Warhammer. So much Warhammer. More Warhammer, all of the time.
Things are good, is what we’re saying.
Picking up from where we left off on Wednesday, today we’ll be looking at:
- Denver 40K Fight Club (Major)
- The Iowaaagh! Open (Major)
- Grand Onslaught 4
- Bogota Grand Tournament 2022
- War for the Forge GT
If you’re looking for any of the following events, go check out Wednesday’s column:
- The Goonhammer Open US
- The UKTC Leeds GT (Supermajor)
- The WTC Warmaster GT (Major)
- The St. Albans GT
- The Killing Fields Of Istvaan III
One more thing before we kick off – if you’re heading to a tournament this weekend, consider checking out the new Tabletop Battles App beta – it’s packed with fancy new features to make your games run smoother than ever.
Denver 40K Fight Club August Major
63-player, 6-round Grand Tournament in Westminster, CO, US on August 13 2022. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission – Secure Missing Artefacts
Marshall Peterson – Necrons: Marshall hits another top table with his winning list from a few weeks back, packing the Silent King, four murderous melee blocks, and some Characters and troubleshooting units to round out. + Configuration + Dynasty Choice: Dynasty: Szarekhan + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + The Silent King [21 PL, 400pts, 2CP]: Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord Trait (Szarekhan): The Triarch’s Will ++ Vanguard Detachment -3CP (Necrons) [83 PL, 1,600pts, 1CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-3CP] Dynasty Choice: Circumstance of Awakening: Relentlessly Expansionist, Dynastic Tradition: Eternal Conquerors, Dynasty: Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim + No Force Org Slot + Viral Construct [1 PL, 15pts]: Canoptek Plasmacyte Viral Construct [1 PL, 15pts]: Canoptek Plasmacyte Viral Construct [1 PL, 15pts]: Canoptek Plasmacyte + HQ + Catacomb Command Barge [9 PL, 180pts, -2CP]: Gauss Cannon, Rarefied Nobility, Relic: Voltaic Staff, Resurrection Orb, Staff of Light, Stratagem: Relic, Warlord Trait (Codex 5): Implacable Conqueror (Aura) Illuminor Szeras [8 PL, 145pts] + Elites + Canoptek Reanimator [4 PL, 80pts] Lychguard [14 PL, 250pts]: 10x Lychguard Lychguard [14 PL, 250pts]: 10x Lychguard Skorpekh Destroyers [8 PL, 180pts] Skorpekh Destroyers [4 PL, 90pts]: Skorpekh Destroyer (Reap-Blade) Skorpekh Destroyers [4 PL, 90pts]: Skorpekh Destroyer (Reap-Blade) + Fast Attack + Canoptek Scarab Swarms [4 PL, 60pts] Ophydian Destroyers [8 PL, 180pts] + Heavy Support + Lokhust Heavy Destroyers [3 PL, 50pts] ++ Total: [104 PL, 3CP, 2,000pts] ++
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Supreme Command Detachment 0CP (Necrons) [21 PL, 400pts, 2CP] ++
. 2x Triarchal Menhir: 2x Annihilator Beam
. Hyperphase Sword and Dispersion Shield
. Hyperphase Sword and Dispersion Shield
. 2x Skorpekh Destroyer (Reap-Blade): 2x Hyperphase Reap-Blade
. 4x Skorpekh Destroyer (Thresher): 4x Hyperphase Threshers
. 2x Skorpekh Destroyer (Thresher): 2x Hyperphase Threshers
. 2x Skorpekh Destroyer (Thresher): 2x Hyperphase Threshers
. 4x Canoptek Scarab Swarm: 4x Feeder Mandibles
. 2x Ophydian Destroyer (Reap-Blade): 2x Ophydian Claws, 2x Two Hyperphase Reap-Blades
. 4x Ophydian Destroyer (Thresher): 4x Hyperphase Threshers, 4x Ophydian Claws
. Lokhust Heavy Destroyer (Gauss Destructor)
vs.
Michael Mann – Goffs: Goff Pressure with Meganobz, Squighogs and Kill Rigs (no Ghaz). + Configuration + Clan Kultur: Goffs Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim + No Force Org Slot [4 PL, 65pts, -2CP] + Nob on Smasha Squig [4 PL, 65pts, -2CP]: 4. Brutal but Kunnin, Big Choppa, Headwoppa’s Killchoppa, Slugga, Smasha Squig Jaws, Stratagem: Big Boss [-1CP], Stratagem: Extra Gubbinz [-1CP] + HQ [15 PL, 270pts, -2CP] + Beastboss on Squigosaur [9 PL, 160pts, -2CP]: 3. ‘Ard as Nails, Beastchoppa, Beasthide Mantle, Slugga, Squigosaur’s Jaws, Stratagem: Relic [-1CP], Stratagem: Warlord Trait [-1CP], Warlord Boss Zagstruk [6 PL, 110pts]: Blitz Missiles, Choppa, Da Vulcha’s Klaws, Slugga + Troops [24 PL, 386pts] + Beast Snagga Boyz [5 PL, 100pts] Beast Snagga Boyz [5 PL, 100pts] Boyz [10 PL, 106pts]: Trukk Boyz Gretchin [2 PL, 40pts] Gretchin [2 PL, 40pts] + Elites [32 PL, 400pts] + Kommandos [4 PL, 60pts] Meganobz [12 PL, 150pts] Meganobz [12 PL, 120pts] Nob with Waaagh! Banner [4 PL, 70pts]: Kustom Shoota, Stikkbombs, Waaagh! Banner + Fast Attack [17 PL, 290pts] + Squighog Boyz [4 PL, 75pts] Squighog Boyz [4 PL, 75pts] Stormboyz [9 PL, 140pts] + Heavy Support [31 PL, 515pts] + Battlewagon [8 PL, 120pts]: Deff Rolla [15pts] Kill Rig [12 PL, 205pts]: ‘Eavy Lobba, 2. Frazzle, 6. Squiggly Curse, Butcha Boyz, Savage Horns and Hooves, Saw Blades, Squig-hide Tyres [1 PL, 15pts], Stikka Kannon, Wurrtower Kill Rig [11 PL, 190pts]: ‘Eavy Lobba, 1. Roar of Mork, 2. Frazzle, Butcha Boyz, Savage Horns and Hooves, Saw Blades, Stikka Kannon, Wurrtower + Dedicated Transport [4 PL, 70pts] + Trukk [4 PL, 70pts]: Big Shoota ++ Total: [127 PL, -4CP, 1,996pts] ++
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Orks) [127 PL, 1,996pts, -4CP] ++
. 9x Beast Snagga Boy [90pts]: 9x Choppa, 9x Slugga
. Beast Snagga Nob [10pts]: Power Snappa, Slugga
. 9x Beast Snagga Boy [90pts]: 9x Choppa, 9x Slugga
. Beast Snagga Nob [10pts]: Power Snappa, Slugga
. Boss Nob [18pts]: Choppa, Power Klaw [10pts], Stikkbombs
. 11x Ork Boy w/ Slugga & Choppa [88pts]: 11x Choppa, 11x Slugga, 11x Stikkbombs
. 10x Gretchin [40pts]: 10x Grot Blaster
. 10x Gretchin [40pts]: 10x Grot Blaster
. Boss Nob [16pts]: Power Klaw [5pts], Slugga, Stikkbombs
. 4x Kommando [44pts]: 4x Choppa, 4x Slugga, 4x Stikkbombs
. Boss Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. Boss Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. Meganob [30pts]: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
. 3x Squighog Boy [75pts]: 3x Saddlegit Weapons, 3x Squighog Jaws, 3x Stikka
. 3x Squighog Boy [75pts]: 3x Saddlegit Weapons, 3x Squighog Jaws, 3x Stikka
. Boss Nob [10pts]: Choppa, Slugga, Stikkbombs
. 13x Stormboy [130pts]: 13x Choppa, 13x Slugga, 13x Stikkbombs
Thoughts
This one should be a pretty spicy game, as Goff lists like this are definitely one of the scarier things for Eternal Expansionist Necrons to run into, thanks to their ability to just hammer whatever the Necrons push forward with, and follow through from there. That’s truer than ever with the improved version of Waaaagh from the Balance Dataslate, as if they go for that kind of big commit the impact of the pushback will be dulled. Marshall’s list is much better tuned to fight this plan than some versions thanks to most of his units being very killy, but he has to be very wary of the prospect of getting fully bodied by a strong alpha turn.
