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Battle Reports | Gaming | Warhammer 40k | Meta Analysis | Competitive Play | Goonhammer | Columns | Core Games | 40K Competitive Innovations

Competitive Innovation in 10th: A Plague of Low Costs pt.2

by Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones, Thomas Reidy | Aug 08 2025
Welcome to Competitive Innovations, our weekly feature for a number of game lines across the tabletop wargame space. Each week our army list and tactics experts canvass the top tournaments for their game of specialty, looking at the week’s top match-ups and how they played out on the tabletop to let you know what’s hot, what’s not, and what might be coming next as the competitive meta evolves year-round.

Rob: We're on to part two of this week's action, where we look at another absolutely jam-packed week of events. Honestly, there's too much Warhammer now. Please eliminate ten of these. I am not a crank.

Wings needed help this week, so it's up to me and Goatboy to step in and save him. Fortunately, I play a lot of Death Guard and I've played against a lot of Knights, so I'm more than equipped to talk about all these matchups.

Part 2 on Friday (That's Today):
  • The Kent Major 2025: Warhammer 40,000
  • Alpine Summer Sprint GT - WTC 2025
  • Loch 'n Load GT2
  • Clowns Massacre
  • Conclaribe Mix 2025
Part 1 on Wednesday:
  • The Salt City GT IV Warhammer 40,000
  • 1ST - SAW MUST GO ON
  • Grand Onslaught 10: Carnage
  • Valley of the Moon Open GT
  • NIGHTWOLF'S MAJOR 40K SOLO TOURNAMENT
Part 3 on Saturday:
  • ECDC Present: The BIg Sky Open 2025
  • One Thicc Grand Tournament at Motor City Gaming
  • Slaanesh Summer Slam 2 Shalaxi's Revenge. Ironman GT
  • BC BBQ BRAWL
  • Baja Open

The Kent Major 2025: Warhammer 40,000

99-player, 6-round Grand Tournament in England, United Kingdom on August 02 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Christopher Radford - Blood Angels (Liberator Assault Group) - 1st Place

Sanguinary Guard. Credit - Colin Ward

The List

Army List - Click to Expand
BA - Kent - Mephiston (2000 points)

Space Marines Blood Angels Strike Force (2000 points) Liberator Assault Group

CHARACTERS

Blood Angels Captain (115 points) • 1x Inferno pistol 1x Power fist • Enhancement: Rage-fuelled Warrior

Chief Librarian Mephiston (120 points) • 1x Fury of the Ancients 1x Plasma pistol 1x Vitarus

Commander Dante (120 points) • 1x Perdition Pistol 1x The Axe Mortalis

Death Company Captain with Jump Pack (75 points) • 1x Hand flamer 1x Power fist

Death Company Captain with Jump Pack (100 points) • 1x Hand flamer 1x Power fist • Enhancement: Speed of the Primarch

Lemartes (100 points) • Warlord • 1x Absolvor bolt pistol 1x The Blood Crozius

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

BATTLELINE

Intercessor Squad (80 points) • 1x Intercessor Sergeant • 1x Astartes grenade launcher 1x Bolt pistol 1x Bolt rifle 1x Power fist • 4x Intercessor • 4x Bolt pistol 4x Bolt rifle 4x Close combat weapon

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Impulsor (80 points) • 1x Armoured hull 2x Fragstorm grenade launcher 1x Ironhail heavy stubber 1x Shield Dome

OTHER DATASHEETS

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (90 points) • 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack • 1x Hand flamer 1x Power fist • 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs • 4x Astartes chainsword 3x Heavy bolt pistol 1x Plasma pistol

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (90 points) • 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack • 1x Hand flamer 1x Power fist • 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs • 4x Astartes chainsword 3x Heavy bolt pistol 1x Plasma pistol

Bladeguard Veteran Squad (80 points) • 1x Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant • 1x Master-crafted power weapon 1x Neo-volkite pistol • 2x Bladeguard Veteran • 2x Heavy bolt pistol 2x Master-crafted power weapon

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (230 points) • 10x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs • 5x Astartes chainsword 2x Eviscerator 6x Heavy bolt pistol 2x Inferno pistol 2x Plasma pistol 3x Power fist

