It gives me no pleasure to report that the elves are at it again. Kind of. We’ve got a slightly quieter week than the current norm, with only one really big event (Hellstorm’s Super All-stars), which featured an all-Aeldari final. Elsewhere things are once again looking fairly healthy – we’ve got more strong performances from Adeptus Mechanicus, a spicy Death Guard concoction and more besides. Plenty to cover as we go through:

Hellstorm SUPER All Stars
ORK-TOBERFEST 2023
Torneo Octubre WTC GTS Valencia
Queen City Orktoberfest 2023
Gaelcon 2023 Warhammer 40k tournament
Winchester 40K GT – October 2023

This week’s showdowns will be:

Adeptus Mechanicus (Rad-Cohort) vs Tyranids (Invasion Fleet) at ORK-TOBERFEST
Death Guard (Plague Company) vs World Eaters (Berzerker Warband) at Gaelcon

Prepare your best theatrical boos (if you have any left after Halloween) and let’s start with the Aeldari’s latest crimes.

SUPER All Stars – Hellstorm’s major 120+ Warhammer 40K Tournament

106-player, 7-round Major in England, GB on October 28 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Alex Petford – Aeldari (Battle Host) – 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Eldar (2000 Points)

Aeldari
Battle Host
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Autarch Wayleaper (140 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Dragon fusion gun
1x Howling Banshee Mask
1x Star glaive
• Enhancements: The Phoenix Gem

Farseer (80 Points)
• 1x Eldritch Storm
1x Shuriken pistol
1x Singing spear

Fuegan (115 Points)
• 1x Searsong
1x The Fire Axe

Spiritseer (80 Points)
• 1x Shuriken pistol
1x Witch staff
• Enhancements: Fate’s Messenger

The Yncarne (350 Points)
• 1x Swirling soul energy
1x Vilith-zhar, the Sword of Souls

Troupe Master (55 Points)
• 1x Fusion pistol
1x Troupe Master’s blade

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Starweaver (80 Points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
2x Shuriken cannon

OTHER DATASHEETS

Night Spinner (180 Points)
• 1x Doomweaver
1x Shuriken cannon
1x Wraithbone hull

Night Spinner (180 Points)
• 1x Doomweaver
1x Twin shuriken catapult
1x Wraithbone hull

Shadow Spectres (95 Points)
• 5x Shadow Spectre
• 5x Close combat weapon
5x Prism rifle

Troupe (75 Points)
• 1x Lead Player
• 1x Aeldari power sword
1x Fusion pistol
• 4x Player
• 1x Fusion pistol
4x Harlequin’s special weapon
3x Shuriken pistol

Warp Spiders (115 Points)
• 1x Warp Spider Exarch
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Death spinner
1x Death spinner
1x Powerblades
• 4x Warp Spider
• 4x Close combat weapon
4x Death spinner

Wraithguard (340 Points)
• 10x Wraithguard
• 10x Close combat weapon
10x Wraithcannon

Exported with App Version: v1.5.0 (20), Data Version: v283

Archetype

Wraithguard and Yncarne

Final Round Matchup

90 – 82 Victory against Josh Roberts – Aeldari (Battle Host).

Thoughts

Alex actually earned a double victory at Hellstorm, winning both the invitational component and the grand final against Josh, which is quite the performance. This Aeldari list features plenty of familiar faces, but also shows off the increasingly popular new tech of running a single Starweaver loaded with a Troupe and Troupe Master, which provides a pretty healthy amount of utility at an attractive price, particularly thanks to the re-embark shenanigans that Starweavers now have built in. It’s a cool addition to a familiar formula, and earned Alex the big win.

Josh Roberts – Aeldari (Battle Host) – 2nd Place

Avatar of Khaine. Credit: James “Boon” Kelling

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Hellstorm Allstars List (1995 points)
Aeldari
Strike Force (2000 points)
Battle Host

CHARACTERS

Autarch Wayleaper (140 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Dragon fusion gun
1x Howling Banshee Mask
1x Star glaive
• Enhancement: The Phoenix Gem

Avatar of Khaine (335 points)
• 1x The Wailing Doom

Farseer (80 points)
• 1x Eldritch Storm
1x Shuriken pistol
1x Witchblade

Spiritseer (80 points)
• 1x Shuriken pistol
1x Witch staff
• Enhancement: Fate’s Messenger

The Yncarne (350 points)
• 1x Swirling soul energy
1x Vilith-zhar, the Sword of Souls

OTHER DATASHEETS

Night Spinner (180 points)
• 1x Doomweaver
1x Shuriken cannon
1x Wraithbone hull

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

Swooping Hawks (75 points)
• 1x Swooping Hawk Exarch
• 1x Aeldari power sword
1x Close combat weapon
1x Hawk’s talon
• 4x Swooping Hawk
• 4x Close combat weapon
4x Lasblaster

Wraithguard (340 points)
• 10x Wraithguard
• 10x Close combat weapon
10x Wraithcannon

Archetype

Double Avatar Wraithguard

Thoughts

In second place, narrowly defeated by Alex, we have Josh’s super top-heavy Aeldari list, packing both Avatars and the Wraithguard brick, with a minimal number of objective toys and lots of Night Spinners on top of that. No easy targets, lots of damage output and massive disruption from the Spinners makes this a real challenge for some armies to engage with, but it couldn’t quite take down the level of redundancy in the scoring tools Alex brought to bear. Still, another fantastic performance from Josh to take second.

