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Hey folks!
I lately got the chance to read up on some AoS fluff and it stirred an urge in me to get some models. Considering i still have a 40k project on my table and the hobby coffers are nigh empty until later this year, it's a long shot but i like to think things through before i go launch my wallet at gw so... which army do i get?
At first i was sure i'd go for sylvaneth as i really like the "new take on woodelves" but i feel they have little choice of models and as far as i gathered the woods are a pivotal part of the army's mechanics. I'd prefer to build and paint treemen than trees... if that makes any sense
Then came the Idoneth (if you didn't realize yet, i'm into elves. Yup, that kinda guy) and i had to fight the urge to just get some because new cool model. I'm still not sure if it's new stuff syndrome or the style and outlandish feel of the army i'm drawn to.
Then there's stormcast vanguard. "Regular" Stormcast are kind of bland imo, but the furs, gryphchargers and gryphhounds are right up my alley.

That's kind of where i'm stuck and going in circles. I also don't want to get into allies before i don't have the core of a single faction army down, just in case allies might come up.
From here on, i'm glad for any pointers
Oh and competitive relevance doesn't matter a lot, as long as the armies are playable in a casual meta. I get enough of that out of 40k
Thanks in advance!

Be aware that Sylvaneth isn't really the "new take on wood elves". They're spun out of the Forest Spirit stuff that the Wood Elf army had before. Wanderers are the Wood Elves proper now and are still pretty dang interesting to use, if you're willing to put the time into it.

Idoneth are brand spanking new as you mentioned. There's a lot going on and depending on what you want to do(want Knights? Akhelian Guard+Akhelian King="Knights"! Want an Aelf on foot force? That's your Namarti! Or mix and match and have a hoot)


Vanguard are currently kind of weird but also not their own army. They're a way to build a Stormcast force rather than being their own schtick. They're very close ranged and are still going to be charging and going for melee when possible. The models get a bit bland though given that the arms are tied to specific chests/capes.

You might want to keep an eye out on some stuff though as there's rumors swirling that there's another Aelf army on the way this year.

I would say wait till June, Age of Sigmar 2.0 comes out. This way you can see how the playstyle of the game will turn into and then go from there.

Do you want to cast lots of magic? It's a wait and see. If you need to start now, I would say go either the new Idoneth, since their Battletome should be made for 2.0 and really can't go wrong.

Or start small with your Stormcasts you like for modelling and then see how 2.0 turns out. So either way start small and see how 2.0 looks before making HUGE purchases. Start small. So if you don't like them, you have fun modelling them to fill up the time.

All three armies can be perfectly competitive in the right hands. Idoneth are undeniably cool, but they are rather complicated for a first Aos Army but if you are used to 40k 8th that might be OK.
Sylvaneth are rather dependent on their woods so that might not be the way to go.
Stormcast vanguard have a nice start collecting box, they are quite easy to play and there are getting even more crazy animals with the new sacrosanct stuff.
Unless you REALLY love the Idoneth aesthetic, I would recommend Stormcast.

yea stormcast is the way to go for you.
sylvaneth cant be played whitout poluting the table whit forests and water elfs i dont know anything about.

collect about 1000p of it and play whit that untill 2nd edition drops soon.
if you stick to order alliance, your stormcasts wont be wasted models as they can ally whit any order army.

Chikout wrote:
All three armies can be perfectly competitive in the right hands. Idoneth are undeniably cool, but they are rather complicated for a first Aos Army but if you are used to 40k 8th that might be OK.
Sylvaneth are rather dependent on their woods so that might not be the way to go.
Stormcast vanguard have a nice start collecting box, they are quite easy to play and there are getting even more crazy animals with the new sacrosanct stuff.
Unless you REALLY love the Idoneth aesthetic, I would recommend Stormcast.

Vanguard give you 3 good ways to start:

Grab the Vanguard side of Blight War(Naeve Blacktalon, a set of 5 Hunters, 3 Palladors, and 3 Raptors with their Aetherwings)
Grab the Battleforce(10 Hunters, 3 Raptors and their Aetherwings, 3 Palladors, a Lord-Aquilor, and 12 Gryph-Hounds)
Then you have the Start Collecting set(a Lord-Aquilor, 5 Hunters, 3 Palladors, and another 3 Gryph-Hounds)

All 3 of those sets will give you Warscroll Battalions, which in the new edition will give you another one-off Command Point, and a decent jumping off point.
All 3 of them together basically gives you everything you'll need for Vanguard.
Hunters cap out at units of 15, so that's a thing to keep in mind. The SC and Battleforce are the only Vanguard sets currently with Gryph-Hounds in their battalions.

First off, thanks to everyone for the replies, your effort is appreciated
For now i've settled on the vanguard, deciding i might just add allies once i have sc and battleforce together or diversify into other stormcast chambers if i get bored. Seems like a promissing fall for this years hobby
I'm still open if people want to add in to the "discussion"!

If you're wanting to go that route, grab the battleforce first and skip the Start Collecting in favor of a second battleforce. It was a Christmas bundle and any stock remaining is all the stock remaining.

Only reason to buy the Start Collecting, to be honest, is to get the Warscroll Battalion from it and to match up with the 5 Hunters that Blight War gives you.