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.

BAYERN MAJOR #1 2025 AoS

48-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Regensburg, BY, Deutschland on March 08 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Nikolas Berg – Seraphon
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vs.

Pavel Šebesta – Idoneth Deepkin
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Thoughts

This is a really interesting matchup, I’d normally see Kroak as pretty bad for Deepkin as they’re low wound count and don’t enjoy the mortal wounds up ’em, but this particular Deepkin list has gone all-in on double turtle and therefore packs a hero with a 5+ and two big-based monsters with 5+ ward auras to protect each unit of Morrsarr Guard.

The Seraphon here have a big advantage in the Hunters of Huanchi for achieving battle tactics and objective grabbing, but the Deepkin are a ball of hate and high rend and if they can control the engagement the Seraphon really only have the Aggradons and single unit of Saurus Guard to anchor their lines – if they get cleared up quickly the game can swing for the fish aelves dramatically.

Result

Idoneth Deepkin Victory – 14 – 6

Pavel Šebesta – Idoneth Deepkin – 1st Place

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Double turtle bigstuff

Thoughts

Idoneth Deepkin have a bit of a rep as an expert’s army but this list is not particularly subtle. Each Leviadon can pair up with a unit of eels and the entire army has a 5+ ward, is fast, and hits hard. This really feels like the most AoS4 Deepkin list: everything is a hammer and you shove it at your opponent, if they don’t know what’s coming for them or don’t have the tools to deal with it, it’s going to bulldoze them.

The Best of the Rest

There were 7 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

• 2nd – Martin Supplies – Stormcast Eternals: Karazai and Ionus with a block of Reclusians
• 3rd – Pascal Weimar – Ogor Mawtribes: 6 Stonehorns and some cats
• 4th – Nikolas Berg – Seraphon: See showdown
• 5th – Alexander Spörl – Idoneth Deepkin: Aspect of the Sea with eels and 50 reavers
• 6th – Florian Hagauer – Seraphon: Kroak goodstuff
• 7th – Dominik Viehmann – Maggotkin of Nurgle: Rotigus, Bloab and a whole lotta Blight Kings
• 8th – David Demmel – Ogor Mawtribes: 6 Stonehorns and some cats

SEO 2025 – AoS Warhammer World Champs Qualifier

40-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Phoenix, AZ, United States on March 08 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matchup & Mission –

Kyle Calip – Flesh-eater Courts
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vs.

Thomas Guan – Skaventide
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Thoughts

Oh my god that’s a lot of Clanrats. 

This is a real battle of attrition, with ghouls that can come back to life battling it out against an endless sea of rats. You’d think this would go to time but by the look of the score (not a typo, this event had pretty unusual scoring) this was actually a bit of a blowout. I suspect the problem here is that once both units of Morbhegs are attrited sufficiently, there just isn’t the output in this FEC army to get through the rats, who are perfectly capable of killing Crypt Flayers.

Result

Skaventide Victory – 149 – 22

Thomas Guan – Skaventide – 1st Place

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

One hundred and EIGHTy Clanrats

Thoughts

Thomas is asking a question of his opponents here and that question is: can you kill 180 Clanrats before I win the game? Unsurprisingly, not many people found the answer. 

It’s more than just pure bodies on the board, as the list also builds to making the Clanrats quite pokey. Claw-horde hands out rend on the charge and Vizzik can pretty reliably get the crit mortals prayer onto a unit which can then also be given skavenbrew for more attacks. The Grey Seer also makes those hordes more survivable, to make chewing through them even more difficult, with access to a strikes-last spell and the endless bell handing out -1 to wound. 

All together, it’s a cunning list befitting the horned rat, and it’s nice to see Skaven doing well without 12 ratling guns stapled to the army. But uh, for the sake of the game let’s hope this one doesn’t catch on too much.

The Best of the Rest

There were 7 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

• 2nd – Colt Hegardt – Hedonites of Slaanesh: Blissbarb Archers, Blissbarb Seekers and some Slickblades too.
• 3rd – Camaron Hallford – Ironjawz: Kragnos, ZOggrok and a pile of Ardboyz
• 4th – Brian Horton – Seraphon: Kroak goodstuff
• 5th – Adam Beautement – Blades of Khorne: 5 drops of MSU mortals and Bloodthirster friend
• 6th – Greg Brewer – Flesh-eater Courts: Ushoran, Crypt Flayers and Morbhegs
• 7th – Kyle Calip – Flesh-eater Courts: See showdown
• 8th – Ryan Inman – Flesh-eater Courts: Ushoran, Crypt Horrors and Morbhegs

Wartilyo GT 2025

37-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Pasig, NCR, Philippines on March 08 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matchup & Mission –

Nikola Jankovic – Sylvaneth
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vs.

Boggy B – Skaventide
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Thoughts

Mostly two quite traditional lists here, though Sylvaneth having quite this many Dryads in an army is really unusual. There’s a tension here between Alarielle being able to bring back units and the Skaven player being able to slaughter whatever gets in range of the Ratlings. 

This game ran incredibly close, with both players scoring very high. With Skaven clutching it at the end, this suggests the Sylvaneth melee threat pieces struggled to get in and stay in to land a crippling blow on the Skaven, but they kept enough on the board to keep scoring regardless.

Result

Skaventide Victory – 39-38

Boggy B – Skaventide – 1st Place

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Skaven goodstuff

Thoughts

You know it and, if you’re a horrible little rat person, you love it: Skaven shooting. A unit of 6 Ratling guns is doing 18d6 shots, the range isn’t great but they can covering fire like nothing else. Boggy B has packed in even more firepower by including a third weapons team unit of Warpfire Throwers, the have even worse range and throw fewer dice but are more reliable at hitting and rending. This unit sort of replaces the melee threat that some Skaven lists use to intervene when the enemy clears through the clanrats.

