Welcome to Competitive Innovations, our weekly feature for a number of game lines across the tabletop wargame space. Each week our army list and tactics experts canvass the top tournaments for their game of specialty, looking at the week’s top match-ups and how they played out on the tabletop to let you know what’s hot, what’s not, and what might be coming next as the competitive meta evolves year-round.
Who is excited to play some Warhammer? You lot, apparently – this was one of the biggest weekends ever in terms of number of events, with just shy of 1000 players taking to the field across 19 GTs and majors, giving the new metagame a real workout.
That means it’s a triple threat week, and there’s more to talk about than we can squeeze into even three articles. Never fear, however – if you want the full breakdown of what I and my esteemed co-author Lowest of Men think about the new Metagame, I joined him on the 6+++ show last night to analyse the first weekend of the new metagame, which you can check out below.
With that out the way, onwards to the events. As mentioned above, we’re in three-parter territory, starting today with:
THE UKTC COVENTRY 40K GT : 3-Day
Rumble on the Rivers 40k GT
5. Corsair Open GT
Battle Against Breast Cancer 40K Event Hosted by Away Games
Dice Like Ice Grand Tournament – Q4 2024
Chimera Gaming Fall GT
The Portal Fall GT
On Friday Lowest of Men will cover:
THE UKTC COVENTRY 40K GT : 2-Day
2nd VTC Warhammer 40K
The Route 66 Warhammer 40,000 GT – FALL *GOLDEN TICKET QUALIFIER*
The GR: Meme Team GT – In co-operation with Cryptic Cabin
Palladium Games Presents: “the dumpster fire gt” Fall Edition
Queen City Orktoberfest 2024
Finally, on Saturday it will be me again, looking at:
Kippers’ Melee 2024
New York Open 3 (40k)
Goose Hunting Donuts
Gaelcon 2024
Safety’s Off Orktober GT
Battle Against Breast Cancer AZ
More parts means more democracy, and our Patrons have selected the following Showdowns:
Hallowed Martyrs vs Astra Militarum at the Away Games Battle Against Breast Cancer.
Hypercrypt Legion vs Kroot Hunting Pack at the Coventry 2-Day GT
Synaptic Nexus Tyranids vs Skysplinter Drukhari at Kippers melee
THE UKTC COVENTRY 40K GT : 3-Day
144-player, 8-round Major in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, England, United Kingdom on October 25 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
Nassim Fouchane – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) – 1st Place
Leman Russ Exterminator. Credit: Rockfish
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
Aquilons are a perfectly fine datasheet with no need for nerfs at all, leave them alone.
Astra Militarum
Combined Regiment
Strike Force (2000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Lord Solar Leontus (125 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Conquest
• 1x Konstantin’s hooves
• 1x Sol’s Righteous Gaze
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (48), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Aquilon Goodstuff
Thoughts
Nassim gets straight to the point of showing that last weekend’s success wasn’t just a fluke, unleashing the power of Aquilons, Militarum shooting and the newly cheap goodness of Ogryns to take the trophy. I have now had The Aquilon Experience on the table, and let me tell you I do not care for it, as they force foes onto the defensive for huge swathes of the game, and are extremely difficult to fully protect against, especially an additional squad via Reinforcements once resources are low. That buys plenty of time for Guard guns to do their wicked work, and adding basic Ogryn helps provide additional board presence to win space, while also contributing a surprising amount of damage into a few key targets (notably Purestrain Genestealers, which are very much on the up). Nassim cut through two powerful Chaos Space Marine builds in the final two rounds, where the threat of Aquilons and terrain factors helped him force the opponent to engage, at which point the power of the shooting shines through and obliterates stuff. I think that’s a big part of why Aquilons are so strong – they cut off some possible play paths that opponents might use to try and counter the rest of the army’s strengths.
Fully expect this to be one of the defining builds of the next few months, and congratulations to Nassim on the win.
