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[40K] Competitive Innovations in 10th: Holding Pattern pt.1

Welcome to Competitive Innovations, our weekly feature for a number of game lines across the tabletop wargame space. Each week our experts canvass the top tournaments and grand opens for their game of specialty and bring you what teams are hot, what teams are not, who’s rising, who’s falling, and what might be coming next as the meta evolves year-round.

Sound the alarm and turn the ship around because James Grover has failed to show up for his watch and has gone missing this week. He is presumably lost to the deep while on a sojourn to find himself on the high seas, attempting to commune with his ancestors on the raging main – press-ganging unsuspecting merchants and belting out a grog-soaked rendition of Rule, Brittania! in honor of king and country. In his absence, the less tactful, more aggro Goonhammer-James has taken the helm and you better brace for impact because we’re piloting this column right for the rocky shallows that is 10th edition competitive army building and list analysis where like Lord Neptune I will hold court and sit in judgement.

Hanseatic Alliance Open 2024

179-player, 8-round Supermajor in Oldenburg, NDS, Deutschland on October 04 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matchup & Mission – Unknown At Time of Writing

Tim Schneider – Leagues of Votann (Oathband)
Army List - Click to Expand

vs.

Fred Otto – Thousand Sons (Cult of Magic)
Army List - Click to Expand

Thoughts

This is about as even as a top-table matchup gets in a non-mirror situation. Both are generally low model/unit count armies, both with limited unit options, both can hit like a ton of bricks, and both have sneaky durability and speed. My initial impression here is that the player that goes second will have an outsized advantage and it almost does not matter the mission – neither list can effectively cage the other and is playing a long-game strategy. A quick review of faction v faction outcomes shows a pretty even picture at various levels of play including top-tier and full player matchup. Should be a fun, tactical game!

Tim and his Votann are big on the number two here. Two Hearthkyn squads, probably broken into two groups of two squads. Two large Pioneer units, two Land Forts, and two large Beserks. I like his odds at going second if his bold choice for a decidedly uneven number of Yaegers and Sags doesn’t weigh him down. The list overall is bringing the usual Votann capability to delete anything in the open while also possessing a strong counter-punch threat with the twin units of Beserks. The always useful Pioneers and Sags give both speed and mission play while the Yaegers provide a forward-deployed presence. All anchored by the hefty and deadly twin Land Forts.

Fred by contrast is going with a lighter, quicker Thousand Sons list with zero Mutaliths (a theme that will repeat today), a sixer of Rubrics with two rhinos, and then three sets of Enlightened that provide some cheap, disposable secondary play. It’s a mobile list that eschews some of the durability Mutaliths provides for more bodies and mission play. The usual complement of Thousand Sons characters are all there. As I’ve never seen a Thousand Sons list without Magnus I just assume that he is an incredible narcissist.

In terms of the gameplay, the thing with Magnus is you either shoot him or you don’t. If you do, you’re all-in. If you don’t, well, he’ll get his and you just have to be okay with that. It’s rare on a top-table your opponent will just give you shots on Magnus they don’t accept, and in all likelihood this ends up a cagey game where units are sacrificed as secondary scoring dictates. The player going first will eventually make and all out push to overturn the second player’s inherent primary advantage – if it works they win, if not they lose. In that scenario, I frankly like the construction of the Votann list more for this matchup.

Result

Leagues of Votann (Oathband) Victory – 13 – 7

Tim Schneider – Leagues of Votann (Oathband) – 1st Place

Trans-Hyperian Alliance Hekaton Land Fortress. Credit: Colin Ward

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Double Fort, Double Pioneer, Double Beserks

Thoughts

See Showdown

Matthias Bellmann – Adepta Sororitas (Bringers of Flame) – 2nd Place

Adepta Sororitas Sister Superior
Adepta Sororitas Sister Superior. Credit: Jack Hunter

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

All the Tools

Thoughts

Immolators? Check. Castigators? Check. Triumph, Vahl & Pals? Check. Seems like we have all the hallmarks of a strong Sister’s list and wouldn’t you know it Matthias expertly piloted with the aid of some Fate Miracles it to a second place finish. The Ecclesiarchy approves, Congrats!

Kevin „planB_God“ Zöllinger – Black Templars (Gladius Task Force) – 3rd Place

Black Templars Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs. Credit: SRM

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Black Templar Ironstorm

Thoughts

Well, well, if it’s not last week’s champion of Traunsteincup packing up his Gladiator Lancers, Predators, and Vindicators and terrorizing another set of innocent, doe-eyed tournament goers with his heavy armor and righteous hot-lead. This isn’t innovative but that’s only because it was innovative last week when he did it. No points for ctrl+c, ctrl+v. Congratulations on another top finish in back-to-back weeks.

