Jaden Iwaasa has won Best Overall at the GW US Open at Tacoma two years running now and reached out to us about writing about the experience at this year's event, and the remarkable Space Wolves army that won the prize.

I was pleased to take Space Wolves to the 2024 Tacoma Open this year, in a rather peculiar loadout playing in the new-and-improved Champions of Russ detachment. I’d like to thank Goonhammer for the opportunity to write about my list, my games, and the Champions of Russ detachment.

The List

My List - Click to Expand

Logan Grimnar (Foot version) Bjorn, the Fellhanded Canis Rex 6x Thunderwolf Cavalry

Battle Leader (Power Fist)
Wolf Lord (Power Fist)

6x Thunderwolf Cavalry

Battle Leader (Power Fist)
Wolf Lord (Power Fist)

6x Thunderwolf Cavalry

Battle Leader (Thunder Hammer)
- Black Death
Harald Deathwolf

5x Scouts (Sniper Rifle, Heavy Bolter)

5x Scouts (Sniper Rifle, Rocket Launcher)

On its face, this is a very simple list. Three max-size units of Thunderwolves, one of which gets a fancy suite of characters and two of which get the standard leader loadouts.

The fancy character unit has a Battle Leader with a Thunder Hammer, and an enhancement to give them anti-vehicle and anti-monster 4+. Coupled with Devastating Wounds on the Thunder Hammer and Harald Deathwolf giving Wolf Claw and Teeth attacks Devastating Wounds when they charge as well, this character is a very dangerous piece when attacking vehicles and monsters.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

Logan is the beating heart of every melee focused Space Wolves list, with his ability to effectively give the entire army Oaths of Moment in combat for a turn, and I like him on foot rather than on the sleigh in this list because I am desperately in need of action units.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

Speaking of which, two units of Scouts or something of the same vein are mandatory for these big Thunderwolf heavy lists in my opinion. Alternatives include a Lieutenant with Combi-Weapon or Infiltrators, but they all have their own pros and cons. I chose Scouts for their ability to dramatically reposition and accomplish secondaries like Containment or Recover Assets with ease.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

Bjorn is one of the other massive strengths of Space Wolves right now, with his C’tan levels of tankiness - more than a C’tan into a lot of profiles - and his 12” aura of increasing enemy CP costs. This model is one of the top reasons to play Space Wolves, and I think he is truly excellent.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

The last, and strangest, portion of my list is Canis Rex. Rex is in here for three reasons: First, I played Chaos Knights for the first two years of my 40k career and I’m very comfortable with playing a Titanic Knight. Second, I think that the Wolves lists really want to either overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers (Wulfen etc. here) or need some kind of ranged piece to force things to engage favorably. Canis is the second one of these, and additionally brings a flexible unit that can perform an action every turn and contribute positively at range constantly. Third, I bought and painted this list in just about six weeks, and painting one Knight is faster than painting the 20-30 infantry models that would replace him if I were to have chosen a different version of the list.

Going into the tournament I had played a number of practice games against Death Guard, Tyranids, one Admech and a couple of Sisters, and I felt like as long as I didn’t have to play into any really scary shooting armies on terrain layouts 1 or 2, Canis would be a good choice.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

If you've read this far you may be wondering about my Detachment Choice. I’ll touch on Champions of Russ vs. Stormlance at the end of this article, I have many opinions. For now, onto the games!

The Tournament

Round 1 vs. T’au (Kau’yon)

In the first round I was paired into James’ Kau’yon T’au. (There are far too many apostrophes in that sentence for comfort, moving on). He had lots of normal T’au stuff and also double Skystrike which was vaguely spooky. We played on The Ritual with Hammer and Anvil deployment.

James' list - Click to expand

Kau’yon (2000 Points)

T’au Empire Kauyon Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Cadre Fireblade (70 Points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Fireblade pulse rifle 2x Gun Drone • Enhancements: Exemplar of the Kauyon

Commander Shadowsun (100 Points) • Warlord • 1x Advanced Guardian Drone 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Command-link Drone (Aura) 1x Flechette launcher 2x High-energy fusion blaster 1x Light missile pod 1x Pulse pistol

Ethereal (50 Points) • 1x Gun Drone 1x Honour stave 1x Hover Drone 1x Shield Drone

BATTLELINE

Breacher Team (100 Points) • 1x Support turret • 1x Breacher Fire Warrior Shas’ui • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Guardian Drone 1x Pulse blaster 1x Pulse pistol 1x Shield Drone • 9x Breacher Fire Warrior • 9x Close combat weapon 9x Pulse blaster 9x Pulse pistol

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Devilfish (85 Points) • 1x Accelerator burst cannon 1x Armoured hull 2x Twin pulse carbine

OTHER DATASHEETS

Broadside Battlesuits (180 Points) • 1x Broadside Shas’vre • 1x Crushing bulk 1x Heavy rail rifle 2x Missile Drone 1x Seeker missile 1x Twin plasma rifle • 1x Broadside Shas’ui • 1x Crushing bulk 1x Heavy rail rifle 2x Missile Drone 1x Seeker missile 1x Twin plasma rifle

Broadside Battlesuits (180 Points) • 1x Broadside Shas’vre • 1x Crushing bulk 1x Heavy rail rifle 2x Missile Drone 1x Seeker missile 1x Twin plasma rifle • 1x Broadside Shas’ui • 1x Crushing bulk 1x Heavy rail rifle 2x Missile Drone 1x Seeker missile 1x Twin plasma rifle

