Imagine a Wraithknight’s gigantic foot, stomping on the metagame forever. Shortly you will not need to imagine this as we pop open our first event. This is your weekly update – Eldar and GSC, still way too good.

In wider and happier news, this week it’s the turn of the Deathwatch (handily covered in yesterday’s Faction Focus), Orks and Tyranids to make a college try at dethroning the rulers of the metagame. Let’s find out how that went for them, as we look at:

Today:

The Leeds Super-Major (supermajor)
Capital Clash
Board Room Brawl 2023
North Star Open

Friday:

Battle To End Alzheimers GT 2023 (major)
BMC Cup
War in the Fort
Wars on the Shore

This week we’ve got three showdowns, including one guest appearance by a Goonhammer contributor, who made the classic rookie error of getting to the top tables at an event, so thus “wins” the opportunity to do my work for me. The others, as ever, have been voted for by the tastemakers in the Goonhammer Patron discord. We’ll be looking at:

Tyranids vs Orks at the Capital Clash
Ultramarines vs Genestealer Cults at War in the Fort
Orks vs Thousand Sons at the Board Room Brawl

One final plug before we kick off – the Goonhammer Open UK is coming up in just under a month and we have a few tickets left, so if you think you have what it takes to outsmart the metagame and win a golden ticket, go sign up here.

The Leeds Super-Major

196-player, 7-round Supermajor in England United Kingdom on August 05 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Josh Roberts – Aeldari – 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

leeds GT List (2000 points)
Aeldari
Strike Force (2000 points)
Battle Host

CHARACTER

Autarch Wayleaper (80 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Dragon fusion gun
1x Howling Banshee Mask
1x Star glaive

Avatar of Khaine (295 points)
• 1x The Wailing Doom

Farseer (65 points)
• 1x Eldritch Storm
1x Shuriken pistol
1x Singing spear

Farseer Skyrunner (100 points)
• 1x Eldritch Storm
1x Shuriken pistol
1x Singing spear
1x Twin shuriken catapult
• Enhancement: The Phoenix Gem

The Yncarne (270 points)
• 1x Swirling soul energy
1x Vilith-zhar, the Sword of Souls

OTHER DATASHEETS

Shadow Spectres (80 points)
• 5x Close combat weapon
5x Prism rifle

Wraithknight (475 points)
• 1x Heavy wraithcannon
1x Heavy wraithcannon
2x Starcannon
1x Titanic feet

Archetype

Aeldari Bigstuff

Final Round Matchup

100 – 45 Victory against John Swallow – Aeldari.

Thoughts

Ah well, at least a Goonhammer Open belt holder winning the first event of the week is on theme. Four brutal killing machines, buff Characters and three units of ultra cheap deep strike utility/pressure – a complete nightmare to shift, and appalling in the devastation it can unleash. Shamefully, Josh scored merely 698 out of a possible 700VP over the weekend. Shocking behaviour. Give that belt back.

(Congratulations Josh)

John Swallow – Aeldari – 2nd Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Good?? (1995 points)
Aeldari
Strike Force (2000 points)
Battle Host

CHARACTER

Autarch Wayleaper (80 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Dragon fusion gun
1x Howling Banshee Mask
1x Star glaive

Farseer (65 points)
• 1x Eldritch Storm
1x Shuriken pistol
1x Witchblade

The Yncarne (270 points)
• 1x Swirling soul energy
1x Vilith-zhar, the Sword of Souls

OTHER DATASHEETS

Hornet (80 points)
• 2x Bright lance
1x Wraithbone hull

Shadow Spectres (80 points)
• 5x Close combat weapon
5x Prism rifle

Support Weapons (105 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x D-cannon
1x Shuriken catapult

Warp Spiders (100 points)
• 1x Warp Spider Exarch
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Death spinner
• 4x Warp Spider
• 4x Close combat weapon
4x Death spinner

Wraithknight (475 points)
• 1x Heavy wraithcannon
1x Heavy wraithcannon
2x Starcannon
1x Titanic feet

Archetype

Double Wraithknights

Thoughts

Yes, that would indeed be a double Wraithknight triple Spectre mirror match on the top table. John’s build (also seen winning a major last week) dials back the brutality a little for way more objective tools, which saw him all the way to the final before falling to Josh’s more directly brutal version. An incredible set of back to back performances, well done John.

