This is the top three AoS lists for the Battle at the Book that took place in Australia on the 18th and 19th of February. It involved 55 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Maggotkin of Nurgle
– Subfaction: Blessed Sons
– Grand Strategy: Blessed Desecration
– Triumphs:

Leaders
Orghotts Daemonspew (320)****
Bloab Rotspawned (320)***
– Lore of Malignance: Blades of Putrefaction
Lord of Blights (150)***
– General
– Command Trait: Grandfather’s Blessing
– Artefact: Nightflyer Cloak (Galletian Champion)
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Plague Priest (100)***
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Heal

Battleline
10 x Rotmire Creed (130)*
10 x Rotmire Creed (130)*
10 x Rotmire Creed (130)*
10 x Plague Monks (90)**
– Foetid Blades
– 1x Standard Bearers
– 1x Plague Harbingers
15 x Plague Censer Bearers (270)**
– Reinforced x 2

Units
10 x Ungor Raiders (80)****
3 x Nurglings (100)***
10 x Ungor Raiders (80)****
1 x Chaos Chariot (100)****
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle

Core Battalions
*Galletian Sharpshooters
**Galletian Veterans
***Warlord
****Battle Regiment

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 148
Drops: 10

Patrick… Patrick – wow… what an off-the-wall selection. There’s stuff in here I didn’t even know could join Nurgle, let alone seen before. The Ungor Raiders with Sharpshooters is a great shout to give a little reach and allow the sniping of characters to continue unabated. Their 6″ move before the game allows them to effortlessly pivot to the role of ‘screens’ if facing a lower drop alpha strike army – and that is likely as Patrick has 10 drops.

Then there’s all the Rotmire Creed units which do…. I don’t know!

Well, who knew… more shooting units in a Nurgle army in a game system where they (GW) can’t balance shooting correctly. These guys also give out disease tokens and then give them within 3″ as well (albeit with a recent Errata which is included above). The Warcry warbands have made some chaos builds different with spamming lots of them, and – whilst I would prefer GW kept them out of the Age of Sigmar game – they never will and if you’ve got access to it, and it’s good, use it!

Well done to Patrick – a great, different army and not one that I’ve seen before.

Allegiance: Slaves to Darkness
– Damned Legion: Legion of the First Prince
– Grand Strategy: Follow the Path to Glory
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Theddra Skull-Scryer (160)**
– The Lore of the Damned: Daemonic Speed
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
– The Lore of the Damned: Chaotic Conduit
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Exalted Hero of Chaos (100)*
– Artefact: The Conqueror’s Crown
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
Exalted Hero of Chaos (100)*
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided

Battleline
20 x Splintered Fang (200)**
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
– Reinforced x 1
9 x Corvus Cabal (80)
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
9 x Corvus Cabal (80)
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided

Units
10 x Chaos Chosen (480)**
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Dread Banner
– Reinforced x 1
6 x Varanguard (580)**
– 2x Ensorcelled Weapon
– 4x Fellspear
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Godsworn Hunt (0)**
10 x Chaos Warhounds (80)*
– Allies

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Battle Regiment

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 80 / 400
Wounds: 135
Drops: 7

This list has some interesting tech – typical of the topsy-turvy (in relation to the American/European meta at least) – but it does still rely on the current standard core: a blob of Chosen, a blob of Varanguard, and a Sorc lord to cast Daemonic power/Conduit for that sweet first turn battle tactic.

Where things deviate is, first and foremost, the list being in Legion – an oft-discussed and rarely seen sub-faction allowing for granular moving around of Marks to fit the board-state. It means giving up the extra casts of Cabalists or the runs/charges of KOTET, but the flexibility it offers is immense.

Continuing the techy picks is the Underworld band of Theddra, who brings a nice (if short range) -1 to wound spell and 10 ablative bodyguard wounds in her Godsworn hunt. Two cheapo Exalted offer GC flexibility and cheap chances at Apotheosis – i.e. rolling on the Eye of the Gods table to become a Daemon Prince, which represents a ‘free’ 80 points if it goes off – or otherwise just ideally stacking decent buffs on a cheap chassis.

A reinforced blob of Splintered Fang brings a large, reliable MW output option and a cheeky 10 chaos warhounds act as a fast, very cheap screen – potentially to keep up with the Varanaguard and act as a buffer.

Overall, a really interesting spin on the current Slaves meta that was able to take down some tough matchups – but interestingly lost to the more standard Cabalists mirror! Either way, big up to Michael for trying (and succeeding!) with something outside the box.

