AoS Ripperdactyls or Terradons

[LosPollos]

I just started collecting Seraphon. I have now painted a unit of 20 Skinks and a Starpriest. I'm still learning the rules. Now I just ordered the Start Collecting Skinks box and I'm in doubt whether I'm going to make the Terradons or Ripperdactyls. I like the models of the Terradons better, but I also want units that are useful to me in the game. I read somewhere that most people prefer the Ripperdactyls in combination with a Slann (which I don't have yet). Would you choose this? Or are they fairly equivalent to each other?
And is it wise to turn one of the three models into a Ripper/Terradon Chief?

Thanks in advance for any responses!

 

[Imrahil]

Welcome along in our Jungle, young one.

This is a good question and the answer usually is both. GW tents to switch between favoring one and the other in turns per update of the armybook.
I have no AoS experience in the AoS 3.0 (current version). I have decided to make mine interchangeable, from following the guide of @Aginor and @Seraphage

It takes some work, but might be beneficial in the end.
Someone else might have some advise for you on the current preference in game

Grrr, !mrahil

 

[LosPollos]

Thank you so much for your comment! That guide looks very interesting, I'll definitely have a look at it

If there are players here who have in-game experiences with both units in AoS 3.0, I would love to hear them! Also whether it is wise to make one of the three models into a Chief.

 

[Tombomb7]

Welcome!
In the current version of the game neither unit are selected above others in most cases. However, you have play with both. Terradons taken in a block of 6 with a chief buffing them is a great precision strike tool. Some people highlight a single unit of 3 Terradons as a good battle tactic or objective grabbing piece due to their large movement range.
Rippers are cheaper and have a volume of attacks, which like the Terradons have a once off buff to attacks. Because Rippers lack rend their volume of attacks won't do a whole lot of damage. They'll do more damage and are faster than skinks which cost 75 points, but can't screen as widely and don't count as battleline.
I wont go into the average damage potentials specially for each unit but it's worth looking into to see for yourself. Sometimes you don't factor the level of damage as the deciding factor, like with Skinks who are cheap and mobile battle line fillers, screeners and objective grabbers when taken in units of 10 for example. Or Knights which are a more expensive version of this and can also put in some damage.

One annoying element is you'll need a whole other box of the flyers to make a Chief as each flyer unit already contains the 3 models you get in a box. You can always follow the guide linked above, or try ebay for single models to make up the chiefs.

I'm sure others will be along to offer even more insights

 

[LosPollos]

Thank you very much for your comment! That makes things a lot clearer, including regarding the Chief. I'm going to look a little further in the Armybook myself and then I think I'll either go for the Terradons or follow the guide above, but I'll figure it out now
Getting the box today, so can't wait to build/paint the models and play with them eventually.

Thanks again both!

 

[VikingRage]

Thank you very much for your comment! That makes things a lot clearer, including regarding the Chief. I'm going to look a little further in the Armybook myself and then I think I'll either go for the Terradons or follow the guide above, but I'll figure it out now
Getting the box today, so can't wait to build/paint the models and play with them eventually.

Thanks again both!

Recent tournament play has show that rippers Are viable, but the player that ran the list is pretty coy iirc, and they ran 29 total ripperdactyl riders (which is a LOT).

But aside from that, running a small squad of three terradons is pretty common if you run any flyers.

Welcome to Lustria and Seraphon!

 

[LosPollos]

Thanks for your reply! I went for the Terradons. Maybe I'll buy/make the Rippers at a later time

(By the way, sorry for the late response)

 

[Killer Angel]

Thanks for your reply! I went for the Terradons. Maybe I'll buy/make the Rippers at a later time

(By the way, sorry for the late response)

At the moment rippers may be a passable unit if you help them with the endless spell Purple Sun, to lower the save of the target.
I wouldn't take the PS only for rippers, but if you plan to already use PS to support something else (a shooting bastiladon), then rippers may be a viable option, especially in coalesced.
Support them with a starpriest serpent's staff

 

[VikingRage]

Thanks for your reply! I went for the Terradons. Maybe I'll buy/make the Rippers at a later time

(By the way, sorry for the late response)

Haha, no worries, that is par for the course just about any forum I have been in.

At the moment rippers may be a passable unit if you help them with the endless spell Purple Sun, to lower the save of the target.
I wouldn't take the PS only for rippers, but if you plan to already use PS to support something else (a shooting bastiladon), then rippers may be a viable option, especially in coalesced.
Support them with a starpriest serpent's staff

That is one way to get them online, although I think that that still wouldn't be enough outside of fluff lists (which I love ). The other is with sheer volumes of buffed attacks on buffed bodies. The tournament list, and my only personal game dinking around with the list, relied on as many ripper bodies as it could fit into it. 2 Chiefs making sure that their buff can be active on either side of the board, and 6 total units of Ripperdactyls to make sure that the greatest concentration of ripperdactyls are getting their rerolls all game. Having them in FoS gives them enough extra movement to get ahead in positioning with an impressive amout of wounds for their points. Aaaand having bounty hunter's available for them was the final piece of the puzzle.

It was a very skew list that placed top 5, but I have fun with it even though 80% of my army was proxied for the experiment. It really relied on board control and clearing off any large blobs of infantry as fast as possible, and would struggle against more elite armys, and Daughters (Curse You Morathi!).

 

[LosPollos]

Interesting to read your opinions and findings. As a starting Age of Sigmar player (and someone who has not yet mastered the rules completely) it is useful to read this kind of 'discussion/talk'. Thank you! I'll definitely will buy a second box of Terradons/Rippers at a later time to make a unit of Rippers.