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.

We're spinning back up for the new year, and out there in the wild what we're mostly seeing are Blood Angels and Ultramarines kicking people's heads in, using the new Rage-Cursed Onslaught and Victrix Guard respectively. As seen in the big update this morning, the latter could be shaken up a bit by a crucial nerf to the Victrix Guard datasheet, but they also got cheaper again (probably correctly), so we'll see which way that splits.

Do go check out our look at the updates, linked below - great times for C'tan lovers and people who want to paint a bunch of Marine support weirdos.

And now, the events - hot out the gates for 2026, it's:

Glass City Grand Tournament
Defcon 2026 - Warhammer 40k
Midgard January 2026 GRAND TOURNAMENT - 2 DAY EVENT
Saffron Slam XIII
ProCon Golden Ticket(not that one) GT

Glass City Grand Tournament

99-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Toledo, OH, United States on January 03 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Conan Jennings - Ultramarines (Blade of Ultramar) - 1st Place

Victrix Guard Chapter Ancient Credit: Keewa

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Bad list (2000 Points)

Space Marines Ultramarines Blade of Ultramar Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Captain in Gravis Armour (90 Points) • 1x Boltstorm gauntlet • 1x Power fist • 1x Relic blade • Enhancements: Armour of Antoninus

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

Marneus Calgar (200 Points) • 1x Marneus Calgar ◦ 1x Gauntlets of Ultramar • 2x Victrix Honour Guard ◦ 2x Victrix power sword

Roboute Guilliman (340 Points) • Warlord • 1x Emperor's Sword • 1x Hand of Dominion

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

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

Ballistus Dreadnought (150 Points) • 1x Armoured feet • 1x Ballistus lascannon • 1x Ballistus missile launcher • 1x Twin storm bolter

Ballistus Dreadnought (150 Points) • 1x Armoured feet • 1x Ballistus lascannon • 1x Ballistus missile launcher • 1x Twin storm bolter

Incursor Squad (80 Points) • 1x Incursor Sergeant ◦ 1x Bolt pistol ◦ 1x Occulus bolt carbine ◦ 1x Paired combat blades • 4x Incursor ◦ 4x Bolt pistol ◦ 1x Haywire Mine ◦ 4x Occulus bolt carbine ◦ 4x Paired combat blades

Repulsor Executioner (220 Points) • 1x Armoured hull • 1x Heavy laser destroyer • 1x Heavy onslaught gatling cannon • 1x Icarus rocket pod • 1x Ironhail heavy stubber • 1x Repulsor Executioner defensive array • 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber • 1x Twin heavy bolter

Repulsor Executioner (220 Points) • 1x Armoured hull • 1x Heavy laser destroyer • 1x Heavy onslaught gatling cannon • 1x Icarus rocket pod • 1x Ironhail heavy stubber • 1x Repulsor Executioner defensive array • 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber • 1x Twin heavy bolter

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 ◦ 2x Combat knife ◦ 1x Heavy bolter ◦ 1x Scout sniper rifle

Victrix Honour Guard (240 Points) • 1x Chapter Ancient ◦ 1x Banner of Macragge ◦ 1x Master-crafted power weapon • 1x Chapter Champion ◦ 1x Blades of honour • 4x Victrix Honour Guard ◦ 4x Master-crafted bolt carbine ◦ 4x Master-crafted power weapon

Exported with App Version: v1.45.0 (1), Data Version: v720

Archetype

Shooty Blade

Thoughts

While this is technically our first Victrix list of the day, it's only got one unit, and honestly I think this is probably going to be a common pattern for how they're used in the future. One squad is a fantastic mid-field brawler that discourages foes from rushing you down, providing a great anchor for a bunch of shooty threats that are made impossible to pin down or avoid by the option of repeating doctrines. It's also a great place to slot in Wardens of Ultramar, as the redeploy is particularly good on slightly clunkier-sized shooting platforms like the RepEx. No letup for the back-to-work blues here, but a strong win for Conan at the first major of the year.