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (120 points) • 5x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs • 2x Astartes chainsword 1x Eviscerator 3x Heavy bolt pistol 1x Inferno pistol 1x Plasma pistol 2x Power fist

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (120 points) • 5x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs • 2x Astartes chainsword 1x Eviscerator 3x Heavy bolt pistol 1x Inferno pistol 1x Plasma pistol 2x Power fist

Sanguinary Guard (240 points) • 6x Sanguinary Guard • 4x Angelus boltgun 6x Encarmine blade 2x Inferno pistol 1x Sanguinary Banner

Scout Squad (70 points) • 1x Scout Sergeant • 1x Astartes chainsword 1x Bolt pistol 1x Close combat weapon • 4x Scout • 4x Bolt pistol 4x Close combat weapon 4x Combat knife

Sternguard Veteran Squad (100 points) • 1x Sternguard Veteran Sergeant • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Power fist 1x Sternguard bolt pistol 1x Sternguard bolt rifle • 4x Sternguard Veteran • 4x Close combat weapon 4x Sternguard bolt pistol 3x Sternguard bolt rifle 1x Sternguard heavy bolter

Exported with App Version: v1.38.0 (90), Data Version: v651

Archetype

Liberator Assault Group Blood Angels

Thoughts

When we talked about the changes to knight toughness/wounds a month ago in Hammer of Math, we mentioned that the biggest point of concern for big knights would be Blood Angels, where the ability to hit S6 on the charge lets them break the key breakpoint to get 5+ to wound against T11 threats. Enter the Liberator Assault Group, one of the few potential predators for knights in the current meta, where the ability to combine S6 melee with [LANCE] from the Red Rampage Stratagems means you can wound big knights on a 4+ in melee with Death Company marines, and the ones who don't can get [LETHAL HITS] from Lemartes. The net result is an army that, without a character, will average 16w to an Oaths target knight with a unit of ten Death Company marines with jump packs going full shooting and fight with [LANCE] on the charge. Add in a character and some additional support and you can see how it can make quick work of a knight or two in one round while hiding in terrain until it needs to poke its head out. They'll likewise make easy work of smaller knights, where Eviscerators and Power Fists will cross the threshold to get them wounding on 4+ and 3+, respectively, before needing to use Red Rampage.

The irony is that Christopher never had to face knights at the event: He faced Death Guard twice, Daemons twice - including in the final round, Thousand Sons, and Chaos Space Marines, covering a healthy variety of traitorous forces. The good news is that an army tooled toward taking down high-toughness targets is also geared toward taking down Death Guard and Daemons.

Harry Addy - Imperial Knights (Noble Lance) - 2nd Place

Taranis Knight Acheron. Credit - Soggy

The List

Army List - Click to Expand
(1985 points)

Imperial Knights Strike Force (2000 points) Noble Lance

CHARACTERS

Canis Rex (380 points) • Warlord • 1x Chainbreaker las-impulsor 1x Chainbreaker multi-laser 1x Freedom's Hand

Cerastus Knight Acheron (395 points) • 1x Acheron flame cannon 1x Reaper chainfist 1x Twin heavy bolter • Enhancement: Banner of Macharius Triumphant

Cerastus Knight Lancer (390 points) • 1x Cerastus shock lance • Enhancement: Mysterious Guardian

BATTLELINE

Armiger Helverin (130 points) • 2x Armiger autocannon 1x Armoured feet 1x Questoris heavy stubber

Armiger Helverin (130 points) • 2x Armiger autocannon 1x Armoured feet 1x Questoris heavy stubber

Armiger Warglaive (140 points) • 1x Meltagun 1x Reaper chain-cleaver 1x Thermal spear

Armiger Warglaive (140 points) • 1x Meltagun 1x Reaper chain-cleaver 1x Thermal spear

Armiger Warglaive (140 points) • 1x Meltagun 1x Reaper chain-cleaver 1x Thermal spear

Armiger Warglaive (140 points) • 1x Meltagun 1x Reaper chain-cleaver 1x Thermal spear

Archetype

Triple bigs

Thoughts

The Acheron is an interesting wrinkle here, opting for a gun that's theoretically great into marines but can't overwatch due to being on a TITANIC chassis. The Reaper chainfist has a massive advantage over some other weapon options however in that it has a fantastic sweep profile, throwing out 12 attacks at S9 , AP-3, 2 damage - comparatively more effective against anything that isn't a 3-wound target than the Lancer's sweep, and nearly as deadly on the strike. And the good news is that there's a Lancer in this list too, which gives it plenty of opportunity to choose. Neither is quite as good as the Atrapos for taking out other knight targets but they're both pretty versatile and capable of moving fast.