Luke Quadling – Aeldari – 3rd Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Wraith No More – Epic (2000 points)
Aeldari
Strike Force (2000 points)
Battle Host

CHARACTER

Autarch Wayleaper (80 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Dragon fusion gun
1x Howling Banshee Mask
1x Star glaive

Farseer Skyrunner (100 points)
• 1x Eldritch Storm
1x Shuriken pistol
1x Singing spear
1x Twin shuriken catapult
• Enhancement: The Phoenix Gem

Illic Nightspear (65 points)
• 1x Aeldari power sword
1x Shuriken pistol
1x Voidbringer

The Yncarne (270 points)
• 1x Swirling soul energy
1x Vilith-zhar, the Sword of Souls

OTHER DATASHEETS

Dark Reapers (75 points)
• 1x Dark Reaper Exarch
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Tempest launcher
• 4x Dark Reaper
• 4x Close combat weapon
4x Reaper launcher

Night Spinner (170 points)
• 1x Doomweaver
1x Shuriken cannon
1x Wraithbone hull

Rangers (55 points)
• 5x Close combat weapon
5x Ranger long rifle
5x Shuriken pistol

Shroud Runners (80 points)
• 3x Close combat weapon
3x Ranger long rifle
3x Scatter laser
3x Shuriken pistol

Support Weapons (105 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x D-cannon
1x Shuriken catapult

Voidweaver (100 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Prismatic cannon
2x Shuriken cannon

Vypers (75 points)
• 1x Starcannon
1x Twin shuriken catapult
1x Wraithbone hull

War Walkers (95 points)
• 2x Bright lance
1x War Walker feet

Warp Spiders (100 points)
• 1x Warp Spider Exarch
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Death spinner
1x Death spinner
1x Powerblades
• 4x Warp Spider
• 4x Close combat weapon
4x Death spinner

Archetype

Go-wide Aeldari

Thoughts

As if foreseeing the great psychic wound of Aeldari players trying to insist that only the Wraithknight needs changing, our third Aeldari build of the top four packs none of those, instead going wide with lots of efficient shooting platforms and lots of indirect, overwhelming opponents with threats and reliably maxing out its Secondaries. Another extremely effective list, but eventually fell to John’s Wraithknights. Great work from Luke.

Christopher Radford – Deathwatch – 4th Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Deathwatch 2k (2000 points)
Space Marines
Deathwatch
Strike Force (2000 points)
Black Spear Task Force

CHARACTER

Captain (95 points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
1x Power fist
1x Relic Shield
• Enhancement: Thief of Secrets

Watch Master (155 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Vigil spear
• Enhancement: The Tome of Ectoclades

BATTLELINE

Deathwatch Veterans (200 points)
• 1x Watch Sergeant
• 1x Astartes shield
1x Xenophase blade
• 9x Deathwatch Veteran
• 1x Astartes shield
4x Close combat weapon
4x Deathwatch thunder hammer
4x Frag cannon
1x Long Vigil melee weapon

OTHER DATASHEETS

Desolation Squad (340 points)
• 1x Desolation Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Castellan launcher
1x Close combat weapon
1x Vengor launcher
• 9x Desolation Marine
• 9x Bolt pistol
9x Castellan launcher
9x Close combat weapon
9x Superkrak rocket launcher

Inceptor Squad (115 points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Plasma exterminators
• 2x Inceptor
• 2x Close combat weapon
2x Plasma exterminators

Infiltrator Squad (90 points)
• 1x Infiltrator Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Marksman bolt carbine
• 4x Infiltrator
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Close combat weapon
1x Helix Gauntlet
1x Infiltrator Comms Array
4x Marksman bolt carbine

Land Speeder (80 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Multi-melta

Proteus Kill Team (330 points)
• 5x Kill Team Veteran
• 5x Close combat weapon
1x Deathwatch thunder hammer
4x Frag cannon
• 1x Kill Team Biker
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Long Vigil melee weapon
1x Twin boltgun
• 4x Kill Team Terminator
• 3x Cyclone missile launcher
3x Power fist
1x Storm Shield
3x Storm bolter
1x Terminator thunder hammer

Repulsor (195 points)
• 1x Armoured hull
1x Heavy onslaught gatling cannon
1x Hunter-slayer missile
1x Repulsor defensive array
1x Twin lascannon

