SYLVANETH: Battletome review & lists

Welcome to a new Age of Sigmar review, focussing on the new Sylvaneth battletome (June'22). Together with my guests, Ryan and Nick, we share our insights and knowledge about everyone's favourite tree-huggers.
Interested in different strategy guides or do you want to learn more about Age of Sigmar? Let us know in the comments! Please like, share and subscribe! It goes a long way in helping the channel grow.
Follow us on Discord and join the discussion: / discord
Images:
All images in this video are owned by Games Workshop.
Music:
Ebbs And Flows Preview by Kevin MacLeod
Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
License: filmmusic.io/standard-license

[@carlothomas9168]

Only halfway through but loving how much treerific detail you guys are going into 🌳⚒💚 Sylvaneth is definitely the first army I will start collecting.

[@strategoi]

Gotta

[@RTBurruss]

Thanks Carlo! Treerific indeed! Curious about what other armies you were looking at before deciding on Sylvaneth, and which build you're most called to play?

[@carlothomas9168]

​@@RTBurruss I love all the AOS armies but was looking seriously into Slaanesh and Gloomspite Gitz before, so it has changed a couple of times but I am 100% rooting for Sylvaneth now!! I am currently travelling the Spirit Paths through SE Asia at the moment and have been for the last year which is when my new found passion for Warhammer has grown, so haven't actually managed to grow an army yet and have just been getting my fill from watching loads of Mini Wargaming Battle Reports, soaking in the knowledge from content like yours and visiting the local wargaming shop in which ever city I am passing through - One of which The legendary Wargammer on the outskirts of Bangkok that I visited last week, which was the most amazing spot complete with a cafe, a huge shop an entire gaming floor upstairs kitted out with lazy boys for tired gamers that had been there for days and life-size Imperial knight and ultra marine bike outside. It was like the Asian Warhammer Mecca. Anyway they were all a super friendly bunch and let me play my first ever game of AOS with one of there Sylvaneth lists WITH THE NEW BOOK!!! It was AMAZING! Once I had seen the tree models in the flesh and actually played a real game with them there was no turning back, as soon as I get back home to England I will start my collection. In the meantime I will continue to clue myself up with tactics by watching your content and try and figure out my perfect list. Looking forward to sitting down and watching the endless spell vid you have released. Thanks again for the such treetailed content you guys are great!! 💚🌳🍃

[@RTBurruss]

@@carlothomas9168 Wow, that spot in Bangkok sounds amazing. Honestly, we almost never hear from the Asian Warhammer communities online (nor in the Worlds Teams Tournament), so I'm extra surprised that they've got such a cool scene going. If you took some pics, share them in the Discord! Also glad to hear you got to play your first game, and with the new book! As far as MWG battle reports are concerned, though they def have good production quality, they often get the rules wrong in-game, to the point that a lot of us gave up on their content awhile ago. I know a number of people that have moved onto Season of War, and maybe Jonas or Nick (though he's prob not on here) can chime in someday with what other channels they love watching. Not saying you shouldn't watch MWG, but just a friendly heads up! Thanks again for keeping up with the content! Really glad you're liking it!

[@jeanettegriffin1741]

"Lost but never forgotten..." So true.

[@jamesalexander222]

Enjoying your video series' so much, I love how much detail and thought each presenter puts in, I played two games at the weekend using the new GHB, it's mind blow much more fun the army is now.. I eagerly await the kurnoths' math hammer video! I need to know what to build my remaining two boxes as!

[@strategoi]

I love this comment, thank you so much. We do everything with a LOT of commitment, but we're not always sure how good we're doing it. Glad to read you enjoyed it and I'm sure Ryan'll be thrilled to see some enthusiasm for more MathHammer!

[@RTBurruss]

Thanks for the compliments, James! I guess I might have to let the Kurnoths skip ahead in line since that's such a popular topic right now!

[@Timbucktoo32]

@@RTBurruss do it

[@jakea3950]

Also to reap something means to gain something. Like the phrase "you reap what you sow". So gaining 3 inches means you gained something. Makes sense. A reaper is what you a thinking that's a noun while the other is a Verb.

[@strategoi]

Good points!