Ghostkeel Battlesuit (160 Points) • 1x Battlesuit Support System 1x Cyclic ion raker 1x Ghostkeel fists 1x Twin burst cannon

Kroot Carnivores (75 Points) • 1x Long-quill • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Kroot pistol 1x Kroot rifle • 9x Kroot Carnivore • 9x Close combat weapon 9x Kroot rifle

Pathfinder Team (90 Points) • 1x Pathfinder Shas’ui • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Pulse carbine 1x Pulse pistol 1x Recon Drone 1x Shield Drone • 9x Pathfinder • 9x Close combat weapon 1x Ion rifle 6x Pulse carbine 9x Pulse pistol 2x Rail rifle 1x Semi-automatic grenade launcher

Pathfinder Team (90 Points) • 1x Pathfinder Shas’ui • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Marker Drone 1x Pulse carbine 1x Pulse pistol 1x Recon Drone 1x Shield Drone • 9x Pathfinder • 9x Close combat weapon 9x Pulse carbine 9x Pulse pistol

Riptide Battlesuit (180 Points) • 1x Ion accelerator 2x Missile Drone 1x Riptide fists 1x Twin plasma rifle

Riptide Battlesuit (180 Points) • 1x Heavy burst cannon 2x Missile Drone 1x Riptide fists 1x Twin plasma rifle

Sky Ray Gunship (140 Points) • 2x Accelerator burst cannon 1x Armoured hull 1x Seeker missile rack

Sky Ray Gunship (140 Points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Seeker missile rack 2x Smart missile system

Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points) • 1x Stealth Shas’vre • 1x Battlesuit Support System 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Fusion blaster 1x Homing Beacon 1x Marker Drone 1x Shield Drone • 2x Stealth Shas’ui • 2x Battlesuit fists 2x Burst cannon

Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points) • 1x Stealth Shas’vre • 1x Battlesuit Support System 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Fusion blaster 1x Homing Beacon 1x Marker Drone 1x Shield Drone • 2x Stealth Shas’ui • 2x Battlesuit fists 2x Burst cannon

Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points) • 1x Stealth Shas’vre • 1x Battlesuit Support System 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Burst cannon 1x Homing Beacon 1x Marker Drone 1x Shield Drone • 2x Stealth Shas’ui • 2x Battlesuit fists 2x Burst cannon

This game had two key moments, the first of which was him deciding to deploy his Ghostkeel aggressively gambling on going first. This let me choose to be in Saga of the Warrior Borne when the game began and advance into it and charge it down turn 1. You can see the big group of wolves bottom right here, which is where the Ghostkeel was.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

The second key moment came later in the game when a rapid ingressed unit of Thunderwolves was able to use the 6” consolidation stratagem to steal two objectives and engage a bunch of models, some of which were blocked from moving too far away from the Thunderwolves by table edges and terrain. This meant that he got one activation of shooting into the unit before it was able to reactive move into combat with them.

Canis Rex was great this game, performing multiple Ritual actions, Cleansing, and shooting every single turn. I felt in the driver seat from turn 1 this game, and never let up on the gas until it was over.

Round 2 vs. Aeldari

Ryan was a lovely opponent, who was supported by an equally lovely cadre of friends who came to support him in what he described as his first big tournament. He had a pair of Fire Prisms, a bunch of aspect warriors of various stripes, and a big block of Windriders with the Farseer on it. He also had the Avatar of Khaine.

Ryan's List - click to expand

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Aeldari - Craftworlds + DETACHMENT: Battle Host + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char1: Autarch Wayleaper + ENHANCEMENT: The Phoenix Gem (on Char1: Autarch Wayleaper) & Fate's Messenger (on Char2: Farseer) & The Weeping Stones (on Char3: Farseer Skyrunner) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 15 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (4x2) - Assassination: 4 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

CHARACTER

1x Autarch Wayleaper (150 pts) • 1x Star Glaive • 1x Dragon Fusion Gun • Warlord, Howling Banshee Mask • The Phoenix Gem (+35 pts)

1x Farseer (95 pts) • 1x Eldritch Storm • 1x Shuriken Pistol • 1x Singing Spear • Fate's Messenger (+15 pts)

1x Farseer Skyrunner (105 pts) • 1x Eldritch Storm • 1x Shuriken Pistol • 1x Twin Shuriken Catapult • 1x Singing Spear • The Weeping Stones (+15 pts)

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

BATTLELINE

11x Storm Guardians (100 pts) • 1x Serpent's Scale Platform • 4x Storm Guardian • 4x Guardian Combat Weapon • 4x Shuriken Pistol • 2x Storm Guardian with Aeldari Flamer • 2x Aeldari Flamer • 2x Storm Guardian with Guardian Fusion Gun • 2x Guardian Fusion Gun • 2x Storm Guardian with Power Sword • 2x Aeldari power sword • 2x Shuriken Pistol

OTHER DATASHEETS

5x Fire Dragons (90 pts) • 4x Fire Dragon • 4x Close combat weapon • 4x Dragon Fusion Gun • 1x Fire Dragon Exarch • 1x Close combat weapon • 1x Firepike

5x Rangers (55 pts) • 5x Ranger • 5x Close Combat Weapon • 5x Ranger long rifle • 5x Shuriken Pistol

5x Shadow Spectres (115 pts) • 5x Shadow Spectre • 5x Close combat weapon • 5x Prism Rifle

