This is the Top Three AoS Lists for Armed Forces Day 5 that took place in Illinois, USA on 30th and 31st July. It involved 34 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Stormcast Eternals
– Army Type: Scions of the Storm
– Army Subfaction: Hallowed Knights
– Grand Strategy: Show of Dominance
– Triumphs: Indomitable

LEADER
Gardus Steel Soul (150)
Lord-Relictor (145)
– General
– Command Traits: High Priest
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Celestial Blades
– Prayers: Translocation

BATTLELINE
Liberators (115)
– Liberator-Prime
– Grandweapon
– Heavens-wrought Weapon and Sigmarite Shield
Liberators (115)
– Liberator-Prime
– Grandweapon
– Heavens-wrought Weapon and Sigmarite Shield
Liberators (115)
– Liberator-Prime
– Grandweapon
– Heavens-wrought Weapon and Sigmarite Shield

OTHER
1 x Stormdrake Guard (680)
– Stormdrake-Prime
– Drakerider’s Warblade
1 x Stormdrake Guard (680)
– Stormdrake-Prime
– Drakerider’s Warblade

CORE BATTALIONS:
Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)

Brett: Stormcast is an interesting faction playing a little more like Custodes than the Space Marines they are always accused of being. They have high moral and good saves making them hard to shift but they’re damage isn’t amazing. They don’t rely on amazing complicated synergies and casting certain spells the right way to unlock a combo. That also makes them a bit easier to know and counter so to get the best out of them you need a good general.

Alan’s gone 5/0 taking down some solid armies that play well into Stormcast. Unfortunately they were melee heavy which are maybe vulnerable to Stormdrakes. The army has 2 small heroes with 1 prayer, 1 cast and 2 denies, 3 small screening units and 2 massive hammers in the Stormdrakes. Stormdrakes in Bounty Hunters increases their damage (to Galletian Veterans) by 43%. Bounty Hunters has the biggest effect on Damage 1 weapons giving a 100% increase. Both the Relictor and Gardus are decent combat support charaters as well.

The Liberators are a screen and hold objectives, within Hallowed Knights they also fight on death. Not combat power houses but they have a 3+ save with a 5+ ward if within 12″ of Gardus. The Holy Command isn’t shown but was likely Call to Aid, which allows the return of a unit of Liberators. In a pinch The Lord Relictor can translocate a unit across the board, it has to be wholly within 9″ of him so the drakes will struggle. Translocation gets answered on 2+ (he gets +1 to prayers) and has a reroll so at some point you can expect him to move a unit. He could even respawn a unit of Liberators once they are killed next to him and then throw them to a lightly or unoccupied objective. Can be a really easy way to get a Battle Tactic.

The heart of this list is the 2 big mobile, 12″ move, hammers. Against armies with minimal shooting they are able to roam the board and not including shooting can put out 80 wounds a turn. Can they one shot Teclis – yes. Their shooting is swingy with each dragon having a 33% chance of doing nothing, D3 damage or D6 damage. A nice bonus but not something to rely on. It’s also good to punish small heroes or other units behind screens before hitting the screens. Scions of the Storm makes sense in Season 1 where the Stormkeep’s counts as 3 on objectives is neutered. If a list has a lot of shooting you can keep something back for later deployment or drop Gardus close to some Stormdrakes that are going to be in heavy combat.

Dropping Gardus from the sky ensures the drakes are within 12″ for his 5+ ward but also his ability to make Hallowed Knights fight again on death and his extra attack. 4 drakes will definitely destroy god models like Teclis in that scenario. Gardus also grants a reroll charges on top of the Stomdrake reroll charge on the turn they arrive. Pity we don’t have space for a Lord Imperatent to give a 7″ to the drakes. With 36 wounds they are very difficult to clear in a phase, once they are in they will tie up units for sometime. The drakes coherency rules and mobility give you a significant amount of board control and the ability to influence your opponent’s options.