Folger Pyles - Drukhari (Spectacle of Spite) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Reaver Jetbikes - Credit: RichyP

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

40k but my models are tripping balls (2000 points)

Drukhari Strike Force (2000 points) Spectacle of Spite

CHARACTERS

Lady Malys (100 points) • Warlord • 1x Lady's Blade 1x Razor fan

Lelith Hesperax (85 points) • 1x Lelith's blades

Succubus (70 points) • 1x Archite glaive and agoniser • Enhancement: Morghenna's Curse

BATTLELINE

Wyches (90 points) • 1x Hekatrix • 1x Blast pistol 1x Power weapon • 9x Wych • 3x Gladiatorial weapons 6x Hekatarii blade 6x Splinter pistol

Wyches (90 points) • 1x Hekatrix • 1x Blast pistol 1x Power weapon • 9x Wych • 3x Gladiatorial weapons 6x Hekatarii blade 6x Splinter pistol

Wyches (90 points) • 1x Hekatrix • 1x Blast pistol 1x Power weapon • 9x Wych • 3x Gladiatorial weapons 6x Hekatarii blade 6x Splinter pistol

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Raider (85 points) • 1x Bladevanes and chainsnares 1x Dark lance

Venom (70 points) • 1x Bladevanes 2x Splinter cannon

Venom (70 points) • 1x Bladevanes 2x Splinter cannon

Venom (70 points) • 1x Bladevanes 2x Splinter cannon

OTHER DATASHEETS

Cronos (55 points) • 1x Spirit syphon 1x Spirit-leech tentacles

Hellions (170 points) • 1x Helliarch • 1x Hellglaive 1x Phantasm Grenade Launcher 1x Splinter pods • 9x Hellion • 9x Hellglaive 9x Splinter pods

Hellions (170 points) • 1x Helliarch • 1x Hellglaive 1x Phantasm Grenade Launcher 1x Splinter pods • 9x Hellion • 9x Hellglaive 9x Splinter pods

Hellions (85 points) • 1x Helliarch • 1x Hellglaive 1x Phantasm Grenade Launcher 1x Splinter pods • 4x Hellion • 4x Hellglaive 4x Splinter pods

Incubi (90 points) • 1x Klaivex • 1x Demiklaives • 4x Incubi • 4x Klaive

Reavers (140 points) • 1x Arena Champion • 1x Bladevanes 1x Grav-talon 1x Heat lance 1x Splinter pistol • 5x Reaver • 5x Bladevanes 1x Grav-talon 1x Heat lance 5x Splinter pistol 4x Splinter rifle

Reavers (140 points) • 1x Arena Champion • 1x Bladevanes 1x Grav-talon 1x Heat lance 1x Splinter pistol • 5x Reaver • 5x Bladevanes 1x Grav-talon 1x Heat lance 5x Splinter pistol 4x Splinter rifle

Reavers (70 points) • 1x Arena Champion • 1x Bladevanes 1x Grav-talon 1x Heat lance 1x Splinter pistol • 2x Reaver • 2x Bladevanes 2x Splinter pistol 2x Splinter rifle

Scourges with Heavy Weapons (130 points) • 1x Solarite • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Shardcarbine • 4x Scourge • 4x Close combat weapon 4x Dark lance

Scourges with Heavy Weapons (130 points) • 1x Solarite • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Shardcarbine • 4x Scourge • 4x Close combat weapon 4x Dark lance

Exported with App Version: v1.45.0 (105), Data Version: v720

Archetype

Shooty Spectacle

Thoughts

Spectacle continues to be the highest performing Drukhari detachment out of the book (though not the only one getting a bit of airtime), and is here seen in its shooty form, going for a smaller quotient of Wyches in service of getting in Scourges and big Reaver units. This provides better reach to push into shooty builds like the above, at a cost of weaker performance against all-melee foes that can just punch the bikes out and aren't super bothered by the Scourges. Which one wins out is obviously going to be metagame dependent - if shooty hull Ultramarines dominate, invest in Scourges, if Blood Angels take over with Victrix on the outs, then it's back to more trade Wyches and extra Succubi. Either way, we'll definitely see more of this, and well done Folger on taking them to an undefeated finish.

Brad Chester - Ultramarines (Gladius Task Force) - 3rd Place (Undefeated)

Cobalt Scions Repulsor Executioner. Credit: Charlie Brassley

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

marneus and friends (2000 points)

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

CHARACTERS

Cato Sicarius (95 points) • 1x Artisan plasma pistol 1x Talassarian tempest blade

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

Marneus Calgar (200 points) • 1x Marneus Calgar • Warlord • 1x Gauntlets of Ultramar • 2x Victrix Honour Guard • 2x Victrix power sword

BATTLELINE

Intercessor Squad (80 points) • 1x Intercessor Sergeant • 1x Bolt pistol 1x Plasma pistol 1x Power fist • 4x Intercessor • 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

Gladiator Reaper (160 points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Icarus rocket pod 1x Ironhail heavy stubber 2x Tempest bolter 1x Twin heavy onslaught gatling cannon

