Last week we had 10 events to cover, and I joked that that was Too Much Warhammer. Naturally this weekend there was Yet More Warhammer, with 10 GTs and a 190-player Major happening simultaneously, and that’s not even mentioning the gigantic team tournament in Northampton. For everyone out there playing, of course, that’s fantastic news – we all love playing games, and there’s a truly enormous number of games being played! Tau and Custodes players have done their level best to minimise the work involved by winning as many events as possible, but nevertheless for poor overburdened content creators it is Too Much, and so we are once again splitting the column out into multiple parts to make it more manageable both for us to write and for you to read. Additionally, Wings is taking a break this week, so you’re getting the B-team. Sorry in advance if you were hoping for dazzling insights and instead you get me pointing at T’au lists and saying “fuck” a lot.
What that means is that there will be two Competitive Innovations posts this week, with this part 1 today and part 2 to follow tomorrow. If you’re interested in looking up a particular event, then we’ll be covering them as follows:
Part 1:
- Frontline Gaming Cherokee Open 40K Champs
- The Pecking Order: Pecking Wars GT
- Iron Cage GT
- Attrition Grand Tournament
- Leodis February 2022 GT
Part 2:
- Battle In The Bush 2021(22)
- Down Under 40k GT Feb
- Broadsword Wargaming ITC Winter Major
- Bembel Clash #2
- Kent Wargames Feb GT
Before we kick off, though, we have some meta commentary from the Falcon – you might get a sense as you read through this that things aren’t great, and we’ve brought in the man (or bird) with the numbers to see just how it’s going.
Meta Analysis
Here we go. It feels like just yesterday I was looking at tables of results for the biggest bad we had seen in a bit, Drukhari. As a reminder, that faction came out with a blistering 72.2% win rate (74% accounting for the mirror), 30% TiWP, and an average first round loss over 2.8; numbers we hadn’t seen since peak Iron Hands. People were going crazy at the sheer power differential back then between Drukhari and the dexes that had come before it. That was 11 months ago. Admech came a couple months later and took a small chunk of that Drukhari power away. It took them longer to rise to the top of the heap but by the time of the machine cult’s first set of nerfs, they were well into the 60th percentile themselves (topping out around 65% with an average first loss creeping past 2.8, matching up against Drukhari’s 65% in the same set of weeks). In August we hit a period where Admech and Drukhari made up 60% of all lists that got to 4-0 or better before their first loss. Drukhari only had a losing record to Admech at that time and Admech were only being beaten by those crazy fools in Europe running Iron Hands. Once Admech saw their first round of nerfs, Drukhari swelled past them again, sitting comfortably week to week between a 65 and 70% win rate while Admech practically languished in the sad 59-60% range. It took multiple hits to both factions over a 6 month period (on top of an absolute mauling of the Orks codex which in itself had built up a negative play experience that only had a few moments to shine before it was buried as deep as my shame).
And now it’s déjà vu all over again. Custodes and T’au have combined to burn hotter than our collective affection for Henry Cavill. Since their competitive debut at the LVO Custodes have built up an impressive 64.85% win rate over 1300 GT games, a number that has only grown as they have seen their surprise point reductions and players have refined their lists to account for the new Nachmund missions. This last week alone Custodes had over a 72% win rate once their mirror was accounted for, and only found themselves on the losing end against one other faction. Going into this weekend Custodes alone accounted for almost 40% of all TiWP representation since launch, made up almost 12% of the meta and had an average first round loss just over 2.7. Given that they made up a quarter of all top 4s this weekend it is safe to say they didn’t take much of a dip in the interim either. These numbers are all very impressive and echo what we have seen time and again when a faction has absolute control over the meta at large (see early 8th Ynnari, late 8th Iron Hands and 9th Drukhari both before the Admech codex and after the Admech nerfs).
What makes Custodes more concerning is, just like Admech and Drukhari before,they are doing it at a time when another faction is hammering out similarly impressive results. T’au Empire have posted a 65.3% win rate since their codex began seeing play (over 600 games recorded), have an average first loss of 2.82 and a TiWP that has broken 20%. This last weekend almost a third of all Top 4s featured our favorite Gunpla Fishmen and their win rate was also over 72% with the mirror removed. T’au’s numbers are only getting better week to week and while they have proven to be an equal match to Custodes (T’au have only a very slight advantage currently in the head to head), where they have really gained their ground is by stealing it away from everyone else. This dual codex dominance has led to a month where only 5 codexes have posted a win rate above 50%. The aforementioned T’au and Custodes, Tyranids at 55%, Drukhari at a 53.5%, Genestealer Cults at ~50.5%. Everyone else is doing their best to just break even.
Please sir or madam, my meta, she is sick. Please fix.
Frontline Gaming Cherokee Open Champs
This was the weekend’s marquee event, a 9-round event with player-placed terrain run on the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina. Competitors from around the country showed up to give us a top 8 with 4 Custodes, 3 Tau, and 1 Tyranids list. If you extend that out to the top 20, you get 9 Custodes lists and 6 Tau instead, with a Drukhari, Ork, White Scars, and Thousand Sons list in the mix. Gross.
All the lists for this event can be found on Best Coast Pairings.
The Showdown
The Mission: Secure Missing Artefacts
Jack Harpster – T’au Empire – Farsight Enclaves with tons of Crisis Suits.
Army List - click to expand ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [62 PL, 1,065pts, 7CP] ++ + Configuration + Sept Choice: Farsight Enclaves Allied World + Stratagems + Stratagem: Emergency Dispensation [-2CP]: 2x Additional Relics + No Force Org Slot + Crisis Bodyguards [13 PL, 197pts] + HQ + Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit [9 PL, 187pts, -1CP]: 6. Exemplar of the Mont’ka, Burst Cannon, DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon, High-output Burst Cannon, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Solid-image Projection Unit, Stratagem: Promising Pupil Ethereal [5 PL, 85pts]: 2. Sense of Stone, 6. Wisdom of the Guides, Hover Drone, The Humble Stave + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [21 PL, 361pts] Stealth Battlesuits [9 PL, 127pts]: Homing Beacon + Fast Attack + Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [46 PL, 784pts, -3CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Sept Choice: Farsight Enclaves Allied World + No Force Org Slot + Crisis Bodyguards [13 PL, 197pts] + HQ + Commander in Crisis Battlesuit [9 PL, 202pts, -1CP]: 1. Precision of the Hunter, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, T’au Flamer, The Be’gel Hunter’s Plate, Thermoneutronic Projector + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [20 PL, 301pts] + Fast Attack + Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] ++ Supreme Command Detachment +2CP (T’au Empire) [8 PL, 150pts, 2CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [2CP] Sept Choice: T’au Sept + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + Commander Shadowsun [8 PL, 150pts]: 2x High-energy Fusion Blaster, Warlord ++ Total: [116 PL, 6CP, 1,999pts] ++
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
. Shield Drone
. Marker Drone
. Shield Drone
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’vre: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator, Stimm Injectors
. Marker Drone
. 3x Shield Drone: 3x Shield Generator
. Marker Drone
. Shield Drone
. 3x Stealth Shas’ui w/ Burst Cannon: 3x Burst Cannon
. Stealth Shas’vre: Burst Cannon
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
. Shield Drone
. Marker Drone
. Shield Drone
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Iridium battlesuit, T’au Flamer, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, T’au Flamer, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, T’au Flamer, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, T’au Flamer, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’vre: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, T’au Flamer, Target Lock
. Marker Drone
. 3x Shield Drone: 3x Shield Generator
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
vs.