Bastian Kry – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) – 4th Place

Bullgryn. Credit: Corrode

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Bullgryns & Russes

Thoughts

What if I told you that this list had Bullgryn in it, but not 12 and not 18. Not impressed? What if I told you that it had Leonatus and a Command Squad and a bunch of Russes but one of those Russes had Plasma Cannons? Are you still not impressed? Fine, then you better sit yourself down because Bastian is packing a trio of Scout Sentinels, armed as you’d expect, but you just don’t see them very often anymore with 2” coherency restriction and that’s gotta count for something. Congratulations to Bastian and his podium finish!

The Best of the Rest

There was one more player on a 7-1 records. They were:

  • 5th – Christian Breuer – Leagues of Votann: See: Tim Schneider, Army List. Nice to see the same list go a combined 15-1 I guess, maybe there’s something there.

Alba GT 2024

63-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Székesfehérvár, Magyarország on October 05 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Marek Vlnka – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet) – 1st Place

Exocrine. Credit: Rockfish
Exocrine. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Big Bug. BIG Bug. BIG BUG!

Thoughts

Some flexible, fast mission pieces backed by your typical line of large monsters that you can probably recite from memory if you’ve played it before. Is it tricky fast? Can be. Durable? Sometimes. Deadly? Depending. A healthy mix of capabilities played well and you got yourself a winner. Congrats!

Filip Jakob Pogacnik – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband) – 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Credit: Robert “TheChirurgeon” Jones

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

H[eight]bound

Thoughts

You really have to dig deep into the details of World Eaters to find that extra little bit of uniqueness that you can pull out. Usually, it’s in the exact arrangement of Rhinos, Bezerkers, and Eightbound. Here we see 2×5 Bezerkers rather than 1×10 and 1×5 or just simply 1×10 Bezerkers. Then a few extra Eightbound. Who knows it all blends together into the same big red rage pile. Anyways congrats to Filip on the undefeated second place finish!

Adam Pusztai – Death Guard (Plague Company) – 3rd Place

Credit: Charlie A.

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Morty Mix

Thoughts

I’ve got to hand it to Adam here, you really just don’t see a Death Guard list like this all that often. First off, you don’t see Morty all that often but the rest of the list is as if Adam was on one of those cart-shopping game shows and he’s just running down the aisle of all the things he wants, arms outstretched trying to drop as much of it into the cart as possible hoping he got what he needed by the time he hits the end. There’s a little bit of everything, and it’s clearly an effective strategy as he piloted his shopping cart to third place. Congrats!

Patrik Bajnóci – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) – 4th Place

Rogal Dorn. Credit: Rockfish
Rogal Dorn. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Double Dorn, Double Bullgryn

Thoughts

Do you ever have a moment where you think to yourself, “I’ve seen this before, I’ve been here before”? Some say it’s a change in the matrix, I don’t know about that, but as I opened this list I had the strongest feeling of déjà v… BOOM Straken. BOOM 20x Catachan/Death Korps. This is what 10th edition innovation is about. Congrats to Patrik on his podium finish!

The Best of the Rest

There were seven more players on 4-1 records. They were:

  • 5th – Richárd Ivány – Thousand Sons: Double Mutalith, Triple Infernal Master
  • 6th – Mate Csaszar – Necrons (Hypercrypt Legion): Monolith, Triarch, and a whole bunch of Skorpheks and mission play. Respect.
  • 7th – Daniel Orosz – Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force): Your typical Deathwing Knight, Repulsor/Eradictor build. Real good.
  • 8th – Riki Predator – Leagues of Votann: Double Fort, double Hearthguard
  • 9th – Joker – T’au Empire (Mont’ka): It kinda feels like they gave themself this nickname, doesn’t it? The list had no paragraph breaks and everything looked the same but after my uncrossed my eyes and looked again I saw triple Hammerheads with Ghostkeels, a Riptide and a bunch of Pathfinders. Someone please tell this guy the enter/return key exists.
  • 10th – David Perales – Aeldari: It says 10th but there’s only one Aeldari in this entire article so I choose to drop that ‘0’ and award him an honorary 1th. He did it on the back of an Avatar, double-Falcon/Dragons, with a surprise Wraithlord. Congrats on your win!*
  • 11th – Alex Serra – World Eaters: Mostly Eightbound but also two Forgefiends!

BZU 40K GT 10/5-6/2024

48-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Anchorage, AK, United States on October 05 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Christopher Jordan – Black Templars (Righteous Crusaders) – 1st Place

Black Templar Crusader squad equipped with two power fists
Black Templar Crusader Squad. Credit: Jack Hunter

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Crusader Carpet v2

Thoughts

A bit less of a stat check than version one of this list. The second release dials back on the Crusader squads to give itself some extra capability with a Callidus, Vindicator, Lancer, and Jump Pack Intercessors. A true innovation and congrats on your first!

