The New Year is officially in full swing and one of the first major tournaments showed the top lists of 40k for the start of 2019. Let’s go over the lists!
Thanks to Best Coast Pairings, we are able to keep track and review the lists that were brought to Huzzah Hobbies for the Hammer in the New Year tournament where some of the top players on the east coast showed up to match wits this weekend.
Top Tony Kopach (1st), Left Nick Nanavati (2nd), Right Stephen Fore (aka Juice- 3rd)
1st Place- Tony Kopach: Astra Militarum
Looking at the first place list, Astra Militarum brought a Brigade, a Battalion, and a Castellan. The interesting thing about this list is that he gave the enemy two nasty targets that had to be dealt with. The Castellan and the Bullgryn bomb. With stratagem support, the Priest, and the Astropath casting psychic buffs, the Bullgryns can withstand just about anything and really beat down whatever crosses their path. As for the Castellan, everybody knows how gross they are.
All in all, the list is very solid maintaining plenty of board control. Thanks to the sheer number of little Guardsmen running around. Some of the secondary units like the Wyverns and Mortars were able to reach out and touch the enemy from just about anywhere.
As for the second place Ork list, it’s very cut and dry. Just looking over the army, it seems like it was meant to catapult Boyz to the frontline. Meanwhile, Lootas shot at the scary stuff from the backfield. The Grots were there to shield and protect the backfield from any deepstrike shenanigans as well as jump in front of shots for the Lootas- solid strategy.
3rd Place- Stephen Fore (Juice): Imperial Knights
Stephen brought along the trusty Imperial Knight frame and mixed in those (now cheaper) Tank Commanders. Two Gallants were brought to utterly crash into whatever the enemy had. Meanwhile, the Castellan killed whatever it wanted to.
A whopping three Tank Commanders all with Punisher cannons were able to obliterate any screens. In a pinch, these could chip a few wounds away on a Knight as well. Don’t underestimate what 100+ S5 shots can do to something.
Plus Juice has teamed up with 40k Champ Sean Nayden to bring you personalized help with your tabletop game! Check out their new Battle Brothers Tactics page for all the details on making your game better.
4th Place- Andrew Gonyo: Deathwatch
Looking at perhaps one of the most unique lists we’ve ever seen, Deathwatch and Sisters did fairly decent! Gonyo has always loved the Deathwatch it seems, and he’s still running them post Chapter Approved.
A Deathwatch Battalion was taken with all three Troop choices loaded out the same. Deathwatch can be brutal when you combine all of the bonuses special models in the unit give. Sisters of Battle doubled down on Hand Flamers to roast any kind of screen. And lastly, Robbie G and Celestine joined forces to slice and dice whatever they came in contact with.
Celestine is one of the best HQ options out there because she just doesn’t die and she’s so cheap. Of course, we know Robbie G is a beatstick all on his own as well.
5th Place- Austin Wingfield: Thousand Sons
Now this list is one that you have to deal with quickly. It’s packed with some of the best HQs/characters that Chaos has to offer. Not only were Magnus AND Mortarion fielded, but Ahriman and a Daemon Prince as well. On a side note, what makes these two so good is that they can’t be targeted like normal. Ahriman is a pocket Magnus himself that can babysit Morty just long enough to keep him in the game.
A Battalion of Nurgle was brought along just to have some models holding objective while the characters did most of the leg work.
Team America Captain and 40k Champ Sean Nayden got 6th with a Ynnari list as well.
Congratulations to all of the players that made it to the tournament. We are excited to see how the meta shifts even more as we move deeper into 2019. Do you play a list similar to one of these top 5? How do you normally place? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
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.