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 4x Marksman bolt carbine

Repulsor Executioner (220 points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Heavy laser destroyer 1x Heavy onslaught gatling cannon 1x Icarus rocket pod 1x Ironhail heavy stubber 1x Repulsor Executioner defensive array 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber 1x Twin heavy bolter

Repulsor Executioner (220 points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Heavy laser destroyer 1x Heavy onslaught gatling cannon 1x Icarus rocket pod 1x Ironhail heavy stubber 1x Repulsor Executioner defensive array 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber 1x Twin heavy bolter

Victrix Honour Guard (240 points) • 1x Chapter Ancient • 1x Banner of Macragge 1x Master-crafted power weapon • 1x Chapter Champion • 1x Blades of honour • 4x Victrix Honour Guard • 4x Master-crafted bolt carbine 4x Master-crafted power weapon

Victrix Honour Guard (240 points) • 6x Victrix Honour Guard • 6x Master-crafted bolt carbine 6x Master-crafted power weapon

Vindicator (185 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Demolisher cannon 1x Hunter-killer missile 1x Storm bolter

Exported with App Version: v1.45.0 (105), Data Version: v720

Archetype

Shooty Ultramarine Gladius

Thoughts

More shooty Ultramarines, this time cutting Guilliman for the second Victrix squad, and swapping out the Ballistus for more standard hulls, including a Vindicator. That swap means you don't need multi-Doctrines any more, so you can go Gladius for the Fight on Death, obviously higher value with more Victrix. Hard to say for sure which way things will go - on the one hand, weaker Victrix encourages Blade, but if you have 3W Victrix you really want the Fight on Death to mitigate getting slammed by some counters. Once again, Ultramarine Gladius' perpetual presence in the metagame is certainly approaching a middle. Well done Brad on rounding out an undefeated podium.

Kyle Trayah - Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders) - 4th Place

Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Comedically Humorous Roster Name (2000 points)

Chaos Space Marines Strike Force (2000 points) Renegade Raiders

CHARACTERS

Chaos Lord (90 points) • 1x Daemon hammer 1x Plasma pistol

Cypher (90 points) • 1x Cypher's bolt pistol 1x Cypher's plasma pistol

Fabius Bile (100 points) • 1x Fabius Bile • Warlord • 1x Chirurgeon 1x Rod of Torment 1x Xyclos Needler • 1x Surgeon Acolyte • 1x Surgeon Acolyte's tools

BATTLELINE

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

Legionaries (90 points) • 1x Aspiring Champion • 1x Chaos Icon 1x Close combat weapon 1x Heavy melee weapon 1x Plasma pistol • 4x Legionary • 4x Bolt pistol 2x Boltgun 4x Close combat weapon 1x Heavy melee weapon 1x Lascannon

Legionaries (90 points) • 1x Aspiring Champion • 1x Chaos Icon 1x Close combat weapon 1x Heavy melee weapon 1x Plasma pistol • 4x Legionary • 4x Bolt pistol 2x Boltgun 4x Close combat weapon 1x Heavy melee weapon 1x Lascannon

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Chaos Rhino (75 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Combi-bolter 1x Combi-weapon 1x Havoc launcher

Chaos Rhino (75 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Combi-bolter 1x Combi-weapon 1x Havoc launcher

Chaos Rhino (75 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Combi-bolter 1x Combi-weapon 1x Havoc launcher

OTHER DATASHEETS

Chaos Bikers (70 points) • 1x Biker Champion • 1x Chaos Icon 1x Close combat weapon 1x Combi-bolter 1x Power fist • 2x Chaos Biker • 2x Astartes chainsword 2x Close combat weapon 2x Combi-bolter 2x Meltagun

Chaos Predator Destructor (140 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Combi-weapon 1x Havoc launcher 2x Lascannon 1x Predator autocannon

Chaos Predator Destructor (140 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Combi-weapon 1x Havoc launcher 2x Lascannon 1x Predator autocannon

Chosen (250 points) • 1x Chosen Champion • 1x Accursed weapon 1x Bolt pistol 1x Boltgun • 9x Chosen • 5x Accursed weapon 5x Bolt pistol 3x Boltgun 1x Chaos Icon 4x Combi-weapon 2x Paired accursed weapons 4x Plasma pistol 2x Power fist

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

ALLIED UNITS

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

Noise Marines (145 points) • 1x Disharmonist • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Sonic blaster • 5x Noise Marine • 2x Blastmaster 5x Close combat weapon 3x Sonic blaster

Noise Marines (145 points) • 1x Disharmonist • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Sonic blaster • 5x Noise Marine • 2x Blastmaster 5x Close combat weapon 3x Sonic blaster

