More 40k armies bucked the trends and did well in competitive events. Don’t miss the top homebrew army lists that surprised the meta this week. Check out the latest armies.
Looking at the most recent batch of tournaments from over the weekend, there were a few lists that definitely got points in uniqueness. Thanks to Best Coast Pairings, we can look back at the events as if we were there ourselves.
More and more people are beginning to experiment with homebrew lists and they aren’t doing so bad after all!
Boise Cup: Blood Angels- Thomas Hegstrom Oakley
You might have already seen this list in the last tournament coverage post. But it’s too special not to give the spotlight once more. This Blood Angels list used units that have been collecting dust since the start of 8th edition. The way it all worked is the characters hung back with the big squads of Death Company and Sanguinary Guard.
The HQs would beef them up into unimaginable wrecking balls (Death Company with chainswords could get six attacks a pop with just two characters alone).
Meanwhile, the Scout spam accompanied with a squad of Infiltrators gobbed up the board in small bodies that the opponent had to wade through. These guys would start the game already sitting on a majority of the objectives and could tie down enemy units long enough for the kill squads to show up.
Of course, a Slam Captain made an appearance as well as he’s just too good of an insurance policy to not take. Overall, this list just goes to show that those units you like may not be as bad as you think! Plus, this entire army was a Blood Angels list that didn’t cherry-pick from any other factions. Way to go!
Boise Cup: Space Wolves- Scott Rumple
Yes, this list did run some Knights that we’ve seen over and over, but there’s a little bit of variation here. Instead of a Castellan, it’s a Crusader and instead of the Armiger Helverins, there were two Warglaives that were fielded. You can ask just about anyone in the community and they’ll tell you that the Helverins are just a better option overall. So it’s cool to see the less popular option still making a name for itself.
Now looking at the really unique aspects of the list, Space Wolves were the faction that supported the Knights! But that’s not all, this player chose some real interesting units to go alongside the rest of his force. Some cheaper HQs were taken and there’s not much special about them. However, two Intercessor squads and some Grey Hunters made up the troops of the Battalion.
Beyond that, a decked-out squad of Wulfen came out to play with seven Thunder Hammer/Storm Shields. And finally, for a little aerial support, a Stormwolf was fielded which honestly, we’ve never seen appear once in an army list making the top rankings.
Taking a step back, we can see how this list works. The troops, HQs, and Crusader sat back shooting what they could and hung around objectives. Meanwhile, the Armigers, Wulfen, and Stormwolf would run interference and clear whatever the enemy had off of mid-field objectives. Plus it looks like there are even points for an assassin as well.
Not a bad list and it’s definitely unique!
Desert Rat GT: Tyranids- Shawn Prosser
This list goes to show that Tyranids are still on the menu and can bring the units that you might not expect! Starting off, A Broodlord and Malanthropes led a Battalion made up mostly of some Genestealers. However, a huge squad of Termagaunts rolled with them as well. Kraken Genestealers hanging out near a Broodlord are unbelievable fast and can reach out and grab screens turn one easily.
Looking at the second Battalion, sixty-ish total Termagaunts were led by a Hive Tyrant with two Devourers. This guy was an all-star at the start of 8th edition. However, people thought he got outclassed as more and more support came to the other factions. Turns out, he’may still be just as solid.
Lastly, a Vanguard full of Hive Guard and two Lictors gave support to everybody else on the field. The main takeaway from this detachment is that the Hive Guard took the Shockcannons. They were meta once upon a time but only with the Impaler Cannons which could fire without LOS and didn’t care about cover. However, because of this Knight/vehicle meta, these guys were kitted with Shockcannons. These give the chance to do mortal wounds in addition to normal damage if they wound a vehicle. Not bad!
Overall, this list worked like a three-hit combo. Between the Genestealers clearing any light infantry on the ground, to Termagaunts unloading an unholy amount of S4 firepower, all the way to Hive Tyrants and Hive Guard focusing down the scary stuff like Knights in opponent’s lists, the work paid off. The player came in 4th place!
With three more unique lists under our belts, what do you think about the meta? Have you tried experimenting with some of your favorite units once again? What will you be bringing to your next tournament? 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.
