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.

Do you know who we've not heard from in a while? The Astra Militarum - they've got some pretty suite options available right now, but players have been lured away by the delights of Aeldari, Black Templars, and Adeptus Mechanicus. Well they're back with a vengeance today, as we've got a bonus Showdown from a player who took them to the top table at Da Boyz - could he close the deal in the Showdown? Let's find out.

Part 3 on Saturday:

DaBoyz GT Rochester 2025 40K 1v1
Exterminatus 025.M3
Open Pucela Wargames 2025 - Torneo Warhammer 40k
WARPStorm GT 2025
Geekfest - Arcs of Fire - Warhammer 40K GT

Part 1 on Wednesday:

The California Cup '25 - Warhammer 40K
Ratcon 2025
GUTI Majestic Beasties V (2025)
BOLTERCON 2025: Warhammer 40k GT
Waterloo Games Winter 40K Event Hosted by Away Games
Safety's Off Fat Cap for Charity Ironman GT

Part 2 on Friday:

Show Me Showdown Warhammer 40k Championships
ATHENS WARLORD 2
Boise Diamond Series GT - November 2025
40K Iron Man 2025
Nemesis 40k Fall 2025

DaBoyz GT Rochester 2025 40K 1v1

86-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in West Henrietta, New York, US on November 15 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Linchpin - Search and Destroy

Neil Burns-Morales - Astra Militarum (Combined Arms)

Army List - Click to Expand

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Imperium - Astra Militarum + DETACHMENT: Combined Arms (Lethal Hits) + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char5: Tech-Priest Enginseer + ENHANCEMENT: Death Mask of Ollanius (on Char2: Cadian Command Squad - Cadian Commander) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 15 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (2x2) + (3x4) - Assassination: 5 Characters - Cull The Horde: 1x5 (before leaders attached) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 6x Gaunt's Ghosts (100 pts) • 5x Tanith Ghost 1 with Tanith Ghost, Bragg's autocannon, Straight silver knife 1 with Tanith Ghost, Corbec's hot-shot lascarbine, Straight silver knife 1 with Tanith Ghost, Larkin's long-las, Straight silver knife 1 with Tanith Ghost, Lascarbine, Mkoll's straight silver knife 1 with Tanith Ghost, Rawne's lascarbine, Straight silver knife • 1x Ibram Gaunt: Bolt pistol, Gaunt's chainsword Char2: 5x Cadian Command Squad (75 pts) • 4x Cadian Veteran Guardsman 1 with Cadian Veteran Guardsman, Close combat weapon, Plasma gun, Plasma pistol 1 with Master vox, Cadian Veteran Guardsman, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 1 with Medi-pack, Cadian Veteran Guardsman, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 1 with Cadian Veteran Guardsman, Close combat weapon, Plasma gun • 1x Cadian Commander: Power fist, Plasma pistol Enhancement: Death Mask of Ollanius (+10 pts) Char3: 1x Rogal Dorn Commander (275 pts): Armoured tracks, Heavy stubber, Pulveriser cannon, 2x Heavy stubber, 2x Multi-melta, Coaxial autocannon, Oppressor cannon Char4: 1x Rogal Dorn Commander (275 pts): Armoured tracks, Heavy stubber, Pulveriser cannon, 2x Heavy stubber, 2x Multi-melta, Coaxial autocannon, Oppressor cannon Char5: 1x Tech-Priest Enginseer (45 pts): Warlord, Enginseer Axe, Mechanicus pistol, Servo-arm

20x Cadian Shock Troops (120 pts) • 18x Shock Trooper 12 with Shock Trooper, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 2 with Vox-caster, Shock Trooper, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 2 with Shock Trooper, Close combat weapon, Meltagun 2 with Shock Trooper, Close combat weapon, Plasma gun • 2x Shock Trooper Sergeant: 2 with Close combat weapon, Sergeant's autogun 10x Death Korps of Krieg (65 pts) • 9x Death Korps Trooper 5 with Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 1 with Death Korps of Krieg Medi-pack, Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 1 with Vox-caster, Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 1 with Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Meltagun 1 with Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Plasma gun • 1x Death Korps Watchmaster: Chainsword, Bolt pistol 10x Death Korps of Krieg (65 pts) • 9x Death Korps Trooper 5 with Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 1 with Death Korps of Krieg Medi-pack, Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 1 with Vox-caster, Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Lasgun 1 with Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Meltagun 1 with Death Korps of Krieg, Close combat weapon, Plasma gun • 1x Death Korps Watchmaster: Chainsword, Bolt pistol

6x Bullgryn Squad (200 pts) • 1x Bullgryn Bone 'ead: Brute shield, Close combat weapon, Bullgryn maul • 5x Bullgryn: 5 with Brute shield, Close combat weapon, Bullgryn maul 3x Bullgryn Squad (100 pts) • 1x Bullgryn Bone 'ead: Brute shield, Close combat weapon, Bullgryn maul • 2x Bullgryn: 2 with Brute shield, Close combat weapon, Bullgryn maul 10x Kasrkin (110 pts) • 9x Kasrkin Trooper 2 with Kasrkin, Close combat weapon, Hot-shot lasgun 1 with Melta mine, Kasrkin, Close combat weapon, Hot-shot laspistol 1 with Kasrkin, Close combat weapon, Hot-shot marksman rifle 1 with Vox-caster, Kasrkin, Close combat weapon, Hot-shot lasgun 2 with Kasrkin, Close combat weapon, Meltagun 2 with Kasrkin, Close combat weapon, Plasma gun • 1x Kasrkin Sergeant: Power weapon, Plasma pistol 5x Ratlings (60 pts): 5 with Close combat weapon, Sniper rifle 1x Leman Russ Battle Tank (185 pts): Armoured tracks, Leman Russ battle cannon, Lascannon 1x Rogal Dorn Battle Tank (250 pts): Armoured tracks, Heavy stubber, Pulveriser cannon, 2x Heavy stubber, 2x Multi-melta, Coaxial autocannon, Oppressor cannon 1x Taurox (75 pts): Armoured tracks, Twin autocannon

vs.

Parker Thomas - Necrons (Awakened Dynasty)

Army List - Click to Expand

Awakened (2000 points)

Necrons Strike Force (2000 points) Awakened Dynasty

CHARACTERS

Catacomb Command Barge (155 points) • 1x Gauss cannon 1x Resurrection Orb 1x Staff of light • Enhancement: Phasal Subjugator (Aura)

C'tan Shard of the Nightbringer (305 points) • 1x Gaze of death 1x Scythe of the Nightbringer

Imotekh the Stormlord (100 points) • 1x Gauntlet of Fire 1x Staff of the Destroyer

Royal Warden (50 points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Relic gauss blaster

Technomancer (80 points) • 1x Staff of light

The Silent King (400 points) • 1x Szarekh • Warlord • 1x Sceptre of Eternal Glory 1x Staff of Stars 1x Weapons of the Final Triarch • 2x Triarchal Menhir • 2x Annihilator beam 2x Armoured bulk

OTHER DATASHEETS

Canoptek Reanimator (75 points) • 2x Atomiser beam 1x Reanimator's claws

Canoptek Wraiths (220 points) • 6x Canoptek Wraith • 6x Particle caster 6x Vicious claws

Doomsday Ark (200 points) • 1x Armoured bulk 1x Doomsday cannon 2x Gauss flayer array

Doomsday Ark (200 points) • 1x Armoured bulk 1x Doomsday cannon 2x Gauss flayer array

Flayed Ones (60 points) • 5x Flayed One • 5x Flayer claws

Ophydian Destroyers (80 points) • 3x Ophydian Destroyer • 3x Ophydian hyperphase weapons 1x Plasmacyte

Tomb Blades (75 points) • 3x Tomb Blade • 3x Close combat weapon 3x Particle beamer 3x Shadowloom

Thoughts

As mentioned up top, we have a guest showdown from one of the participants here, so without further ado, take it away Neil!

