This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the Cryhammer that took place near Warsaw, Poland on 24th and 25th September. It involved 30 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Seraphon
– Army Type: Coalesced
– Subfaction: Thunder Lizard
– Grand Strategy: Defend What’s Ours
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Lord Kroak (430)**
Saurus Astrolith Bearer (140)**
– Artefacts of Power: Fusil of Conflagration
Skink Priest (90)**
– Prayers: Heal
Skink Starseer (145)**
– Spells: Hand of Glory
Engine of the Gods (265)***
– General
– Command Traits: Prime Warbeast
– Artefacts of Power: Cloak of Feathers
– Mount Traits: Beastmaster
– Prayers: Curse

BATTLELINE
5x Saurus Guard (115)*
– Stardrake Icon Bearer
– Wardrummer
– Saurus Guard Alpha
10x Skinks (75)*
– Skink Alpha
– Boltspitter, Celestite Dagger and Star-buckler
10x Skinks (75)*
– Skink Alpha
– Boltspitter, Celestite Dagger and Star-buckler

BEHEMOTH
Bastiladon with Ark of Sotek (165)***
Bastiladon with Ark of Sotek (165)***
Bastiladon with Solar Engine (250)***

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Purple Sun of Shyish (70)

TERRAIN
1 x Realmshaper Engine (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Expert Conquerors
**Command Entourage – Magnificent – Artefact
***Linebreaker

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1985 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 105
Drops: 11

Brett: Starting off with a Seraphon, Thunder Lizard, and most of the big hitters from Seraphon. A spell heavy list (with Kroak), supported by an Astrolith Bearer, Engine of the Gods, Skink Priest and Starseer. This gives 5 casts and Kroak knows the entire Lore of Celestial Domination. The general (Engine of the Gods) has all of the mandatory traits and artefacts for Thunder Lizard (which gives +2 wounds to all of the beasts) granting +1 attack and a shooting attack (D3 MW on a 3-4 and D6 on a 5-6). The skinks are mostly here as screens but enjoy buffs from the Priests (including Engine of the Gods) improving their saves, hit rolls and potentially number of attacks).

The Bastildons are the combat arm of this list. With a Solar Engine and 2 x Ark of Sotek that are really only vulnerable to Mortal Wounds in their top bracket and many many attacks. Mortal Wounds on 6s and buffs from Kroak, the Priests and Starpriest just to make them harder to deal with. The list hasn’t changed much (if at all) since the Battletome dropped in 2nd edition. Skinks screen the bigger units as they more up, Saurus Guard as bodyguards for the wizards and ranged offence from wizards (minor) and the Solar Engine. Eventually the Arks will charge your line. All the while they are scoring points with their mobility and summoning.

It doesn’t sound like much but they stopped a Sons list in it’s tracks and took a host of dragons on (and won) so the output is there to.

Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
– Stormhost: Hammers of Sigmar (Scions of the Storm)
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Lord-Castellant (155)*
Lord-Relictor (145)*
– General
– Command Trait: High Priest
– Artefact: Mirrorshield
– Prayer: Translocation

Battleline
5 x Liberators (115)*
– Heavens-wrought Weapon and Shield
5 x Judicators with Boltstorm Crossbows (190)*
5 x Judicators with Boltstorm Crossbows (190)*

Units
4 x Stormdrake Guard (680)*
– Drakerider’s Warblade
– Reinforced x 1
1 x Stormstrike Chariot (165)**
1 x Stormstrike Chariot (165)**
1 x Stormstrike Chariot (165)**

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Redemption Brotherhood

Additional Enhancements
Holy Command: Call for Aid

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 116
Drops: 2

Brett: Stormcast are always a chance to podium even if they aren’t the most powerful faction they do have some really strong options (Drakes). Their durability combines with medium output to make them a difficult opponent much of the time. Classic leader choices in the Lord Castellant and Relictor with the Relictor as the general. The Castellant’s lantern providing either a +1 to save or mortal wounds is why you take him (and his 8 wounds). The Relictor has High Priest (reroll chants), Mirrorshield to prevent ranged attacks and Translocation. He has a natural +1 to chants so doesn’t really need High Priest but if you want to make sure of a heal then it’s important. Translocate is useful to move a Galletian Veteran unit to somewhere unoccupied. Or some bowmen, 18″ range means they often need that little bit of help and they are GV in anycase.