5x Swooping Hawks (85 pts) • 4x Swooping Hawk • 4x Close combat weapon • 4x Lasblaster • 1x Swooping Hawk Exarch • 1x Aeldari Power Sword • 1x Close combat weapon • 1x Hawk's Talon

5x Swooping Hawks (85 pts) • 4x Swooping Hawk • 4x Close combat weapon • 4x Lasblaster • 1x Swooping Hawk Exarch • 1x Aeldari Power Sword • 1x Close combat weapon • 1x Hawk's Talon

5x Warp Spiders (125 pts) • 4x Warp Spider • 4x Close combat weapon • 4x Deathspinner • 1x Warp Spider Exarch • 1x Close combat weapon • 2x Deathspinner • 1x Powerblades

6x Windriders (160 pts) • 6x Windrider with Shuriken Cannon • 6x Close Combat Weapon • 6x Shuriken Cannon

1x Falcon (140 pts) • 1x Pulse Laser • 1x Wraithbone hull • 1x Bright Lance • 1x Shuriken Cannon

1x Fire Prism (180 pts) • 1x Prism Cannon • 1x Wraithbone hull • 1x Shuriken Cannon

1x Fire Prism (180 pts) • 1x Prism Cannon • 1x Wraithbone hull • 1x Shuriken Cannon

We played Purge the Foe this mission, using the Tipping Point deployment zone and still on terrain 1. I felt hugely advantaged in this mission, as I only had about 7 units really and I was going to pick up Eldar units easily.

I reserved a unit of Wolves and put Logan into Deep Strike. Here's the deployment:

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

I won the roll-off to go first once again, and I felt I had the game practically locked from the first turn as that bottom right Scouts unit was able to move up and charge his Warp Spiders, tying them up in combat.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

This did two very important things. 1) It meant that his unit of contesting chaff was never getting to the bottom right objective and 2) his Fire Prism there could no longer poke out the bottom edge of the map to get Line of Sight on my Wolf Unit there, so the only things that could realistically shoot them were the Windriders.

Things spiraled out of control very quickly, with his expensive and fragile units having to increasingly expose themselves to fight Thunderwolves in the open, and nothing in his entire list having the stats to survive a round of combat with the big dogs. Even the Avatar goes down quickly under a hail of Damage 2 lethal hits (halving damage happens before adding to damage, so the wolves on the charge get the full Damage 2 against him).

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

As we can see from the concession picture, the Eldar list is gone and the wolves dominate the table.

Round 3 vs. Adepta Sororitas (Bringers of Flame)

This was a matchup I was extremely concerned about, and doubly so because I lost the roll-off to go first. Sisters in Bringers of Flame have the speed to shut a wolf army out of the game and the damage to make sure they die before the flow of battle can easily reverse.

Kaden's List - Click to Expand

Sanctorum Ophelia VII (2000 Points)

Adepta Sororitas Bringers of Flame Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Morvenn Vahl (160 Points) • Warlord • 1x Fidelis 1x Lance of Illumination 1x Paragon missile launcher

Palatine (60 Points) • 1x Palatine blade 1x Plasma pistol • Enhancements: Righteous Rage

Triumph of Saint Katherine (190 Points) • 1x Bolt pistols 1x Relic weapons

BATTLELINE

Battle Sisters Squad (115 Points) • 1x Sister Superior • 1x Bolt pistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Inferno pistol 1x Power weapon • 9x Battle Sister • 9x Bolt pistol 7x Boltgun 9x Close combat weapon 1x Meltagun 1x Multi-melta 1x Simulacrum Imperialis

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Immolator (115 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Twin multi-melta

Immolator (115 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Twin multi-melta

Sororitas Rhino (75 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Storm bolter

Sororitas Rhino (75 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Storm bolter

OTHER DATASHEETS

Arco-flagellants (45 Points) • 3x Arco-flagellant • 3x Arco-flails

Castigator (150 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Castigator battle cannon 3x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Storm bolter

Castigator (150 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Castigator battle cannon 3x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Storm bolter

Dominion Squad (115 Points) • 1x Dominion Superior • 1x Bolt pistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Ministorum hand flamer 1x Power weapon • 9x Dominion • 9x Bolt pistol 5x Boltgun 9x Close combat weapon 4x Ministorum flamer 1x Simulacrum Imperialis

Mortifiers (70 Points) • 1x Anchorite Sarcophagus 2x Heavy bolter 1x Twin penitent buzz-blades

Mortifiers (70 Points) • 1x Anchorite Sarcophagus 2x Heavy bolter 1x Twin penitent buzz-blades

Paragon Warsuits (210 Points) • 1x Paragon Superior • 1x Bolt pistol 1x Multi-melta 1x Paragon grenade launchers 1x Paragon war blade • 2x Paragon • 2x Bolt pistol 2x Multi-melta 2x Paragon grenade launchers 2x Paragon war blade

Seraphim Squad (85 Points) • 1x Seraphim Superior • 2x Bolt pistol 1x Close combat weapon • 4x Seraphim • 4x Bolt pistol 4x Close combat weapon 4x Ministorum hand flamer

Sisters Novitiate Squad (100 Points) • 1x Novitiate Superior • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power weapon • 9x Sister Novitiate • 9x Autopistol 1x Close combat weapon 8x Novitiate melee weapons 1x Simulacrum Imperialis

ALLIED UNITS

Callidus Assassin (100 Points) • 1x Neural shredder 1x Phase sword and poison blades

We were playing Scorched Earth on Crucible of Battle with Terrain Layout 2. I chose to start this game with the Saga of the Bear active.

