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.

Ah, there it is. Last week, Necrons were high up the win rates, but not converting it into top finishes. This tends to break one of two ways - either top players work out how to fend off the best builds, the wins don't roll in, and player count drops or the builds grow more powerful as players get into the swing of using them, and they rise to dominance.

Here we decidedly have the latter - Necrons are top of both the win rates and top finish stats as the full power of the C'tan is unleashed. That doesn't massively surprise me from my own games with them - they're so potent that they unlock entirely new lines of play, and it takes a while to fully get into the swing of that and maximise their power. At least I have a long trail of documentation that I liked C'tan before it was cool.

Elsewhere, Marines (melee flavours and Blade) dominate the top placings, and Guard, T'au and Thousand Sons are nipping at the Necrons heels on win rate. Thousand Sons in particular have suddenly surged massively in both win rate and 4-1 finishes, suggesting they can handle the meta pretty well. Still plenty of stuff going on, but C'tan are definitely earning themselves a place on the "enjoy it while it lasts" list for the Necron fans of the world.

Event News - Goonhammer UK Teams March 2026

Tickets are still available for the first Goonhammer Open UK of 2026 - which this time is going to be our first Teams tournament. If you're interested in playing in a 5-player Team Tournament with WTC Terrain on 14th-15th March in Leicester, check out the details below:

This Week's Events

Part 1 on Wednesday:

Wet Coast GT 2026 - 40k Champs
CanCon 40k Open 2026
"Wishing it was LVO" 40K GT
The Great Game - Gongaii GT Winter 2026
NIGEL'S NUTTA'S

Part 2 on Friday:

Uprising Adelaide 2026
The 2026 Swordwind Winter Grand Tournament
Iron-Claws Wargaming South Mills GT
GFGT III
DPW GT 1 2026

Part 3 on Saturday:

HAMBURG MAJOR 2026 40k
Warp Warriors 2026
Winchester 40K GT - January 2026
The Gang's 40k Grand Tournament at Castle Con
VT 40K GT JAN 2026

Wet Coast GT 2026 - 40k Champs

185-player, 6-round Grand Tournament in Burnaby, BC, CA on January 23 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Terraform - Crucible of Battle

Pavel Samsonov - Thousand Sons (Hexwarp Thrallband)

Army List - Click to Expand

Oops all demon princes (2000 Points)

Thousand Sons Hexwarp Thrallband Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

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

Daemon Prince of Tzeentch with Wings (190 Points) • 1x Dark Blessing • 1x Hellforged weapons • 1x Infernal cannon • Enhancements: Arcane Might

Daemon Prince of Tzeentch with Wings (185 Points) • 1x Dark Blessing • 1x Hellforged weapons • 1x Infernal cannon • Enhancements: Noctilith Mantle

Daemon Prince of Tzeentch with Wings (170 Points) • 1x Dark Blessing • 1x Hellforged weapons • 1x Infernal cannon

Sorcerer (105 Points) • 1x Force weapon • 1x Inferno bolt pistol • 1x Pandaemonic Delusion • Enhancements: Empyric Onslaught

Sorcerer in Terminator Armour (85 Points) • 1x Force weapon • 1x Gaze of Hate • 1x Inferno combi-bolter

BATTLELINE

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

OTHER DATASHEETS

Chaos Spawn (65 Points) • 2x Chaos Spawn ◦ 2x Hideous mutations

Mutalith Vortex Beast (170 Points) • 1x Betentacled maw • 1x Mutalith claws • 1x Warp vortex

Mutalith Vortex Beast (170 Points) • 1x Betentacled maw • 1x Mutalith claws • 1x Warp vortex

Scarab Occult Terminators (360 Points) • 1x Scarab Occult Sorcerer ◦ 1x Force weapon ◦ 1x Inferno combi-bolter ◦ 1x Malefic Curse • 9x Scarab Occult Terminator ◦ 2x Hellfyre missile rack ◦ 7x Inferno combi-bolter ◦ 9x Prosperine khopesh ◦ 2x Soulreaper cannon

Sekhetar Robots (80 Points) • 2x Sekhetar Robot ◦ 2x Close combat weapon ◦ 2x Heavy warpflamer ◦ 2x Hellfyre missile rack ◦ 2x Power claw ◦ 2x Warpflame projector

Tzaangors (70 Points) • 1x Twistbray ◦ 1x Autopistol ◦ 1x Chainsword • 9x Tzaangor ◦ 9x Autopistol ◦ 1x Brayhorn ◦ 9x Chainsword ◦ 1x Herd banner

Tzaangors (70 Points) • 1x Twistbray ◦ 1x Autopistol ◦ 1x Chainsword • 9x Tzaangor ◦ 9x Autopistol ◦ 1x Brayhorn ◦ 9x Chainsword ◦ 1x Herd banner

Exported with App Version: v1.46.2 (1), Data Version: v732

vs.

Alex Macdougall - Genestealer Cult (Final Day)

Army List - Click to Expand

Day 4 (2000 points)

Genestealer Cults Strike Force (2000 points) Final Day

CHARACTERS

Abominant (85 points) • 1x Power sledgehammer

Benefictus (90 points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Psionic Cascade • Enhancement: Inhuman Integration

Patriarch (85 points) • Warlord • 1x Patriarch's claws • Enhancement: Enraptured Damnation

Reductus Saboteur (65 points) • 1x Autopistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Demolition charges 1x Remote explosives

BATTLELINE

Neophyte Hybrids (145 points) • 1x Neophyte Leader • 1x Autopistol 1x Close combat weapon 1x Hybrid firearm • 19x Neophyte Hybrid • 19x Autopistol 19x Close combat weapon 1x Cult Icon 2x Grenade launcher 11x Hybrid firearm 2x Mining laser 2x Seismic cannon 2x Webber

OTHER DATASHEETS

Achilles Ridgerunners (95 points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Heavy mortar 1x Survey Augur 1x Twin heavy stubber

