This is the top three AoS lists for the Sydney Salt Smash that took place in Australia on the 18th and 19th of February. It involved 28 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
– Stormhost: Astral Templars (Scions of the Storm)
– Mortal Realm: Ghyran
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Lord-Veritant (140)**
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Spell: Thundershock
– Prayer: Translocation
Knight-Zephyros (100)*
– Aspect of the Champion: Stubborn as a Rhinox
Celestant-Prime, Hammer of Sigmar (330)*
Lord-Arcanum on Tauralon (250)**
– Mount Trait: Celestial Instincts
– Spell: Starfall

Units
3 x Vanguard-Palladors (200)*
– Boltstorm Pistols and Starstrike Javelins
3 x Vanguard-Palladors (200)**
– Boltstorm Pistols and Starstrike Javelins
3 x Vanguard-Palladors (200)**
– Boltstorm Pistols and Starstrike Javelins
6 x Vanguard-Palladors (400)**
– Boltstorm Pistols and Starstrike Javelins
– Reinforced x 1
6 x Gryph-Hounds (90)*
6 x Gryph-Hounds (90)*

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

Holy Command: Steadfast March

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 132
Drops: 2

Stormcast are in a tricky place. They have loads and loads of warscrolls, but many of them are sub-optimal. Whilst Games Workshop tries to correct this by tweaking points up and down, the good warscrolls remain good, and the bad remain bad… and so the ‘good warscroll spam’ armies come to the fore. The good news is that there are different versions of them, so you’ll not necessarily play the same one, but the bad news is that it is a lot of repeated Warscrolls.

That’s no criticism of Sean, who has taken this formula and got 5-0 from it. Sure I am going to criticise him for beating up Gloomspite Gitz (booo!) but in all seriousness he’s done very well with an army of Paladors (very quick, some shooting and reasonable combat effectiveness as well).

The Gryph hounds sync in well here with Warning Cry, which allows units to shoot at deep strikers and summoned units. Effectively giving Sean some free shots against enemy units for limited outlay. If you make it through the shooting, you’ll then have to face a deep-striking unit of Sean’s own – the still great Celestant Prime. It’s good to see him representing the book he comes from!

A really thematic list that is likely to give any opponent pause (or just annoy them). Palladors have been overlooked for most of this edition (and 2nd) for a reason. But they are also 5 wound models with 12″ move and a built-in teleport. They are built for scoring, at least when there are this many backed by the Celestant Prime and the Lord Arcanum for the +1 to hit rolls for the closest Pallador. A well thought out dynamic list.

Army Faction: Stormcast Eternals
– Army Type: Scions of the Storm
– Subfaction: Hammers of Sigmar
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Knight-Vexillor (120)*
– Meteoric Standard
Knight-Vexillor (120)*
– Meteoric Standard
Knight-Vexillor (120)*
– Meteoric Standard
Knight-Vexillor (120)**
– Meteoric Standard
Lord-Relictor (150)**
– General
– Command Traits: Master of Magic
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Thundershock
– Prayers: Translocation
Knight-Heraldor (100)**
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master

BATTLELINE
Dracothian Guard Tempestors (220)*
Dracothian Guard Tempestors (220)*
Dracothian Guard Tempestors (220)**
Dracothian Guard Tempestors (220)**

OTHER
Shadow Warriors (120)*
– Shadow Walker
Castigators (90)*
– Castigator-Prime
The Farstriders (90)**

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Everblaze Comet (90)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Back from his Cancon insanity with fewer Vexillors and even more Tempestors. I admire his patience building and painting that them (the armour and arms take a while to eliminate gaps). There are plenty of tricks still, a Knight Heraldor (not often seen or even owned), Shadow Warriors, Castigators, and The Farstriders. All led by a Lord Relictor (with Translocate and Thundershock) who brings Master of Magic to hopefully get Everblaze Comet off. Essentially, this list is trying to deal with SCE mobility issues and damage output in the face of new more serious threats.

Scions of the Storm allows half of the units to be held in reserve and arrive in any turn, which prevents first turn shooting, removing a lot of important pieces. In this case, as a 2 drop army so Yangxue is probably deciding who has first turn, toss up whether to keep it or play for the early double. Everyone should know the Vexillor’s trick now. It’s not OP, but it is a 24″ version of the Stormdrake’s shooting attack with an area of effect. It’s once per game, so deciding when to use it is critical, but they remain a solid Galletian Champion for scoring once they are down, just not very mobile. The Knight Herald is here mostly as a quiet scoring piece with his Tunnel Master but can punish units near terrain, chip damage really but good into some armies that like to lurk near terrain. Of the units – Tempestors have been a very common choice in place of Fulminators lately.

