This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the Shakespeare Invitational that took place in the UK on 29th and 30th October. It involved 32 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
– Stormhost: Hammers of Sigmar (Stormkeep)
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs:

Leaders
Lord-Celestant on Stardrake (500)*
– General
– Celestine Hammer
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mount Trait: Celestial Instincts
– Spell: Celestial Blades
Celestant-Prime, Hammer of Sigmar (325)*
Slann Starmaster (265)*
– Allies

Battleline
5 x Liberators (115)*
– Heavens-wrought Weapon and Shield
5 x Liberators (115)*
– Heavens-wrought Weapon and Shield
4 x Dracothian Guard Fulminators (460)*
– Reinforced x 1

Units
3 x The Farstriders (90)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Everblaze Comet (90)
Horrorghast (40)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Additional Enhancements
Holy Command: Call for Aid

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 265 / 400
Wounds: 80
Drops: 1

Peter: Owen is one of those players that places consistently well, as proven by the Woehammer player rankings where Owen now sits 10th Worldwide.

Here we’ve got two big hammers in the form of the Lord-Celestant on Stardrake and Celestant-Prime. The latter of which can twiddle his thumbs in reserve until you need him. An allied Slann Starmaster who’s purpose is to dominate the magic phase with its ability to cast three spells and unbind three spells (from anywhere on the table).

What better to protect 1,090 points of heroes than two units of Liberators and some Dracothian Guard Fulminators. The Fulminators can kick out an average of 48 damage before saves which, I might add, are all at rend -2 AND thats without the Lord-Celestant giving them +1 to wound rolls through Celestial Blades….. On top of that each model in the unit (6), has a 50% chance of causing D3 mortals to units within 12″. My assumption is for the Liberators to cap objectives who, because the army is Stormkeep, count as three models each on an objective AND have a 6+ near an objective thanks to being Hammers of Sigmar. Meanwhile the Fulminators ride around smashing face.

The unit of Farstriders can be quite nifty at taking far flung objectives or setting up elsewhere on the battlefield to harass the enemy backlines with chip damage.

We’ll down to Owen for going 5-0!

Allegiance: Lumineth Realm-lords
– Great Nation: Ymetrica
– Grand Strategy: Alarith Aftershock

Leaders
Alarith Stonemage (120)
– General
– Command Trait: Unyielding Toughness
– Lore of the High Peaks: Unbreakable Stoicism
– Lore of the High Peaks: Living Fissure
Alarith Stonemage (120)
– Artefact: Molten Talisman
– Lore of the High Peaks: Unbreakable Stoicism
– Lore of the High Peaks: Living Fissure
Avalenor, the Stoneheart King (420)***
Scinari Calligrave (115)***
– Lore of Hysh: Speed of Hysh
– Lore of Hysh: Protection of Hysh
Scinari Calligrave (115)***
– Lore of Hysh: Speed of Hysh
– Lore of Hysh: Protection of Hysh

Battleline
15 x Alarith Stoneguard (360)*
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Alarith Stoneguard (240)**
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Alarith Stoneguard (240)**
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
The Burning Head (20)
Lauchon the Soulseeker (30)

Core Battalions
*Expert Conquerors
**Bounty Hunters
***Command Entourage – Magnificent

Additional Enhancements
Spell

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 126
Drops: 10

Ed: The Alarith models got some tasty buffs in the new Lumineth tome, so it’s not suprising to see a list that leans heavily into those units do well.  In the Ymetrica subfaction everything except the Calligraves and the Tree-Revenents ignore rend of -1 or -2 and since Stoneguard and Avalenor have save characteristics of 4+ and 3+ respectively, they can be tough nuts to crack. They hit pretty hard too and synergize well together too, a wonderful way to build an army if you fancy dipping your toe into those crystal clear Hyshian waters. The Stonemages add crucial support to this list, allowing Avalenor to fight on his top bracket regardless of wounds taken and adding rend to the Stoneguard’s weapons. Having two of them just means that Matthew can spread those buffs around where they are most needed.

The allied Tree-Revenants are something I’ve been seeing in a lot of lists now that Sylvaneth are a valid ally. As Galetian Veterans who can teleport and pile-in 6″ they make up for the slow pace of all those Stoneguard and open up a lot of creative objective play.  By putting them in Expert conquerors Matthew has 2 adaptive units great for taking advantage of poor positioning and seizing control of objectives without putting his heavy hitters out of position. It’s a great investment for now, but it remains to be seen how valuable they will be when the next GHB drops and the focus moves away from battleline infantry.

