Steal the winning tech from the Denver 40k Fight Club’s top Warhammer 40k army lists for Tau, Drukhari, and Adeptus Custodes.
Want “unbeatable” energy? The Denver 40k Fight Club had a very interesting top 8 placing of Warhammer 40k factions, tested under the kind of mission pressure that makes bad builds fold fast.
This breakdown of the latest top 40k army lists highlights the tech worth stealing for Tau, Drukhari, and Adeptus Custodes.
Denver 40k Fight Club: Top 40k Army Lists
Checking out these winning army lists and their tactical synergies can really help you sharpen your strategy, especially with the latest updates to the balance dataslate rules and points.
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1st Place: John Kilcommons, T’au Empire Army Lists
This Mont’ka T’au build’s whole plan is: speed into angles, spotting the right target, then stacking buffs so the army’s real guns hit like they showed up with a grudge. It is not trying to win a slow, polite game. It is trying to get ahead on tempo, pick a problem unit, erase it, and repeat until the board belongs to the Greater Good.
The list’s Ethereal is the list’s “boring on paper, terrifying in practice” control knob. The Ethereal wants to sit in a safe pocket, keep the army’s spotting clean, and turn the right shooting activation into an avalanche.
Next, the Breacher Team is the close-range bully unit, plain and simple. It is there to hop out, pick something important, and make it disappear, usually right when the opponent thought an objective was “safe enough.” Breachers also love Mont’ka’s early-game mobility, because the threat range is not just about moving fast, it is about moving fast and still shooting like the unit actually came to work.
Then the Strike Team is the responsible adult. It holds the home job, screens out nonsense, and frees up the expensive pieces to do expensive-piece things.
Devilfishes are where the list starts feeling like a real Mont’ka list instead of a gunline with dreams. One Devilfish is the Breacher delivery system; the other is the flex piece that keeps the opponent guessing.
The Ghostkeel Battlesuit is the forward irritant that makes the opponent spend time and resources early. It is not the main damage pillar, but it is dangerous enough to demand respect, and annoying enough that clearing it rarely feels efficient. While the opponent is wrestling the Ghostkeel, the actual kill package is lining up cleaner shots.
Hammerhead Gunships are the first of the long-range problem solvers. It brings the kind of punch that makes vehicles and elite infantry think twice about standing in the open, and it scales hard with good spotting. When the army is guiding properly and stripping away defensive advantages like cover, Hammerheads stop feeling swingy and start feeling clinical.
Pathfinder Teams are where the list’s engine really starts purring. Markerlight spotting is a big deal for this list, since ignoring cover turns “pretty good” shooting into “why did that unit evaporate” shooting.
Piranhas are the classic Tau trading chip. Fast enough to get in the way, cheap enough to throw away, and armed well enough that ignoring them is a mistake. They help screen, tag objectives, pick off wounded targets, and generally force the opponent to spend attention on something that is not a Riptide.
Riptide Battlesuits are the first brick in the wall of “no, that target does not get to live.” Ion accelerators backed by clean spotting are a nightmare for anything trying to play honestly. The list is relying on three to be inevitable, with Mont’ka’s early pressure and the Ethereal’s buffing helping them hit that tipping point faster.
Stealth Battlesuits are the quietly essential utility pieces that make the whole army feel sharper. They are excellent early-positioning tools; they help control space, and they are fantastic for setting up spotting and reliability where it matters. In a list that wants the big guns firing with confidence, Stealth suits are often the difference between “pretty good” and “that was rude.”
Vespid Stingwings are the late-game knife in the ribs. They show up where the opponent did not leave enough bodies, steal points, pick off a soft unit, or force a panicked response that pulls resources away from the real fight. In a list already throwing pressure into the mid-board, these are the piece that punishes anyone who forgets about the corners.
How This Tau Empire Army List Scores
The list scores by taking the middle early and making it expensive to take back. Devilfish hulls, Stealth suits, and the Ghostkeel help establish presence, then the Hammerheads and triple Riptides remove anything that tries to contest it.
On secondaries and mission actions, the army does not have to sacrifice damage to get work done. Pathfinders and Stealth suits handle a lot of the utility and positioning plays, Piranhas trade for space when needed, and Vespid clean up the awkward late-game points that swing close games. The key is that the list stays aggressive without getting reckless, because the scoring pieces can support the kill plan through spotting, and the kill pieces keep the opponent too busy scrambling to comfortably chase points.
2nd Place: Cody Jiru, Drukhari Army Lists (Dark Eldar)
How This Drukhari Army List Scores
This Spectacle of Spite list is pure Drukhari energy: Wyches and Succubi flying out of Raiders to turn the midboard into a “step here and regret it” zone, while Lelith does what Lelith does and makes melee trades look personal.
The real key is the speed layer, with Hellions, Reavers, and double Mandrakes constantly poking weak spots, stealing objectives, and forcing opponents to waste turns cleaning up problems that keep popping up. Then the Scourges handle the unglamorous part with dark lances and haywire, so the brawlers can keep bullying the pieces that actually matter, with a Cronos quietly keeping the whole murder circus running longer than expected.
3rd Place: Travis Armstrong, Adeptus Custodes Army Lists
How This Adeptus Custodes Army List Scores
This Talons build is the Custodes version of showing up to the mid-board with a smug grin and a set of keys to three Land Raiders. It’s all about planting multiple Custodian Guard squads on objectives, rotating who tanks and who swings back, and letting Godhammer lascannons crack open anything that thinks “tough” is a personality trait.
The Sisters handle the unsexy jobs like screening, babysitting backfield points, and making sure the shiny stuff stays focused on bullying. Then the Callidus pops up to ruin someone’s day in the corners while Draxus keeps the whole shove-forward plan humming as the Raiders drop the real problem right where it hurts.
Final Thoughts From Us On The Denver 40k Fight Club Army Lists
The Denver 40k Fight Club is a nice reminder that winning lists run on a plan, not vibes. The Tau army list comes out swinging with tempo and target priority, while the Drukhari army list turns the board into a mess of angles and threats, and the Custodes army list plants a gold boot on the mid-board and dares anyone to argue.
The fun part is the stealable tech. Tau shows how clean spotting and layered pressure make “good shooting” feel rude. Drukhari proves speed plus cheap problems wins missions even when trades get bloody. Custodes shows why durable bodies, reliable transports, and a few “boring” support pieces keep the whole machine running.
Take the ideas from this event that fit your collection, then build around the roles, not the exact shopping list.
See the Top Warhammer Army Lists & 40k Tournament Schedule for This Year
What do you think of the results and top Warhammer 40k army lists at the Denver 40k Fight Club for Tau, Drukhari, and Adeptus Custodes?