Achilles Ridgerunners (170 points) • 2x Achilles Ridgerunner • 2x Armoured hull 2x Heavy mining laser 2x Spotter 2x Twin heavy stubber

Achilles Ridgerunners (95 points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Heavy mining laser 1x Spotter 1x Twin heavy stubber

Goliath Rockgrinder (120 points) • 1x Demolition charge cache 1x Drilldozer blade 1x Heavy mining laser 1x Heavy stubber

Goliath Rockgrinder (120 points) • 1x Demolition charge cache 1x Drilldozer blade 1x Heavy mining laser 1x Heavy stubber

Hybrid Metamorphs (70 points) • 1x Metamorph Leader • 1x Hand flamer 1x Leader's cult weapons • 4x Hybrid Metamorph • 1x Cult Icon 3x Hand flamer 4x Metamorph mutations

Hybrid Metamorphs (70 points) • 1x Metamorph Leader • 1x Hand flamer 1x Leader's cult weapons • 4x Hybrid Metamorph • 1x Cult Icon 3x Hand flamer 4x Metamorph mutations

Purestrain Genestealers (140 points) • 10x Purestrain Genestealer • 10x Cult claws and talons

ALLIED UNITS

Deathleaper (80 points) • 1x Lictor claws and talons

Gargoyles (85 points) • 10x Gargoyle • 10x Blinding venom 10x Fleshborer

Gargoyles (85 points) • 10x Gargoyle • 10x Blinding venom 10x Fleshborer

Hyperadapted Raveners (165 points) • 1x Ravener Prime • 1x Prime claws and talons • 4x Raveners • 4x Ravener heavy claws and talons 1x Venom bolt

Hyperadapted Raveners (165 points) • 1x Ravener Prime • 1x Prime claws and talons • 4x Raveners • 4x Ravener heavy claws and talons 1x Venom bolt

Neurolictor (70 points) • 1x Piercing claws and talons

Exported with App Version: v1.46.2 (108), Data Version: v732

Thoughts

Two very unusual builds here - Final Day in all its synergistic glory vs. a herohammer Hexwarp build that goes hard on Daemon Princes. The Hexwarp setup is super cool - what that detachment does well at its core is making one unit of Scarab Terminators very flexible, and Daemon Princes and Mutaliths are a great way to support that. The Daemon Princes take the combination of the Detachment Rule, Enhancements and their built-in Character-killing re-rolls and become very powerful roving threats, while Mutaliths are generically solid and provide a reliable anchor for everything else the army has going on.

Over on the Tyranid side, Final Day turns a big Patriarch/Genestealer unit into an un-Overwatchable blender, pushes up the value of mining laser shooting across the board, and lets Hyperadapted Raveners really thrive - access to Retreat Below means they have the best of both worlds. The list also gets some good cheap scoring in the Gargoyles, and one very powerful big volume ranged from the Neophytes.

In terms of who comes out on top here, I think both sides have some things going for them in this mission. The Thousand Sons list feels like it has the edge in a straight fight - the Genestealers are very far from harmless, but there are lots of threats on the Thousand Sons side that are competing for the attention of the big guns, whereas in the other direction the psychic threats can just murder whatever. However, the presence of the big Purestrain unit with re-roll access probably does force the Scarabs to be way more cautious than they'd like, which is an issue for an already slow unit, and the Cult can be quite muscular with the Purestrains given they have more than enough RP to spare to re-up the big squad. The Cult list is also better at playing Terraform - the Tsons list isn't out and out bad, but their Tzaangors are pretty high up the Cults target priority, and they don't want to be losing them early just to get the mission going.

I do still think this is either player's game to win, and if I had to pick I'd probably give a narrow nod to the Tsons because of how deep their roster of big threats is (and how well they play into some targets, a Winged Daemon Prince can damn near solo a Hyperadapted unit with no help). The Cult were able to deploy their threats to counter this, however, and won the day.

Result

Genestealer Cult (Final Day) Victory - 84 - 63

Alex Macdougall - Genestealer Cult (Final Day) - 1st Place

Patriarch. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Archetype

Final Day

Thoughts

Alex's latest Final Day iteration gets the big win here, combining good utility pieces with some big power plays thanks to the Stratagems and Enhancements the Detachment offers. It's a very technical build, and as with all of those at the moment I'm a little curious how well it plays into two C'tan, but it has the Genestealer advantage of being exceptionally strong at punishing ignorance of what it's capable of, which insulates it against people flocking to a flavour of the month. Well done to Alex for refining his be-clawed engine of death.

David Coren - Grey Knights (Warpbane Task Force) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Grand Master in Nemesis Dreadknight. Credit: Pendulin

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

let's try this again without Draigo (1995 points)

Grey Knights Strike Force (2000 points) Warpbane Task Force

CHARACTERS

Brotherhood Librarian (80 points) • 1x Combi-weapon 1x Nemesis force weapon 1x Vortex of Doom

Brotherhood Librarian (80 points) • 1x Combi-weapon 1x Nemesis force weapon 1x Vortex of Doom

Brotherhood Librarian (80 points) • 1x Combi-weapon 1x Nemesis force weapon 1x Vortex of Doom

Brotherhood Techmarine (70 points) • 1x Forge bolter 1x Grav-pistol 1x Omnissian power axe 1x Servo-arm

Castellan Crowe (90 points) • 1x Black Blade of Antwyr 1x Purifying Flame 1x Storm bolter

Grand Master in Nemesis Dreadknight (225 points) • 1x Fragstorm grenade launcher 1x Heavy psycannon 1x Nemesis daemon greathammer 1x Sublimator

BATTLELINE

Strike Squad (120 points) • 1x Justicar • 1x Nemesis force weapon 1x Storm bolter • 4x Grey Knight • 4x Nemesis force weapon 4x Storm bolter

Strike Squad (120 points) • 1x Justicar • 1x Nemesis force weapon 1x Storm bolter • 4x Grey Knight • 4x Nemesis force weapon 4x Storm bolter

