This is the top three AoS lists for Colonial Carnagethat took place in the USA on the 18th and 19th of February. It involved 45 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Gloomspite Gitz
– Army Subfaction: Jaws of Mork
– Grand Strategy: Chasing the Moon
– Triumphs: Indomitable

LEADER
1 x Squigboss (80)*
– Aspects of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
1 x Skragrott, the Loonking (160)*
– Spells: Itchy Nuisance
1 x Fungoid Cave-Shaman (90)*
– General
– Command Traits: The Clammy Hand
– Artefacts: Staff of Sneaky Stealin’
– Spells: The Hand of Gork

BATTLELINE
10 x Boingrot Bounderz (280)
– Bounder Boss
10 x Boingrot Bounderz (280)*
– Bounder Boss
36 x Squig Herd (360)**
12 x Squig Herd (120)**

BEHEMOTH
1 x Mangler Squigs (260)

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Scrapskuttle’s Arachnacauldron (50)

TERRAIN
1 x Bad Moon Loonshrine (0)

OTHER
1 x Marshcrawla Sloggoth (150)
6 x Sneaky Snufflers (110)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Warlord
**Galletian Veterans

TOTAL POINTS: (1940/2000)

Three years of an old book with Gloomspite Gitz mostly being seen as a wild-card entry in the top threes… mainly because Peter wanted to give me something to write about… and then a second 5-0 in as many weeks. So, it’s definitely an improvement so far.

Dale has gone with Squigs for his main force with Bounders providing some great Spears of damage and the Squig Herd doing mortals when they run away, and the herders can get them back. The lack of command abilities on them worries me, however, a little as people get used to the army… especially with shooting.

The buff pieces all have a place as well, with Squigs getting free moves, the moon doing as required, and 5+ward on one unit. It definitely requires some memory to keep all the moving parts in your head.

A 5-0 is impressive regardless of army and so we’ll done to Dale.

Army Faction: Beasts of Chaos
– Army Subfaction: Gavespawn
– Grand Strategy: Desecrating Brayherd
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Beastlord (145)*
– General
– Command Traits: Bestial Cunning
– Artefacts: Slitherwrack Helm
– Aspects of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
1 x Great Bray-Shaman (95)***
– Spells: Wild Rampage
1 x Great Bray-Shaman (95)***
– Spells: Tendrils of Atrophy
1 x Beasts of Chaos Tzaangor Shaman (115)***
– Artefacts: Brayblast Trumpet
– Spells: Tendrils of Atrophy

BATTLELINE
3 x Morghurite Chaos Spawn (Gibbering Congregation) (230)
20 x Bestigors (440)**
10 x Gors (110)**
– Paired Hacking Blades
10 x Gors (110)**
– Paired Hacking Blades
10 x Gors (110)**
– Paired Hacking Blades
10 x Ungors (80)***
– Pitted Blade

OTHER
1 x Cockatrice (105)
1 x Cockatrice (105)
6 x Beasts of Chaos Slaangor Fiendbloods (260)*

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Galletian Command
**Galletian Veterans
***Warlord

TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)

Peter: We have updated this comment since initial publication. Ungors were initially referred to as ‘Hammers’, and this has been changed to Bestigors. A predicted text typo of ‘Tendrils of Apathy’ has been corrected to ‘Tendrils of Atrophy’. Finally, the reference to +2 to casting per game has been corrected to +3.

We all make the occasional mistake. Please remember our writers comment on a lot of factions and may not know each inside-out!

The Gor stampede emerges! This list takes a very interesting tact with the enemy in order to try and shut down and isolate enemy units to substantially blunt their output. With the Beastial Cunning trait, you can bring in a key unit within 7″ instead of 9, guaranteeing the charge. First, the Chaos Spawn charge in to reduce enemy unit attacks by 1, and since they can move separately, you can either spread them out or focus them on one unit as needed.

Bestigors, Cockatrice and Slaangors all function as hammers, with Bray-Shaman boosting them with Wild Rampage for exploding 6s to hit, and the other Bray-Shaman and Tzaangor Shaman casting Tendrils of Atrophy (with +3 once per game if you really need to get it off) to increase the damage. Even if the opponent survives this onslaught, they will still have to deal with the -1 to attacks from the Chaos Spawn, and are likely fighting last due to the Gors Gor Stampede ability and the General’s Slitherwrack Helm meaning any counter attack will likely bounce right off of you.

A clever and precise use of debuffs before charging in with the hammer makes this list very difficult to deal with in melee by all but the most hardy of targets.