Shadow Warriors duplicate the abilities of Scions of the Storm units on their own warscroll. They don’t count as a coalition force, though, because this is a Scions of the Storm army. Farstriders can teleport, and the Castigators are another cheap screen with Unleash Hell potential that can also be teleported by the Relictor. Very good at picking off any objectives that aren’t well covered. So movement is covered, and output, especially in the first turn or 2, is really good. Hit hard early and then outlast them. Unless the opponent is a horde army or has strong heals, this will probably work. Or Trolls, trolls (Troggoths) are probably a counter. They’re damn scary now

Allegiance: Gloomspite Gitz
– Gittish Horde: King’s Gitz
– Grand Strategy: Chasing The Moon
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Dankhold Troggboss (200)**
– General
– Command Trait: Loonskin
– Artefact: Speaky-skull Fetish
Fungoid Cave-Shaman (90)*
– Artefact: Moonface Mommet
– Lore of the Moonclans: The Hand of Gork
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Fungoid Cave-Shaman (90)*
– Artefact: Leering Gitshield
– Lore of the Moonclans: Itchy Nuisance
Mollog (130)*

Battleline
9 x Rockgut Troggoths (480)***
– Reinforced x 2
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (320)***
– Reinforced x 1
3 x Rockgut Troggoths (160)*
6 x Fellwater Troggoths (320)***
– Reinforced x 1

Units
1 x Dankhold Troggoths (180)**

Endless Spells & Invocations
Loonskin Malevolent Moon (0)

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Troggherd Heavies
***Galletian Sharpshooters

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Artefact

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 136
Drops: 9

On the same weekend as Sheffield Slaughter, Ben has guided a Trogg army (Gloomspite Gitz) to a spectacular 4-1. Not bad for an army that was languishing at the bottom of the rankings before the new book. It’s still too early to tell if the book will be above the magical 45%-55% level, but it definitely feels like it should be able to stay away from the mid-thirties it was in during the last incarnation.

The Troggs that Ben has taken also shows the advantage of giving people choices with battalions. Sure, there is only one in the Gitz book, but it is an innovative way of getting people to take Dankhold Troggoths… a great model, but before now, a very weak scroll. The increased regeneration helps here as well, but it comes with a free artefact as well, which is well worth considering for only 180 points. Treat him as a throw-away spear unit and hammer something to death. Just remember he doesn’t come back through the shrine at the end of the turn.

But the Rockguts and Fellwaters do, and with healing now automatic and every hero phase, you’ll need to kill units outright – not an easy thing for the 9 Rockguts.

It’s a great army, and it looks good on the board too – don’t be suckered in by the lack of bodies… these guys will hang around and stick on objectives. My only concern for them would be the mirror into a Squig list, but Ben fought one of those in game 5 and came out on top, so maybe this list can compete long-term.

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

Leaders
Hag Queen (120)*
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Anointed on Frostheart Phoenix (320)
– Allies
Slaughter Queen on Cauldron of Blood (300)*
– General
– Command Trait: Zealous Orator
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
-Lore of Shadows: Mindrazor

Battleline
15 x Blood Sisters (450)*
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Blood Stalkers (360)*
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Blood Sisters (150)*

Units
5 x Khinerai Heartrenders (100)*
5 x Khinerai Heartrenders (100)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Heart of Fury (50)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1950 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 320 / 400
Wounds: 100
Drops: 2

It’s always nice to see a Norathi list! Since her price hike, I think they make more sense than ever. Even though it will always be scary not taking the big momma, once you spread those points over more synergistic bodies, you can end up with a surprising amount of redundancy and board control.

And that’s _kinda_ what Liam has gone for here – by replacing the 700 pt Morathi with a Frostheart Phoenix – which is a durable, fast monster at less than half the points, and a newly-bargain priced Slaughter Queen on Cauldron. Between these two pieces, Liam brings to bear overlapping auras of -1 to wound and +1 to save, which, combined with -1 damage from the Heart of Fury, go a long way to making the fragile Daughters able to take a serious punch.

Beyond that, it’s the usual block of 15 stab sneks, but he’s also brought 10 bows – which I think are pointed for the double shoot but still offer decent ranged output – and the usual double khinerai for amazing scoring options.

A really nice balanced list that cleaned up some strong meta opponents, losing only to what is quickly becoming the clearly-over-tuned Gloomspite book!

Final Tournament Placings