OTHER DATASHEETS

Nemesis Dreadknight (210 points) • 1x Gatling psilencer 1x Heavy psycannon 1x Nemesis daemon greathammer

Nemesis Dreadknight (210 points) • 1x Gatling psilencer 1x Heavy psycannon 1x Nemesis daemon greathammer

Nemesis Dreadknight (210 points) • 1x Gatling psilencer 1x Heavy psycannon 1x Nemesis daemon greathammer

Purifier Squad (250 points) • 1x Knight of the Flame • 1x Nemesis force weapon 1x Purifying Flame 1x Storm bolter • 9x Purifier • 4x Close combat weapon 5x Nemesis force weapon 4x Psycannon 9x Purifying Flame 5x Storm bolter

Purifier Squad (125 points) • 1x Knight of the Flame • 1x Nemesis force weapon 1x Purifying Flame 1x Storm bolter • 4x Purifier • 4x Nemesis force weapon 4x Purifying Flame 4x Storm bolter

Purifier Squad (125 points) • 1x Knight of the Flame • 1x Nemesis force weapon 1x Purifying Flame 1x Storm bolter • 4x Purifier • 4x Nemesis force weapon 4x Purifying Flame 4x Storm bolter

Exported with App Version: v1.46.2 (108), Data Version: v732

Archetype

Dreadknights and Purifiers

Thoughts

Warpbane continues to put up solid results, as the mixture of Dreadknights and Purifiers it tends to run gives it an extremely solid backbone, and solo Librarians have proved to still be very good in their Codex iteration, allowing the army to maintain sufficient drops and objective play while cramming in the good stuff. This version is particularly aggressive, using mostly regular Dreadknights rather than Grand Masters, and while my initial take would be that you'd maybe want two and two to handle C'tan, David smashed through two Necron lists on the way to undefeated second, so that's clearly not a terminal issue (and every unit squeezed in helps this army). Well done to David on the finish.

Brendan McKenzie - Adepta Sororitas (Hallowed Martyrs) - 3rd Place (Undefeated)

Credit: Keewa

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Imperium - Adepta Sororitas + DETACHMENT: Hallowed Martyrs (The Blood of Martyrs) + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char3: Morvenn Vahl + ENHANCEMENT: Saintly Example (on Char5: Canoness) & Through Suffering, Strength (on Char10: Palatine) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 19 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (3x2) - Assassination: 11 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char5: 1x Canoness (70 pts): Null Rod, Hallowed Chainsword, Condemnor boltgun Enhancement: Saintly Example (+10 pts)

Char1: 2x Daemonifuge (85 pts) • 1x Ephrael Stern: Bolt pistol, Sanctity • 1x Kyganil of the Bloody Tears: The Outcast's Blades

Char6: 1x Dialogus (40 pts): Bolt pistol, Dialogus Staff

Char2: 1x Junith Eruita (80 pts): Mace of Castigation, Twin Ministorum Heavy Flamer

Char7: 1x Ministorum Priest (50 pts): Zealot's vindictor Char8: 1x Ministorum Priest (50 pts): Zealot's vindictor Char9: 1x Ministorum Priest (50 pts): Zealot's vindictor

Char3: 1x Morvenn Vahl (185 pts): Warlord, Fidelis, Lance of Illumination, Paragon missile launcher

Char10: 1x Palatine (75 pts): Palatine blade, Plasma pistol Enhancement: Through Suffering, Strength (+25 pts)

Char4: 1x Triumph of Saint Katherine (235 pts): Bolt Pistols, Relic Weapons

10x Arco-Flagellants (140 pts): 10 with Arco-flails 10x Arco-Flagellants (140 pts): 10 with Arco-flails 3x Arco-Flagellants (45 pts): 3 with Arco-flails

10x Celestian Sacresants (140 pts) 1 with Spear of the Faithful, Inferno pistol 9 with Anointed Halberd, Bolt pistol

3x Paragon Warsuits (210 pts) • 1x Paragon Superior: Bolt pistol, Paragon Storm Bolters, Paragon War Mace, Multi-melta • 2x Paragon Warsuit: 2 with Bolt pistol, Paragon Storm Bolters, Paragon War Mace, Multi-melta

5x Retributor Squad (120 pts) • 1x Retributor Superior: Bolt pistol, Close combat weapon, Power weapon, Inferno pistol • 4x Retributor: 4 with Bolt pistol, Close combat weapon, Multi-melta

9x Sanctifiers (110 pts) • 2x Missionary 1 with Ministorum flamer, Sanctifier melee weapon 1 with Holy fire, Sanctifier melee weapon, Plasma gun • 4x Sanctifier 2 with Ministorum hand flamer, Sanctifier melee weapon 1 with Close combat weapon, 2x Ministorum hand flamer 1 with Simulacrum Imperialis, Close combat weapon, Ministorum hand flamer • 1x Miraculist: Burning hands, Holy fire • 1x Salvationist: Salvationist Medikit, Close combat weapon • 1x Death Cult Assassin: Death Cult blades 1x Sororitas Rhino (75 pts): Armoured tracks, Hunter-Killer Missile, Storm bolter

Char11: 1x Callidus Assassin (100 pts): Neural shredder, Phase sword and poison blades

Archetype

Herohammer Martyrs

Thoughts

The undefeated podium here is rounded out by a very Character-skewed Hallowed Martyrs build, cramming in a big toolbox of heroines and protecting them with a relatively thin line of Sacresants and Arco-flagellants. All the stacked buffs and Miracle tricks do mean that anyone trying to push through that line will get spiked hard with melta firepower, and the army ultimately feels like a counterattacking build - it can use all its Characters and the Martyrs stratagems to bait foes into a battle, then unleash its extreme reliability to remove them from the table. As always with lists like this, it looks very challenging to play to maximum effect, but that's clearly what was going on here as Brendan navigated his way to undefeated third place.