He does have some advantages when it comes to making that happen though. Secure Missing Artefacts is one of the weakest missions for Ork Secondaries, with Get Da Good Bits being far less strong than normal if the objective moving roll-off goes the wrong way, whereas the Necron trifecta of Code/Treasures/Machineries is still extremely comfortable. Also helping is the fact that there’s not really enough shooting on the Ork side of the table to force the Silent King to be cautious – the Kill Rigs are pretty good, but they’d have to get extremely lucky to pull off a quick kill, and are very vulnerable to the shooting of the Menhirs and lone heavy Destroyer in response. Using the Silent King aggressively can blunt the ability of the Orks to try and roll over the Necrons in a key position (quite plausibly the centre) thanks to his Fight Last effect, and because of the Secondary advantage the Necrons have, the Orks need to go out and fight them.
They do have the upside on that front that they have enough power units to launch multi-pronged attacks, and that the Kill Rigs aren’t half bad at blunting counterattacks from Ophydians and small Skorpekh squads thanks to Ramshackle (though they do need to watch out for the big Skorpekh unit, where pumping in a Plasmacyte, Disruption Fields and Hungry Void can push them all the way to S8 on the small ones and slice one up). The plan here has got to be to hit whatever is sitting on the two mid-field objectives where the Silent King isn’t hard and hope to do enough damage that the 5+ invulnerable from Waaagh pulls them through the Necron response, and roll through from there. It definitely feels like the Goffs would prefer to have a Ghaz build here, as he’d help capitalise on an initial push, and can charge and krump the Silent King with impunity, forcing more caution, but I don’t think an Ork win is impossible. However, because the Necrons are favoured on Secondaries they win a game where they either pull ahead, or the battle is deadlocked and takes time to play out, leaving them favoured, and Marshall did end up winning.
Result
Necrons Victory – 100 – 64
Marshall Peterson – Necrons – 1st Place
The List
See showdown.
Archetype
Eternal Expansionists (killy)
Thoughts
Marshall does it again, and this time with the eye-watering achievement of six consecutive 100VP victories. How about those Necron Secondaries eh? Anyway, congratulations to Marshall.
Colin Kay – Night Lords – 2nd Place
The List
Army List - Click to Expand + Configuration + Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim Legion: Night Lords + HQ + Daemon Prince with Wings [11 PL, 180pts, -1CP]: G’holl’ax, the Decayed, Hellforged sword, Mark of Nurgle, Stratagem: Relic, Warptime, Wings Lord Discordant on Helstalker [10 PL, 190pts, -2CP]: 6. Dirty Fighter, Aspiring Lord, Baleflamer, Gifts of Chaos, Intoxicating Elixir, Mark of Slaanesh, Techno-virus injector Master of Possession [7 PL, 120pts]: Mark of Slaanesh, Mutated Invigoration, Pact of Flesh, Warlord + Troops + Cultist Mob [2 PL, 50pts] Legionaries [13 PL, 148pts]: Chaos Icon, Mark of Khorne Legionaries [7 PL, 125pts]: Mark of Slaanesh + Elites + Chaos Terminator Squad [19 PL, 420pts, -1CP]: Mark of Slaanesh Master of Executions [5 PL, 80pts, -2CP]: 1. Night Haunter’s Curse, Aspiring Lord, Gifts of Chaos, Mark of Slaanesh, The Warp’s Malice Possessed [7 PL, 140pts]: Possessed Champion + Fast Attack + Raptors [12 PL, 141pts]: Chaos Undivided Venomcrawler [6 PL, 105pts] Warp Talons [7 PL, 140pts]: Warp Talon Champion + Heavy Support + Havocs [8 PL, 160pts]: Mark of Slaanesh ++ Total: [114 PL, 1,999pts] ++
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Chaos Space Marines) [114 PL, 1,999pts, ] ++
. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ cultist firearm: 9x Cultist firearm, 9x Frag & Krak grenades
. Cultist Champion: Cultist firearm
. Aspiring Champion: Astartes chainsword, Power fist
. 4x Marine w/ astartes chainsword: 4x Astartes chainsword, 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Marine w/ heavy chainaxe: Heavy chainaxe
. Aspiring Champion: Astartes chainsword, Astartes chainsword
. 3x Marine w/ astartes chainsword: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Marine w/ balefire tome: Balefire tome, Prescience
. Chaos Terminator: Chainfist, Combi-melta
. Chaos Terminator: Combi-melta, Power fist
. Chaos Terminator: Combi-melta, Power fist
. Chaos Terminator: Power fist, Reaper autocannon
. Chaos Terminator: Power fist, Reaper autocannon
. Chaos Terminator: Combi-flamer, Power fist
. Chaos Terminator: Combi-bolter, Power fist
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Terminator Champion: Black Rune of Damnation, Chainfist, Combi-melta, Trophies of the Long War
. 4x Possessed: 4x Hideous mutations
. 3x Raptor: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Raptor Champion: Bolt pistol, Power sword
. Raptor w/ special weapon: Flamer
. Raptor w/ special weapon: Flamer
. 4x Warp Talon: 4x Warp claws
. Havoc Champion: Astartes chainsword, Astartes chainsword
. 2x Havoc w/ lascannon: 2x Frag & Krak grenades, 2x Lascannon
. 2x Havoc w/ missile launcher: 2x Frag & Krak grenades, 2x Missile launcher
Archetype
Night Lords
Thoughts
Colin returns with a slightly tinkered version of the build he took to a top table in July, putting in another exceptional performance where his only loss was by a wafer thin 82-80 margin. The main change is cutting the second Master of Executions and the level of investment in Legionaries to add in a unit of Possessed as a counter-charge/shock troop threat, and yeah that seems pretty good – given the extra -1 to Ld they inflict, they’ll take a lot of stuff to the Ld5 breakpoint where you can use Sound the Black Hunt for full hit re-rolls on top of +1 to wound, at which point whatever they’ve touched is getting extremely murdered. Other than that, the buffed up Master of Executions is still an incredible power piece in Night Lords, and the combination of tricks and raw power here is excellent. Congratulations to Colin on a second great showcase of what the Night Lords can do.
Matthew Evans – Hive Fleet Behemoth – 3rd Place
The List
Army List - Click to Expand + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Hive Fleet: (Lurk) Naturalised Camouflage, Behemoth + Stratagems + Hive Predator [-2CP]: 2x Extra Warlord Trait Rarefied Enhancements [-2CP]: 2x Extra Bio-artefact + No Force Org Slot + Tyrant Guard [8 PL, 135pts]: Adrenal Glands + HQ + Tervigon [11 PL, 225pts]: Adrenal Glands, Massive Scything Talons, Power: Catalyst, Relic: The Maw-claws of Thyrax, Warlord Trait: Heightened Senses Winged Hive Tyrant [11 PL, 225pts]: Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Monstrous Bonesword, Power: Paroxysm, Power: The Horror, Relic: The Reaper of Obilterax + Troops + Termagants [8 PL, 140pts]: Fleshborer, 20x Termagant ++ Patrol Detachment 0CP (Tyranids) [63 PL, 6CP, 1,275pts] ++ + Configuration + Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim Hive Fleet: (Lurk) Naturalised Camouflage, Behemoth + No Force Org Slot + Tyrant Guard [15 PL, 175pts]: Adrenal Glands + HQ + Neurothrope [5 PL, 100pts]: Power: Catalyst, Power: Onslaught, Warlord Trait: Direct Guidance The Swarmlord [11 PL, 240pts]: Power: Paroxysm, Power: Psychic Scream, Warlord + Troops + Hormagaunts [8 PL, 150pts]: Adrenal Glands Tyranid Warriors [12 PL, 305pts]: Adrenal Glands, Flesh Hooks Tyranid Warriors [12 PL, 305pts]: Adrenal Glands, Flesh Hooks ++ Total: [101 PL, 2,000pts] ++
++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Tyranids) [38 PL, -6CP, 725pts] ++
. 3x Tyrant Guard (Scything): 3x Two Rending Claws, 3x Two Scything Talons
. 4x Tyrant Guard (Scything): 4x Two Rending Claws, 4x Two Scything Talons
. 15x Hormagaunt: 15x Hormagaunt Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: Dual Boneswords, Venom Cannon
. Tyranid Warrior: Dual Boneswords, Venom Cannon
. Tyranid Warrior: Dual Boneswords, Venom Cannon
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Dual Boneswords, Venom Cannon
. Tyranid Warrior: Dual Boneswords, Venom Cannon
. Tyranid Warrior: Dual Boneswords, Venom Cannon
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
. Tyranid Warrior: Deathspitter, Dual Boneswords
Archetype
Behemoth Board Control
Thoughts
An interesting alternative to the standard Leviathan setup here, which trades out Leviathans extra durability on its mid-board warriors for vastly higher killing power – between extra Strength, access to +1 to wound from the Psychic Power, and the Swarmlord for full re-rolls, getting into a fight with the Warriors here is a far scarier prospect than it is against Leviathan (and it’s not un-scary there). It also means this army can make far better use of Hormagaunts – buff them up, send them off to murderise something, then if the opponent tries to clear them out in melee use Unparalleled Ferocity and murderise them some more. Having the extra damage from the core units also means this army doesn’t need to invest as much in psychic firepower to get stuff done, so it just has more on the table than most. The only thing I’m a little surprised by is the use of Naturalised Camoflage rather than Territorial Instincts – depends slightly on what the tables were like, but I’d have expected to get more value from being able to ObSec stuff with the Tervigon and Tyrants than the extra save in cover. However, given Matthew put in a 5-1 performance the list is clearly extremely effective as is – great work, and nice to see another Hive Fleet get some attention.
