This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the Mancunian Carnage: Summer 2022 that took place in the UK on 20th and 21st August. It involved 73 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Ironjawz
– Grand Strategy:
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Orruk Warchanter (115)*
– Warbeat: Get ‘Em Beat
Megaboss on Maw-Krusha (480)*
– General
– Boss Choppa and Rip-tooth fist
– Command Trait: Master of the Weird
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mount Trait: Smelly ‘Un
– Lore of the Weird: Bash ‘Em Ladz
Orruk Warchanter (115)*
– Warbeat: Fixin’ Beat
Orruk Weirdnob Shaman (90)
– Lore of the Weird: Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork
Megaboss on Maw-Krusha (480)
– Boss Choppa and Rip-tooth fist

Battleline
5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)*
5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)*
5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)*

Behemoths
Rogue Idol (430)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
The Burning Head (20)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1985 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 100
Drops: 3

Brett: Two variants of this list have had some discussion recently, 2 x Mawcrusha and either the Rogue Idol or Krondspine. Great to see a pure Ironjawz list at number one. That takes both skill and luck Both Mawcrushas have the durable build with 3+ saves. The general has the Arcane Tome, becoming a wizard and able to take Master of the Weird for an extra spell and only 2 spells are shown, Bash ‘em Ladz (+1 to wound within 16”) and Green Hand (teleport). His mount trait grants -1 to hit rolls targeting the general.

The Ardboyz are a useful screen but preserving at least one for a mid/late game teleport is equally useful. As a single drop this list is going to decide whether to go first or not, allowing Byron to play for the double on 1. With the Ardboyz as screens and the resilience of the Mawcrushas the list should handle the output in Turn 1 from your opponent. After that go hard and play for the double, assuming you can kill enough in Turn 1 you are in good position even without the double. The game is effectively decided by Turn 2. Shooting and redeploy can mess with you but if the dice are rolling hot there is little to stop this list.

With relatively few units this list might be better scoring early and trying to clear the opponent. In later turns it might be more of an issue to find Battle Tactics. A really well thought out tight list that shows melee is still alive; fantastic result against some pretty strong opponents.

Allegiance: Slaves to Darkness
– Damned Legion: Knights of the Empty Throne
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Knights of the Empty Throne Varanguard x 6 (560)**
– General
– Daemonforged Blade and Warpsteel Shield
– Command Trait: Inescapable Doom
– Artefact: Grasping Plate
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
Knights of the Empty Throne Varanguard x 6 (560)**
– Daemonforged Blade and Warpsteel Shield
– Artefact: Corrupted Nullstone
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (135)**
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
– Spell: Mask of Darkness
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (135)*
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
– Spell: Mask of Darkness

Battleline
8 x Iron Golems (75)*
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
8 x Iron Golems (75)*
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
8 x Iron Golems (75)*
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
8 x Iron Golems (75)*
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch

Units
1 x Mindstealer Sphiranx (95)*

Behemoths
Chaos Warshrine (215)*
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
– Prayer1: Universal Prayer Scripture: Heal

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Command Entourage – Magnificent

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 124
Drops: 4

Brett: A Tzeentch devoted Slaves to Darkness army (+1 to save and 5+ against spell damage) with 4 battlelines but still fitting tight in deployment with only 4 drops. Knights of the Empty Throne with 2 x 6 Varanguard headline this act, terrorising their enemies with a 2+ save. Their damage is swingy with exploding 6s but D3 damage for each wound with the sword. There can sometimes be issues getting all of those weapons in but if they do, on average, that’s 15 x D3 hits before the mounts strike and before saves. Inescapable Doom, units within 3″ can’t retreat, Grasping Plate, 6″ fight envelope and extra 3″ pile in, and an extra unbind (Nullstone).

The Chaos Sorcerers are relatively cheap sources of denies but more importantly both have a teleport and provide rerolls to hits and wounds rolls for a selected unit with their warscroll spell. That increases the mobility of the Iron Golems, although they are mostly a screen, objective campers. A unit of 8 with only a single wound each (except for the Ogor) it’s possible for them to enjoy a 2+ save (+1 from Tzeentch, and one from staying still). That makes them one of the best screens/campers in the game. That’s without considering the Warshrine (which can grant another +1 to save as well as rerolls). The Sphiranx is a cheap source of Monstrous Rampages, mobile and won’t die to stry damage (with it’s 10 wounds). It can also provide some Bravery play and cause a fight last although they are probably are more situational.