The Best of the Rest

There were 7 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

• 2nd – Joshua Manalansan – Sons of Behemat: Brodd, Kragnos, Warstomper and Da Hurtlin’ Hogz!
• 3rd – Joseph Garay – Seraphon: Kroak goodstuff
• 4th – Nikola Jankovic – Sylvaneth: See showdown
• 5th – Christian Ong – Gloomspite Gitz: Trugg’s Troggs
• 6th – Alexis Angelo Sulit – Stormcast Eternals: Reclusians, Vanguard-Palladors and a whole lot of about-to-be-legends
• 7th – Nakar Emmanuelle Elumba – Lumineth Realm-Lords: Ellania and Ellathor lead a bit of everything Vanari
• 8th – Miles Silbor II – Sons of Behemat: Another SoB army going 4-1! This time it’s Brodd, a Gatebreaker, a Warstomper and 4 Mancrushers

Games and Stuff AoS Event Hosted by Away Games

32-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Glen Burnie, MD, United States on March 08 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matchup & Mission –

Jacob Brandon – Ironjawz
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vs.

Corry Wiggins – Ogor Mawtribes
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Thoughts

A classic matchup of “I have decided to bring the only good stuff from the faction” in both corners here. It’s a tough one to call, as both of these list styles have been doing reasonably well and both have things the other doesn’t like. Copious mortal wounds from charging Ogor monsters are one of the best ways of getting rid of high-save Ironjawz quickly, and in return Brutes & Ardboyz both have the juice to chew through the Stonehorns and Thundertusks, especially with attack and damage buffs.

Overall, not one I’d like to try and call going into it. A matchup like this is likely to come down to tactical play and engaging at the right time, securing your own scoring whilst trying to deny your opponent. Arguably a touch harder for the Ironjawz, with fewer pieces on the board to make an impact with.

Result

Ironjawz Victory – 50 – 22

Jacob Brandon – Ironjawz – 1st Place

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Heavy infantry, backed up by a couple of big pigs

Thoughts

Jacob cruised to a victory with the Ironjawz here, playing a perfect game and holding Corry to a pretty low score. As the dust starts to settle on the Orruk Warclans release, Ardboyz and Brutes have stepped to the fore as the standout pieces, and it’s easy to see why. Ardboyz are a terrifying prospect to charge, you aren’t going to kill all of them and in return you’re taking mortals every turn, alongside a huge number of potentially damage-boosted attacks when the Ironjawz player gets the Waaagh! and buffs off. Jacob is capitalising on that with this list, picking the Weirdfist to get them a 6+ ward and make them even harder to chew through.

The Brutes and Gruntas serve as reactive pieces, charging in to finish off units trapped against a wall of Ardboyz or left swinging in the wind by a failed charge. No doubt the Foot of Gork and the Bossrokk tower came in clutch here – Stonehorns do not want to be charging on 1d6.

The Best of the Rest

There were 6 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

• 2nd – Roger Yohn – Slaves to Darkness: Two big blocks of Chosen with a Sorcerer Lord and some Knights
• 3rd – Nick Rau – Cities of Sigmar: A real mishmash – Hammerers, Executioners, Cavaliers, Fusiliers, and Callis & Toll
• 4th – Freddie Bonds – Nighthaunt: Olynder, a Black Coach and a pile of Myrmourn Banshees
• 5th – John Baecker – Ogor Mawtribes: NOT six Stonehorns! It’s Ogor infantry with a big unit of Gluttons and four Gorger Mawpacks
• 6th – Charlie Mahoney – Fyreslayers: 40 HGBs with Broadaxes
• 7th – Corry Wiggins – Ogor Mawtribes: See showdown

Prleški Hammer 4th edition

26-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Ormož, Slovenija on March 08 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matchup & Mission –

Boris Belic – Slaves to Darkness
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vs.

Aleksandar Mužina – Blades of Khorne
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Thoughts

This seems like a bit of a one-directional matchup, a very by-the-books optimised Slaves list versus what looks just like a pile of stuff on the Khorne side. Skullreapers are hitty but there are only 5 of them, Bloodletters can be a tarpit but they’re split up into two minimum units and not supported by a Bloodmaster. The Bloodthirster with Ar’gath is a good character assassin though, and the big block of Blood Warriors can be a real pain to shift.

On lists alone this one looks like it should go to Slaves to Darkness, it’s a much more optimised list with clear roles, and it’s well-proven by this point.

Result

Blades of Khorne Victory – 12 – 8

Aleksandar Mužina – Blades of Khorne – 1st Place

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

“This is the stuff I have painted”

Thoughts

Optimisation ain’t everything, as the saying goes. Let’s assume the 12-8 result here is a split 20 tournament points, rather than an incredibly low score out of 50. It’s hard to say what that means in real terms, put probably suggests a margin of victory of 5-10 Victory Points, so a close run thing. I’m guessing Aleksandar was using the Khornate Legion to chain-fight with his higher impact pieces like the Bloodthirster and Skullreapers, knocking out the S2D units before they could chew through the Khorne lads.

The Best of the Rest

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

• 2nd – Boris Belic – Slaves to Darkness: See showdown
• 3rd – Denis Osterman – Flesh-eater Courts: Ushoran, Ghoul King on Terrorgheist, pile of Morbheg Knights
• 4th – David Rankovic – Flesh-eater Courts: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – Ushoran, Horrors, Morbhegs
• 5th – Leondardo Vertuš – Gloomspite Gitz: Kragnos and all of the Squigs

Wrap Up

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