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

Exported with App Version: v1.45.0 (105), Data Version: v720

Archetype

Brawler Raiders

Thoughts

Chaos Space Marines take the final slot in the top four, using an all-rounder Raiders build with some extra tooling for the expectation of a Victrix-heavy metagame. Full re-roll Noise Marines with extra AP were one of the better shooting answers to Victrix as-was, and great news - they're even better when each blastmaster shot can smoke a whole one. There's plenty of versatility to take on other elite builds here, and even good amounts of high-volume D1 with re-rolls to help if C'tan are the next big thing, so plenty to like in this setup. The only thing I wonder is whether a trend towards even more hulls in Ultramarines could encourage a bit of tinkering, but equally there may be no need to mess with a solid formula. Great stuff from Kyle.

The Best of the Rest

There were 14 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

5th - Anthony Hilla - Ultramarines (Blade of Ultramar): 18 Victrix and a bunch of Dreadnoughts.
6th - Lyle Dixon - Astra Militarum (Grizzled Company): Double Bullgryn Grizzled, also sporting a Scion/Command unit for spike damage.
7th - Brenton Weiss - Drukhari (Spectacle of Spite): Heavy Spectacle with the Bikes, Hellions and Scourges.
8th - Kramer Doyle - Space Marines (Unknown Detachment): Forbidden Space Marine detachment of mystery. Let's assume it was something cool like Imperial Fists, and not just more Victrix Guard.
9th - David DeLisle - Tyranids (Subterranean Assault): Triple Norn, triple Ravener full send Subterranean.
10th - Justin Balogh - Genestealer Cult (Final Day): Lots of Metamorphs, lots of Ridgerunners and a Trygon.
11th - Ryan Bell - World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): Classic Warband with Angron substituted in for the second Berzerker/Character/Rhino unit.
12th - Benson Bledsoe - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium): Mortarion, lots of shooty hulls, and a Plague Marine squad.
13th - Marshall Arthurs - Adeptus Mechanicus (Haloscreed Battle Clade): Extra-shooty Haloscreed with maximum Ironstriders and a Destroyer squad.
14th - Ryan LaDuke - Thousand Sons (Changehost of Deceit): Big Birds, Predators, lots of cheap Daemon board control and lots of Sekhetar Robots.
15th - Sean Martin - Blood Angels (Rage-cursed Onslaught): Extra brutal Rage-Cursed with triple Death Company Dread, double Death Company and lots of Sanguinary MSUs.
16th - Brian Daugherty - Chaos Space Marines (Nightmare Hunt): Lots of Raptor MSUs and a big Warp Talon unit, plus many Vindicators and Noise Marines to blast stuff.
17th - Eric Gibbs - Chaos Daemons (Scintillating Legion): Be'lakor, Birds, and big Flamer/Screamer units.
18th - Ian Smith - Chaos Space Marines (Creations of Bile): 20 Chosen and 30 Possessed going full send.

Defcon 2026 - Warhammer 40k

47-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Östergötlands län, SE on January 03 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Simon von Berlepsch - Emperor's Children (Coterie of the Conceited) - 1st Place

Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince. Credit: SRM

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Krötteri 2 (2000 points)

Emperor's Children Strike Force (2000 points) Coterie of the Conceited

CHARACTERS

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (245 points) • 1x Hellforged weapons 1x Infernal cannon • Enhancement: Pledge of Unholy Fortune

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (240 points) • Warlord • 1x Hellforged weapons 1x Infernal cannon • Enhancement: Pledge to Eternal Servitude

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (215 points) • 1x Hellforged weapons 1x Infernal cannon

Lord Exultant (80 points) • 1x Bolt Pistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Phoenix power spear 1x Rapture lash

Lord Exultant (80 points) • 1x Bolt Pistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Phoenix power spear 1x Rapture lash

Lord Exultant (80 points) • 1x Bolt Pistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Phoenix power spear 1x Rapture lash

Lord Kakophonist (70 points) • 1x Close combat weapon 2x Screamer pistol

Lord Kakophonist (70 points) • 1x Close combat weapon 2x Screamer pistol

BATTLELINE

Infractors (85 points) • 1x Obsessionist • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Rapture lash • 4x Infractor • 4x Bolt pistol 4x Duelling sabre 1x Icon of Excess

Infractors (85 points) • 1x Obsessionist • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Rapture lash • 4x Infractor • 4x Bolt pistol 4x Duelling sabre 1x Icon of Excess

Tormentors (85 points) • 1x Obsessionist • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Rapture lash • 4x Tormentor • 2x Boltgun 4x Close combat weapon 1x Icon of Excess 1x Meltagun 1x Plasma gun