Christopher Langton – Necrons (Awakened Dynasty) – 3rd Place

C'tan Shard of the Void Dragon. Credit: Rockfish — C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

3xctan (2000 points)
Necrons
Strike Force (2000 points)
Awakened Dynasty

CHARACTERS

C’tan Shard of the Nightbringer (255 points)
• 1x Gaze of death
1x Scythe of the Nightbringer

C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon (270 points)
• 1x Canoptek tail blades
1x Spear of the Void Dragon
1x Voltaic storm

Lord (90 points)
• 1x Lord’s blade
1x Resurrection Orb
• Enhancement: Hypermaterial Ablator

Orikan the Diviner (80 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Staff of Tomorrow

Transcendent C’tan (310 points)
• 1x Crackling tendrils
1x Seismic assault
• Enhancement: Sempiternal Weave

BATTLELINE

Immortals (70 points)
• 5x Immortal
• 5x Close combat weapon
5x Gauss blaster

Necron Warriors (220 points)
• 20x Necron Warrior
• 20x Close combat weapon
20x Gauss reaper

OTHER DATASHEETS

Canoptek Reanimator (105 points)
• 2x Atomiser beam
1x Reanimator’s claws

Canoptek Scarab Swarms (40 points)
• 3x Canoptek Scarab Swarm
• 3x Feeder mandibles

Cryptothralls (60 points)
• 2x Cryptothrall
• 2x Scouring eye
2x Scythed limbs

Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (150 points)
• 3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyer
• 3x Close combat weapon
3x Gauss destructor

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

Exported with App Version: v1.5.0 (26), Data Version: v283

Archetype

Triple C’tan

Thoughts

Hell yeaahhhhhh. Love C’tan, love running lots of C’tan, and I’m a big fan of lots of the other stuff going on here to boot. The Warrior blob with the Ablator and Orikan is a huge lift for many armies to deal with, and provides a great anchor for the C’tan to rampage around. The faster utility units like Tomb Blades are an ever more important part of Necron builds too, and Lokhust Heavies look increasingly attractive as the Ironstorm Marine lists start to rock in. I imagine this was a total blast to play, and clearly very potent into the current metagame, big props to Christopher on third.

Matt Goligher – Ultramarines (Gladius Task Force) – 4th Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

UM Gladius (2000 Points)

Space Marines
Ultramarines
Gladius Task Force
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Apothecary Biologis (85 Points)
• 1x Absolvor bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
• Enhancements: Fire Discipline

Librarian in Phobos Armour (70 Points)
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Force weapon
1x Smite

Lieutenant with Combi-weapon (70 Points)
• 1x Combi-weapon
1x Paired combat blades

Marneus Calgar (185 Points)
• 1x Marneus Calgar
• Warlord
• 1x Gauntlets of Ultramar
• 2x Victrix Honour Guard
• 2x Victrix power sword

Uriel Ventris (75 Points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
1x Invictus
1x Sword of Idaeus

OTHER DATASHEETS

Aggressor Squad (220 Points)
• 1x Aggressor Sergeant
• 1x Auto boltstorm gauntlets
1x Fragstorm grenade launcher
1x Twin power fists
• 5x Aggressor
• 5x Auto boltstorm gauntlets
5x Fragstorm grenade launcher
5x Twin power fists

Ballistus Dreadnought (140 Points)
• 1x Armoured feet
1x Ballistus lascannon
1x Ballistus missile launcher
1x Twin storm bolter

Eradicator Squad (95 Points)
• 1x Eradicator Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Melta rifle
• 2x Eradicator
• 2x Bolt pistol
2x Close combat weapon
1x Melta rifle
1x Multi-melta

Inceptor Squad (110 Points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Plasma exterminators
• 2x Inceptor
• 2x Close combat weapon
2x Plasma exterminators

Incursor Squad (85 Points)
• 1x Incursor Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Occulus bolt carbine
1x Paired combat blades
• 4x Incursor
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Occulus bolt carbine
4x Paired combat blades

Infiltrator Squad (100 Points)
• 1x Infiltrator Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Marksman bolt carbine
• 4x Infiltrator
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Close combat weapon
1x Helix Gauntlet
1x Infiltrator Comms Array
4x Marksman bolt carbine

Redemptor Dreadnought (200 Points)
• 1x Icarus rocket pod
1x Macro plasma incinerator
1x Onslaught gatling cannon
1x Redemptor fist
1x Twin storm bolter

Scout Squad (55 Points)
• 1x Scout Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Boltgun
1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Scout
• 4x Bolt pistol
2x Boltgun
4x Close combat weapon
1x Missile launcher
1x Scout sniper rifle

Exported with App Version: v1.6.0 (21), Data Version: v299

Archetype

Calgar, Aggressors and Redemptors

Thoughts

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – this style of build was rolling hot prior to the Marine Codex arriving, and still looks very threatening after it. Redemptors remain a gold-standard all-rounder heavy hitter, and stacking Calgar into a big unit of Aggressors continues to result in an ultra-mobile, incredibly deadly centrepiece that ensures you don’t just die to big hordes. Congratulations to Matt for rounding out the top placings.

The Best of the Rest

There were 8 more players on 5-1 records. They were:

5th – James Webster – Aeldari: Extra go-wide Aeldari, sporting a fairly minimal Character contingent and lots of small-medium hulls and speedy Aspects.
6th – Charles Gould – Leagues of Votann: Thunderkyn and Hearthguard for days.
7th – Dom Maidlow – Chaos Space Marines: An Accursed Commune, Warp Talons and Nurglings ranging ahead of an Abaddon gunline.
8th – Callum Byers – Chaos Knights: Lots of War Dogs supported by some Daemon lone operatives and Rotigus as a durable problem-causer.
9th – Maciek Chamier – Aeldari: Yncarne and Wraithguard.
10th – Konrad Bartkiewicz – Aeldari: Double Avatar.
11th – Matthew McCurdy – Space Wolves (Stormlance): Stormlance ThunderCav (one big unit, one small, and the option of turn one Reserves where required from Hunter’s Instincts), with other scary melee units like Ragnar with Bladeguard backing them up. King.
12th – Mark Crombleholme – Necrons: Unusual midweight Necrons with lots of speedy board control units like Wraiths, Deathmarks and Tomb Blades, all centred around a big brick each of Lychguard and Lokhusts.