Stephen Box – Adepta Sororitas (Army of Faith) – 2nd Place
Credit: Keewa
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
Cov (2000 Points)
Adepta Sororitas
Army of Faith
Strike Force (2000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Canoness with Jump Pack (75 Points)
• 1x Blessed halberd
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (48), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Hammerblow Sisters
Thoughts
In second place we have Stephen Box unleashing a Sororitas curveball. Rather than seeking efficiency from the popular Bringers of Flame detachment rule, this list can create a Castigator castle the wins grindy shooting races tremendously effectively via the aura version Blinding Radiance (plus Shield of Faith if Mortals are in play), and can unleash some apocalyptic melee hammer blows from either Junith’s Sacresants or the Warsuits with Faith and Fury switched on. You can also unleash an extremely nasty shooting punch by boosting up a Castigator with Divine Guidance, as if you shoot another Castigator and an Immolator first, you’re suddenly blasting away with AP-3 Ignore Cover heavy bolters and autocannons, which is very scary into almost anything. Taken together, this list needs a bit more planning around positioning than the Bringers builds, but has more options to adapt and concentrate pain if the opponent has the tools to outmatch it on efficiency, which might be a risk from armies like Votann and Tau. Great work from Stephen as always!
Ben Jones – Genestealer Cult (Biosanctic Broodsurge) – 3rd Place
Abominant. Credit: Corrode
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
gsc (2000 points)
Genestealer Cults
Strike Force (2000 points)
Biosanctic Broodsurge
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (51), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Aggro Broodsurge
Thoughts
Cults fortunes are very much on the rise in the new metagame, with this weekend giving them one of their best win rates since their book launched, and lots of players clearly excited to give them a go. Win rates aren’t everything though, and although they’re high there weren’t that many top finishes for the army this weekend, with two notable exceptions.
Ben leads the charge here with the Biosanctic Broodsurge, able to put truly staggering amounts of pain straight into the opponent’s face via a mix of Infiltrating Aberrants and Genestealers plus Surge moving Metamorphs. Even better, the opponent’s attempts to fight back have a lot of potential stumbling blocks – Mortal Wounds on death, Abominants getting back up, or an unfortunately timed Heroic Intervention can all thoroughly wreck a plan, and target prioritisation can also be messed with via Bio-Horror Revelation. Even better, access to Gene-Twisted Muscle means that nothing here is safe for the opponent to ignore, even if they somehow handle the blender that is the Biomorph Patriarch.
You also still get to play with some of the other advantages of Cults – Kelermorphs are super effective utility pieces, one Clamavus to protect parts of the field from Aquilons should be a lock in most builds, and the price point on the cheap battleline is now right, giving you scoring/denial pieces that you sometimes get to double dip on. God help the opponent if you also start making your rolls on Aberrants. This build looks super fun and it’s one of the most successful of the week for the faction – great work Ben.
Daniel Whitaker – Drukhari (Realspace Raiders) – 4th Place
Drukhari Grotesques. Credit: Corrode
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
Nerfed the wrong stuff (2000 points)
Drukhari
Strike Force (2000 points)
Realspace Raiders
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (51), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Talos Spam
Thoughts
You would think, after previous incidents, that “will they just pivot to Talos?” might have been a consideration when nerfing Drukhari. After various ebbs and flows in the metagame, Talos have ended up perfectly positioned, with a nice flexible damage profile, and the universal resilience that a decent Feel No Pain and access to -1 to Wound provides. Combining them with Grotesques creates a build that can really go for the throat when required, as it has the numbers to bowl some more cagey lists off the table. That’s particularly strong against armies like Hypercrypt that want to play keepaway or techy builds like Genestealers, and since both of those look to be significant metagame factors, having that option is extremely valuable.
Full Grotesque bricks are also one of the few efficient Torrent units with enough output that Aquilons have to properly respect them, as they’re only narrowly short of picking up a whole squad with average dice, which forces serious consideration. Finally, the Voidraven returns, continuing the trend of being one of the few non-Hover Aircraft that’s actually worth taking, since the violence it can unleash the turn it arrives is significant enough that it’s a good tool to have on UKTC terrain, where it massively opens up your firing options. A great combination of tools here, and well done Dan on fourth place.
The Best of the Rest
There were 15 more players on 6-2+ records. They were:
5th (6.5-1.5) – Will B – T’au Empire (Retaliation Cadre): Crisis and Commander toolbox with some Sky Ray backup.
6th – Josh Roberts – Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): Legionary and Rubricae brawlers backed by Destructors.
7th – Greg Chamberlain – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Shooting-heavy Monster Mash with a central Norn anchor.
8th – Dom Maidlow – Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): Rubricae and Plague Marines in Rhinos with a big squad of Warp Talons.