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Chaos Rhino (80 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Combi-bolter 1x Combi-weapon 1x Havoc launcher

Chaos Rhino (80 points) • 1x Armoured tracks 1x Combi-bolter 1x Combi-weapon 1x Havoc launcher

OTHER DATASHEETS

Chaos Spawn (70 points) • 2x Chaos Spawn • 2x Hideous mutations

Noise Marines (145 points) • 1x Disharmonist • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Sonic blaster • 5x Noise Marine • 2x Blastmaster 5x Close combat weapon 3x Sonic blaster

Noise Marines (145 points) • 1x Disharmonist • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Sonic blaster • 5x Noise Marine • 2x Blastmaster 5x Close combat weapon 3x Sonic blaster

Noise Marines (145 points) • 1x Disharmonist • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Sonic blaster • 5x Noise Marine • 2x Blastmaster 5x Close combat weapon 3x Sonic blaster

Exported with App Version: v1.45.0 (105), Data Version: v720

Archetype

Triple Prince Coterie

Thoughts

We're still doing this, huh? No amount of point hikes seem to be able to fully derail the Emperor's Children Daemon Prince train, this version going very light on Battleline units in order to keep lots of Noise Marines as well, helping with enemy elites, and adding a bit of shooting reach using the Rhinos. The faction is theoretically in fairly dire straights win-rate wise, but top players consistently make them work, so well done to Simon for keeping them in the conversation.

The Best of the Rest

There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

2nd (4.5-0.5) - Martin Hultgren - Chaos Daemons (Legion of Excess): A return for the Legion of Excess, packing triple Keeper, double Tormentbringer (with a Hellflayer that each could join for big charge power), Fiend MSUs, Daemonettes and some utility Characters (and one sticky Plaguebearer unit).
3rd - Frank Kummel - Genestealer Cult (Biosanctic Broodsurge): Aberrant/Abominant MSUs, a big nasty Genestealer unit, and one big Acolyte/Biophagus bomb.
4th - Max Gullberg - Blood Angels (Angelic Inheritors): Sanguinary MSUs and shooty hulls.
5th - Simon Olsson - Adepta Sororitas (Champions of Faith): Sacresant Shieldwall.
6th - Ola Persson - Drukhari (Kabalite Cartel): Kabal goodstuff with two Hand of the Archon units (splitting via Venoms) as centrepieces that add big Scout pressure.

Midgard January 2026 GRAND TOURNAMENT - 2 DAY EVENT

32-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Derry, NH, US on January 03 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Casey Glynn - Blood Angels (Rage-cursed Onslaught) - 1st Place

Lemartes. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Idiocracy was suppose to be fiction (2000 Points)

Space Marines Blood Angels Rage-cursed Onslaught Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

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

Chaplain with Jump Pack (100 Points) • 1x Crozius arcanum • 1x Power fist • Enhancements: Master of the Red Thirst

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

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

OTHER DATASHEETS

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

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

Death Company Dreadnought (160 Points) • 1x Blood talons • 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber • 1x Twin multi-melta

Death Company Dreadnought (160 Points) • 1x Blood talons • 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber • 1x Twin multi-melta

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (230 Points) • 10x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs ◦ 5x Astartes chainsword ◦ 2x Eviscerator ◦ 8x Heavy bolt pistol ◦ 2x Inferno pistol ◦ 3x Power fist

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (230 Points) • 10x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs ◦ 5x Astartes chainsword ◦ 2x Eviscerator ◦ 8x Heavy bolt pistol ◦ 2x Inferno pistol ◦ 3x Power fist

Sanguinary Guard (125 Points) • 3x Sanguinary Guard ◦ 2x Angelus boltgun ◦ 3x Encarmine spear ◦ 1x Inferno pistol ◦ 1x Sanguinary Banner

Sanguinary Guard (125 Points) • 3x Sanguinary Guard ◦ 2x Angelus boltgun ◦ 3x Encarmine spear ◦ 1x Inferno pistol ◦ 1x Sanguinary Banner

Sanguinary Guard (125 Points) • 3x Sanguinary Guard ◦ 2x Angelus boltgun ◦ 3x Encarmine spear ◦ 1x Inferno pistol ◦ 1x Sanguinary Banner

