This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the Age of Sigmar, Matched Play Event that took place in Nottingham, England on 13 and 14 August. It involved 74 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament at Warhammer World.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Maggotkin of Nurgle
– Subfaction: Drowned Men
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
Leaders
Lord of Afflictions (210)**
– General
– Command Trait: Overpowering Stench – Artefact: The Splithorn Helm
– Incubatch
Orghotts Daemonspew (300)
Morbidex Twiceborn (320)
Bloab Rotspawned (300)**
– Lore of Malignance: Gift of Disease
Lord of Afflictions (210)**
– Artefact: Arcane Tome
– Lore of Malignance: Rancid Visitations
– Incubatch
Units
2 x Pusgoyle Blightlords (220)*
– 1 x Dolorous Tocsin
2 x Pusgoyle Blightlords (220)*
– 1 x Dolorous Tocsin
2 x Pusgoyle Blightlords (220)*
– 1 x Dolorous Tocsin
Terrain
Feculent Gnarlmaw (0)
Core Battalions
*Bounty Hunters
**Command Entourage – Magnificent Additional Enhancements Artefact

Brett: A different approach to a lot of recent Maggotkin armies with a lot of heroes and minimum battleline. It forces you to use your heroes to complete battle tactics because this army but who cares with double Lord’s of Affliction. Morbidex, Orghotts and Bloab are all Monsters, with the Arcane Tome there are only 2 casts/dispells. There isn’t some amazing synergy here except that everything is as mobile as Nighthaunt but has 8 wounds. Nothing is dying easily and they are producing mortal wounds (MW) and disease points (for more MW). All of the Blightlords are in bounty hunters doubling their potential damage and making them hard to manage with GV.

All of that might not convey how horrific this army is. Bloab, Orghutts and Morbix have a top bracket of 5 or 6 wounds and a 5+ ward giving them 18 effective wounds. Until you get them out of that bracket they have 5 attacks at rend -2 with 3 damage and 3 to 7 damage 2 attacks. They are devastating in combat as well as their MW production forcing you to try to avoid them. With 3 monsters and 5 Leaders over all as well as the Blightlords themselves there isn’t a lot of room to score without engaging them.

That makes this a great army, you are forced to make a least bad choice and hope you can get in and out before they concentrate forces. None of his opponents could really afford to trade, Idoneth shooting probably had the best chance but it’s hard to stay out of charge range there to. Beast’s high rend would be useful but they wouldn’t stay alive long enough, Orks and Ogres are devastating on the change but when hit back by these monsters they would lose too many models. Solid work in assembling such an army and the all or nothing approach which paid off here.

Allegiance: Daughters of Khaine
– Temple: Hagg Nar
– Mortal Realm: Ulgu
– Grand Strategy: Bloodthirsty Zealots
– Triumphs: Leaders
Melusai Ironscale (115)*
– General
– Command Trait: Zealous Orator
– Artefact: Crown of Woe
Morathi-Khaine (340)*
The Shadow Queen (340)* Battleline
10 x Blood Stalkers (360)*
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Blood Sisters (280)*
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Witch Aelves (115)*
– Pairs of Sacrificial Knives Units
5 x Doomfire Warlocks (145)*
– Spell1: Universal Spell Lore: Levitate
9 x Khainite Shadowstalkers (150)*
Avatar of Khaine (155)* Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 102
Drops: 1

Brett: Solid implementation of one of the stronger books at the moment. 1 drop army in Hagg Nar – they will determine priority most of the time and have +1 to charge in the first round. Avatar of Khaine to providing +1 to wound for the Witch Aelves, Melusai is rallying the fallen on a 4+ and denying her opponents rally within 9″. Blood Stalkers for their ranged support and Sisters to do the stabbing (as well as Morathi). That’s a solid core to control a couple of objectives and destroy units that attempt to reclaim giving you 2 or 3 battle tactics. Unusually James chose against Heartrenders going with Doomfire Locks and Shadowstalkers. Doomfire Warlocks are expensive but their speed lets them threaten anywhere that isn’t well defending as well as their spell casting.

Shadowstalkers seem undervalued in the current meta, they can teleport, for free, anywhere 9″ from the enemy. This is similar to Heartrenders deep striking except they can repeat it, the 2 units are similar in cost and the Shadowstalkers are slightly harder to kill. I think it could be a better solution although they lack the ranged attacks of the Heartrenders. Not surprisingly Seraphon and Maggotkin were harder to score against but the Legion of the First Prince list caused the most issues. Be’Lakor and an Incarnate is a lot to deal with for anybody and reliably clearing 10 Plaguebringers is tough. Good work taking second.

