Two more off-meta 40k army lists emerged in the February SCGC RTT Tournament, which of these do you like more in 9th Edition?
9th Edition’s meta is still settling, but some players are taking lists with units that nobody was expecting. Check out these awesome homebrew lists that emerged in a tournament over the weekend. They didn’t do too bad and just goes to show that sometimes it’s more about the general’s skill than what you play.
Top Homebrew 40k Army Lists: February SCGC RTT Tournament
Thanks to Best Coast Pairings we are able to look back at the event as if we were there ourselves.
February SCGC Tournament: Nicholas Heermann- Adeptus Custodes
Nicholas went Dreadhost in a single detachment, lead by a Shield captain on foot, plus one on a Dawneagle Jetbike. Both extremely durable, but they also give you rerolls of 1 to nearby troops- not just core (for now). The Jetbike gets access to some high damage rounds and a huge boost to mobility.
Since he went with a battalion he needs troops, so he took 9 Custodian Guard and 9 Sagittarum Custodians, each has decent melee but better shooting, giving a flexible unit, that can do either or depending on your current situation. More bodies also allow you to take even more out of those reroll auras while they still exist.
They form a gunline that spits out some serious shots, and can slap in combat too.
For Elites, there is a Galatus Dreadnought, which is pretty durable at -1 to hit 6+ FNP and 4+ INV, and has a great melee presence.
There is also a Vexilus Praetor which gives nearby units -1 to hit in shooting, giving the list significantly more hardiness. The first Heavy Support is a Grav-tank, which has great ranged weapons and is very durable considering its price point (still).
Finishing out the list is a Telemon Heavy Dreadnought with a Storm Cannon for chaff clearing while being able to move around and protect themselves with their Caestus. The stats on this thing is no joke defensive-wise. Offensively, sometimes it’s hard to make its points back.
February SCGC Tournament: Joel Wilson- Deathwatch
Leading Joel’s battalion of Deathwatch is a Librarian for psychic support and a Watch Master for re-rolls of the 9th Edition variety.
The first squad of troops is straightforward, 5 Hellblasters to help take down more elite units, and 5 intercessors which are cheap bodies that can help sit on objectives.
The second squad starts to make things more interesting. 3 Terminators running Power fists, missile launchers, and Storm bolters mean these three are meant for AP but can also hit pretty hard in melee if the time comes while also being pretty durable themselves.
The Vets are running Boltgun and storm shield giving them access to the different ammunition and flexibility and the final model is running a Chainsword and Storm Shield with a Jump pack so they can (hopefully) fall back and still be able to shoot.
Staying with Jump Packs, the next squad switches to a more melee focussed approach. Two Terminators running Hammer and Shield make two slightly more durable but slower mini-smash captains. 5 Veterans are running of mix of Boltguns, Power Swords, Shields, Hammers, and Chainswords, giving more options in-game. There is a single Biker with a power sword, because why not and the Sergeant is running a heavy hammer to really mix it up.
Plus these guys can hopefully fall back and re-assault in the same turn depending on your CP situation.
The third squad is a little more uniform with 4 Boltgun-shield Veterans and a Bolgun-Fist Sergeant, making a decent standard gunline that’s hard to kill. The other 5 models are Chainsword Bikers, who just want to get into melee and maybe make some nasty charges along the way.
The 4th squad sticks with simpler composition while also being another squad running Jump Packs. 5 Members are running Boltgun-shield once again, with a single Chainsword-Shield Vet. The other 4 models are running Frag Cannons for some more much-needed anti-armor. The final Squad is comprised of 5 Eliminators for sniping high-priority characters and 5 infiltrators, who have a similar goal but are a little less expensive. They help jump on objectives early too.
This list has a ton of bodies to take advantage of the 9th edition auras, while also have a ton of mobility thanks to Jump Packs and Bikes- that sorta “break the rules” with fallbacks and such.
Overall both of these lists offer a little bit of a different approach but we like them because of their all-in on an aspect of their faction in a response to the meta. Even better they got great results from the players who piloted them! It’s also very encouraging when a player is able to play a widely considered “underpowered” army or list style so effectively.
What do you think about these homebrew 40k army lists from last weekend that caught our eye?
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About the Author: Andrew Schrank
Andrew Schrank
Job Title: Miniatures & Warhammer Hobby Staff Writer
Socials: Facebook
About Andrew Schrank: Over the past 15 years, Andrew has played all the games, including tabletop and video games, and immersed himself in the associated lore. Andrew joined the Spikey Bits team in 2018 and covers the Warhammer hobby and tournament scene, along with the latest in tabletop miniatures, each week.
Aspiring diplomat, Lord of Fluff, and Master of Ice Hammer, He loves Star Wars, Chaos Undivided, and Gundam. During his free time, he hunts Platinum trophies on PS5 and reads international news. On weekends, Andrew plays commander and cEDH games, often with unique strategies that push the limits.
He believes each day presents a new opportunity to grow and be challenged.