Neil: Hi Goonhammer, longtime listener, first time caller. I played in Da Boyz GT, in fabulous Rochester New York this past weekend, and wound up getting best general with Imperial Guard.

My last match, was against a RWGC clubmate Parker, and it was a blast. The mission was Linchpin, the deployment was Search and Destroy, easy enough! Parker and I rolled off, giving him the first drop, placing some Flayed Ones near my natural, and giving me the opportunity to place some of my Ratlings on his. After this, we deployed our armies, I volunteered to reserve my Leman Russ Battle Tank, as it's fairly good at taking out opponents on objectives without order support, and noticed that in deployment, Parker elected to place his Wraithbrick not in the center, but more towards his natural expansion. In turn, I put my own 6 pack of Bullgryn towards that end, hoping to tie them up. I deployed 2 my two Krieg bricks daisy chained back a bit to take orders from Gaunts Ghosts, to Move Move Move! up to the center and to my natural expansion, and deployed my Dorns rather conservatively to hide away from the DDA's and Silent King, as they could easily poke out and start layering hurt on my poor tanks.

I rolled a 5, to Parkers 4, so I went first. Bring it Down! and Sabotage, shoot. Those aren't going to do me much this turn. Scouting ahead, my Taurox zipped down the table towards Parkers natural expansion, an order and a juicy Advance + Scout move landing the front of my car right against the edge of the objective inside the ruin, preparing Kasrkin to poke their heads out and start taking pot shots next turn. My Bullgryn also thundered up the table with a good advance right alongside. My 10-man Krieg squad moved up to my natural expansion, and my 3 pack of Bullgryn got nice and cozy in the L corner ruins outside my deployment zone, and started to Sabotage. My Ratlings broke cover, scooting up to take potshots at the Wraith brick, and end their moves to force some cheeky move blocks. Finally, my Cadians started to step forwards, preparing to punish anything wanting to move to the center.

Parkers turn 1 had a mass exit from his deployment zone, as he pulled A Tempting Target, and Secure No Man's Land. The Silent King and DDA's leveled weapons at a poor Dorn Tank commander, Tomb Blades zipped out and starting disintegrating my Kriegers, and Flayed Ones stalking ever close to another unit of them. Thankfully, the smoke launchers on my tank, coupled with my Enginseer throwing as many sacred oils and ungents as they could on it allowed it to survive the punishing fusilade. The same couldn't be said for my poor Kriegers, as Flayed Ones made their charge and devoured them. Thanks to my moveblock with the Ratling, he couldn't score A Tempting Target! yet, but elected to hold into it for his next turn.

For turn 2, I pull Overwhelming Force, and Area Denial, looking for a bigger Secondary turn, and start moving. My Cadians step forwards, ready to do their best to mow down the Tomb Blades on the center objective. My Dorns both moved forwards, ready to send salvo after salvo of rounds into the Silent King, while my Kasrkin got out, forcing a heap of OC onto their point. Some of the Bullgryn thunder out ready to slam into the Wraiths, while others lurk on my expansion, and finally, my very wounded Dorn gets a little fixing from the Enginseer, and limps to someplace out of line of sight. In my shooting, I manage to knock down both of the Silent Kings Menhirs, and pour 6 wounds onto him; and next I make my Bullgryn charge! They bash down 2 Wraiths, and take just a single wound for their trouble, though on his following turn the DDAs will do them some real damage.

Elsewhere on Parker's turn, the ever durable nature of the Necrons presents itself, machines reassembling and shattered necrodermis reconstituting, undoing my entire assault phase into the Wraiths, and bringing the Silent King back to full! He surges forward with his Wraiths, leaving combat with my Bullgryn, to ensure that he can place as much OC as possible on his natural expansion, guaranteeing A Tempting Target! After that, the Nightbringer arrives from Reserves with a line of sight right into my wounded Dorn, ready to kill! He fires, 2 successful hits, 2 wounds! I barely manage to stop 1, and a burnt command point rerolls my 2 into a 4, keeping the Dorn Commander alive for another turn!

My next turn, I draw Defend Stronghold, and Storm Hostile. My Kasrkin order themselves Duty and Honor!, locking the objective down with 20 OC, and poke out to take some pot shots and adhere a Melta Mine to a close by wraith (this was a mistake). My Dorns fire everything into the Silent King, and manage to barely secure the kill. My Bullgryn slam back into the Wraith Brick, ready to hold them there for as long as they can. Cadians push forwards, sticking the center, and prepare to keep the pressure up alongside my Dorns. Outflanking 9" away, my Dorn and LRBT draw a bead on the Night Bringer, and manage to take him down.

For Parker's turn 3, he rips Behind Enemy Lines, and Engage on All Fronts. This is perfect for him, a Royal Warden hops the wall, and pours some rounds into the bullgryn on natural, and his Ophydian Destroyers deeps trike 9" away from my Tech-Priest, ready to make their charge, and they do! The machines slam into them, but Heroic Intervention looks ready to come in clutch, with Gaunt's Ghosts zipping into the machines - then doing 0 damage on their Fight First. Shoot! Parker splits attacks, easily destroying the machine god worshipper, and cutting down 3 of Gaunts ghosts. Gauss Arrays also scythe down Cadians, leaving just my Veteran with Plasma Gun, Vox Caster, and Company Commander left!

On my turn 4, I pull Secure, and Establish. Gaunt and Co order Duty and Honor, keeping my home, and they bravely run away! My dorn looks at the Ophydians, and easily picks them up. One of my Veterans runs up, eager to press a Locus Button in his deployment zone after passing a battleshock test, (mostly) unscathed from an overwatch! My basic Dorn charges forwards, slamming it's armored hull into the Wraith Brick, keeping it pinned to that side of the table as I keep moving,

At this point, the game had such a points disparity, that we talked it out, totaling our scores 92 - 66. Through strength of move blocking, my Bullgryn being little stars, and the power of the 4++ invulnerable save, my army of conscripted penal legionnaires manages to secure a win against the Necron menace!

I'd like to shout out my opponents. Chester, your Chaos Knights were cool as hell, and you were a spectacular opponent. Craig, your Nurgle Daemons looked positively revolting (in a good way!), and I was overjoyed to get our rematch in after all this time. Dave, you're the entire reason I was motivated to become a better player and painter, and your Knight Household bangs. Joe, you're still the source of the hardest games I've had in my entire life, and have never once shyed away from helping someone improve at the game, and finally Parker, you have improved dramatically in the time you've been playing, and it's been a treat seeing what a strong player you're becoming! And, another thank you to entire Da Boyz crew for holding the event I've loved for so long, and finally Goonhammer for being a lovely consolidated source of tabletop info. Thank you for reading!

