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 8th
Whew, the September 40k balance dataslate could not have hit sooner as Eldar had their most dominating weeks yet.
But how about the larger meta picture overall? The second-best army in 40k seems to be in constant flux after Eldar. Hopefully, once they get balanced out, we will see a healthier format soon.
Judging by the lastest updates, this might be the end of the line for the Eldar domination spree…
Warhammer 40k Meta Overview from September 5th 2023:
Statcheck.com also has us covered on the overall Warhammer 40k faction win rates and meta, compiling the data up to September 5th, 2023!
Comparing the newly updated rankings to the previous ones below, Eldar is up a hair, with all the runner-up factions seeming to spread out slightly downward in the win rates. At the bottom, Death Guard and Votann are still underperforming when hobbyists actually play them, but Death Guard went up 2%!
Woohoo!
Warhammer 40k Meta Overview from August 28th 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 NOVA Open 2023 GT
Yup, Eldar won the NOVA Open GT 2023 tournament, but these other Warhammer 40k army lists were among the top spots!
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.
3rd Place: Steven Crawley – Eldar
2nd Place: Shaun Reynolds – Eldar
1st Place: Zach Reynolds – Eldar
Zach’s list went all in on the Yncarne plan with a ton of different squads to have plenty of Death procs and have the big baddie teleporting all off the field! The Death Jester and Illic are ranged support, while the Yvraine brings some serious durability to the unit she leads.
3 Hornets then bring in some cheap mobility, while Rangers are cheap generic bodies, and three units of ShadowSpectres act as decent bodies with good weapons. A single Vyper also brings more mobility to the list.
3 War Walkers are efficient, cheap, semi-armored threats, and three units of Warp Spiders are great elite options with extra movement rules.
Finally, the list closes on 3 Ravagers as extra ranged shot sources.
The Top 40k Army Lists at the Goonhammer UK Open
Surprise, Eldar won the Goonhammer UK Open tournament, but these other Warhammer 40k army lists were among the top spots!
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.
3rd Place: Daniel Whitaker – Eldar
2nd Place: Nathan Roberts – Tyranids
1st Place: Chris Paterson – Eldar
Chris’ winning Eldar featured a Farseer for psychic support, a Wayleaper for a fantastic body, and the Yncarne to make a single unit extremely annoying to take out!
Infantry bodies bring in 5 Dark Reapers for some good ranged firepower and 5 Shadow Spectres. There are also two units of Warp Spiders for their fantastic movement ability.
A single Wraithknight brings the pain with two giant ranged weapon threats.
Two Fire Prisms and a War Walker back it up with more armored ranged firepower, while a Hornet, Night Spinner, and Vyper all act as the list’s armored mobility options.
Click Here For More Top Warhammer Army Lists
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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.
