Is this a glimpse at the new Warhammer 40k Meta? A 60-man tournament was held post FAQ. Don’t miss our breakdown of the top three Army Lists.
The Canadian Tabletop Championship ITC Major was held in Ontario over the weekend bringing over sixty players in the event. Keep in mind that the event used all of the FAQ rulings including the Castellan price jump (Knights, by the way, placed 5th overall). Thanks to Best Coast Pairings, we are able to look back at all of the details from the tournament.
As an awesome side note: This event also raised money for the Wounded Warriors of Canada with over $1,000 being met weeks before the tournament was even hosted! Great job giving back to the community and running such a smooth inaugural event.
3rd Place: Aeldari- Jason Sparks
You might remember the section of the FAQ that touched on the way units interact with Aircraft. In a nutshell, ground units can come within 1″ of them and even move over their base in the movement phase. However, it looks like that didn’t stop the list from coming in third place.
A whopping five total Alaitoc jets stormed the board in this list. On top of their units being -1 to hit, they also had to deal with the inevitable charge from two chunky squads of Shining Spears. A handful of Rangers were taken for the cheap bonus CP for bringing a Batallion and Yvraine along with some Skyrunners stood in for psychic support. This may be the standard caster package for an Eldar list it seems.
All in all, this list is very fast and has a strong presence in each phase of the game. While we thought the FAQ would shut down the flyer spam it looks like it’s still totally viable in the new meta.
2nd Place: Genestealer Cults- Nick Nanavati
Historically speaking, GSC lists have been massive and brought units that answered just about every scenario. While the FAQ didn’t touch on this faction so much, Nick brought a list that’s completely different from what most GSC players are running.
Starting off with the first bomb, two squads of Abberants in an Anointed Throng Vigilus detachment were taken. This unlocked a few extra melee tricks once the squads got into combat. To help them in the field, a Primus and Patriarch was there by their side allowing them to be immune to battleshock and reroll wound rolls of 1 against a certain target.
Next, two beefy squads of Acolytes with Rock Saws and the whole buff package were brought in the Broodsurge Vigilus detachment. (The buff package being the Clamavus, Iconward, Primus, and Cult of the Four-Armed Emperor tactic). Without going too much into detail, these guys were essentially able to auto charge and wound on a 2+ rerolling 1’s.
Finally, there’s the oddball detachment. This is a soup combination of just GSC good stuff. a second Patriarch was taken for more single-model can opening and twenty whole Acolytes with flamers were used to appear outside of 3″ and flame screens to kingdom come. To top everything off a Kelermorph was brought in just in case a character felt like getting froggy.
While using the same archetypal units from most GSC lists (Acolytes with Rock Saws/Flamers) it was extremely unique. Two Patriarchs were fielded which surprisingly enough, has been up for debate across the community as being too overcosted. On top of that, not a single Jackal was brought along. Great job on the list!
1st Place: Chaos- TJ Lanigan
Despite all the changes to the other factions and basic rules of the game like FLY, it looks like Chaos are still topping the scores at tournaments. This is probably the most consistent faction we’ve seen hit first place for the longest time.
Following the normal Daemon Battalion package, a mixed detachment of Plaguebearers and Horrors were brought. This list also loaded up with Ahriman and his posse of three Daemon Princes with talons. Finally, and this is something we’ve not seen before, Mortarion’s Blightlord Terminators came out to play. We also can’t forget about the two Foul Blightspawns mixed in. Those guys pack an absurd punch for their price.
It looks like if you’re planning on rolling with Terminators, you have to go all in with your points. A basic squad of five just isn’t enough. We will say that Death Guard Terminators already have a leg-up from all the other Terminators for the simple fact that they are T5 and have a 5+++. These guys are more in-line with the way Terminators should already be across the board and their damage splashes from the flail attacks.
All in all, this list offered two great threats that the opponent was forced to choose one or the other. The Plaguebearers and Horrors screened the Daemon Princes and Ahriman as they foot-slogged up the board. Meanwhile, when turn two rolled around a massive squad of Terminators were able to drop in 9″ away. Great job on using Chaos’s strengths and still putting your own twist to things!
What do you think about these three lists? What do you think the biggest change was for the FAQ? Does your competitive list look anything like these? 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.