9th – Rees Darvill – Imperial Knights: Canis and an Errant with Warglaives.
10th – Craig Bedford – Death Guard: Hefty Nurgle soup with Mortarion, Brigands and Rotigus.
11th – Tom Green – Leagues of Votann: Lots of Sagitaurs and MSUs of all stripes, one Land Fortress, and one fully decked out Thunderkyn/Iron Master unit.
12th – Brett Smith – Thousand Sons: Double Mutalith Tsons, making a strong pitch for joining the “triptide is inevitable, triptide is eternal” club.
13th – Sam Dickinson – World Eaters: One big Rhino Berzerker unit, lots of Eightbound.
14th – Louis Ballington – Dark Angels (Stormlance Task Force): The Lion and Deathwing Knights running at foes while yelling.
15th – Mark Crombleholme – Necrons(Obeisance Phalanx): 30 Lychguard with two Doomsdays and a big Immortal unit behind them.
16th – Mark Pocock – Blood Angels (Ironstorm Spearhead): Blood Angels named Characters, Baal Predators and Gladiators, plus one big unit of Death Company. Also, three solo ATVs, suggesting that 60pts for a fast multi-melta might be the point where you just take them on rate.
17th – Heiðar Þór Stefánsson – Adeptus Mechanicus (Skitarii Hunter Cohort): Max Ironstriders plus two huge units each of Ruststalkers and Sterylizors.
18th – Scott Morris – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Swarmlord and some brawling melee Warrior units, backed by big shooty bugs.
19th – Josh Parry – Chaos Daemons: Big monsters and Bloodcrushers, with some Slaanesh Chariots as extra position holders.
Rumble on the Rivers 40k GT
82-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Fort Wayne, IN, United States on October 26 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
Folger Pyles – Adeptus Custodes (Talons of the Emperor) – 1st Place
Blade Champion. Credit: Pendulin
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
Mid AF (2000 points)
Adeptus Custodes
Strike Force (2000 points)
Talons of the Emperor
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (51), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Shield Host
Thoughts
Mid AF sounds about right, honestly. This build is pretty much exactly what Custodes were running pre-balance update, where it was OK, and it definitely still feels like it’s a little short of where an army should be. However, weakening some of the very top builds makes “mid” feel a bit better, allowing Custodes resilience and sweeping melee threat potential to shine that much more. They even have a pretty decent story against the Aquilon menace, as the large footprint of the Caladius combined with many of the units not caring that much about getting shot at with flamers blunts their impact somewhat. Folger has taken all that and turned it into a trophy, so big congratulations, although I have to assume that the penance for calling a Custodian “mid” lasts several hundred years, so good luck with that.
Garrett Stacy – Death Guard (Plague Company) – 2nd Place (Undefeated)
Credit: Robert “TheChirurgeon” Jones
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
you can do alot with 4 inches (1995 points)
Death Guard
Strike Force (2000 points)
Plague Company
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (51), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Brawler Death Guard
Thoughts
Forget Brigands and Destructors, this Death Guard build is all about scything through foes like so much wheat. With Mortarion’s new price tag and Deathshrouds drops from last time around you can get a tonne of melee pressure going here, and as is standard with Death Guard it can be really tricky to fight free of once Contagion range kicks in. That can be spread far and wide by Typhus, while the Terminator Sorcerors provide nice damage spikes that opponents need to play around. Garrett send us some thoughts on this one, and says that while the list can struggle a little at clearing Vehicles, it’s extremely good at clearing everything else, and can very much thrive if you find yourself up against lots of melee builds. Great work from Garrett on the win, and we’ll see if the metagame ends up looking right for this spin on Death Guard to really take off.
Kevin Leonard – Nurgle Daemons (Daemonic Incursion) – 3rd Place (Undefeated)
Credit: Mildnorman
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
Mono nurgle (2000 Points)
Chaos Daemons
Daemonic Incursion
Strike Force (2000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Great Unclean One (260 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Bilesword
• 1x Plague flail
• 1x Putrid vomit
• Enhancements: The Endless Gift
Great Unclean One (230 Points)
• 1x Bilesword
• 1x Plague flail
• 1x Putrid vomit
Great Unclean One (230 Points)
• 1x Doomsday bell
• 1x Plague flail
• 1x Putrid vomit
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (48), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Whoops all Anvils
Thoughts
Busy weekend for Nurgle it would seem, with Kevin’s daemonic hordes here racking up a second undefeated finish for the grandfather. This build asks opponents a simple question – can you fight through four Great Unclean Ones and three Soul Grinders before you run out of steam? If not, then another battlefield is being added to Nurgle’s garden. It’s not even just resilience – thanks to the Plague Drones, you can get a surprising burst of damage going with re-roll Wounds, particularly with the volume of melee attacks or the Indirect of the grinders. Taking this on looks truly daunting, and it’s very thematic to book, great stuff Kevin!