Quinton Johnson – T’au Empire – Calm Under Pressure and Pinpoint Targeting Custom Sept also featuring tons of Crisis Suits.
Army List - click to expand ++ Patrol Detachment 0CP (T’au Empire) [83 PL, 1,467pts, -2CP] ++ Sept Choice: <Custom Sept>, Calm Under Pressure, Pinpoint Targeting + No Force Org Slot + Crisis Bodyguards [14 PL, 256pts] + HQ + Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit [8 PL, 165pts, -1CP]: 1. Precision of the Hunter, Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, High-output Burst Cannon, Onager Gauntlet, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, T’au Flamer, Target Lock, Thermoneutronic Projector Ethereal [5 PL, 75pts]: 2. Sense of Stone, 2. Through Unity, Devastation (Aura), 6. Wisdom of the Guides, Honour Blade, Hover Drone, The Humble Stave, Warlord + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [21 PL, 351pts] Crisis Battlesuits [20 PL, 341pts] + Fast Attack + Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] Pathfinder Team [5 PL, 90pts] + Dedicated Transport + Devilfish [6 PL, 105pts]: 2x Smart Missile System, Accelerator Burst Cannon ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [31 PL, 529pts, 9CP] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Sept Choice: <Custom Sept>, Calm Under Pressure, Pinpoint Targeting + HQ + Commander in Crisis Battlesuit [9 PL, 170pts, -1CP]: 6. Exemplar of the Mont’ka, Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Cyclic Ion Blaster, DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon, Stratagem: Promising Pupil + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [9 PL, 155pts] Stealth Battlesuits [9 PL, 120pts] + Fast Attack + Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] ++ Total: [114 PL, 1,996pts, 7CP] ++
Stratagem: Emergency Dispensation [-1CP]: Additional Relics
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Burst Cannon
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Burst Cannon
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Burst Cannon
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Burst Cannon
. 3x Shield Drone: 3x Shield Generator
. Marker Drone: Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Shield Generator, Stimm Injectors
. 3x Shield Drone: 3x Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator
. Crisis Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Shield Generator
. 3x Shield Drone: 3x Shield Generator
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
. 9x Pathfinder: 9x Markerlight, 9x Pulse Carbine, 9x Pulse Pistol
. Pathfinder Shas’ui: Markerlight, Pulse Carbine, Pulse Pistol
. Marker Drone: Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Early Warning Override, Iridium battlesuit, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Early Warning Override, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Early Warning Override, T’au Flamer
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 3x Stealth Shas’ui w/ Burst Cannon: 3x Burst Cannon
. Stealth Shas’vre: Burst Cannon
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
Thoughts
T’au vs. T’au in a battle of the suits. Quinton has the more flexible list, with a bit more stuff on the table and a broader variety of things that can try and hit hard thanks to Calm Under Pressure boosting their Strength, but across the table from him is some truly horrific shooting from Jack’s Farsight Enclaves. The extra units might help with scoring but they also offer up tempting Grind Them Down targets, and Calm Under Pressure is great up close but Jack doesn’t necessarily need to be up close, especially since he’s likely to be bringing in one of his alpha units to take advantage of Drop Zone Clear – which both limits Quinton’s ability to engage on his own terms, and also means that whatever gets caught out by it is going to die a very quick death. Both players have a game here, but Jack has a significant advantage; he has fewer risks to take if he wants to try and engage Quinton’s Suits, and is more likely to be able to punish Quinton if he swings and missses.
Result
Farsight Enclaves Victory – 97-43
Jack Harpster – 1st Place
The List
See Showdown.
The Standout Features/Archetype
See Showdown.
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
Farsight Enclaves looked like a big winner out of the book, and Jack’s taken it all the way this weekend. T’au’s game is all about high shooting output, and FSE pushes it all the way, with the plasma rifle block able to arrive in, Drop Zone Clear, and pick up multiple targets at once – and with any luck, they can do it on turn 1, thanks to the Stealth Suits and their homing beacon.
Backing them up is a whole heap of airbursting frag projectors, nominally attached to some Crisis Suits, helping to keep the table clear of…. pretty much any infantry that might want to exist there, at minimal danger to themselves.
A detail worth noting here is the presence of the Ethereal – in the Farsight Enclaves!? These aren’t the real Farsight Enclaves, of course; they’re an Allied World, neatly sidestepping the limitation on Ethereals. Farsight himself can’t show up of course, but the trade-off is access to Invocations of the Ethereals, here used to access the 5+ to ignore wounds from Sense fo Stone and a bonus CP each round from Wisdom of the Guides, the latter extra helpful when you’re planning to blow 3CP on a single Stratagem on turn 1.
Quinton Johnson – 2nd Place
The List
See Showdown.
The Standout Features/Archetype
See Showdown.
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
We’ve seen a lot of T’au Sept and Bork’an out there, and Farsight Enclaves as well, but Quinton is taking a different angle with a custom Sept utilising Calm Under Pressure and Pinpoint Targeting. That gives it a ton of punch close-up, with +1 Strength on the weapons and the ability to ignore Light Cover. The mass of burst cannons in the list loves this trait combo, powering them up to S6 and helping overcome their baseline lack of AP. The same Ethereal seems to have made his way into both lists – praying for CP is a popular tactic of the T’au, apparently.
Sean Rice – 3rd Place
The List
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [97 PL, 1,625pts, 8CP] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Gametype: Matched Sept Choice: T’au Sept Unit Filter: Hide Legends Units + Stratagems + Stratagem: Emergency Dispensation [-1CP]: Additional Relics + No Force Org Slot + Crisis Bodyguards [7 PL, 108pts] Kroot Hounds [1 PL, 24pts] + HQ + Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit [10 PL, 185pts, -1CP]: 1. Precision of the Hunter, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, T’au Flamer, The Be’gel Hunter’s Plate, Thermoneutronic Projector Ethereal [5 PL, 85pts]: 2. Sense of Stone, 6. Wisdom of the Guides, Hover Drone, The Humble Stave + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [20 PL, 303pts] Stealth Battlesuits [9 PL, 120pts] + Fast Attack + Vespid Stingwings [5 PL, 72pts] + Heavy Support + Broadside Battlesuits [17 PL, 304pts] Broadside Battlesuits [17 PL, 304pts] ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [13 PL, 225pts, -3CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Sept Choice: T’au Sept + HQ + Commander in Crisis Battlesuit [10 PL, 165pts, -1CP]: 6. Exemplar of the Mont’ka, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Dominator Fragmentation Launcher, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, Target Lock + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] ++ Supreme Command Detachment +2CP (T’au Empire) [8 PL, 150pts, 2CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [2CP] Sept Choice: T’au Sept + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + Commander Shadowsun [8 PL, 150pts]: 2x High-energy Fusion Blaster, Warlord ++ Total: [118 PL, 7CP, 2,000pts] ++
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Target Lock
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Target Lock
. Gun Drone
. 4x Kroot Hound: 4x Ripping Fangs
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Iridium battlesuit, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. Crisis Shas’vre: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Target Lock
. 4x Shield Drone: 4x Shield Generator
. Gun Drone
. Shield Drone
. 3x Stealth Shas’ui w/ Burst Cannon: 3x Burst Cannon
. Stealth Shas’vre: Burst Cannon
. 5x Vespid Stingwing: 5x Neutron Blaster, 5x Stingwing Claws
. Vespid Strain Leader
. Broadside Shas’ui: Heavy Rail Rifle, Stabilised Optics, Twin Smart Missile System
. Broadside Shas’ui: Heavy Rail Rifle, Stabilised Optics, Twin Smart Missile System
. Broadside Shas’vre: Heavy Rail Rifle, Stabilised Optics, Twin Smart Missile System
. Marker Drone
. 2x Shield Drone: 2x Shield Generator
. Broadside Shas’ui: Heavy Rail Rifle, Stabilised Optics, Twin Smart Missile System
. Broadside Shas’ui: Heavy Rail Rifle, Stabilised Optics, Twin Smart Missile System
. Broadside Shas’vre: Heavy Rail Rifle, Stabilised Optics, Twin Smart Missile System
. Marker Drone
. 2x Shield Drone: 2x Shield Generator
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
The Standout Features/Archetype
- A third different spin on T’au taking up the top places
- Fewer Crisis Suits than the top 2, but a mighty 6 Broadsides packing plenty of shooting of their own
- Bagel Hunter!