Archetype

All-rounder Deathwatch

Thoughts

Doing the Emperor’s work by saving us from an all-Xenos top four, Chris’s Deathwatch draw on the power of their rules and datasheets to create an extremely mobile and deadly army that can deal massive damage across multiple phases. Deathwatch Veteran squads are extremely powerful for the price, and having the Kill Team Keyword lets them interact very favourably with the army’s rules, teleporting around or unleashing massive damage as needed. I also really like the tech of the Repulsor, providing both another powerful shooting platform and a way of playing hard-to-get against powerful melee threats like Custodes and Aberrants. Add the powerhouse that is a full Desolator brick and you’ve got something that can tangle with the best, and Chris went through some powerful opposition before finally being thwarted by Josh’s brutal Aeldari concoction. Congratulations to Chris on taking fourth.

The Best of the Rest

There were 2 more players on 5-0 records after the swiss. They were:

5th – Nicholas Willingale – Genestealer Cult: Horde with Aberrants.
6th – Peter Duff – Chaos Space Marines & Daemons: Abaddon and a wall of Obliterators, plus some Daemon objective play.

Capital Clash – ‘Ere we go!

51-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Ainslie, ACT Australia on August 04 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

William Wykoff – Necrons – 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

99th take (2000 points)
Necrons
Strike Force (2000 points)
Awakened Dynasty

CHARACTER

Hexmark Destroyer (100 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Enmitic disintegrator pistols
• Enhancement: The Sovereign Coronal (Aura)

Lord (65 points)
• 1x Lord’s blade
1x Resurrection Orb

Overlord (85 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Resurrection Orb
1x Voidscythe

Technomancer (85 points)
• 1x Canoptek Cloak
1x Staff of light
• Enhancement: Hypermaterial Ablator

Technomancer (60 points)
• 1x Canoptek Cloak
1x Staff of light

Transcendent C’tan (290 points)
• 1x Crackling tendrils
1x Seismic assault
• Enhancement: Sempiternal Weave

OTHER DATASHEETS

Canoptek Reanimator (95 points)
• 2x Atomiser beam
1x Reanimator’s claws

Cryptothralls (40 points)
• 2x Scouring eye
2x Scythed limbs

Deathmarks (65 points)
• 5x Close combat weapon
5x Synaptic disintegrator

Doomsday Ark (185 points)
• 1x Armoured bulk
1x Doomsday cannon
2x Gauss flayer array

Flayed Ones (70 points)
• 5x Flayer claws

Lokhust Destroyers (30 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Gauss cannon

Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (90 points)
• 2x Close combat weapon
2x Gauss destructor

Lychguard (190 points)
• 10x Dispersion Shield
10x Hyperphase sword

Tomb Blades (80 points)
• 3x Close combat weapon
3x Shadowloom
3x Shieldvanes
3x Twin tesla carbine

Archetype

Double Lychguard Brick

Final Round Matchup

88 – 54 Victory against Greg Maginnity – Asuryani.

Thoughts

Renewing the hostilities of the War in Heaven, William earns the Necrontyr the right to shout “scoreboard” while flipping the nearest Farseer off, taking a win with the robots and defeating the Aeldari menace on the way to doing so. As to how, the answer is/continues to be Lychguard, who alongside the super C’tan (also featuring in this list) are some of the most durable things in the entire game, giving Necrons a shot at actually rolling with the punches that the Asuryani and Genestealer Cults can throw. Add in lots of cheap ways to fill out the board, providing ample screening for matchups where it matters, and some pretty great anti-tank to kick things off against Knights. Love to see a ro-boss winning, well done William.

The Best of the Rest

There were 9 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

2nd – Taylor Hill – Genestealer Cult: Horde with Aberrants.
3rd – Dale Mann – Aeldari: Hulls galore and a squad of Wraithguard.
4th – Jack Lavercombe – Aeldari: Triple Prism and a Wraithknight.
5th – Joshua Brodie – Genestealer Cult: Horde with some Jackals as backup, plus a Manticore.
6th – Greg Maginnity – Asuryani: Go-wide shooting.
7th – Tim Evers – Necrons: Lychguard/Warriors with the ominious, looming bulk of a Monolith (plus three Doomsdays) behind them.
8th – Ewart Searle – Chaos Daemons: Monster Mash with all the big hits.
9th – Nathan Princi – Adeptus Custodes: Double Caladius with one big Guard brick.
10th – Michael Duke – Genestealer Cult: Pure horde.