Brian Daugherty – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband) – 4th Place
Credit: Robert “TheChirurgeon” Jones
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
Angry Red Gorillas (2000 points)
World Eaters
Strike Force (2000 points)
Berzerker Warband
CHARACTERS
Angron (435 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Samni’arius and Spinegrinder
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (51), Data Version: v488
Archetype
World Eaters
Thoughts
Look, I always feel bad if I end up calling a build “standard issue <faction>”, but that’s all I’ve got here. World Eaters’ relatively small roster means they don’t have as much variation as other factions, and this build is pretty much the “default” core you vary from. Enough Eightbound that can Scout to pressure the opponent if you need to and go first, a big Fight First Berzerker unit to cause headaches for melee armies, and Angron and the big Eightbound unit to smash stuff into tiny pieces at the pivotal moment. Consistently very effective, and looking strong in the new metagame, congratulations to Brian on piloting it to a strong finish.
The Best of the Rest
There were 8 more players on4-1 records. They were:
5th – Ben Isenhoff – Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): Brawler-heavy Raiders centred around a full Terminator squad.
6th – Alex Brudnicki – Orks (War Horde): Triple Kill Rig and some other mechanised friends.
7th – Conan Jennings – Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force): Deathwing GTF with slightly fewer units now.
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (48), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Beserk Forts
Thoughts
Unlike Custodes, who have gone from mid to mid by staying largely the same, Votann have gone from good to great, putting up the best win rate of the weekend, albeit with a slightly lower rate of conversions to top finishes than some of their competitors. Max was not troubled by any such problems, unleashing this monster build that can unleash either full Beserk bricks or more tailored 5-model units as the situation demands. Votann are incredibly efficient and get lots of stuff on the table, and taking away some of the biggest predators (particularly the board-cleansing power of Thousand Sons) leaves them poised to stat check a lot of what’s out there. The question will be whether people can adapt to it – with Votann, what you see is kind of what you get, so if they become a faction people are gunning for, there may well be counters. I do think the adaptability of the big Beserks positions this list better than most, as it lets it handle any sort of all-out pressure plan, and deal with some of the thornier death bricks out there. Congratulations to Max, and hopefully the cunning forward planning serves you well.
The Best of the Rest
There were 4 more players on 5-1 records. They were:
2nd – Jan Reisenauer – Blood Angels (Liberator Assault Group): Very go-wide Blood Angels with just Mephiston in the Character slot, then loads of jump MSUs of every flavour (notably including VanVets stepping up to the plate of having way too many inferno pistols) and many Predators.
3rd – Max Nitschinger – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Big shooty bugs.
4th – Manuel Wayand – Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): Abaddon and Obliterator gunline with a big Warp Talon unit to troubleshoot.
5th – Jens Gottfried – Genestealer Cult (Xenocreed Congregation): Lots of big units of melee Acolytes and Metamorphs.
Battle Against Breast Cancer 40K Event Hosted by Away Games
37-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Fredericksburg, VA, United States on October 26 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
The Showdown
The Ritual – Swift Action – Crucible of Battle
Cole Sowers – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) Army List - Click to Expand
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Imperium – Astra Militarum + DETACHMENT: Combined Regiment + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char2: Lord Solar Leontus + ENHANCEMENT: Grand Strategist (on Char4: Tank Commander) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 17 + SECONDARY: – Bring It Down: (3×2) + (3×4) – Assassination: 6 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gut-punch guard face off against a very versatile Sisters build here, and this is very much a game about whether the latter can find a way to neutralise the extreme brutality of the former.
