Here are GW’s Best and Worst Warhammer 40k armies that are either placing at the latest big 10th Edition tournaments or down in the dumps…
Thanks to Mr. Taste at Blood of Kittens, here’s a look at the latest placings and meta from the larger 10th Edition 40k tournaments last weekend!
GW’s Best & Worst Warhammer 40k Armies: September 15th
The September 40k balance dataslate just touched down! Meaning next week should be the first weekend of all tournaments running the new balance changes.
But how about the larger meta picture overall? Well, Eldar certainly slowed down with some tournaments running the balances changes and some not, which makes us hopeful that next week will be even better!
Warhammer 40k Meta Overview from September 10th 2023:
Statcheck.com also has us covered on the overall Warhammer 40k faction win rates and meta, compiling the data up to September 10th, 2023!
Comparing the newly updated rankings to the previous ones below, nothing really changed too much. BUT just another reminder, that starting this week the balance changes are going to be implemented in tournaments shaking this all up quite a bit!
Woohoo!
Warhammer 40k Meta Overview from September 5th 2023:
How to Read This Warhammer 40k Meta Overview Chart:
The Warhammer 40k Meta Overview Chart is color-coded for the most part. Grey is the sweet spot; ideally, every faction would be light grey or between a 45% and 55% win rate. Blues are overpowered, meaning Eldar, GSC, and Imperial Knights all need to be taken down a peg.
In contrast, Oranges are underpowered, with Votann and Death Guard needing some very serious help. Essentially, the darker shades are too far gone and need some changes or shifts in the Meta. That’s not to say every darker blue and orange faction needs balance changes, but it DOES mean something needs to be done.
If Votann and Death Guard see buffs, maybe they’ll shift the meta and lower the blue factions down into grey, but make them too strong, and they’ll shoot up to blue themselves! Game balance and meta are super complex, with each faction (and general’s ability) being its own cogs in the bigger picture.
We know it’s evident that Eldar is too good. Simply put, the most played faction in any competitive game should never be the most winning faction. As the popularity of a faction goes up, the skill, specified knowledge, and experience of the average player in that faction go down (new players moving to it).
With that in mind, you can check out six of the top army lists from events over the weekend below.
The Top 40k Army Lists at the Smite Club Open
We can look back at the event thanks to Best Coast Pairings as if we were all there ourselves. Save $20 by subscribing for a year of BCP by clicking this special promo link.
5th Place: Michael Mann – Chaos Daemons
4th Place: Jacob Wagner – Necrons
3rd Place: Jason McKenzie – Adeptus Mechanicus
Jason’s Ad Mech placed 3rd in hopefully the last wave of anti-Eldar catered lists due to the data slate dropping. His list was led by Cawl, a Marshal, 2 Dominus, and an Enginseer, all providing great support for efficient point costs.
Troops only bring in a single unit of Vanguard for the standard choice, followed by 9 Ballistarii for some fantastic elite bodies with good weapons and mobility, some Breachers add some beefier close-range bodies, and Destroyers for some great heavy/special weapons.
Following that, there is tons of mobility in 2 Skystalker units, Infiltrators, and 2 Sulphurhound squads.
Finally, two units of Extraction squads were previously the best overall Imperium allies out there for the points!
Post Balance Slate Top 40k Army Lists at the NOVA Cool Down
We can look back at the event thanks to Best Coast Pairings as if we were all there ourselves. Save $20 by subscribing for a year of BCP by clicking this special promo link.
Disclaimer: Davis Fyre’s Black Templar List was resubmitted, so we won’t cover it here.
4th Place: Walter Riley – Death Guard
3rd Place: William Rodgers – World Eaters
2nd Place: Brandon Owens – Imperial Knights
Brandon’s second-place Knight list did tremendous and was led by a Porphyrion Knight, which features some great weapons and is a massive ranged threat. 3 Helverins and 3 Warglaives backed it up with some decent weaponry, durability, and mobility, all packed into a point efficient model.
Lastly, there are two allied Inquisitor units, Karamazov and Henchmen, for a few models and an excellent warlord option.
Click Here For More Top Warhammer Army Lists
What do you think about GW’s best and worst 10th Edition Warhammer 40k army lists dominating the meta now?
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About the Author: Andrew Schrank
Andrew Schrank
Job Title: Miniatures & Warhammer Hobby Staff Writer
Socials: Facebook
About Andrew Schrank: Over the past 15 years, Andrew has played all the games, including tabletop and video games, and immersed himself in the associated lore. Andrew joined the Spikey Bits team in 2018 and covers the Warhammer hobby and tournament scene, along with the latest in tabletop miniatures, each week.
Aspiring diplomat, Lord of Fluff, and Master of Ice Hammer, He loves Star Wars, Chaos Undivided, and Gundam. During his free time, he hunts Platinum trophies on PS5 and reads international news. On weekends, Andrew plays commander and cEDH games, often with unique strategies that push the limits.
He believes each day presents a new opportunity to grow and be challenged.