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
The top two lists this weekend eschewed Broadsides, but Sean’s made up for it by bringing six. They’ve featured in other T’au lists in recent weeks in this combo, with the heavy rail rifles taking down whatever vehicles dare to raise their heads and the smart missiles pounding infantry off the board wherever they try to hide. Stabilised Optics keeps them mobile, and if something tries to tag the unit – well that’s just fine, as they blast away at full BS.
Rounding out the army is a helping of Kroot, and a grab-bag of Commanders, including Shadowsun – helpful for upping those Broadsides’ output even more – and an Enforcer geared to be at least respectable in melee. Just in case there’s something hiding out of line of sight that you didn’t kill already, there’s a mass of AFPs on the Crisis Teams and Bodyguards, too.
Anthony Birdsong – 4th Place
The List
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium – Adeptus Custodes) [101 PL, -2CP, 2,000pts] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost Detachment Type / Shield Host: Adeptus Custodes, Emperor’s Chosen + Agents of the Imperium + Lord Inquisitor Hector Rex [5 PL, 100pts]: 1) Terrify, 3) Dominate + HQ + Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike [10 PL, -2CP, 175pts]: (Emperor’s Chosen): Auric Exemplar, 3. Superior Creation, Castellan’s Mark, Hurricane Bolter, Misericordia, Stratagem: The Emperor’s Heroes, Stratagem: Victor of the Blood Games, Tip of the Spear Trajann Valoris [8 PL, 1CP, 160pts] + Troops + Custodian Guard Squad [7 PL, 135pts] Custodian Guard Squad [7 PL, 135pts] Prosecutors [3 PL, 60pts]: Prosecutor Sister Superior + Elites + Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought [9 PL, -1CP, 160pts]: 2x Lastrum Storm Bolter, Stratagem: Eternal Penitent Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought [9 PL, 160pts]: 2x Lastrum Storm Bolter Custodian Wardens [7 PL, 150pts] + Fast Attack + Vertus Praetors [12 PL, 255pts] Vertus Praetors [12 PL, 255pts] Vertus Praetors [12 PL, 255pts] ++ Total: [101 PL, -2CP, 2,000pts] ++
. 3x Custodian w/ Guardian Spear & Misericordia: 3x Guardian Spear, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Custodian w/ Guardian Spear & Misericordia: 3x Guardian Spear, 3x Misericordia
. 4x Prosecutor: 4x Boltgun
. 3x Warden w/ Castellan Axe & Misericordia: 3x Castellan Axe, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Praetor w/ Salvo Launcher & Misericordia: 3x Interceptor Lance, 3x Misericordia, 3x Salvo Launcher
. 3x Praetor w/ Salvo Launcher & Misericordia: 3x Interceptor Lance, 3x Misericordia, 3x Salvo Launcher
. 3x Praetor w/ Salvo Launcher & Misericordia: 3x Interceptor Lance, 3x Misericordia, 3x Salvo Launcher
The Standout Features/Archetype
Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
Anthony heads up the Adeptus Custodes’ representation in the top 8, running a down-the-line Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff build – 9 Vertus Praetors, double Contemptor-Achillus, Trajann and a bike Captain. It’s tough, it’s punchy, it has minimal exposure to any particular angle of attack thanks to the combination of the broad defences offered by Arcane Genetic Alchemy and Emperor’s Auspice plus the mortal wounds defence from the Emperor’s Chosen Shield Host trait – it does all the things Custodes do well, and it’s piloted by someone who knows his way around top tables.
One notable inclusion here is Hector Rex; lots of Imperium armies are splashing in an Inquisitor of some kind to open up access to Warpcraft secondaries, but Rex is a bigger splash than most at 100pts. He does bring some extras over the regular 60pt version – he’s tougher, he can fight a bit, and he brings his own mortal wound defence to boot. He’s also able to cast two powers from Telesthesia, and here he has Terrify and Dominate – turning off Overwatch or allowing you to mind control an enemy unit. In games where you’re not relying on him to score points, those are helpful tricks to have in the pocket.
The Rest of the Best
The Cherokee Open used a top 8 cut, and the rest of the lists that made it were:
- 5th – Jesse Carmack – Adeptus Custodes: Down-the-line Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff.
- 6th – Joseph Gillespie – Tyranids: Imagine if, a few weeks ago, someone would have told you that you’d be glad to see Crusher Stampede in a top cut just for some variety. How you would have laughed. Ha ha ha. Joseph brings the sole non-Tau/Custodes list that made the finals, a double-Harpy list also featuring a Haruspex, a Maleceptor, and double Dimachaerons.
- 7th – Joseph Clark – Adeptus Custodes: Down-the-line Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff.
- 8th – Ryan Snyder – Adeptus Custodes: Quite a different skew on Adeptus Custodes, with triple Caladius, triple Pallas, and two Bike Captains. No Trajann in sight, which may make this the only winning Custodes list of the week not to feature him.
The Pecking Order: Pecking Wars GT
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission: Secure Missing Artefacts
Steve Trimble – T’au Empire – T’au Sept with Crisis Suits and Broadsides.
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [79 PL, 1,428pts, 8CP] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Sept Choice: T’au Sept + Stratagems + Stratagem: Emergency Dispensation [-1CP]: Additional Relics + HQ + Aun’Va [4 PL, 80pts]: 2. Sense of Stone, 3. Zephyr’s Grace, 6. Wisdom of the Guides Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit [9 PL, 185pts, -1CP]: (T’au): Vectored Manoeuvring Thrusters, 6. Exemplar of the Mont’ka, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Burst Cannon, DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon, High-output Burst Cannon, Stratagem: Promising Pupil + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Crisis Battlesuits [22 PL, 343pts] + Fast Attack + Pathfinder Team [5 PL, 90pts] + Heavy Support + Broadside Battlesuits [18 PL, 340pts] Broadside Battlesuits [18 PL, 330pts] ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (T’au Empire) [23 PL, 420pts, -3CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Sept Choice: T’au Sept + No Force Org Slot + Crisis Bodyguards [8 PL, 125pts] + HQ + Commander in Crisis Battlesuit [9 PL, 175pts, -1CP]: 1. Precision of the Hunter, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Onager Gauntlet, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, T’au Flamer, Thermoneutronic Projector Darkstrider [3 PL, 60pts] + Troops + Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 60pts] ++ Supreme Command Detachment +2CP (T’au Empire) [8 PL, 150pts, 2CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [2CP] Sept Choice: T’au Sept + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + Commander Shadowsun [8 PL, 150pts]: 2x High-energy Fusion Blaster, Warlord ++ Total: [110 PL, 7CP, 1,998pts] ++ Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)
. 2x Ethereal Guard: 2x Honour Blade
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Early Warning Override, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Shield Generator, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Shield Generator, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Shas’ui: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Shield Generator, T’au Flamer
. Crisis Shas’vre: Burst Cannon, Burst Cannon, Iridium battlesuit, Shield Generator, Stimm Injectors, T’au Flamer
. Marker Drone
. 4x Shield Drone: 4x Shield Generator
. 9x Pathfinder: 9x Markerlight, 9x Pulse Carbine, 9x Pulse Pistol
. Pathfinder Shas’ui
. Broadside Shas’ui: Advanced Targeting System, Heavy Rail Rifle, Twin Smart Missile System
. Broadside Shas’ui: Advanced Targeting System, Heavy Rail Rifle, Twin Smart Missile System
. Broadside Shas’vre: Advanced Targeting System, Heavy Rail Rifle, Twin Smart Missile System
. Marker Drone
. 5x Shield Drone: 5x Shield Generator
. Broadside Shas’ui: Advanced Targeting System, Heavy Rail Rifle, Twin Smart Missile System
. Broadside Shas’ui: Advanced Targeting System, Heavy Rail Rifle, Twin Smart Missile System
. Broadside Shas’vre: Advanced Targeting System, Heavy Rail Rifle, Twin Smart Missile System
. 5x Shield Drone: 5x Shield Generator
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’ui: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Target Lock
. Crisis Bodyguard Shas’vre: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Dominator Fragmentation Launcher, Target Lock
. 2x Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
. 10x Kroot: 10x Kroot Rifle, 10x Quill Grenades
vs.