Devin Swann - Necrons (Pantheon of Woe) - 4th Place

Credit: Blake Law

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Xenos - Necrons + DETACHMENT: Pantheon of Woe (Cosmic Distortion) + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char4: Illuminor Szeras + ENHANCEMENT: + NUMBER OF UNITS: 9 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (5x4) - Assassination: 6 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x C'tan Shard of the Deceiver (325 pts): Singularity Matrix, Cosmic insanity, Golden fists Char2: 1x C'tan Shard of the Nightbringer (345 pts): Quantum Goad, Gaze of death, Scythe of the Nightbringer Char3: 1x C'tan Shard of the Void Dragon (330 pts): Animus Damper, Canoptek tail blades, Spear of the Void Dragon, Voltaic storm Char4: 1x Illuminor Szeras (165 pts): Warlord, Eldritch lance, Impaling legs Char5: 1x Transcendent C'tan (330 pts): Relativistic Tether, Crackling tendrils, Seismic assault Char6: 1x Transcendent C'tan (330 pts): Relativistic Tether, Crackling tendrils, Seismic assault

5x Deathmarks (60 pts): 5 with Close combat weapon, Synaptic disintegrator 5x Flayed Ones (60 pts): 5 with Flayer claws 1x Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (55 pts): Close combat weapon, Gauss destructor

Archetype

Five C'tan

Thoughts

Whoops all C'tan is strong, real, and probably not many people's friend. There's nothing particularly fancy going on here, just a build that demands to know whether foes can handle five C'tan and Szeras in the Deceiver's CP tax aura, with a minimal scattering of utility pieces on top. Most foes can't, it turns out! The only caveat I'd stick on this is that it can really struggle on Terraform if it goes second, which was the final round here and where Devin picked up his loss, and I'd quite genuinely consider dropping one C'tan if I was expecting to play that mission in a final round. Extremely scary and extremely cool outside that, well done Devin.

The Best of the Rest

There were 15 more players on 5-1 records. They were:

5th - Brad Bouchard - Thousand Sons (Hexwarp Thrallband): Two big Scarab bricks honed into flexible tools by the Thrallband Stratagems.
6th - Pavel Samsonov - Thousand Sons (Hexwarp Thrallband): Daemon Prince spam with one Scarab brick also as Thrallband. What is going on in Canada?
7th - Brandon St Pierre - Drukhari (Spectacle of Spite): All-pressure Spectacle with two big squads each of Hellions and Reavers.
8th - Daniel Knight - Chaos Space Marines (Creations of Bile): Heavy melee pressure with two blocks each of Chosen and Posssessed plus a full Warp Talon unit.
9th - Ethan Woods - Necrons (Awakened Dynasty): The honourable C'tan-less tarpit Awakened with a big Warrior squad, two Lychguard bricks, and Doomsdays to go behind them.
10th - Donald Plummer - T'au Empire (Retaliation Cadre): Triptides, Ignition Fireknifes and four Broadsides.
11th - Ian Harris - Death Guard (Mortarion's Hammer): Defilers, Destructors and Deathshrouds, plus a couple of Plaguebursts coming out of retirement.
12th - Kasra Houshidar - Ultramarines (Stormlance Task Force): Bobby G Stormlance Stormraven with a Victrix squad added.
13th - Alexey Sidorenko - Space Wolves (Saga of the Beastslayer): Herohammer, Redemptors and wolf melee.
14th - Adam Green - Astra Militarum (Grizzled Company): Double Dorn, double Bullgryn.
15th - AJ Wong - Thousand Sons (Grand Coven): A classic Magnus Grand Coven goodstuff setup, even bringing a couple of Mutaliths. Just like old (i.e. <6 months ago) times.
16th - tim thomsen - World Eaters (Vessels of Wrath): Masses of Eightbound and triple Helbrute.
17th - George Kennedy - Ultramarines (Blade of Ultramar): Shooty Blade Hulltramarines.
18th - Aiden McFaull - Thousand Sons (Hexwarp Thrallband): Somehow this one manages three Daemon Princes and two Terminator blocks.
19th - Jordan Galaugher - World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): Classic Warband with one of the Berzerker units swapped out for a Daemon Prince and second Slaughterbound.

CanCon 40k Open 2026

68-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Mitchell, ACT, Australia on January 23 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Jawad Salah - Astra Militarum (Grizzled Company) - 1st Place

Lord Solar. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Someone call 000. 0 screens. 0 reserves. 0 bitches.

Astra Militarum Grizzled Company Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

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

Krieg Command Squad (65 Points) • 1x Lord Commissar ◦ 1x Laspistol ◦ 1x Plasma pistol ◦ 1x Power fist • 1x Veteran Guardsman ◦ 1x Plasma pistol ◦ 1x Power weapon • 1x Veteran Guardsman ◦ 1x Alchemyk Counteragents ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Laspistol ◦ 1x Servo-scribes • 1x Veteran Guardsman ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Lasgun ◦ 1x Master Vox • 1x Veteran Guardsman ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Lasgun ◦ 1x Regimental Standard • 1x Veteran Guardsman ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Plasma gun

Lord Solar Leontus (130 Points) • Warlord • 1x Conquest • 1x Konstantin's hooves • 1x Sol's Righteous Gaze

Rogal Dorn Commander (275 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 1x Coaxial autocannon • 1x Heavy stubber • 2x Heavy stubber • 2x Multi-melta • 1x Oppressor cannon • 1x Pulveriser cannon

BATTLELINE

Cadian Shock Troops (65 Points) • 1x Shock Trooper Sergeant ◦ 1x Chainsword ◦ 1x Laspistol • 9x Shock Trooper ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 7x Lasgun ◦ 1x Meltagun ◦ 1x Plasma gun ◦ 1x Vox-caster

Catachan Jungle Fighters (65 Points) • 1x Jungle Fighter Sergeant ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Laspistol • 9x Jungle Fighter ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 2x Flamer ◦ 7x Lasgun ◦ 1x Vox-caster