Board Room Brawl 2023

40-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Grand Forks, British Columbia CA on August 05 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Deploy Servo Skulls – Supply Lines – Hammer and Anvil

David Burdett – Thousand Sons: Herohammer-skewed Thousand Sons, cutting back on Scarabs to squeeze in a Daemon Prince.
Army List - Click to Expand

Comp (1990 Points)

Thousand Sons
Cult of Magic
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Ahriman on Disc of Tzeentch (115 Points)
• 1x Black Staff of Ahriman
1x Inferno bolt pistol
1x Psychic Stalk

Exalted Sorcerer (110 Points)
• 1x Astral Blast
1x Force weapon
1x Inferno bolt pistol
• Enhancements: Umbralefic Crystal

Infernal Master (90 Points)
• 1x Force weapon
1x Inferno bolt pistol
1x Screamer Invocation
• Enhancements: Arcane Vortex

Magnus the Red (410 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Blade of Magnus
1x Gaze of Magnus
1x Tzeentch’s Firestorm

Thousand Sons Daemon Prince (235 Points)
• 1x Hellforged weapons
1x Infernal cannon
• Enhancements: Lord of Forbidden Lore

BATTLELINE

Rubric Marines (190 Points)
• 1x Aspiring Sorcerer
• 1x Force weapon
1x Inferno bolt pistol
1x Warpsmite
• 9x Rubric Marine
• 9x Close combat weapon
1x Icon of Flame
9x Warpflamer

Rubric Marines (95 Points)
• 1x Aspiring Sorcerer
• 1x Force weapon
1x Inferno bolt pistol
1x Warpsmite
• 4x Rubric Marine
• 4x Close combat weapon
1x Icon of Flame
3x Inferno boltgun
1x Soulreaper cannon

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Thousand Sons Rhino (75 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Havoc launcher
1x Inferno combi-bolter
1x Inferno combi-weapon

OTHER DATASHEETS

Mutalith Vortex Beast (145 Points)
• 1x Betentaled maw
1x Mutalith claws
1x Warp vortex

Scarab Occult Terminators (205 Points)
• 1x Scarab Occult Sorcerer
• 1x Force weapon
1x Inferno combi-bolter
1x Warpsmite
• 4x Scarab Occult Terminator
• 4x Inferno combi-bolter
4x Prosperine khopesh

Thousand Sons Chaos Spawn (65 Points)
• 2x Chaos Spawn
• 2x Hideous mutations

Thousand Sons Cultists (65 Points)
• 1x Thousand Sons Cultist Champion
• 1x Brutal assault weapon
1x Cultist firearm
• 9x Thousand Sons Cultist
• 9x Brutal assault weapon
9x Cultist firearm

vs.

Scott de Wynter-Wilkie – Orks: Speedy/Shooty Orks, with cavalry, bikes and some Flash Gits in a battlewagon.
Army List - Click to Expand

brawl 2023 (2000 points)
Orks
Strike Force (2000 points)
Waaagh! Tribe

CHARACTER

Big Mek in Mega Armour (100 points)
• 1x Grot Oiler
1x Kustom Force Field
1x Kustom mega-blasta
1x Power klaw

Deffkilla Wartrike (115 points)
• 1x Deffkilla boomstikks
1x Killa jet
1x Snagga klaw
• Enhancement: Follow Me Ladz

Kaptin Badrukk (95 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Choppa
1x Da Rippa
1x Slugga

Nob on Smasha Squig (95 points)
• 1x Big choppa
1x Slugga
1x Smasha squig jaws
• Enhancement: Headwoppa’s Killchoppa

Nob on Smasha Squig (75 points)
• 1x Big choppa
1x Slugga
1x Smasha squig jaws

DEDICATED TRANSPORT

Trukk (50 points)
• 1x Big shoota
1x Spiked wheels

OTHER DATASHEETS

Battlewagon (185 points)
• 4x Big shoota
1x Deff rolla
1x Killkannon
1x Lobba

Flash Gitz (190 points)
• 1x Ammo Runt
• 1x Kaptin
• 1x Choppa
1x Snazzgun
• 9x Flash Git
• 9x Choppa
9x Snazzgun