Noah Beddome – Adeptus Custodes – Shadowkeepers, heavy on Sagittarum and Allarus.
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium – Adeptus Custodes) [100 PL, 2,000pts, 8CP] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost Detachment Type / Shield Host: Adeptus Custodes, Shadowkeepers + Stratagems + Stratagem: Open the Vaults [-2CP]: 2x Additional Relics + HQ + Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armor [8 PL, 125pts, -1CP]: 4. Impregnable Mind, Castellan Axe, Misericordia, Praetorian Plate, Stratagem: The Emperor’s Heroes, Unstoppable Destroyer Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike [10 PL, 185pts, -2CP]: (Shadowkeepers): Lockwarden, (Shadowkeepers): Statis Oubliette, 3. Superior Creation, Ceaseless Hunter, Misericordia, Salvo Launcher, Stratagem: The Emperor’s Heroes, Stratagem: Victor of the Blood Games Trajann Valoris [9 PL, 160pts, 1CP] + Troops + Prosecutors [3 PL, 60pts]: Prosecutor Sister Superior Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 156pts] Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 156pts] Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 153pts] + Elites + Allarus Custodians [6 PL, 120pts] Allarus Custodians [6 PL, 120pts] Custodian Wardens [7 PL, 150pts] Vexilus Praetor [6 PL, 105pts]: Castellan’s Mark, Guardian Spear, Vexilla Magnifica + Fast Attack + Vertus Praetors [12 PL, 255pts] Vertus Praetors [12 PL, 255pts] ++ Total: [100 PL, 8CP, 2,000pts] ++ Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)
. 4x Prosecutor: 4x Boltgun
. Sagittarum
. 2x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 2x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 2x Misericordia
. Sagittarum
. 2x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 2x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 2x Misericordia
. 2x Sagittarum: 2x Adrastus Bolt Caliver
. Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: Misericordia
. 2x Allarus w/ Guardian Spear & Misericordia: 2x Balistus Grenade Launcher, 2x Guardian Spear, 2x Misericordia
. 2x Allarus w/ Guardian Spear & Misericordia: 2x Balistus Grenade Launcher, 2x Guardian Spear, 2x Misericordia
. 3x Warden w/ Guardian Spear & Misericordia: 3x Guardian Spear, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Praetor w/ Salvo Launcher & Misericordia: 3x Interceptor Lance, 3x Misericordia, 3x Salvo Launcher
. 3x Praetor w/ Salvo Launcher & Misericordia: 3x Interceptor Lance, 3x Misericordia, 3x Salvo Launcher
Thoughts
T’au again, but this time facing off against the other big nasty right now, Adeptus Custodes. The Custodes have some tricks to play – the Vexilus and Grim Responsibility helps them reduce the ferocity of the T’au shooting phase, and the Sagittarum can help strip drones out of units to give the Vertus Praetors a chance to salvo launcher some suits off the table, but it’s likely to just not be enough. The T’au can trivially score To the Last, with the two Broadsides and the big Crisis Team being able to do their thing from distance with the Custodes struggling to meaningfully engage them, and they’re the least likely army in the game to ever engage the Praetorian Plate Captain who’s left foot-slogging around with his Allarus buddies trying to get into the mix – or hoping to pull off some hard 9″ charges out of deep strike.
This is already a game that’s slanted towards the T’au, but Steve’s list in particular has a couple of things which help push it over the edge. Darkstrider’s targeted +1 to wound from Structural Analyser can help force a more stressful choice of where Arcane Genetic Alchemy is used – the Analyser is a material gain to the burst cannons, since they’re a whole pile of S5 shots which can push to AP-2 with Mont’ka and Co-ordinated Engagement. You have to blow Alchemy to minimise that, but then what about those heavy rail rifles? Neither choice is great, and the T’au player can overwhelm defences by forcing a choice that really comes down to deciding which unit to lose each turn.
It’s a lot to deal with, and the Custodes’ best hope is probably going second and trying to minimise the amount of time they spend exposed, while aiming for a big early punch that lets them take down something impactful. That’s a lot to ride on, though, and the T’au are likely to just be too much for them to handle in this game.
Result
T’au Victory – 96-65
Steve Trimble – 1st Place
The List
See Showdown.
The Standout Features/Archetype
Crisis and Broadside Spam.
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
Six Broadsides taking advantage of the ATS/Shadowsun combo – re-rolling a pile of smart missiles that auto-wound on 6s to hit is a lot of shooting just to exist on the table and go wherever it wants, even when you’re not engaging with the heavy rail rifles. They’re tough to shift, too, with a whole bunch of drones hanging out to block shots for them.
The Crisis Suits are no slouches either, with a hellish volume of S5 fire which as mentioned in the Showdown can benefit from being buffed up to +1 to wound and AP-2 to really shred any targets they care to take a look at – with the flamers offering additional volume, great Overwatch protection, and an option on targeting light skirmishers without wasting heavier guns.
Beyond that, it’s what you expect – Kroot to harass and take objectives, and body block for the more valuable stuff, and Commanders to bring their own particular form of deadly, high-powered firepower (and some meaningful melee from the Crisis Commander, too).
The Rest of the Best
8 players finished up on 4-1 records. They were:
- 2nd – Nicolas Ohlsen-Johnson – Necrons: Eternal Expansionists with the Silent King and a whole pile of Skorpekh and Wraiths.
- 3rd ✪ – Noah Beddome – Adeptus Custodes: See Showdown.
- 4th – Timothy Grant – T’au Empire: Crisis and Broadsides with a helping of Vespid and Breachers.
- 5th – Rich Dudley – T’au Empire: A maxed out brick of FSE Crisis Suits supporting triple Stormsurges.
- 6th – JT Steiger – Grey Knights: Swordbearers with maxed-out Dreadknights.
- 7th – Leigh Steiger – Adeptus Custodes: Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff with 2 units of Wardens.
- 8th – Kolby Hopkins – Adeptus Custodes: Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff with 3 units of Wardens. I had to compare the lists side by side to make sure I hadn’t accidentally opened Leigh’s twice.
- 9th – Nick Villegaa – Tyranids: Crusher Stampede with double Dimas and double Scythed Hierodules. Nick was undefeated in round 5, but so far behind on points he couldn’t have pulled ahead of either Steve or Noah.