Allegiance: Lumineth Realm-lords
– Great Nation: Ymetrica
– Grand Strategy: Alarith Afterschock
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Avalenor, the Stoneheart King (420)
The Light of Eltharion (240)
Archmage Teclis and Celennar, Spirit of Hysh (700)**
Alarith Stonemage (120)**
– General
– Command Trait: Tectonically Attuned
– Artefact: Molten Talisman
– Lore of the High Peaks: Unbreakable Stoicism
Scinari Calligrave (115)**
– Artefact: Silver Wand
– Lore of Hysh: Speed of Hysh

Battleline
5 x Alarith Stoneguard (120)*
– Stone Mallets
5 x Alarith Stoneguard (120)*
– Stone Mallets
5 x Alarith Stoneguard (120)*
– Stone Mallets

Endless Spells & Invocations
Rune of Petrification (40)

Core Battalions
*Expert Conquerors
**Command Entourage – Magnificent

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1995 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 79
Drops: 8

Ed: Herohammer at it’s best! A whopping 1,595 points of Shanee’s list is made up of heroes, with only 360 points allocated for the mandatory 3 units of battleline.  Like Matthew, Shanee has gone for Stoneguard in Ymetrica for her infantry units meaning they are extremely defence anvils with decent output. However, to go 4W/1L with such a spartan list attests to Shanee’s skill as a player. There isn’t a lot of room for error when one mistake can cost you a quarter of your list or deny you crucial victory points with so few models on the board to play the objectives.  I would love to have watched over her shoulder during one or two of her games and see her approach.

Teclis obviously provides some of the best magic power in the game, providing a 5+ ward save and a variety of utility options that can change to suit your match up. Also, between his Searing Storm of White Light warscroll spell and the Rune of Petrification this list features a lot of multi-target mortal wound output which will tear through multiple small units or anything without a ward save. Avalenor and Eltharion provides a pair of powerful beat-sticks to clean up anything unlucky enough to find itself stuck to the Stoneguard anvils. Finally the Stonemage and Calligrave are support pieces which synergize well with the rest of the list. While the stonemage keeps Avelenor fighting at his best in tough times, the Calligrave is the perfect steward to sit in the Shrine Luminor in the early game dispensing free command points and casting/unbinding rerolls from atop his floating assault waterfall. Fantasy games are weird.

Allegiance: Khorne
– Slaughterhost: Reapers of Vengeance
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Be’Lakor, the Dark Master (360)
– Allies
Skarbrand (380)
Bloodsecrator (125)**
Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage (280)**
– Artefact: Khartoth the Bloodhunger
Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury (295)
– General
– Command Trait: Mage Eater
– Artefact: Skullshard Mantle
Slaughterpriest (100)**
– Prayer: Blood Sacrifice

Battleline
5 x Flesh Hounds (105)*
5 x Flesh Hounds (105)*
5 x Flesh Hounds (105)**
10 x Bloodreavers (80)*
– Reaver Blades

Endless Spells & Invocations
Hexgorger Skulls (50)

Core Battalions
*Expert Conquerors
**Warlord

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1985 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 360 / 400
Wounds: 107
Drops: 10

Kieron: After getting absolutely demolished by a Boomthirster in a recent game, part of my therapy is to write up the feedback from this wildcard list! This list includes a trio of Bloodthirsters: a Boomthirster that does 4 mortal wounds as AoE damage on each 6 to wound; the angriest Bloodthirster there is, Skarbrand, who will also do a ton of mortal wounds on top of 9 damage 3 attacks; then a third Bloodthirster who allows Daemon units to fight from 6″ away, which synergises well with the Reaper of Vengeance sub-faction Command Ability to fight twice.

Put this all together and you can auto-run the Boomthirster 16″ and then pile in 6″, avoiding Unleash Hell, do up to 20 mortal wounds to all enemy units within 8″…pile in up to another 6″ and then do it again. And all of those mortal wounds are in addition to the D6 damage from the Great Axe of Khorne. Then Skarbrand can attack if there’s anything left alive on the board by this point as the Daemon Weapon Khartoth the Bloodhunger allows the bearer to activate out of sequence at the start of the command phase on a 4+. It is at this point that you give your by now weeping opponent the choice of who to fight with next.

There’s also a Bloodsecrator to give each of those angry red monsters an extra attack and make casting more difficult. The Hexgorger Skulls complement making depending on magic against Khorne a risky business by subtracting 2 from all casts and potentially wiping a spell from a wizard’s mind if not killing them outright. It’s also a prayer, so unless you also have a priest, the only way to get rid of it is to detonate it with one of your casters.

The list also has ready access to the Barge Through Enemy Lines bonus point with its speedy Flesh Hounds and access to summoning through Blood Tithe points and to cap everything else of there is Be’Lakor poised and ready to shut down a unit at a key moment where a battle tactic is at stake.

If an opponent can take out the AoE mortal wound threat early on, they can probably cope with the other threats and the list lost to two Stormcast Eternals lists that had the tools to do exactly that. If not…more Blood for the Blood God!

Final Tournament Placings