BATTALIONS
Battalions are not made to be equal.
Some battalions are designed to be the main bulk of an army, and the rest of your list will just be of support.
Some battalions are so full-fledged that they
are the army, and can stand on their own.
Some battalions are explicitly designed to cover just a support role, and they are basically "elite corps", that can hardly win by themselves.
With that in mind, I will evaluate battalions / starhost, not only in terms of sheer power, but also in terms of utilities and versatility.
Let's start with the ones included in our Battletome
NOTE: i will list the minimum cost to field a battalion, although it's not recommended to do so… you are paying the points for it, so to field a minimal size is counterproductive
SUNCLAW STARHOST
1 Saurus Sunblood, 3 Saurus warriors units
Minimum size cost: 130+390 pts (recommended: no less than 760: sunblood, 10 sauri, 10 sauri, 40 sauri).
Power level: mid-low.
Main bulk of your army, requires support to perform.
The Starhost gives an additional attack with jaws/shield, and a rend -1 to their celestite weapons.
To make Sauri (and this starhost) work, you need a horde: warriors' strenght is in numbers, with less than 30 models, their efficacy will be halved, this is an objective fact. Given that 30 models cost 270 pts and 40 are 330, obviously you MUST have at least a unit of 40.
Weapons choice
Maces are nice: 4+ to hit, 3+ to wound (for an horde, it means 3+/3+)… however, lances gives you a greater reach, and given how hordes fight, you will need the attacks of the rear models: the 4+ to wound is not good as 3+, but it’s better to have a 3+/4+ and to attack with more models. So, lances is better for hordes.
How to make it work
Hordes are nice, but their maneuverability is poor, and sauri are slow.
You don't want to be charged and you don't want to be shot.
You need to enter melee and bring damage.
SO, be sure to have a buff to charge (for example chronomantic cogs)
Then buff your unit (a skink starpriest is good for defense - summon starlight, and offense - serpent's staff. Anything you can do will help… even a ScarVet on Carno!)
LoSaT them and the Sunblood, use the command ability of the Sunblood to reroll to hit.
Evaluation:
It doesn't cost too much points, but it's a one trick pony, and this hurts.
At 2000 pts, you can have your Slann and a nice Starhost, saving 1000 pts for shooting and other units with different abilities.
ETERNAL STARHOST
1 Saurus Eternity Warden, 3 Saurus Guards units
Minimum size cost: 150+380 pts (recommended: no less than 790: warden, 5 guards, 5 guards, 20 guards).
Power level: usually low, can be mid-high.
Main bulk of your army or elite that gives the final blow. Against specific kind of threats requires heavy support to perform; in absence of those threats can stand on its own.
The Starhost gives:
- an additional +1 to saves if near the Warden (save 2+ without magic!),
- celestite weapons does d3 dam, but only in their turn and if they don't move / charge.
It's basically a strong defensive formation.
Guards don't gain bonuses when they are a horde (and they don't even get a discount to use one!), however if you want these guys to be the ultimate killer of what you fight with, you want a unit with some models, so your main Group should be of no less than 15 guards.
Guards have just 2 weak points: low move and are HIGHLY vulnerable to mortal wounds.
How to make it work - 1
Kill anything that deals MW. those are your primary target. Shooting, spells, melee with ripperdactyls… if you don't kill that kind of threat, your guards will melt like snowflakes in hell.
How to make it work - 2
Guards are slow and their battalion let them shine when they are stationary. Basically, they really don't have the utilities to be a solid offensive unit, even if they can be used that way.
The d3 damage seems huge, and it is but only to a certain point. It only activates when you don't move in the movement / charge phase (pile in doesn't count), but only in your turn. This means that:
the turn guards are charged, you don't have it.
the turn you charge, you don't have it.
So, you can have the bonus only in prolonged combats.
But each guard (if the unit is near a Warden) does 3 attacks at 3+/3+, so even only 10 guards do 31 attacks, forcing an average of 13-14 saves at -1 rend.
And if you move two guards unit to cover each other, both of them will have the warden's bonuses.
Plus, you have many ways to improve the combat prowess of your Guards.
Astrolith bearer: reroll all failed to hit
Sunblood: reroll all failed to hit
Scarvet on Carno as general: additional attacks on 6+
Evaluation:
As many melee formations, they do just close combat and the low move don't let them threaten large portions of the battlefield, which is kinda limiting.
They can be exceptional under the right circumstances (defensive fight, enemy with none or little ways to deal mortal wounds). This will happen rarely, but at that point their power is top tier.
Basically, it's a really situational battalion.
When you plan your list, always remember the 3 Achille's heels of Eternal Starhost:
- they are not fast
- they suffer greatly mortal wounds
- they rely on the Warden, which is a model that got 7 wounds and save 4+. Once the enemy realizes it, it's not that hard to kill it, so plan to reduce the risks and protect the warden
FIRELANCE STARHOST
1 Scarvet on CO / on Carno, 3 Saurus knights units
Minimum size cost: 150+340 pts (recommended: no less than 650: scarvet on CO, 5 knights, 10 knights, 10 knights).
Power level: mid.
Low cost battalion, mainly for support role: hunt chaffs or weaken targets. Requires support to perform.
Bonus point: the starhost unlock the Dracothion's Tail
The Starhost gives +3 to run and charge if within 10" from the ScarVet (remember, you
need to charge successfully) and an additional mortal wound on 6+ to wound of celestite weapons.
our knights are very cheap, but don't mistake them for a cavalry.