ALLIED UNITS

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

Exported with App Version: v1.45.0 (1), Data Version: v720

Archetype

Hull-heavy Onslaught

Thoughts

Double Death Company Onslaught is going from strength to strength right now, representing pretty much the premium build for punting foes onto the back foot so hard that they can't recover. Sticky and Fight on Death in the same detachment and a Blood Surge on dreadnoughts make it very hard for the enemy to bounce back from even a single mistake, and the bufs the detachment has lets it use a very polarised threat loadout - small Sanguinary Guard units are adequate to handle plenty of targets while demanding at least a medium response, while the Death Company hit like a truck when you need to murder anything. Being able to protect a second Death Company unit via the 5+ Feel No Pain also makes double dipping on them way better here than normal. Finally, Baal Predators add some good, cheap fun hull-wise, and they're particularly good for Overwatching Hellions, Reavers and Rough Riders that are looking at valuable Marines with malign intent. Definitely a force to be reckoned with and a Detachment to beat right now, well done to Casey on adding a Baal spin to it!

The Best of the Rest

There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

2nd - Ari C - Drukhari (Reaper's Wager): Wager Goodstuff with a bit of everything and a sneaky Solitaire to flip it.
3rd - Tommy DiMartino - Grey Knights (Warpbane Task Force): Loads of Dreadknights, one big Purifier suqad, plenty of supporting Strikes and Interceptors.
4th - Drew Salzborn - Leagues of Votann (Dêlve Assault Shift): 45 Beserks and triple Fort, extreme violence promised.
5th - Alex Ing - Adepta Sororitas (Champions of Faith): Sacresant shieldwall with triple Castigator.
6th - Dan Powers - Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force): Lion Deathwing Gladius with the extra spice of a Land Raider and a full Sternguard squad for Azrael.

Saffron Slam XIII

29-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in England, GB on January 03 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Thomas Whybrow - Blood Angels (Rage-cursed Onslaught) - 1st Place

Bladeguard Ancient. Credit: Pendulin

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

spear of saffron (2000 points)

Space Marines Blood Angels Strike Force (2000 points) Rage-cursed Onslaught

CHARACTERS

Bladeguard Ancient (45 points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Heavy bolt pistol

Captain with Jump Pack (100 points) • 1x Relic Shield 1x Thunder hammer • Enhancement: Master of the Red Thirst

Chaplain with Jump Pack (105 points) • 1x Crozius arcanum 1x Power fist • Enhancement: Carmine Reliquary

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

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

Lieutenant (55 points) • 1x Bolt Pistol 1x Master-crafted bolter 1x Power fist

BATTLELINE

Assault Intercessor Squad (75 points) • 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant • 1x Plasma pistol 1x Thunder hammer • 4x Assault Intercessor • 4x Astartes chainsword 4x Heavy bolt pistol

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

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

Bladeguard Veteran Squad (170 points) • 1x Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant • 1x Heavy bolt pistol 1x Master-crafted power weapon • 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

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

Sanguinary Guard (125 points) • 3x Sanguinary Guard • 2x Angelus boltgun 3x Encarmine spear 1x Inferno pistol 1x Sanguinary Banner

Sanguinary Guard (260 points) • 6x Sanguinary Guard • 4x Angelus boltgun 6x Encarmine spear 2x Inferno pistol 1x Sanguinary Banner

Sanguinary Guard (125 points) • 3x Sanguinary Guard • 2x Angelus boltgun 3x Encarmine blade 1x Inferno pistol 1x Sanguinary Banner

Exported with App Version: v1.45.0 (105), Data Version: v72

Archetype

Heavy Melee Rage-Cursed

Thoughts

Rage-Cursed Onslaught - the melee detachment so good it makes people unironically take Bladeguard Ancients. For the ability. What a world we live in. Anyway - this spin on the detachment eschews any hulls in favour of punching things even more viciously up close, adding the aformentioned Bladeguard and a full Sanguinary squad to the mix. If you ever need to hit someone with Blade with 7A each (and Lethal Hits from the Lieutenant), this is your chance, and if lots of people are on melee plans it's certainly helpful to be able to go over the top. As ever, complely removing a target category from your list has some inherant value too, as this list mostly blanks really focused anti-tank like Hammeheads and Vanquishers. Another piece of the metagame puzzle here, well done to Thomas for unleashing it.

The Best of the Rest

There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

2nd - Jack Sayer - Chaos Daemons (Blood Legion): Surprise, it's still a big bird list - two Keepers throwing damage at range while Skarbrand, a Bloodthirster and a bunch of Bloodletters keep foes occupied.
3rd - Samuel Squires - Genestealer Cult (Biosanctic Broodsurge): An even more melee-focused Biosanctic army than the standard, going all-in on Aberrants, Metamorphs and Purestrains.
4th - George Hutley - Ultramarines (Stormlance Task Force): Stormlance Stormraven with an added Victrix squad.
5th - Adam Tubby - Drukhari (Spectacle of Spite): Scourgeless Spectacle with lots of Wyches and big Reaver/Hellion squads.
6th - Jamie East - Adeptus Custodes (Shield Host): A Custodian build that manages to cram a tonne of stuff in - double tank, 2x4 Guard, one big Allarus brick and some MSUs, and two Venatari units. Looks like a headache to handle, way harder to pick apart than the norm.

