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Competitive Innovations in 10th: Twisted Firestarters pt.2

By Lowest of Men

Part 2. We’re busy. You’re busy. Intoductory paragraphs are a nice-to-have.

Today Lowest of Men is covering:

  • Krootcon 2024
  • Mountain View Mayhem 4th Annual 40k Charity Tournament
  • Medhammer GT 2024
  • Games and Stuff 40K Event Hosted by Away Games
  • Brighton 40k GT VIII
  • Hydra GT III 2024

On Wednedsday, Wings looked at the following in part 1:

  • THE LEEDS 40K SUPER MAJOR
  • Warhammer 40,000 Throne of Skulls
  • BrewHammer GT 6
  • North and South GT 2024
  • Come the Apocalypse GT – 2024
  • The Saffron Slam IX

Krootcon 2024

65-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Padstow, NSW, AU on August 16 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Jordan McGregor – Adepta Sororitas (Bringers of Flame) – 1st Place

Credit: Evan “Felime” Siefring

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Brings of Flame Goodstuff

Thoughts

Business as usual for the Bringers of Flame, who cram in hulls toting melta and high volume multi damage shots and swing for the rafters. Seraphim can block, flame and annoy like absolute pros and the Triumph ensures this army is ALWAYS getting angles you didn’t anticipate across the game. I like the multiple Canonness with Jump Packs just to give you a very cheap counter-charge option, and the entire list feels very much a lean, refined version of how BoF likes to do business. Really well done on the event win.

Christopher Wright – Blood Angels (Sons of Sanguinius) – 2nd Place

Mephiston, the Lord of Death. Credit: Corrode

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Sons of Sanguinius Goodstuff

Thoughts

More success for the Blood Angels, killing time and taking names until their new book arrives. It’s very cool to see a Company Heroes unit in here- this squad is always more obnoxious to deal with than you think and very irritating for it’s points, and it packs a punch in a combat too especially in this detachment! The Icon of the Angel combo is especially obnoxious on the Sang Priest in a Van Vet brick – the most durable jump pack squad the BA have access to so a prime candidate for shenanigans. Really fun and innovative list that shows there are many ways to cook even in the index! Great work.

Richard Hill – Death Guard (Plague Company) – 3rd Place

Plagueburst Crawler – Credit Beanith

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Death Guard Mech and Morty

Thoughts

Death Guard have gently resurfaced in the game lately, and Mortarion seems to have come along for the ride too! Necrons not actually being deceased just yet really adds to his value as a debuffing centrepiece, and it helps ensure that the tanks shoot as effectively as they can. Solo Plaguecasters is interesting tech which I’ve not previously seen, bringing their anti-combat sneakiness without investing in Plaguemarines, which this list eschews entirely! Another distinct and interesting build, really well done on the top placing.

Jay Mann – Space Wolves (Stormlance Task Force) – 4th Place

Logan Grimnar Santa Mode
Logan Grimnar as Santa Claus. Credit: Kevin Stillman

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Wolf Jail

Thoughts

Awwoooo!!! Some recent innovations have bene percolating in Space Wolf land, but what was good is, it transpires, still very good. Slam in the Thunderwolves and put the opponent in a headlock from which they’ll struggle to recover. Brutal, effective, and thematic as all hell. Really cool to see it continuing to slay. Great work!

The Best of the Rest

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

  • 5th – Peter O’Neill – Chaos Daemons: Delicious Khorne Daemons with lots of Bloodcrushers and Skarbrand.
  • 6th – Daniel Ngai – Necrons (Hypercrypt Legion): C’tan / Doomsday Ark Hypercrypt.
  • 7th – Daniel Xerri – Grey Knights: DK spam Grey Knights.
  • 8th – Michael Higgs – Astra Militarum: Helhounds, Bullgryn and Rogal Dorn Guard.
  • 9th – Michael House – Thousand Sons: Triple Vortex Beast Tsons.
  • 10th – Taylor Hill – Thousand Sons: Massed Rubric / Character Tsons.
  • 11th – Rowan Kennett – Tyranids (Vanguard Onslaught): VO with Warriors, a Zoan brick and plenty of utility.