Result

Astra Militarum (Combined Arms) Victory - 92 - 66

Neil Burns-Morales - Astra Militarum (Combined Arms) - 1st Place

Credit: Neil Burns-Morales

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Heavy Combined Arms

Thoughts

As covered in the Showdown, Neil's powerful build went all the way here, leaning on the brutal power of triple Dorn and the strong tarpit of the Bullgryn. Worth saying that I think Bullgryn shoot up in value even more if Victrix Guard dominate the metagame as much as it looks like they might - they have almost the literal perfect defensive statline against them, meaning that even in perfect conditions (banner waved, Oaths up) six Victrix with the champ shouldn't get through a full Bullgryn unit, which is a heck of a speed bump. Congratulations to Neil on the win!

Travis King - Adeptus Mechanicus (Skitarii Hunter Cohort) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Sicarian Infiltrators. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

It Worked for me at Worlds so why stop now (2000 Points)

Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii Hunter Cohort Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Belisarius Cawl (175 Points) • Warlord • 1x Arc scourge • 1x Cawl's Omnissian axe • 1x Mechadendrite hive • 1x Solar atomiser

Skitarii Marshal (60 Points) • 1x Control stave • 1x Mechanicus pistol • Enhancements: Cantic Thrallnet

BATTLELINE

Skitarii Rangers (85 Points) • 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha ◦ 1x Alpha combat weapon ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Galvanic rifle • 9x Skitarii Ranger ◦ 1x Arc rifle ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 6x Galvanic rifle ◦ 1x Omnispex ◦ 1x Plasma caliver ◦ 1x Transuranic arquebus

Skitarii Rangers (85 Points) • 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha ◦ 1x Alpha combat weapon ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Galvanic rifle • 9x Skitarii Ranger ◦ 1x Arc rifle ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 6x Galvanic rifle ◦ 1x Omnispex ◦ 1x Plasma caliver ◦ 1x Transuranic arquebus

OTHER DATASHEETS

Ironstrider Ballistarii (225 Points) • 3x Ironstrider Ballistarii ◦ 3x Ironstrider feet ◦ 3x Twin cognis lascannon

Ironstrider Ballistarii (225 Points) • 3x Ironstrider Ballistarii ◦ 3x Ironstrider feet ◦ 3x Twin cognis autocannon

Ironstrider Ballistarii (225 Points) • 3x Ironstrider Ballistarii ◦ 3x Ironstrider feet ◦ 3x Twin cognis lascannon

Pteraxii Skystalkers (140 Points) • 1x Pteraxii Skystalker Alpha ◦ 1x Flechette blaster ◦ 1x Taser goad • 9x Pteraxii Skystalker ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 9x Flechette carbine

Pteraxii Skystalkers (140 Points) • 1x Pteraxii Skystalker Alpha ◦ 1x Flechette blaster ◦ 1x Taser goad • 9x Pteraxii Skystalker ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 9x Flechette carbine

Pteraxii Skystalkers (140 Points) • 1x Pteraxii Skystalker Alpha ◦ 1x Flechette blaster ◦ 1x Taser goad • 9x Pteraxii Skystalker ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 9x Flechette carbine

Sicarian Infiltrators (70 Points) • 1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps ◦ 1x Flechette blaster ◦ 1x Taser goad • 4x Sicarian Infiltrator ◦ 4x Flechette blaster ◦ 4x Taser goad

Sicarian Infiltrators (140 Points) • 1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps ◦ 1x Flechette blaster ◦ 1x Taser goad • 9x Sicarian Infiltrator ◦ 9x Flechette blaster ◦ 9x Taser goad

Sicarian Infiltrators (140 Points) • 1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps ◦ 1x Flechette blaster ◦ 1x Taser goad • 9x Sicarian Infiltrator ◦ 9x Flechette blaster ◦ 9x Taser goad

Sicarian Ruststalkers (150 Points) • 1x Sicarian Ruststalker Princeps ◦ 1x Transonic blades and chordclaw • 9x Sicarian Ruststalker ◦ 9x Transonic razor and chordclaw

Exported with App Version: v1.43.1 (1), Data Version: v708

Archetype

Ironstrider Hunter Cohort

Thoughts

Hunter Cohort sustains the momentum from the World Championships here, with Travis taking an Ironstrider, Skystalkeer and Infiltrator-heavy build. As we saw at the Champs, this lets you set up a very tricky to attack board position right out the gate, then lean on chip damage from Skystalkers and alpha strikes from Ironstriders to close out games. Travis did just that here, going undefeated with a series of eye-wateringly dominant games score-wise!

John Davison - T'au Empire (Retaliation Cadre) - 3rd Place (Undefeated)

Tau Coldstar Commander. Credit: Jack Hunter

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

My Only Goal With This List is to Place Higher than Other T'au Players Despite Literally Picking Up the Faction for the First Time On The Day Of List Lock (2000 Points)

T'au Empire Retaliation Cadre Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Commander Farsight (85 Points) • 1x Dawn Blade • 1x High-intensity plasma rifle

Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit (95 Points) • 1x Battlesuit fists • 2x Burst cannon • 1x Cyclic ion blaster • 2x Gun Drone • 1x High-output burst cannon

Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit (115 Points) • 1x Battlesuit Support System • 1x Battlesuit fists • 3x Fusion blaster • 1x Marker Drone • 1x Shield Drone • Enhancements: Internal Grenade Racks

Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit (100 Points) • 1x Battlesuit fists • 1x Cyclic ion blaster • 2x Gun Drone • 3x Missile pod • Enhancements: Starflare Ignition System

Darkstrider (60 Points) • Warlord • 1x Close combat weapon • 1x Shade

Firesight Team (60 Points) • 1x Close combat weapons • 1x Longshot pulse rifles • 1x Pulse pistol

OTHER DATASHEETS

Crisis Fireknife Battlesuits (120 Points) • 1x Crisis Fireknife Shas'vre ◦ 1x Battlesuit fists ◦ 1x Gun Drone ◦ 1x Marker Drone ◦ 2x Missile pod • 2x Crisis Fireknife Shas'ui ◦ 2x Battlesuit fists ◦ 2x Gun Drone ◦ 4x Missile pod ◦ 2x Shield Drone

Crisis Starscythe Battlesuits (110 Points) • 1x Crisis Starscythe Shas'vre ◦ 1x Battlesuit fists ◦ 1x Gun Drone ◦ 1x Marker Drone ◦ 2x T'au flamer • 2x Crisis Starscythe Shas'ui ◦ 2x Battlesuit fists ◦ 2x Gun Drone ◦ 2x Shield Drone ◦ 4x T'au flamer

Crisis Starscythe Battlesuits (110 Points) • 1x Crisis Starscythe Shas'vre ◦ 1x Battlesuit fists ◦ 2x Burst cannon ◦ 1x Gun Drone ◦ 1x Marker Drone • 2x Crisis Starscythe Shas'ui ◦ 2x Battlesuit fists ◦ 4x Burst cannon ◦ 2x Gun Drone ◦ 2x Shield Drone