Catachan Jungle Fighters (65 Points) • 1x Jungle Fighter Sergeant ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Laspistol • 9x Jungle Fighter ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 2x Flamer ◦ 7x Lasgun ◦ 1x Vox-caster

Death Korps of Krieg (65 Points) • 1x Death Korps Watchmaster ◦ 1x Plasma pistol ◦ 1x Power weapon • 9x Death Korps Trooper ◦ 9x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Death Korps Medi-pack ◦ 7x Lasgun ◦ 1x Meltagun ◦ 1x Plasma gun ◦ 1x Vox-caster

OTHER DATASHEETS

Attilan Rough Riders (120 Points) • 1x Rough Rider Sergeant ◦ 1x Hunting lance ◦ 1x Lasgun ◦ 1x Laspistol ◦ 1x Steed's hooves • 9x Rough Rider ◦ 9x Hunting lance ◦ 9x Lasgun ◦ 9x Laspistol ◦ 9x Steed's hooves

Attilan Rough Riders (60 Points) • 1x Rough Rider Sergeant ◦ 1x Hunting lance ◦ 1x Lasgun ◦ 1x Laspistol ◦ 1x Steed's hooves • 4x Rough Rider ◦ 4x Hunting lance ◦ 4x Lasgun ◦ 4x Laspistol ◦ 4x Steed's hooves

Attilan Rough Riders (60 Points) • 1x Rough Rider Sergeant ◦ 1x Hunting lance ◦ 1x Lasgun ◦ 1x Laspistol ◦ 1x Steed's hooves • 4x Rough Rider ◦ 4x Hunting lance ◦ 4x Lasgun ◦ 4x Laspistol ◦ 4x Steed's hooves

Catachan Heavy Weapons Squad (65 Points) • 3x Heavy Weapons Team ◦ 3x Lasgun ◦ 3x Mortar ◦ 3x Weapons team close combat weapons

Leman Russ Exterminator (180 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 1x Exterminator autocannon • 1x Heavy stubber • 1x Hunter-killer missile • 1x Lascannon • 2x Multi-melta

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

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

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

Rogal Dorn Battle Tank (250 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 1x Coaxial autocannon • 1x Heavy stubber • 2x Heavy stubber • 2x Multi-melta • 1x Oppressor cannon • 1x Pulveriser cannon

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

Archetype

Tank Grizzled

Thoughts

Our second trophy of the week goes to a very "full send" variant of Grizzled Company, eschewing the normal Kasrkin in favour of lots of Russ Vanquishers (and an Exterminator to buff the Dorns), and also packing the big squad of Rough Riders for any counter-charge needs. The list represents a gamble that when battle is joined, no one will be able to stand up to its firepower, and the results would suggest that's a gamble that paid off, so hats off to Jawad.

Rowan Kennett - Tyranids (Subterranean Assault) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

The Swarmlord. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

We are allowing one (1) BIG SCARY THING unit to be included in your army. - [2000 pts]

Detachment: Subterranean Assault The Swarmlord (220pts): Warlord, Bone Sabres, Synaptic Pulse 5x Hyperadapted Raveners (165pts)

10x Gargoyles (85pts)

Biovores (50pts) Lictor (60pts): Lictor claws and talons Neurolictor (70pts): Piercing claws and talons Pyrovores (40pts) 5x Raveners (125pts) 5x Raveners (125pts) Harridan (610pts): 2x Dire bio-cannon, Gargantuan scything talons Screamer-killer (125pts): Bio-plasmic scream, Screamer-killer talons Screamer-killer (125pts): Bio-plasmic scream, Screamer-killer talons Tyrannofex (200pts): Powerful limbs, Stinger salvoes, Rupture cannon

Archetype

Harridan Assault

Thoughts

Truly we will never be free of the shadow of Long Eighth Edition, or indeed of the Harridan, because one of the bugs remaining Forge World nasties gets an outing here, alongside a cheap monster and Ravener selection. Exactly how the Harridan gets used will probably depend on the matchup, but I'm guessing the big draw here is that you can use Retreat "Below" to essentially hack the Aircraft rules, letting the Harridan pop back in every turn and then use Enfilading Emergence to blow stuff up with extreme prejudice. That was what I thought anyway, but then I started second guessing myself as to whether it might have a big enough base that it would have to use large model rules when coming in as Strat Reserves. Obviously I attempted to research this for you, the audience, but, and I'll need to steal Rob's trick of embedding Discord messages for this:

How is Forge World still doing this to me in 2026? I'm so tired man. I refuse to do any further research on principal, do whatever you want/your judges allow I guess, and congratulations to Rowan on undefeated second place.

Joe Loke - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium) - 3rd Place

Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Here for the painting (2000 Points)

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

CHARACTERS

Biologus Putrifier (60 Points) • 1x Hyper blight grenades • 1x Injector pistol • 1x Plague knives

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

Lord of Contagion (130 Points) • 1x Manreaper • Enhancements: Daemon Weapon of Nurgle

Lord of Virulence (100 Points) • 1x Power fist • 1x Twin plague spewer

Malignant Plaguecaster (60 Points) • 1x Bolt pistol • 1x Corrupted staff • 1x Plague Wind

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

Tallyman (50 Points) • 1x Close combat weapon • 1x Plasma pistol

BATTLELINE

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

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

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

OTHER DATASHEETS

Chaos Spawn (80 Points) • 2x Chaos Spawn ◦ 2x Hideous mutations

Deathshroud Terminators (160 Points) • 1x Deathshroud Champion ◦ 1x Icon of Despair (Aura) ◦ 1x Manreaper ◦ 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet • 2x Deathshroud Terminator ◦ 2x Manreaper ◦ 2x Plaguespurt gauntlet

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (120 Points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher • 1x Plague probe

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (120 Points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher • 1x Plague probe

Foetid Bloat-Drone with Heavy Blight Launcher (120 Points) • 1x Heavy blight launcher • 1x Plague probe