ORK-TOBERFEST 2023

51-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Ipswich, Queensland, AU on October 27 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Note: I have been told there was some sort of locked in 1st/2nd placings for the top table based on positions after round 4 which meant that the player in second in BCP may actually have come first here? It is a mystery!

The Showdown

Take and Hold – Search and Destroy – Chilling Rain

Ben Warrior – Cult Mechanicus (Rad-Cohort): Hordes of Skitarii, many in Duneriders, with three big Kataphron units at the back. Mercilessly efficient.
Army List - Click to Expand

Breachers (2000 Points)

Adeptus Mechanicus
Rad-Cohort
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Tech-Priest Dominus (75 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Omnissian axe
1x Phosphor serpenta
1x Volkite blaster

Tech-Priest Dominus (100 Points)
• 1x Omnissian axe
1x Phosphor serpenta
1x Volkite blaster
• Enhancements: Excoriating Emanation

Tech-Priest Manipulus (90 Points)
• 1x Omnissian staff
1x Transonic cannon
• Enhancements: Master Annihilator

Tech-Priest Manipulus (75 Points)
• 1x Omnissian staff
1x Transonic cannon
• Enhancements: Omni-Steriliser

Technoarcheologist (45 Points)
• 1x Archeotech pistol
1x Servo-arc claw

BATTLELINE

Skitarii Vanguard (80 Points)
• 1x Skitarii Vanguard Alpha
• 1x Alpha combat weapon
1x Archeotech pistol
1x Close combat weapon
• 9x Skitarii Vanguard
• 1x Arc rifle
9x Close combat weapon
1x Omnispex
1x Plasma caliver
6x Radium carbine
1x Transuranic arquebus

Skitarii Vanguard (80 Points)
• 1x Skitarii Vanguard Alpha
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Radium carbine
• 9x Skitarii Vanguard
• 9x Close combat weapon
9x Radium carbine

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Skorpius Dunerider (80 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
1x Cognis heavy stubber array

OTHER DATASHEETS

Kataphron Breachers (290 Points)
• 6x Kataphron Breacher
• 6x Arc claw
6x Heavy arc rifle

Serberys Raiders (60 Points)
• 1x Serberys Raider Alpha
• 1x Archeotech pistol
1x Cavalry sabre and clawed limbs
1x Galvanic carbine
• 2x Serberys Raider
• 2x Cavalry sabre and clawed limbs
1x Enhanced data-tether
2x Galvanic carbine

Exported with App Version: v1.5.0 (20), Data Version: v283

vs.

Sam Lemin – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Monster mash with the all-rounder Dakkafex/One-Eye unit.
Army List - Click to Expand

Player: Sam Lemin
Secondary Information Breakdown:
Assassination: 12 (3 Characters – Deathleaper, Neurotyrant,Old One Eye)
Bring it Down: 29 (4 units x 2 points [Old One Eye, Carnifexes, Neurotyrant], 6 units x 3 points – [Exocrines, Maleceptor, Trygon])

List:
List Name: Tyranids – Big Boys Never Tire
Points: (1990 points)
Faction: Tyranids
Army Rule(s): Shadows in the Warp and Synapse
Detachment: Invasion Fleet (Choose Sustained against Infantry/ Swarm, Lethal against Monsters/Vehicles, or Precision against Characters).

CHARACTERS

Deathleaper (70 points)
• 1x Lictor claws and talons

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

Old One Eye (140 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Old One Eye’s claws and talons

BATTLELINE

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

OTHER DATASHEETS

Biovores (75 points)
• 1x Chitin-barbed limbs
1x Spore Mine launcher

Carnifexes (250 points)
• 2x Carnifex
• 2x Bio-plasma
2x Chitinous claws and teeth
2x Deathspitters with slimer maggots
2x Deathspitters with slimer maggots
2x Spine banks

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

Maleceptor (170 points)
• 1x Massive scything talons
1x Psychic overload

Neurolictor (65 points)
• 1x Piercing claws and talons

Pyrovores (30 points)
• 1x Chitin-barbed limbs
1x Flamespurt

Ripper Swarms (20 points)
• 1x Chitinous claws and teeth

Trygon (180 points)
• 1x Bio-electric pulse
1x Trygon scything talons

Thoughts

The upward trend that AdMech have been on continues here, and I think Ben’s build looks really, really good. Breachers are the best all-purpose killers that AdMech have, and the choice to not bother with any other “big” stuff and focus on having lots of Skitarii to control the board and play for objectives seems smart. I like the inclusion of Technoarchaelogists to go with the non-mounted units too, they help create a nice big bubble of safety for the Kataphrons, and here that’s going to be exceptional at preventing the Trygon from causing mischief. Over on the Tyranid side we have another very streamlined list, packing in lots of the most point-efficient big bugs, and including the very versatile Dakkafex unit and a bunch of objective tools alongside them.