Michael Mann – Goffs – 4th Place
The List
See showdown.
Archetype
Goff Pressure
Thoughts
Nothing too complicated, just a very nice all-rounder Goff build that can go toe to toe with most of what’s out there. It is the curse of units like Ghaz that if you cut them from your list, you’ll run into the matchup they were perfect for at a key moment, but I can definitely believe that this build being able to go wide makes it more consistently potent than the Ghaz version. I do also think it has a lot of game against most top builds right now, and was slightly unlucky to hit a Necron list with better answers than most in the finals. Great work from Michael.
The Best of the Rest
There were 3 more players on 5-1 records. They were:
- 5th – Ben Neal – Imperial Knights: Someone finally wins glory for House Griffith, with an Advance/Charge Gallant (via Master of the Joust) that’s absolutely tooled to the gills leading Warglavies into battle, with a Paladin and some Helverins overseeing the mid-board.
- 6th – Travis Armstrong – Adepta Sororitas: Bloody Rose Goodstuff with some Paragons.
- 7th – Brandon Roddy – Grey Knights: Rapiers with lots of Interceptors, some Dreadknights, and tooled up characters, notably including an ultra-tanky Librarian with the Cuirass of Sacrifice.
Iowaaagh! Open
58-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Cedar Rapids, IA, US on August 13 2022. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission – Secure Missing Artefacts
Charlie Andre – Death Guard: Ferryman Plague Marine spam. + Configuration + Gametype Plague Company: The Ferrymen + Stratagems + Gifts of Decay [-3CP]: Additional Relics + HQ + Death Guard Daemon Prince [8 PL, 155pts, -1CP]: 2. Gift of Contagion, 5. Curse of the Leper, Hellforged sword, Plague spewer, Plaguechosen, Warlord Typhus [9 PL, 165pts]: 1. Miasma of Pestilence, 4. Putrescent Vitality + Troops + Plague Marines [12 PL, 210pts, -1CP] Plague Marines [6 PL, 105pts] Plague Marines [6 PL, 105pts] Plague Marines [6 PL, 105pts] Plague Marines [6 PL, 105pts] Plague Marines [6 PL, 105pts] + Elites + Biologus Putrifier [4 PL, 65pts, -1CP]: 2. Arch contaminator Plaguechosen Deathshroud Terminators [9 PL, 150pts] Foul Blightspawn [6 PL, 95pts]: -1 cp Revolting Stench-vats, Viscous Death Noxious Blightbringer [3 PL, 60pts]: -1 cp Daemon’s Toll Tallyman [4 PL, 70pts] + Fast Attack + Chaos Spawn [1 PL, 23pts]: Chaos Spawn Chaos Spawn [1 PL, 23pts]: Chaos Spawn Chaos Spawn [1 PL, 23pts]: Chaos Spawn + Heavy Support + Plagueburst Crawler [8 PL, 145pts]: 2x Entropy cannon, Heavy slugger Plagueburst Crawler [8 PL, 145pts]: 2x Entropy cannon, Heavy slugger Plagueburst Crawler [8 PL, 145pts]: 2x Entropy cannon, Heavy slugger ++ Total: [112 PL, 8CP, 1,999pts] ++
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Death Guard) [112 PL, 1,999pts, 8CP] ++
-2 cp warlor traits
. Plague Champion: Champion of Disease, Daemonic plague blade, Plague Skull of Glothila, Plasma gun, Power fist
. 2x Plague Marine w/ blight launcher: 2x Blight grenades, 2x Blight launcher, 2x Krak grenades, 2x Plague knife
. 2x Plague Marine w/ cleaver: 2x Blight grenades, 2x Great plague cleaver, 2x Krak grenades, 2x Plague knife
. 2x Plague Marine w/ flail: 2x Blight grenades, 2x Flail of corruption, 2x Krak grenades, 2x Plague knife
. 2x Plague Marine w/ mace and axe: 2x Blight grenades, 2x Bubotic Axe, 2x Krak grenades, 2x Mace of Contagion, 2x Plague knife
. Plague Marine w/ special weapon: Plasma gun
. Plague Champion: Daemonic plague blade, Plasma gun, Power fist
. Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
. Plague Marine w/ cleaver
. Plague Marine w/ flail
. Plague Marine w/ mace and axe
. Plague Champion: Daemonic plague blade, Plasma gun, Power fist
. Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
. Plague Marine w/ cleaver
. Plague Marine w/ flail
. Plague Marine w/ mace and axe
. Plague Champion: Daemonic plague blade, Plasma gun, Power fist
. Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
. Plague Marine w/ cleaver
. Plague Marine w/ flail
. Plague Marine w/ mace and axe
. Plague Champion: Daemonic plague blade, Plasma gun, Power fist
. Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
. Plague Marine w/ cleaver
. Plague Marine w/ flail
. Plague Marine w/ mace and axe
. Plague Champion: Daemonic plague blade, Plasma gun, Power fist
. Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
. Plague Marine w/ cleaver
. Plague Marine w/ flail
. Plague Marine w/ mace and axe
. Deathshroud Champion: 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet
. 2x Deathshroud Terminator: 2x Manreaper, 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet
vs.
Oliver Smith – T’au Empire: Go-wide Farsight Enclaves with Sun Sharks. + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim Sept Choice: Farsight Enclaves + HQ + Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit [9 PL, -1CP, 200pts]: 1. Precision of the Hunter, Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, High-output Burst Cannon, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, T’au Flamer, Thermoneutronic Projector Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit [9 PL, -2CP, 200pts]: (Farsight Enclaves): Talisman of Arthas Moloch, 5. Exemplar of the Kauyon, Burst Cannon, DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon, High-output Burst Cannon, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, Stratagem: Relic + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [10 PL, 205pts] Crisis Bodyguards [6 PL, 140pts] + Fast Attack + Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] + Heavy Support + Hammerhead Gunship [8 PL, 145pts]: Railgun Hammerhead Gunship [8 PL, 145pts]: Railgun + Flyer + Sun Shark Bomber [9 PL, 165pts]: 2x Missile Pod ++ Patrol Detachment 0CP (T’au Empire) [34 PL, 5CP, 689pts] ++ + Configuration + Sept Choice: Farsight Enclaves + HQ + Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit [9 PL, -1CP, 200pts]: (Farsight Enclaves): Master of the Killing Blow, High-output Burst Cannon, Missile Pod, Novasurge Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Bodyguards [6 PL, 120pts] Crisis Bodyguards [6 PL, 120pts] + Fast Attack + Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] + Flyer + Sun Shark Bomber [9 PL, 165pts]: 2x Missile Pod ++ Total: [98 PL, 1,997pts] ++
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [64 PL, -5CP, 1,308pts] ++
. Marker Drone
. Shield Drone
. Marker Drone
. Shield Drone
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Stimm Injectors, Target Lock
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Fusion Blaster, Plasma Rifle
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Fusion Blaster, Plasma Rifle
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
. 2x Gun Drones
. . 2x Gun Drone: 4x Pulse Carbine
. 2x Gun Drones
. . 2x Gun Drone: 4x Pulse Carbine
. 2x Interceptor Drone: 4x Ion Rifle
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, T’au Flamer
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
. 2x Interceptor Drone: 4x Ion Rifle
Thoughts
Big damage vs. big durability here, so who’s going to come out ahead? The Death Guard list is pretty awesome, really hammering home how good Plague Marines now are by building the whole plan around them. The army wants to shamble up the field with lots of Plague Marines in lots of powerful buff auras, roll over any foes that try to stand their ground, and punish anyone who tries to counter-charge thanks to Revolting Stench Vats. The durability and relative lack of reliance on buffs means that it’s great at scoring Psychic Secondaries while doing so, and has strong plans on Spread the Sickness and Defiled Ground too. Finally, cheap and cheerful PBCs deal with enemy stragglers that try to hide or steal objectives, and threaten to blast vehicles that show their face too early.