Tristan Spencer - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium) - 3rd Place

Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

The List

Army List - Click to Expand
Morty Wombat (2000 Points)

Death Guard Virulent Vectorium Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Biologus Putrifier (45 Points) • 1x Hyper blight grenades • 1x Injector pistol • 1x Plague knives

Daemon Prince of Nurgle (215 Points) • 1x Hellforged weapons • 1x Infernal cannon • Enhancements: Revolting Regeneration

Lord of Contagion (135 Points) • 1x Manreaper • Enhancements: Furnace of Plagues

Malignant Plaguecaster (70 Points) • 1x Bolt pistol • 1x Corrupted staff • 1x Plague Wind • Enhancements: Daemon Weapon of Nurgle

Mortarion (380 Points) • Warlord • 1x Lantern • 1x Rotwind • 1x Silence

BATTLELINE

Plague Marines (190 Points) • 1x Plague Champion ◦ 1x Plasma gun ◦ 1x Power fist • 9x Plague Marine ◦ 2x Blight launcher ◦ 3x Heavy plague weapon ◦ 9x Plague knives ◦ 2x Plague spewer ◦ 2x Plasma gun

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Chaos Rhino (85 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 1x Combi-bolter • 1x Combi-bolter • 1x Havoc launcher

OTHER DATASHEETS

Deathshroud Terminators (140 Points) • 1x Deathshroud Champion ◦ 1x Icon of Despair (Aura) ◦ 1x Manreaper ◦ 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet • 2x Deathshroud Terminator ◦ 2x Manreaper ◦ 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet

Deathshroud Terminators (140 Points) • 1x Deathshroud Champion ◦ 1x Icon of Despair (Aura) ◦ 1x Manreaper ◦ 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet • 2x Deathshroud Terminator ◦ 2x Manreaper ◦ 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (100 Points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher • 1x Plague probe

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (100 Points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher • 1x Plague probe

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (100 Points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher • 1x Plague probe

Myphitic Blight-Haulers (90 Points) • 1x Bile spurt • 1x Gnashing maw • 1x Missile launcher • 1x Multi-melta

Myphitic Blight-Haulers (90 Points) • 1x Bile spurt • 1x Gnashing maw • 1x Missile launcher • 1x Multi-melta

Poxwalkers (60 Points) • 10x Poxwalker ◦ 10x Improvised weapon

Poxwalkers (60 Points) • 10x Poxwalker ◦ 10x Improvised weapon

Archetype

Mortarion Vectorium

Thoughts

There are basically two varieties of Vectorium list, depending on whether you want to run Plague Marines. Tristan has opted for a unit of ten in a Rhino with a Biologus Putrifier and a Malignant Plaguecaster, giving him a solid unit with a good mix of shooting and melee firepower. It's the third big threat in a list that has several, including the two units of Deathshroud, the Daemon Prince, and Mortarion, with Drones and Blight-Haulers to move around the table and pick up key targets.

Rob Elver - Imperial Knights (Noble Lance) - 4th Place

Loyalist Knight Atrapos Loyalist Knight Atrapos. Credit: Jack Hunter

The List

Army List - Click to Expand
nu metal (2000 points)

Imperial Knights Strike Force (2000 points) Noble Lance

CHARACTERS

Canis Rex (380 points) • Warlord • 1x Chainbreaker las-impulsor 1x Chainbreaker multi-laser 1x Freedom's Hand

Cerastus Knight Atrapos (365 points) • 1x Atrapos lascutter 1x Graviton singularity cannon

Cerastus Knight Lancer (365 points) • 1x Cerastus shock lance

Knight Errant (370 points) • 1x Meltagun 1x Reaper chainsword 1x Stormspear rocket pod 1x Thermal cannon • Enhancement: Mysterious Guardian