Crisis Sunforge Battlesuits (140 Points) • 1x Crisis Sunforge Shas'vre ◦ 1x Battlesuit fists ◦ 2x Fusion blaster ◦ 1x Gun Drone ◦ 1x Marker Drone • 2x Crisis Sunforge Shas'ui ◦ 2x Battlesuit fists ◦ 4x Fusion blaster ◦ 2x Gun Drone ◦ 2x Shield Drone

Kroot Carnivores (65 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 Semi-automatic grenade launcher ◦ 1x Shield Drone • 9x Pathfinder ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 6x Pulse carbine ◦ 9x Pulse pistol ◦ 3x Rail rifle

Piranhas (60 Points) • 1x Armoured hull • 1x Piranha fusion blaster • 2x Seeker missile • 2x Twin pulse carbine

Piranhas (60 Points) • 1x Armoured hull • 1x Piranha fusion blaster • 2x Seeker missile • 2x Twin pulse carbine

Riptide Battlesuit (190 Points) • 1x Ion accelerator • 2x Missile Drone • 1x Riptide fists • 1x Twin fusion blaster

Riptide Battlesuit (190 Points) • 1x Ion accelerator • 2x Missile Drone • 1x Riptide fists • 1x Twin fusion blaster

Riptide Battlesuit (190 Points) • 1x Ion accelerator • 2x Missile Drone • 1x Riptide fists • 1x Twin fusion blaster

Stealth Battlesuits (80 Points) • 1x Stealth Shas'vre ◦ 1x Battlesuit fists ◦ 1x Fusion Blaster ◦ 1x Gun Drone ◦ 1x Homing Beacon ◦ 1x Marker Drone • 2x Stealth Shas'ui ◦ 2x Battlesuit fists ◦ 2x Burst cannon

Stealth Battlesuits (80 Points) • 1x Stealth Shas'vre ◦ 1x Battlesuit fists ◦ 1x Fusion Blaster ◦ 1x Gun Drone ◦ 1x Homing Beacon ◦ 1x Marker Drone • 2x Stealth Shas'ui ◦ 2x Battlesuit fists ◦ 2x Burst cannon

Exported with App Version: v1.43.1 (1), Data Version: v708

Archetype

Triptide and Toolbox Cadre

Thoughts

Rounding out the undefeated podium here are the T'au, with John packing a fairly heavy Retaliation Cadre list. Triptides provide generic heavy lifting, and still leave enough points to keep a full suite of Crisis on-hand - the fusion and missile squads for general damage dealing, and one of each Starscythe flavour to make Aeldari and similar cry. For my money this is about as anti-Aeldari as you can go with T'au - they don't love seeing Triptide because they can only really shoot for one a turn, while Starscythes with access to 6" drop are a huge headache for them. For everyone else, the tried and true Starflare > shoot > Torchstar plan keeps objectives in play even if the opponent starts pushing the T'au back, which is really high value. I rate this the highest of the T'au flavours that don't dip into Kroot right now, well done to John for using it to great effect.

Greg Seward - Blood Angels (Liberator Assault Group) - 4th Place

Mephiston by Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Flesh Tearers not Blood Angels

Space Marines Blood Angels Liberator Assault Group Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

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

Captain with Jump Pack (75 Points) • 1x Relic Shield • 1x Thunder hammer

Chaplain with Jump Pack (100 Points) • 1x Powerfist • 1x Crozius arcanum • Enhancements: Speed of the Primarch

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

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

BATTLELINE

Intercessor Squad (80 Points) • 1x Intercessor Sergeant ◦ 1x Bolt pistol ◦ 1x Bolt rifle ◦ 1x Power fist • 4x Intercessor ◦ 1x Astartes grenade launcher ◦ 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 Plasma pistol ◦ 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 Plasma pistol ◦ 1x Power fist • 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs ◦ 4x Astartes chainsword ◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

Baal Predator (125 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 1x Baal flamestorm cannon • 2x Heavy flamer • 1x Hunter-killer missile • 1x Storm bolter

Baal Predator (125 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 1x Baal flamestorm cannon • 2x Heavy flamer • 1x Hunter-killer missile • 1x Storm bolter

Bladeguard Veteran Squad (170 Points) • 1x Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant ◦ 1x Master-crafted power weapon ◦ 1x Neo-volkite pistol • 5x Bladeguard Veteran ◦ 5x Heavy bolt pistol ◦ 5x 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

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

Sanguinary Guard (260 Points) • 6x Sanguinary Guard ◦ 4x Angelus boltgun ◦ 6x Encarmine spear ◦ 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: v1.43.0 (1), Data Version: v705

Archetype

Pressure Liberator

Thoughts

A fairly melee-skewed Liberator build to round out this top four, bringing just a couple of Baals for a bit of (literal) fire support. There are some good gut punch pieces available, including the Rage Fuelled Captain with some Sternguard for maximum explosive damage, plus the Speed Chaplain with the jump Death Company instead of Lemartes. My assumption is that this is for the Aeldari matchup - Lemartes is superior in general, but Aspect Host Jain Zar with Ignore Modifiers can trades up viciously into the unit, so protecting them from that us useful. I'd maybe have doubled down on that by bringing a Judiciar for the Bladeguard here as well, but the overall setup is still very high pressure and quite scary, making it to one of the top tables at the end, and just not quite having the multi-front damage to handle the Adeptus Mechanicus build above. Well done to Greg on 4th.

The Best of the Rest

There were 12 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

5th - Parker Thomas - Necrons (Awakened Dynasty): Awakened Silent King and Doomsdays with the Nightbringer and one Wraith unit as durable pieces.
6th - Alden Rubin - Chaos Daemons (Daemonic Incursion): Khorne monster mash, going for triple Bloodthirster and Skarbrand with Be'lakor.
7th - Marshall Arthurs - Dark Angels (Wrath of the Rock): DWK/Lion Wraith, with one Ravenwing Command/Outrider unit as a speedy threat.
8th - Joseph Sault - Adeptus Custodes (Lions of the Emperor): An unusual Lions list with lots of small Allarus units and lots of Vigilators, taking advantage of the Lions buff to make the latter strong trade pieces.
9th - Kevin Foser - Chaos Daemons (Daemonic Incursion): Nurgle/Khorne Monster mash.
10th - David Koszka - Imperial Knights (Valourstrike Lance): Quad bigs with Canis, a Valiant, Paladin and Gallant.
11th - James Piacelli - Grey Knights (Warpbane Task Force): Extra shooty Grey Knights with Dreadknights, Purifiers and Librarians with a Stormraven.
12th - Rick Henkel - Thousand Sons (Grand Coven): No Magnus Grand Coven, fitting in lots of Rubricae and double Prince with the points freed up.
13th - William Pagonis - Blood Angels (Angelic Inheritors): Max Sanguinary Guard with some shooty threats behind them, using Devastators and an Apothecary for access to the 18" Lone Op strat.
14th - Matthew O'Hara - Adepta Sororitas (Hallowed Martyrs): Extra herohammr Martyrs with the Triumph.
15th - Chester Case - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance): Double Despoiler and a Lancer/Rampager pressure setup.
16th - James deAvila - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium): Heavy Vectorium, using Mortarion, a full Plague Marine unit and a big Deathshroud squad.