The mission here is extremely vanilla, so this is going to turn entirely on how both armies deal with the other, and honestly they both have some big things going for them. One of the challenges that some armies face into AdMech is that the Kataphron’s ability to shoot back with Vengeful Fallout can make it so it’s not possible to safely engage them at range at all, but that’s not the case here. Exocrines can both do some actual damage to the unit when they shoot (though the Feel No Pain on the units with Dominii mitigates that), aren’t an ideal target for the clapback if they do so from outside 18″, and also might just not get the return fire – this Tyranid list has lots of options for trying to stick Battle-shock on a unit prior to trying to deck it. Much the same goes for the Maleceptors, so the AdMech definitely can’t just rely on impervious Kataphron deathbricks to carry the day.

What they can make good use of is their large Skitarii/Transport contingent, which comes up trumps here. They can quickly hose down gargoyles, and the Vanguard inside are very dangerous to both those and things like the solo Pyrovores and Neurolictors thanks to being Anti-Infantry. Because the cheaper Tyranid stuff is going to get picked off, they’ll have to start making plays for objectives with their bigger tools, and on Search and Destroy that’s pretty likely to expose them to getting blasted by Kataphrons. The volume of Skitarii means that they can’t just switch to aggro to overcome them either. That means they probably have to modulate their ambitions around how many objectives they play for, leaving this as a fairly cagey game, and I think the AdMech can turn that to their advantage by then selecting Homers and Bring it Down as fixed objectives, and relying on their good board presence and deep strike prevention to cap how much the bugs can get from Tactical. I’d expect broadly similar Primary scores on both sides here (though the player going second has an obvious advantage), so reliably pushing a strong Secondary score would be enough to win it, and whether or not that’s how they pulled it off, the AdMech were indeed victorious.

Result

Cult Mechanicus (Rad-Cohort) Victory – 93 – 75

Ben Warrior – Cult Mechanicus (Rad-Cohort) – 1st Place

The List

See showdown

Archetype

Mechanised AdMech

Yes OK I know they’re all Mechanised, you know what I mean.

Final Round Matchup

93 – 75 Victory against Sam Lemin – Tyranids (Invasion Fleet).

Thoughts

Mostly covered in the showdown, I really like what Ben has come up with here. Bluntly, three Breacher blocks is sufficient killing power into almost anything, and the risk with the army after that is getting boxed in and losing on objectives, so investing tonnes of points into a much more durable and wide-ranging board control contingent than normal makes a tonne of sense. Big fan, impressive stuff!

Wayne Russell – Chaos Space Marines (Slaves to Darkness) – 2nd Place (Undefeated)

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Chaos Space Marines
Slaves to Darkness
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Abaddon the Despoiler (310 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Drach’nyen
1x Talon of Horus

Chaos Lord (75 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Chaos Undivided
• 1x Daemon hammer
1x Plasma pistol

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Chaos Rhino (75 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Combi-bolter
1x Combi-weapon
1x Havoc launcher

OTHER DATASHEETS

Chaos Terminator Squad (195 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Chaos Undivided
• 1x Terminator Champion
• 1x Chainfist
1x Combi-weapon
• 4x Chaos Terminator
• 2x Combi-weapon
1x Paired accursed weapons
3x Power fist
1x Reaper autocannon

Chosen (110 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Chaos Undivided
• 1x Chosen Champion
• 1x Accursed weapon
1x Bolt pistol
1x Boltgun
• 4x Chosen
• 2x Accursed weapon
2x Bolt pistol
1x Boltgun
1x Chaos Icon
2x Combi-weapon
1x Paired accursed weapons
2x Plasma pistol
1x Power fist

Forgefiend (180 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Chaos Undivided
• 3 ectoplasms cannons

Forgefiend (180 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
• 3 ectoplasms cannon

Obliterators (170 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
• 2x Obliterator
• 2x Crushing fists
2x Fleshmetal guns

Raptors (90 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
• 1x Raptor Champion
• 1x Plasma pistol
1x Power fist
• 4x Raptor
• 2x Astartes chainsword
2x Bolt pistol
2x Close combat weapon
2x Meltagun

Warp Talons (100 Points)
• Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
• 1x Warp Talon Champion
• 1x Warp claws
• 4x Warp Talon
• 4x Warp claws

ALLIED UNITS

Nurglings (35 Points)
• 3x Nurgling Swarm
• 3x Diseased claws and teeth

Exported with App Version: v1.5.0 (20), Data Version: v283

Archetype

Brawler Goodstuff

Thoughts

Chosen and jump pack guys to roam the board while backed by Abaddon’s shootiest soldiers continues to be one of the strongest armies right now, able to engage with lists of almost any type and come away triumphant. I don’t have much more to say than that – great work Wayne on the undefeated second place.

The Best of the Rest

There were 6 more players on 41 records. They were:

3rd – David Trueman – Space Marines (Ironstorm Spearhead): Pure shooty hull spam.
4th – Jacob Warn – Genestealer Cult (Ascension Day): Horde with a couple of units in Trucks for board control.
5th – Joshua Mcgowan – Leagues of Votann: Sagitaur and Hearthguard spam.
6th – Tristan Gelling – Astra Militarum: Lots of Death Korps tarpit units, Scouting Chimeras with Catachans, and lots of Russes and some Rapiers.
7th – Peteru Lesa – Aeldari: Avatar and Wraithguard.
8th – Darren Auchter – Tyranids (Vanguard Onslaught): A unique take on Vanguard spamming Melee Warriors with Winged Primes to unlock all the juicy detachment tricks. Lots of Neurolictors, Maleceptors and Exocrines too, because all those are still bargain priced.

