosecutors with Stormcall Javelins: Get a completely exclusive Warscroll for some arbitrary reason. Increased in cost from 80 to 100 for three winged armored Spartans with Spear and Shields. Surprisingly poor in melee but pretty damn good at range, they get only 1 attack at 4+/4+/-/1 in melee, but also an 18" shot at 3+/3+/-/1, which goes up to 2 damage at ranges over 9". One in three can instead get a Stormsurge Trident so you can also rock freaking Poseidon while you're at it. The Trident is pretty much what you're used to from the Stormcasts, gaining -1 Rend and 2 damage both in melee and shooting. Their Prime also shoots twice, so stick (hehe) him with the Trident. And to top it off, they get some nice Sigmarite Shields for rerolls of 1s on saves. Never let these guys anywhere NEAR the enemy. Because their damage goes up to 2 outside of 9", they're going to do roughly 3.4 wounds per turn whether you stay back for the bonus or charge in to shoot and stab at the same time. One of those options keeps them almost entirely out of harm's way, so it shouldn't be a difficult decision. If you need some burst damage, throw your javelins at 10" and then use your 3D6" to make that charge.

Aetherwings: ~~Attack birds~~ Defense birds. Lovely plumage. At about 8 pts per wound for 4+/4+/-/1 it's a waste to use them to attack anything. They will kill nothing and promptly die due to "-" armor. Now look at their ability: if they are hanging out close to their masters Vanguard-Raptors, they can move in response to opponent declaring a charge on Raptors. These are designed to be cheap chaff to protect your Vanguard-Raptors with their atrocious melee and can use their 12" movement to swoop about and control objectives when necessary.

Gryph-hounds: If you have a Lord-Castellant you must have one of this unit next to him. His 1,33 damages are a better wounds/damages ratio than liberators and at the same time with a bit of luck you can avoid being hit back with the Darting Attacks ability (which is always good since it has no save). His warning cry ability is useful, but you must remember to deploy this unit (and the Lord-Castellant) exactly in the middle of your army. with a bunch of these circling around or at least close to the castellant, you can have a fairly decent beastmaster unit, doubling up on their attacks then darting off.

Evocators on Celestial Dracolines: Evocators Riding Dracolines granting them 2 more wounds and a 12" movement. In addition to its Evocator ability, the Dracolines give -1 Bravery to nearby enemies and increase their claw damage to d3s on a charge.

Vanguard-Palladors: Gryph riders - your new fast cavalry with either javelins or axes. Their mounts are surprisingly powerful for skinny demi-gryphs, having 5 Wounds and a 4+ Save, and -2 Rend mortal-wound-causing attacks, meaning they eat other armies' heavy cavalry for breakfast. So do not think of them as cheap cavalry, in fact, they're pretty expensive and elite, use gryph hounds/aetherwings for that. They got a good 12" Move, but most of the time you'll just use their "jump" ability: instead of both moving and running/charging, you can make them move 6D6 inches (so an average 21 inches) as if they could fly. And you can shoot that turn, too! Remember you cannot charge that turn, so this is only for positioning them in strategic places or make them reach things faster. Fast and all-purpose, they're a simple but excellent unit.

Dracothian Guard

Your Elite Dragon Riders. In Pitched Battles, they come in units of at least 2 and cost more than 200 points. Each unit has a Breath attack that deals Mortal Wounds and Claws and Fangs that Rip though infantry, increasing thier damage to d6 on wound rolls of 6+.

Concussors: Retributors +1 on dragons. As with the Retributors, Concussors are the jacks of all trades. They can shoot D3 Mortal Wounds with their Storm Breath (though you need to hit on 4+ before) per model, have the exact same Dracoth melee as the Celestant and swing a big hammer. This hammer is similar to the one Retributors have, but better in several ways. They get three swings and a 6+ To Hit doesn't just cause 2 mortal wounds, but causes 1 mortal wound, then you get to keep rolling To Wound for even more damage, and then the target unit can't pile in. They also have the same reroll-saves-of-1 shields you already know, but on a 3+ frame to really make them count. when Positioning and picking units to strike, being potentially denying a pile in can be the difference between being massacred by a hoard or watching them flay their arms a nothing.
Desolators: A "fuck you" to everyone at the table including the guy who bought them. Desolators are at first glance slightly worse than Concussors, with worse To Hit rolls and mostly the same otherwise, then you read their special rule, which increases their attacks the bigger the unit is, going from 3 attacks at 3 or fewer models up to 6 attacks with 6 or more models. Yes, GW expects you to buy four boxes of these just to reliably keep their bonus. Other than that, Desolators are plenty terrifying in small numbers already, but if you don't want to go the extra mile and field 7 or 8 of them, just use Concussors and have done.

Fulminators: YES. Cavalry with actual charge weapons. No, they're not spears, they're glaives, like the ones the Protectors get, but cooler. Same stats but shorter range, but here's where it gets interesting: They don't give a To Hit penalty to enemy shooters, they give you +1 to your saves against shooters, which stacks with the shields for rerollable 2+ saves against shooting. The glaives also don't get bonus damage against monsters, their damage just climbs from 1 to 3 in the turn they charge. Their breath attack is also optimized for melee, as you get 3 shots at a low range that deal double damage (2 instead of 1) if you shoot them at melee range. These are your linebreakers. They're pointless to shoot at with anything less than War Machines and raise holy hell if they make the charge. However, they are a bit less intimidating than Concussors if they don't charge. Also, remember that tidbit above about a Protector being able to kill the Glottkin at full wounds? Well, a single Fulminator can potentially murder Archaon and kill a Mortarch as a chaser. Certainly, it's less likely than being struck by lightning, but think who you're playing.

Tempestors: The odd one out. Recently got a price cut from 240 to 220 points. These guys want to be shooty, with a 4-shot crossbow. Unfortunately, they have the same optimized-for-melee breath weapon the Fulminators get and are even worse in melee than a Fulminator without charge bonus (which isn't to say they're useless in melee, just not amazing). The real meat is this: If the entire unit directs all its shooting at the same enemy unit, they take a To Hit penalty until your next Hero Phase. Given that "the entire unit" may well be just 1 Tempestor, this can fuck with your opponent really well. Just don't expect them to shoot something dead or out-damage the other variants. They're also just as tough with 3+ save plus shield.

Battalions

Note: Most battalions have seen hefty cost increases in the General's Handbook 2017 which may limit their usefulness in smaller Matched Play games but have gone down with. General's Handbook 2018 Always weigh the value of the bonus rules, Traits, Command points and artifacts against adding an additional unit to your army. Most battalions now clock in around 150-200 points, which is roughly the average base cost of most Stormcast units.

In the 2018 update almost all battalions have been nerfed and a bunch of the cross chamber ones are missing.