BATTLELINE

Armiger Helverin (130 points) • 2x Armiger autocannon 1x Armoured feet 1x Questoris heavy stubber

Armiger Helverin (130 points) • 2x Armiger autocannon 1x Armoured feet 1x Questoris heavy stubber

Armiger Helverin (130 points) • 2x Armiger autocannon 1x Armoured feet 1x Questoris heavy stubber

Armiger Helverin (130 points) • 2x Armiger autocannon 1x Armoured feet 1x Questoris heavy stubber

Exported with App Version: v1.38.0 (90), Data Version: v651

Archetype

Four Bigs Knights

Thoughts

The current terror of big knight lists, the Atrapos, is on full display here, flanked by a Lancer, Canis, and a Knight Errant. It's a little bit of everything for dealing with key threats, and Rob had the misfortune of playing against Death Guard three times at the event, losing his first game in round 3 to Virulent Vectorium and winning his games in rounds 5 and 6 by a combined 3 points against another Vectorium list and Mortarion's Hammer.

The Best of the Rest

There were 4 more players on 5-1 records. They were:
  • 5th - Thomas Dobson - Orks (War Horde): Double beastboss and two 10-man units of Beast Snagga Boyz plus two units of Squighog Boyz to take down big vehicle targets.
  • 6th - Ciaran Furlong - Thousand Sons (Grand Coven): Ciaran's list is notable for ditching the Exalted Sorcerers in favor of a trio of Tzaangor Shamans for +1 to hit on his Fatecaster Enlightened.
  • 7th - Byron 🔥🎲 Sidhu - Chaos Daemons (Daemonic Incursion): Byron lost on the top table in the final round, packing a list with five bigs - Be'lakor, LoC, GUO, Rotigus, and Skarbrand.
  • 9th - Tommy French - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium): A Vectorium list running a 10-man unit of Plague Marines in a rhino.
 

Alpine Summer Sprint GT - WTC 2025

50-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Proleb, Steiermark, Austria on August 02 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matchup & Mission - P (Scorched Earth + Crucible of Battle)

Luis Stiemerling - Imperial Knights (Noble Lance)
Army List - Click to Expand
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Imperium - Imperial Knights + DETACHMENT: Noble Lance + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1995pts + WARLORD: Char1: Canis Rex + ENHANCEMENT: - + NUMBER OF UNITS: 8 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Push Push Push

Char1: 1x Canis Rex (380 pts): Warlord • 1x Canis Rex: Chainbreaker las-impulsor, Chainbreaker multi-laser, Freedom's Hand • 1x Sir Hekhtur: Close combat weapon, Hekhtur's pistol Char2: 1x Cerastus Knight Atrapos (365 pts): Atrapos lascutter, Graviton singularity cannon Char3: 1x Cerastus Knight Atrapos (365 pts): Atrapos lascutter, Graviton singularity cannon Char4: 1x Cerastus Knight Atrapos (365 pts): Atrapos lascutter, Graviton singularity cannon

1x Armiger Helverin (130 pts): 2x Armiger autocannon, Armoured feet, Questoris heavy stubber 1x Armiger Helverin (130 pts): 2x Armiger autocannon, Armoured feet, Questoris heavy stubber 1x Armiger Helverin (130 pts): 2x Armiger autocannon, Armoured feet, Questoris heavy stubber 1x Armiger Helverin (130 pts): 2x Armiger autocannon, Armoured feet, Questoris heavy stubber



vs.

Niklas Frerichs - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance)
Army List - Click to Expand
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Chaos - Chaos Knights + DETACHMENT: Infernal Lance + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1995pts + + WARLORD: Char3: Knight Despoiler + ENHANCEMENT: + NUMBER OF UNITS: 7 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (2x2) + (5x6) - Assassination: 5 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

CHARACTER

Char1: 1x Chaos Cerastus Knight Atrapos (355 pts) 1 with Atrapos lascutter, Graviton singularity cannon

Char2: 1x Chaos Cerastus Knight Atrapos (355 pts) 1 with Atrapos lascutter, Graviton singularity cannon

Char3: 1x Knight Despoiler (335 pts) 1 with Titanic feet, Ruinspear rocket pod, Despoiler gatling cannon, Heavy darkflamer, Despoiler gatling cannon, Heavy darkflamer, Diabolus heavy stubber • Warlord