The Best of the Rest

There were seven more players on 4-1+ records. They were:

  • 2nd (4.5-0.5) – Jonathon Baugher – Imperial Knights (Noble Lance): Canis, Lancer, Callidus and lesser nobles.
  • 3rd – Alex Nanez – Tyranids (Synaptic Nexus): Big bugs and a few brain bugs.
  • 4th – Levi Chester – Adeptus Mechanicus (Rad-Zone Corps): Heavy on Breachers and Rangers/Vanguard with some Onagers and Skystalkers in support. Oh and a Cawl sighting!
  • 5th – Micah Chapman – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Big bugs and a few brain bugs.
  • 6th – Ryan Johnson – Space Marines (Ironstorm Spearhead): Even in death Ryan will serve with his nine Dreadnoughts. A Predator Annihilator and a Vindicator for flavor. Love it.
  • 7th – Derek Swift – Adeptus Custodes (Shield Host): Double Caladius, Double (small) Venatari. The list is titled “Cookie Cutter” and I guess what else is there to say?
  • 8th – Thomas Mooney-Myers – Ultramarines (Gladius Task Force): I opened this up and thought “I just played this list” but then I kept scrolling and I saw Hellblasters, a Predator Annihilator, Bladeguard, and more! A fun list.

Dragon Fall Championship

36-player, 8-round Major in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, US on October 04 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Wesley St.Hines – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) – 1st Place

Death Korps of Krieg. Rockfish
Death Korps of Krieg. Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Bespoke T3 Carpet

Thoughts

Wesley, Wesley, Wesley. I could kiss you. Look upon this list and rejoice dear reader for it is truly an innovation. I will assume until proven otherwise that Wesley was fully LARP’d out in his Guard Commander uniform of choice as he willed his troops over the top and through the teeth of the enemy’s guns to move the line forward a strategically important 100 yards. Sipping his coffee from the overlooking chateau and berating his men for dying like cowards instead of simply not being shot. Such strong leadership resulted in a championship and for that we immortalize you in Goonhammer history! Congrats!

The Best of the Rest

We have no idea exactly what on earth the final scores were here, as the event is turbo-mangled in BCP, so here’s the rest of the top four.

  • 2nd – Jordan Nach – Necrons (Awakened Dynasty): Silent King, Named C’Tan, Wraiths, and some mission play
  • 3rd – David T. – Thousand Sons (Cult of Magic): No Mutaliths but a big brick of Terminators and supporting character
  • 4th – Richard Zmuda – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment): Double Dorn, double Bullgryn

Paragon City Games Warhammer 40K Store Championships

33-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Sandy, UT, US on October 05 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Evan Stump – Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force) – 1st Place

Five Deathwing Terminators
Squad of Deathwing Terminators (Photo courtesy of Musterkrux)

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Deathwing Knights

Thoughts

It’s almost stock standard but then a twinkle in his eye Evan throws a curveball and drops the Eradicators/Biologis/Repulsor for two Repulsor Executioners. I respect it and it counts as innovative. Congrats on your first place finish!

The Best of the Rest

There were 3 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

  • 2nd – Jeff Petersen – Tyranids (Vanguard Onslaught): There’s a lot in this list actually, too much to list, but it’s not your typical build and has a little bit of everything. Big props on your innovations and second place finish.
  • 3rd – Thomas Knight – Imperial Knights (Noble Lance): Canis, Atropos, Lancer, Eversor, Callidus, and some lesser nobles.
  • 4th – Michael Tonel – Thousand Sons (Cult of Magic): The list name is “I’m tired boss” and brother? Me too. Double Infernal Master with a whole bunch of Rubrics. No Mutaliths.

The Spice Must Flow GT

28-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand on October 04 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Michael Taylor – Adeptus Mechanicus (Skitarii Hunter Cohort) – 1st Place

Adeptus Mechanicus - Skitarii
Adeptus Mechanicus – Skitarii
Credit: Pendulin

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Thoughts

Gonna be honest, seeing a lot of different Ad Mech lists and it’s refreshing. Maybe Ad Mech is too expensive for every player to adopt one archtype and are just going with what they have but it is a nice change of pace for 10th list building. I admit I don’t know Ad Mech anymore but nonetheless I like this list. It’s fast, not necessarily the hardest hitting but it does have tools, some sneaky durability, and I think it’ll be underestimated quite a bit at the pairings step. A lot of board presence, some tricks, and strong pilot taking it all the way. Congrats Michael on your first and your innovative list!

The Best of the Rest

There were four more players on 4-1 records. They were:

  • 2nd – Finn Decker – Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): Did you guess a triple-brick of Accursed Cultists? Congratulations you’re psychic. Some Rubrics for flavor, a dash of Vindicator and Bikers.
  • 3rd – Cam Wilkinson – T’au Empire (Mont’ka): Suits galore – every type. Is it a suit? Then it’s here. Some are even stealthy but most are just a big old pile of guns. Oh and Skyrays. Cannot forget the Skyrays.
  • 4th – Patricio Campos – Space Wolves (Stormlance Task Force): Wee-woo, wee-woo – straight to wolf jail with you.
  • 5th – Luke Paruman – Astra Militarum: Bullgryns, Russes, and Basilisks oh my!

Wrap Up

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