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[40K] Competitive Innovations in 10th: Imperium Inbound pt.2

By Lowest of Men

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.

Right, OK, Imperium time now. i promised, and Lowest of Men is going to cover it. Also some Orks. Orks are cool too.

Today we’ve got:

  • Dark Sphere November GT
  • The Risky Rollers Open 2024
  • Winchester 40K GT – November 2024
  • Geek Shack Anniversary GT

If you’re looking for any of the following, check out part 1 from Wednesday:

  • Gem City GT 2024
  • MID-MO Maelstrom
  • Atomic City Warzone
  • Liègea Primus Tournament Solo

Dark Sphere November GT

62-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in England, United Kingdom on November 02 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Jak Payne – Dark Angels (Stormlance Task Force) – 1st Place

5 Deathwing Knights with Power Swords in the Rainbow Warriors scheme
Rainbow Warriors Deathwing Knights by Craig “MasterSlowPoke” Sniffen

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

DA Storm Lance Pressure

Thoughts

Ok fun story, I was literally just off a chat with my friend Jon co-writing a pressure Dark Angels list, sat down to write Competitive Innovations, and the first list is… the one we wrote! This combination of tools just absolutely sings in Storm Lance, where it becomes fast, has access to a sneaky reactive move, and helps avoid any of it’s major hitters (the DWK and Lion) getting bogged down or slowed down at any stage. Inner Circle Companions are a little more brittle without Azrael but that’s where the Judiciar comes in to protect them, and they bring some anchoring OC as the rest of the units tick off scoring and murder respectively. I really like the Lion as a flagship unit in a proper massed brawler list like this, and although it isn’t quite as flexible as the pre-slate Dangels builds, my gosh is it glorious. Really well done on the event win!

Alun Perkins – Adeptus Custodes (Shield Host) – 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike
Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike. Credit: Pendulin

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Custodes Mixed Arms

Thoughts

Custodes are just tip toeing into view again after the dataslate, and who else but long time golden boy Alun to lead the charge! This list is classic Shield Host, with everything you might expect. Caladius duel at range, Wardens provide much needed Stodge, and there are some precision damage pieces in the Guard and Trajan. One surprising include is the Praetors – we really haven’t seen these about much in recent times, but a unit can provide some excellent forward pressure early in the game. Awesome, and a proper mixed build that requires some silky piloting. Well done Alun!

Edward Hearn – Thousand Sons (Cult of Magic) – 3rd Place

Credit: Robert “TheChirurgeon” Jones

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Thousand Sons Goodstuff

Thoughts

Maybe Magnus really didn’t do anything wrong after all, as his boys duck and weave through yet another set of nerfs and keep on slaying. The fundamental reality here is that the Thousand Sons index just has some phenomenal and quite unique tools, that will always give a skilled player ins, especially against the unwary. They have predators now but it’s far from over, and this Goodstuff build shows the recipe. Just enough chunky beasts and screening idiots to buy time for the glorious damage of the wizard castle – rinse and repeat. Really well done on the top placing!

Vincent Stein – Adeptus Custodes (Shield Host) – 4th Place

Adeptus Custodes Venatari Custodians
Adeptus Custodes Venatari Custodians. Credit: Jack Hunter

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Shield Host Venatari Spam

Thoughts

Well well, even more Custodes! The come backs on boys, we are so back. This one gets all that sweet Rapid Ingress goodness via big bricks of Venatarii, ready to cause absolute chaos if the opponent puts so much as a food wrong. The usual suspects anchor that gut punch, and it’s awesome to see another Custodes build, ahem, shine. Great work on the top placing!

The Best of the Rest

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

  • 5th – Gustavo José Branco Varandas de Sousa – Astra Militarum: Double Helhound, double Tank Commander, triple Aquilon. Chocks away!
  • 6th – Owen Baker – Astra Militarum: Lots of infantry, Helhounds, Leman Russ, and double Aquilon.
  • 7th – Samuel Martin – Adeptus Mechanicus (Skitarii Hunter Cohort): Massed infantry and some Chickens in Hunter Cohort.
  • 8th – Brian Seipp – T’au Empire (Retaliation Cadre): A truckload of suits and Triple Piranha.

