This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the South Coast Series July that took place in Bournemouth, UK on 9th and 10th July. It involved 40 players from the world over, vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Slaves to Darkness
– Damned Legion: Host of the Everchosen (Sixth Circle)
– Mortal Realm: Aqshy
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
– Triumphs:

Leaders
Archaon the Everchosen (860)**
– Aura of Chaos: Tzeentch
– Spell: Binding Damnation
Chaos Lord (120)**
– General
– Reaperblade & Daemonbound Steel
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
– Spell: Mask of Darkness
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (135)**
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
– Spell: Mask of Darkness

Battleline
3 x Varanguard (280)*
– Ensorcelled Weapon and Warpsteel Shield
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
3 x Varanguard (280)*
– Ensorcelled Weapon and Warpsteel Shield
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
8 x Iron Golems (75)**
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch

Units
9 x Untamed Beasts (70)**
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
9 x Untamed Beasts (70)**
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch

Endless Spells & Invocations
Chronomantic Cogs (40)
Purple Sun of Shyish (70)

Core Battalions
*Bounty Hunters
**Battle Regiment

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 88
Drops: 3

Brett: A return of a list that became common in AoS 2.0 with Archaon and Varanguard taking the tournament 5/0. Really demonstrates just how Archaon can dominate a lot of the board but don’t discount the Endless Spells either. With 3 wizards in the list (thanks to Arcane Tome) they are always going to be an option. Cogs offering rerolls for casters making Purple Sun, with it’s debuffs and wound potential more reliable, much more reliable.. Marking Archaon with Aura of Chaos – Tzeentch is a great way to increase his and the armies durability. So this list is all about durability and being hard to shift. Making the Varanguard Bounty Hunters improves one of their weaknesses (damage output) and is a solid move for removing MSU Galletian Veteran units. With both the Iron Golems (keep them stationary on a home objective in cover) and Untamed Beasts there are plenty of Galletian Veteran units in the army and 2 teleports (Mask of Darkness) to get them where they need to be. 6″ pregame move and the ability to run and charge make the Untamed Beasts unpredictable with a very long threat range. It would be great to see how the list plays into Nighthaunt. A very solid performance against some of the newer books we can only assume that Archaon wrecked face. 5/0 is an amazing performance with one of the older books and a range of characters that everyone knows well.

Allegiance: Nighthaunt
– Procession: Scarlet Doom
– Grand Strategy: Show of Dominance
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Krulghast Cruciator (150)**
– General
– Command Trait: Ruler of the Spirit Hosts
Awlrach the Drowner (175)**
Guardian of Souls (150)**
– Lore of the Underworlds: Seal of Shyish
Spirit Torment (115)***
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Underworlds: Shademist
Spirit Torment (115)***

Battleline
30 x Bladegheist Revenants (525)*
– Reinforced x 2
20 x Bladegheist Revenants (350)*
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Bladegheist Revenants (175)***
3 x Spirit Hosts (125)**

Units
4 x Myrmourn Banshees (105)***

Core Battalions
*Expert Conquerors
**Battle Regiment
***Battle Regiment

Total: 1985 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 105
Drops: 4

Brett: What a horrifying list to face. Multiple small heroes including 3 that return models every turn and some of the best data sheets in the book (Bladegheist and Banshees). On top of that Krulghast is there to reduce the damage of incoming attacks. The big block of Bladegheist is nightmarish, on the charge they are putting out 90 attacks. This list is a strong 5/0 contender but I wonder about the battalions.

We more often see larger units of Bladegheist in Bounty Hunters but there are good reason to use Expert Conquerors. It would be very hard to take an objective off 30 Bladegheist backed by a Spirit Torment or Guardian and Banshees to steal spells. It would be interesting to see Awlach in action with this force offering a solid teleport ability throughout the game. The bigger blocks of Bladegheist would be a nasty threat even without their support heroes or after missing a charge. Taking down DoK confirms the horde meta is here. Notable that the list only lost to Sylvaneth.

Allegiance: Sylvaneth
– Glade: Heartwood
– Season of War: The Reaping
– Mortal Realm: Ghyran
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Alarielle the Everqueen (840)*
Arch-Revenant (120)*
– General
– Command Trait: Warsinger
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Deepwood: Treesong

Battleline
6 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatbows (460)*
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*

Units
3 x Revenant Seekers (235)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Chronomantic Cogs (40)
Spiteswarm Hive (40)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1955 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 87
Drops: 1

Brett: Pregame move, teleports and movement buffs, all kinds of shenanigans are possible with this list including the endless spells. Crucially you need to get the best from (buffed) Alarielle and the Kurnoth (1300 pts – you have to) but with the ability to deploy aggressively, then redeploy, and the change away from one drop lists there are some real benefits to being Sylvaneth. The only loss (to Slaves to Darkness) would have been a very interesting with Archaon facing Alarielle in a titanic struggle. Varanguard are well matched to Kurnoth as well. Long range shooting is still a problem for a lot of lists notably Nighthaunt, Daughters of Kaine and Beasts. The Kurnoth bring some serious hurt, particularly with an Arch-Revenant giving +1 to wound rolls, and Alarielle only adds to the pain. The tree-revenants provide some screening and the ability later in the game to teleport away as well. Great performance with the new book and some familiar faces, it’s great to see a podium finish so soon after release.

Army Faction: Fyreslayers
– Subfaction: Greyfyrd
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Battlesmith (150)**
– Artefacts of Power: Nulsidian Icon
Auric Runefather (125)**
– General
– Command Traits: Blood of the Berzerker
– Artefacts of Power: Axe of Grimnir
Auric Runeson on Magmadroth (320)**
– Wyrmslayer Javelins
– Artefacts of Power: Master Rune of Unbreakable Resolve
– Mount Traits: Coal-heart Ancient

BATTLELINE
Hearthguard Berzerkers (480)*
– Karl
– Berzerker Broadaxe
Vulkite Berzerkers with Bladed Slingshields (160)*
– Hornblower of Grimnir
– Karl
– Fyresteel War-pick and Bladed Slingshield
Vulkite Berzerkers with Bladed Slingshields (160)*
– Hornblower of Grimnir
– Fyresteel War-pick and Bladed Slingshield

OTHER
Gotrek Gurnisson (485)**
Grimwrath Berzerker (105)**
– Artefacts of Power: Draught of Magmalt Ale

CORE BATTALIONS
*Expert Conquerors
**Warlord

TOTAL POINTS: 1985/2000

Brett: Eschewing the more popular Magmadroth builds comes at cost but what a thematic list this is. A tide of marking norse dwarves with your favourite hero from the before times (Gotrek) ready to wreck pretty much everybody. And particularly rats, which for the most part don’t move too quickly so were vulnerable to what this list brings. 3/5 is great with an off meta list like this one. Fyreslayers are let down by their 4″ move and they still seem a little expensive per unit. The battle against Maggotkin would have been a stand out since both are slow moving but against a Great Unclean One or Glottkin I think this list is a little short of firepower.

The overall results show that points matter still with both 1 and 2 being the highest point scorers, next highest is 8th though. At least within this tournaments catchment there is a very healthy meta with 8 different factions in the top 10. Seraphon and Daughters of Khaine are unusually low with 2 Sylvaneth, with different subfactions, in the top 5. Interesting to watch the rest of the performances across the weekend to see if this is a prelude to the Wood Elves rising. Don’t picnic too close to the trees just in case?

Final Tournament Placings

Top 10 Tournament Players Based on Elo Ratings