Char4: 1x Knight Despoiler (335 pts) 1 with Titanic feet, Ruinspear rocket pod, Despoiler gatling cannon, Heavy darkflamer, Despoiler gatling cannon, Heavy darkflamer, Diabolus heavy stubber

Char5: 1x Knight Rampager (335 pts) 1 with Diabolus heavy stubber, Reaper chainsword, Warpstrike claw

OTHER DATASHEETS

1x War Dog Karnivore (140 pts) 1 with Reaper chaintalon, Slaughterclaw, Havoc multi-launcher

1x War Dog Karnivore (140 pts) 1 with Reaper chaintalon, Slaughterclaw, Havoc multi-launcher

Thoughts

Rob: Hey look it's the classic matchup of Knights vs. Chaos Knights. Infernal Lance is by far the better competitive play for Chaos Knights into other knight lists, since being able to stick objectives at OC 5 is meaningless in that matchup. Here it's five bigs for the Chaos Knights vs. for for Imperials, and that's a meaningful distinction, even with the Imperial player running triple Atrapos. Those battle cannon Despoilers are no joke, and they're the perfect target to use Diabolic Power on, giving them LETHAL HITS against other big knights to make up for wounding on 5+, and you can use the Warp Vision Stratagem to tack on Ignores Cover to ensure they're saving on 5+ against your AP-2 shots. Pushing through 8 damage on a big knight on average isn't a ton but it's a good starting point for the rest of your army to finish one or two off.

On the Imperial side, the extra Helverins provide more movement and objective holding utility, but will struggle to get damage into big knights and are easy prey for Karnivores. Though ultimately, this one is liable to be a classic "who goes first?" matchup, since killing two big knights early is more important than having late scoring, or at least can make up for it. The likely scenario here is one player goes first and cripples the other, who then retreats and uses end-of-game scoring going second to keep it close.

...which is what happened. Chaos Knights went first and won 55-50, which is a draw in WTC format. Sounds boring.

Result

Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance) Victory - 10 - 10

Niklas Frerichs - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance) - 1st Place

Credit: WhiteOutMouse

The List

Army List - Click to Expand
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Chaos - Chaos Knights + DETACHMENT: Infernal Lance + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1995pts + + WARLORD: Char3: Knight Despoiler + ENHANCEMENT: + NUMBER OF UNITS: 7 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (2x2) + (5x6) - Assassination: 5 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

CHARACTER

Char1: 1x Chaos Cerastus Knight Atrapos (355 pts) 1 with Atrapos lascutter, Graviton singularity cannon

Char2: 1x Chaos Cerastus Knight Atrapos (355 pts) 1 with Atrapos lascutter, Graviton singularity cannon

Char3: 1x Knight Despoiler (335 pts) 1 with Titanic feet, Ruinspear rocket pod, Despoiler gatling cannon, Heavy darkflamer, Despoiler gatling cannon, Heavy darkflamer, Diabolus heavy stubber • Warlord

Char4: 1x Knight Despoiler (335 pts) 1 with Titanic feet, Ruinspear rocket pod, Despoiler gatling cannon, Heavy darkflamer, Despoiler gatling cannon, Heavy darkflamer, Diabolus heavy stubber

Char5: 1x Knight Rampager (335 pts) 1 with Diabolus heavy stubber, Reaper chainsword, Warpstrike claw

OTHER DATASHEETS

1x War Dog Karnivore (140 pts) 1 with Reaper chaintalon, Slaughterclaw, Havoc multi-launcher

1x War Dog Karnivore (140 pts) 1 with Reaper chaintalon, Slaughterclaw, Havoc multi-launcher

Archetype

Five bigs Infernal Lance

Thoughts

I gotta admit I'm a fan of the double gatling Despoilers, who can throw out an eye-watering 36 shots each with either SUSTAINED HITS 1 or LETHAL HITS. At Lethal hits with no cover they'll still manage 8 damage on average per volley to a big knight and they're devastating into smaller targets that might otherwise cause knights problems like GSC or Blood Angels.