[@anthonykiousopoulos8872]

I really liked the Spell song strategy with the Treelord Ancient placing the AW in front of the opponents. It will do massive damage with Unleash swarms (Warsong or Branchwych) and will also create a massive 18" bubble , i.e. almost half the table that the opponent will find difficult to avoid without taking damage.

[@RTBurruss]

Hey Anthony! The real question is whether or not you'll actually have enough real-estate on the board to actually fit the tree, especially with the outside 3" from EVERYTHING constraint in the new rules. That said, I have a feeling the stonks are gonna be going up on the smallest tree of the kit for this very reason. Guess it's not the worst thing that I have four kits worth of trees...

[@davidgutierrez9597]

Winterleaf also works against nighthaunt because they can retreat and charge again activating their special abylities

[@RTBurruss]

You know, in the video I said there aren't a lot of units in the game that can teleport out of combat, but I feel the need to eventually go back and see if this gut intuition of mine actually holds up! Also, I haven't gotten around to studying the new Nighthaunt rules (Order bias for sure!), but I have heard all my tournament friends talking it up!

[@davidgutierrez9597]

@@RTBurruss it also limits another armies that have teleport like seraphon,lumineth,kharadron,soulbligth (speficic manfred)

[@snappycenter7863]

Winterleaf alongside the Season Everdusk is great against Nighthaunt. They can retreat and charge, and they love to retreat and charge due to their charge bonuses, and this completely removes that.

[@strategoi]

That's a good point!

[@Athorell9]

Great video!

[@strategoi]

Thanks, Athorell! I loved having you in the chat during the premiere!

[@SrLisco]

Thx for u effort, I'm looking to start in AOS and all your content is really helpful. And all your post-production is really high level, I really enjoy your content. From Spain. *sorry if i fail written something well, your content helps me to improve my English level too hahaha

[@strategoi]

I love this comment! Gracias! It's everything I aimed for, so I'm happy you're experiencing it that way.

[@jakea3950]

Hey mate! Just found your channel. I'm getting mad dejavu about this channel no idea why haha. Anyways excited to see your sylvaneth stuff. I'm building a dreadwood army atm even if they may suck. Hopefully will get some ideas here hehe

[@strategoi]

They're not the optimal choice, but I'm sure they've still got play. I actually quite like Spite Revs in this book! It's just the dreadwood ability that doesn't feel amazing 😁

[@jakea3950]

@@strategoi yep once per battle abilities are... meh lol.

[@strategoi]

@@jakea3950 For sure. At least we don't have to roll for it to trigger first though 🤣

[@oleksabalko4733]

Hey team! Great analysis and breakdown of the book!! Quick question though, at 1:32:19 you talking about Treesong targeting the Lady of the Vines. My understanding is that she is not an AWW but just gives that counts as aura. So I don't believe you can put treesong on her as badass as that would be! Please correct me if I'm wrong :)

[@strategoi]

You are correct! Had to quickly check, but yes, I was wrong there. Units close to her are considered to be within range of an AWW, but she is not considered to BE an AWW. Small difference with big consequences... Too bad though, would've been totally badass. ;-) Thanks for pointing that out by the way!

[@RTBurruss]

Yep, I too agree with your reading of it, Oleksa. Though I hadn't quite come to this realization back when I had initially said that Treesong was harder to pull off that it seemed on paper, I think the reason I hadn't thought of the Lady's ability is precisely the potentially confusing rules reading you stumbled upon. So in short, if an ability says something to the effect of "if a unit is within 6" of an Awakened Wyldwood...," then the Lady's ability works, but if it says "choose an Awakened Wyldwood...," then it doesn't.

[@Timbucktoo32]

Great video. There's a surprising lack of new Sylvaneth videos

[@RTBurruss]

Thanks, Tim! We're really happy with how much traction this one has generated, especially considering Jonas started this channel as a Lumineth-centric one, though clearly we've been branching out lately.

[@Timbucktoo32]

@@RTBurruss yeah talk more Sylvaneth

[@RTBurruss]

@@Timbucktoo32 Happy to! In addition to them being one of the armies I'm now most excited to prioritize in my active gaming (I have WAY too many armies), I think I'm going to do one of my MathHammer videos dedicated to the eternal debate of Swords vs. Scythes.