There were two important moments in this game: First, I was able to screen the middle of the board with both Scouts units on turn 1 to great effect. Second, Kaden (we had fun with the Kaden/Jaden names for a while) staged a bunch of scout sisters, the Callidus Assassin, and his Mortifier on the top building here.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

This meant that on my turn 1, I was able to charge into the unit with the top unit of Thunderwolves, pile into the Callidus - denying its fight first ability any relevance - and the mortifier, and pick up all three with zero effort, setting me up for a crucial scenario advantage. Further, Kaden kept Morvehn Vahl back for perhaps one turn too long, which let Canis move out slightly and kill an Immolator with no repercussions.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

He did, to his credit, kill an entire Thunderwolf unit in the center, but a second unit deployed via Rapid Ingress on the bottom half was able to reach and murder the tanks and by the end of turn 3 Kaden had Morvehn, one beat up Castigator, and one beat up Immolator facing down two full units of Wolves, Bjorn, and Canis Rex.

Round 4 vs. Astra Militarum

This was my first game against Astra Militarum and I was really nervous as this was the “make or break” round for top 32 AND it was on stream. Because it was on stream, I have no pictures of the game, so you’ll have to bear with the narrative only. That said, you can find the stream of my game here (the announcers were also covering a Necron game running concurrently).

Joseph's List - Click to Expand

Tacoma open (1995 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

Militarum Tempestus Command Squad (70 Points) • 1x Tempestor Prime • 1x Command Rod 1x Tempestus dagger • 4x Tempestus Scion • 4x Close combat weapon 1x Hot-shot lasgun 1x Hot-shot laspistol 1x Hot-shot volley gun 1x Medi-pack 1x Meltagun 1x Plasma gun

Platoon Command Squad (60 Points) • 1x Platoon Commander • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power fist • 2x Veteran Guardsman • 2x Close combat weapon 2x Lasgun 2x Laspistol 1x Master Vox 1x Regimental Standard • 1x Veteran Heavy Weapons Team • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Laspistol 1x Mortar

BATTLELINE

Cadian Shock Troops (60 Points) • 1x Shock Trooper Sergeant • 1x Chainsword 1x Laspistol • 9x Shock Trooper • 9x Close combat weapon 7x Lasgun 1x Meltagun 1x Plasma gun 1x Vox-caster

Cadian Shock Troops (60 Points) • 1x Shock Trooper Sergeant • 1x Chainsword 1x Laspistol • 9x Shock Trooper • 9x Close combat weapon 7x Lasgun 1x Meltagun 1x Plasma gun 1x Vox-caster

Infantry Squad (60 Points) • 1x Sergeant • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power weapon • 7x Guardsman • 7x Close combat weapon 6x Lasgun 1x Plasma gun 1x Vox-caster • 1x Heavy Weapons Team • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Laspistol 1x Mortar

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

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

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

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

OTHER DATASHEETS

Attilan Rough Riders (120 Points) • 1x Rough Rider Sergeant • 1x Hunting lance 1x Lasgun 1x Laspistol 1x Power sabre 1x Steed’s hooves • 9x Rough Rider • 2x Goad lance 7x Hunting lance 9x Lasgun 9x Laspistol 9x Steed’s hooves

Hydra (85 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Hydra autocannon

Hydra (85 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Hydra autocannon

Kasrkin (110 Points) • 1x Kasrkin Sergeant • 1x Chainsword 1x Hot-shot laspistol • 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

Leman Russ Exterminator (170 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Exterminator autocannon 2x Heavy bolter 1x Heavy stubber 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Lascannon

Leman Russ Vanquisher (145 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy stubber 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Lascannon 2x Plasma cannon 1x Vanquisher battle cannon

Leman Russ Vanquisher (145 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy stubber 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Lascannon 2x Plasma cannon 1x Vanquisher battle cannon

Leman Russ Vanquisher (145 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy stubber 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Lascannon 2x Plasma cannon 1x Vanquisher battle cannon

Ogryn Squad (65 Points) • 1x Ogryn Bone ’ead • 1x Ripper gun • 2x Ogryn • 2x Ripper gun

Ogryn Squad (65 Points) • 1x Ogryn Bone ’ead • 1x Ripper gun • 2x Ogryn • 2x Ripper gun

Ogryn Squad (65 Points) • 1x Ogryn Bone ’ead • 1x Ripper gun • 2x Ogryn • 2x Ripper gun

Tempestus Scions (50 Points) • 1x Tempestor • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power fist • 4x Tempestus Scion • 4x Close combat weapon 2x Hot-shot lasgun 1x Meltagun 1x Plasma gun

My opponent this game was a lovely fellow named Joseph, and we played Take and Hold on terrain layout 4, which has a huge open center for No Man’s Land. Once again, I reserved a unit of Wolves, but in hindsight I think this might have been a mistake.

In any case, Joseph had a half dozen Leman Russ tanks, a pair of Hydras, some Bullgryn, a unit of Rough Riders, and a ton of Cadians and Kasrkin. I had to go first, which was rather miserable, and made a few early play mistakes. Fortunately for me, Joseph let a unit be 6.5 inches away from a unit of Thunderwolves that he’d lined his entire army up to shoot at and I lucked out to roll the 6 I needed to engage them with the reactive move after the first activation. Now in fairness, if I’d rolled a 3+, I would have saved a lot of the unit by hiding behind terrain, but completely safe is even better.