Goatboy: Man I won't lie the idea of throwing that many dice with a Gatling Cannon does sound like a lot of fun.  It's the little Ork that lives inside of all of us that loves to throw fistfuls of dice into the "problem" on the table top.

The Best of the Rest

There were 6 more players on 4-1+ records. They were:
  • 2nd (4.5-0.5) - Luis Stiemerling - Imperial Knights (Noble Lance): The aforementioned triple bigs list running Atrapos. This is seen as a "knight killer" list - and with good reason - but can also just get out-biggsed.
  • 3rd - Philip König - Astra Militarum (Combined Regiment): Combined arms with two Dorn Tank Commanders and two Vanquishers, plus a lot of Kasrkin.
  • 4th - Sam Nowrouzi - Necrons (Awakened Dynasty): A wild, super character-heavy list running 40 Necron Warriors and only a single Ghost Ark for its vehicle support.
  • 5th - Mathias Peterlin - Imperial Knights (Noble Lance): Triple Atrapos knights.
  • 6th - Christophe Hardenne - Aeldari (Ghosts of the Webway): A highly mobile list that maxes out on fusion pistols, dark reapers, and Swooping Hawks.
  • 7th - Jonathan Fagnoul - Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): A raiders list running three full-size units of Accursed Cultists supported by Dark Communes.
 

Loch 'n Load GT2

36-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in North Kessock, Scotland, United Kingdom on August 02 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Gerry Wheeler - Necrons (Awakened Dynasty) - 1st Place

Illuminor Szeras Illuminor Szeras Credit: RichyP

The List

Army List - Click to Expand
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++. +++++++ LFG! ++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Xenos - Necrons + DETACHMENT: Awakened Dynasty + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char2: The Silent King + ENHANCEMENT: Enaegic Dermal Bond (on Char2: Skorpekh Lord) & Nether-realm Casket (on Char3: Technomancer) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 14 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (2x2) + (1x6) - Assassination: 6 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x Illuminor Szeras (165 pts): Eldritch lance, Impaling legs Char2: 3x The Silent King (420 pts): Warlord • 1x Szarekh: Sceptre of Eternal Glory, Staff of Stars, Weapons of the Final Triarch • 2x Triarchal Menhir: 2 with Annihilator beam, Armoured bulk Char3: 1x Psychomancer (55 pts): Abyssal lance Char4: 1x Skorpekh Lord (120 pts): Enmitic annihilator, Flensing claw, Hyperphase harvester Enhancement: Enaegic Dermal Bond (+30 pts) Char5: 1x Technomancer (100 pts): Staff of light Enhancement: Nether-realm Casket (+20 pts) Char6: 1x Technomancer (80 pts): Staff of light

5x Flayed Ones (60 pts): 5 with Flayer claws 3x Ophydian Destroyers (80 pts): Plasmacyte, 3 with Ophydian hyperphase weapons 3x Canoptek Scarab Swarms (40 pts): 3 with Feeder mandibles 1x Lokhust Destroyers (40 pts): Close combat weapon, Gauss cannon 6x Canoptek Wraiths (220 pts): 6 with Particle caster, Vicious claws 6x Canoptek Wraiths (220 pts): 6 with Particle caster, Vicious claws 1x Doomsday Ark (200 pts): Armoured bulk, Doomsday cannon, 2x Gauss flayer array 1x Doomsday Ark (200 pts): Armoured bulk, Doomsday cannon, 2x Gauss flayer array

Archetype

Silent King Awakened Dynasty with 12 Wraiths

Thoughts

There's a little big of everything here - Doomsday Arks for shooting big targets, Wraiths for tying things up in melee forever, Ophydians for uppy-downy and melee punch, and the Silent King to hold it all together. There are some cut tricks in here, like the solo Skorpekh Lord with a 4+ Feel No Pain to move around the table causing problems, and it lacks the pieces to score well - but it can stall opponents at mid-table while picking them apart well enough with units that are very annoying to kill.