Torneo Octubre WTC GTS Valencia

42-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in València, Comunidad Valenciana, ES on October 28 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Alejandro Mancuso Serrano – Blood Angels (Gladius Task Force) – 1st Place

Blood Angels Death Company. Credit: Jack Hunter

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

10th (2000 points)
Space Marines
Blood Angels
Strike Force (2000 points)
Gladius Task Force

CHARACTERS

Apothecary Biologis (85 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Absolvor bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
• Enhancement: Fire Discipline

Lemartes (110 points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
1x The Blood Crozius

Lieutenant with Combi-weapon (80 points)
• 1x Combi-weapon
1x Paired combat blades
• Enhancement: Artificer Armour

OTHER DATASHEETS

Aggressor Squad (220 points)
• 1x Aggressor Sergeant
• 1x Auto boltstorm gauntlets
1x Fragstorm grenade launcher
1x Twin power fists
• 5x Aggressor
• 5x Auto boltstorm gauntlets
5x Fragstorm grenade launcher
5x Twin power fists

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (260 points)
• 10x Death Company Marine with Jump Pack
• 10x Inferno pistol
10x Power fist

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (130 points)
• 5x Death Company Marine with Jump Pack
• 5x Inferno pistol
5x Power fist

Devastator Squad (120 points)
• 1x Devastator Sergeant
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Grav-pistol
1x Power fist
• 4x Devastator
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Close combat weapon
4x Grav-cannon

Inceptor Squad (220 points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Plasma exterminators
• 5x Inceptor
• 5x Close combat weapon
5x Plasma exterminators

Inceptor Squad (110 points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Plasma exterminators
• 2x Inceptor
• 2x Close combat weapon
2x Plasma exterminators

Inceptor Squad (110 points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
• 1x Assault bolters
1x Close combat weapon
• 2x Inceptor
• 2x Assault bolters
2x Close combat weapon

Infiltrator Squad (100 points)
• 1x Infiltrator Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Marksman bolt carbine
• 4x Infiltrator
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Close combat weapon
1x Helix Gauntlet
1x Infiltrator Comms Array
4x Marksman bolt carbine

Librarian Dreadnought (170 points)
• 1x Blood Lance
1x Furioso fist
1x Furioso force halberd
1x Meltagun

Scout Squad (55 points)
• 1x Scout Sergeant
• 1x Astartes chainsword
1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Scout
• 2x Astartes shotgun
4x Bolt pistol
4x Close combat weapon
1x Missile launcher
1x Scout sniper rifle

Exported with App Version: v1.5.0 (26), Data Version: v283

Archetype

The Amazing Aggressor Flying Circus

Final Round Matchup

18 – 2 Victory against Isma 🤪 – Ynnari (Battle Host).

Thoughts

Looks like the cunning plan we saw a few weeks ago of using the Librarian Dreadnought’s Wings of Sanguinius to hurl Aggressors into the mix wasn’t just a fluke, as here Alejandro has taken down an event on much the same plan. Lots of Death Company (who are just generally pretty good at their current price) already forces the opponent to play pretty cautiously, and trying to account for the threat of redeploying Aggressors or Grav Devastators on top of that is a big headache. Great use of an unusual tool here!

The Best of the Rest

There were 3 more players on 4-1+ records. They were:

2nd (4.5-0.5) – Francisco pellon lopez – Ynnari (Battle Host): A big unit of Wraithblades acting as an anchor for the Yncarne and lots of Scourges.
3rd – Pedro Alcaraz – Aeldari (Battle Host): Double Avatar Wraithguard.
4th – Jose Ibáñez – Necrons (Awakened Dynasty): Classic Warrior/Lychguard/Lokhust Heavies.

Queen City Orktoberfest 2023

40-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Springfield, MO, United States on October 28 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Chris Green – Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force) – 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Campbell is a Sweetheart (2000 Points)

Space Marines
Dark Angels
Gladius Task Force
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Apothecary Biologis (85 Points)
• 1x Absolvor bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
• Enhancements: Fire Discipline

Azrael (105 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Lion’s Wrath
1x The Lion Helm
1x The Sword of Secrets

Librarian in Phobos Armour (70 Points)
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Force weapon
1x Smite

Lieutenant (75 Points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
1x Master-crafted bolter
1x Power fist
• Enhancements: Artificer Armour

BATTLELINE

Intercessor Squad (85 Points)
• 1x Intercessor Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Bolt rifle
1x Thunder hammer
• 4x Intercessor
• 1x Astartes grenade launcher
4x Bolt pistol
4x Bolt rifle
4x Close combat weapon

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Impulsor (80 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
1x Bellicatus missile array
1x Ironhail heavy stubber
2x Storm bolter

OTHER DATASHEETS

Eliminator Squad (75 Points)
• 1x Eliminator Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Instigator bolt carbine
• 2x Eliminator
• 2x Bolt pistol
2x Close combat weapon
2x Las fusil

Gladiator Lancer (160 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
1x Icarus rocket pod
1x Ironhail heavy stubber
1x Lancer laser destroyer
2x Storm bolter

Inceptor Squad (110 Points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
• 1x Assault bolters
1x Close combat weapon
• 2x Inceptor
• 2x Assault bolters
2x Close combat weapon

Inceptor Squad (110 Points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Plasma exterminators
• 2x Inceptor
• 2x Close combat weapon
2x Plasma exterminators

Land Raider Redeemer (260 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
2x Flamestorm cannon
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Multi-melta
1x Storm bolter
1x Twin assault cannon

Scout Squad (55 Points)
• 1x Scout Sergeant
• 1x Astartes chainsword
1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Scout
• 1x Astartes shotgun
4x Bolt pistol
1x Boltgun
4x Close combat weapon
1x Missile launcher
1x Scout sniper rifle

Whirlwind (145 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Storm bolter
1x Whirlwind vengeance launcher

Exported with App Version: v1.6.0 (21), Data Version: v299

Archetype

Infantry GTF

Final Round Matchup

100 – 27 Victory against Peyton Preece – Genestealer Cult (Ascension Day).