Gretchin (45 points)
• 1x Runtherd
• 1x Grot-smacka
1x Slugga
• 10x Gretchin
• 10x Close combat weapon
10x Grot blasta

Meganobz (165 points)
• 2x Kustom shoota
2x Power klaw
3x Twin killsaw

Squighog Boyz (220 points)
• 6x Saddlegit weapons
6x Squighog jaws and saddlegits
6x Stikka

Squighog Boyz (110 points)
• 3x Saddlegit weapons
3x Squighog jaws and saddlegits
3x Stikka

Stormboyz (65 points)
• 1x Boss Nob
• 1x Choppa
1x Slugga
• 4x Stormboy
• 4x Choppa
4x Slugga

Warbikers (150 points)
• 1x Boss Nob on Warbike
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Power klaw
1x Twin dakkagun
• 5x Warbiker
• 5x Choppa
5x Close combat weapon
5x Twin dakkagun

Thoughts

This is a mission that demands extreme aggression, because if one player isn’t careful they’re going to find victory on the Primary very quickly out of their reach. That is, obviously, very good news for Orks, as they love being aggressive and pushing into the midfield, and there are plenty of armies where this list would be a nightmare to face on this mission, as it can either widely pressure the middle itself, or brutally punish the enemy for trying to do so. The big Squighog unit with the tooled-up Smasha Nob is a particular highlight – I’ve had the dubious pleasure of facing this model on the table, and the damage-dealing capacity has to be seen to be believed.

That’s the good news for the boyz – the bad news is that this Thousand Sons list is extremely well equipped to murder them, and I’m not totally convinced there’s that much they can do about it. Seriously, Tzeentch has clearly done his homework here, because double Warpflamer brick and the unusual choice of a Daemon Prince providing Stealth, massively reducing the value of the Flash Gitz, makes this a tricky prospect to face down. One bad turn, especially if the Orks get caught without Waaagh! up, which will allow a great unit to get turbo-smoked with Twist (which is phenomenal in this matchup) and things could end up pretty much dead for them. I think they basically have to hope they go first, make a minimal commitment to start moving the objectives at the start of the game (use the Stormboyz maybe), then go for a massive all-spectrum Waaagh! turn in Battle Round 2 to try and keep the objectives moving towards the Tsons side of the table and clear as much of the Tzeentchian forces as possible.

If they go second, I think it becomes very challenging for them – the Tsons can march up, hold the objectives largely in place in their turn, then start them moving inexorably forward from there, hosing down any Orks that get in their way. This has a lot of the energy of The Scouring from the last Edition – you basically have no way to play around a confrontation here, and when one side is massively better equipped to kill the other, that favours them heavily. Sure enough, the Thousand Sons emerged victorious.

Result

Thousand Sons Victory – 100 – 25

David Burdett – Thousand Sons – 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Comp (1990 Points)

Thousand Sons
Cult of Magic
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Ahriman on Disc of Tzeentch (115 Points)
• 1x Black Staff of Ahriman
1x Inferno bolt pistol
1x Psychic Stalk

Exalted Sorcerer (110 Points)
• 1x Astral Blast
1x Force weapon
1x Inferno bolt pistol
• Enhancements: Umbralefic Crystal

Infernal Master (90 Points)
• 1x Force weapon
1x Inferno bolt pistol
1x Screamer Invocation
• Enhancements: Arcane Vortex

Magnus the Red (410 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Blade of Magnus
1x Gaze of Magnus
1x Tzeentch’s Firestorm

Thousand Sons Daemon Prince (235 Points)
• 1x Hellforged weapons
1x Infernal cannon
• Enhancements: Lord of Forbidden Lore

BATTLELINE

Rubric Marines (190 Points)
• 1x Aspiring Sorcerer
• 1x Force weapon
1x Inferno bolt pistol
1x Warpsmite
• 9x Rubric Marine
• 9x Close combat weapon
1x Icon of Flame
9x Warpflamer

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Thousand Sons Rhino (75 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Havoc launcher
1x Inferno combi-bolter
1x Inferno combi-weapon

OTHER DATASHEETS

Mutalith Vortex Beast (145 Points)
• 1x Betentaled maw
1x Mutalith claws
1x Warp vortex

Thousand Sons Chaos Spawn (65 Points)
• 2x Chaos Spawn
• 2x Hideous mutations

Thousand Sons Cultists (65 Points)
• 1x Thousand Sons Cultist Champion
• 1x Brutal assault weapon
1x Cultist firearm
• 9x Thousand Sons Cultist
• 9x Brutal assault weapon
9x Cultist firearm

