Age of Sigmar: Big Winners of the Latest FAQ
Sometimes it isn’t nerfed or nothing.
It’s that wonderful time again when GW releases some FAQs and the internet erupts into cries of how unplayable their army is (which, in the spirit of fairness, I will confess to having done before). However, since we have a brand new edition right around the corner, this one is particularly massive, hitting every faction individually to adjust wording, introduce new concepts, and bring all the armies up to speed for the new edition. As always, a few of the updates leave a bit to be desired, but there are a few standout lists that definitely feel improved, and the FAQ will be a breath of fresh air.
Chaos
For clarification, I am not including Skaven or Beasts of Chaos, though don’t mistake me; I think they came out alright in this as well. However, Slaves to Darkness and the 4 devoted armies are getting an overall buff, including the new Coalition of Chaos rule. Functioning much like the Cities of Sigmar ability to include out-of-faction units in your army, this allows the Blades of Khorne, Disciples of Tzeentch, Hedonites of Slaanesh, and Maggotkin of Nurgle to bring in Slaves to Darkness and Beasts of Chaos units. While Slaves to Darkness were always eligible for this thanks to Chaos Marks, this means that the Beasts of Chaos don’t need to take the special battalions to gain Chaos marks. This will make for much more diverse Chaos armies and allow for more tactical flexibility without sacrificing power.
Vyrkos
The Soulblight got a few nice clarifications in their FAQ, most of which are positive interpretations of oddly worded rules, providing a few significant buffs. However, Vyrkos seems to have come out closest to the top, as GW has decided to allow each unit in Radukar’s court to be selected independently, which is huge. I expect to see more than a few of the Necromancer hero and the Vargskyr popping up in lists in the future.
The Players
All in all, this seems like the most evenly balanced Age of Sigmar has been in quite some time, and I think that will make for a more enjoyable gaming experience once the dust settles. All the crying of nerfs and unplayable armies will clear when people realize everyone was nerfed a little, but also everyone was buffed a little, bring every army to a more-or-less even battlefield. Now, of course, there are still a few standouts as stronger factions than others, but the gap is much smaller, and I think the game will be better for it.
Did your army come out unscathed?