The Risky Rollers Open 2024

44-player, 8-round Major in Bulleen, VIC, Australia on November 01 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matchup & Mission – Adepta Sororitas (BoF) versus Chaos Space Marines (RR)

Rhys Cunningham – Adepta Sororitas (Bringers of Flame)
Army List - Click to Expand

vs.

Miké Ocksénormöus – Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders)
Army List - Click to Expand

Thoughts

Two flavours of the quarter throwdown, with flame being brought devoutly on one side, and raiding being done, well, renegadishly on the other. Honesty isn’t the strongsuit of the traitor legions, but this is certainly an honest take on their strategies of war, leaning into foot slogging infantry and transports, with a few choice gun tanks and a carpet of Accursed ferrying forwards too. It lacks ways to engage the massed guns of the Sisters without showing itself (outside of the small Warp Talon squad), and it’s overall output is lighter than some of the nasty CSM lists we have seen popping up.

In contrast, the BoF list has packed in the Vahl unit, a discussion point of some infamy among Sisters players, but a unit that gives you a real deletion button that cares not for smoke, or AoC, or other trivial defences. I think in this match up the Vahl unit is a big deal, as used correctly it can pick a flank and start to gradually scythe through CSM armour. If the Accursed can be held off the tank lines long enough then it looks difficult for the CSM to win an outright shootout with the tools on hand, and Castigators will begin to mow down marine bodies with abandon. In the end this was a close run thing, but the sheer Sisters output eventually told.

Result

Adepta Sororitas (Bringers of Flame) Victory – 70 – 50

Rhys Cunningham – Adepta Sororitas (Bringers of Flame) – 1st Place

Credit: Evan “Felime” Siefring

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Vahl BoF Goodstuff

Thoughts

An established entity at this point, I really like Vahl in BoF goodstuff to give you a single god-slaying threat amongst the many, many mid sized ones. Armies are starting to push Sisters a lot more now, so the answer to the longstanding question of ‘how will I get Vahl into the game’ has been provided- the game is very much being brought to you, so it’s time for her to step up! Really well done on the event win.

The Best of the Rest

There were 5 more players on 6-2 records. They were:

  • 2nd – Ben Coubrough – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Truckloads of Termgants in Invasion Fleet in front of all the usual gun bugs.
  • 3rd – Dean Sinnbeck – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): Thirty World Eaters Terminators is real, and it wants to hurt you. Very much.
  • 4th – Nic Burrows – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment): 18 Bullgryn and double Rogal Dorn, tasty.
  • 5th – Kyle Mackenzie – Drukhari (Skysplinter Assault): MSU Venom Skysplinter with triple Beastpack leading the charge.
  • 6th – Miké Ocksénormöus – Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): Cheeky, Mike, very cheeky.

Winchester 40K GT – November 2024

35-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in England, GB on November 02 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matchup & Mission – Genestealer Cults (Biosanctic) versus Ork (War Horde)

Nicholas Willingale – Genestealer Cult (Biosanctic Broodsurge)
Army List - Click to Expand

vs.

Joshua Cowlard – Orks (War Horde)
Army List - Click to Expand

Thoughts

Oooo, this one is FUN. On the one hand, a current meta menace with some delightfully sneaky tech for the other top predators baked right on in… In the other corner- blunt force trauma in Trukks here for a good time, and not a long time.

Nick’s GSC list is fiendish, and I’d expect nothing less. The usual Biosanctic core pieces are there – Purestrains, Aberrants, Abominants, etc, but the list goes HEAVY on lone op characters and space control pieces – triple Kelemorph and a Saboteur, and TWO Clamavus gives it enormous control over deep striking armies. This makes it very good in *checks notes* the mirror, awesome at keeping Aquilons at bay and whittling down Guard and Sisters infantry, and a nightmare for uppy down armies like Daemons and Necrons too. Frankly, it is deliciously well thought out for the current upper reaches of the game.