The Best of the Rest

There were 6 more players on 4-1 records. They were:
  • 2nd - Kenneth Mackenzie - Space Marines (Astartes) (Gladius Task Force): Calgar-led Ultramarines with double Ballistus, double Vindicator.
  • 3rd - Adam Spicer - Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Double Tyrannofex and two big units of Genestealers with Broodlords.
  • 4th - Dean Brannen - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal): Silent King Starshatter with two units of Skorpekh Destroyers.
  • 5th - Karl dowling - Dark Angels (Wrath of the Rock): Azrael and the Lion lead a lot of marines on foot.
  • 6th - Jamie Dickson - Death Guard (Champions of Contagion): 2x10 big units of Plague Marines in Rhinos with character support.
  • 7th - Duncan Brown - Space Marines (Astartes) (Ironstorm Spearhead): Guiliman-led Ultras with triple Ballistus and triple RepEx.
 

Clowns Massacre

30-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on August 02 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Jensen Goh - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium) - 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand
Morty and sons (1995 points)

Death Guard Strike Force (2000 points) Virulent Vectorium

CHARACTERS

Daemon Prince of Nurgle (215 points) • 1x Hellforged weapons 1x Infernal cannon • Enhancement: Revolting Regeneration

Lord of Contagion (120 points) • 1x Manreaper • Enhancement: Daemon Weapon of Nurgle

Mortarion (380 points) • Warlord • 1x Lantern 1x Rotwind 1x Silence

OTHER DATASHEETS

Deathshroud Terminators (140 points) • 1x Deathshroud Champion • 1x Icon of Despair (Aura) 1x Manreaper 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet • 2x Deathshroud Terminator • 2x Manreaper 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet

Deathshroud Terminators (140 points) • 1x Deathshroud Champion • 1x Icon of Despair (Aura) 1x Manreaper 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet • 2x Deathshroud Terminator • 2x Manreaper 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet

Foetid Bloat-Drone (90 points) • 1x Fleshmower 1x Plague probe

Foetid Bloat-Drone (90 points) • 1x Fleshmower 1x Plague probe

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (100 points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher 1x Plague probe

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (100 points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher 1x Plague probe

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (100 points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher 1x Plague probe

Myphitic Blight-Haulers (90 points) • 1x Bile spurt 1x Gnashing maw 1x Missile launcher 1x Multi-melta

Myphitic Blight-Haulers (90 points) • 1x Bile spurt 1x Gnashing maw 1x Missile launcher 1x Multi-melta

Myphitic Blight-Haulers (90 points) • 1x Bile spurt 1x Gnashing maw 1x Missile launcher 1x Multi-melta

Poxwalkers (130 points) • 20x Poxwalker • 20x Improvised weapon

Poxwalkers (60 points) • 10x Poxwalker • 10x Improvised weapon

Poxwalkers (60 points) • 10x Poxwalker • 10x Improvised weapon

Exported with App Version: v1.38.0 (90), Data Version: v651

Archetype

Morty Vectorium, no Plague Marines

Thoughts

This list trades out Plague Marines for additional Bloat-Drones and poxwalkers, giving it surprising speed and versatility when it comes to engaging around the table. Its answers to big vehicles are limited, but Jensen managed to dodge knights en route to his event win, beating most infantry-heavy lists to get there. Triple poxwalkers are a big help against GSC, Space Wolves, and World Eaters, and they're not bad into Eldar, either.

The Best of the Rest

There were 4 more players on 4-1 records. They were:
  • 2nd - Xabi Sevi - Space Wolves (Stormlance Task Force): TWC and Wulfen supported by Predators.
  • 3rd - Cat Le - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal): Silent King Starshatter with 12 Wraiths.
  • 4th - Carlos Trinh - Imperial Knights (Noble Lance): Four bigs running an Atrapos, Lancer, and Castigator.
  • 5th - Vinh Tran - Imperial Knights (Noble Lance): Triple Atrapos and a Castellan to make five bigs.
 