Exterminatus 025.M3

57-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Oslo, NO on November 15 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Snorre Bugge - Adeptus Custodes (Talons of the Emperor) - 1st Place

Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike. Credit: Pendulin

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Oops, Golden Horde (1995 points)

Adeptus Custodes Strike Force (2000 points) Talons of the Emperor

CHARACTERS

Blade Champion (150 points) • 1x Vaultswords • Enhancement: Radiant Mantle

Blade Champion (120 points) • 1x Vaultswords

Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike (170 points) • 1x Interceptor lance 1x Vertus hurricane bolter • Enhancement: Aegis Projector

Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike (150 points) • Warlord • 1x Interceptor lance 1x Vertus hurricane bolter

BATTLELINE

Custodian Guard (200 points) • 5x Custodian Guard • 3x Guardian spear 2x Praesidium Shield 2x Sentinel blade

OTHER DATASHEETS

Custodian Wardens (260 points) • 5x Custodian Warden • 1x Castellan axe 4x Guardian spear 1x Vexilla

Custodian Wardens (210 points) • 4x Custodian Warden • 1x Castellan axe 3x Guardian spear 1x Vexilla

Vertus Praetors (150 points) • 2x Vertus Praetor • 2x Interceptor lance 2x Vertus hurricane bolter

Vertus Praetors (150 points) • 2x Vertus Praetor • 2x Interceptor lance 2x Vertus hurricane bolter

Vigilators (50 points) • 1x Vigilator Sister Superior • 1x Executioner greatblade • 3x Vigilator • 3x Executioner greatblade

Vigilators (50 points) • 1x Vigilator Sister Superior • 1x Executioner greatblade • 3x Vigilator • 3x Executioner greatblade

Witchseekers (50 points) • 1x Witchseeker Sister Superior • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Witchseeker flamer • 3x Witchseeker • 3x Close combat weapon 3x Witchseeker flamer

ALLIED UNITS

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

Exaction Squad (90 points) • 1x Proctor-Exactant • 1x Arbites combat shotgun 1x Arbites shotpistol 1x Close combat weapon • 9x Exaction Vigilant • 1x Arbites Medi-kit 7x Arbites combat shotgun 1x Arbites grenade launcher 9x Arbites shotpistol 9x Close combat weapon 1x Excruciator maul 1x Executioner shotgun 1x Soulguilt Scanner • 1x Cyber-mastiff • 1x Mechanical bite

Inquisitor Draxus (95 points) • 1x Dirgesinger 1x Power fist 1x Psychic Tempest

Exported with App Version: v1.43.1 (103), Data Version: v708

Archetype

Pressure Talons

Thoughts

A rare showing for the Talons of the Emperor here, using a list that leans on the extra mobility and defensive enhancements of Talons to pressure and overwhelm the foe, without being as constrained on positioning as Lions can be. You do also get an incredibly nasty turn of shooting out of Draxus' Custodian squad if you pop Talons Interlocked, which can catch some opponents unawares in terms of its sheer violence. Two Bike/Captain units add more of this with lots of hurricane shots, and I think power armoured/AdMech foes could very easily miss just how fast this will melt them. The build definitely relies on keeping the momentum going through the game, as if it stumbles it's a bit less good at then punching up than Lions is, but it's very solid at executing that plan, and fun to see something a little different do well, congratulations Snorre.

Lasse Tilrem - Necrons (Awakened Dynasty) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Necron Nightbringer C'tan Shard

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

LIST NAME: Old Faithful

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Xenos - Necrons + DETACHMENT: Awakened Dynasty (Command Protocols) + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char3: The Silent King + ENHANCEMENT: Enaegic Dermal Bond (on Char4: Skorpekh Lord) & Nether-realm Casket (on Char6: Technomancer) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 14 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (3x2) + (1x6) - Assassination: 6 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x C'tan Shard of the Nightbringer (305 pts): Gaze of death, Scythe of the Nightbringer Char2: 1x Imotekh the Stormlord (100 pts): Gauntlet of Fire, Staff of the Destroyer Char3: 3x The Silent King (400 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 Char4: 1x Skorpekh Lord (120 pts): Enmitic annihilator, Flensing claw, Hyperphase harvester Enhancement: Enaegic Dermal Bond (+30 pts) Char5: 1x Skorpekh Lord (90 pts): Enmitic annihilator, Flensing claw, Hyperphase harvester Char6: 1x Technomancer (100 pts): Staff of light Enhancement: Nether-realm Casket (+20 pts)

2x Cryptothralls (60 pts): 2 with Scouring eye, Scythed limbs 5x Flayed Ones (60 pts): 5 with Flayer claws 3x Skorpekh Destroyers (90 pts): 3 with Skorpekh hyperphase weapons 3x Skorpekh Destroyers (90 pts): 3 with Skorpekh hyperphase weapons 5x Triarch Praetorians (90 pts): 5 with Rod of covenant 6x Canoptek Wraiths (220 pts): 6 with Particle caster, Vicious claws 1x Canoptek Reanimator (75 pts): 2x Atomiser beam, Reanimator's claws 1x Doomsday Ark (200 pts): Armoured bulk, Doomsday cannon, 2x Gauss flayer array

Archetype

Heavy Awakened

Thoughts

Big threat Awakened as our second Undefeated here, supplementing the Silent King with the Nightbringer and a Doomsday to deal damage, using a Wraith/Cryptothrall squad to tarpit, and unleashing a couple of Skorpekh Lords to trade with enemy pressure pieces. Nothing particularly unique beyond that, other than to flag the Triarch Praetorians as a utility piece - they're definitely worth it at 90pts now if you can fit them. Well done Lasse.

The Best of the Rest

There were 8 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

3rd - Alexander Bæra - World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): Classic two Berzerker two Forgefiend Warband.
4th - Mykhailo Liettsev - Imperial Knights (Questoris Companions): Quad bigs (Atrapos/Lancer/Castellan/Crusader) with some Sisters backing.
5th - Lasse Eikenes - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance): Triple gatling Despoilers.
6th - Niklas Brandt - Space Wolves (Saga of the Beastslayer): All-rounder Beastslayer with a bit of herohammer and a Land Raider Redeemer.
7th - Thomas Harkestad - Tyranids (Assimilation Swarm): Lots of Monsters with regen, and the techy choice of an Instinctive Defence Tyranid Warrior unit, giving the army access to some Fight First that it doesn't tend to get at volume (normally it's just Lictors).
8th - Bjørn Olsen - Orks (Dread Mob): Stompa! Tonnes of Grots and some medium robots in support.
9th - Kjetil Andre Liknes - Adeptus Mechanicus (Haloscreed Battle Clade): Ruststalker/Ironstrider/Sydonian-heavy
10th - Eirik Rokne Stensland - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance): Triple Gatling Despoiler with an extra-wide Nurgle setup behind it.