Iron Cage GT
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission: Death & Zeal
Nathaniel Bjorge – Adeptus Custodes – Emissaries Imperatus with a mighty 15 Sagittarum Custodians.
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium – Adeptus Custodes) [98 PL, -5CP, 2,000pts] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost Detachment Type / Shield Host: Adeptus Custodes, Emissaries Imperatus + Stratagems + Stratagem: Open the Vaults [-1CP]: Additional Relics Stratagem: Open the Vaults [-1CP]: Additional Relics + HQ + Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armor [7 PL, 125pts]: Castellan Axe, Praetorian Plate, Unstoppable Destroyer Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike [9 PL, -2CP, 160pts]: 3. Superior Creation, 5. Radiant Mantle, Castellan’s Mark, Hurricane Bolter, Stratagem: The Emperor’s Heroes, Stratagem: Victor of the Blood Games Trajann Valoris [8 PL, 1CP, 160pts] + Troops + Prosecutors [3 PL, 60pts]: Prosecutor Sister Superior Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 159pts] Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 159pts] Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 159pts] Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 159pts] Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 159pts] + Elites + Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought [9 PL, 160pts]: 2x Lastrum Storm Bolter Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought [9 PL, -1CP, 180pts]: Stratagem: Eternal Penitent, 2x Twin Adrathic Destructor Vexilus Praetor [6 PL, -1CP, 105pts]: (Emissaries Imperatus): Voice of the Emperor, Castellan Axe, Fulminaris Aggressor, Stratagem: The Emperor’s Heroes, Vexilla Magnifica + Fast Attack + Vertus Praetors [12 PL, 255pts] ++ Total: [98 PL, -5CP, 2,000pts] ++
. 4x Prosecutor: 4x Boltgun
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Praetor w/ Salvo Launcher & Misericordia: 3x Interceptor Lance, 3x Misericordia, 3x Salvo Launcher
vs.
Jony Velazquez – Chaos Daemons – Slaanesh Daemons with triple Keepers of Secrets, Shalaxi Hellbane, and Be’lakor.
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Chaos – Daemons) ++ + Configuration + Chaos Allegiance: Slaanesh Detachment Command Cost + HQ + Be’lakor: Pall of Despair, Penumbral Curse Shalaxi Helbane: Hysterical Frenzy, Phantasmagoria, Shining aegis + Troops + Daemonettes: Alluress, Daemonic Icon + Elites + Fiends ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Daemons) ++ + Configuration + Battle Size: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Chaos Allegiance: Slaanesh Detachment Command Cost + Stratagems + Rewards of Chaos (1 Relic) + HQ + Keeper of Secrets: Celerity of Slaanesh, Hysterical Frenzy, Shining aegis, Silverstrike, Symphony of Pain, Warlord Keeper of Secrets: Delightful Agonies, Living whip, Pavane of Slaanesh, The Forbidden Gem Keeper of Secrets: Delightful Agonies, Hysterical Frenzy, Ritual knife + Troops + Daemonettes: Alluress Daemonettes: Alluress Daemonettes: Alluress + Elites + Fiends Fiends + Fast Attack + Furies: Mark of Slaanesh Furies: Mark of Slaanesh Furies: Mark of Slaanesh
. . 9x Daemonette: 9x Piercing claws
. . 2x Fiend: 2x Dissecting claws, 2x Vicious barbed tail
. . Exalted Keeper of Secrets: 2. Quicksilver Reflexes, 3. Blessing of the Dark Prince
. . Exalted Keeper of Secrets: 2. Quicksilver Reflexes
. . Exalted Keeper of Secrets: 2. Quicksilver Reflexes, 3. Blessing of the Dark Prince
. . 9x Daemonette: 9x Piercing claws
. . 9x Daemonette: 9x Piercing claws
. . 9x Daemonette: 9x Piercing claws
. . 2x Fiend: 2x Dissecting claws, 2x Vicious barbed tail
. . 2x Fiend: 2x Dissecting claws, 2x Vicious barbed tail
. . 5x Fury: 5x Daemonic claws
. . 5x Fury: 5x Daemonic claws
. . 5x Fury: 5x Daemonic claws
Thoughts
This is actually a pretty interesting one – this is an unusual Custodes army compared to the others we’re seeing this week, facing off against a mighty five Greater Daemons, a bit of a throwback to a build that was a lot more popular this time last year.
The Custodians are very shooting heavy, with 15 Sagittarum lining up around Trajann and a Vexilus Praetor toting the Fulminaris Aggressor, which the Daemons… don’t really care about. Be’lakor, unfortunately, really does care about the Emissaries Imperatus trait – he may be the most relevant model in the game to be targeted by it, and here he is, across the table from a very shooty list built around it.
The other part of the Emissaries Imperatus trait interacts hilariously with Slaanesh here, too – everything on the table has Fight First, which ironically is a risk for both players since neither can safely commit multiple units to combat without having to take some hits back. It’s possibly a bigger problem for the Daemons, who have the more fragile units, but it isn’t great for the Custodians either.
How is it likely to play out, then? The Custodes player probably wants to focus down all the chaff as early as he can, reducing the Daemons’ scoring potential as fast as possible, potentially even throwing Sagittarum into melee to try and grind through Daemonettes and Furies as soon as possible. The Daemons, meanwhile, are likely to be trying to press the Custodes hard with those Greater Daemons, aiming to preserve their scoring and pressure the Custodes into dealing with them first and losing the points race. The game probably ends up being just too much for Slaanesh to deal with – being almost wholly unable to deal with the Achillus at range means they’re likely to make contact and just annihilate whatever they touch, and there’s a risk of a big Rendax turn from the Sagittarum guns just hammering Keepers off the table.
Result
Adeptus Custodes Victory: 97-75
Nathaniel Bjorge – 1st Place
The List
See Showdown.
The Standout Features/Archetype
See Showdown.
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
It’s a genuinely different take on Adeptus Custodes, using a different Shield Host and a different playstyle to the normal Emperor’s Chosen/Shadowkeepers builds.
Emissaries Imperatus has a two-part trait – one half allows them to ignore any or all hit and wound modifiers, and the other gives your whole army Fight First. Nathaniel has taken this to its logical conclusion and shoved in as many Sagittarum as he can; they take great advantage of being able to ignore modifiers with their ferocious shooting (cunningly, one of the things this includes is the -1 to hit penalty they would normally take for firing both profiles on their adrastus calivers), and with misericordias they can still fight decently to take advantage of Fight First.
They don’t need to do all the fighting, though – they’re backed up by two Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnoughts, who combine solid shooting with some horrific melee output, and the usual trio of an Allarus Shield-Captain, jetbike Shield-Captain, and Trajann, who also offers the block re-rolls of 1 to hit and wound, upping their damage output further. Joining them is a Vexiluas Praetor with the Fulminaris Aggressor, also allowing nearby models to ignore Light and Heavy Cover. You get a really brutal shooting castle which strips away a lot of common defences, which is also hard to engage in melee since every unit is at least capable in a fight, and the built-in Fight First means that trying to engage multiple parts at once requires you to accept some losses of your own, extra brutal since it also gives them some level of immunity to Fight Last effects, extra relevant with Custodes’ access to multiple different ways to interrupt combat. The Praetorian Plate Captain can also join one of these if he wants, and in an improved way to normal with Fight First in play.
That might make it all sound like a stationary, 8th edition style castle, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. The bikers can head off on their own, harrying a flank, and an Achillus or two can join them to take advantage Wisdom of the Moritoi to maintain complete coverage of re-roll 1s to hit and wound, if you’re so inclined. That gives Nathaniel a strong objective plan in most games – the Prosecutors can hold down his home one, the big brick can push onto a third and expect to hold it, and the bikers can sweep a third. Depending on map that can be enough to stay comfortably ahead on primary, and this list doesn’t give up any obvious secondaries, either. It’s a solid build and it was enough to get Nathaniel the win this time, well done!