Being Hallowed Martyrs rather than Bringers definitely helps with that, because it opens up more options, and that’s doubly true on this mission, which is a big help to the Sororitas. It’s generally quite easy to tank an opponent’s early scoring on The Ritual if you’re the more mobile list, and the Sisters can combine that with judicious use of Divine Intervention to protect their own scoring to rack up a bit of a lead. It also allows them to build a strong defensive bubble to reduce the threat of the big drop Scion blob, which is one of the nastier tools on the guard side. Once they’ve done that, they’re in a reasonably good position to force one or more Dorns to commit, and can hopefully clear one out in response, which puts them in good stead to take control of the game.
Over on the Guard side, it feels like the goal is to find ways to force the Sisters off a cautious game, because if triple Dorns gets a go turn into their good stuff, the game swings hard towards the Militarum. The Rough Riders and Scions are definitely good tools to do that, as both are in the sweet spot where they hit hard enough to achieve a goal, but are still expendable (and Reinforcements is available to reload them to boot).
Both sides want to start cagey, and both sort of have the tools to do it, so who wins? I think the one tool here that might be able to break the game open is the option of reserving and Rapid Ingressing the Warsuits – because the Guard shooting is concentrated in relatively few units, there’s a decent shot of being able to find a safe spot to do this, and if these can punch into the Guard lines and do a two-phase murder rampage through a couple of Dorns, that is definitely game over. No idea if that’s what happened, but the Sisters did manage to pull it out.
Week one of the new metagame definitely seems to be rewarding Sisters players who have pivoted away from raw efficiency from Bringers towards the greater versatility of Hallowed Martyrs or Army of Faith. I say pivoted, but Jeffrey has been on Martyrs for a while and winning events with it anyway, so it’s no surprise to see him ready to pick up a trophy here, congratulations!
The Best of the Rest
There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:
2nd – Bryan Williams – Drukhari (Skysplinter Assault): Big Incubi squads, plenty of Kabalites and a Talos unit.
3rd – Stephen Henry – Adeptus Custodes (Shield Host): Triple Caladius plus two units of Wardens and some Venatari.
4th – Zach Point – T’au Empire (Retaliation Cadre): Loads of Starscythes and Stealths with Ghostkeels, Hammerheads and a Riptide as heavier support.
5th – Matthew Douthat – Space Wolves(Stormlance Task Force): Three big ThunderCav units soldiering on despite their ever-smaller supporting cast.
6th – James Culpepper – Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force): Some unusual big bricks escorting Epic Heroes, including a full Sternguard squad with Azrael and Samael driving about with Black Knights.
Dice Like Ice Grand Tournament – Q4 2024
33-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Bogart, GA, United States on October 26 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
Collin Watts – Necrons (Hypercrypt Legion) – 1st Place
Chronomancer. Credit: Wings
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
Necrons (2000 points)
Necrons
Strike Force (2000 points)
Hypercrypt Legion
Monolith (400 points)
• 4x Death ray
1x Particle whip
1x Portal of exile
Monolith (400 points)
• 4x Death ray
1x Particle whip
1x Portal of exile
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (51), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Monolith Hypercrypt
Thoughts
One of the big stories out of the weekend is that Necrons are looking very strong, with Hypercrypt promising to be one of the defining armies of the new metagame. This particular build actually got hit harder than most by the points changes, as its still sporting double Monolith, but doomsday cuts soften the blow, and the large, resilient Warrior blobs give you a threat style that there isn’t much of in the current metagame. This definitely isn’t the only way to play Necrons, and there are plenty of other experiments going on out there, but this core plan is still very good, plausibly helped by a reduction in Doombolts waiting to blast Monoliths off the board. Great work from Collin here.
The Best of the Rest
There were 6 more players on 4-1 records. They were:
2nd – Ryan Brown – Orks (War Horde): Triple Kill Rig mechanised War Horde.
3rd – Huck Bagby – Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force): Deathwing GTF with slightly fewer units (here including a Hellblaster squad).
4th – Justin Fountain – Orks (Bully Boyz): Many Meganobz with additional supporting Infantry.
5th – Patrick Martin – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Monster mash with the Dakkafex/OOE brick and some Tyrant Guard for Swarmy.
6th – Matt Aspinwall – Chaos Daemons: Big monsters galore and a big Bloodcrusher unit.
7th – Daniel Paniagua – Adeptus Custodes (Talons of the Emperor): Double Caladius and three Infantry blocks.