[@Timbucktoo32]

@@RTBurruss this is a new army for me and I always need a list so I collect and paint with a purpose. As your lists develop as the meta does I'd very much like to see/hear your thoughts

[@RTBurruss]

@@Timbucktoo32 You got it! With the new Tzeentch Battletome on the way, it's gonna be a minute before I finally get to play my new Sylvaneth builds, as I want to use the old Tzeentch rules a bit more beforehand, but I'm def super-psyched to get my tree on!

[@MrTBass11]

Thanks a lot for the video, i'll watch it in a bit while i stay in the shadow of the umbrella at the beach, without letting the sun or sand touch me (not a beach guy)... are u guys going to review skaven too? I'm studying them but i find listing them difficult (trying to do that to prepare if I meet one at a tournament). They are not elves, but they do have pointy ears, after all ;)

[@strategoi]

Hah, Tommaso, you don't like sands because it's coarse and it gets everywhere? ;-) I don't think we'll be doing Skaven any time soon. Neither of us plays them and we're not very familiar with their rules either. It might happen at some point, but I wouldn't hold my breath right now. Thankful for your support and comments though. Hope you enjoy the video!

[@MrTBass11]

@@strategoi yeah of course! No problem mate! Keep rocking with these videos as always!

[@RTBurruss]

In theory, I would love to review every single book when they come out, but they've been releasing so many books so quickly lately (and 5-6 more to come by year's end!), so it's definitely a lot to do even just what we have. Plus, I personally usually like reviewing the books of armies I actually have/know, and seeing as I'm basically an Order player (who flirts with Tzeentch, Slaves, and Soulblight), I wouldn't have as much to offer to these discussions, especially with an army like Skaven that I've only gotten to play once in 104 games due to how unpopular it was in the meta (hopefully only until now!).

[@northofself]

Would a Treelord summoned by a Winterleaf Alarielle get the Winterleaf allegiance ability? If so, that sounds like a fun tarpit synergy to help free-up room for Alarielle to zip around. Treelord gets to delay opponent's pile in moves until the end of the phase so it can minimize the strike back. With The Burgeoning on top of that too, the ward would turn on by the time they get to pile-in in their turn further pronging the tarpit

[@strategoi]

I can't find anywhere that they don't benefit from those abilities, so that could work, yes!

[@anthonykiousopoulos8872]

At the hero phase we heal 1 for every unit wholly within 9" of overgrown or AWW. Kurnoth Hunters make contested objectives into overgrown. Do they then get the heal 1 at the hero phase for being next to the objective/overgown?

[@strategoi]

As long as the Kurnoths (or any Sylvaneth for that matter) are wholly within 6" of that objective, then yes. Pretty sweet, right? Kurnoths are going to be so good this edition.

[@anthonykiousopoulos8872]

@@strategoi yes especially with Heartwood

[@strategoi]

@@anthonykiousopoulos8872 For sure!

[@mkulchar]

Well hopefully when the new pitch battle buck comes out will have another update

[@bumchod2511]

Correct me if I'm flubbing some rules here, but wouldn't taking an extra Spell Enhancement with Command Entourage battalion be very good? I may have 2-3 multi-casters, extra spells known would be very good, better than an extra artefect sometimes

[@RTBurruss]

Yeah, that's fair, especially in armies with both solid Spell Lores and weak access to Artefacts. To be honest, I often forget that picking a second spell for not one but ALL of your wizards is even possible, so always appreciate the reminder! The problem as I see it though is that between Mystic Shield, the new GHB spell that halves a unit's bodies on an objective, the improved Endless Spells (hint hint, video coming up on that soonish), and different casters' Warscroll spells, taking an extra spell you KNOW without also bumping up the number of spells you can actually cast per turn often goes unused in my experience. Yes, it certainly offers more flexibility for choosing the right spell in the right moment, but with Artefacts so strong in this book, it's often not as helpful by comparison. That said, in my double Warsong build, at least they're each getting 2 spells to cast, so I could see an argument there.