Brad Townsend – 2nd Place
The List
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Tyranids) [107 PL, 9CP, 2,000pts] ++ + Configuration + Army of Renown – Crusher Stampede Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost Hive Fleet: Leviathan + Stratagems + Bounty of the Hive Fleet [-1CP]: 1 Extra Bio-artefact Progeny of the Hive [-1CP] + HQ + Hive Tyrant [11 PL, -1CP, 235pts]: Adrenal Glands, Monstrous Boneswords, Power: Aggressive Surge, Power: Synaptic Barrier, Relic: Synaptic Hive Blades, Stratagem: Alpha Leader-Beast, Toxin Sacs, Two Devourers with Brainleech Worms, Warlord, Warlord Trait: Rampaging Beast, Warlord Trait: Swarm Leader, Wings Hive Tyrant [11 PL, 215pts]: Monstrous Scything Talons, Power: Catalyst, Power: Onslaught, Relic: Biomorphic Carapace, Two Devourers with Brainleech Worms, Wings The Swarmlord [12 PL, 240pts] + Troops + Tyranid Warriors [5 PL, 66pts]: Synaptic Link: Bioweapon Bond Tyranid Warriors [5 PL, 66pts]: Synaptic Link: Bioweapon Bond Tyranid Warriors [5 PL, 73pts]: Synaptic Link: Bioweapon Bond + Elites + Hive Guard [14 PL, 250pts] + Heavy Support + Exocrine [8 PL, 155pts] Exocrine [8 PL, 155pts] Scythed Hierodule [12 PL, 235pts] + Flyer + Harpy [8 PL, 155pts]: 2x Stranglethorn Cannon Harpy [8 PL, 155pts]: 2x Stranglethorn Cannon ++ Total: [107 PL, 9CP, 2,000pts] ++
. Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Devourer
. Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
. Adaptive Physiology: Enhanced Resistance
. 5x Hive Guard (Impaler): 5x Impaler Cannon
The Standout Features/Archetype
Crusher Stampede
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
No Dimachaerons! Instead this army goes heavy on flying monsters, with double flying Hive Tyrants and a pair of Harpies to go with them. The aggressive plan is backed up by a couple of Exocrines, benefiting from the extra resilience they gain in the Stampede in exchange for upping its shooting capabilities considerably, giving the army an angle on dealing with tough, far-away targets that isn’t “zoom a flying monster into melee and hope to punch it out.” The Leviathan trait benefits them for doing what they want to be doing anyway – sitting still and blasting – so it’s a win-win.
Crusher’s become a common sight in top 4s over the last few months – and possibly the only reliable entrant that isn’t Adeptus Custodes or T’au – but it’s nice to see a slightly different variety using some of the other big bugs.
The Rest of the Best
7 players finished up on 4-1 records. They were:
- 3rd ✪ – Jony Velazquez – Chaos Daemons: See Showdown.
- 4th – Jarod Coulter – T’au Empire: A varied T’au list, with three Strike Teams, and a single Stormsurge, single Hammerhead, single Ghostkeel, and single Riptide.
- 5th – Nick Sutherland- Forces of the Hive Mind: Termagant blocks and Hive Guard back up a ferocious mass of Aberrants and Purestrain Genestealers.
- 6th – David Villareal – Imperium: Mixed Salamanders and Adeptus Custodes.
- 7th – Greg Harris – Adeptus Custodes: Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff with a lot of Sagittarum and some Venatari in place of a third bike squad.
- 8th – Gregory Hunter – T’au Empire: Crisis Suits, Broadsides, you know the deal. Also some Pathfinders with triple rail rifles, which is fun!
- 9th – Dennis SIN – T’au Empire: Triple Bork’an Stormsurges backed up with some Crisis Suits and Strike Squads.
Attrition Grand Tournament
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission: Abandoned Sanctuaries
James Shapiro – Adepta Sororitas – A big brick of Valorous Heart Sacresants backed up by Morvenn Vahl, with an Inquisitor brought in for Psychic Interrogation.
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Battalion Detachment -3CP (Imperium – Adepta Sororitas) [89 PL, 5CP, 1,720pts] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost [-3CP] Order Convictions: Order: Valorous Heart + Stratagems + Stratagem: Open the Reliquaries [-1CP]: Additional Relics of the Ecclesiarchy + Agents of the Imperium + Inquisitor [4 PL, -1CP, 65pts]: 1) Terrify, Boltgun, Frag & Krak grenades, Ordo Xenos, Power sword, Stratagem: Arbiter of the Emperor’s Will, Universal Anathema, Xenos – Esoteric Lore + HQ + Canoness [4 PL, -1CP, 90pts]: Blessed Blade, Frag & Krak grenades, Inferno pistol, Relic: Mantle of Ophelia, Stratagem: Saint in the Making, Warlord Trait: Impervious to Pain Celestine and Geminae Superia [10 PL, 200pts] Palatine [5 PL, -1CP, 85pts]: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Power sword, Relic: Casket of Penance, Stratagem: Saint in the Making, Warlord Trait: 4. Beacon of Faith + Troops + Battle Sister Squad [3 PL, 55pts] Battle Sister Squad [3 PL, 55pts] Battle Sister Squad [3 PL, 60pts] + Elites + Celestian Sacresants [8 PL, 128pts] Celestian Sacresants [8 PL, 128pts] Celestian Sacresants [8 PL, 149pts] Dogmata [4 PL, 65pts]: 2. Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Mace of the Righteous, War Hymn + Fast Attack + Dominion Squad [5 PL, 90pts] + Heavy Support + Exorcist [8 PL, 170pts]: Exorcist Missile Launcher, Heavy bolter Retributor Squad [6 PL, 150pts]: Armourium Cherub Retributor Squad [6 PL, 150pts]: Armourium Cherub + Dedicated Transport + Sororitas Rhino [4 PL, 80pts]: Storm bolter ++ Supreme Command Detachment +3CP (Imperium – Adepta Sororitas) [14 PL, 3CP, 280pts] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [3CP] Order Convictions: Order: Valorous Heart + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + Morvenn Vahl [14 PL, 280pts]: Fidelis, Lance of Illumination, Paragon Missile Launcher ++ Total: [103 PL, 8CP, 2,000pts] ++
. Psyker: Smite
. Rapturous Blows: Blessing, Miraculous ability
. Celestine: The Ardent Blade
. 2x Geminae Superia: 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades, 2x Power sword
. 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
. 3x Battle Sister: 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Boltgun, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Battle Sister w/ Special or Heavy Weapon: Artificer-crafted storm bolter, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. Sister Superior: Frag & Krak grenades
. . Bolt Pistol & Boltgun: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. 7x Celestian Sacresant (Anointed Halberd): 7x Anointed Halberd, 7x Bolt pistol, 7x Frag & Krak grenades
. Sacresant Superior: Anointed Halberd, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 7x Celestian Sacresant (Anointed Halberd): 7x Anointed Halberd, 7x Bolt pistol, 7x Frag & Krak grenades
. Sacresant Superior: Anointed Halberd, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 8x Celestian Sacresant (Anointed Halberd): 8x Anointed Halberd, 8x Bolt pistol, 8x Frag & Krak grenades
. Sacresant Superior: Anointed Halberd, Frag & Krak grenades, Inferno pistol
. Dominion Superior: Frag & Krak grenades
. . Bolt Pistol & Boltgun: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. Dominion w/ Special Weapon: Artificer-crafted storm bolter, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. Dominion w/ Special Weapon: Artificer-crafted storm bolter, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. Dominion w/ Special Weapon: Artificer-crafted storm bolter, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. Dominion w/ Special Weapon: Artificer-crafted storm bolter, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. Retributor Superior: Frag & Krak grenades
. . Bolt Pistol & Boltgun: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta
. Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta
. Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta
. Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta
. Retributor Superior: Frag & Krak grenades
. . Bolt Pistol & Boltgun: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta
. Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta
. Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta
. Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta
. Warlord: Warlord Trait: 2. Righteous Rage
vs.