Thoughts

Another “business as usual” flavour of Marine list here, going for the option of Aggressors in a Redeemer and adding a bit of extra Dark Angels spice from Azrael, providing a steady stream of additional Command Points to keep the good times rolling, and also adding a bit of counter-charge heft for any opponents that get too pushy. Otherwise, it’s just lots of basically efficient units that the opponent has to handle while avoiding a game-ending Aggressor suckerpunch. Congrats to Chris for giving Big Azrael a big day out.

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd (4.5-0.5) – Brent Simon – Aeldari (Battle Host): Yncarne/Wraithguard
3rd – Gabriel Patino – Chaos Knights (Traitoris Lance): Rampager + Dogs.
4th – Brian Preece – Necrons (Awakened Dynasty): Szeras with two Warrior bricks and two Doomsdays.
5th – Peyton Preece – Genestealer Cult: Horde with two trucks.
6th – Miles Bethell – Ultramarines (Ironstorm Spearhead): Bobby G, Dreadnoughts and a pair of RepExes.
7th – Landon Crowder – Tyranids (Synaptic Nexus): Nexus Monster Mash.

Gaelcon 2023 Warhammer 40k tournament

29-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Dublin, D, Ireland on October 28 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Priority Targets – Chilling Rain – Sweeping Engagement

Pearce Condren – Death Guard (Plague Company): Infantry-heavy Death Guard, going for lots of Plague Marines in Rhinos, each including one unit with a Putrifier for damage spikes, plus two units of Deathshrouds escorting nasty killers. Plaguebursts and Nurglings round stuff out.
Army List - Click to Expand

Gaelcon (1995 points)
Death Guard
Strike Force (2000 points)
Plague Company

CHARACTERS

Biologus Putrifier (50 points)
• 1x Hyper blight grenades
1x Injector pistol
1x Plague knives

Foul Blightspawn (50 points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Plague sprayer

Lord of Contagion (95 points)
• 1x Plagueblade
• Enhancement: Deadly Pathogen

Lord of Contagion (80 points)
• 1x Plagueblade

Typhus (100 points)
• Warlord
• 1x Master-crafted manreaper

BATTLELINE

Plague Marines (80 points)
• 1x Plague Champion
• 1x Bubotic weapons
1x Plasma gun
• 4x Plague Marine
• 1x Blight launcher
2x Bubotic weapons
4x Plague knives
1x Plasma gun

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Death Guard Rhino (75 points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Havoc launcher
1x Plague combi-bolter
1x Plague combi-bolter

OTHER DATASHEETS

Deathshroud Terminators (125 points)
• 1x Deathshroud Champion
• 1x Manreaper
1x Plaguespurt gauntlet
1x Plaguespurt gauntlet
• 2x Deathshroud Terminator
• 2x Manreaper
2x Plaguespurt gauntlet

Plagueburst Crawler (165 points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Plagueburst mortar
2x Plaguespitter
1x Rothail volley gun

ALLIED UNITS

Nurglings (35 points)
• 3x Nurgling Swarm
• 3x Diseased claws and teeth

Exported with App Version: v1.6.0 (27), Data Version: v299

vs.

Joseph Musgrave – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): Angron, Jakhals and Eightbound
Army List - Click to Expand

Run, Ron, Run (1990 Points)

World Eaters
Berzerker Warband
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Angron (415 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Samni’arius and Spinegrinder

Lord Invocatus (140 Points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
1x Coward’s Bane
1x Juggernaut’s bladed horn

World Eaters Lord on Juggernaut (130 Points)
• 1x Exalted chainblade
1x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
1x Plasma pistol
• Enhancements: Favoured of Khorne

BATTLELINE

Jakhals (70 Points)
• 1x Jakhal Pack Leader
• 1x Autopistol
1x Jakhal chainblades
• 1x Dishonoured
• 1x Skullsmasher
• 8x Jakhal
• 8x Autopistol
1x Icon of Khorne
7x Jakhal chainblades
1x Mauler chainblade

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

World Eaters Rhino (75 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Combi-bolter
1x Combi-weapon
1x Havoc launcher

OTHER DATASHEETS

Eightbound (135 Points)
• 1x Eightbound Champion
• 1x Lacerators
• 2x Eightbound
• 2x Eightbound eviscerators

Exalted Eightbound (150 Points)
• 1x Exalted Eightbound Champion
• 1x Eightbound chainfist
1x Eightbound eviscerator
• 2x Exalted Eightbound
• 2x Eightbound chainfist
2x Eightbound eviscerator

Exalted Eightbound (300 Points)
• 1x Exalted Eightbound Champion
• 1x Eightbound chainfist
1x Eightbound eviscerator
• 5x Exalted Eightbound
• 5x Eightbound chainfist
5x Eightbound eviscerator

Thoughts

Excellent news – my spy network (motto – it’s not just Gunum) has outdone itself this week, and brought me thoughts from both players in this final. My snap thoughts on it would be to favour the Death Guard, as the transports loaded with nasty units ready to jump out and hammer Mortal Wounds into valuable Eightbound look like a pain for a melee list to deal with, but lets see what the players thought, starting with Joseph.