It’s a very cool build, but here unfortunately runs into a Tau list that plays against it very well, particularly on this mission. One of the challenges with playing Farsight in Nephilim is that having the CP to blow Drop Zone Clear on multiple large units over the first few turns is pretty challenging, especially as Tau generally want to tool up their characters. Oliver’s list answers that by leaning far more to the herohammer side. It’s got one unit of three Crisis that can do a Drop Zone Clear on turn two to spike something, but other than that goes wide with lots of Commanders and lots of small units of Crisis Bodyguards to help them operate, plus Hammerheads and Sun Sharks to add damage. That creates a list that’s very good at playing Aerospace Relays (once again, especially on this mission), and that can still do some big damage out of the gate, plus takes really big advantage of the Farsight wound re-roll.
Here, I think the accumulated effect is that it can probably just pick the Death Guard apart, especially if it goes first. The bombs from the Sun Sharks are brutal into the big Plague Marine unit, and while quite a bit of the Tau firepower is D2 or 3, there’s lots of it, and all the ion stuff can just choose to use their D1 profiles instead. Having a quarters deployment also allows the Tau to make good use of their high mobility, and they’re relatively unpunished for bringing lots of small units rather than larger ones with Drones – the PBCs could get really lucky, but their odds of killing Crisis suits in cover with the Indirect penalty are very poor. This mission gives the Tau the luxury of being able to score OK on the Primary for a few turns while they pick deplete the Death Guard forces, and then rack up bigger points later on once they reach the chewy centre of Characters. The best bet for the Death Guard to counter this is going to be to hope they win the rolloff, pull the Tau’s priority objective as close to the board centre as possible, then send a thrust towards it via the central objective, aiming to start denying them points as quickly as possible, probably while moving a couple of the PBCs round to their “near” no-man’s land objective to try and protect it. Even at that point though, there’s a whole bunch of ways this can go wrong for them, and the Sun Sharks also create the issue of potentially having to keep a “real” unit safe on a home objective, as they’ll obliterate Chaos Spawn in seconds (straight up, one Sun Shark has a reasonable shot at smoking all three if it can position within Farsight Markerlight of all of them, their guns are hyper-configurable in how they split fire). This adds up to a very favourable game for the Tau, and though the Death Guard put in a good effort (presumably picking up some fast points on Spread and Psychic Interrogation), the Greater Good carried the day.
Result
T’au Empire Victory – 89 – 60
Oliver Smith – T’au Empire – 1st Place
The List
See showdown.
Archetype
Farsight Go-wide
Thoughts
As covered above, this is honestly pretty unique as Tau builds go, and very clever. It’s highly flexible with a lot of options, and as long as it doesn’t run into stuff that can pick it off piecemeal (I guess venom cannons are a bit of a concern, but Hammerheads are scary for Harpies to see), it provides quite a different challenge to the average Tau setup. Smart stuff and a well deserved Major win as a result.
James “Boon” Kelling – Asuryani – 2nd Place (Undefeated)
The List
Army List - Click to Expand + Configuration + Craftworld Selection: Ulthwe: Foresight of the Damned Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim + Stratagems + Stratagem: Relics of the Shrines [-1CP] Stratagem: Seer Council [-1CP] Stratagem: Treasures of the Aeldari [-1CP] + No Force Org Slot + Seer Council (Unit) [3 PL, 40pts] Seer Council (Unit) [3 PL, 60pts] + HQ + Baharroth [7 PL, 160pts] Eldrad Ulthran [8 PL, 145pts]: 1. Guide, 3. Fortune, 5. Will of Asuryan, Seer Council (Farseer), Ulthwe: Fate Reader, Warlord Farseer [5 PL, 95pts]: 1. Fateful Divergence, 2. Doom, Witchblade + Troops + Rangers [4 PL, 75pts]: Wireweave Net Rangers [4 PL, 65pts] Rangers [4 PL, 65pts] + Elites + Howling Banshees [5 PL, 110pts] Striking Scorpions [5 PL, 110pts] Wraithguard [20 PL, 315pts]: D-scythe, 7x Wraithguard + Fast Attack + Shining Spears [6 PL, 125pts] Shroud Runners [5 PL, 105pts] Vypers [3 PL, 40pts] + Heavy Support + Support Weapons [9 PL, 195pts]: 3x Support Weapon w/ D-Cannon Support Weapons [6 PL, 130pts]: 2x Support Weapon w/ D-Cannon + Dedicated Transport + Wave Serpent [8 PL, 165pts]: Twin Bright Lance, Twin Shuriken Catapult ++ Total: [105 PL, 3CP, 2,000pts] ++
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Aeldari – Craftworlds) [105 PL, 3CP, 2,000pts] ++
. Warlocks: 4. Protect/Jinx, Seer Council (Warlocks Unit)
. . Warlock: Witchblade
. . Warlock: Witchblade
. Warlock Skyrunners: 5. Focus Will, 5. Quicken/Restrain
. . The Ghosthelm of Alishazier
. . Warlock Skyrunner: Witchblade
. 5x Ranger: 5x Ranger Long Rifle, 5x Shuriken Pistol
. 5x Ranger: 5x Ranger Long Rifle, 5x Shuriken Pistol
. 5x Ranger: 5x Ranger Long Rifle, 5x Shuriken Pistol
. 4x Howling Banshee: 4x Banshee Blade, 4x Shuriken Pistol
. Howling Banshee Exarch: Mirrorswords, Piercing Strikes
. 4x Striking Scorpion: 4x Mandiblasters, 4x Scorpion Chainsword, 4x Shuriken Pistol
. Striking Scorpion Exarch: Biting Blade, Crushing Blows
. 2x Shining Spear: 2x Laser Lance, 2x Twin Shuriken Catapult
. Shining Spear Exarch: Heartstrike, Paragon Sabre, Shuriken Cannon
. 3x Shroud Runner: 3x Ranger Long Rifle, 3x Scatter Laser, 3x Shuriken Pistol
. Vyper w/ Scatter Laser
Archetype
Ulthwe Goodstuff
Thoughts
I am sure Boon is going to shortly find an excuse to wax lyrical about d-scythe Wraithguard to a wider audience than just the Goonhammer Discord, so I’ll mostly let him cover this, but in brief the Guard are tough enough that if you stack buffs on them they become a pain to shift, and d-scythes provide excellent all-purpose killing power, especially once you start incorporating Guide and Doom. Having a solid anvil lets the rest of the list take the opposition apart – it does massive Psychic damage, has some high mobility troubleshooting units, and every turn the opponent isn’t pushing right across the table is one where the D-cannons are doing work, potentially with +1 to hit from Discipline of the Black Guardians. It’s a really cool list overall, and mostly makes me want to hang my head in shame that Boon has stayed loyal to the Asuryani while I’ve defected to the skeleton hordes.
