Age of Sigmar: Let’s Talk Matched Play Changes
Matched Play is getting some big changes in the next edition of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. So let’s talk about what’s new and different.
There are a lot of little tweaks and subtle (and not-so subtle) changes in the new edition of Age of Sigmar. Matt and I covered a bunch of them in our Rules Update Video, and while it’s a long one, we hit all the important stuff:
But today, we’re going to hit one of the more contentious topics out there for the new edition: Matched Play. What’s so contentious about it? Well, for starters, there’s a lot of misconceptions and confusion about the new rules because they weren’t shown off in the free download of the Core Rules. (You did get the downloaded from GW, right?) So we’re hoping to help clear some things up. That said, we still don’t have all the answers in terms of how specific armies will interact – Looking at you Ossiarch Bonereapers. You’ll probably still have questions – we’re hoping for a day 1 FAQ from GW to address a lot of those known unknowns.
Match Play Rules
To kick things off, there are 3 pages of rules from the Battlepack (not counting specific battleplans). Also, GW call the various sections for Open, Narrative, and Matched Play “Battlepacks” now. We’re calling that out because it’s referenced a few times in the Core Rules. So on to the rules.
Page One Key Call Outs:
- Points Limits – no more than 1/2 your points can be spent on a single model.
- New Minimums, Recommended Table sizes, and basically this whole chart:
- Reinforced Unit Limits: 0-4 in a 2,000 point game
Again, this was covered already but it’s going to be key for how you build you matched play army. The entire meta will be changing so get ready for more MSU style lists thanks to the Reinforcement rules and also the changes to coherency.
Page Two Key Call Outs:
Faction Terrain – this in addition to the recommended number of terrain features.
Battalions – You can only include CORE battalions in your army. No more Warscroll Battalions in your list construction.
Stealing the Initiative – Whoever finishes deploying first gets Priority in Matched Play. This changes the Core Rule about Priority:
Note: When you gain priority you can still choose to go second.
Grand Strategies – Pick one for your army and note it on your roster. These can score you 3 VPs at the end of a game.
The Battalion changes are huge. Many armies lost great battalion options. Other armies who had terrible warscroll battalions got a boost with the Core Battalions. this really reset the playing field in regards to battalions. Couple this with the Initiative changes and it’s a BIG deal.
Grand Strategies are also a new thing for Matched Play. These are kind of like secondary or tertiary objectives that can help swing a game in your favor.
Page Three Key Call Outs:
Battle Tactics – They change every turn and can score you 2 VPs per objective you complete. Choose wisely as they cannot be repeated later in the battle.
The core Matched Play rules also currently have 3 different Battleplans in the BRB. However, we know from the upcoming Generals Handbook that GW is adding more for Matched Play.
Alright – those are all 3 pages of the Matched Play rules. Hopefully you found these helpful and will clear-up some of the questions you might have regarding Matched Play. We’re going to be using the current Battletomes for a while still so it might be a good idea to check to see where your current army stands and if you need to re-work your lists or not. Good Luck.
What do you think of the Matched Play changes? Let us know in the comments!
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