The coolest turn of the game happened on round 4 when I was able to kill a Chimera, a Hydra, and 3 Leman Russ tanks in one charge/fight phase. Eking this game out meant that I moved into the top bracket, and the dream was still alive.

Round 5 vs. Daemons

Dustin was my opponent after a quick lunch, and he got to the table and told me that he had one game plan - stick a Great Unclean One with all the buffs in my face and hope it worked.

Dustin's List - Click to Expand

1995 Points

Detachment Choice: Daemonic Incursion

+ Epic Hero +

Be'lakor [325pts]: Warlord

Shalaxi Helbane [450pts]

The Masque of Slaanesh [85pts]

+ Character +

Daemon Prince of Chaos with wings [195pts]: Slaanesh, Soulstealer

Great Unclean One [260pts]: Bileblade, Doomsday bell, The Endless Gift

Poxbringer [55pts]

+ Battleline +

Daemonettes [100pts]: Daemonic Icon, Instrument of Chaos . 10x Daemonette: 10x Slashing claws

Nurglings [40pts] . 3x Nurgling Swarm: 3x Diseased claws and teeth

Plaguebearers [110pts]: Daemonic Icon, Instrument of Chaos . 10x Plaguebearer: 10x Plaguesword

+ Infantry +

Flamers [75pts] . 3x Flamer: 3x Flamer mouths, 3x Flickering Flames

+ Mounted +

Bloodcrushers [110pts]: Daemonic Icon, Instrument of Chaos . 2x Bloodcrusher: 2x Hellblade, 2x Juggernaut's bladed horn

Plague Drones [110pts]: Daemonic Icon, Instrument of Chaos . 3x Plague Drone: 3x Death's heads, 3x Foul mouthparts, 3x Plaguesword

Seekers [80pts]: Daemonic Icon, Instrument of Chaos . 5x Seeker: 5x Lashing tongues, 5x Slashing claws

++ Total: [1,995pts] ++

We played on Burden of Trust on Search and Destroy deployment, once again on terrain 4.

Here's the Deployment:

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

Dustin won the roll-off to go first. Sharp-eyed readers will note that this was the first time I have elected to NOT reserve a unit of Wolves, and that was largely due to Daemons’ almost total lack of shooting. A good chunk of their shooting - Shalaxi and Flamers - weren't even on the table at deployment. Since Dustin won the roll off for first, I chose Beastslayer as my Saga in order to gain access to the Lance Stratagem.

On Dustin's first turn he put a ton of Daemons in my face, saying something along the lines of “no one’s been able to kill this Great Unclean One in a single turn this entire event."

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

Fun fact: Thunderwolves with Lance, Sustained Hits 1, and Lethal Hits plus Oaths of Moment will kill a Great Unclean One in a single combat activation. After that the other units mopped up the Plague Drones and Daemon Prince as well.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

From there the game ended rather quickly.. Be’lakor came in the next charge phase but I used the Heroic Intervention stratagem to charge him and kill him on his own turn. Shalaxi came down and did actually kill the Knight half of Canis, but a unit of Wolves swarmed her and I ended up killing everything on the table and holding all the objectives by the end of turn 4.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

This picture was taken right before Shalaxi went down, signaling the end of the Daemonic Incursion.

I suspect that this is just a terrible matchup for Daemons; my army is too fast and hits too hard with too many attacks. Invulnerable saves are great, but they’re not great against 50-odd 2-damage attacks per unit per round.

Round 6 vs. Space Wolves (Champions of Russ)

This was the matchup I least wanted to play among the remaining undefeated players at the event, as Linton was the person who inspired me to pick up the faction two months prior to this game. He and I had been talking for weeks about lists, and we both knew exactly what the other was playing. His list was quite a bit different than mine, sporting 30 Wulfen infantry, no Scouts, Combi-Weapon Lieutenants, and Logan on the Stormstrider.

Linton's List - Click to Expand

Shield Wall (2000 Points)

Space Marines Space Wolves Champions of Russ Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

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

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

Logan Grimnar on Stormrider (180 Points) • Warlord • 1x Flurry of teeth and claws 1x Storm bolter 1x The Axe Morkai

Wolf Guard Battle Leader on Thunderwolf (80 Points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Crushing teeth and claws 1x Power fist 1x Storm Shield

Wolf Guard Battle Leader on Thunderwolf (80 Points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Crushing teeth and claws 1x Power fist 1x Storm Shield

Wolf Guard Battle Leader on Thunderwolf (80 Points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Crushing teeth and claws 1x Power fist 1x Storm Shield

Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf (100 Points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Crushing teeth and claws 1x Power fist 1x Relic Shield

Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf (100 Points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Crushing teeth and claws 1x Power fist 1x Relic Shield

OTHER DATASHEETS

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 4x Marksman bolt carbine

Thunderwolf Cavalry (200 Points) • 1x Thunderwolf Cavalry Pack Leader • 1x Crushing teeth and claws 1x Heirloom weapon 1x Storm Shield • 5x Thunderwolf Cavalry • 5x Crushing teeth and claws 5x Heirloom weapon 5x Storm Shield

Thunderwolf Cavalry (200 Points) • 1x Thunderwolf Cavalry Pack Leader • 1x Crushing teeth and claws 1x Heirloom weapon 1x Storm Shield • 5x Thunderwolf Cavalry • 5x Crushing teeth and claws 5x Heirloom weapon 5x Storm Shield

