Getting into Seraphon, and AoS in general, I'm encountering some learning obstacles. Foremost is the decision to go with my own army plan which relies entirely on barebones tactics but is custom / unique, OR to go with a Battalion that has benefits to using it at the cost of being predictable and cookie-cutter. (What I mean by "Sectionalize" is basically the process of building small sections of my army, each one a piece of the greater army at large, each having it's own theme too.) Would that be a mistake since Battalions offer unique benefits, or can I still be competitive if I choose to, with any force I wish?
Well the unique / custom way is definitely the best when it works. Everyone believed us to be underpowered in GH1 - and we did have many overpriced units - and then a guy made up a Kroak list which was considered way too expensive and placed up 2nd and should have placed 1st to a GT so.. * yes @darren watson I am pointing at you * Just remember that Seraphon ain't one of the armies that work well in really small groups as you need to stack a couple of synergies in order to make our awesome army work
The best way to learn is to play games. Try both approaches, try before you buy, use proxies. That way you'll be able to find the right balance of success and fun for you. What works for one doesn't work for all ☺
Definitely go for what you find the most fun! I get that you still want to remain relevent on the competitive side, but If you don't play something that is exciting to you then you won't bother to play much more!