The Warhammer Palm Springs Open delivered some great new factions to the podium. Check out the top Tau, Votann, and Space Marine army lists in 40k now.
The Warhammer Palm Springs Open results are a gift to anyone who likes real, usable tournament tech. Tau are setting up gunlines, Votann are bringing great infantry with transports, and Space Marines are stacking efficient threats.
We’re rounding up the top 40k army lists and calling out the choices that mattered so you can spot meta trends fast and tune your own roster.
Warhammer Palm Springs Open: Top Placings
Studying these winning army lists for their tactical synergies can provide great insights for playing your army since the latest balance dataslate rules changes and points updates.
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1st Place: Durante “Glynisir” Bozzini, T’au Empire Army Lists
This Mont’ka T’au build plays like it showed up to the table with a stopwatch and a grudge. It wants the midboard early, with the opponent making decisions under pressure instead of setting up a comfy little game plan.
Nothing here is trying to win a slow, polite shooting war from the back corner. The list throws out fast, annoying threats to force movement, then cashes in with railguns, seeker missiles, and a whole pile of ion fire once the opponent finally has to show something.
Commander Shadowsun is the glue and the bully in a suit. She keeps the opening turns honest by backing the important shots and making the army’s first real swing count.
The Breacher Team is the “flip this objective right now” button. They want to be delivered, hop out, and unload point-blank into whatever thought it owned the midboard. The drones help them stick around long enough to matter, which is all that the unit needs in this kind of list.
That job only works because the Devilfish exists. It is the delivery truck, the speed bump, and the “no, that lane is closed” tool all in one. It pushes the Breachers into the exact spot the opponent did not want to deal with, and then it can body block, screen charges, and generally be a rolling chunk of problem.
The Ghostkeel is the forward headache that makes the opponent waste attention. It wants to sit in that annoying zone where ignoring it hurts, but committing too hard to remove it opens up worse problems behind it. Ion and fusion give it a real threat, and the bigger value is how it forces awkward movement and bad trades.
The Hammerhead is the list’s “do not peek” sign. It exists to remove a key vehicle or monster the moment the opponent slips, and it pairs perfectly with all the spotting support floating around. The railgun is the threat that shapes movement even when it is not firing, and the seekers add to that early turn punch when the opponent is still trying to get set.
Kroot Carnivores are pure table utility. They are the cheap bodies that sit on points, screen out deep strike angles, and get sacrificed without a second thought if it buys space. This list would rather spend its real points shooting than babysitting objectives, and that is what Kroot are here for.
The Pathfinder Teams are one of the engines that make the plan consistent. It is about positioning and making the army’s shooting actually connect when it matters. The ion rifles are a nice little bonus against tougher infantry, but the real value is enabling the damage dealers to pick up the right target at the right time.
The Piranhas are fast, irritating little tools that can do everything except make friends. It can grab a corner, screen, block movement, or just park somewhere that forces an opponent to spend real resources dealing with a cheap problem.
The Riptides are one of the main damage dealers and one of the main “try to remove these efficiently” checks. It sits in that sweet spot of being tough enough to not instantly vanish while throwing out serious ion fire. It wants to trade on its terms, using cover and angles, and it thrives when the opponent is being forced forward by the rest of the list.
The Sky Ray is the other big anti-tank lever, and it fits the list perfectly because it punishes exposed armor without needing to play dangerously. It adds more seeker style threat, it contributes to targets that think they are safe, and it helps keep the opponent’s heavy pieces honest. Combined with the Hammerhead, it is a strong “pick one mistake, delete one problem” package.
The Stealth Battlesuit units are early board control and quiet setup work. It gives forward presence, screens out aggressive plays, and helps the army set up angles without committing the expensive stuff too early.
Vespid Stingwings are the late-game knife. They are not here to grind. They are here to appear where they are annoying, steal points, pick off a soft unit, or force a backfield piece to turn around and waste a turn. In a list that is already pressuring the midboard, that kind of pop-up utility can be absolutely miserable to deal with.
How This Tau Empire Army List Scores
It scores by getting onto primary early, forcing the opponent off balance, and staying ahead on tempo. Kroot and Stealth suits handle the boring but critical job of sitting on points and screening. Piranhas create the speed pressure that makes opponents waste movement and resources.
Breachers jump out at the exact moment a mid objective needs to flip, and that single swing can decide a game. Vespid clean up scoring turns by showing up for late objectives, actions, or backfield harassment. While all of that is happening, the Riptides and tanks remove the pieces that would actually contest primary, and that is the real scoring plan: keep the opponent trading down while the board slowly becomes a T’au-controlled problem.
2nd Place: Junior Aflleje, Leagues of Votann Army Lists
How This Votann Army List Wins
If somebody wants to see what Leagues of Votann look like when they stop being polite and start taking the middle of the table personally, this Needgaârd Oathband is the blueprint.
Two Hekaton Land Fortresses roll up like moving panic buttons, Hearthguard pop in to erase the problem piece, and the rest of the list just keeps tightening the screws.
Thunderkyn quietly rack up grav damage into anything wearing “tough” like a costume, Steeljacks bring the up-close nastiness, and the Carriers plus Yaegirs make sure the list is not stuck playing fair when it comes to positioning.
Memnyr keeps the engine running smooth, and Ûthar turns grudges into the kind of trades that make opponents check the clock and sigh.
3rd Place: Zach Point, Space Marines Army Lists (Ultramarines)
How This Space Marines Army List Wins
If an Ultramarines list could grin, this one would be doing it behind two Repulsor Executioners and a pair of Vindicators.
The whole plan is simple: park a brick in the mid-board with Calgar and the Victrix, keep the big guns humming, and force the opponent to walk into a bad decision.
Ventris and the combi-Lieutenant handle the “wait, how did that objective flip?” moments, while Scouts and an Impulsor keep the table chores covered so the tanks can stay focused on deleting whatever tries to contest.
Final Thoughts From Us on Warhammer Palm Springs Open Army Lists
Palm Springs Open put three very different win conditions on the podium, and the funny part is how much they agree on the basics. The T’au army list plays for tempo and angles, shows up early, forces ugly trades, then lets the big guns finish the argument.
The Votann army list build is the opposite vibe; it rolls into the middle and dares anyone to try moving it, then punishes the first unit that overextends. The Space Marines’ army list game plan sits right in the middle, a hard mid-board brick backed by tanks that turn every push into a bad math problem.
The takeaway is simple: strong lists do not “hope” the mission works out. They take space early and bring cheap pieces for the boring jobs. Then pack enough real damage to make one mistake feel expensive. If those themes keep showing up across events, nobody gets to act surprised.
See the Top Warhammer Army Lists & Latest 40k Tournament Schedule
What do you think of the results from the Warhammer Palm Springs Open 40k Tau, Votann, and Space Marine army lists?
