This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the PNW Masters that took place in USA on 15th and 16th October . It involved 32 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
Army Subfaction: Thunder Lizard
Grand Strategy: Continuous Expansion
Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Lord Kroak (430)*
1 x Engine of the Gods (265)**
– General
– Command Traits: Prime Warbeast
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Mount Traits: Beastmaster
– Spells: Hand of Glory
– Prayers: Curse
– Bonding: Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur
1 x Saurus Astrolith Bearer (140)*
– Artefacts: Fusil of Conflagration
1 x Skink Priest (90)*
– Prayers: Heal

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

BEHEMOTH
1 x Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)
1 x Bastiladon with Solar Engine (250)**

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Purple Sun of Shyish (90)
1 x Horrorghast (40)

TERRAIN
1 x Realmshaper Engine (0)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Command Entourage
– Magnificent
**Battle Regiment

Total Points: 1970/2000
Units: 9
Drops: 5

Patrick: When I saw that a Seraphon list took first place I didn’t necessarily need to see the list in order to know what it contained.

Thunder Lizard? Check.
Kroak? Check.
Engine of the Gods? Check

The only item that breaks away from the “color by numbers” approach to making Seraphon lists right now is the addition of the Incarnate, where a second Bastiladon would normally go. Let’s be fair, though, the inclusion of an Incarnate doesn’t exactly put Stark at a disadvantage, or really challenge the standard approach to Seraphon list building.

This is not a critique on Stark, however. There is still a level of requisite talent needed to drive a list into a top slot, since reacting to the pace of a battle with Tactic selections is vital. These Seraphon lists don’t reflect poorly on their players, but the Battletome itself. Current Seraphon are an excellent case study in internal balance, and there is clearly an issue with the book, since your options are ThunderKroak or losing.

Congratulations to Stark on their win, and I look forward to seeing an updated Tome to see how these top-tier players shake up their successful lists.

Allegiance: Daughters of Khaine
– Temple: Zainthar Kai
– Grand Strategy: Bloodthirsty Zealots
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
The Shadow Queen (340)
Morathi-Khaine (340)
Hag Queen on Cauldron of Blood (270)
– General
– Bonded to Krondspine
– Command Trait: Zealous Orator
– Crown of Woe
– Prayer: Sacrament of Blood

Battleline
15 x Blood Sisters (420)*
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Witch Aelves (115)*
– Pairs of Sacrificial Knives
10 x Witch Aelves (115)*
– Pairs of Sacrificial Knives

Behemoths
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)
– Allies

Core Battalions
*Bounty Hunters

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 400 / 400
Wounds: 81
Drops: 7

Danny: A last gasp of the ‘Morathi and the stab sneks with special guest, the Spinedog!’ list now that the Incarnate’s points were hiked by 80!

This list, as hinted at above, drops the more expensive bow snakes in favour of all out melee punch, going Zainthar-Kai to allow the 15 stabbers to fulfill the battleline requirement – on top of 2 cheap and cheerful Witch units – without paying the Melusai Ironscale Tax.

Of course, it allows that one big blob to fight on death, and given not much can do 30 wounds to a unit with a 6+++ and the +1 save aura from the Cauldron of Blood, the 4+ rally from ‘Zealous Orator’ is likely keeping them topped up well into the game, for some serious value and revenge kills. In the meantime, the Cauldron buffs the Witches with +1 to wound within 12″, putting them on 3x 3/3 natively, allowing for a good volume of attacks despite the lack of rend.

It’ll be interesting to see if the top players find ways to cut costs and retain the double whammy of two timed-invincible units from here on out – at 480, snek lovers will really feel the squeeze on bodies for board control.

Either way, congrats to Thomas and three cheers for the Spinedog nerf!

Army Faction: Skaven
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Thanquol (415)
– 2 x Warpfire Braziers
– 2 x Warpfire Projectors
– Spells: Skitterleap
Warpgnaw Verminlord (275)
– General
– Command Traits: Devious Adversary
– Artefacts of Power: Vial of Manticore Venom
– Spells: Flaming Weapon
– Bonding: Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur
Warlock Engineer (105)**
– Spells: Warp Lightning Shield

BATTLELINE
Clanrats (100)*
– Clawleader
– Rusty Blade
– 2 x Clanrat Standard Bearer
– 2 x Clanrat Bell-ringer
Clanrats (100)*
– Clawleader
– Rusty Blade
– 2 x Clanrat Standard Bearer
– 2 x Clanrat Bell-ringer
Clanrats (100)*
– Clawleader
– Rusty Blade
– 2 x Clanrat Standard Bearer
– 2 x Clanrat Bell-ringer

BEHEMOTH
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)

ARTILLERY
Warp Lightning Cannon (150)**
Warp Lightning Cannon (150)**
Warp Lightning Cannon (150)**

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Lauchon the Soulseeker (30)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Expert Conquerors
**Grand Battery

TOTAL POINTS: 1975/2000

Declan: Third place and the Third Krondspine… I mean I’m not saying it was a mistake to release it to competitive play… but it doesn’t look like the best decision ever made. In Matthias’ defense he has chosen to use Skaventide with 30 Clanrats and 3 Warp Lightning Cannons. You need to get through the Krondspine quickly because those Warp Lightning Cannons do a lot of damage.

It’s a little weird if you’ve never played it before, but effectively you want to roll low on your first roll to get mortal wounds… roll a 1 first up and that is 6 mortal wounds. But – wait – Matthias also has an Engineer and they make things more interesting.

There are two things that may not immediately clear here. The first is that the D3 mortal wounds on a 1 isn’t too bad. Average of 2 1s; means 4 wounds; and a Lightning Cannon has 8 so you can afford to do this. The second (and more important) is that one Engineer can trigger more than one Cannon in a turn. If Matthais deployed all three together it’s one hell of a mortal wound output. All at 24″ range – wow! I’ve played them with Kragnos before and he didn’t get too far.

Army Faction: Soulblight Gravelords
– Army Type: Vyrkos Dynasty
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Indomitable

LEADERS
Radukar the Beast (315)
Prince Vhordrai (455)
– Spells: Amethystine Pinions, Invigorating Aura, Soulpike
Mannfred Von Carstein (380)*
– Spells: Amethystine Pinions, Invigorating Aura, Overwhelming Dread
Necromancer (125)*
– General
– Command Traits: Pack Alpha
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Decrepify, Fading Vigour, Invigorating Aura
Belladamma Volga (200)*
– Spells: Amaranthine Orb, Invigorating Aura, Spirit Gale

BATTLELINE
Dire Wolves (135)*
– Doom Wolf
Deadwalker Zombies (120)**
Deadwalker Zombies (120)**

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Horrorghast (40)
1 x Chronomantic Cogs (40)
1 x Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws (60)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord – Magnificent
**Expert Conquerors

TOTAL POINTS: 1990/2000

Brett: No Skeletons, no Ghouls and no Grave Guard, just Vampires and some strays that followed them in. Radukur and Belladamma are slow among the heroes (the Necromancer is very slow but no one expects him to move), with Prince Vhordrai and Mannfred mounted on dragons and both having spells to increase the mounts movement. A very high risk approach with very few units and limited board control. You are relying on your few, very mobile, but somewhat fragile units to remove threats. All good if they do but, if they fail to clear something there isn’t a lot else here to score or control the board.

A lot of Endless Spells as well giving rerolls, causing an extra model to flee combat and Ravenak’s MW bomb. It’s good to see something a little different and it must have been fun to face off against, who do you target?

Final Tournament Placings