The Judicator’s with Boltstorm are becoming very popular, they get 2 hits for every successful to hit roll. It’s very feasible to have more hits than your roll and they wound on a 3+. No rend though. Unusually Lukasz took Call for Aid to return the Liberators if they are destroyed not Thunderbolt Volley for double shooting. There is a very big hammer in the 4 drakes, their breath attacks are potentially devastating (if unreliable) and combined generate 39 rend 1 and 2 attacks. They are also 36 wounds with a 3+ save, hard to get rid of. Perhaps a bit unusual is the number of chariots, 3. There is a battle report from Measured Gamine with 5 though.

The Stormstrike Chariot is a bit of a sleeper, very fast with 12 wounds it does MW on a 4+ based on it’s charge roll. More of a blocker than a destroyer but if all 3 charge on average that’s 10 mortal wounds. The most damaging part of their attacks are the Gryphons towing the chariot, 6 attacks at rend 2. There’s no doubt this is a good list but Lukasz still played very well to take down Sons and KO armies before losing in the last round to the eventual winner. Since the chariots are a great counter to Bastildons I’d say the Skinks screened well.

Allegiance: Sons of Behemat
– Tribe: Breaker Tribe (Fierce Loathing: Idiots with Flags)
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant (525)*
– General
– Command Trait: Monstrously Tough
– Artefact: Amulet of Destiny
Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant (525)*
– Artefact: Vial of Manticore Venom
Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant (525)*

Behemoths
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)
– Allies

Core Battalions
*Bosses of the Stomp – Magnificent

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1975 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 400 / 400
Wounds: 105
Drops: 4

Brett: Resurgent Sons on the podium again, following the now familiar 3 x Megas and an Incarnate. The Fierce Loathing is Idiots with Flags, not seen as often as Bossy Pants maybe but really good if you have a lot of elite (Stormcast etc) opponents. The General is Monstrously Tough (40 wounds not 35) and has the Amulet of Destiny for a 6+ ward. The extra artefact is Manticore Venom for +1 to wound rolls, frightening on the Gatebreaker’s Flail. The Krondspine provides some protection against Endless Spells with no casting, that alone is a reason for Sons to look favourably on it. It also lets you take 3 Gatebreakers instead of 2 with 2 Warstompers, a solid upgrade.

Losing only the mirror match, which probably came down to priorities, Jack stomped (pun intended) all of his opponents including the durable Nurgle on his way to 3rd.

Army Faction: Sylvaneth
– Subfaction: Heartwood
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty
– Season: Everdusk

LEADERS
Warsong Revenant (305)*
– General
– Command Traits: Spellsinger
– Spells: Verdant Blessing, Verdurous Harmony Arch-Revenant (120)*
Spirit of Durthu (370)*
– Artefacts of Power: Greenwood Gladius (Guardian Sword)

BATTLELINE
Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Scythes (500)*
Tree-Revenants (110)*
– Glade Banner Bearer
– Waypipes
– Scion
– Protector Glaive
Dryads (100)*
– Branch Nymph

OTHER
Gossamid Archers (220)*
– Flitwing Scion
Revenant Seekers (235)*
– Revenant Soulwarden
– Seeker Banner Bearer
– Seeker Hornblower

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Spiteswarm Hive (40)

TERRAIN
1 x Awakened Wyldwood (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Brett: Mix of the familiar and the new in this Sylvaneth list. The Leaders (Warsong and Arch Revenants with Spirit of Durthu) are among the most common. The Warsong is creating and using Wyldwoods as spell portals and can cause serious harm with her Swarm of Spites. Durthu has the Greenwood Gladius for additional attacks. The Arch-Revenant gives +1 to wound to the Kurnoth Hunters, great with the 3 rend Scythes. The less familiar elements are the new Gossamid Archers and the Revenant Seekers. Of course the Seekers will stay close to the Kurnoth to return slain models if necessary. The Gossamid Archers can retreat 12″ after they unleash Hell. With no rend that’s not as bad as it sounds (hitting on 4+) but 6s do D3 Mortal Wounds.

With only 2 casts this isn’t a heavy magic list and relies on the Kurnoth and Durthu for most of their threat on top of the Warsong’s mortal wound output. His 2 losses, against Kharadron Overlords and Sons of Behemat, are probably down to their ability to minimise or remove threats. Kharadron can avoid the Warsong’s Mortals in early turns and make the most of their shooting to remove the Kurnoth for example. Gossamid’s are also likely to struggle. Thrown boulders will remove the Gossamid’s pretty quickly (3 rend into a 5+ save) and the Kurnoth can’t remove a Gargant in a single team.

As we move deeper into the season we are still seeing a range of factions at the top, within those factions the are less and less surprises. We are seeing optimisation around the new books or new rules with older books and with more reps the strongest units stand out. That will stabilise even more heading into the new Season which should give GW plenty of opportunity to shake things up.

Final Tournament Placings