They are slow to be a mounted unit (unless you march with the units that are not fighting) and they're definitely capable of fighting off some melee troops, but if shouldn't take them against strong targets. And most of all, their mortal damage output is unreliable.
Basically, they are a fast and resilient screen and excellent obj grabbers/holders… BUT you can optimize their combat performance
How to make it work
Always support them:
The command ability of the scarvet on cold one gives: additional attacks for cold ones’ bites, reroll 1s on charges (to increase your chances), reroll 1’s on to hit (if the Slann is not using the StarDrake constellation).
The command ability of the scarvet on carnosaur, gives: 1 additional attack each time you roll a 6 to hit (rerolling 1’s, so another chance to increase the number of subsequent "to wound"). Plus, the abilities of the carnosaur himself.
They are both good, in different ways.
Then, you will absolutely need a Skink Starpriest, for two solid reasons: summon Starlight (for further protection) and the Serpent Staff.
With the staff, you will threaten double damage on 6s to hit.
If the general is the ScarVet on CO, tnx to the command ability, each model is going to do 4 bite Attacks (1 for the Saurus and 3 for the CO). 5 models will do 20 bite Attacks, and the serpent staff is just great.
If the general is the ScarVet on Carno, the Staff will buff the Carno. It's a win-win.
Remember to play with LoSaT to charge, teleport away, rinse and repeat.
Evaluation:
It can be really cheap, but to make knights useful you need to invest a lot on them, using heroes to support an otherwise unimpressive unit.
ATM, this battalion offers 2 great advantages: it works with probably our current best battleline, AND unlocks the Dracothion's Tail, one of the best battalions in all AoS.
Solid choice at 2000 pts; the heroes that buff the knights will work also for the rest of your army.
SHADOWSTRIKE STARHOST
1 Skink Starpriest OR 1 Skink Priest;
2 units of Skinks or Chameleon skinks (any comb.);
1 unit of terradons riders OR ripperdactyls riders.
Minimum size cost: 180+360 pts (recommended: no less than 680: Starpriest, 10 skinks, 10 skinks, 6 ripperdactyls).
Power level: mid-high
Support role (assassin, objective taker and similar); max versatility, unique utilities. Always useful but usually unable to win by itself.
The starhost gives:
- you can move 2d6" your units after set-up
- re-roll 1s to hit / wound for all the units of the Starhost agains a target visible to your skinks starpriest / priest,
- you can set up the Flying unit in the sky. Set it up at more than 3" from the enemy, then you can add +1 to all "to wound" rolls
How to make it work
the main role of this starhost is the Alpha strike(s), to eliminate dangerous targets / enemy heroes / general, key units and similar.
the 2d6 initial move granted by the starhost, may be exceptionally useful to move your priest, and see that hero that is hiding behind a scenery and you want to target…
Usually, the starhost is used with ripperdactyls.
Their job is fairly simple: pick a target, stick the toad to it, let them descend from the clouds and shred it to pieces.
if your target is screened by chaffs, clean the way. It can be done in a number of ways, for example LoSaT a units of 3 razordons and shoot them
Evaluation:
the abilities of the battalion and the utilities of the units that form it are amazing, and the wide choice you have within units is great. This Starhost may be just for support, but its versatility is beyond compare. It will never let you dissatisfied.
This is one of the very few battalion that is an effective choice in competitive 1000 pts games.
But as many other ones, it excels at 2000, as it will let you deal with some of the most dangerous enemy units, and you will have plenty of points to develope the rest of the army.
THUNDERQUAKE STARHOST
1 EotG / Troglodon, 2 dinos (stega / basti), 1 unit of kroxigor / hanndlers + sallies or razordons
Minimum size cost: 120+700 pts (recommended: no less than 1000: EotG,stegadon, bastiladon, razordons).
Power level: mid-high
Bulk of the army; great versatility in units choice, that cover many roles and are buffed by very useful abilities. Always useful and can sustain the main effort by itself
The Starhost gives:
- in the hero phase, each model of the starhost heals one wound. 1d3 wounds if within 10" from a Slann
- at the start of each charge phase, the EotG or the Troglodon, can declare if the Starhost's units are swift (re-roll failed charge and hit rolls) or savage (re-roll failed wound and save rolls); units must be within 8" of EoTG/Troglodon to receive this effect, and the effect lasts 'til the beginning of your next charge phase (basically, you won't have it only in the shooting phase of your first turn)
How to make it work
With such a large number of options, it's really hard to explain the "right" way to play the battalion. There is not a single one.
As main dinosaur, you'll probably want an EotG, to keep near the Slann and enjoy the additional dice on the engine. At that point, you can play the marching castle of doom, go for the centre and threaten a large portion of the battlefield.
The most solid (and expensive) setting is double bastiladons with solarbeam with also an astrolith bearer. use the Savage ability and have your Solardons shoot 4d6 of ranged Death, rerolling to hit, to wound and saves unmodified by rend. Give the Ethereal amulet to the EotG and also that one will not suffer any rend, rerolling saves.
Evaluation:
You need to invest a lot of points in this starhost, but you'll have a battalion that can (and will) be the main bulk of your army. Support it with magic, place some battleline to screen ad take objectives, another 2-3 utility units and you should be golden.
STARBEAST CONSTELLATION
Cost: A LOT.
Full-fledged army, the Constellation is basically an excuse to let you use at the same time all the five Starhosts of the Battletome. Nice idea for narrative games, but even in that case it has been poorly supported.