Poxwalkers (65 Points) • 10x Poxwalker ◦ 10x Improvised weapon

Poxwalkers (65 Points) • 10x Poxwalker ◦ 10x Improvised weapon

Archetype

Mortarion Vectorium

Thoughts

All-rounder Vectorium with Morty next, which feels solid into a C'tan-infested metagame. Morty's defences are sufficient that even the Nightbringer is extremely unlikely to one-tap him (especially if the WS/BS Contagion is active), and both Morty and the re-roll spectacular Plague Marine death block are serious threats into C'tan in turn. What's especially nice about Mortarion in that scenario is how big the punish is for engaging him and not killing him outright - Leechspore Eruption can avalanche additional wounds onto a key target while propping the big guy back up. Into anyone else, this is still just a pile of ultra-pushed Datasheets with two nasty Monsters to anchor it, which you can't go too far wrong with. Well done to Joe on third.

Tim Zuber - Adeptus Custodes (Talons of the Emperor) - 4th Place

Blade Champion. Credit: Pendulin

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

Adeptus Custodes Talons of the Emperor Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Blade Champion (120 Points) • Warlord • 1x Vaultswords

Blade Champion (120 Points) • 1x Vaultswords

BATTLELINE

Custodian Guard (190 Points) • 5x Custodian Guard ◦ 4x Guardian spear ◦ 1x Misericordia ◦ 1x Praesidium Shield ◦ 1x Vexilla

Custodian Guard (190 Points) • 5x Custodian Guard ◦ 5x Guardian spear

Custodian Guard (190 Points) • 5x Custodian Guard ◦ 5x Guardian spear

OTHER DATASHEETS

Custodian Wardens (260 Points) • 5x Custodian Warden ◦ 5x Guardian spear ◦ 1x Vexilla

Custodian Wardens (260 Points) • 5x Custodian Warden ◦ 5x Guardian spear ◦ 1x Vexilla

Prosecutors (40 Points) • 1x Prosecutor Sister Superior ◦ 1x Boltgun ◦ 1x Close combat weapon • 3x Prosecutor ◦ 3x Boltgun ◦ 3x Close combat weapon

Venerable Land Raider (220 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 2x Godhammer lascannon • 1x Hunter-killer missile • 1x Storm bolter • 1x Twin heavy bolter

Venerable Land Raider (220 Points) • 1x Armoured tracks • 2x Godhammer lascannon • 1x Hunter-killer missile • 1x Storm bolter • 1x Twin heavy bolter

Witchseekers (45 Points) • 1x Witchseeker Sister Superior ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Witchseeker flamer • 3x Witchseeker ◦ 3x Close combat weapon ◦ 3x Witchseeker flamer

Witchseekers (45 Points) • 1x Witchseeker Sister Superior ◦ 1x Close combat weapon ◦ 1x Witchseeker flamer • 3x Witchseeker ◦ 3x Close combat weapon ◦ 3x Witchseeker flamer

ALLIED UNITS

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

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

Archetype

Talon Raider Custodes

Thoughts

The Land Raider Custodes special continues to trundle along, though there's a bit of iteration on show here. This list drops one Raider for a bit more of a balanced setup with a couple of Warden/Blade Champion units, giving it some extra reach and more of an ability to tarpit out in the open, while reducing the footprint a little. I'm definitely in the camp that three was too many - I don't think it opens up many matchups for you that two doesn't, and it also creates a bit vulnerability to anything like the winning Guard build here. Two still gives you access to the tricks and a bit of layering to try and help with the (very tough) C'tan matchup, and I like the recipe here. The big question for Custodes right now is whether there's any variant that can handle Necrons well enough to thrive in the current metagame, but if there is I think this is probably close to it. Well done Tim.

The Best of the Rest

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

5th - Paul Bampton - Astra Militarum (Grizzled Company): Horse-heavy Grizzled with extra MSUs of various types of pony, plus double Dorn and some Bullgryn.
6th - Dale Mann - Thousand Sons (Hexwarp Thrallband): Thrallband with big Rubricae units and some Destructors. It's spreading.
7th - Chris Frey - Blood Angels (Rage-cursed Onslaught): Lots of jump melee and a couple of shooty hulls.
8th - Jack Willoughby - Necrons (Pantheon of Woe): The big three, the Silent King, and some enmitic Lokhusts for hordes.
9th - Pui Hin HO - Deathwatch (Black Spear Task Force): Infantry-tastic Deathwatch (like, even more than normal), using three Veteran squads and three Indomitor teams, one of which is a pure heavy Intercessor firebase.
10th - Alasdair Kerr - Salamanders (Forgefather's Seekers): Adrax/Vulkan, lots of fiery MSUs, and a Redeemer.
11th - Zach Campain - Thousand Sons (Grand Coven): Magnus Grand Coven Goodstuff.
12th - David Hunterford - Emperor's Children (Coterie of the Conceited):

"Wishing it was LVO" 40K GT

41-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Sandy, UT, US on January 24 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Marshall Peterson - Necrons (Canoptek Court) - 1st Place

Nekrosor Ammentar. Credit: Wings

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Oops! No Wraiths! (1995 Points)

Necrons Canoptek Court Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

C'tan Shard of the Nightbringer (315 Points) • 1x Gaze of death • 1x Scythe of the Nightbringer

C'tan Shard of the Void Dragon (310 Points) • 1x Canoptek tail blades • 1x Spear of the Void Dragon • 1x Voltaic storm

Illuminor Szeras (165 Points) • Warlord • 1x Eldritch Lance • 1x Impaling legs

Nekrosor Ammentar (165 Points) • 1x Blade tail and whip coils • 1x Enmitic disintegrators • 1x Nullstone Field Generator (Aura) • 1x Unmaker Gauntlet