James Marsden – Necrons – The Silent King and 40 Flayed Ones go to work, anchored by a big block of Warriors.
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Battalion Detachment -3CP (Necrons) [85 PL, 1,570pts, 5CP] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost [-3CP] Dynasty Choice: Dynasty: Novokh + No Force Org Slot + Dynastic Advisor [4 PL, 80pts] + HQ + Catacomb Command Barge [9 PL, 160pts, -2CP]: Dynastic Heirlooms, Gauss Cannon, Rarefied Nobility, Relic: Voltaic Staff, Staff of Light, Warlord Trait (Codex 1): Enduring Will Chronomancer [5 PL, 110pts]: Arkana: Photonic Transubjector, Entropic Lance, Relic: Veil of Darkness Lord [5 PL, 100pts, -2CP]: Dynastic Heirlooms, Rarefied Nobility, Relic: Orb of Eternity, Resurrection Orb, Staff of Light, Warlord Trait (Codex 3): Immortal Pride + Troops + Immortals [4 PL, 85pts]: Gauss Blaster, 5x Immortal Necron Warriors [12 PL, 260pts] Necron Warriors [6 PL, 130pts] + Elites + Canoptek Reanimator [4 PL, 80pts] Flayed Ones [12 PL, 200pts] Flayed Ones [12 PL, 200pts] + Heavy Support + Lokhust Heavy Destroyers [12 PL, 165pts] ++ Supreme Command Detachment +3CP (Necrons) [23 PL, 420pts, 6CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [3CP] Dynasty Choice: Dynasty: Novokh + Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander + The Silent King [23 PL, 420pts, 3CP] ++ Total: [108 PL, 1,990pts, 11CP] ++
. Technomancer: Canoptek Cloak
. 20x Necron Warrior (Gauss Reaper): 20x Gauss Reaper
. 10x Necron Warrior (Gauss Reaper): 10x Gauss Reaper
. 20x Flayed One: 20x Flayer Claws
. 20x Flayed One: 20x Flayer Claws
. 3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyer (Gauss Destructor): 3x Gauss Destructor
. 2x Triarchal Menhir: 2x Annihilator Beam
Thoughts
Necrons have had mixed fortunes in 9th edition – their codex looked fine on release, but was quickly eclipsed when other books came out and clearly had been tuned to a different power level and a different understanding of what CORE was meant to be applied to. The Undying Legions have soldiered on, but it’s been hard out there for the robot skeletons and their results have reflected the limitations of their codex.
Things have gotten quietly better for them recently, though. Overshadowed by the nerfs to Drukhari, Orks, and Ad Mech, one of the big impacts of the recent Balance Dataslate was adding CORE to a bunch of Necron datasheets, and Chapter Approved 2022 dropped points on some key units too. Wings has been excited about the changes and has talked up the potential for blocks of 20 Flayed Ones but also refused to take on the task of painting them; James Marsden has no such qualms and has thrown down 40 of the things in a Novokh list that comes ready to rumble. That particular combo is highly relevant here; running as Novokh pushes the Flayed Ones to AP-2, which helps overcome the Valorous Heart Order Conviction. They can push out a hellish number of attacks when fighting twice with Storm of Flensing Blades, and The Silent King gives them full wound re-rolls as well; he’s no slouch in combat himself, either.
The Necrons don’t have it all their own way though. The Sisters are pretty punchy themselves, with the Sacresants and Vahl offering significant output and a tough defensive profile of their own. Word of the Emperor can help them out a lot here, allowing them to turn off the Chronometron invulnerable save that is going to be on the Flayed One block that’s most likely to hit combat, though the Flayed Ones can take advantage of Shadows of Drazkh for -1 to hit to try and weather the storm. The Sisters also just have way more units to play with, which gives them a lot of flexibility for spreading out on the table, and trying to minimise the capability of the four chunky blocks in the Necron list to deal with multiple things per turn – though they might struggle to fight for the centre, which you’d expect them to want to do with the Sacresants. They lose out on the Dominions’ pre-game move in Abandoned Sanctuaries, too.
An interesting sub-dimension here is the Inquisitor; they’re likely in the list to give access to Psychic secondaries, particularly Psychic Interrogation – which should be pretty good against an army with lots of on-foot characters! – but Szarekh not only has a Deny of his own with nothing else to use it on, he can also utilise the Szarekhan Stratagem for a 4+ to try and cancel the power as well (since his detachment still meets the conditions for it). With that in mind there’s a high risk of the secondary just getting shut down, and the Sisters’ other choices aren’t great, though they do have a better possible plan for TTL, if they’re willing to be judicious with the Rets and Exorcist (which don’t have tons to do unless they can draw a bead on the Silent King).
What’s the likely game, then? The Necrons have a pretty straightforward game plan – push into the middle and mince anything that comes near the Flayed Ones, while the Lokhusts and Szarekh try and drop a key target early on. The Sisters are likely to try and avoid the centre, going around the flanks and trying to collapse one side – the Necrons aren’t especially fast, so if the Sisters can detonate whichever of the big units is sent towards them, they can try and establish control of the rest of the board, over-extending the remaining Necron units who are stuck trying to catch a more nimble opponent with fewer pieces to move.
Result
Necron Victory: 90-79
James Marsden – 1st Place
The List
See Showdown.
The Standout Features/Archetype
- Flayed Ones arrive in huge numbers
- The Silent King heads things up – particularly potent in this melee-focused build
- An overall very sticky army which is especially hard for meta-dominant Custodes to deal with, since their likely attack profile maximises the Necrons’ return from Reanimation Protocols
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
It’s Necrons, winning a GT in 2022! Almost by default, it’s interesting in 9th. As mentioned in the Showdown, though, this list plays into some particular strengths of the post-Dataslate Necrons. Flayed Ones are very efficient at 10pts each now, and gaining CORE opens them up to some spicy buffs – not the least of which is Phaeron of the Blades, the Silent King’s aura which gives NECRONS CORE within 6″ re-rolls to wound in melee. On models throwing out 3 S4 AP-1 attacks each with exploding 6s to hit, that’s very tasty, especially with Novokh improving their AP and Szarekh able to help make sure that Hungry Void is on in the turn you want it – and also offering broad Fight Last around himself. The one thing they lack in this list is ObSec, but they’ve brought a block of their Warrior friends to help with that, too.
The list has game into the meta’s two big terrors right now, too – James beat Adeptus Custodes twice on his way to the win, and T’au in the first round, too. As mentioned in Standout Features, the Custodes match is a good one; they’re likely to end up chipping off a few Flayed Ones or Warriors at a time with high-quality, low-volume attacks, which is the perfect situation for an annoying string of Reanimation rolls to keep bringing them back, and they’re also likely to lack the massive superiority in unit count that might let them stretch your big blocks out the way that more numerous armies might. T’au is a tougher prospect and is build-dependent – something heavy on airbursting frag might just detonate those big, Blastable blocks in short order – but builds lacking those may struggle to achieve enough volume of fire to take them down in time.