Conclaribe Mix 2025

26-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Talavera de la Reina, CM, España on August 02 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Terroxer El Rojo - Thousand Sons (Grand Coven) - 1st Place

The List

Army List - Click to Expand
Conclave (2000 points)

Thousand Sons Strike Force (2000 points) Grand Coven

CHARACTERS

Daemon Prince of Tzeentch (180 points) • 1x Dark Blessing 1x Hellforged weapons 1x Infernal cannon

Exalted Sorcerer (95 points) • 1x Astral Blast 1x Force weapon 1x Inferno bolt pistol • Enhancement: Incandaeum

Exalted Sorcerer (100 points) • 1x Astral Blast 1x Force weapon 1x Inferno bolt pistol • Enhancement: Umbralefic Crystal

Infernal Master (110 points) • 1x Fires of the Abyss 1x Force weapon 1x Inferno bolt pistol • Enhancement: Eldritch Vortex of E'Taph

Magnus the Red (420 points) • Warlord • 1x Blade of Magnus 1x Gaze of Magnus 1x Tzeentch's Firestorm

Sorcerer (75 points) • 1x Force weapon 1x Inferno bolt pistol 1x Pandaemonic Delusion

BATTLELINE

Rubric Marines (100 points) • 1x Aspiring Sorcerer • 1x Force weapon 1x Inferno bolt pistol 1x Malefic Curse • 4x Rubric Marine • 4x Close combat weapon 1x Icon of Flame 3x Inferno boltgun 1x Soulreaper cannon

Rubric Marines (100 points) • 1x Aspiring Sorcerer • 1x Force weapon 1x Inferno bolt pistol 1x Malefic Curse • 4x Rubric Marine • 4x Close combat weapon 1x Icon of Flame 1x Soulreaper cannon 3x Warpflamer

Rubric Marines (100 points) • 1x Aspiring Sorcerer • 1x Force weapon 1x Inferno bolt pistol 1x Malefic Curse • 4x Rubric Marine • 4x Close combat weapon 1x Icon of Flame 3x Inferno boltgun 1x Soulreaper cannon

Rubric Marines (100 points) • 1x Aspiring Sorcerer • 1x Force weapon 1x Inferno bolt pistol 1x Malefic Curse • 4x Rubric Marine • 4x Close combat weapon 1x Icon of Flame 3x Inferno boltgun 1x Soulreaper cannon

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Chaos Rhino (90 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Havoc launcher 2x Inferno combi-bolter

OTHER DATASHEETS

Forgefiend (140 points) • 3x Ectoplasma cannon 1x Forgefiend claws

Mutalith Vortex Beast (160 points) • 1x Betentacled maw 1x Mutalith claws 1x Warp vortex

Sekhetar Robots (90 points) • 2x Sekhetar Robot • 2x Close combat weapon 2x Heavy warpflamer 2x Hellfyre missile rack 2x Power claw 2x Warpflame projector

Tzaangors (70 points) • 1x Twistbray • 1x Tzaangor blades • 9x Tzaangor • 9x Tzaangor blades

Tzaangors (70 points) • 1x Twistbray • 1x Tzaangor blades • 9x Tzaangor • 9x Tzaangor blades

Archetype

Thousand Sons Good stuff

Thoughts

Goatboy: This is an interesting list when I compare it to other Thousand Sons armies I see or play against. I always like seeing a mash up of a bunch of different things surrounded by a ton of Rubrics to help "hold" the line.  It feels like it can easily turn on the gas and just wreck things as a ton of the parts can just go ham and pour out the damage.  I would think facing this list I wouldn't understand how it all works together and then watch it tear apart my poor World Eaters in waves of psychic nonsense.  There doesn't feel like one single thing you would target and each part seems like it could easily counter whatever nonsense was thrown at them. Looking at the win path Terrorex even took down the 3rd place finisher with a pretty rough Mortarion's Hammer list at the end.  Thousand Sons can just do a ton of damage and this list can stack it between Magnus, Infernal Master, Mutalith, and Forgefiend as needed.

Rob: Sekhetar always feel like a waste of points to me but it's legitimately interesting to to see a list go this heavy on Rubrics with support from a Forgefiend.

The Best of the Rest

There were 4 more players on 4-1 records. They were:
  • 2nd - Manue WargamesAdictos - Drukhari (Reaper's Wager):
  • 3rd - Chejuan . - Death Guard (Mortarion's Hammer):
  • 4th - Aranda . - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance):
  • 5th - Borja FM - Space Marines (Astartes) (Librarius Conclave):

Wrap Up

That wraps up part two of this week's Competitive Innovations but check back tomorrow when we'll wrap things up with part 3 and the rest of the week's events.

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Tags: 40k | imperial knights | Death Guard | Warhammer 40k | competitive play | Start Competing | Meta Analysis | Competitive Innovations

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