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Hi all,

Never played a game of AOS before, never even read the rules (and wont be able too for a while as in total lock down) but have decided to take the plunge and get into Idoneth. As a complete noob I was wondering if someone who is experienced with the faction could help give a run down of what is good, what is not, things to avoid, any tips or tricks that spring to mind etc.

I am pretty set on the idea of running a mounted army with a limited number of foot, is the start collecting box worth getting?

Is the terrain piece worth getting? I gather it is free in an Idoneth army, do people generally have an issue if it is proxied rather than the GW model?

Are the battalions worth it?

That's all for starters, thanks in advance.

From what I've gathered Eels are king as is the seahorse dude who unlocks them as Battleline. After that I think the sharks have gotten enough of a price break to be considered.

You should check the 1d4 chan section on them. It gives a good little idea of what each unit can do and at what cost (and there is link to their free casual play rule).

https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Idoneth_Deepkin

From what I know, going in for specialised Akhelian units is rather efficient.

I second checking out the 1d4chan article, they have a decent breakdown of all the units and tactics.

A Mounted-based army, focused on the Eel Riders is the most efficient, it's the armies winning/tournament build. To power it down, you take a Leviadon and Allopex's instead of mass Eels.

Almost none of the battalions are worth it, unless you're going in for a specific build. People typically take the Royal Council batallion, letting you drop all your heroes at once and gives you a big boost to your army's speed.

Yes, you should get the Deepkin terrain piece. It's very useful, because sticking a big dumb boat in front of the enemy is quite useful I've found. I wouldn't try to proxy it. You need to get the exact size and dimensions right. It also comes in to halves, the boat can split in to two, and be placed as two seperate pieces.

This advice comes from me being more competitive/matched play minded. Idoneth has a small roster, but every unit they do have is strong enough to be included in a list for some friendly pickup games.

I third the 1d4 chan article, and I will say that the akhelian corps battalion isn't too bad. It allows you to drop your entire army down at once, and the shark / leviadon are a lot better now with a point drop. I do recommend at least trying them if they interest you, and to break up the monotony of painting endless eels.

Eels are the way to go for "competitive". I'm starting Deepkin myself and I decided to build around an Akhelian Corps to begin, mostly because it gives me eels and then the shark and turtle are neat models. And I can always tone the army up by adding more eels.

However I usually try to do combined arms whenever possible as I don't feel right without any actual infantry.