Open Pucela Wargames 2025 - Torneo Warhammer 40k

43-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Valladolid, Castilla y León, ES on November 15 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Pollito Relleno - Raven Guard (Shadowmark Talon) - 1st Place

Aethon Shaan. Credit: Dan Boyd

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

talavera (1995 points)

Space Marines Raven Guard Strike Force (2000 points) Shadowmark Talon

CHARACTERS

Aethon Shaan (85 points) • Warlord • 1x Claws of Severax 1x Heavy bolt pistol

Captain with Jump Pack (100 points) • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power fist • Enhancement: Hunter's Instincts

Kayvaan Shrike (100 points) • 1x Blackout 1x The Raven's Talons

Lieutenant with Combi-weapon (100 points) • 1x Combi-weapon 1x Paired combat blades • Enhancement: Coronal Susurrant

BATTLELINE

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

OTHER DATASHEETS

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

Centurion Devastator Squad (330 points) • 1x Devastator Centurion Sergeant • 1x Centurion fists 1x Centurion missile launcher 1x Twin lascannon • 5x Devastator Centurion • 5x Centurion fists 5x Centurion missile launcher 5x Twin lascannon

Inceptor Squad (240 points) • 1x Inceptor Sergeant • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Plasma exterminators • 5x Inceptor • 5x Close combat weapon 5x Plasma exterminators

Inceptor Squad (120 points) • 1x Inceptor Sergeant • 1x Assault bolters 1x Close combat weapon • 2x Inceptor • 2x Assault bolters 2x Close combat weapon

Inceptor Squad (120 points) • 1x Inceptor Sergeant • 1x Assault bolters 1x Close combat weapon • 2x Inceptor • 2x Assault bolters 2x Close combat weapon

Scout Squad (70 points) • 1x Scout Sergeant • 1x Astartes chainsword 1x Bolt pistol 1x Close combat weapon • 4x Scout • 4x Bolt pistol 2x Boltgun 4x Close combat weapon 1x Missile launcher 1x Scout sniper rifle

Vanguard Veteran Squad with Jump Packs (190 points) • 1x Vanguard Veteran Sergeant with Jump Pack • 1x Storm Shield 1x Vanguard Veteran weapon • 9x Vanguard Veteran with Jump Pack • 6x Inferno pistol 3x Storm Shield 9x Vanguard Veteran weapon

Vanguard Veteran Squad with Jump Packs (190 points) • 1x Vanguard Veteran Sergeant with Jump Pack • 1x Storm Shield 1x Vanguard Veteran weapon • 9x Vanguard Veteran with Jump Pack • 6x Inferno pistol 3x Storm Shield 9x Vanguard Veteran weapon

Exported with App Version: v1.43.0 (102), Data Version: v705

Archetype

Infantry Shadowmark

Thoughts

Another Shadowmark win here, tweaking the formula very slightly for a bit more depth by adding extra Jump Intercessor MSUs instead of the second Centurion unit, and mixing up the equipment loadout of the VanVets a bit, taking four shields and six infernos. I kind of like that as an experiment - no idea what the correct split is, but helpful to be reminded that you can do it in 10th, even if it's much less common. I suspect it'll vanish in the immediate term simply because if you're shooting Victrix at all with VanVets, you want it to be the full 10 pistols with Oaths up, but it's there as an option for the future. Congratulations Pollito.

Egoitz Eguillor - Chaos Daemons (Shadow Legion) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Be'lakor - Credit: RichyP

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Shadow legion (2000 points)

Chaos Daemons Strike Force (2000 points) Shadow Legion

CHARACTERS

Be'lakor (375 points) • Warlord • 1x Betraying Shades 1x The Blade of Shadows

Bloodthirster (335 points) • 1x Great axe of Khorne 1x Hellfire breath • Enhancement: Fade to Darkness

BATTLELINE

Nurglings (40 points) • 3x Nurgling Swarm • 3x Diseased claws and teeth

OTHER DATASHEETS

Beasts of Nurgle (65 points) • 1x Putrid appendages

Flamers (65 points) • 1x Pyrocaster • 1x Flamer mouths 1x Flickering flames • 2x Flamer • 2x Flamer mouths 2x Flickering flames

Flamers (65 points) • 1x Pyrocaster • 1x Flamer mouths 1x Flickering flames • 2x Flamer • 2x Flamer mouths 2x Flickering flames

Flesh Hounds (75 points) • 1x Gore Hound • 1x Burning roar 1x Collar of Khorne 1x Gore-drenched fangs • 4x Flesh Hound • 4x Collar of Khorne 4x Gore-drenched fangs

Screamers (160 points) • 6x Screamer • 6x Lamprey bite

Screamers (160 points) • 6x Screamer • 6x Lamprey bite

Screamers (160 points) • 6x Screamer • 6x Lamprey bite

ALLIED UNITS

Cultist Mob (50 points) • 1x Cultist Champion • 1x Autopistol 1x Brutal assault weapon • 9x Chaos Cultist • 9x Autopistol 9x Brutal assault weapon

Raptors (90 points) • 1x Raptor Champion • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power fist • 4x Raptor • 2x Astartes chainsword 2x Bolt pistol 2x Close combat weapon 2x Plasma gun

Raptors (90 points) • 1x Raptor Champion • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power fist • 4x Raptor • 2x Astartes chainsword 2x Bolt pistol 2x Close combat weapon 2x Plasma gun

Warp Talons (270 points) • 1x Warp Talon Champion • 1x Warp claws • 9x Warp Talon • 9x Warp claws

Exported with App Version: v1.43.1 (103), Data Version: v708

Archetype

Board Control Shadow Legion

Thoughts

A blast from the (admittedly recent) past here as Be'lakor's Legion take an undefeated slot. Lots of Screamers with the Fadethirster continues to be a great toolset to fight for position and pick off key threats, and this version doubles down on recycling threats by using a big Warp Talon squad as a secondary hammer. They're pretty cool with access to Lance from Channelled Wrath, and it's nice to be able to broaden the targets you can kill evasively. The only possible issue is that if you want to use both the Bloodthirster and Talons at once, only one unit can then arrive from Rapid Ingress, but equally if you've successfully deployed and killed with both in one turn, you're probably in a really good spot and can afford to slow your roll a bit. I like it as a setup, good synergy with the overall plan, great choice from Egoitz.

The Best of the Rest

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

3rd - Ruben Bilbao fraile - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium): Vectorium goodstuff with a big Plague Marine unit.
4th - Mirmi Vallespí - Imperial Knights (Valourstrike Lance): Double Castellan with a bunch of Armigers. Been a while.
5th - Luis Miguel Fernández Torres - Adeptus Mechanicus (Haloscreed Battle Clade): Kataphron/Ironstrider/Ruststalker Haloscreed.
6th - Cajolín waif - Raven Guard (Shadowmark Talon): Infantry Shadowmark with the single Invictor tech, plus the addition of a Desolation squad.
7th - Carlos Peña - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance): Double Despoiler and lots of dogs.
8th - Eric Renedo - T'au Empire (Mont'ka): Hammerhead and Riptide Mont'ka.