Thunderwolf Cavalry (200 Points) • 1x Thunderwolf Cavalry Pack Leader • 1x Crushing teeth and claws 1x Heirloom weapon 1x Storm Shield • 5x Thunderwolf Cavalry • 5x Crushing teeth and claws 5x Heirloom weapon 5x Storm Shield

Wulfen (180 Points) • 1x Wulfen Pack Leader • 1x Storm Shield 1x Stormfrag auto-launcher 1x Wulfen hammer • 9x Wulfen • 9x Storm Shield 9x Stormfrag auto-launcher 9x Wulfen hammer

Wulfen (180 Points) • 1x Wulfen Pack Leader • 1x Storm Shield 1x Stormfrag auto-launcher 1x Wulfen hammer • 9x Wulfen • 9x Storm Shield 9x Stormfrag auto-launcher 9x Wulfen hammer

Wulfen (180 Points) • 1x Wulfen Pack Leader • 1x Storm Shield 1x Stormfrag auto-launcher 1x Wulfen hammer • 9x Wulfen • 9x Storm Shield 9x Stormfrag auto-launcher 9x Wulfen hammer

Linton also had a really good fixed secondary plan of Engage on All Fronts with his reactive move Lieutenants, and Assassinate for my 9 characters.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

I won the roll-off to go first, but for the first little while I thought I was in dire straits. Linton chose Saga of the Bear and I chose Saga of the Warrior Borne, and for the first couple turns he blunted 50% of my attacks with 6+ Feel No Pains.

However, Bjorn kept him from using the excellent stratagems that you can get from the Champions of Russ Detachment, and he wasn’t generating extra CP from Tactical Objectives to get around this tax. Canis also proved his worth, picking off nearly an entire unit of Thunderwolves before the lines closed and fighting two units of Wulfen down in melee. This let me use my three units of Thunderwolves to decisively win the skirmish against his other two.

After turn 3, I’d killed all of his combat models off and still had a full unit of Wolves, Rex, and some characters and was able to take it from there.

Linton is a fantastic player, and has been an incredible mentor for me the last couple months - I wouldn’t have been where I was without his advice, time, and expertise. Linton, if you read this, thank you so very much.

“Round 7” vs. Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force)

For the top 8, we now had the unenviable task of playing a 4th round of Warhammer starting at 9:45 PM to cut to a top 4 - this is what people often refer to as "The Shadow Round," a round played to winnow the top eight players down to the top four for the final day's games. We also had the absurdity of playing the new version of Servo Skulls.

Jeff's List - Click to Expand

hold the line

++ Army Roster (Imperium - Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels) [1,900pts] ++

+ Configuration +

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

Detachment: Gladius Task Force

+ Epic Hero +

Azrael [105pts]: Warlord

+ Character +

Lieutenant with Combi-weapon [70pts]

+ Battleline +

Assault Intercessor Squad [150pts] . Assault Intercessor Sergeant: Heavy Bolt Pistol, Power Fist . 9x Assault Intercessors: 9x Astartes Chainsword, 9x Heavy Bolt Pistol

+ Infantry +

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs [80pts] . Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack: Plasma Pistol, Power Fist . 3x Assault Intercessors with Jump Pack: 3x Astartes Chainsword, 3x Heavy Bolt Pistol . Assault Intercessors with Jump Pack w/ Plasma Pistol

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs [80pts] . Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack: Plasma Pistol, Power Fist . 3x Assault Intercessors with Jump Pack: 3x Astartes Chainsword, 3x Heavy Bolt Pistol . Assault Intercessors with Jump Pack w/ Plasma Pistol

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs [80pts] . Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack: Plasma Pistol, Power Fist . 3x Assault Intercessors with Jump Pack: 3x Astartes Chainsword, 3x Heavy Bolt Pistol . Assault Intercessors with Jump Pack w/ Plasma Pistol

Deathwing Knights [235pts]: Mace of absolution, Watcher in the Dark . 4x Deathwing Knight . Knight Master: Great Weapon of the Unforgiven

Deathwing Knights [235pts]: Mace of absolution, Watcher in the Dark . 4x Deathwing Knight . Knight Master: Great Weapon of the Unforgiven

Deathwing Knights [235pts]: Mace of absolution, Watcher in the Dark . 4x Deathwing Knight . Knight Master: Great Weapon of the Unforgiven

Infiltrator Squad [100pts]: Helix Gauntlet, Infiltrator Comms Array . Infiltrator Sergeant . 4x Infiltrators: 4x Bolt Pistol, 4x Close Combat Weapon, 4x Marksman Bolt Carbine

Scout Squad [65pts] . Scout Sergeant: Astartes Chainsword . Scout w/ Heavy Weapon: Heavy Bolter . Scout w/ Scout Sniper Rifle . 2x Scouts w/ Combat Knife: 2x Bolt Pistol, 2x Close Combat Weapon, 2x Combat Knife

+ Vehicle +

Ravenwing Darkshroud [115pts]: Heavy bolter

Vindicator [175pts]: Hunter Killer Missile, Storm Bolter

Vindicator [175pts]: Hunter Killer Missile, Storm Bolter

++ Army Roster (Imperium - Agents of the Imperium) [100pts] ++

+ Epic Hero +

Callidus Assassin [100pts]

++ Total: [2,000pts] ++

Side bar: the Tacoma open is my favorite Warhammer event I’ve played in, but this was a terrible choice for the scenario, especially in this very important round. Please, never do this to your top 8 players ever again.