Plasmancer (75 Points) • 1x Plasmic lance • Enhancements: Dimensional Sanctum

Plasmancer (55 Points) • 1x Plasmic lance

Plasmancer (55 Points) • 1x Plasmic lance

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

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

BATTLELINE

Immortals (150 Points) • 10x Immortal ◦ 10x Close combat weapon ◦ 10x Gauss blaster

Immortals (150 Points) • 10x Immortal ◦ 10x Close combat weapon ◦ 10x Gauss blaster

Immortals (150 Points) • 10x Immortal ◦ 10x Close combat weapon ◦ 10x Gauss blaster

OTHER DATASHEETS

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

Canoptek Tomb Crawlers (50 Points) • 2x Canoptek Tomb Crawlers ◦ 2x Claws ◦ 1x Transdimensional isolator ◦ 1x Twin gauss reaper

Canoptek Tomb Crawlers (50 Points) • 2x Canoptek Tomb Crawlers ◦ 2x Claws ◦ 1x Transdimensional isolator ◦ 1x Twin gauss reaper

Canoptek Tomb Crawlers (50 Points) • 2x Canoptek Tomb Crawlers ◦ 2x Claws ◦ 1x Transdimensional isolator ◦ 1x Twin gauss reaper

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

Archetype

Immortal Canoptek C'tan

Thoughts

Our next build is one after my own heart, combining a couple of C'tan with the tricksy toolbox of Canoptek Court (which is very much my jam). Unlike the Wraith build I've been packing, this version instead takes advantage of the new synergies unlocked by Canoptek Crawlers and Nekrosor Ammentar, backing the C'tan up with three Gauss Immortal units with Plasmancers. In Ammentar's aura, these will often be getting the ever-coveted Lethal/Sustained on a 5+ with at least re-rolls of 1 to Hit and Wound (often full on both), and access to both a Reactive Move and Lone Op 18" Stratagem to protect them, which is a truly bananas combination of effects that's good into almost everything, and backed up by Mortals from the Plasmancers to help smooth out any places where a squad doesn't quite get a kill.

By my rough maths, if an enemy C'tan stands on an objective right in front of these three units with Power Matrix up, they get most of the way to killing them outright just with the gauss on a full fish, and the Mortals/leader guns will finish the job, which is wild for what is theoretically anti-Infantry firepower. The Overwatch threat is also considerable into lots of foes, particularly Spectacle. The only matchups you'd worry about are those with tonnes of 2+ saves, but many of those are where C'tan are great, which smooths it out. It feels like as long as you dodge exactly Astra Militarum and maybe the more full send versions of Rage-Cursed, your foes aren't really going to know what hit them here. Congratulations to Marshall for figuring out how to put together such a vicious setup (and for making me sad all my Immortals are built with Tesla).

The Best of the Rest

There were 7 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

2nd - Ryan Brown - Leagues of Votann (Hearthband): Triple Hearthguard fortless Hearthband, sneaking Buri in as an extra cheap threat.
3rd - Evan Stump - Ultramarines (Blade of Ultramar): A more toolboxy take on Blade, using lots of small melee units with Characters and a couple of Vindicators as anchors.
4th - Aaron Knafla - Black Templars (Ironstorm Spearhead): RepEx Brethren Herohammer as Ironstorm for extra punch.
5th - Jordan Gledhill - Dark Angels (Company of Hunters): Ravenwing COmmand/Outrider units to go fast and waddling Centurions/Ballistus to blast stuff.
6th - Vicente Utrera - Orks (War Horde): Double Battlewagon and a big Ghaz Boyz brick for mega pressure.
7th - Brian McAtee - Emperor's Children (Coterie of the Conceited): Triple Prince Coterie.
8th - Matthew Januzik - Raven Guard (Shadowmark Talon): All-rounder Shadowmark with a fairly normal suite of Marine units to augment with the tricks, plus added Hellblasters.

The Great Game - Gongaii GT Winter 2026

38-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Beaverton, OR, United States on January 24 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

AJ Edman - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal) - 1st Place

Szarekh, The Silent King. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

I would like to thank Gamer's Cantina in Coos Bay, OR for making this weekend's list possible. (2000 Points)

Necrons Starshatter Arsenal Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

C'tan Shard of the Deceiver (285 Points) • 1x Cosmic insanity • 1x Golden fists

C'tan Shard of the Nightbringer (315 Points) • 1x Gaze of death • 1x Scythe of the Nightbringer

Nekrosor Ammentar (165 Points) • 1x Blade tail and whip coils • 1x Enmitic disintegrators • 1x Nullstone Field Generator (Aura) • 1x Unmaker Gauntlet

Technomancer (105 Points) • 1x Staff of light • Enhancements: Chrono-impedance Fields

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 Tomb Crawlers (50 Points) • 2x Canoptek Tomb Crawlers ◦ 2x Claws ◦ 2x Twin gauss reaper

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

Deathmarks (60 Points) • 5x Deathmark ◦ 5x Close combat weapon ◦ 5x Synaptic disintegrator

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 Nebuloscope ◦ 3x Particle beamer

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

Exported with App Version: v1.46.2 (1), Data Version: v732

Archetype

C'tan Pressure Starshatter

Thoughts

Straight to another C'tan build, this time going for more of a battlecruiser approach. Can foes handle having two C'tan, -1D Silent King and some Wraiths driven straight at them? I'm hearing that they cannot. Ammentar is here too, great either as a buff engine for the pressure or a Rapid Ingress threat as the situation requires. Congratulations to AJ for unleashing this brutal concoction.

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd - Evan Lagergren - Adeptus Custodes (Lions of the Emperor): Horde Custodian Guard as Lions, with some Allarus captains as troubleshooters.
3rd - David Bierek - Chaos Space Marines (Pactbound Zealots): Pactbound gunline and monster mash, with Abaddon and Vindicators to blast and Vashtorr/Discos to press.
4th - Drew Lindell - T'au Empire (Mont'ka): Hull Mont'ka.
5th - Koby Willson - Chaos Space Marines (Veterans of the Long War): All-rounder Veterans with Obliterators, Noise Marines and Destructors for ranged output and Warp Talons/Chosen up close.
6th - Gwen Freeman - T'au Empire (Mont'ka): Mont'ka Stormsurge, with other hulls and a Fireknife backing it up.

