Kary Affrunti’s 5-0 Necrons took the Silver State Classic 2026 army list crown with three C’tan and enough reanimation to grind through the entire field.
Forty-four players showed up for the Silver State Classic 2026, and only one finished without a loss. Kary Affrunti went 5-0 with a Necron army list, using the kind of list that keeps putting models back on the table while the other army slowly runs out of options.
The runner-up was Eric Smith, who finished 4-0-1 with a Leagues of Votann army list and plays for the same team, giving Xenos Petting Zoo first and second-place finishes at the event.
Taylor Gaston kept the podium from going entirely Xenos by taking third with a 4-1 Blood Angels army list built to hit hard and early. Either way, three of the current meta armies worth watching showed up near the top of the 40k tournament scene this weekend, each with a very different plan.
The Silver State Classic 2026: Top 3 Warhammer 40k Army Lists
- Kary Affrunti’s triple-C’tan Necrons went a perfect 5-0 and refused to stay dead: he was the only undefeated player in the 44-player field.
- Eric Smith’s Leagues of Votann took second at 4-0-1 with a wall of elite bodies: Xenos Petting Zoo locked down both top spots.
- Taylor Gaston’s Blood Angels finished third at 4-1 with an aggressive alpha-strike list: the only non-Xenos army on the podium.
Thanks to Best Coast Pairings, we can break down the event using real pairings and battle point data.
Kary Affrunti’s Cursed Legion Necrons Ground Down the Whole Room
Affrunti paired Cursed Legion with Skyshroud Spearhead and built the list around one basic plan: make every kill take more effort than it should. Three C’tan Shards force opponents to commit serious firepower, and doing that with Necrons gives the rest of the army time to reanimate, hold objectives, and keep grinding.
Cursed Legion Roster Breakdown
The C’tan handle most of the heavy work as you would imagine. The Nightbringer, Void Dragon, and a Transcendent C’tan all take serious effort to remove, and each one can punish an opponent that fails to finish the job. Nekrosor Ammentar fills the Warlord slot, while an Overlord joins ten Lychguard to make one big, durable, objective-holding unit.
The rest of the list supports that core with a Plasmancer joining the Lokhust Destroyers, Ophydian Destroyers adding a fast melee threat, and a Night Scythe helping with movement and late-game scoring. Finally, the Canoptek Reanimator keeps bringing models back while the rest of the army wears opponents down.
How Cursed Legion Wins the Long Game
The scores show how the list works. Affrunti posted a 98, 99, 96, and 88 in four of his five rounds. His lowest score was a 69 in round three, and that still ended as a win. So this list celarly does not need to table an opponent early, it just needs to keep enough models alive to control the game through the final turn.
Eric Smith’s Hearthguard Covenant Votann Judged Almost Everyone
Eric Smith brought the runner-up list of Leagues of Votann using Hearthguard Covenant and Mercenary Oathband, filling the army with elite units that are hard to remove and expensive to fight through. Which, honestly, is the main appeal of the current Leagues of Votann detachments.
Hearthguard Covenant Roster Breakdown
The army starts with three separate units of Einhyr Hearthguard, giving Smith several durable infantry blocks that can absorb shooting and hold ground. Three units of Brokhyr Thunderkyn provide ranged support, two squads of Ironkin Steeljacks add more tough guns, and a unit of Cthonian Beserks gives the list a dedicated combat threat. A Kahl serves as Warlord, backed by Buri Aegnirssen, an Einhyr Champion, and a Memnyr Strategist.
Smith also covered the army’s usual movement problems with Hernkyn Pioneers and Hernkyn Yaegirs moving ahead early, while a Kapricus Carrier and Sagitaur help get the slower units into position.
How Hearthguard Covenant Wins the Damage Race
The draw in round two was the only game Smith did not win. He opened with a 98, scored an 88 in the draw, then finished with a 100, 74, and another 98 for a 4-0-1 record. So overall, the Votann are not winning games by outrunning anybody; they win by making every exchange cost the opponent more.
Taylor Gaston’s Legacy of Grace Blood Angels Hit Fast and Hard
Taylor Gaston kept the podium from going entirely Xenos with Blood Angels. His list used Legacy of Grace alongside Stormlance Task Force and played nothing like the two armies above it. Instead of grinding through five turns, this army tries to land the first major hit and put the opponent too far behind to recover. Which is the aggressive side of the current Blood Angels detachment rules.
Legacy of Grace Roster Breakdown
The character lineup makes the plan pretty obvious. Lemartes leads a ten-model Death Company unit with jump packs, while Commander Dante joins two units of Sanguinary Guard, and a jump-pack Captain leads another assault threat. A lot of the army is invested in melee, but that investment only pays off when those units connect early.
The list also brings enough shooting to avoid relying on just one phase. A Land Raider Redeemer, two Vindicators, and a Storm Speeder Thunderstrike give Gaston real ranged pressure. Intercessors, Incursors, and two Outrider squads handle objectives while the larger threats go after the opponent’s key units.
How Legacy of Grace Wins the Opening Turns
The plan worked through the first four rounds. Gaston scored 75, 100, 90, and 93 before taking a 67-point loss in round five. That is the risk built into this kind of Blood Angels army. When the opening attack lands, it can immediately take control of the game, but when it does not, the army has a lot less room to recover.
Final Thoughts on the Silver State Classic 2026 Army Lists & the Warhammer 40k Meta
An undefeated Necrons list with a Votann teammate in second says a lot about what worked at this event and what did not. Durable armies that can absorb damage, hold objectives, and win repeated trades took the top two spots.
Blood Angels finishing third also shows that raw aggression can still break through, but it carries a lot more risk. If upcoming events follow the same pattern, expect to see more C’tan and exo-armor near the top tables until the next dataslate changes the meta for everyone again!
🔗 Related Reads:
- How to Play Necrons
- How to Play Leagues of Votann
- How to Play Blood Angels
- 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 Silver State Classic 2026 army lists, and is anything actually stopping undefeated Necrons right now?