ProCon Golden Ticket(not that one) GT

29-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Ontario, OR, United States on January 03 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Unknown Mission

Ryan Koehn - Thousand Sons (Rubricae Phalanx)

Army List - Click to Expand

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Chaos - Thousand Sons + DETACHMENT: Rubricae Phalanx (All is Dust) + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1995pts + + WARLORD: Char1: Daemon Prince of Tzeentch + ENHANCEMENT: Arcane Thralls (Aura) (on Char1: Daemon Prince of Tzeentch) & Risen Rubricae (on Char3: Sorcerer in Terminator Armour) & Lord of the Rubricae (on Char4: Sorcerer in Terminator Armour) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 15 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (3x2) - Assassination: 4 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x Daemon Prince of Tzeentch (185 pts): Warlord, Dark Blessing, Hellforged weapons, Infernal cannon Enhancement: Arcane Thralls (Aura) (+5 pts) Char2: 1x Exalted Sorcerer on Disc of Tzeentch (100 pts): Arcane Fire, Force weapon, Inferno bolt pistol Char3: 1x Sorcerer in Terminator Armour (115 pts): Force weapon, Gaze of Hate, Inferno combi-bolter Enhancement: Risen Rubricae (+30 pts) Char4: 1x Sorcerer in Terminator Armour (100 pts): Force weapon, Gaze of Hate, Inferno combi-bolter Enhancement: Lord of the Rubricae (+15 pts)

10x Rubric Marines (190 pts) • 9x Rubric Marine 3 with Close combat weapon, Inferno boltgun 1 with Icon of Flame, Close combat weapon, Soulreaper cannon 5 with Close combat weapon, Warpflamer • 1x Aspiring Sorcerer: Force weapon, Malefic Curse, Warpflame pistol 5x Rubric Marines (100 pts) • 4x Rubric Marine 1 with Icon of Flame, Close combat weapon, Soulreaper cannon 3 with Close combat weapon, Warpflamer • 1x Aspiring Sorcerer: Force weapon, Malefic Curse, Warpflame pistol 5x Rubric Marines (100 pts) • 4x Rubric Marine 1 with Icon of Flame, Close combat weapon, Soulreaper cannon 3 with Close combat weapon, Warpflamer • 1x Aspiring Sorcerer: Force weapon, Malefic Curse, Warpflame pistol 5x Rubric Marines (100 pts) • 4x Rubric Marine 1 with Icon of Flame, Close combat weapon, Soulreaper cannon 3 with Close combat weapon, Warpflamer • 1x Aspiring Sorcerer: Force weapon, Malefic Curse, Warpflame pistol

10x Scarab Occult Terminators (360 pts) • 9x Scarab Occult Terminator 7 with Inferno combi-bolter, Prosperine khopesh 2 with Prosperine khopesh, Soulreaper cannon, Hellfyre missile rack • 1x Scarab Occult Sorcerer: Force weapon, Malefic Curse, Inferno combi-bolter 5x Scarab Occult Terminators (180 pts) • 4x Scarab Occult Terminator 3 with Inferno combi-bolter, Prosperine khopesh 1 with Prosperine khopesh, Soulreaper cannon, Hellfyre missile rack • 1x Scarab Occult Sorcerer: Force weapon, Malefic Curse, Inferno combi-bolter 5x Scarab Occult Terminators (180 pts) • 4x Scarab Occult Terminator 3 with Inferno combi-bolter, Prosperine khopesh 1 with Prosperine khopesh, Soulreaper cannon, Hellfyre missile rack • 1x Scarab Occult Sorcerer: Force weapon, Malefic Curse, Inferno combi-bolter

10x Tzaangors (70 pts) • 9x Tzaangor 7 with Autopistol, Chainsword 1 with Herd banner, Autopistol, Chainsword 1 with Brayhorn, Autopistol, Chainsword • 1x Twistbray: Autopistol, Chainsword

3x Tzaangor Enlightened with Fatecaster greatbows (55 pts)

• 1x Aviarch: Close combat weapon, Fatecaster greatbow • 2x Enlightened: 2 with Close combat weapon, Fatecaster greatbow

2x Sekhetar Robots (80 pts): 2 with Close combat weapon, Heavy warpflamer, Hellfyre missile rack, Power claw, Warpflame projector 2x Sekhetar Robots (80 pts): 2 with Close combat weapon, Heavy warpflamer, Hellfyre missile rack, Power claw, Warpflame projector

vs.

