This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the Michigan GT that took place in USA on 1st and 2nd October. It involved 72 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, I wanted to remind everyone of our friendly Discord server where you can join in the conversation with the Woehammer crew and suggest articles or series for the website.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

Also if there’s a one day or two day tournament you’d like us to cover drop us a comment on this post and we’ll have a look at it for you.

The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Ossiarch Bonereapers
– Legion: Petrifex Elite
– Grand Strategy: Show of Dominance
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Arkhan the Black, Mortarch of Sacrament (340)**
Mortisan Soulmason (115)**
– General
– Command Trait: Mighty Archaeossian
– Spell: Arcane Command
– Artefact: Godbone Armour

Battleline
5 x Kavalos Deathriders (190)**
– Nadirite Spear and Shield
5 x Kavalos Deathriders (190)**
– Nadirite Spear and Shield
9 x Necropolis Stalkers (525)*
– Reinforced x 2
9 x Necropolis Stalkers (525)*
– Reinforced x 2

Endless Spells & Invocations
Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws (60)
Bone-tithe Shrieker (50)

Core Battalions
*Expert Conquerors
**Battle Regiment

Total: 1995 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 95
Drops: 3

Brett: One of the top ranked players takes a maxi tournament with Ossiarch Bonereapers (OBR), an underrepresented faction. That it’s an unusual list, is a bonus. No Mortek guard but still plenty of casting with Arkhan and the Soulmason. The Arkhan’s casting bonuses will help with the Endless spells, everyone knows Ravenaks by now but the Bone-tithe Shrieker is a bit different. It prevents rally or inspiring presence with 12″ and grants +1 to hit to OBR within 12″. There is a lot on the warscrolls even for the troops, but the short version is that Arkhan can heal D3 wounds or return a model with less than 3 wounds to the Deathriders who, have bonus damage on the charge and can do mortal wounds on a 5+ from a command point.

The Stalkers have a range of bonuses that they they can use, including re-rolling their hits or saves or, +1 to rend/ damage. They have a command to gain re-rolls to runs and charges as well as fly. This list is attempting to deal with the lack of mobility that hampers OBR (Mortek move 4″), and brings a lot of focussed combat power. Stalkers are a really flexible unit, being able to decide whether to be tanky or aggresive each turn. It’s possible to use Arkhan’s command to increase the Soulmason’s spell range to 30″, granting them re-rolls on 1s as well as extra rend and damage in a turn. With 45 attacks at -2 rend, 2 damage, hitting and wounding on 3s. They’re in Expert Conquerors for maximum objective control.

He faced down several Incarnates, a block of 4 Stormdrakes and a Leviadon on his way to number 1, attesting to the effectiveness of the approach in the right hands. Bill scored exceptionally well, the only player with about 200 points and more than 30 in front of 2nd (who he didn’t face).

Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords
– Lineage: Legion of Blood
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Defend What’s Ours
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Mannfred von Carstein, Mortarch of Night (380)
– Lore of the Deathmages: Fading Vigour
Neferata, Mortarch of Blood (365)**
– Lore of the Deathmages: Decrepify
Vampire Lord (140)**
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Expertise: Arcane
– Universal Spell Lore: Levitate

Battleline
5 x Black Knights (100)**
5 x Black Knights (100)**
10 x Deathrattle Skeletons (80)**

Units
20 x Grave Guard (280)*
– Great Wight Blades
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Blood Knights (390)*
– Reinforced x 1

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

Core Battalions
*Bounty Hunters
**Battle Regiment

Total: 1985 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 109
Drops: 4

Brett: Both Mortarchs, the expected 3 Endless Spells, death ward, heals and units that return on death to make a surprisingly hard to kill list. Legion of Blood with Arcane Expertise and a foot Vampire Lord to use the +2 to casting/dispels/unbinds for the first cast. Having one of the Mortarchs cast Cogs to make this a very high probability of Purple Sun on demand. The Mortarchs and Blood Knights make up most of the power in the list, while the Black Knights provide mobile threat, containment and objective grabbers. The Skeletons, Grave Guard and Black Knights could be set up off the board (1 in reserve for every deployed unit) and summoned in any phase via a gravesite. Mostly useful against elite armies that can’t cover all four objectives.

The Blood Knights and Grave Guard are both included in Bounty Hunters, and with 2 Mortarchs this is a 4 drop list. This can place it at the mercy of their opponents in some cases. A lot of control and resilience is possible, but SBGL is a little low in outright damage. Michael won all 5 games but his scoring was average dropping him to 2nd despite his 5/0.