Joseph – World Eaters: Knowing that the Death Guard had more resources than the World Eaters, and the Plod Squad had an excellent pilot with a very solid passive fixed secondary plan in mind, I felt I had to push this game. If I sit back and let Pearce swarm the middle, it’s over. Therefore, I chose a Fixed Secondary plan of Assassinate and Bring it Down to support the bloodletting (very Khornite of me).

Having held the DG back with a well-placed small Exalted unit T1, I went hard T2 with a big push but bounced quite hard. Some high rolls on 4++ Invulnerable Saves saved two Lords of Contagion from Angron and Exalted respectively, which if it went my way puts Pearce on the back foot and instantly makes it a close game, with the pressure then on Pearce to stop the second push into his units. However, the game slowly slid away after the bounce with the World Eaters running out of resources to chase the varying units I needed to take the game back. The Chaos Gods being what they are, they decided to favour the Plod Squad on this day despite a rare moment of strategic insight guiding the World Eaters!

—

So the Death Guard took the win – what was their plan?

Going into this game I felt the advantage rested with my Death Guard Plod Squad. World eaters have the advantage in terms of speed, but I’ve a large number of units and transports which the World Eaters are forced to crack in melee, at which point the contents can retaliate. However, their speed had them well equipped to capitalize on any mistakes from the boys in green.

My game plan was for Fixed Secondaries (the default strategy for the army), taking Deploy Teleport Homers and Cleanse. Joe’s list lacked sufficient characters to make Assassinate a viable option (unless I fancied killing Angron over and over, a daunting prospect). Storm Hostile was also a non starter as this mission only warranted holding 2 objectives, and spreading out to cover multiple objectives would leave me vulnerable to the World Eaters speed. This mission proved somewhat problematic, as it dents a significant aspect of my list, the ability to hold down my opponent’s primary, as they player who goes second has a very easy path to a bonus 15VP at the end of the game (and the World Eaters were going second).

With this in mind, I created a wall of tanks to attempt to repel the World Eaters, with both Lord of Contagion/Deathshroud squads deployed behind to counter charge when needed. The goal was to effective hold position in a “triangle” around 3 objectives while scoring cleanse/homers.

Joe chose Assassination & Bring it Down, meaning this would be a quick and aggressive affair! An aggressive strategy was required for the underdogs as a more “standard” game would likely see the Death Guard grind down the opposition.

The first World Eater wave was a small force of 2 3 man squads that managed to tag my tank wall and make for some very awkward disembarks and movement to prime for the second World Eater wave. Elsewhere Ron screamed at a plagueburst crawler till it was reduced to scrap.

The arrival of the second wave was decisive to the outcome of the match, with the subsequent fight phase dictating the outcome of the game. Fortunately Papa Nurgle provided me with some very good fortune (clearly stolen from the Aeldari), with the World Eater assault bouncing and inflicting minimal casualties.

The remainder of the game saw me play quite defensively with my remaining characters to deny Assassination points while continuing to maintain my secondary scoring and plod towards victory. The World Eaters lacked sufficient pieces at this point due to the earlier bounce to maintain sufficient pressure.
Slow and Steady wins the race!

—

Good to see some strong tactical theory on both sides – both players recognised that the World Eaters were locked into playing aggressively, so tuned their plans to maximise their chances in that context. It also highlights the strong trend towards building for Fixed Secondaries that’s on the rise in the UK/Ireland metagame, and how valuable having multiple plans can be. Great stuff from both players there, and thanks for sending it in.

Result

Death Guard (Plague Company) Victory – 88 – 80

Pearce Condren – Death Guard (Plague Company) – 1st Place

The List

See showdown.

Archetype

Infantry Death Guard

Thoughts

I really like this list, the tools it’s packing makes it far more mobile in controlling the board than the Death Guard average, and going hard on the Putrifiers gives it access to much more reliable damage spikes than the opponent might expect. It also has good Secondary flexibility, as the writeup shows, making it an excellent all-rounder. I think this is outright my favourite Death Guard build I’ve seen since the Balance Dataslate, and is where I’d start if I was planning to run them tomorrow!

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd – Colin Power – Aeldari (Battle Host): Yncarne/Wraithguard.
3rd – Joseph Musgrave – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): Angron, lots of Eightbound and Jakhals.
4th – Alec Cornelius – Grey Knights (Teleport Strike Force): Triple Librarian, lots of Terminator MSUs, the full Purifier brick and some Assassins.
5th – Daire O’Mahony – Tyranids (Crusher Stampede): Incredible energy here, basically just one each of a laundry list of gigantic monsters.
6th – Jarlath Moloney – World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): The other side of World Eaters – relatively minimal Eightbound, lots of Berzerkers. Still Angron though, obviously.

Winchester 40K GT – October 2023

28-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Winchester, England, GB on October 28 2023. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Martyn Cooper – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) – 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Winchester troops (2000 Points)

Astra Militarum
Combined Regiment
Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Gaunt’s Ghosts (100 Points)
• 1x Ibram Gaunt
• 1x Bolt Pistol
1x Gaunt’s chainsword
• 1x Colm Corbec
• 1x Corbec’s hot-shot lascarbine
1x Straight silver knife
• 1x Elim Rawne
• 1x Rawne’s lascarbine
1x Straight silver knife
• 1x Hlaine Larkin
• 1x Larkin’s long-las
1x Straight silver knife
• 1x ’Try Again’ Bragg
• 1x Bragg’s autocannon
1x Straight silver knife
• 1x Oan Mkoll
• 1x Lascarbine
1x Mkoll’s straight silver knife

Lord Solar Leontus (125 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Conquest
1x Konstantin’s hooves
1x Sol’s Righteous Gaze