I was matched with Jeff, and we proceeded to cooperatively play through the game together. Jeff was a delight to work with, and I look forward to playing with him again in the future.

I was able to go first, and that meant that I kicked the objectives into his deployment and trapped him there, never letting him move them out again with a combination of suiciding units, good movement tricks, and target priority. Canis Rex had a massive impact this game as well, punting the objective into the other side of the table and shooting every turn.

Here is a shot of the middle of turn 3, and at this point the game was effectively over. Jeff gave it another round and a half to try and claw back out of it, but I completely shut him out of primary scoring and unfortunately that’s just not a winnable position.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

Round 7 vs. Adepta Sororitas (Bringers of Flame)

Scott's List - Click to Expand

Mobile Suit Nundam (1995 points)

Adepta Sororitas Strike Force (2000 points) Bringers of Flame

CHARACTERS

Canoness with Jump Pack (80 points) • 1x Blessed halberd • Enhancement: Iron Surplice of Saint Istalela

Morvenn Vahl (160 points) • Warlord • 1x Fidelis 1x Lance of Illumination 1x Paragon missile launcher

Palatine (60 points) • 1x Palatine blade 1x Plasma pistol • Enhancement: Righteous Rage

Triumph of Saint Katherine (190 points) • 1x Bolt pistols 1x Relic weapons

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Immolator (115 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Twin multi-melta

Immolator (115 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Twin multi-melta

Immolator (115 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Twin multi-melta

OTHER DATASHEETS

Castigator (150 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Castigator battle cannon 3x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Storm bolter

Castigator (150 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Castigator autocannons 3x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Storm bolter

Castigator (150 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Castigator autocannons 3x Heavy bolter 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Storm bolter

Dominion Squad (115 points) • 1x Dominion Superior • 1x Bolt pistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Ministorum hand flamer 1x Power weapon • 9x Dominion • 9x Bolt pistol 5x Boltgun 9x Close combat weapon 4x Ministorum flamer 1x Simulacrum Imperialis

Dominion Squad (115 points) • 1x Dominion Superior • 1x Bolt pistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Inferno pistol 1x Power weapon • 9x Dominion • 9x Bolt pistol 5x Boltgun 9x Close combat weapon 4x Meltagun 1x Simulacrum Imperialis

Paragon Warsuits (210 points) • 1x Paragon Superior • 1x Bolt pistol 1x Multi-melta 1x Paragon grenade launchers 1x Paragon war blade • 2x Paragon • 2x Bolt pistol 2x Multi-melta 2x Paragon grenade launchers 2x Paragon war blade

Seraphim Squad (170 points) • 1x Seraphim Superior • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power weapon • 9x Seraphim • 10x Bolt pistol 9x Close combat weapon 8x Ministorum hand flamer

Sisters Novitiate Squad (100 points) • 1x Novitiate Superior • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power weapon • 9x Sister Novitiate • 9x Autopistol 4x Close combat weapon 2x Ministorum flamer 5x Novitiate melee weapons 1x Sacred Banner 1x Simulacrum Imperialis

I made the four and coming into day 3 my first game was against Scott running what I now understand is his trademark army. This game was streamed, and a combination of terrible things happened to hand me an eye-watering loss. You can watch the stream here.

Scott got to go first (bad), I failed all of my rerollable 8 and 9 inch charges (bad) and when I did connect things kept just living when I needed them to die (also bad). Scott brilliantly trapped me in my deployment zone with his reactive move Battle Sisters, and I couldn’t dig myself out. He took a well deserved and quite decisive win, and with that I was playing for third.

Round 8 vs. Leagues of Votann

Fun anecdote: My opponent this game is a man named Chuck Arnett. Chuck was my first tournament opponent ever when I started playing Warhammer a little over two years ago. We’ve run into each other a few times at events since then, and our games are always lovely.

Chuck's List - Click to Expand

Tacoma (2000 Points)

Leagues of Votann Oathband Strike Force (2000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Brôkhyr Iron-master (65 Points) • 1x Brôkhyr Iron-master • 1x Graviton hammer 1x Graviton rifle • 1x Ironkin Assistant • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Las-beam cutter • 1x E-COG • 1x Plasma torch • 1x E-COG • 1x Manipulator arms • 1x E-COG • 1x Autoch-pattern bolt pistol 1x Close combat weapon

Einhyr Champion (60 Points) • 1x Autoch-pattern combi-bolter 1x Mass hammer 1x Weavefield Crest

Einhyr Champion (60 Points) • 1x Autoch-pattern combi-bolter 1x Mass hammer 1x Weavefield Crest

Grimnyr (85 Points) • 1x Grimnyr • Warlord • 1x Ancestral Wrath 1x Ancestral ward stave • Enhancements: Appraising Glare • 2x CORV • 2x Autoch-pattern bolter 2x Close combat weapon

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Sagitaur (115 Points) • 1x Armoured wheels 1x HYLas beam cannon 1x Twin bolt cannon

Sagitaur (115 Points) • 1x Armoured wheels 1x HYLas beam cannon 1x Twin bolt cannon

OTHER DATASHEETS

Brôkhyr Thunderkyn (170 Points) • 6x Brôkhyr Thunderkyn • 6x Close combat weapon 6x Graviton blast cannon

Cthonian Beserks (100 Points) • 5x Cthonian Beserk • 5x Concussion maul 1x Mole grenade launcher

Cthonian Beserks (100 Points) • 5x Cthonian Beserk • 5x Concussion maul 1x Mole grenade launcher