Archetype

Techy Thousand Sons

Thoughts

Some unusual choices on show here, adding some new options for how to play out games with this faction. Cultists as early (and speedy) sacrifices provide reliable ways to pressure objectives early, while the Daemon Prince feels like a great tool to have in Knight matchups, where you’re normally at a risk of getting cleared off the board in a volley of D2 shooting. It obviously doesn’t fix the problem, but it certainly helps. The tradeoff for that is having slightly less brutal stomping power from either a full Scarab brick of multiple Beasts, but Magnus and a Beast playing tag-team is still a real challenge for many armies to handle, and there’s some definite shoring up against some ways to tackle the faction here (the Cultists are also great for screening out GSC). Nice to see some different tools used to such success, congratulations David.

Riley Carter – Imperial Knights – 2nd Place (Undefeated)

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

knights (2000 points)
Imperial Knights
Strike Force (2000 points)
Noble Lance

CHARACTER

Canis Rex (490 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Chainbreaker las-impulsor
1x Chainbreaker multi-laser
1x Freedom’s Hand

Knight Crusader (500 points)
• 1x Avenger gatling cannon
1x Heavy flamer
1x Ironstorm missile pod
1x Questoris heavy stubber
1x Questoris heavy stubber
1x Rapid-fire battle cannon
1x Titanic feet
• Enhancement: Mythic Hero

Knight Valiant (585 points)
• 1x Conflagration cannon
2x Shieldbreaker missile launcher
1x Thundercoil harpoon
1x Titanic feet
2x Twin meltagun
1x Twin siegebreaker cannon
• Enhancement: Revered Knight (Aura)

BATTLELINE

Armiger Helverin (145 points)
• 2x Armiger autocannon
1x Armoured feet
1x Questoris heavy stubber

Armiger Warglaive (140 points)
• 1x Questoris heavy stubber
1x Reaper chain-cleaver
1x Thermal spear

Archetype

Ultra-murder Knights

Thoughts

Hey speaking of Knights, and somehow cribbing off Tzeentch’s homework to ensure a gigantic, stealth-proof flamer was on the table, we have this list, which eschews the more Armiger and Agent-heavy double big template in favour of about the most brutal damage dealing trio you can get. What can I say – it works for double Wraithknight builds, and it worked here. Anyone up against this is on an incredibly short clock to kill one of the hefty robots or they’re going to get tabled, and that can be easier said than done. You do have to lean on that pressure if you’re piloting the army, because if things get skirmish-y you can fall behind on Secondaries, but Riley was able to pull that off consistently and take an undefeated second.

The Best of the Rest

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

3rd – Scott de Wynter-Wilkie – Orks: See showdown.
4th – Alex Macdougall – Genestealer Cult: Muscle beach returns, triple Aberrants, lots of hulls backing them up.
5th – Peter Scott – Thousand Sons: Magnus and the boys with some Mutaliths.
6th – JT McDowell – Drukhari: Speedy shooting with lots of Talos to anchor the line.
7th – Rhys Davis – Leagues of Votann: Triple Land Fort, triple bikes, Hearthguard to fill.

North Star Open

38-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Superior, WI US on August 05 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Priority Targets – Chilling Rain – Sweeping Engagement.

Joseph Bommarito – Orks: Pressure-tastic Orks.
Army List - Click to Expand

+++ Waaaaagh Fragskull (Warhammer 40,000 10th Edition) [1,985pts] +++

++ Army Roster (Xenos – Orks) [1,985pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Battle Size: 2. Strike Force (2000 Point limit)

Detachment: Waaagh! Tribe

Show Legends

+ Epic Hero [290pts] +

Kaptin Badrukk [95pts]

Mozrog Skragbad [195pts]

+ Character [185pts] +

Beastboss on Squigosaur [185pts]: Headwoppa’s Killchoppa [20pts], Thump gun, Warlord

+ Battleline [315pts] +

Beast Snagga Boyz [105pts]
. . 9x Beast Snagga Boyz: 9x Choppa, 9x Slugga

+ Infantry [655pts] +

Flash Gitz [190pts]: Ammo Runt
. . 9x Flash Gitz: 9x Choppa, 9x Snazzgun

Gretchin [45pts]
. . 10x Gretchin: 10x Close combat weapon, 10x Grot blasta
. . Runtherd

Meganobz [165pts]
. . 5x Meganob w/ Twin killsaw: 5x Twin killsaw

+ Mounted [440pts] +

Squighog Boyz [220pts]: 2x Bomb squig
. . 6x Squighog Boy: 6x Saddlegit weapons, 6x Squighog jaws and saddlegits, 6x Stikka

+ Dedicated Transport [100pts] +

Trukk [50pts]: Wreckin’ ball

vs.