The Rest of the Best
5 players finished up on 4-1 records. They were:
- 2nd – James Shapiro ✪ – Adepta Sororitas: See Showdown.
- 3rd – Wayne Envis – Adeptus Custodes: Down-the-line Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff.
- 4th – Ben Piddington – T’au Empire: A go-wide Bork’an list with a Stormsurge along for the ride.
- 5th – Luke Vincent – Orks: Speed Mob Orks featuring a truly horrific number of Deffkoptas.
Leodis February 2022 GT
The Showdown
Matchup & Mission: Data Scry-Salvage
BD Hampshire – Adeptus Custodes – Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff with a Caladius.
Army List - Click to Expand ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium – Adeptus Custodes) [101 PL, 9CP, 2,000pts] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost Detachment Type / Shield Host: Adeptus Custodes, Emperor’s Chosen + Stratagems + Stratagem: Open the Vaults [-1CP]: Additional Relics + HQ + Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armor [6 PL, -1CP, 115pts]: 4. Impregnable Mind, Guardian Spear, Misericordia, Praetorian Plate, Stratagem: The Emperor’s Heroes Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike [10 PL, -2CP, 180pts]: (Emperor’s Chosen): Auric Exemplar, 3. Superior Creation, Castellan’s Mark, Misericordia, Salvo Launcher, Stratagem: The Emperor’s Heroes, Stratagem: Victor of the Blood Games, Tip of the Spear Trajann Valoris [8 PL, 1CP, 160pts] + Troops + Custodian Guard Squad [7 PL, 150pts] Prosecutors [3 PL, 60pts]: Prosecutor Sister Superior Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts] + Elites + Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought [9 PL, 160pts]: 2x Lastrum Storm Bolter Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought [9 PL, 160pts]: 2x Lastrum Storm Bolter Custodian Wardens [7 PL, 150pts] + Fast Attack + Vertus Praetors [12 PL, 255pts] Vertus Praetors [12 PL, 255pts] + Heavy Support + Caladius Grav-tank [11 PL, 205pts]: Twin Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon ++ Total: [101 PL, 9CP, 2,000pts] ++
. 3x Custodian w/ Sentinel Blade & Praesidium Shield: 3x Praesidium Shield, 3x Sentinel Blade
. 4x Prosecutor: 4x Boltgun
. 3x Sagittarum: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver
. 3x Warden w/ Guardian Spear & Misericordia: 3x Guardian Spear, 3x Misericordia
. 3x Praetor w/ Salvo Launcher & Misericordia: 3x Interceptor Lance, 3x Misericordia, 3x Salvo Launcher
. 3x Praetor w/ Salvo Launcher & Misericordia: 3x Interceptor Lance, 3x Misericordia, 3x Salvo Launcher
vs.
George Mitchell – Harlequins – Troupes in boats with Yvraine; unusual for mostly not having fusion pistols on everyone.
Army List - Click to Expand +++ Troupe in boats 2k v2 (Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition) [103 PL, 9CP, 1,975pts] +++ ++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Aeldari – Harlequins) [35 PL, -2CP, 655pts] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-2CP] Masque Form: The Soaring Spite: Serpent’s Blood + HQ + Shadowseer [6 PL, 115pts]: Mirror of Minds, Shield From Harm, Shuriken Pistol, Twilight Pathways Yvraine [6 PL, 120pts]: 1. Gaze of Ynnead, 3. Word of the Phoenix + Troops + Troupe [5 PL, 95pts] Troupe [5 PL, 95pts] Troupe [5 PL, 70pts] + Dedicated Transport + Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts] Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts] ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Aeldari – Harlequins) [68 PL, 11CP, 1,320pts] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost Masque Form: The Soaring Spite: Serpent’s Blood + Stratagems + Enigmas of the Black Library (1 Relic) [-1CP] + HQ + Shadowseer [6 PL, 115pts]: Domino Shroud, Shards of Light, Shuriken Pistol, Twilight Pathways, Veil of Illusion Troupe Master [4 PL, 65pts]: Choreographer of War, Harlequin’s Blade, Shuriken Pistol, Soaring Spite: Skystrider, The Twilight Fang, Warlord Troupe Master [4 PL, 75pts]: Choreographer of War, Fusion Pistol, Power sword + Troops + Troupe [5 PL, 100pts] Troupe [5 PL, 100pts] Troupe [5 PL, 100pts] Troupe [5 PL, 95pts] Troupe [5 PL, 95pts] Troupe [5 PL, 95pts] + Dedicated Transport + Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts] Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts] Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts] Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts] Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts] Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts]
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Blade
. . Player: Harlequin’s Blade, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Blade, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Blade, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Blade, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Blade, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
. . Player: Harlequin’s Embrace, Shuriken Pistol
Thoughts
There’s not a ton to say about this one – with the best will in the world, the Harlequins probably lose this all of the time. The build’s an interesting one, going light on fusion pistols in favour of some extra characters including Yvraine in what must be a near-final appearance for her in this capacity, but it extremely does not work into the Custodes – any Custodes, really. The Harlequins just don’t have the damage output to meaningfully harm anything that matters, and while the double Shadowseers and Yvraine might offer a different angle with mortal wounds, they’re facing off against the Emperor’s Chosen, so half of those just evaporate.
The likely path here is straightforward – the Harlequins run at the Custodes, the Custodes harvest a bounty of Grind Them Down and Assassination points, and the game ends. The Harlies can do some ok primary scoring by sheer volume of stuff on the table, especially in this mission where it’s possible to stretch the Custodians a bit between the two different objective camps in the mid-board, but that stretch isn’t going to last long and every time a Troupe is in range the Vertus Praetors are going to run them down like pointy-eared dogs. The Allarus Captain is a nightmare here, too; the Harlequins must commit to melee to try and kill anything, but then the Captain arrives, and of course there’s a good chance the Custodes can get anywhere from 1 to 3 interrupts depending on location of combats and whether Trajann is involved.
This isn’t all true of Harlequins generally – and especially the new, improved version in the about-to-be-released Codex: Aeldari – but this particular list just doesn’t have what it needs to bring the pain in this match-up.
Result
Adeptus Custodes Victory: 91-66
BD Hampshire – 1st Place
The List
See Showdown.
The Standout Features/Archetype
Emperor’s Chosen Goodstuff
Why it’s Interesting in 9th
It isn’t.
Playing to the cheap seats, and sorry to BD who has gone out and done the work to win a GT – never an easy thing even with a good army – but there’s only so much you can say about Adeptus Custodes builds right now. It’s Emperor’s Chosen Custodes, it does the things Emperor’s Chosen Custodes do. The Caladius is a slightly different choice in place of a third bike squad, offering less melee in exchange for some higher-powered shooting that combines the D3+3 damage with the old re-roll to wound against vehicles, but otherwise this army does what every other version of this army does, and you’ve already read it above.
The Rest of the Best
3 players finished up on 4-1 records. They were:
- 2nd – Matthew Hines – Tyranids: Crusher Stampede with double Scythed Hierodules and a Harridan.
- 3rd – Carl England – Aeldari: Harlequins Troupes and Skyweavers backed up by Hornets and triple Dark Reapers, in a swansong to this kind of mixed Aeldari.
- 4th – Chris Taylor – Orks: Speedmob with all the different kinds of buggies and a Wazbom.
That wraps up the first part of our coverage but check back tomorrow when we continue with another set of GT-sized events, featuring more T’au and Custodes lists, plus one or two surprising twists. In the meantime, if you have any questions or feedback, drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com.
