Scott Ketcham’s 5-0 Adepta Sororitas took first place at the Battle For The Capital GT 2026 with the same Hallowed Martyrs style list he used to win the Tennessee Open.
Ketcham won the event at AFK Games in Holt, Michigan, tweaking the list that went 7-0 in Ketcham’s Tennessee Open run earlier this season. He didn’t drop a game there, and he didn’t here either. At this point, Hallowed Martyrs are not a fluke, and players need a plan for it in 11th.
The rest of the top 3 had plenty of power, too. Kyle Sams went 4-1 with an Emperor’s Children Coterie of the Conceited triple-Infractor build, losing only in the final round. Ian Smith finished third at 4-1 with a Magnus-led Thousand Sons robot wall that held the middle well until round five.
So if you’ve been watching how Morvenn Vahl’s rules have pushed Sisters back into the 40k tournament meta, this event gives us another clear indicator that they may be for real.
Battle For The Capital GT 2026: Top 3 Warhammer 40k Army Lists
- Ketcham’s 5-0 Hallowed Martyrs Sisters used the same Adepta Sororitas style of list that won Tennessee Open 7-0: Morvenn Vahl and three Paragon Warsuits anchor a Priority Assets attrition list that has now won two GTs for Ketcham.
- Kyle Sams went 4-1 with an Emperor’s Children Coterie of the Conceited triple-Infractor list on Purge the Foe: three Lord Exultant and Infractor packages, backed by a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh warlord, gave the list multiple hard-hitting melee threats.
- Ian Smith took third at 4-1 with Magnus the Red and three Sekhetar Robot squads on Priority Assets: Scarab Occult Terminators added the anvil, while Tzaangor Enlightened handled screening and scoring.
Thanks to Best Coast Pairings, we can look back through the event with real pairings and battle point data.
Scott Ketcham’s Hallowed Martyrs Sisters Crowned the Event With Pure Attrition
Ketcham’s winning Adepta Sororitas list was Hallowed Martyrs on Priority Assets. It was the same style list he used for his 7-0 finish at the Tennessee Open. Two GT wins across editions, with a similar build and no losses, are enough to make this one of the big lists to watch.
Hallowed Martyrs Roster Breakdown
Morvenn Vahl leads three Paragon Warsuits with three multi-meltas and three Paragon war maces, which gives the list its main anti-tank threat and a strong melee finisher.
The rest of the army supports that game plan by fighting over objectives and forcing opponents to chew through too many bodies. Two ten-model Celestian Insidiants squads bring hand flamers and null maces, with a Ministorum Priest joining one of them. A Palatine with Through Suffering, Strength leads a ten-model Celestian Sacresants unit.
The Triumph of Saint Katherine supports the army from the backfield with Miracle Dice, while a Canoness with Saintly Example helps push a Battle Sisters squad onto objectives. Daemonifuge gives the list a tool to pick off characters and clear screens before Vahl and the Paragons commit.
The list also has the units it needs to keep scoring. Two Arco-flagellant squads, a Sanctifiers unit, an Immolator, and two Sororitas Rhinos help keep bodies on objectives while the damage dealers do their work.
How Hallowed Martyrs Wins the Attrition Race
Ketcham’s scores were 84, 100, 96, 92, and 97. The only round where he scored under 90 was round one, and he still won.
That kind of scoring shows how stable the list is. Ketcham’s Hallowed Martyrs has now won two GTs and recently picked up a Hallowed Martyrs RTT sweep at Fabricator’s Forge, so either way, this is more than one strong tournament run.
Kyle Sams’s Emperor’s Children Triple-Infractor Stack Pushed Sisters to the Last Round
Sams ran Coterie of the Conceited detachment Emperor’s Children on Purge the Foe and finished 4-1. His only loss came in round five, and he still finished just one battle point behind Ketcham.
Coterie of the Conceited Roster Breakdown
This list is built around three Lord Exultant and Infractor packages. Each Lord Exultant has a Phoenix power spear and Rapture lash, while each Infractor squad brings dueling sabers and an Icon of Excess.
That gives Sams three melee units that can push into different parts of the board, clear screens, pressure objectives, and force opponents to deal with several threats at once.
The Daemon Prince of Slaanesh is the warlord and carries the Pledge of Eternal Servitude, which gives the list another serious threat and helps punish characters that move too far forward.
A Defiler handles backfield fire support with an ectoplasma destructor and twin excruciator cannons, followed by a Maulerfiend and two Chaos Spawn squads, adding more mid-board pressure.
The scoring units are simple but important. A Tormenter battleline squad helps hold primary, two Chaos Rhinos move the Lord Exultant and Infractor units, a Flawless Blades squad adds another melee threat, and two Noise Marines squads bring blastmasters and sonic blasters.
How Coterie of the Conceited Wins the Damage Race
Sams scored 84, 96, 100, 100, and 94. Even in his round five loss, he still scored 94 battle points.
That fits the list because Purge the Foe rewards armies that can keep killing while staying on the mission, and this Emperor’s Children build has enough melee pressure to keep forcing those battles.
Ian Smith’s Magnus and Sekhetar Robot Wall Held the Mid-Board for Third
Smith ran a Magnus-led Thousand Sons list on Priority Assets and finished 4-1. The BCP export called the list “Hexbots.” To be fair, the detachment does not show on the roster page, but the unit choices line up with the Hexcult-style robot wall that has been showing up more often since the Sekhetar Robot and the new faction pack arrived.
Hexcult Roster Breakdown
Magnus the Red anchors the army at 455 points. Around him, Smith runs an Exalted Sorcerer on Disc of Tzeentch, a Sorcerer in Terminator Armor, and a Tzaangor Shaman with Baleful Devolution.
The main damage comes from three Sekhetar Robot squads. Each squad has heavy warpflamers, Hellfyre missile racks, power claws, and warpflame projectors. That gives them solid tools for both infantry and armor alike.
The Scarab Occult Terminators add another tough mid-board unit with Inferno combi-bolters, Prosperine khopesh, Soulreaper cannons, and Hellfyre missile racks. They help hold the center while Magnus pressures key targets.
For scoring, the list uses three squads of three Tzaangor Enlightened with divining spears, while a Defiler sits back and adds ranged support.
How the Robot Wall Wins the Mid-Board
Smith’s scores were 98, 94, 73, 96, and 80. The lower round three score shows the list can struggle when it can’t lock down the board. The round five loss at 80 points suggests the opponent was able to stay out of the worst threat ranges and trade for objectives.
When the Thousand Sons robot wall controls the middle, it scores well and forces hard decisions. But, when opponents can play around the warpflamer ranges and avoid bad trades, the list has to work much harder.
Final Thoughts on the Battle For The Capital GT 2026 Army Lists & the Warhammer 40k Meta
Hallowed Martyrs winning multiple GTs in recent history is the main story from this event. Ketcham used the same Adepta Sororitas list as before, won another GT, and remained undefeated across both events.
The top 3 also show where the 40k meta is leaning right now. Vahl, a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, and Magnus all gave their armies a strong central damage threat, while the rest of each list focused on scoring, trading, and holding key parts of the board.
For players prepping for a July or August GT, Sisters need to be on the practice table. Emperor’s Children melee pressure and Thousand Sons robot walls probably need a look too.
🔗 Related Reads:
- How to Play Adepta Sororitas
- How to Play Emperor’s Children
- How to Play Thousand Sons
- 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 Battle For The Capital GT 2026 army lists and the Hallowed Martyrs hot streak?