Tyler White – Adepta Sororitas – 3rd Place
The List
Army List - Click to Expand + Configuration + Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim Order Convictions: Order: Bloody Rose + HQ + Canoness [5 PL, -2CP, 105pts]: Blessed Blade, Frag & Krak grenades, Inferno pistol, Relic: Blade of Saint Ellynor, Stratagem: Open the Reliquaries, Stratagem: Saint in the Making, Warlord Trait: Blazing Ire Morvenn Vahl [14 PL, 280pts]: Fidelis, Lance of Illumination, Paragon Missile Launcher, Warlord + Troops + Battle Sister Squad [3 PL, 55pts] Battle Sister Squad [3 PL, 55pts] Battle Sister Squad [3 PL, 55pts] + Elites + Dogmata [4 PL, -1CP, 65pts]: 2. Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude, 5. Verse of Holy Piety, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Mace of the Righteous, Relic: The Sigil Ecclesiasticus, Stratagem: Relic, War Hymn Paragon Warsuits [11 PL, 240pts] Paragon Warsuits [11 PL, 240pts] Repentia Superior [2 PL, -1CP, 40pts]: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Neural Whips, Relic: Litanies of Faith, Stratagem: Open the Reliquaries Sisters Repentia [6 PL, 112pts] Sisters Repentia [6 PL, 112pts] + Fast Attack + Zephyrim Squad [8 PL, 155pts] Zephyrim Squad [8 PL, 110pts] Zephyrim Squad [8 PL, 110pts] + Heavy Support + Mortifiers [9 PL, 185pts] + Dedicated Transport + Sororitas Rhino [4 PL, 80pts]: Storm bolter ++ Total: [105 PL, 2CP, 1,999pts] ++
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium – Adepta Sororitas) [105 PL, 2CP, 1,999pts] ++
. Word of the Emperor: Blessing, Miraculous ability
. 4x Battle Sister: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Boltgun, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Sister Superior: Frag & Krak grenades
. . Bolt Pistol & Boltgun: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. 4x Battle Sister: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Boltgun, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Sister Superior: Frag & Krak grenades
. . Bolt Pistol & Boltgun: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. 4x Battle Sister: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Boltgun, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Sister Superior: Frag & Krak grenades
. . Bolt Pistol & Boltgun: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. Paragon: 2 Storm Bolters, Bolt pistol, Multi-melta, Paragon War Blade
. Paragon: 2 Storm Bolters, Bolt pistol, Multi-melta, Paragon War Blade
. Paragon Superior: 2 Storm Bolters, Bolt pistol, Multi-melta, Paragon War Blade
. Paragon: 2 Storm Bolters, Bolt pistol, Multi-melta, Paragon War Blade
. Paragon: 2 Storm Bolters, Bolt pistol, Multi-melta, Paragon War Blade
. Paragon Superior: 2 Storm Bolters, Bolt pistol, Multi-melta, Paragon War Blade
. 8x Sisters Repentia: 8x Penitent Eviscerator
. 8x Sisters Repentia: 8x Penitent Eviscerator
. 9x Zephyrim: 9x Bolt pistol, 9x Frag & Krak grenades, 9x Power sword
. Zephyrim Superior: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Power sword, Zephyrim Pennant
. 6x Zephyrim: 6x Bolt pistol, 6x Frag & Krak grenades, 6x Power sword
. Zephyrim Superior: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Power sword, Zephyrim Pennant
. 6x Zephyrim: 6x Bolt pistol, 6x Frag & Krak grenades, 6x Power sword
. Zephyrim Superior: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Power sword, Zephyrim Pennant
. Mortifiers: Anchorite Sarcophagus, 2x Heavy bolter, 2x Penitent buzz-blades
. Mortifiers: 2x Heavy bolter, 2x Penitent buzz-blades
. Mortifiers: 2x Heavy bolter, 2x Penitent buzz-blades
Archetype
Mecha Bloody Rose Goodstuff
Thoughts
This build is hilarious, cutting back on some of the herohammer you normally see (no Celestine) and Retributors to jam a whole bunch of robots in the list, specifically two squads of Paragons and some Mortifiers. That gives a nicely unified defensive profile to throw at the enemy early on, and can be extremely punishing against enemies teched for anti-infantry. If the opponent is using melee to do big damage, it also means that they’ll need to commit more valuable stuff to the fight to push back, which this list can then exploit – beyond the mechs, what the army focuses on is the options that can hit at speed and trade up, namely Repentia with a Superior to provide Advance/Charge and Zephyrim. Even more so than normal for Sisters, taking ground against this army is going to hurt, and that strength earned Tyler third here.
Kevin Leonard – Knights Renegades – 4th Place
The List
Army List - Click to Expand + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-3CP] Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim + Lord of War + War Dog Brigand Squadron [25 PL, 480pts]: House Vextrix War Dog Brigand Squadron [25 PL, 480pts]: House Vextrix War Dog Executioner Squadron [9 PL, 170pts]: House Vextrix War Dog Karnivore Squadron [10 PL, 170pts]: Frenzied Invaders, Iconoclast Household War Dog Stalker Squadron [17 PL, 310pts, -1CP]: House Vextrix ++ Supreme Command Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Chaos Space Marines) [20 PL, 390pts, -1CP] ++ + Configuration + Legion: Black Legion + No Force Org Slot + Cypher [5 PL, 90pts] + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + Abaddon the Despoiler [15 PL, 300pts, -1CP]: 3. Merciless Overseer, 5. Eternal Vendetta, 6. Paragon of Hatred, Stratagem: Warlord Trait ++ Total: [106 PL, 1CP, 2,000pts] ++
++ Super-Heavy Detachment -3CP (Chaos – Chaos Knights) [86 PL, 1,610pts, 2CP] ++
. War Dog Brigand: Diabolus heavy stubber, Nurgle – Blessing of a Thousand Poxes
. War Dog Brigand: Diabolus heavy stubber
. War Dog Brigand: Diabolus heavy stubber
. War Dog Brigand: Diabolus heavy stubber, Slaanesh – Subjugator Machine Spirit
. War Dog Brigand: Diabolus heavy stubber
. War Dog Brigand: Diabolus heavy stubber
. War Dog Executioner: Diabolus heavy stubber, Tzeentch – Mirror of Fates
. War Dog Karnivore: Diabolus heavy stubber, Khorne – Blood Shield
. War Dog Stalker: Avenger chaincannon, Character (Traitoris Lance), Diabolus heavy stubber, Helm of Dogs, Reaper chaintalon, Stratagem: Relic, Undivided – Blessing of the Dark Master
. War Dog Stalker: Avenger chaincannon, Diabolus heavy stubber, Reaper chaintalon
Archetype
Dogwalker
Thoughts
Dogwalker – it’s very good! This build goes for a particularly shooy setup, packing the buffs of House Vextrix and lots of Brigands, and compensating for the lower general melee threat by focusing the points upgrade selection on durability choices. Given just how broad and how deadly the firepower is, it should probably win most fights where it doesn’t get immediately bodied, and tuning in this way helps make sure that rarely happens. It also probably gets more out of Abaddon’s re-roll buff than the more-melee skewed lists do, as you’re more likely to be clustered around him with a bunch of shooters till the mid game. Very strong list, very strong finish for Kevin.
The Best of the Rest
There were 6 more players on 4-1 records. They were:
- 5th – Cam Wageman – Blood Angels: A character and jump pack heavy list that goes a bit wider than normal – lots of smaller Death Company units and Lemartes to make Fury of the Lost a fairly plausible option, and three units of Eliminators to hold space.
- 6th – Matt Monsour – Black Legion: Black Legion with some very scary Herohammer from Abaddon and a Discolord, then big units each of Terminators and Chosen with Possessed in support.
- 7th – Matt Root – Tyranids: A Jormundgandr Territorial Instincts Lurk monster mash build, supporting a couple of Hive Tyrants with Carnifexes, Old One Eye, and a pair of Tyrannofexes. Also features a Mawloc for extra objective pressure mid game.
- 8th – Kyle McCord – Imperium: A genuine Soup build, aiming for a mix of highly durable threats and cheap objective holders via combining Swordbearers Dreadknights (plus two small Paladin units) with an Astra Militarum battalion packing two damage reducing Tank Commanders and a bunch of tooled up infantry squads. Very hard to deplete unless you’ve brought huge guns, and made it to the final round undefeated before being narrowly defeated by Boon.