Mountain View Mayhem 4th Annual 40k Charity Tournament

56-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Hickory, NC, United States on August 17 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Luke Henderson – Grey Knights (Teleport Strike Force) – 1st Place

Grey Knights Nemesis Dreadknights. Credit: Colin Ward

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Terminator / Librarian GK

Thoughts

A mixed arms GK build that leans heavily into Terminators (with Draigo and Libby support) with a few complimentary Dreadknights. This build is strong, and has a better game into Thousand Sons thanks to the mortal shrugging and Draigo’s penchant for slaying Daemon Primarchs. In the overall meta that is not bad way to go, and GK remain excellent at scoring, with a lot of potential for a Secret Mission sucker punch in Pariah as well. Excellent work on the event win!

David Purcell – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) – 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Tempestus Scions. Credit: SRM

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Guard Russ Spam

Thoughts

Astra Militarum continue to grow into Pariah, after some strong showings at the WTC. This build goes hard on Leman Russ chassis and Scions to cover both the firing lanes and those hard to reach places. With their deep strike Scions are a great candidate for Reinforcements! and Guard players have to use this much more carefully now. Hellhounds are great lane controllers and deceptively obnoxious to kill with their 2+ saves. All in all, an excellent list, really well done!

The Best of the Rest

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

  • 3rd – Brandon Vallee – T’au Empire (Kauyon): Kauyon Breachers and Skyrays with lots of individual Krootox Riders for screening.
  • 4th – Andrew Vawter – Imperial Knights (Noble Lance): Canis Rex leads two other big bois and some Armigers.
  • 5th – Ryan Karrer- World Eaters: Massed Eightbound World Eaters.
  • 6th – Andrew Lowman – Imperial Knights: Triple big Knight Armigers once again! Hi Andrew, are you a distant cousin?!
  • 7th – Timothy Schaefer – Space Wolves (Stormlance Task Force): Wolf Jail with TWO LAND RAIDERS.
  • 8th – Nathan Macintyre – Necrons (Hypercrypt Legion): Silent King / triple Doomsday Ark Hypercrypt.
  • 9th – D Mukerji – Salamanders (Firestorm Assault Force): Double Redeemer Salamanders with both the named characters, I love this.

Medhammer GT 2024

45-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia on August 17 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

A bunch of the lists for the event are missing in BCP, but the winner very helpfully sent theirs through, so we’ve covered whatever we can. They also sent a team photo for their squad from the Dice and Brush store in Bogota – as always, we love to see a new scene flourishing, and both the winner and runner-up both got Golden Tickets, so good luck at the WCW!

Credit: Adam Lev

Adam Lev – Thousand Sons (Cult of Magic) – 1st Place

Credit: Robert “TheChirurgeon” Jones

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Tsons Triple Mutalith

Thoughts

Triple Mutalith continues its reign of terror- and there is a Daemon Prince in attendance to hand out -1 to hit as well! Tsons have to manage their magic beans carefully, as well as the Wizards that channel them. Being able to shove Mutaliths out, debuff enemey shooting and force the commit is really helpful and they can then reap the rewards on the counterattack. A very potent WTC build, now loose on the world at large! Really well done on the event win.

The Best of the Rest

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

  • 2nd (4.5-0.5) – Jorge Latorre de la Calle – Adeptus Mechanicus: Massed Hunter Cohort infantry with supporting shooting.
  • 3rd – Nicolas Francone – Chaos Daemons: Classic Monster mash Daemons with Belly leading the way.
  • 4th – Juan David Muñoz Pérez – Blood Angels: No list available.
  • 5th – Cristian Bayona – Grey Knights: No list available.
  • 6th – Johan Andrade – Necrons (Hypercrypt Legion): Silent King, C’tan and Doomsday Ark Necrons.
  • 7th – Emmanuel bedoya – Blood Angels: No list available.
  • 8th – Kevin Poon – Orks (War Horde): MSU War Horde with Trukks and a Kill Rig!

Games and Stuff 40K Event Hosted by Away Games

41-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Glen Burnie, MD, United States on August 17 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Liam Martin – Thousand Sons (Cult of Magic) – 1st Place

Credit: Robert “TheChirurgeon” Jones

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Tsons Goodstuff

Thoughts

More Tsons success, this build doesn’t go all in on Vortex Beasts but still adopts the usual approach we are seeing – durable push problems, loads of Cabal toting wizards in behind, scoring and screening chaff. Tsons have had a PHENOMENAL run in Pariah, and remain one of the armies to beat. Will the change to Indirect fire kill them off? I’m loathe to count on it… Great work!

Jeffrey Kolodner – Adepta Sororitas (Hallowed Martyrs) – 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Credit: Keewa

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Hallowed Martyrs Mixed Arms

Thoughts

A really cool reminder that Sisters are more than just Bringers of Flame. Plenty of Paragons, lots of solo Mortifiers and some of the usual offenders backing them up. One imagines that as Flame gets nudged down the line Sisters players will tap into the other deatchments more, and Hallowed Martyrs still packs a wonderful toolkit. Really, really well done on the top showing!