Army Faction: Beasts of Chaos
– Army Subfaction: Gavespawn
– Grand Strategy: Defend What’s Ours

LEADER
1 x Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince (210)
– Hellforged Sword and Malefic Talons
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
1 x Tzaangor Shaman (135)***
– General
– Command Traits: Unravelling Aura
– Artefacts: The Knowing Eye
– Spells: Wild Rampage
1 x Great Bray-Shaman (100)***
– Spells: Tendrils of Atrophy
1 x Dragon Ogor Shaggoth (155)***
– Artefacts: Mutating Gnarlblade
– Spells: Hailstorm

BATTLELINE
30 x Tzaangors (525)**
– Pair of Savage Blades and a Vicious Beak
– 3 x Icon Bearer
– 3 x Brayhorn
– 6 x Tzaangor Mutant
– Savage Blade and Arcanite Shield
– 6 x Savage Greatblade
10 x Gors (70)**
– Banner Bearer
– Brayhorn
– Gor Blade and Beastshield
10 x Gors (70)***
– Banner Bearer
– Brayhorn
– Gor Blade and Beastshield

TERRAIN
1 x Herdstone (0)

OTHER
6 x Tzaangor Enlightened on Discs of Tzeentch (360)*
6 x Tzaangor Enlightened on Discs of Tzeentch (360)*

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Bounty Hunters
**Expert Conquerors
***Warlord

TOTAL POINTS: (1985/2000)

Brett: Another good result for Beasts since their Tome Celestial. The increase in rend is particularly useful when you don’t face Nighthaunt. Roger paid for that by facing SBGL in his first 3 rounds. As for the list itself, a Khorne marked Daemon Prince for anti-charge and because he is a combat monster with always fights first. A Tzaangor Shaman that gives +1 to hit for the Tzaangor within 12″ and a Great Bray Shaman giving +3″ movement to all Gor units within 12″. Although the Tzaangor Enlightened are very mobile (great for Barge Through or even Against the Odds) this list is built around making you come to them (Defend What’s Ours, Grand Strategy). With the Gors to provide screens that leaves the Daemon Prince and Tzaangor to pick their targets.

Roger had a great run, 4/0 until the final round where he met Bill and was defeated. He finished just 3 points behind 2nd. The Tzaangor Enlightened wouldn’t be a great match into the Necropolis Stalkers leaving Roger a little short on dealing with Bill’s list.

Allegiance: Slaves to Darkness
– Damned Legion: Despoilers
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Be’Lakor, the Dark Master (360)
– General
– Spell: Call to Glory
Chaos Lord on Manticore (255)***
– Blade & Lance
– Artefact: Helm of Many Eyes
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (135)***
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
– Spell: Mask of Darkness
Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince (210)***
– Sword
– Artefact: Armour of Tortured Souls
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne

Battleline
8 x Chaos Legionnaires (110)*
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
8 x Chaos Legionnaires (110)*
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
10 x Chaos Marauders (90)**
– Axes & Shields
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided

Units
8 x Iron Golems (75)*
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
3 x Varanguard (280)**
– Ensorcelled Weapon and Warpsteel Shield
– Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
1 x Mindstealer Sphiranx (95)***

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

Endless Spells & Invocations
Horrorghast (40)

Core Battalions
*Expert Conquerors
**Bounty Hunters
***Warlord

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1975 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 110
Drops: 11

Brett: Be’Lakor (the other prince) led Slaves to Darkness list with an almost standard list of heroes. Two of the newest warbands (Chaos Legionaries) as battleline, suggesting a heroic painting effort. These guys were released very recently and, when close to Be’Lakor gain a +1 to their wound rolls. They aren’t really damage powerhouses though, just like the Marauders. But this is where the Chaos Lord on Manticore and Khorne marked Daemon Prince come in with their damage and mobility. The Chaos Sorcerer and Lord, as well as the Warshrine and Varanguard are Tzeentch marked (re-rolling save rolls of 1 within 12″ and a 5+ spell ward) with the remainder of the list as Chaos Undivided for Be’Lakor to work with.

Finally the Mindsteale is on a really cheap mobile monster to be best friends with Horroghast (Mindstealer applies a -2 to bravery). Most of the power is concentrated in the heroes particularly Be’Lakor. At this stage of the edition everyone knows Be’Lakor and he’s always a target for mortal wounds and shooting. Unfortunately most of the list is pretty fragile, they will screen briefly but it wouldn’t be hard to remove most of them in a single turn. After which the combat threats are exposed. Alternatively those heroes are the most mobile elements and can have themselves isolated without screens. Michael played around those issues and took down Seraphon and Fyreslayer lists losing to a clever Cities list with 30 Irondrakes and 10 Protectors. The Protectors would wade through most of this list while shrugging the incoming damage.

Final Tournament Placings