Army Faction: Stormcast Eternals
– Army Type: Scions of the Storm
– Army Subfaction: Knights Excelsior
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty
Holy Commands Enhancement: Steadfast March

LEADER
1 x Lord-Castellant (160)*
– General
– Command Traits: Master of Magic
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Celestial Blades
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
1 x Lord-Relictor (150)*
– Prayers: Translocation
1 x Lord-Arcanum on Gryph-Charger (170)*
– Mount Traits: Scintillating Trail
– Spells: Azyrite Halo

BATTLELINE
5 x Retributors (210)*
– Retributor-Prime
5 x Retributors (210)*
– Retributor-Prime
5 x Retributors (210)*
– Retributor-Prime

OTHER
4 x Stormdrake Guard (680)*
– Stormdrake-Prime
– Drakerider’s Warblade

3 x Vanguard-Palladors (200)*
– Pallador-Prime
– Boltstorm Pistol and Shock Handaxe

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1990/2000)

After the craziness that was Salt Smash, normal(ish) service returns. Still with Palladors as an action unit (everyone has some), with the points drop and ranged weapons on top of their movement, they are a great alternative to Draconiths. And dragons. A nice big block of 4. Beyond the Palladors JB threw in a Lord Arcanum on Gryphcharger (a personal favourite). He has his own built-in teleport and is both a decent caster and an ok combat character. He can keep up with and be covered by the Palladors and, in turn, cover for them with both his Cycle of the Storm (once per turn ignore a fatal wound) and Healing light. An effective way to deal with the 4+ save on the Palladors is a very efficient way to pick up remote objectives.

Conventional Lord Castellant (with celestial blades) and Lord Relictor. Celestial Blades can either be placed on the Dragons or a handy Retributor unit. Hitting on a 2+ is always welcome. Running 3 MSU Retributors as battleline reflects the points drops (they were 235) and some of their tricks. They lack the 2 up save of Protectors but with a Lord-Castellant that can be dealt with. They are slow, Steadfast March will help push them onto the middle or an objective out of deployment. They can be held in reserve and dropped via Scions. Most importantly, they are a solid 15 wounds with -2 rend and 16 attacks. That makes them harder to kill than an MSU Annihilator with Grandhammer while having more attacks, making them more reliable. Your opponent will have to make a serious effort to remove them, and if even one is left alive, the strike back is likely to have serious consequences.

A very well crafted SCE list taking advantage of the recent points drops to make it more competitive. Losing to the new Gitz is probably not unexpected. They can build strength as they go, which is a weakness of SCE, as key pieces go down their scoring options shrink fast.

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

LEADERS
Radukar the Beast (310)
Vampire Lord (140)*
– Spells: Amethystine Pinions, Invigorating Aura
– Aspects of the Champion: Butcher
Belladamma Volga (200)*
– Spells: Invigorating Aura, Soulpike
Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon (420)*
– General
– Command Traits: Kin of the Wolf
– Deathlance
– Artefacts of Power: Sangsyron
– Mount Traits: Foetid Miasma
– Spells: Flaming Weapon, Invigorating Aura

BATTLELINE
Dire Wolves (130)*
Deathrattle Skeletons (80)*
Dire Wolves (130)*

OTHER
Grave Guard (280)*
– Seneschal
– Great Wight Blade
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Hornblower
Grave Guard (280)*
– Standard Bearer
– Hornblower
– Seneschal
– Great Wight Blade

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1970/2000

Soulblight two seasons ago was a different vibe. That was when zombie blobs shambled care free and nigh on unkillable Blood Knights trampled dreams. Soulblight now, post points hike and during a season that rewards having good GCs – exactly the thing Soulblight don’t have – are a different matter, so it’s cause for celebration when a list cracks the top 10.

William has opted for a Vyrkos hero-hammer here, with Radukar and Balladamma following on the bone-tails of a VLoZD. It’s a techy combo – Belladamma can be bodyguarded by the Dire Wolves and set up an exploding 6s aura, while Radukar can summon additional wolves and, so long as he makes a charge, put out a +1 attacks aura, making for a pretty potent set of overlapping buffs. It can be tricky to set up but I imagine the plan was to run a kind of hero-castle, setting up the Zombie Dragon – or one of the two big blobs of Grave Guard, who are still a super value unit – as super-buffed up hammers at the centre of the auras.

It’s hard to pin point exactly why Soulblight just don’t quite have the tools to reach the top tables atm, but I suspect this is about as good a list as they can field at the moment! Kudos to William for the 3-2.

Final Tournament Placings