[@bumchod2511]

@@RTBurruss thank you, I appreciate the response! I'm sure you're right, but I'm still going to try out some games with an arcane tome, 2 spell knowing Warsong Spell singer to see how I like it lol. Want to drop a tree out front with Ancient and send some angry spells at a frontline

[@oldman747]

the reaping "definition" conversation at 30:41 . reaping is what you do to crops in the summer. you reap a crop you harvest it. its a sign of growth. of building resources. its when nature is at its strongest.

[@strategoi]

Yeah... I guess it's the way you look at it. I look at it from a human perspective and go: We're literally cutting away nature? But you might as well say: yes, because that's when nature is at its best (as you said). Thanks for your comment! :D

[@ocularorb4021]

awesome analysis of this faction but,,,, could you switch up the music track sometimes in future videos? like maybe play a different track every 30ish minutes?

[@strategoi]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it. It's actually pretty hard to find non-intrusive soundtracks that aren't copyrighted. I'll have another look for sure though!

[@mkulchar]

You missed the enhancements "seed of rebirth"

[@oldman747]

why does everyone say 5 phases for throne of vines? i thought it was hero, movement, shooting, charge, combat, end. 6? hell with that spell if you get it off, thats 18 heals if you get double turned

[@strategoi]

You're correct! It's 6 phases. For some reason I skipped the battleshock phase in my head. If you add all those heals up, it's impressive, for sure. But as I also mentioned in the video: you're assuming you'll survive 18 phases in that equation. And with a 9+ to cast, you might attempt it, and even with re-rolls, it's like a 50% chance or so, right? So half the time, you're throwing away your cast.

[@oldman747]

@@strategoi only time i would attempt to cast that is if i cant cast anything else (with alarielle) or if i have gem with TLA.

[@strategoi]

@@oldman747 Exactly!

[@RTBurruss]

@@strategoi To be fair though, not all phases are equally likely to hurt you, so saying you have to survive 18 phases is a bit of a stretch. For a character like Alarielle, were you to get double-turned but this spell went off in your Hero phase, you've got the following: Let's say they got her all the way down to 1 wound before your Hero Phase where you cast Throne of Vines. The first real time they can hurt you again (so long as you retreat) is their first Magic phase, but by then you've already healed 6 wounds, and remember that Alarielle would have gotten her 2D6 heal off in your Hero Phase as well, and likely the 1 wound from being near trees, so we're looking at at a min of 9 wounds healed (making it 10 total wounds given you were down to 1) before they can even hit you with spells. And that's the min. Statistically you're looking at 1 (last wound) + 1 (tree heal) + 7 (average of Alarielle heal) + 6 (Throne of Vines) = 15 wounds. So basically all healed up before their Magic even starts again. Of course they can always target her down, but that was true before any healing as well. And if you haven't had her come back yet, this is even crazier. Still not saying it's the right move, but hey, if you're in Gnarlroot (3D6, remove lowest) with The Dwindling (re-roll), her chances of getting the spell off go up from a 28% to a 77%... Just saying...

[@Nummerschield]

Wheres is the Branchwraith. I diddnt find her anymore.

[@RTBurruss]

Hey Manuel, she unfortunately got “squatted” (removed from the range/rules). Def a bummer, but I suppose this feel-bad is balanced out a bit by the fact the Lady of the Vines is basically a named version

[@mauryweiss3792]

Darn, I have two of those. No to mention about 40 dryads that will be collecting dust now that we have one summon and all the new battle line options 🤷🏼‍♂️ Great for new players I suppose..

[@RTBurruss]

@@mauryweiss3792 Me too! And they're the shitty old FineCast kit too. I suppose it's about the same as having them replace her with perhaps a way cooler fig on a totally different base size where you'd more-or-less have to go ahead and get the new one, but in general, I'm not a fan of getting rid of a whole Warscroll. It's too bad Branchwyches aren't very good, because that's probably the best use for the model now. Or perhaps as a Dryad unit champion (again, prob don't need those either)...

[@Jonahhi]

Who the heck are these people who keep talking about "not eating a hero slot", who is the crazy person struggling with their 6 leader slots not being enough?

[@RTBurruss]

There are certain armies where all 6 slots often get filled quickly (Soulblight, Fyreslayers, Skaven, Cities…) and as such, the fact that you can get a Wizard that’s neither a normal unit not a Leader is exceptional enough to point out when it happens.