Chase Garber – Tyranids: An array of brain bugs and objective tools.
Army List - Click to Expand

Gunum (2000 points)
Tyranids
Strike Force (2000 points)
Invasion Fleet

CHARACTER

Neurotyrant (105 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Neurotyrant claws and lashes
1x Psychic scream

BATTLELINE

Gargoyles (75 points)
• 10x Blinding venom
10x Fleshborer

OTHER DATASHEETS

Barbgaunts (50 points)
• 5x Bio-cannon
5x Xenos claws and teeth

Biovores (65 points)
• 1x Chitin-barbed limbs
1x Spore Mine launcher

Exocrine (135 points)
• 1x Bio-plasmic cannon
1x Powerful limbs

Maleceptor (165 points)
• 1x Massive scything talons
1x Psychic overload

Mawloc (145 points)
• 1x Distensible jaw
1x Mawloc scything talons

Psychophage (125 points)
• 1x Psychoclastic torrent
1x Talons and betentacled maw

Venomthropes (70 points)
• 3x Toxic lashes

Zoanthropes (180 points)
• 1x Neurothrope
• 1x Warp Blast
1x Xenos claws and teeth
• 5x Zoanthrope
• 5x Warp Blast
5x Xenos claws and teeth

Thoughts

Friends, readers – the man, the myth, the legend – Chase would like you to Hear Him Out!

Gunum: Greetings, dear readers! It is I, Gunum, and I’m thrilled to recount my thrilling adventures in Duluth at the magnificent 38-man GT hosted by Level Up Games. Wings, my ever-supportive companion/editor, convinced me to share this riveting Showdown before my full event write-up and ATC escapades. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the heart of the matter and dissect my triumphant list!

When it comes to crafting successful Tyranid builds, I like to forge my path through the crucible of countless battles against diverse opponents. This self-reliant approach enables me to tailor strategies that suit my playstyle, undeterred by the whims of the current meta. Engaging (okay, let’s be honest, losing) against top-tier players at ATC guided me towards the perfect list that secured victory in this grand event. This caused me to land on playing triple Mawlock to help free my Zoanthropes up from melee threats. Malceptors to be my front line melee units, as well as the under used Psychophage to provide a nice 6+++ FNP for my firebase of Exocrines.

My focus was clear—devise a cunning tactic to outmaneuver those pesky Custodes, their indomitable 10-man brick formations, and the menacing melee/shooting threats that loomed over my forces such as GSC or Aeldari. Bolstering my army with high-toughness units and durable invulnerable saves ensured I weathered storms on the battlefield. Not to mention the unexpected firepower emanating from units like Exocrine, Maleceptors, and Zoanthropes, putting me in some excellent shooting positions.

At the event, I faced off against a formidable opponent named Joseph Bommarito, hailing from the Best in Tabletop team, wielding an impressive Ork force. Destiny played its part, as he had just achieved a slim victory against an Eldar player, setting up a rematch from a previous encounter for me, one in which I tasted defeat at ATC vs Matt Perry’s Orks. Armed with this valuable prior knowledge, I positioned myself to gain an early advantage, which ultimately paid off in a triumphant victory.

Let me illuminate an essential detail about the tournament—it didn’t utilize the Leviathan GT pack; instead, missions were drawn from the Leviathan cards, surprising me as I didn’t realize they were preset-predrawn missions. Additionally, the event employed a player-placed terrain. Which I was a bit out of practice with.

My opponent took the first drop, arranging a massive U-shaped terrain in the middle, while I strategically placed my terrain along the edges, leaving my side of the battlefield wide open. This clever maneuver allowed me to create a massive killing field and establish precise firing lanes toward specific points in his deployment zone. My chosen fixed objectives were “Behind Enemy Lines” and “Deploy Teleport Homers.” Concentrating my firepower on a single flank ensured that any units he deployed there would meet swift demise. My forces dominated the left flank with the mighty Maleceptor, Zonethropes, and the “formidable” Neurotyrants. Meanwhile, my opponent deployed his forces more evenly across his deployment zone.