Josh on the other hand, is packing a lot of combat MSU in vehicles, ready to yeet out, apply pressure and vibe to victory. I’ve had the pleasure of playing against iterations of this build and it uses Ghaz as a central lurker and push piece, and utilises the Nobz units as the main cutting edge on the go turn as lots of Boyz drown the board at the same time. It can really build up a head of steam, it’s better now that secret missions are weaker, and if you get even slightly too close you can get absolutely bodied. Biosanctic excels at anti-elite ‘anti-trading’, taking down opposing elite units via fights first and then out trading them with returnees via Cult Ambush. 

Orks don’t quite fit this brief, control an awful lot of space from the ground rather than the sky, and in Warhorde the T5 and -1 to wound can get very obnoxious, very quickly. Broodsurge lacks guns to whittle them down or crack transports (the Kelemorphs do help and a cheeky Battleshock can go a long way), and they are 100% in a fight in this match up. As it is, the Orks narrowly prevailed in a Mind Goblin derby that must have been a lot of fun to play. Well done gents!

Result

Orks (War Horde) Victory – 85 – 80

Joshua Cowlard – Orks (War Horde) – 1st Place

Credit: Tom Alexander

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Go-wide War Horde

Thoughts

Josh say ‘yes’ to lots of stuff, in a detachment that really rewards pushing hard with a trukkload of guys. Waves upon waves of Boyz, Nobz for hard target removal, and a see of Grotz and Trukks to anchor the space and tick off the cards. Flash Gitz give you a little bit of supporting shooting and Ghaz rolls up the middle, giving the opponent a hell of a lot of work to manage it all and come out ahead on the score. A sleek, effective list with a pilot who works very hard at his game. Congratulations on a hard earned GT win, Josh!

The Best of the Rest

There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

  • 2nd – Nikita Siniakov – Necrons (Awakened Dynasty): Thirty Immortals with Szeras buffing and covering them.
  • 3rd – Nicholas Willingale – Genestealer Cult (Biosanctic Broodsurge): The techy Broodsurge list from the Showdown.
  • 4th – Chris Green – T’au Empire (Retaliation Cadre): Massed Crisis Suits, some Ghostkeel and Riptides.
  • 5th – Ben Baddour – Aeldari: Avatar of Khaine, a Windrider brick and a Wraithguard brick.
  • 6th – Allan Cross – Aeldari: Avatar and Yncarne supported by Fire Prisms, partying like it’s release 10th edition.

Geek Shack Anniversary GT

30-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Las Cruces, NM, US on November 02 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Colin Kay – Ultramarines (Vanguard Spearhead) – 1st Place

Chapter Master Arcus Pluvius of the Rainbow Warriors armed with the gauntlets Rainbows Duplex
Rainbow Warriors Chapter Master Arcus Pluvius by Craig “MasterSlowPoke” Sniffen

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Ultramarines Vanguard

Thoughts

The most effective way to run the ‘Vanilla’ marines across 10th so far, Vanguard is harder to use than it used to be after copping some nerfs. It remains a sneaky, effective list that can pick enemy armies apart. The stealth buff to Ventris gives you even more Vect coverage which can leave some armies bleeding on resources and help you bring home the win, but this still deserves plaudits for muscling it’s way to a GT win. Really well played!!

The Best of the Rest

There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

  • 2nd – Rob Gonzales – Necrons (Hypercrypt Legion): Triple C’tan, triple Doomsday Ark. Punchy!
  • 3rd – Luis Dominguez – Adeptus Custodes (Shield Host): Shield Host Custodes with five glorious golden slabs.
  • 4th – Jack Kosidowski – Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force): Lennon-style Gladius Dangels keeps on trucking.
  • 5th – Taylor John – Astra Militarum: Massed Bullgryn, Rogal Dorn and Aquilons.
  • 6th – Seth Howards – World Eaters: World Eaters Goodstuff.

Wrap Up

There we are folks! Post slate Pariah in full swing as we power through towards Christmas. A bunch of armies getting results, a slightly ominous amount of Astra Militarum, but a nonetheless healthy game that has really benefitted from a year of careful balancing. All to play for out there, so go and get those last few pre-Christmas gaming weekends in!! Have fun out there.

Lowest of Men, out.

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