Ben Jurek’s 6-0 Orks won the Utah Cup 2026 army lists crown as one of two undefeated armies, edging Isaac Terada’s Raven Guard on battle points.
After six rounds at the Utah Cup 2026, two players made it through this time without taking a loss. You don’t see that often at a GT this size, and when it happens, somebody has to win on the battle points tiebreaker. Ben Jurek’s Orks and Isaac Terada’s Raven Guard both finished 6-0, but Jurek piled up enough points to put the Greenskins on top.
And that’s what makes this event a lot more interesting than one undefeated list simply running away with it.
There was almost a third undefeated army in the top three, too. Thomas Moore’s Emperor’s Children finished 5-0-1, with a single draw keeping him from joining Jurek and Terada at 6-0.
The Utah Cup 2026: Top 3 Warhammer 40k Army Lists
- Two players finished the Utah Cup 2026 at 6-0, with battle points deciding the winner: Ben Jurek’s Orks finished ahead of Isaac Terada’s Raven Guard.
- Jurek’s War Horde brought Ghazghkull Thraka and three units of Squighog Boyz: speed, pressure, and Beast Snagga characters powered the undefeated run.
- Thomas Moore’s twin-Defiler Emperor’s Children finished 5-0-1: one draw kept his Carnival of Excess list out of the undefeated group.
Thanks to Best Coast Pairings, we can go back through the event using real pairings and battle point data.
Ben Jurek’s War Horde Orks Won the Race in the Movement Phase
A good Orks War Horde detachment army list wants to decide where the fighting happens before the other player gets much say in it, and Jurek managed that for six straight games.
War Horde Roster Breakdown
Three units of Squighog Boyz lead the charge, backed by two Beastbosses on Squigosaur and Mozrog Skragbad. That’s a lot of fast, durable melee coming at you at once, and trying to answer all of it before it hits the middle of the board is a bit of a problem. Ghazghkull and a Painboy join a big Boyz mob, giving the army another chunky unit that can soak up fire and hit hard once it gets stuck in.
Wazdakka Gutsmek and a Big Mek Dakkarig round out the character slots, while Gretchin and Lootas can stay back and handle the home-field jobs.
How War Horde Wins the Movement Phase
Jurek opened the event with three straight 100-point games and finished with another 100 in round six. When the Squighog Boyz get where they need to be early, the Orks are already sitting on the objectives before the opponent gets to start fighting over them. Then Ghazghkull arrives to bring the pain, wherever it is needed. It worked all weekend, and the battle points he racked up show how Jurek’s green tide just never slowed down.
Isaac Terada’s Raven Guard Matched Him Win-for-Win
Terada matched Jurek with the same 6-0 record, but finished second on battle points. However, his Raven Guard list gets there in a completely different way from the Orks, using a Librarius Conclave build that puts a lot of tough units on the table and makes them miserable to fight.
Librarius Conclave Roster Breakdown
Aethon Shaan is the warlord, but two Librarians in Terminator Armor carry the psychic enhancements and sit inside the armored core of the list. The Terminator Squads give Terada a front line packed with 2+ saves and enough melee threat to punish anything that commits too close.
Next, Centurion Devastators handle the heavy shooting, while Inceptors and Reivers cover the faster jobs and clear screens. It’s not a huge model count, even for Marines, but nearly everything in the list takes a lot of work to remove.
How Librarius Conclave Wins the Damage Race
Terada scored 94 in round one, followed it with a 100, and never dropped below 80 points all weekend, which is, of course, how you get through six rounds undefeated. Overall, the psychic support helps the Terminators keep performing, while the Centurions punish anything that gets too ambitious.
Thomas Moore’s Emperor’s Children Came One Draw Short
Moore came about as close as possible to making the top three entirely undefeated. His 5-0-1 record was still enough for third, and the army doing it was a Carnival of Excess list built around a lot more “heavy metal” than other armies want to deal with.
Carnival of Excess Roster Breakdown
The list leans into the newer Emperor’s Children detachments and has a pretty clear plan once it reaches the middle.
Two Defilers are the obvious centerpiece here for both 10th and 11th, which isn’t exactly the safe choice in a format where big walkers can turn into expensive targets. Moore backs them with two Lord Exultants, four units of Daemonettes for board control, and a pair of Chaos Terminator units with Frenzied Ferocity waiting to hit back.
How Carnival of Excess Wins the Midboard
Moore hit 100 points in round three and stayed in the 80s and 90s through the rest of the event, aside from the round-four draw. That’s because the Defilers demand attention, and while opponents are trying to deal with them, the Daemonettes can get busy scoring.
Regardless, nobody managed to beat the list outright, and only one player kept Moore from adding a sixth win.
Final Thoughts on the Utah Cup 2026 Army Lists & the 40k Meta
Seeing two undefeated lists built around such different plans is fun to see. Jurek’s Orks got there by moving fast, taking up space, and forcing fights, while Terada’s Raven Guard leaned on Terminators, psychic support, and steady scoring. Plus, Moore’s Emperor’s Children weren’t far behind, either.
Either way, builds like thissquig-heavy War Horde are probably the list to keep an eye on through the fall GT season. If more Ork players start putting the same kind of results together, the big events this year could see a lot more fast green armies pushing into the top tables.
🔗 Related Reads:
- How to Play Orks
- How to Play Space Marines
- How to Play Emperor’s Children
- Top Warhammer 40k Army Lists
- More Top Warhammer 40k Army Lists
- 40k Tournament Guide
- Warhammer 40k Factions Guide
- Latest 40k Balance Dataslate
What do you think of the Utah Cup 2026 army lists?