WARPStorm GT 2025

34-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Limassol, Limassol, Cyprus on November 15 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Terraform - Crucible of Battle

Kaloyan Lozanov - Drukhari (Spectacle of Spite)

Army List - Click to Expand

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Player Name:Kaloyan Lozanov Team Name:BDSM Factions Used:Drukhari Army Points:2000 Army Enhancements (list on which model):Char3 Succubus Morghenna's Curse Char4 Succubus Chronoshard Detachment Rule:Combat Drugs(Spectacle of Spite) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x Lady Malys (100 pts): Melee Weapons Char2: 1x Lelith Hesperax (85 pts): Lelith's blades Char3: 1x Succubus (70 pts): Warlord, Archite glaive and agoniser Enhancement: Morghenna's Curse (+20 pts) Char4: 1x Succubus (65 pts): Archite glaive and agoniser Enhancement: Chronoshard (+15 pts)

10x Kabalite Warriors (115 pts) • 1x Sybarite: Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Power Weapon, Blast Pistol • 5x Kabalite Warrior: 5 with Close Combat Weapon, Splinter rifle • 1x Kabalite Warrior with Blaster: Blaster, Close Combat Weapon • 1x Kabalite Warrior with Dark Lance: Close Combat Weapon, Dark lance • 1x Kabalite Warrior with Shredder: Close Combat Weapon, Shredder • 1x Kabalite Warrior with Splinter Cannon: Close Combat Weapon, Splinter cannon 10x Wyches (90 pts) • 9x Wych 6 with Hekatarii Blade, Splinter Pistol 3 with Gladiatorial weapons • 1x Hekatrix: Power weapon, Blast Pistol 10x Wyches (90 pts) • 9x Wych 6 with Hekatarii Blade, Splinter Pistol 3 with Gladiatorial weapons • 1x Hekatrix: Power weapon, Blast Pistol 10x Wyches (90 pts) • 9x Wych 6 with Hekatarii Blade, Splinter Pistol 3 with Gladiatorial weapons • 1x Hekatrix: Power weapon, Blast Pistol

5x Mandrakes (75 pts) • 1x Nightfiend: Baleblast, Glimmersteel Blade • 4x Mandrake: 4 with Baleblast, Glimmersteel Blade 5x Scourges with Heavy Weapons (130 pts) • 1x Solarite: Close combat weapon, Shardcarbine • 4x Scourge with Heavy Weapon: 4 with Close combat weapon, Haywire Blaster 5x Scourges with Heavy Weapons (130 pts) • 1x Solarite: Close combat weapon, Shardcarbine • 4x Scourge with Heavy Weapon: 4 with Close combat weapon, Dark Lance 5x Scourges with Heavy Weapons (130 pts) • 1x Solarite: Close combat weapon, Shardcarbine • 4x Scourge with Heavy Weapon: 4 with Close combat weapon, Dark Lance 10x Hellions (170 pts) • 1x Heliarch: Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Splinter Pods, Hellglaive • 9x Hellion: 9 with Hellglaive, Splinter Pods 5x Hellions (85 pts) • 1x Heliarch: Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Splinter Pods, Hellglaive • 4x Hellion: 4 with Hellglaive, Splinter Pods 5x Hellions (85 pts) • 1x Heliarch: Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Splinter Pods, Hellglaive • 4x Hellion: 4 with Hellglaive, Splinter Pods 3x Reavers (70 pts) • 1x Arena Champion: Cluster Caltrops, Bladevanes, Splinter Pistol, Heat Lance • 2x Reaver: 2 with Bladevanes, Splinter Pistol, Splinter Rifle 3x Reavers (70 pts) • 1x Arena Champion: Cluster Caltrops, Bladevanes, Splinter Pistol, Heat Lance • 2x Reaver: 2 with Bladevanes, Splinter Pistol, Splinter Rifle 3x Reavers (70 pts) • 1x Arena Champion: Cluster Caltrops, Bladevanes, Splinter Pistol, Heat Lance • 2x Reaver: 2 with Bladevanes, Splinter Pistol, Splinter Rifle 1x Cronos (55 pts): Spirit Syphon, Spirit-leech Tentacles 1x Raider (85 pts): Bladevanes and chainsnares, Dark Lance 1x Venom (70 pts): Bladevanes, Splinter Cannon, Splinter Cannon 1x Venom (70 pts): Bladevanes, Splinter Cannon, Splinter Cannon

vs.

Mark Morrow - Adeptus Mechanicus (Haloscreed Battle Clade)

Army List - Click to Expand

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + PLAYER NAME: Mark Morrow + TEAM NAME: Team Northern Ireland + FACTION KEYWORD: Imperium - Adeptus Mechanicus + DETACHMENT: Haloscreed Battleclade (Noospheric Transference) + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char1: Belisarius Cawl + ENHANCEMENT: Sanctified Ordnance (on Char2: Tech-Priest Manipulus) & Inloaded Lethality (on Char3: Tech-Priest Manipulus) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 18 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (3x2) + (1x6) - Assassination: 4 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x Belisarius Cawl (175 pts): Warlord, Arc scourge, Cawl's Omnissian axe, Mechadendrite hive, Solar atomiser Char2: 1x Tech-Priest Manipulus (70 pts): Omnissian staff, Transonic cannon Enhancement: Sanctified Ordnance (+10 pts) Char3: 1x Tech-Priest Manipulus (75 pts): Omnissian staff, Magnarail lance Enhancement: Inloaded Lethality (+15 pts) Char4: 1x Technoarcheologist (45 pts): Mechanicus pistol, Servo-arc claw

10x Skitarii Rangers (85 pts) • 9x Skitarii Ranger 1 with Arc rifle, Close combat weapon 1 with Enhanced data-tether, Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle 5 with Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle 1 with Close combat weapon, Plasma caliver 1 with Close combat weapon, Transuranic arquebus • 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha: Alpha combat weapon, Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle 10x Skitarii Rangers (85 pts) • 9x Skitarii Ranger 1 with Arc rifle, Close combat weapon 1 with Enhanced data-tether, Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle 5 with Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle 1 with Close combat weapon, Plasma caliver 1 with Close combat weapon, Transuranic arquebus • 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha: Alpha combat weapon, Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle 10x Skitarii Rangers (85 pts) • 9x Skitarii Ranger 1 with Arc rifle, Close combat weapon 1 with Enhanced data-tether, Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle 5 with Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle 1 with Close combat weapon, Plasma caliver 1 with Close combat weapon, Transuranic arquebus • 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha: Alpha combat weapon, Close combat weapon, Galvanic rifle