Platoon Command Squad (75 Points)
• 1x Platoon Commander
• 1x Boltgun
1x Close combat weapon
1x Power fist
• Enhancements: Grand Strategist
• 2x Veteran Guardsman
• 2x Close combat weapon
2x Lasgun
2x Laspistol
1x Master Vox
1x Medi-pack
• 1x Veteran Heavy Weapons Team
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Laspistol
1x Mortar

Ursula Creed (55 Points)
• 1x Duty and Vengeance
1x Power weapon

BATTLELINE

Catachan Jungle Fighters (55 Points)
• 1x Jungle Fighter Sergeant
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Laspistol
• 9x Jungle Fighter
• 9x Close combat weapon
2x Flamer
7x Lasgun
1x Vox-caster

Death Korps of Krieg (65 Points)
• 1x Death Korps Watchmaster
• 1x Plasma pistol
1x Power weapon
• 9x Death Korps Trooper
• 9x Close combat weapon
1x Death Korps Medi-pack
1x Grenade launcher
6x Lasgun
1x Meltagun
1x Plasma gun

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Chimera (70 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Chimera heavy flamer
1x Heavy flamer
1x Heavy stubber
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Lasgun array

OTHER DATASHEETS

Basilisk (135 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Earthshaker cannon
1x Heavy bolter
1x Hunter-killer missile

Kasrkin (100 Points)
• 1x Kasrkin Sergeant
• 1x Plasma pistol
1x Power weapon
• 9x Kasrkin
• 9x Close combat weapon
3x Hot-shot lasgun
1x Hot-shot laspistol
1x Hot-shot marksman rifle
1x Melta Mine
2x Meltagun
2x Plasma gun
1x Vox-caster

Manticore (150 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Heavy bolter
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Storm eagle rockets

Medusa Carriage Battery (110 Points)
• 1x Battery close combat weapons
1x Medusa siege cannon

Ratling Snipers (60 Points)
• 5x Ratling Sniper
• 5x Close combat weapon
5x Sniper rifle

Regimental Attachés (40 Points)
• 1x Master of Ordnance
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Laspistol
• 1x Officer of the Fleet
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Laspistol
• 1x Astropath
• 1x Astropath’s stave
1x Laspistol

Rogal Dorn Battle Tank (260 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
1x Co-axial autocannon
1x Heavy stubber
2x Meltagun
2x Multi-melta
1x Oppressor cannon
1x Pulveriser cannon

Scout Sentinels (60 Points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Lascannon
1x Sentinel chainsaw

Tempestus Scions (55 Points)
• 1x Tempestor
• 1x Plasma pistol
1x Power fist
• 4x Tempestus Scion
• 4x Close combat weapon
1x Hot-shot lasgun
1x Hot-shot laspistol
1x Meltagun
1x Plasma gun
1x Vox-caster

ALLIED UNITS

Callidus Assassin (90 Points)
• 1x Neural shredder
1x Phase sword and poison blades

Exported with App Version: v1.6.0 (21), Data Version: v299

Archetype

Board Presence and Big Guns

Thoughts

A win for the Astra Militarum to round things out today, going with a fairly classic (but not seen for a while) Guard strategy of just flooding the table with lots of small Infantry units to gum things up and take objectives, then pounding the enemy to dust with big guns while that’s dealt with. There’s a few neat additional touches like the Regimental Attaches to amp up the artillery and the Kasrkin as a flexible way to push some extra damage (including the option of doing it early by Scouting the Chimera forward), but at its core this is very effectively doing what the Militarum love to do – sending waves of expendable bodies forward to die for the Emperor while the tanks and the stars of popular novel series do the heavy lifting. Well done Martyn.

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd – Louis Ballington – Space Wolves (Ironstorm Spearhead): Ironstorm Whirlwinds and Redemptors with the Wolf Character dreads and some cheap Fenrisian Wolves mixed in.
3rd – Matthew Truell – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment): Hardcore board flood infantry spam, wih some Death Riders adding a bit of extra mobility.
4th – Graham Howard – Chaos Space Marines (Slaves to Darkness): Brawler Goodstuff with some Forgefiends and one big Obliterator unit.
5th – Chris Calton – T’au Empire (Kauyon): Broadside and Crisis spam.

Competitive Innovations in 10th: Aeldari Hell(storm)

SUPER All Stars – Hellstorm’s major 120+ Warhammer 40K Tournament

Alex Petford – Aeldari (Battle Host) – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Final Round Matchup

Thoughts

Josh Roberts – Aeldari (Battle Host) – 2nd Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Christopher Langton – Necrons (Awakened Dynasty) – 3rd Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Matt Goligher – Ultramarines (Gladius Task Force) – 4th Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

ORK-TOBERFEST 2023

The Showdown

Take and Hold – Search and Destroy – Chilling Rain

Thoughts

Result

Ben Warrior – Cult Mechanicus (Rad-Cohort) – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Final Round Matchup

Thoughts

Wayne Russell – Chaos Space Marines (Slaves to Darkness) – 2nd Place (Undefeated)

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Torneo Octubre WTC GTS Valencia

Alejandro Mancuso Serrano – Blood Angels (Gladius Task Force) – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Final Round Matchup

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Queen City Orktoberfest 2023

Chris Green – Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force) – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Final Round Matchup

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Gaelcon 2023 Warhammer 40k tournament

The Showdown

Priority Targets – Chilling Rain – Sweeping Engagement

Thoughts

Result

Pearce Condren – Death Guard (Plague Company) – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Winchester 40K GT – October 2023

Martyn Cooper – Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment) – 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Wrap Up

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