John Lennon’s 7-1 Ultramarines took the Battle for Salvation 2026 army lists crown with Guilliman, Calgar, and two Deathwatch Terminator squads riding along.
Battle for Salvation ran three days this year, with 131 players heading to the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York, for eight rounds of 11th Edition. Four players ended up 7-1, and the top three all beat each other, but Lennon took it all on the tiebreaker.
Space Marines had a pretty good weekend, too. Ultramarines, Iron Hands, and two more Marine lists made the top eight, so the new 11th Edition Space Marines detachments are pulling their weight. So, let’s dig into the strongest lists from the weekend.
Battle for Salvation 2026: Top 3 Warhammer 40k Army Lists
- John Lennon won Battle for Salvation 2026 with Guilliman, Calgar, and allied Deathwatch Terminators: His only loss was by one battle point, and he finished by beating Pope 100-52 on table 1.
- Samuel Pope’s World Eaters ran 70 Berzerkers and Angron to a 7-1 finish: Pope won seven in a row before meeting Lennon in the final round.
- Jack Murphy’s Iron Hands won two games by a single battle point each: One was his 83-82 win over the eventual champion, before Pope stopped him in round 7.
Thanks to Best Coast Pairings, we’ve got real pairings and battle point data to walk through the event.
Assault Brethren Ultramarines Took the Crown With a Primarch and Hired Hammers
Lennon’s battle plan sounds simple enough, but it’s nearly impossible to beat. Guilliman’s the Warlord, Calgar runs with the biggest melee brick, and two Deathwatch Terminator squads tag along through the Deathwatch Support detachment to smash whatever the Ultramarines can’t.
Assault Brethren Roster Breakdown
Marneus Calgar brings the Gauntlets of Ultramar, the Wardens of Ultramar, and six Bladeguard Veterans with Furious Assault. So, that’s a big chunk of the list in one unit, and its job is to walk into the middle and stay put. Then Guilliman heads wherever that unit isn’t, so you suddenly have two problems at once.
Both Deathwatch Terminator squads carry thunder hammers, chainfists, storm shields, and three plasma cannons apiece. Which lets them crack armor up close and handle some shooting from the second line, too.
Everything else in the army is there for scoring and support. Heavy Intercessors sit on home objectives, two Impulsors ferry infantry around, and two Eradicator squads bring the melta for big targets. Two Reiver squads handle screening and objective errands, with a Phobos Librarian along to help out.
How Assault Brethren Wins the Points Race
Lennon put up 100 in seven of his eight games. He opened with 100-45 against T’au, followed with 100-20 against Chaos Space Marines, and maxed out again in rounds three and four.
Round five was the one that got away, with Murphy’s Iron Hands edging him 83-82. Losing by a single battle point stings, but Lennon bounced back with 100-10 against Dark Angels and 100-40 against Drukhari. Then he beat Pope 100-52 on table 1 in the final round, handing him his only loss and taking the event.
Berzerker Warband World Eaters Ran 70 Berzerkers Straight at the Field
Pope went way more direct with his army: seventy Khorne Berzerkers, Angron as Warlord, and not much else. Staring at that across the table, there’s really only one question left. Did you bring enough guns?
Berzerker Warband Roster Breakdown
Those 70 Berzerkers are split into four units, each with a leader. Khârn the Betrayer joins the ten-model squad, a Lord on Juggernaut with Battle-lust leads twenty, and a Master of Executions with Favoured of Khorne takes another twenty. A second Master of Executions leads the last squad. Every big unit packs four Khornate eviscerators and four plasma pistols, so there’s plenty there to hurt you besides the pile of bodies.
Then there’s Angron to worry about on top of all that. A Chaos Rhino adds a bit of transport, while a pack of Jakhals gives Pope a cheap scoring unit.
How Berzerker Warband Wins the Board Control Game
Pope’s lowest winning score all weekend was 85. He opened with a 93-31 World Eaters mirror, beat Space Marines 100-31 in round two, then ground through another Marine list 88-79 in round three, which was as close as any of his wins got.
In round six, Pope beat Aidan Longacre’s Votann 100-32, and Longacre still ended up fifth. Then he took down Murphy’s Iron Hands 94-30 on table 1 in round seven. Seven straight wins with a list like this makes a pretty solid case for “hordes” in 11th Edition.
Devastator Brethren Iron Hands Won the Coin-Flip Games
Murphy’s Iron Hands are pretty much what you’d expect from the Medusa Marines, with lots of flying and hovering metal and some Terminators in the middle. It held together through games so close that one bad roll could’ve cost him.
Devastator Brethren Roster Breakdown
Iron Father Feirros takes the Warlord slot, with a Techmarine carrying Adept of the Omnissiah backing him up. Caanok Var leads five Assault Terminators with thunder hammers and storm shields, so if something needs hitting in melee, that’s the unit he sends.
Most of the shooting comes from the vehicles, though. Two Repulsors, two Storm Speeder Thunderstrikes, and two Land Speeders spread lascannons, missiles, and gatling fire across the board. Two Eradicator squads cover the melta range, while two Impulsors, two Incursor squads, a Reiver squad, and Scouts handle the scoring. If you’ve been waiting for Iron Hands vehicles to matter again, well, this list should catch your eye.
How Devastator Brethren Wins the Close Ones
Murphy also squeaked out a 40-39 win over Dark Angels in round three. Between that and the Lennon game, both one-point coin flips had to land his way for him to finish third.
The rest of his wins were more comfortable, like 98-75 against Zach Point’s Marines in round six. After the loss to Pope, Murphy came back with a 100-35 win over Tyranids to finish 7-1.
Final Thoughts on the Battle for Salvation 2026 Army Lists & the Warhammer 40k Meta
We wouldn’t be surprised to see plenty of Ultramarines players trying out Calgar’s brick with the Deathwatch Terminators next week now. And if you play World Eaters, Angron and a whole lot of Berzerkers probably look pretty tempting too as well.
đź”— Related Reads:
- How to Play World Eaters
- How to Play Space Marines
- Top Warhammer 40k Army Lists
- More Top Warhammer 40k Army Lists
- 40k Tournament Guide
- Warhammer 40k Factions Guide
- Latest 40k Balance Dataslate
- Munitorum Field Manual Points Updates
What do you think of the Battle for Salvation 2026 army lists, and would you rather face Calgar’s brick or 70 Berzerkers?