Chimera Gaming Fall GT
32-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Kitchener, ON, Canada on October 26 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
Nick Jagiello – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) – 1st Place
Tempestus Scions. Credit: SRM
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
Existential Dreadhouse – No Meatballs (2000 points)
Astra Militarum
Strike Force (2000 points)
Combined Regiment
CHARACTERS
Lord Solar Leontus (125 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Conquest
1x Konstantin’s hooves
1x Sol’s Righteous Gaze
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (51), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Pressure Guard
Thoughts
A second Guard win here, focusing more on their ability to flood the board with stuff over the sheer killing power of Nassim’s list. Scouting Chimeras and a second wave with cheap and cheerful Ogryn units give you tonnes of board presence, and Rough Riders provide a tool to punish foes that get overly bold in how they respond to it. Russes provide some all-purpose shooting to support that, either able to split fire between targets thanks to innate re-rolls, or concentrating on a key priority threat with Ignore Cover and boosted AP via the Hellhound and Exterminator. Punchy and versatile, and a reminder that Guard are deep as well as powerful. Great job Nick.
The Best of the Rest
There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:
2nd – Dan Bruce – Space Wolves (Champions of Russ): Various deadly brawlers with powerful Leaders, including the rare sight of some Wolf Guard Terminators for Logan and some Bladeguard.
3rd – Tyler Obront – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): The standard toys plus a couple of Forgefiends.
4th – Jon Capa – Thousand Sons (Cult of Magic): Double Mutalith Tsons, cutting the Character contingent to squeeze it all in.
5th – Diogo Pita – T’au Empire (Retaliation Cadre): Crisis Toolbox with supporting Ghostkeels and Riptides.
6th – Ryan Pearce – Necrons (Obeisance Phalanx): Silent King with two Lychguard bricks, Immortals for volume, two Doomsdays and some Triarch Stalkers.
The Portal Fall GT
28-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Manchester, CT, United States on October 26 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
Samuel Pope – Tyranids (Vanguard Onslaught) – 1st Place
Broodlord. Credit: That Gobbo
The List
Army List - Click to Expand
By Bjeorg (1995 points)
Tyranids
Strike Force (2000 points)
Vanguard Onslaught
CHARACTERS
Broodlord (80 points)
• 1x Broodlord claws and talons
Broodlord (80 points)
• 1x Broodlord claws and talons
Broodlord (80 points)
• 1x Broodlord claws and talons
Deathleaper (80 points)
• 1x Lictor claws and talons
Tyranid Warriors with Melee Bio-weapons (150 points)
• 1x Tyranid Prime
• 1x Tyranid Warrior claws and talons
• 5x Tyranid Warrior
• 5x Tyranid Warrior claws and talons
Tyranid Warriors with Melee Bio-weapons (150 points)
• 1x Tyranid Prime
• 1x Tyranid Warrior claws and talons
• 5x Tyranid Warrior
• 5x Tyranid Warrior claws and talons
Exported with App Version: v1.22.0 (51), Data Version: v488
Archetype
Pressure Vanguard
Thoughts
Tyranids were one of the more subtle winners this weekend – while their raw win rate was middle-of-the-road, they put up a disprortionatly high number of top finishes and TiWP placings, with a healthy variety of lists to boot. Plenty of players are unleashing Invasion Fleet monster mash builds, but Samuel is operating on the subtle end here with Vanguard Onslaught. This list can go for the throat with the best of them thanks to the volume of Genestealers, denies early scoring extremely well (which goes up in value with the nerf to Secret Missions), and has far higher damage output from the Warrior bricks than most people expect. Clutch stratagems for key tricks like making something Lone Op or jumping into reserves provide a variety of ways to close things out, and this continues to be one of my favourite Tyranid builds. That means it’s thrilling to see it doing well, congratulations to Samuel!
The Best of the Rest
There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:
2nd – Malaki Fowler – Thousand Sons (Cult of Magic): Double Mutalith Tsons, plus a Vindicator for some novelty.
3rd – Drew Salzborn – T’au Empire (Kroot Hunting Pack): Spectaculer numbers of Kroot backed up by Hammerheads and Sky Rays overseen by Shadowsun.
4th – Daniel Wohlmuth – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment): Double Dorn, one big unit of Bullgryn and double Aquilons.
5th – Thomas Davies – Genestealer Cult (Outlander Claw): Go-wide claw with Ridgerunners and Rockgrinders for heavier lifting and one larger bike unit for power plays.
Wrap Up
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