These homebrew 40k army lists went against the grain of the meta in recent tournaments and didn’t do too bad at all- check out our favorites!
In just about every event, you’ll have a few players that bring a 40k army list that nobody was really expecting to see. These guys are the wild cards and can take the tournament by surprise. Looking at three of these great lists from tournaments over the weekend, we’ll be breaking down what they brought. Let’s jump in!
Thanks to Best Coast Pairings we are able to look back at the event as if we were there ourselves.
Thomas Dodsworth: Space Wolves- Let’s Take it Easy Hellstorm
This list ran way more Dreadnoughts than we’ve ever seen any Space Wolf player do in the new Edition. Bjorn and a couple of characters led a Battalion of four Grey Hunters (probably for some sustainability while holding objectives). Going into the Elites, Murderfang and two Wulfen Dreadnoughts with axes and shields stomped onto the board.
These guys pretty much replaced the Wulfen (which is what we normally see in Space Wolves lists). These Dreadnoughts are a little slower but can pack a mean punch in melee and take a beating from small-arms fire thanks to their higher Toughness.
Adding a little speed, two squads of Thunderwolf Cavalry were brought with two axes and a thunder hammer in each one. Supporting these guys from the skies was a Stormfang Gunship. It’s worth noting that the Stormfang and the Rhino could both carry units inside. Our guess was maybe the Bloodclaws and a random squad of Grey Hunters was chosen to be escorted up the board.
Finally, Ulrik the Slayer, basically a named Chaplain, also found a home in the list chanting the Canticle of Hate and Catechism of Fire. Great job on taking a mix of Dreads and Cavalry we hardly see anymore!
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Marc Parker: Orks- ‘Ere We Go Again Ladz!
WHEW starting this list off strong. Okay so over half of the list’s points were dedicated into bringing three Gargantuan Squiggoths. to put that into perspective, that’s 105 wounds at T8. In melee, each one of these guys got 8 Attacks at S12 doing D6 damage as well. That’s enough to make anyone cringe. Moving on from the massive walking vegetables, a mix of Gretching and Kommandos were led by a Big Mek who was the Warlord. The Kommandos have shown to be a popular option because they can sneak onto objectives outside of the deployment zone later in the game.
To give a little bit of covering fire for the giant beasts, three squads of Smasha Guns were also taken. Each one of these also had a D6 damage profile and a whopping 48″ range. Basically, if you were playing an army with a bunch of multi-wound units, you were going to have a bad time.
Daniel Oettl: Slaanesh- Critical Hit
Once again, we’re starting the list off super strong with three Keepers of Secrets leading a Battalion of Daemonettes. These Keepers of Secrets are all horrifying in melee. The trick in 40k is getting them into combat and not getting blown off the table.
Moving onto the rest of the list, another unnamed Keeper of Secrets was taken along with Syll’esske (who’s name is super annoying to type). What makes her so brutal is her different attack profiles that don’t have to be declared at the same time. She can clear chaff with her whip and wreck the gooey center of a list with that big ol’ axe.
Last but not least, Some Fiends and Bikers were brought all bare bones to probably just act as some quick objective grabbers while a classic Daemon Prince with Warp Time was also put wherever he needed to reinforce. Sweet list!
Which of these 40k homebrew army lists is your favorite? Do you play something similar?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