- 9th – Charlie Andre – Death Guard: See Showdown.
- 10th – Ben Cherwien – Emperor’s Children: Six units of Noise Marines and a Land Raider. Absolute king. Some characters too I guess, but that’s not the cool bit (though the Daemon Prince build is exceptionally horrific).
Grand Onslaught 4
53-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Seminole, Florida, US on August 13 2022. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission – Tide of Conviction
Dan Monsalve – Chaos: Herpetrax Dogwalker. + Configuration + Legion: Black Legion + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + Abaddon the Despoiler [15 PL, 300pts, -1CP]: 3. Merciless Overseer, 5. Eternal Vendetta, 6. Paragon of Hatred, Stratagem: Warlord Trait ++ Super-Heavy Detachment -3CP (Chaos – Chaos Knights) [94 PL, 1,695pts, 2CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-3CP] Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim + Lord of War + War Dog Brigand Squadron [17 PL, 325pts]: House Herpetrax War Dog Karnivore Squadron [26 PL, 450pts]: House Herpetrax War Dog Karnivore Squadron [9 PL, 160pts]: House Herpetrax War Dog Stalker Squadron [25 PL, 455pts, -1CP]: House Herpetrax War Dog Stalker Squadron [17 PL, 305pts]: House Herpetrax ++ Total: [109 PL, 1CP, 1,995pts] ++
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Supreme Command Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Chaos Space Marines) [15 PL, 300pts, -1CP] ++
. War Dog Brigand: Diabolus heavy stubber, Tzeentch – Mirror of Fates
. War Dog Brigand: Diabolus heavy stubber
. War Dog Karnivore: Diabolus heavy stubber, Khorne – Blood Shield
. War Dog Karnivore: Diabolus heavy stubber
. War Dog Karnivore: Diabolus heavy stubber
. War Dog Karnivore: Diabolus heavy stubber, Undivided – Mark of the Dread Knight
. War Dog Stalker: Avenger chaincannon, Character (Traitoris Lance), Diabolus heavy stubber, Helm of Dogs, Slaanesh – Beguiling Majesty, Slaughterclaw, Stratagem: Relic
. War Dog Stalker: Avenger chaincannon, Diabolus heavy stubber, Slaughterclaw
. War Dog Stalker: Avenger chaincannon, Diabolus heavy stubber, Slaughterclaw
. War Dog Stalker: Avenger chaincannon, Diabolus heavy stubber, Slaanesh – Subjugator Machine Spirit, Slaughterclaw
. War Dog Stalker: Daemonbreath spear, Diabolus heavy stubber, Slaughterclaw
vs.
Quinton Johnson – T’au Sept: Tau Sept Goodstuff. + Configuration + Gametype Sept Choice: T’au Sept + HQ + Commander in Crisis Battlesuit [9 PL, 200pts, -1CP]: 1. Precision of the Hunter, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, T’au Flamer, Thermoneutronic Projector Longstrike [9 PL, 170pts]: 2x Accelerator Burst Cannon, Railgun + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [18 PL, 325pts] Crisis Battlesuits [19 PL, 400pts] + Fast Attack + Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] + Flyer + Sun Shark Bomber [9 PL, 165pts]: Markerlight, 2x Missile Pod, 2x Seeker Missile Sun Shark Bomber [9 PL, 165pts]: Markerlight, 2x Missile Pod, 2x Seeker Missile ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [16 PL, 340pts, -4CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Gametype Sept Choice: T’au Sept + HQ + Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit [9 PL, 195pts]: Burst Cannon, DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon, High-output Burst Cannon, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock Ethereal [4 PL, 85pts, -2CP]: 2. Sense of Stone, 6. Exemplar of the Mont’ka, 6. Wisdom of the Guides, Honour Blade, Hover Drone, Stratagem: Emergency Dispensation, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, The Humble Stave + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] ++ Supreme Command Detachment +2CP (T’au Empire) [8 PL, 150pts] ++ + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + Commander Shadowsun [8 PL, 150pts, -1 CP]: 5. Exemplar of the Kauyon, Advanced Guardian Drone, Command-link Drone, Fletchette Launcher, 2x High-energy Fusion Blaster, Light Missile Pod, Pulse Pistol, Warlord ++ Total: [101 PL, 1,999pts, -6CP] ++
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [77 PL, 1,509pts, -1CP] ++
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’vre: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator, Stimm Injectors
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
. 2x Interceptor Drone: 4x Ion Rifle
. 2x Interceptor Drone: 4x Ion Rifle
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
Thoughts
Hrmm. Hrrrmmmmm. I’m afraid this is a matchup where there is not that much deep I can really say about it – this Tau list is extremely good at rapidly turning War Dogs into heaps of scrap metal, and on this mission there’s not really any angles they can play to try and mitigate that. I don’t think it’s actually the worst mission for the Dogwalker side of things, as it at least gives them the option to go all-out aggro and try and cap the Tau scoring (and the matchup rewards picking Herpetrax over Vextrix), but the balance of probability here leans extremely hard towards Tau vaporising the Knights over about three turns, then maxing out their points from there, probably picking Kauyon to put the late game version of Decisive Action on the table. All evidence from the scoring suggests that’s about how it played out.
Result
T’au Sept Victory – 97 – 58
Quinton Johnson – T’au Sept – 1st Place
The List
See showdown.
Archetype
Tau Sept Goodstuff
Thoughts
That’s a whole lot of guns, huh? Double Sun Shark appears to be a lock for all successful Tau lists at this point, perhaps not surprising because of the extra reach they give and the strong synergy with Exemplar of the Kauyon, and the rest of what’s here is all stuff we know and have complicated love/hate feelings about. Well done to Quinton on the win.
The Best of the Rest
There were 9 more players on 4-1 records or better. They were:
- 2nd (undefeated with a draw) – Jordan Mattheus – Tyranids: Leviathan Goodstuff with a tonne of Warriors and a big Ravener brick.
- 3rd – Robert Hawkins – Orks: An intriuging Blood Axe infantry spam build, packing loads of Beast Snagga Boyz and Kommandos onto the table, and backing them up with some heavy hitters. Should play objectives (including Green Tide) extremely well, and great at pushing back into Necrons.
- 4th – Paul Roberts – Emperor’s Children: A healthy number of Noise Marines, plus a big Terminator block and Abaddon.
- 5th – Eric Mullins – Chaos Knights: High-pressure Herpetrax with two tanked-up Abominants, a Desecrator, and some dogs. Brings a whole lot of spicy upgrades too, and looks mean as hell.
- 6th – Dan Monsalve – Chaos Knights & Abaddon: See showdown.
- 7th – Leo Diaz – Blood Angels: Blood Angels Centurions make it stateside, acting as a rock-solid core for a whole bunch of Sanguinary Guard to work around.
- 8th – Alex Huffman – Red Corsairs: Takes advantage of the Red Corsairs Advance/Charge trait with a pair of Discolords, a huge Biker brick with the Black Rune, and a good number of Legionaries and smaller engines of war backing them up.
- 9th – Jory Eicholtz – Adeptus Custodes & Knights: Emissaries Sagittarum spam, adding some Hunters of Beasts Helverins to the mix to help pressure heavier targets at range.
- 10th – Evan Williams – Blood Angels: Another more wide-ranging Blood Angels build, with smaller Sanguinary units, multiple squads of Death Company, and a big VanVet block to Combat Squad for extra coverage.
Bogota Grand Tournament 2022
36-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Bogotá, Bogotá, CO on August 13 2022. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission – Unknown
Andres Ochoa – Death Guard: Inexorable spamming Plague Marines, with a Drill to give some of them a way to push up the table early.