NIGEL'S NUTTA'S

30-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Cape Town, ZA on January 24 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

Anthony Berinato - Space Wolves (Saga of the Great Wolf) - 1st Place

Logan Grimnar. Credit: Rich Nutter

The List

Army List - Click to Expand

Look ma' a good SW Detachment (2000 Points)

Space Marines Space Wolves Saga of the Great Wolf Strike Force (2 000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Arjac Rockfist (105 Points) • 1x Foehammer

Bjorn the Fell-Handed (160 Points) • 1x Assault cannon • 1x Heavy flamer • 1x Trueclaw

Captain in Terminator Armour (115 Points) • 1x Relic fist • 1x Storm bolter • Enhancements: Grimnar's Mark

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

Logan Grimnar (110 Points) • Warlord • 1x Axe Morkai • 1x Storm bolter • 1x Tyrnak and Fenrir

Wolf Guard Battle Leader (90 Points) • 1x Storm Shield • 1x Thunder hammer • Enhancements: Skjald's Foretelling

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

OTHER DATASHEETS

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

Redemptor Dreadnought (195 Points) • 1x Icarus rocket pod • 1x Macro plasma incinerator • 1x Onslaught gatling cannon • 1x Redemptor fist • 1x Twin fragstorm grenade launcher

Redemptor Dreadnought (195 Points) • 1x Icarus rocket pod • 1x Macro plasma incinerator • 1x Onslaught gatling cannon • 1x Redemptor fist • 1x Twin fragstorm grenade launcher

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 Missile launcher ◦ 1x Scout sniper rifle

Wolf Guard Headtakers (220 Points) • 6x Wolf Guard Headtaker ◦ 6x Heavy bolt pistol ◦ 6x Paired master‑crafted power weapons • 6x Hunting Wolves ◦ 6x Teeth and claws

Wolf Guard Terminators (170 Points) • 1x Wolf Guard Terminator Pack Leader ◦ 1x Relic greataxe • 4x Wolf Guard Terminator ◦ 4x Master-crafted power weapon ◦ 4x Storm Shield

Wolf Guard Terminators (170 Points) • 1x Wolf Guard Terminator Pack Leader ◦ 1x Relic greataxe • 4x Wolf Guard Terminator ◦ 4x Master-crafted power weapon ◦ 4x Storm Shield

Wolf Guard Terminators (170 Points) • 1x Wolf Guard Terminator Pack Leader ◦ 1x Twin lightning claws • 4x Wolf Guard Terminator ◦ 4x Master-crafted power weapon ◦ 4x Storm Shield

Exported with App Version: v1.46.2 (1), Data Version: v732

Archetype

Redemptor Great Wolf

Thoughts

The Space Wolves Grotmas gift gets an outing here, fielding a setup that takes maximum advantage of the Detachment's rules. Great Wolf is a lot more balanced between ranged and melee tricks than most Wolves ones, which can be both a strength and weakness - it opens up more options, but weakens focus. Redemptors are a great way of walking that line, as they do very well out of both boosts and get a bit buff from being able to wallhack with Fenrisian Ferocity. They provide an ideal anchor for the rest of the setup here, which is a trio of Wolf Guard units with a bit of extra Deep Strike trickery from Logan and the Captain, and a melee missile of spectacular proportions from the Headtakers, who will mince pretty much any other elite melee threat with Lance on. The list is thus fantastic as a counterpunch build - if foes overextend to try and reach the Dreads, they may find themselves double Ingressed then bowled over by unstoppable Terminator momentum, and if they're handing back then the power of the threats this can stage in the mid-board can also set up a more proactive go turn. Always cool to see a new detachment get use, congratulations to Anthony for giving it an outing!

The Best of the Rest

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

2nd - Nigel Perry - Orks (Green Tide): Mega Boyz Horde with Ghaz at the helm.
3rd - Jonathan De Waal - Astra Militarum (Grizzled Company): The artful creation of a Grizzled list that doesn't run any Bullgryn, Kasrkin or Dorns and still goes 4-1. Incredible scenes. Basilisks, big Infantry blocks and Russes get it done.
4th - Charles Freestone - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal): Another surprisingly C'tan free Necron build, this one going for maximum anti-heavy firepower from Doomsdays, Doomstalkers and Gauss Lokhust Heavies, all empowered by re-rolls from the Silent King.
5th - Jacques Mouton - Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): All-rounder mechanised brawler Raiders.

Wrap Up

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Competitive Innovations in 10th: Unsettling C'tan pt.1

Event News - Goonhammer UK Teams March 2026

This Week's Events

Wet Coast GT 2026 - 40k Champs

The Showdown

Terraform - Crucible of Battle

Thoughts

Result

Alex Macdougall - Genestealer Cult (Final Day) - 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

David Coren - Grey Knights (Warpbane Task Force) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Brendan McKenzie - Adepta Sororitas (Hallowed Martyrs) - 3rd Place (Undefeated)

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Devin Swann - Necrons (Pantheon of Woe) - 4th Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

CanCon 40k Open 2026

Jawad Salah - Astra Militarum (Grizzled Company) - 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Rowan Kennett - Tyranids (Subterranean Assault) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Joe Loke - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium) - 3rd Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

Tim Zuber - Adeptus Custodes (Talons of the Emperor) - 4th Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

"Wishing it was LVO" 40K GT

Marshall Peterson - Necrons (Canoptek Court) - 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

The Great Game - Gongaii GT Winter 2026

AJ Edman - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal) - 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

NIGEL'S NUTTA'S

Anthony Berinato - Space Wolves (Saga of the Great Wolf) - 1st Place

The List

Archetype

Thoughts

The Best of the Rest

Wrap Up

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