Prime Hunters really hit Stormcast by putting a mark on their best units hitters (Fulminators, Stormdrake and Raptors). With Holy Command, Raptors aren’t that attractive, however the other units are. I wonder if we will see a resurgence in placings now, there are still a lot of Stormcast players.

Army Faction: Lumineth Realm-lords
– Subfaction: Zaitrec
– Grand Strategy: Show of Dominance
– Triumph: Indomitable

LEADERS
Scinari Cathallar (110)*
– Artefacts of Power: Gift of Celennar
– Spells: Etheral Blessings, Overwhelming Heat, Total Eclipse
Archmage Teclis (740)*
– General
– Spells: Overwhelming Heat
Alarith Stonemage (120)*
– Spells: Crippling Vertigo, Overwhelming Heat, Voice of the Mountains

BATTLELINE
Vanari Bladelords (130)*
– Bladelord Seneschal
Vanari Auralan Wardens (290)**
– High Warden
– Spells: Overwhelming Heat, Protection of Hysh
Vanari Auralan Wardens (290)**
– High Warden
– Spells: Etheral Blessings, Overwhelming Heat

OTHER
Vanari Dawnriders (140)*
– Steedmaster
– Spells: Overwhelming Heat, Speed of Hysh

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Umbral Spellportal (70)
1 x Horrorghast (40)
1 x Purple Sun of Shyish (70)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Expert Conquerors

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Brett: A Teclis led Lumineth army takes second on the back of a 4/1, losing to Stormcast in the 4th round. Could be a tag line from an early 3rd edition tournament. In any event Jonathan has taken the “alternative” path with a Warden heavy list to support Teclis and his band of mages. To round out this approach there are 3 Endless Spells, because that’s what Teclis is for, getting that Purple Sun into your face. Even when he casts 4 spells they are auto cast on a 10, they are all auto matic. That leaves one spell on a 10 to cast; Protection of Teclis (5+ ward) for everything within 18″. On subsequent rounds he’s free to cast anything including Speed of Hysh and Transporting Vortex in case mobility is a concern.

In the current magic/endless spell meta, or what seems to be a magic heavy meta, Teclis is a great choice. He can automatically dispel 1 endless spell and automatically unbind one as well. No Purple Sun for you. Umbral Spell portal increases the range for him to hit you with Storm of Searing Light and he isn’t bad in combat. He is a lot of points. Otherwise the list includes bodyguards for the Scinari and Dawnriders for taking remote action, board control and harassment. 14″ move and with Speed of Hysh (28″) make them a constant threat. Then there are the 2 big anvil units. The wardens are slow moving but counting for 60 on objectives makes them something you need to deal with. You want to whittle them down early preferably before they can cast Power of Hysh (MW on 5+)

+1 to cast from the Zaitrec Nation, Teclis granting 4+ wards against spells and a spell reflect like ability mean that spells are trivial to this army. Despite a potential threat from archers Jonathan defeated an Idoneth list with 4 units of archers (3 x Reavers and 1 x Sentinals for good measure). I wouldn’t want to be those Sentinals when Teclis catches them. The results show the effectiveness of 4 Stormdrakes vs units of 2, Jonathan easily beat a SCE army centred on units of 2 but lost to the bigger unit. I feel sorry for the Seraphon casting list without Kroak (2nd round), talk about bringing a knife to a gun fight. Great performance.

Army Faction: Daughters of Khaine
– Army Subfaction: Hagg Nar
– Grand Strategy: Bloodthirsty Zealots
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Morathi-Khaine (680)**
1 x The Shadow Queen (680)**
1 x High Gladiatrix (90)**
– General
– Command Traits: Zealous Orator
– Artefacts: Crown of Woe

BATTLELINE
20 x Witch Aelves (230)*
– Hag
– Death Pennant Bearer
– Hornblower
– Paired Sciansá
20 x Witch Aelves (230)*
– Hag
– Death Pennant Bearer
– Hornblower
– Paired Sciansá
10 x Sisters of Slaughter (135)*
– Handmaiden
– Hornblower
– Death Pennant Bearer
– Kruiplash and Bladed Buckler