Allegiance: Idoneth Deepkin
– Enclave: Ionrach
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired
Leaders
Isharann Soulscryer (150)
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Curse
Akhelian King (250)
– General
– Bladed Polearm
– Command Trait: Unstoppable Fury
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mount Trait: Voidchill Darkness
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Battleline
6 x Akhelian Morrsarr Guard (390)**
– Reinforced x 1
20 x Namarti Reavers (340)
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Namarti Reavers (170)
Units
2 x Akhelian Allopexes (330)**
– Razorshell Harpoon
– Reinforced x 1
2 x Akhelian Allopexes (330)
– Razorshell Harpoon
– Reinforced x 1
Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Bounty Hunters

Total: 1960 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 98
Drops: 3

Brett: 3rd and 4th tied in round 3 and overall had very similar scores so I’ve included both. Only 2 heroes, Soulscryer (priest) and the Akhelian King without a lot of casting (Arcane Tome/Flaming Weapon is a nice touch though). The King is built for output but also a little tanky, useful when you only have 7 wounds. Polearm for -3 rend and 3 damage on the charge, buffed with Flaming Weapon and an additional 2 attacks per enemy unit within 3″. He’s begging to be charged into the middle of something he probably won’t survive.

This a very mobile Idoneth army with the 6 Morrsarr Eels and 4 Allopexes (in pairs). Morrsarr and Ishlaen were much more common with the previous book (where Thralls were really terrible) but aren’t commonly seen now. They are still a tanky mobile unit that can keep up with the King and receive his hit buff as can the Allopexes. That lets you make a mobile death castle particularly from round 2. Idoneth are really deadly if they get the 2/3 double, 3 drops probably means first turn to his opponent. Forcing your opponent to go first and Creeping Mist (can’t be targetted outside 12″ on low tide) is a popular tactic for Idoneth. Even vampires struggle in the mists apparently.

Outside of his 3rd opponent the remaining armies were melee focused, they will play poorly into Idoneth where they can get close enough to fire without fear of return fire. With the Morsarr and even Allopex to screen the Reavers it’s an uphill battle. More so if they can garrison terrain (including the boat). Really well played taking 3rd in this field and an even this big.

Army Faction: Stormcast Eternals
– Army Type: Scions of the Storm
– Army Subfaction: Hammers of Sigmar
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
– Triumphs: Inspired
– Holy Command: Call For Aid
Leaders
Knight-Draconis (300)
– General
– Command Traits: Master of Magic
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Mount Traits: Thunderous Presence
– Spells: Celestial Blades
Lord-Castellant (155)**
Battleline
1 x Stormdrake Guard (680)*
– Stormdrake-Prime
– Drakerider’s Lance
Stormdrake Guard (340)*
– Stormdrake-Prime
– Drakerider’s Warblade
Stormdrake Guard (340)*
– Stormdrake-Prime
– Drakerider’s Warblade
Liberators (115)**
– Liberator-Prime
– Grandweapon
– Heavens-wrought Weapon and Sigmarite Shield
Endless Spell
Purple Sun of Shyish (70)
Core Battalions
*Bounty Hunters
**Vanguard

TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)

Brett: I mentioned elsewhere that Dragon spam is slowly returning with the end of prime hunters. This army is a good example with 8 dragons including the dreaded reinforced block. With the Lord Castellant for a +1 to saving throws (Saving on 2s for free) and a Purple Sun for good measure. With only the one cast and no buffs to spell casting it’s sometimes questionable if Stormcast (SCE) should take it. But, as Martin has done, taking Master of Magic is reasonable for SCE because their own traits aren’t super strong, this still only gives a 59% chance of success. However Celestial Blades (+1 to wound) is significant and if it was on the Lance equipped block of 4 on the charge (-2 rend, 2 damage).

It’s quite a clever army with a small block of Galletian Veterans to provide look out sir and hold an objective in the rear and varied weapon choices on the Drakes. Drakes aren’t great damage dealers but if their breath weapon works that can be amazing. They are durable in combat with 9 wounds saving on a 3 making it hard to clear them. The Knight Draconis gives one unit, once per battle, a chance to shoot in the hero phase meaning double shooting. I imagine the Reavers may have had a rough time on the wrong end of a double shooting dragon 4 pack. With their speed and durabilty it’s hard to stop the Dragon’s scoring a number of Battle Tactics and the Knight Draconis has a fair chance of succeding with This One’s Mine.

Horde lists might present a problem but one unit can spread to cover almost half the board. SBGL didn’t stop Martin. One issue with this approach is scoring and Martin’s scores were at the lower end. Lets hope we don’t see a return to only Dragon lists but they still look amazing, 4 and a draw is still an amazing result.

Final Tournament Placings