Einhyr Hearthguard (160 Points) • 1x Hesyr • 1x Concussion hammer 1x Exo-armour grenade launcher 1x Teleport Crest 1x Volkanite disintegrator • 4x Einhyr Hearthguard • 4x Concussion gauntlet 4x Exo-armour grenade launcher 4x Volkanite disintegrator

Einhyr Hearthguard (160 Points) • 1x Hesyr • 1x Concussion hammer 1x Exo-armour grenade launcher 1x Volkanite disintegrator 1x Weavefield Crest • 4x Einhyr Hearthguard • 4x Concussion gauntlet 4x Exo-armour grenade launcher 4x Volkanite disintegrator

Hekaton Land Fortress (225 Points) • 1x Armoured wheels 1x MATR autocannon 1x Pan Spectral Scanner 1x SP heavy conversion beamer 2x Twin bolt cannon

Hekaton Land Fortress (225 Points) • 1x Armoured wheels 1x MATR autocannon 1x Pan Spectral Scanner 1x SP heavy conversion beamer 2x Twin bolt cannon

Hernkyn Pioneers (180 Points) • 6x Hernkyn Pioneer • 6x Bolt revolver 6x Bolt shotgun 1x Comms Array 2x HYLas rotary cannon 6x Magna-coil autocannon 1x Pan Spectral Scanner 6x Plasma knife 1x Rollbar Searchlight

Hernkyn Pioneers (90 Points) • 3x Hernkyn Pioneer • 3x Bolt revolver 3x Bolt shotgun 1x HYLas rotary cannon 3x Magna-coil autocannon 1x Pan Spectral Scanner 3x Plasma knife 1x Rollbar Searchlight

Hernkyn Pioneers (90 Points) • 3x Hernkyn Pioneer • 3x Bolt revolver 3x Bolt shotgun 1x HYLas rotary cannon 3x Magna-coil autocannon 1x Pan Spectral Scanner 3x Plasma knife 1x Rollbar Searchlight

This game was Take and Hold on Search and Destroy. I won the roll off for first, and for the first two rounds I felt like I had the game handily under control.

Here is deployment:

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

And here's the end of round 1, in which I’d killed a Hekaton and gotten effectively everything I wanted out of the turn.

Credit: Jaden Iwaasa

Then things went very sideways from there, and I proceeded to lose the entire top unit of Wolves instantly. Then Canis failed to kill a single Terminator in melee and the game spiraled. At the end of my turn 5 I was up by 11 points. Chuck could control two objectives, and he only had one small unit of Berserkers to do things with. If he drew two unscorable secondaries, I'd win.

Unfortunately for me, he pulled up Secure No Man’s Land after ditching one of two that he could not complete, and ended up winning the game by four. I realized on the drive home that I should have taken a Secret Mission. Logan hung out on Chuck’s home objective without any threats after turn 3, and if I had remembered that they existed I would have won by a comfortable 10 points or so at the end.

In any case, Chuck was a lovely opponent as always and I was delighted to see him take 3rd at an event this large. Between him, my friend Jordan, and my friend Kenny, a full quarter of the top 16 were personal friends of mine which was lovely to see as well.

Thoughts on the Champions of Russ Detachment

I absolutely love the Champions of Russ Detachment. I have tried to play Stormlance a few times after swapping over, and each game has felt abysmal. Champions has several crucial tools that Stormlance simply does not have access to, and gives up very little practically for these.

First, the additional AP stratagem - Go For the Throat - which can be used on Thunderwolves OR other units and unlocks [LANCE] when you have Saga of the Beastslayer active is crucial to making the list punch up into hard targets. AP-2 is the break point for most attacks, and making the entire block of Thunderwolves hit at least that target is massive.

Second, Champions is far more flexible than Stormlance, with the ability to choose your starting saga at the beginning of the first battle round. This means that by the time you select a Saga you know who is going first and can tailor your list accordingly. If I’m going first, I almost always pick Saga of the Warrior Born. If going second, Saga of the Bear and Saga of the Beastslayer can be really powerful in the right matchups. A practice game I’ve played since then against Zoanthrope Tyranids going second is a good example of this - knowing I was going second I picked Bear, and then the Zoanthropes got to kill exactly one Thunderwolf before getting charged thanks to the Runic Wards stratagem (4+ Feel No Pain while Bear is unlocked against mortals and psychic, 5+ otherwise).

The Sagas are also just wonderfully fun to complete, giving you mini-objectives to complete as you play the game which give you little dopamine bursts as you complete them in a very pleasing way.

I think as Thunderwolves get more inevitable point increases, Champions is going to continue to be a great detachment for a melee heavy Space Wolves list, whereas Stormlance is only a Thunderwolf spam detachment.

My next iteration - which I’ll be posting about soon on my website - has a Land Raider Redeemer with two max units of Bladeguard Veterans, a Judiciar, and Ragnar running around in it for example, and I’ve been really liking that too. In any case, I have had an absolutely delightful couple months playing Space Wolves in Champions of Russ and plan to continue doing so for quite a while. If you want to read more detailed battle reports of my games at Tacoma (I have the first day finished, the second and third are forthcoming), you can find them here.

If you want to learn how to make ice bases like the ones I’ve used for my army, I’ve thrown together a tutorial that you can find here.

Thanks once again to Goonhammer for letting me write this tournament report, and thank you for reading!

A big thanks to Jaden for stopping by to write for us this week. Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.