Army List - Click to Expand Plague Company: The Inexorable + Stratagems + Gifts of Decay: Additional Relics + HQ + Death Guard Daemon Prince: 1. Miasma of Pestilence, 3. Hulking Physique, Hellforged sword, Plague Skull of Glothila, Plaguechosen, Stratagem: Relic Lord of Virulence: Ferric Blight, Fugaris’ Helm, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Virulent Fever, Warlord + Troops + Plague Marines Plague Marines Plague Marines Plague Marines Plague Marines Poxwalkers + Elites + Blightlord Terminators Blightlord Terminators Deathshroud Terminators Tallyman + Heavy Support + Plagueburst Crawler: 2x Entropy cannon, Heavy slugger Plagueburst Crawler: 2x Entropy cannon, Heavy slugger + Dedicated Transport + Chaos Terrax-Pattern Termite
Death Guard Battalion
+ Configuration +
Plague Champion: Plague knife, Plasma gun, Power fist
Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
Plague Marine w/ cleaver
Plague Marine w/ flail
Plague Marine w/ special weapon: Plasma gun
Plague Champion: Plague knife, Plasma gun, Power fist
Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
Plague Marine w/ cleaver
Plague Marine w/ flail
Plague Marine w/ special weapon: Plasma gun
Plague Champion: Plague knife, Plasma gun, Power fist
Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
Plague Marine w/ cleaver
Plague Marine w/ flail
Plague Marine w/ special weapon: Plasma gun
Plague Champion: Plague knife, Plasma gun, Power fist
Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
Plague Marine w/ cleaver
Plague Marine w/ flail
Plague Marine w/ special weapon: Plasma gun
Plague Champion: Plague knife, Plasma gun, Power fist
Plague Marine w/ blight launcher
Plague Marine w/ cleaver
Plague Marine w/ flail
Plague Marine w/ special weapon: Plasma gun
12x Poxwalker: 12x Improvised weapon
Blightlord Champion: Balesword, Combi-bolter
Blightlord Terminator: Balesword, Combi-plasma
Blightlord Terminator: Flail of corruption
Blightlord Terminator: Balesword, Blight launcher
Blightlord Terminator: Balesword, Combi-bolter
Blightlord Champion: Balesword, Combi-bolter
Blightlord Terminator: Balesword, Combi-plasma
Blightlord Terminator: Flail of corruption
Blightlord Terminator: Balesword, Blight launcher
Blightlord Terminator: Balesword, Combi-bolter
Deathshroud Champion: Plaguespurt gauntlet
2x Deathshroud Terminator: 2x Manreaper, 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet
2 Twin Terrax volkite chargers: 2x Twin Terrax volkite Charger
vs.
Marcelo G Lara Vega – Dark Angels: Whoops all Deathwing, with a bunch of small Terminator units and Belial at the head. + Configuration + **Chapter Selector**: Dark Angels Battle Size: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Deathwing Vanguard Detachment Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim + No Force Org Slot + Deathwing Ancient: Chapter Command: Chapter Ancient, Pennant of Remembrance, Stratagem: Relic Deathwing Apothecary: Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary, Selfless Healer, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord Deathwing Command Squad + HQ + Belial Interrogator-Chaplain: 1-3. Watched, 1. Litany of Faith (Aura), 6. Canticle of Hate (Aura), Chapter Command: Master of Sanctity, Jump Pack, Litany of Hate, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter, Thunder hammer + Elites + Deathwing Knights: Knight Master, Watcher in the Dark Deathwing Terminator Squad: Watcher in the Dark Deathwing Terminator Squad: Watcher in the Dark Deathwing Terminator Squad: Watcher in the Dark Terminator Assault Squad Terminator Assault Squad: Teleport Homer
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Vanguard Detachment -3CP (Imperium – Adeptus Astartes – Dark Angels) ++
Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield: Storm shield, Thunder hammer
Deathwing Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Sword of Silence & Storm Bolter
4x Deathwing Knight: 4x Mace of Absolution, 4x Storm shield
Deathwing Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Cyclone Missile Launcher, Storm Bolter, Chainfist: Chainfist, Cyclone missile launcher
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Deathwing Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Cyclone Missile Launcher, Storm Bolter, Chainfist: Chainfist, Cyclone missile launcher
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Deathwing Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Cyclone Missile Launcher, Storm Bolter, Chainfist: Chainfist, Cyclone missile launcher
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Assault Terminator Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
4x Assault Terminator w/THSS: 4x Storm shield, 4x Thunder hammer
Assault Terminator Sergeant: Lightning Claw (Pair)
4x Assault Terminator w/x2LC: 4x Lightning Claw (Pair)
Thoughts
Two ultra-grindy lists to slam face-first into one another here. Both these armies lean on the fact that they have durable ObSec units that are very dangerous in melee to try and roll opponents over, but what happens when they slam into each other?
So, this is definitely a game where I badly miss not knowing the mission, because that would help to inform which side’s advantages are likely to play more in their favour. The clear upside the Dark Angels have is that in a straight fight, more of their units are trump cards than what the Death Guard have. Most of the Terminator units will punk the plague Marine squads (the fact that there’s a good scattering of thunder hammers really helps here), and while the Death Guard Terminators are much more able to fight on equal terms, they’re only a small part of the Death Guard force. However, on the flip side the Death Guard are in the (for them) unique position of actually having a mobility advantage here, with a drill to push stuff into a vulnerable spot, and the Inexorable stratagem to make using deep strike super dicey for the Deathwing. They can also profitably use Psychic Interrogation here, even if it’ll probably get capped at 12 by Watched – that’s fine in a grindy game.
Broadly, I think the way this pans out is that a corner deployment mission narrowly favours the Death Guard, as it lets them get a bit more out of their mobility advantage and choose their battles more carefully, but a mission like Tide of Conviction or The Scouring that forces a head-on confrontation probably favoures the Deathwing. Given the scoreline, Tide would be my guess as to what was played – a low scoring game and clearly hard fought, but with the Deathwing narrowly winning out.
Result
Dark Angels Victory – 68 – 61
Marcelo G Lara Vega – Dark Angels – 1st Place
The List
See showdown.
Archetype
Whoops all Deathwing
Thoughts
A few differences here from what we normally see, notably bringing Belial (which rips) and going for smaller units rather than big blocks. That helps the list be a bit more adaptive against something like Necrons, and reduces the attack surface against trade-up builds, but at the cost of making it harder to absolutely lock down a position by stacking the Pennant on a ten-model unit. Clearly worked out here, so well done Marcelo.
The Best of the Rest
There were 5 more players on X-1 records. They were:
- 2nd – Henry Lam – Adeptus Custodes: Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff with a bit of everything, a Telemon being the standout scary unit.
- 3rd – Jose Pernia – Death Guard: Inexorable with big Plague Marine units, supporting Characters and Mortarion.
- 4th – Luis Fernandez – Tyranids: Leviathan Warrior spam with a pair of Harpies overhead.
- 5th – Andres Ochoa – Death Guard: See showdown.
- 6th – Jorge Latorre – Craftworlds: Biel Tan with lots of small Aspect units, bigger squads of Avengers, then lots of D-Cannons in support.