The Best of the Rest

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

  • 3rd – Tyler Principio – Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): Triple ACDC / Legios Renegade Raiders.
  • 4th – Ed Amoroso – Grey Knights (Teleport Strike Force): Mixed arms GK with Terminators, Strikes and Dreadknights.
  • 5th – Zach Point – Drukhari (Skysplinter Assault): Extremely cool double Court of the Archon Skysplinter with a TANTALUS in tow.
  • 6th – Matt Lorah – Aeldari: An extremely cool Aspect / War Walker heavy Eldar list.
  • 7th – Leigh Brady – Necrons (Hypercrypt Legion): Silent King / C’tan Hypercrypt.

Brighton 40k GT VIII

36-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in England, United Kingdom on August 17 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Tom Hamshire – Drukhari (Skysplinter Assault) – 1st Place

Credit: Keewa

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Skysplinter Rush

Thoughts

YES TOM! Urien Rakarth finally gets a run out in a Drukhari list, so let’s talk about him. Pesky, 4+++, gets back up on a 2+, has a very nice one-shot flamer to boot, Urien is a real pain in the ass. Myself and others have generally shied away from him out of fear of giving up Assassinate too easily – but maybe we can revisit this now?! Really cool list that also packs two proper hammer squads of Incubi, very well done on the top placing.

The Best of the Rest

There were 6 more players on 4-1 records. All are marked as joint second, so I hope the second place trophy was some sort of easily divisible object, perhaps a delicious cake.

The runners up were:

  • Graham Russell – Orks (Dread Mob): An awesome Dreadmob list with a Gorkanaut and multiple Shokk Attack Gunz.
  • Tom Green – Leagues of Votann (Oathband): Massed Sagitaur, Pioneers, and some Hearthguard. If it ain’t broke! TOM GREEEEEN.
  • Steven Aminzade – Grey Knights (Teleport Strike Force): Paladin / Terminator heavy GK.
  • Jamie Chapman – Thousand Sons: Tsons Goodstuff.
  • Liam Macindoe – Thousand Sons: Double MVB Tsons Goodstuff.
  • Craig Douglas – T’au Empire (Retaliation Cadre): Delicious Crisis Heavy Ret Cadre.

Hydra GT III 2024

28-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Roskilde, DK on August 17 2024. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Unknown Mission

Alexander Mortensen – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband)
Army List - Click to Expand

vs.

Anders Petersen – Space Wolves (Champions of Russ)
Army List - Click to Expand

Thoughts

Ok, we’re going to play a guessing game. Two melee monster lists throwdown, almost no guns to speak of, a brawl is guaranteed. But on one side, there is a Dreadnought that can chain fight… In my head canon, this game was won because Muderfang somehow solo’d through multiple WE units in a turn. In reality, I think the WE list has slightly less by way of give and go for the early exchanges- in particular the Scouts in the Wolf list can bait out their commits and that then leaves them open to a very violent Space Wolf counter attack. A touch more guile in the Wolf list probably key to the big win we saw here, but tell your friends Murderfang won the game on their own…

Result

Space Wolves (Champions of Russ) Victory – 19 – 1

Anders Petersen – Space Wolves (Champions of Russ) – 1st Place

Credit: Kevin Stillman

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Champions of Russ Melee Brawl

Thoughts

All-in Champions of Russ combat is a hell of a time for both player and opponent. You get some fantastic buffs via the Sagas (and the list above brings loads of characters for triggering them), leaving you with absurdly violent combat units with great OC by games end if all goes well. If only gets a few big swings in games but often finds itself with enough brutal characters left to carry the day as the opponent reels from the assault. I love how the dataslate has completely revived this detachment, amazing work on the event win!

The Best of the Rest

There were 2 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

  • 2nd – Killi Paaske – Aeldari (Battle Host): Old school triple D Cannon, aspect warrior Eldar.
  • 3rd – Nicklas Schmidt – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): Massed Eightbound / Spawn WE.

Wrap Up

That’s it for this week folks! Pariah rolls on, and there’s nothing major to shake the game up now for a little while. Loads of armies in play and the meta is definitely trending towards combat, with some sneaky exceptions here and there. Awesome to see, get out and smash some hopes and dreams on the tabletop!

Lowest of Men, out.

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