A new edition release will always shake up the meta as changes both large and small will see some army builds become less powerful and correct any "broken" combinations that might have developed in the previous rule set. The playing field is leveled out a bit more for a few months as everyone comes to fully understand the changes. With everyone being on equal footing the time is right to jump into a new and unknown army or faction. Everyone will be learning and trying to get as many practice games as possible so you will have plenty of opportunities to learn the army alongside the rule set.
With a new edition, you can typically get a nice start on an army cheaper than you would otherwise. An edition change almost always means a new start box to help new players get a nice entry point into the game, but there isn't anything saying you cannot take advantage of this same offer. Starter sets will have two opposing armies and you can easily find someone who is also buying the starter set who is willing to trade with you so you can double the size of your force. While it may not be the most tuned army it does give you a great start at a low cost. The other option is looking for players who might be switching armies as well and are trying to sell off their current one. Whether it is due to them being upset due to a point adjustment or someone who likes to keep things fresh looking for people selling older armies is a great way to save a bit of money. This will also allow you to spend that extra money on the newest releases your army might be receiving around launch.
If you decided to start a new army alongside a new edition you will find a surplus of inspiration to pull from. With the new edition of Age of Sigmar, we are seeing expansive lore and fleshing out of The Mortal Realms and new supplements for expanding our games. The new Malign Sorcery expansion is full of ideas to help you begin your new army. Perhaps one of the spells has captured your imagination and you simply must get it on the table. You could theme a caster and an army as worshipers of that spell and tie everything together in a fun narrative. You might want to use a bunch of the spells in your list so you're looking to build a Wizard heavy army.
Let's not forget the advancement in the lore we see in a new edition as well. We are seeing Realm specific spells and artifacts come into the game in a big way. While you can't truly control when you get to use the realm spells since every game could be played in any realm you can use the artifacts in your list building allowing you to really place your army in any realm. Planning a new army is one of the best parts and why a lot of people have so many unfinished projects. The lore and narrative are just as good of a reason to start a new army as playing toward the competitive meta.
The one source of inspiration everyone can get behind is all the great artwork we see with new edition releases. Seeing a nice army in action fighting tooth and nail will always plant the seed in your head to build that army. If you know you are wanting to start a new army and cannot decide on how to build your list or what your narrative will be, just take time and look at all the amazing artwork and find your inspiration there. If you find a piece of art that makes you want to build a new army I guarantee that the army will come together both competitively and narrative.
So no matter your reason a new edition is a great time to start a new army so have no fear and jump in if that is what you decide to do. Likewise, it is just as fine to stick with your current army and figure it out how it functions with the changes, but perhaps consider adding in some allies that might be part of the new release to spice things up a bit. If you are starting a new army let me know in the comments as I would love to see what everyone is doing and until next week, Happy Hobbying!
Chuck Moore