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Bloodwrack Viper (80)

OTHER
5 x Khinerai Heartrenders (95)
5 x Khinerai Heartrenders (95)
10 x Blood Stalkers (360)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Bounty Hunters
**Command Entourage – Strategists

TOTAL POINTS: (1995/2000)

Brett: Daughters of Khaine have a new book and Witch Aelves are good again. A good run through the tournament taking the new hotness from Death (Nighthaunt) and the Tree loving Sylvaneth both fresh from their own recent books. AoS Coach just covered a list like this with Marcella Helu if you’d like a more in depth discussion. Also great to see the new Hero for DoK – the High Gladiatrix.

Before going into the army too far though I have to acknowledge that the tournament was allowing book Battle Traits and Grand Strategies. Bloodthirsty Zealots is very easy to accomplish (either fight or be destroyed) and the army itself is built to take advantage of at least 4 book BT. The Khinerai can easily accomplish 2 themselves with very little interaction. That’s all I’ll say about it.

Otherwise this is a very solid army. The Shadowqueen is able to tank a bit but really you want to go first to power up the Witch Aelves and unleash them. They are +1 to charge from in the first round, and +1 to wound and -1 rend if they are within 12″ of the Gladiatrix. Sisters of Slaughter outfitted to tank as well with an improved save and reflecting hits on 6s.

With all of Cheryl’s opponents being similarly combat based until the last round, the fights would have been brutal and resolved by who attacked first. As a low rend, 1 damage army they don’t give up much to Nighthaunt and each Witch Aelve has, at full strength, the ability to remove complete units. They are vulnerable to the 4 Drake block, you could play this destroying the troops and ignore Morathi.

Army Faction: Legion of the First Prince
– Grand Strategy: Show of Dominance
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Sloppity Bilepiper (130)*
1 x Lord of Change (400)*
– Staff of Tzeentch and Rod of Sorcery
– Spells: Flaming Weapon, The Master’s Command
1 x Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince (210)**
– Daemonic Axe and Malefic Talons
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
1 x Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage (280)**
– General
– Command Traits: Ruinous Aura
– Artefacts: Armour of the Pact

BATTLELINE
10 x Bloodletters (110)*
– Bloodreaper
– Hornblower
– Gore-drenched Icon Bearer
20 x Plaguebearers (300)**
– Icon Bearer
– Piper
– Plagueridden
5 x Flesh Hounds (105)**
– Gore Hound
– Burning Roar

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Soulsnare Shackles (50)

OTHER
3 x Nurglings (105)*
3 x Nurglings (105)*
3 x Nurglings (105)*
6 x Furies (95)**

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1995/2000)

Brett: Are you given to the dark side but not sure what faction suits you best? Do you love flexibility and never making a decision? If you said YES YES YES then Legion of the First Prince is for you. Taking the fallen(?) of the daemon worlds, Legions of the First Prince provides them a home. Mike has gone with the bigger daemons for punch with a few smaller daemons to hit objectives. But where is Belakor?

Unfortunately that means the army misses out on the rerolls for the battleline demons that Belakor allows, and the heals. But on the upside, beyond the power of the Greater Demons Mike was able to summon units from Khorne, Nurgle and Tzeentch depending on what he needed. The Plaguebearers are hard to move off objectives while the Flesh Hounds provide mobile threat. Some shooting from the Furies, stabby Bloodletters and the annoying Nurglings.

The results bear out that this approach can be effective. Along the way Mike beat armies that included 40 Sentinels and 30 Blood Sisters, elsewhere considered the scourge of daemons. Their nemesis appears to be red headed dwarfs who cut a swathe through them. An innovative list with a number of tricks from the Demon Prince from halving movement to spell eating (good in the Purple Sun meta). Good to see life in the Legion ahead of updated books.

Final Tournament Placings