Allegiance: Nighthaunt
– Procession: Emerald Host
– Grand Strategy: Dismantle the Brave
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Kevin (100)*
Cairn Wraith
Guardian of Souls (150)*
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Midnight Tome
– Lore of the Underworlds: Seal of Shyish
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Krulghast Cruciator (150)*
– Artefact: Pendant of the Fell Wind
Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief (340)**
– Lore of the Underworlds: Shademist
Lord Executioner (130)**
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Spirit Torment (120)**

Battleline
20 x Chainrasps (220)
– Reinforced x 1
3 x Spirit Hosts (130)***
3 x Spirit Hosts (130)***

Units
20 x Dreadscythe Harridans (320)***
– Reinforced x 1
4 x Myrmourn Banshees (100)***

Endless Spells & Invocations
Mortalis Terminexus (80)

Core Battalions
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Command Entourage – Magnificent
***Galletian Veterans

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Artefact

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 95
Drops: 11

Solid change up to the lists we see for the faction. It almost looks like a pre 3rd Ed battletome. Two units of Spirit Hosts and solid blocks of both Chainrasps and Dreadscythe Harridans to cause problems, but the real meat of the list is the Heroes. That’s not something we’ve been saying about Nighthaunt a lot lately. We have the normal Guardian of Souls, Spirit Torment, and Krulghast to return models to larger units and reduce incoming damage. The Guardian of Souls has been buffed with Fuelled with Ghurish Rage to grant D3 heal and a once per game 3+ ward. I think we will see this a fair bit for the Guardian. They are easily picked up and are crucial. It goes further with auto cast (once per game) for an endless spell and Seal of Shyish (5+ ward).

We aren’t seeing the Cairn Wrath (Kevin) at all, and Lady Olynder is pretty uncommon. Kevin is a bit of a sleeper. His attacks are based on the number of enemy models within 3″. When you are facing Nighthaunt, Soulblight, and Beasts of Chaos, that can be a very nasty surprise. There is nothing wrong with the unit, but Lady Olynder is almost the same cost as 20 Bladegheist (and more than 20 Dreadscythe or Grimghast). What she does do is heal in the hero phase, debuffs, and turns off commands and mortal wounds. There are issues with the reliability of some of these, but if the heroes are clustered around the Chainrasps and Dreadscythes, it can be crucial.

The ranged mortals are a disincentive to getting close (with only 7 wounds she isn’t robust but can hurt in melee). Forcing your opponent to be circumspect can be useful, particularly when your Host talent is to cause D3 mortal wounds to 2 to 4 units every round. Doesn’t sound like much, but it’s an average of 10 wounds over 5 rounds. Emerald Host probably isn’t receiving the attention it deserves, but when most armies are 100 to 130 wounds, causing an average of 20 to 40 wounds without risk is pretty important. Even if you assume most games end round 4, that is still an average of 16 wounds. Enough to kill most MSU battleline and a lot of heroes and monsters. And it triggers Murderous Bloodlust (+1 to hit and wound for Dreadscythes).

If you look closely, the whole list has a number of sources of mortal wounds and is really built around making a Murderous Bloodlust trigger, including the Motalis Terminatus. The list looks to outlast and outscore you, and it worked except against Pat’s Maggotkin, another list built to outlast.

Allegiance: Khorne
– Slaughterhost: Reapers of Vengeance
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Bloodsecrator (130)*
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Bloodstoker (80)**
– General
– Command Trait: Mage Eater
– Artefact: Skullshard Mantle
Bloodstoker (80)*
Skarbrand (390)**
Slaughterpriest (100)*
– Prayer: Bronzed Flesh
Skarr Bloodwrath (110)**

Battleline
10 x Bloodreavers (80)*
– Meatripper Axes
10 x Bloodreavers (80)**
– Meatripper Axes
5 x Flesh Hounds (100)**

Units
10 x Wrathmongers (280)**
– Reinforced x 1
9 x Corvus Cabal (80)*
– Allies
9 x The Unmade (80)**
– Allies
6 x Mighty Skullcrushers (320)**
– Ensorcelled Axes
– Reinforced x 1

Endless Spells & Invocations
Wrath-Axe (70)

Faction terrain x 1

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 160 / 400
Wounds: 148
Drops: 2

The polar opposite in terms of lists to the Nighthaunt are the recently popular mortal Blades of Khorne. Blood Tithe points are the key to Blades of Khorne – they gain one for every unit that is destroyed. Keeping a steady flow of points is vital, allowing summoning and the granting of boons. It doesn’t matter whose units die, just that something does. Then you should understand that half of this list is just here to die. The Bloodreavers, Unmade and Corvus Cabal, can do damage in the attack, but they’ll explode when struck back. The Bloodstoker can get them there faster, and the Bloodsecrators grant extra attacks. But they are better with the Wrathmongers (who will give other units more attacks) or the Skullcrushers.

The Skullcrushers are a solid anvil. They hit reasonably hard if supported, but they are a 5 wound, 3+ save unit. On the charge, a block of six causes D3 mortals on impact instead of 1 per model. It’s really important to drop one from as far away as possible. The Slaughter Priest is a source of dispels, blessings, and mortal wounds. He can summon the Wrath-Axe for more ranged mortals. That leaves Skarbrand and Skarr. Skarbrand needs no introduction: reroll charges and appalling amounts of damage to anything, not Nighthaunt. Still, for 390 points, he can die fairly easily. Skarr is a lot of fun. He has 5 attacks minimum but can increase it to the number of enemy models within 3″. He grants fight on death to Wrathmongers (who give him an extra attack), and if he dies, he returns to the battlefield on an 8+ (on 2D6).

And that’s the list, a whole lot of things that want to get to you fast, either to kill you or be killed. Unfortunately, they don’t really play the mission well, relying on beating an opponent to death.

Final Tournament Placings