Luck was on my side as I won the first turn roll-off, clearing out a significant section of his table edge with relentless firepower, setting the stage for my Spore Mines from the Biovores to efficiently carry out their mission of deploying Teleport Homers and claiming “Behind Enemy Lines.”. Shadows of the Warp came into play, causing him to fail 9 out of 11 Battle Shocks, effectively denting his list’s prowess and taking the teeth out of his Waaagh! turn.

From there on, the game was a fireworks display of plasma and psychic might blowing apart Orks left and right, while my opponent struggled to navigate the perilous no man’s land and inflict damage on my well-prepared forces. Despite his valiant efforts, his secondary scoring couldn’t match my relentless pace, sealing the deal with a resounding 90-64 victory for yours truly.

I hope you enjoyed this gripping tale of triumph! Until next time, may your battles be as thrilling as mine. I’ll have ATC and this event out in due course. I want to thank our hosts for doing a wonderful job running the event, and if anyone finds themselves in Duluth Minnesota, you should check them out.

Wings: Thanks Chase!

Result

Tyranids Victory – 90 – 64

Chase Garber – Tyranids – 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Gunum (2000 points)
Tyranids
Strike Force (2000 points)
Invasion Fleet

CHARACTER

Neurotyrant (105 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Neurotyrant claws and lashes
1x Psychic scream

BATTLELINE

Gargoyles (75 points)
• 10x Blinding venom
10x Fleshborer

OTHER DATASHEETS

Barbgaunts (50 points)
• 5x Bio-cannon
5x Xenos claws and teeth

Biovores (65 points)
• 1x Chitin-barbed limbs
1x Spore Mine launcher

Exocrine (135 points)
• 1x Bio-plasmic cannon
1x Powerful limbs

Maleceptor (165 points)
• 1x Massive scything talons
1x Psychic overload

Mawloc (145 points)
• 1x Distensible jaw
1x Mawloc scything talons

Psychophage (125 points)
• 1x Psychoclastic torrent
1x Talons and betentacled maw

Venomthropes (70 points)
• 3x Toxic lashes

Zoanthropes (180 points)
• 1x Neurothrope
• 1x Warp Blast
1x Xenos claws and teeth
• 5x Zoanthrope
• 5x Warp Blast
5x Xenos claws and teeth

Archetype

Mind-melting Monster Mash

Thoughts

It’s all covered above – tonnes of giant monsters to soak up punishment (especially with the Psychophage boosting them) Barbgaunts to slow people down and great damage output, all while Biovores lock up the points. It’s a Chase classic, and well deserved the win!

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd – Devin Orchard – Necrons: Double Lychguard and lots of Heavy Lokhusts.
3rd – Jeremiah Petit – Adeptus Custodes: DOuble Custodian unit, double Caladius.
4th – Stephen Crawford – Chaos Daemons: Monster mash with pink horrors in support.
5th – Joseph Bommarito – Orks: See showdown.
6th – Jeremy Sweeden – Imperial Knights: Crusader/Warden with lots of Armiger friends.

Wrap Up

Join us again on Friday as we hit the other half of the week’s events, and if you want tips for how to succeed in 10th, don’t forget to check in on our Competitive Faction Focus series as well (all available from here).

Competitive Innovations in 10th? No, More Elves! pt.1

The Leeds Super-Major

Josh Roberts – Aeldari – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Final Round Matchup

Thoughts

John Swallow – Aeldari – 2nd Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Luke Quadling – Aeldari – 3rd Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Christopher Radford – Deathwatch – 4th Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Capital Clash – ‘Ere we go!

William Wykoff – Necrons – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Final Round Matchup

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Board Room Brawl 2023

The Showdown

Deploy Servo Skulls – Supply Lines – Hammer and Anvil

Thoughts

Result

David Burdett – Thousand Sons – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Riley Carter – Imperial Knights – 2nd Place (Undefeated)

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

North Star Open

The Showdown

Priority Targets – Chilling Rain – Sweeping Engagement.

Thoughts

Result

Chase Garber – Tyranids – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Wrap Up

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