Another 5/0 list (both 1st and 2nd finished 5/0 but didn’t meet of course) that creates a lot of dilemmas. This isn’t a faction that is seeing a lot of play so people might not know what it can do and mobile blocks of 30 wounds that can put out solid damage are always a menace.

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

TOTAL: 2000/2000
WOUNDS: 103
ALLIES: 0/400
REINFORCED UNITS: 0/4
DROPS: 8

Brett: No real surprises here with what’s become a very popular list in the last couple of months. Sometimes referred to as the Flies list it combines reasonable mobility the resilience Maggotkin are known for. WIth their consistent Mortal Wounds (MW) output and that resilience they can outlast and wear down most opponents. Except, as happened here, extremely durable armies with massive punch (the 2nd place list above). Drowned Men for the pregame move, Lord of Affliction as the General, both with incubatch for additional mortals, to make Blightlords battleline.

Very little magic (Bloab has a cast and Arcane Tome) the army is really looking to get close and stay there to share their charms. Damage output is concentrated in the Greater Daemons, unfortunately even with a 4+ save and 5+ ward they degrade pretty quickly. With so few Blightlords it’s hard to screen them from anything that charges (fights first), this is a potential weakness. On the plus side they hit very hard, each at least 5 (degrading) attacks -2 rend 3 damage attacks and between 3 and 7, -1 rend, 2 damage attacks. That power lets them deal with a lot of hammer units if they survive the first engagement. 6 x Varanguard with 30 wounds will generally survive though.

Flies is a very solid list, this is another great performance where Max has dealt with some of the more common threats pretty well just falling to won of the toughest lists in the game right now (not winningest, just hard to deal with).

Army Faction: Flesh-eater Courts
– Subfaction: Morgaunt
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Abhorrant Archregent (245)*
– Artefacts of Power: The Dermal Robe
– Spells: Spectral Host
Abhorrant Ghoul King (165)*
– Spells: Miasmal Shroud
Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Zombie Dragon (430)*
– General
– Command Traits: Savage Chivalry
– Artefacts of Power: Decrepit Coronet
– Mount Traits: Razor-clawed
– Spells: Flaming Weapon
Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (445)***
– Mount Traits: Gruesome Bite
– Spells: Spectral Host
Crypt Ghast Courtier (70)***
Crypt Ghast Courtier (70)***

BATTLELINE
Crypt Ghouls (85)*
Crypt Ghouls (255)**
Crypt Ghouls (170)**

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Chalice of Ushoran (50)

TERRAIN
1 x Charnel Throne (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Bounty Hunters
***Command Entourage – Magnificent

TOTAL POINTS: 1985/2000

Brett: A return to the more common Flesh Eater Courts list with the Dragon’s as the main damage dealers and the handfuls of cheap Crypt Ghouls for board control and objectives. But underestimating the Ghouls would be a mistake, both the 20 and 30 unit will have an additional attack due to their size. They get a 4th attack if a Courtier kills a model within 16″ and reroll their hit rolls of 1 within 18″ of an Abhorrant (4 in this list). The unmounted Ghoul King can grant another attack as well, there might be no rend but 150 attacks are going to do something. The Courtiers returns a model (serf) on a 2+ in the hero phase. 2 damage into any Galetian Veterans. Take that Nighthaunt.

Morguant is a core choice here, allowing any serf unit (Crypt Ghoul) to be returned on a 4+. You are going to fight one of those Crypt Ghoul units twice.The recent update also lets you return either a Serf or Knight model as an heroic action. Each of the Abhorrants is a wizard granting 5 casts/dispels. However the warscroll spells on the Archregent and the Ghoul King on Zombie are taking 2 of those casts, one to provide up to D3 attacks to a unit (Ferocious Hunger) and the other reroll wounds (Malefic Hunger). Each of the Abhorrants can summon an additional unit depending on their rank once per battle (and only one each round). This includes 1 x Courtier, 3 x Knights (includes Flayers) and 10 x Serfs. Extremely mobile and guaranteed to take 2 battle tactics each game (Against the odds and Desecrate the land)

I’m only scratching the surface here, as a faction it’s heavily dependant on their casting and buffs. If you can deny enough spells they are more vulnerable. Ideally you want to remove some of the bigger units before they summon, difficult to do with the depth of the screens in this list. 4/1 is a great result with a lesser seen faction.

Final Tournament Placings

Full tournament placings can be found on tabletop.to.