Patrick Soulliere II - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal)

Army List - Click to Expand

3ddas and whatever (2000 points)

Necrons Strike Force (2000 points) Starshatter Arsenal

CHARACTERS

Catacomb Command Barge (150 points) • 1x Gauss cannon 1x Overlord's blade 1x Resurrection Orb • Enhancement: Dread Majesty (Aura)

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

Hexmark Destroyer (100 points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Enmitic disintegrator pistols • Enhancement: Chrono-impedance Fields

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

Psychomancer (65 points) • 1x Abyssal lance • Enhancement: Demanding Leader

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

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

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

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

Triarch Praetorians (90 points) • 5x Triarch Praetorian • 5x Rod of covenant

Triarch Stalker (110 points) • 1x Heavy gauss cannon array 1x Stalker's forelimbs

Exported with App Version: v1.45.0 (105), Data Version: v720

Thoughts

A very unusual matchup here, pitting a very top-heavy Necron build against a grindy wall of Rubricae. The Necron list is one that's very much hoping not to get rushed down, and here it absolutely gets its wish, having plenty of time to pound away with its big guns. Those guns play very effectively into the Rubricae, and aren't terrible into the Scarabs either, meaning that chipping away against the Tzeentch Legions is pretty realistic. The Silent King is also strong here, as there aren't any phenomenal counters for him on the Thousand Sons end, and killing him the old-fashioned way is slow. The Nightbringer has a rougher time of it, as Warpflamer Rubricae actually are one of the better things out there for killing a C'tan (this is very much a game where you'd rather have the new higher wound count than half damage), and between that and invulns everywhere, he's probably underwhelming.

Even with that, the Necrons probably win a damage race eventually if you assume a perfectly smooth confrontation going into infinity, so the question becomes one of scoring. Here the THousand Sons have an edge on the basis of ease of denying points, and the difficult choice the Scarabs represent. If all the Doomsdays concentrate fire on them they will make headway, but it'll take the whole lot for at least an entire turn, and that'll give the rest of the Rubricae a chance to get dangerously close. If they ignore them, however, they can potentially bog down too much stuff for the Necrons to operate, especially given how few units they have. The Necron Deep Strikers being at very real risk of dying to Warpflamer overwatch if they drop on an objective doesn't help either.

That isn't enough to completely erase the advantage of attrition though, and I think this probably comes down quite a bit to mission. The Necrons want to play this on Purge or Scorched, where they can either take advantage of their offensive advantage or take a big score swing in the late game. The Thousand Sons want Hidden Supplies or Terraform, where early initiative and/or the ability to bully points will win out. I don't know what mission was played, but given the very low final score and Thousand Sons victory, I'd punt on it either being Hidden Supplies, or just simple Take and Hold and the Necrons had to go first.

Result

Thousand Sons (Rubricae Phalanx) Victory - 61 - 53

Ryan Koehn - Thousand Sons (Rubricae Phalanx) - 1st Place

Thousand Sons Rubricae Fire Team Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Grindy Rubricae Phalanx

Thoughts

That's a lot of Rubricae and even in a metagame built for handling elite Infantry this is going to give some people pause. I like that this feels very consistent in how it handles almost every thing - you force people to work around your gameplan of grinding them a gainst a wall, rather than jumping at whatever nonsense they're getting up to. I'd have guessed you might struggle with a full-send Rage-Cursed build like the ones above, but Ryan faced and defeated one of those in round two, so it's clearly not an unsalvageable matchup. Maybe too many hulls just thwarts it, but there are plenty of armies out there that do not want to see this across the table. Congratulations Ryan for getting the Thousand Sons spun up for the new year.

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd - Patrick Soulliere II - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal): Silent King, triple Doomsday and the NIghtbringer, because subtlety is for mortals.
3rd - Shaun Sharp - Dark Angels (Gladius Task Force): The Lion, lots of Redemptors and a Darkshroud.
4th - Zachary Tampoya - Chaos Daemons (Plague Legion): Maximum morale fun with GUOs, Rotigus, loads of Nurglings and some Skull Cannons to trigger Battle-shock.
5th - Ryan Brown - Leagues of Votann (Hearthband): Artillery and Heathguard-heavy Hearthband, going for the full three Earthshakers and two big squads of Guard.

Wrap Up

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