10x Corpuscarii Electro-Priests (130 pts): 10 with Electrostatic gauntlets 6x Kataphron Destroyers (210 pts): 6 with Close combat weapon, Cognis flamer, Kataphron plasma culverin 5x Pteraxii Skystalkers (70 pts) • 1x Pteraxii Skystalker Alpha: Flechette blaster, Taser goad • 4x Pteraxii Skystalkers: 4 with Close combat weapon, Flechette carbine 10x Sicarian Infiltrators (140 pts) • 1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps (Taser goad & flechette blaster): Flechette blaster, Taser goad • 9x Sicarian Infiltrator (Taser goad & flechette blaster): 9 with Flechette blaster, Taser goad 5x Sicarian Infiltrators (70 pts) • 1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps (Taser goad & flechette blaster): Flechette blaster, Taser goad • 4x Sicarian Infiltrator (Taser goad & flechette blaster): 4 with Flechette blaster, Taser goad 5x Sicarian Ruststalkers (75 pts) • 1x Sicarian Ruststalker Princeps (Transonic razor & chordclaw): Transonic razor & chordclaw • 4x Sicarian Ruststalker (Transonic razor & chordclaw): 4 with Transonic razor & chordclaw 10x Sicarian Ruststalkers (150 pts) • 1x Sicarian Ruststalker Princeps (Transonic razor & chordclaw): Transonic razor & chordclaw • 9x Sicarian Ruststalker (Transonic razor & chordclaw): 9 with Transonic razor & chordclaw 3x Serberys Raiders (60 pts) • 2x Serberys Raider 1 with Cavalry sabre & clawed limbs, Galvanic carbine 1 with Enhanced data-tether, Cavalry sabre & clawed limbs, Galvanic carbine • 1x Serberys Raider Alpha: Cavalry sabre & clawed limbs, Galvanic carbine, Mechanicus pistol 3x Ironstrider Ballistarii (225 pts): 3 with Ironstrider feet, Twin cognis lascannon 1x Skorpius Disintegrator (165 pts): Armoured hull, 3x Cognis heavy stubber, Disruptor missile launcher, Ferrumite cannon 1x Skorpius Dunerider (85 pts): Armoured hull, Cognis heavy stubber array

Thoughts

The people yearn for Spectacle showdowns, but today they're gacing a very different challenge to yesterday's Dark Angels. Haloscreed AdMech are a spicy challenge for the Wych cults - they can fight toe-to-toe up close, with both Infiltrators and Ruststalkers being huge threats to all the Drukhari units, and they have a really good Overwatch setup between the Destroyers and Corpuscarii (and this spin on the Spectacle build doesn't have the Periapt to deny this).

There are still some upsides for the Drukhari though - there are great targets for the Scourges in the Ironstriders, and they have much better access to Fight First (and will largely do horrific things to the AdMech's melee units on a Fight First swing). If they stage a bunch of stuff up the table, it can be pretty hard for the AdMech to punish them, and they can then switch on Adrenalight for a mega go turn. Bringing Malys forward can help with that too, as she can potentially shut down Overwatch or defensive tools. Finally, although the Overwatch threat from the Kataphrons is big, their very slow speed can be a major downside in this came, as a throwaway Hellion squad (or even three Reavers) in the right place can essentially pin them in place due to threat of A Challenge Met.

From the AdMech's side of the table, I think the plan here is to move block with the Battleline. A quirk of the Drukhari build is that they don't have that much that just "incidentally" kills off the regular Skitarii. That plus the Reserve threat from the Corpuscarii can be quite an effective combo to pin the Drukhari back, maybe letting you set up a defensive castle and build up some score.

They definitely have some options for staving off elf death, and they clearly used them - though the Drukhari were triumphant, it was only by a razor-thin margin.

Result

Drukhari (Spectacle of Spite) Victory - 11 - 9

Kaloyan Lozanov - Drukhari (Spectacle of Spite) - 1st Place

Credit: Wings

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Spectacle and Scourges

Thoughts

Wych Cults continue to make the running out of the Drukhari book, with this build going pretty much all-in on them, just adding Malys and the mandatory Scourges on top of them. We have a new build to beat here, make sure you have a good grasp of what it's capable of before you hit your next event, and well done to Kaloyan on the win.

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd - Yoan Trendafilov - Thousand Sons (Hexwarp Thrallband): Many, many Daemon Princes, a few Rubricae, and one big Scarab unit.
3rd - Mark Morrow - Adeptus Mechanicus (Haloscreed Battle Clade): Toolboxy Haloscreed with one big unit of a lot of different options, including Kataphrons and Corpuscarii.
4th - Marios Kontoppyrgos - World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): All-melee Warband with two 10-Berzerker units and loads of Eightbound/Spawn.
5th - Yordan Deliyski - Aeldari (Aspect Host): The rare Dragonless Aspect Host, bringing the Avatar and 2x10 Hawks instead.

Geekfest - Arcs of Fire - Warhammer 40K GT

30-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Shearwater, NS, CA on November 15 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Matthew Reeson - Adepta Sororitas (Hallowed Martyrs) - 1st Place

Credit: Keewa

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

These are weird looking Necrons… (2000 Points)

Adepta Sororitas Hallowed Martyrs Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Canoness (70 Points) • 1x Blessed blade • 1x Inferno pistol • Enhancements: Mantle of Ophelia

Canoness with Jump Pack (100 Points) • 1x Blessed halberd • Enhancements: Through Suffering, Strength

Daemonifuge (85 Points) • 1x Ephrael Stern ◦ 1x Bolt pistol ◦ 1x Sanctity • 1x Kyganil of the Bloody Tears ◦ 1x The Outcast's Weapons

Junith Eruita (80 Points) • 1x Mace of Castigation • 1x Twin Ministorum heavy flamer

Ministorum Priest (60 Points) • 1x Zealot's vindictor • Enhancements: Saintly Example

Morvenn Vahl (170 Points) • Warlord • 1x Fidelis • 1x Lance of Illumination • 1x Paragon missile launcher

BATTLELINE

Battle Sisters Squad (105 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

OTHER DATASHEETS

Arco-flagellants (140 Points) • 10x Arco-flagellant ◦ 10x Arco-flails

Castigator (160 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 1x Castigator battle cannon • 3x Heavy bolter • 1x Hunter-killer missile • 1x Storm bolter

Castigator (160 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 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

Repentia Squad (160 Points) • 1x Repentia Superior ◦ 1x Bolt pistol ◦ 1x Neural whips • 9x Sister Repentia ◦ 9x Penitent eviscerator

Zephyrim Squad (80 Points) • 1x Zephyrim Superior ◦ 1x Plasma pistol ◦ 1x Power weapon ◦ 1x Sacred Banner • 4x Zephyrim ◦ 4x Bolt pistol ◦ 4x Power weapon

Exported with App Version: v1.43.1 (1), Data Version: v708

Archetype

Counterpunch Martyrs

Thoughts

A showing for the Sororitas to finish for the week, going for an all-rounder Martyrs build with a heavier than normal suite of melee pieces. Arco-flagellants with a Priest, Repentia and the murder Canoness/Zepyhrim unit provide a fairly broad range of output profiles to suit any target, letting you counterattack very effectively whatever the foe has brought to the table. Layering that on top of the general high efficiency of the Sororitas roster and good Stratagem suite from Martyrs provides a very reliable plan, and that was deployed to great effect by Matthew here.

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd - Blair Macdonald - Chaos Knights (Lords of Dread): Two souped up melee monsters, a shooty teleporting Tyrant, Dogs and Nurgle Daemons.
3rd - Darren Thomas - Raven Guard (Shadowmark Talon): Infantry Shadowmark with some Bladeguard and a Judiciar instead of Inceptor squads 2 and 3.
4th - Keenan Elliot - Black Templars (Gladius Task Force): It's titled "super unique Templar list" so I assume it doesn't contain lots of Sword Brethren and RepExes, because that would be ridiculous. There's a Land Raider Redeemer in there, to be fair.
5th - Brandon Vallee - T'au Empire (Kauyon): Riptides, Sky Rays and Breacherfish.

Wrap Up

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