Unlock victory with the top 40k tournament army lists featuring Aeldari, World Eaters, and Death Guard from the Nova Open GT.
Depending on who you ask, the 40k meta problem is ‘fixed now’ with the emergency update, and the rip cord has been pulled for other armies to have a chance.
Either way, the Nova Open GT is over, and now we can look at which 40k factions’ playstyles and army lists managed to secure a place at the top!
Check out what these winners brought in their armies, with our expert commentary on their selections.
Final Tournament Standings:
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.
If you’re looking to level up your game even more, think about applying to Team USA to compete in the World Team Championships every year!
Plus, thanks to Best Coast Pairings, we can look back at the event as if we were all there ourselves. Click this special promo link to save $20 on a year’s subscription to BCP.
1st Place: Folger Pyles, Aeldari (Eldar / Craftworlds) Army Lists
The ancient seers of Ulthwé probably saw this coming a thousand years ago. At the NOVA Open GT, the Aeldari didn’t just win, they turned the whole event into a high-speed, psychic-powered fireworks display with a body count.
It was fast, brutal, and unmistakably pointy-eared.
Leading this warhost was none other than Eldrad Ulthran, who once again proved that knowing the future is a handy advantage when planning someone else’s doom.
Supporting him? An all-star Phoenix Lord lineup: Fuegan (meltaguns and fire axe), Jain Zar (death tornado with a mask), Maugan Ra (walking heavy weapons platform), and Lhykhis (spider-themed, teleport-happy monster). Each brought their own flavor of pain and a strong argument for why mon-keigh should stay off their lawn.
Holding objectives and doing it with flair were three units of Corsair Voidreavers. Fast, sharp, and packing just enough blasters to delete a problem unit before flipping their hair and moonwalking to the next objective.
Backing them up was a classic Wave Serpent, armored up and sporting twin bright lances like it was still the glory days of Biel-Tan. It shuttled murder-elves to the front line and dared anyone to intercept.
Need firepower? Dark Reapers and a Falcon brought long-range pain, while Fire Dragons melted anything that even resembled a tank.
On the melee side, Howling Banshees screamed into combat with their usual “stab first, let Jain Zar sort it out” approach. And if you somehow missed all of that, Rangers lurked in the shadows, picking off targets and sipping wraithbone lattes.
But the real speed demons were the Swooping Hawks and Warp Spiders, with three squads each.
2nd Place: Brian Daugherty, World Eaters Army Lists
3rd Place: Derek Apsche, Death Guard Army List
Final Thoughts From Us: Nova Open 2025
Looks like the NOVA Open GT didn’t disappoint. Aeldari ran circles around the competition with psychic nukes and speed, World Eaters punched their way into second place with zero regard for subtlety, and Death Guard slow-walked their way into third by refusing to die.
That’s a wrap on this round of 40k madness, but with points changes shaking up the meta and more events on the way, we’re just getting started. If your faction didn’t show up this time, there’s always the next dataslate.
Or, you know, Eldar, if you like winning on hard mode with cheat codes.
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 Nova Open GT for Aeldari, World Eaters, and Death Guard?