War for the Forge GT
30-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Coraopolis, PA, US on August 13 2022. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission – Tear Down Their Icons
TJ Lanigan – Thousand Sons: Double Scarab Duplicity, cutting down on bringing any further big spice in order to go a bit wider than normal with three Cultist units on top of three Rubric MSUs. + Configuration + Cults of the Legion: Cult of Duplicity Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim + Stratagems + Sorcerous Arcana [-2CP]: 2x Additional Relics + No Force Org Slot + Sorcerer [6 PL, -2CP, 2 Cabal Points, 95pts]: 13. Doombolt, 31. Cacodaemonic Curse, Battle-psyker, Force sword, High Acolytes, Inferno Bolt Pistol, Master Misinformator, Stratagem: Relic, Umbralefic Crystal + HQ + Ahriman [8 PL, 3 Cabal Points, 160pts]: 12. Twist of Fate, 21. Presage, 22. Weaver of Fates Exalted Sorcerer [8 PL, -1CP, 3 Cabal Points, 150pts]: 1. Arrogance of Aeons, 11. Gaze of Hate, 11. Tzeentch’s Firestorm, Athenaean Scrolls, Disc of Tzeentch, High Acolytes, Inferno Bolt Pistol, Prosperine khopesh, Rehati Infernal Master [5 PL, 2 Cabal Points, 90pts]: 31. Empyric Guidance, 5. Glimpse of Eternity, 6. Malefic Maelstrom, Egleighen’s Orrery + Troops + Rubric Marines [6 PL, 2 Cabal Points, 110pts]: Icon of Flame Rubric Marines [6 PL, 2 Cabal Points, 110pts]: Icon of Flame Rubric Marines [6 PL, 2 Cabal Points, 110pts]: Icon of Flame Thousand Sons Cultists [2 PL, 50pts] Thousand Sons Cultists [2 PL, 50pts] Thousand Sons Cultists [2 PL, 50pts] + Elites + Scarab Occult Terminators [21 PL, 1 Cabal Points, 440pts]: 2x Hellfyre missile rack Scarab Occult Terminators [21 PL, 1 Cabal Points, 445pts]: 2x Hellfyre missile rack Tzaangor Shaman [4 PL, -1CP, 2 Cabal Points, 70pts]: 2. Seeker After Shadows, 33. Perplex, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord + Fast Attack + Chaos Spawn [1 PL, 23pts]: Chaos Spawn Chaos Spawn [1 PL, 23pts]: Chaos Spawn Chaos Spawn [1 PL, 23pts]: Chaos Spawn ++ Total: [100 PL, 20 Cabal Points, 1,999pts] ++
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Thousand Sons) [100 PL, , 20 Cabal Points, 1,999pts] ++
. Aspiring Sorcerer: 23. Temporal Surge, Inferno Bolt Pistol
. 3x Rubric Marine w/ inferno boltgun: 3x Inferno boltgun
. Rubric Marine w/ soulreaper cannon: Soulreaper cannon
. Aspiring Sorcerer: 23. Temporal Surge, Inferno Bolt Pistol
. 3x Rubric Marine w/ inferno boltgun: 3x Inferno boltgun
. Rubric Marine w/ soulreaper cannon: Soulreaper cannon
. Aspiring Sorcerer: 23. Temporal Surge, Inferno Bolt Pistol
. 3x Rubric Marine w/ inferno boltgun: 3x Inferno boltgun
. Rubric Marine w/ soulreaper cannon: Soulreaper cannon
. Cultist Champion: Autogun
. 9x Cultist w/ autogun: 9x Autogun
. Cultist Champion: Autogun
. 9x Cultist w/ autogun: 9x Autogun
. Cultist Champion: Autogun
. 9x Cultist w/ autogun: 9x Autogun
. Scarab Occult Sorcerer: 12. Glamour of Tzeentch, Inferno combi-bolter, Rites of Coalescence
. 7x Terminator: 7x Inferno combi-bolter, 7x Prosperine khopesh
. Terminator w/ Heavy Weapon: Soulreaper cannon
. Terminator w/ Heavy Weapon: Soulreaper cannon
. Scarab Occult Sorcerer: 23. Temporal Surge, Ardent Automata, Inferno combi-bolter
. 7x Terminator: 7x Inferno combi-bolter, 7x Prosperine khopesh
. Terminator w/ Heavy Weapon: Soulreaper cannon
. Terminator w/ Heavy Weapon: Soulreaper cannon
vs.
Thomas Ogden – T’au Sept: Thomas’s top-heavy Tau Sept list makes it to another top table – terrifying killing power, and almost no spare units or breathing space. + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Gametype: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim Sept Choice: T’au Sept + No Force Org Slot + Crisis Bodyguards [18 PL, 325pts] + HQ + Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit [8 PL, 170pts, -2CP]: 1. Precision of the Hunter, Burst Cannon, DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon, High-output Burst Cannon, Onager Gauntlet, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, Stratagem: Relic Longstrike [9 PL, 170pts, -1CP]: 2x Accelerator Burst Cannon, 4. Through Boldness, Victory, Railgun, Stratagem: Promising Pupil + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [20 PL, 385pts] Crisis Battlesuits [20 PL, 410pts] + Flyer + Sun Shark Bomber [9 PL, 165pts]: 2x Missile Pod Sun Shark Bomber [9 PL, 165pts]: 2x Missile Pod ++ Supreme Command Detachment +2CP (T’au Empire) [8 PL, 150pts, 1CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [2CP] Sept Choice: T’au Sept + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + Commander Shadowsun [8 PL, 150pts, -1CP]: 5. Exemplar of the Kauyon, 2x High-energy Fusion Blaster, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord ++ Total: [104 PL, 2,000pts, 2CP] ++
Army List - Click to Expand
++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [96 PL, 1,850pts, 1CP] ++
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Fusion Blaster
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Fusion Blaster
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Fusion Blaster
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Fusion Blaster
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Fusion Blaster
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 2x Shield Drone: 2x Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’vre: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 2x Shield Drone: 2x Shield Generator
. 2x Interceptor Drone: 4x Ion Rifle
. 2x Interceptor Drone: 4x Ion Rifle
Thoughts
We’ve got another top table that sees a high-mobility, high-threat Tau list face off against a surable, grindy Chaos build, but I think this game is a lot more “live” out of the gate than the Death Guard/Tau one. Mostly that’s because Thomas’s Tau list is extremely good, but has limited breathing room for things to go wrong, and the Thousand Sons here have the tools to cause some trouble for them. Secure Missing Artefacts means that both sides need to be planning to commit units to holding their priority objective, and the inclusion of a bunch of Cultists in the Thousand Sons list is great for this – they’re much more able to bait the Tau at limited cost than vice-versa. Being Duplicity also means that baiting one of the big Crisis units to any position where a Terminator squad can Sorcerous Facade then fully unload on them is great. All Is Dust also means that the D1 weaponry the Tau have is far less good than it is against Plague Marines, and Unwavering Phalanx can still make the D2 and 3 stuff the Tau have less terminal than it could be. Finally, against a small number of high value units the Psychic firepower of the Thousand Sons is really good, and in particular it means that if the planes end a turn near them, they just die, constraining their options a bit.
That Tau aren’t without advantages mind – they’ve still got the mobility to try and force a first strike here, get rewarded for just grinding Chaos out of the game thanks to Abhor the Witch, and have a potentially decisive window if they get first turn where the Thousand Sons don’t appear to have enough Cp to throw Phalanx up on one of the Terminator blocks. That potentially allows the planes to snipe a fairly big dent in them from a safe distance, and if they can’t be fully hidden (though most tournament tables will allow it) then things get even worse. It also builds up as an issue over time – even if the Thousand Sons go first, if the Tau force a use of Phalanx on their turn one, then the Tsons need to save all of their CP (they almost always generate three a round betweek Interrogation and their rituals) to do it again the next turn, and they’re still going to be taking some damage as things play out. This feels like another game where the Tau want to play for a late game win – pick Kauyon, pick Decisive Action, hope the Kroot can run out and plant a bomb turn one, then try and deplete the Thousand Sons enough to allow for big scoring later on. From the Sons side, the goal is to maximise the amount of time where the Cultists and throwaway spawn can take care of scoring before having to commit real stuff, meaning that if a lead gets built up they’ve got too many assets for the Tau to take over the game later on.
From the score, it looks like the Tau did manage to shape the game to their designs, hitting what’s very likely their max score with Decisive Action. The Sons scored pretty well too, suggesting they were on the board for most of the game, but eventually the Greater Good won out.
Result
T’au Sept Victory – 97 – 78
Thomas Ogden – T’au Sept – 1st Place
The List
See showdown.
Archetype
Tau Sept Goodstuff
Thoughts
Thomas’s high risk, high reward Tau list takes him to another top finish – I think my heart would give out if I tried to play this list over a whole event, but all power to him for making it work repeatedly!
The Best of the Rest
There were N more players on X-1 records. They were:
- 2nd – TJ Lanigan – Thousand Sons: See showdown.
- 3rd – Erik Glasgow – Necrons: High wound Eternal Expansionists with loads of Scarabs and Wraiths.
- 4th – Jon Saucier – Genestealer Cult: Twisted Helix with loads of Acolytes and Purestrains, some of whom are in trucks.
- 5th – Mike Norton – Emperor’s Children: Noise Marines, a big Terminator block and Abaddon.
- 6th – Keith Gideon – Tau: Tau Sept Goodstuff with Crisis Teams, Commanders and Hammerheads.
Wrap Up
It looks like things are slightly quieter this weekend, but we’re very much grading on a curve here, and there are still going to be multiple majors and plentiful GTs. See you next week! Comments, questions and suggestions to contact@goonhammer.com.
