This is the top three AoS lists for Realmgate Rampage II that took place in the USA on the 4th and 5th of March. It involved 37 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Slaves to Darkness
– Subfaction: Cabalists
– Grand Strategy: Follow the Path to Glory
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
– General
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
– Command Traits: Master of Magic
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Chaotic Conduit, Daemonic Speed
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
– Spells: Chaotic Conduit, Daemonic Speed

BATTLELINE
Chaos Knights (460)*
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
– Doom Knight
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Hornblower
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Eroding Icon
The Unmade (80)*
Corvus Cabal (80)*

OTHER
Chaos Chosen (480)*
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
– Exalted Champion
– 2 x Icon Bearer
– 2 x Skull Drummer
Varanguard (580)*
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
– 6 x Fellspear

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Soulscream Bridge (80)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Peter: I reached out to Anthony to see if he would be able to give us some info on how this list works. The legend kindly responded:

Anthony: So I mostly just lifted the list from Big Phil Marshall, with a few tweaks to marks. The army has 3 key pieces, with a bit of utility to support them. First, the block of 10 Nurgle-marked Knights with the Eroding Icon is incredibly tough to shift, while also able to do a fair bit of damage on the charge. Next are two hammer units: 10 Khorne Chosen, and 6 Khorne Varanguard with spears. I chose to go with Khorne on both units because, for the most part, these units perform threat removal duty, and I want those threats gone immediately. Plus, it means you get even more value if you use the ability to activate a second time in the combat phase on the turn that they charged. All three units are 30 wounds on a 3+ save, but have drastically different roles, and you can further enhance with the 2 Sorcerer Lords. There are quite a few spells that you want to get off, hence the choice of adding Arcane Tome, Master of Magic, and being in Cabalists. Lastly, Corvus Cabal is a nice piece to be able to save and snag an objective after the battlelines shift, the Unmade help ensure that the units you want to charge cannot redeploy away and make the charge harder, and the bridge increases your threat range immensely.

Being one drop means you decide first turn in most cases. A typical game sees you giving away the turn, although you do have the speed to rush across the board to hit your opponent before they can set up any of their buffs if they misdeploy in an egregious way. The other advantage of going second is that it allows your Sorcerer Lord to use both the heroic action for 3d6 cast and 3d6 for rolling on the Eye of the Gods table. You want to be rolling for that early and often. Getting an 11-12 on 3d6, rerolling one die isn’t too unlikely, but it’s still something that relies on rolling, and all it takes is your sorcerer lords getting killed off to remove your ability to achieve your Grand Strategy. I typically use the Knights to block areas of the board off from my opponent and initiate trades. It will cost most armies more value to remove this unit than the 460 points that the knights cost, and the Chosen and Varanguard hit hard enough that most things will struggle to survive contact with them. You’re looking to value trade more efficiently than your opponent, which is what the Slaves to Darkness do incredibly well.

Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
– Stormhost: Knights Excelsior (Scions of the Storm)
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Karazai, The Scarred (550)*
Celestant-Prime, Hammer of Sigmar (330)*
Lord-Imperatant (170)*
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Spell: Celestial Blades
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master

Battleline
3 x Annihilators (180)*
3 x Annihilators (180)*
3 x Annihilators (180)*

Units
3 x Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (240)*
3 x Praetors (140)*

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Additional Enhancements
Holy Command: Thunderbolt Volley

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 75
Drops: 1

Peter: We reached out to Joseph, who kindly offered a quick synopsis on how his list works.

Joseph: Use the longstrikes the aoe mortals and the charge mortals from the annilators to punch large holes in their army’s screens and key buff pieces. Then go for the kill with the prime and Karazai.

Brett: Joseph undersells his list a bit, there is a bit of tech in how he has set up the list to do exactly what he says it will. There is a Lord Imperatant to make sure those Annihilators only have a 7″ charge. Best case that’s 3 turns of skyfalling. The list is Knights Excelsior to give a Paladin unit +1 to hit and wound on top of being battline. The Annihilators don’t have Grandhammers so cheaper (by 60pts) and more durable. Rerollable 7″ charge that does D3 mortals on arrival, more mortals on the charge (on a 4+) and then hits on 2+, wounds on 2+, saves on 2+. Even if they don’t wipe a screen some will probably survive the counter attack. It also makes dropping 2 units in a turn more palatable, even if the second fails it’s 9″ charge it may survive to try again.

The Longstrikes have Thunderbolt Volley (and aren’t reinforced) to give a turn of double shooting. Praetors to bodyguard Karazi in the early game (he out paces them) wraps up the troops. After that the Lord Imperatant has Tunnel Master for a sneaky teleport and celestial blades just in case something needs help with wounding (melee weapons only). And lastly the Celestant Prime for another hammer mid to late game (when Karazai is normally running out of steam).

Not without it’s risks, in the end there are only 75 wounds in the list and it needs to dictate the engagement. Karazai is more rarely chosen because he is vulnerable to mortal wounds generally. Being a one drop army helps, Joseph will dictate the first round activation in most games. Competing well against combat armies, Joseph faced down a Tzeetch army which is a tall order for an army with almost no denies.

Army Faction: Blades of Khorne
– Army Subfaction: Reapers of Vengeance
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Skarbrand (390)
1 x Archaon (860)*
1 x Bloodsecrator (130)*
– General
– Command Traits: Mage Eater
– Artefacts: Skullshard Mantle
– Aspects of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
1 x Slaughterpriest (100)*
– Bloodbathed Axe
– Prayers: Blood Sacrifice

BATTLELINE
10 x Blood Warriors (160)*
– Icon Bearer
– Chaos Champion
– Goreglaive
– Goreaxe and Gorefist
10 x Bloodreavers (80)*
– Icon Bearer
– Hornblower
– Chieftain
– Reaver Blades
10 x Bloodreavers (80)*
– Chieftain
– Icon Bearer
– Hornblower
– Meatripper Axe
10 x Bloodreavers (80)*
– Chieftain
– Icon Bearer
– Hornblower
– Meatripper Axe

TERRAIN
1 x Skull Altar (0)

OTHER
1 x Cockatrice (105)*

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1985/2000)

A lot of armies in Age of Sigmar can be broken down into units of hammers and anvils. This is a useful distinction, since it gives a quick idea of what role a unit needs to play, why you would include them in your list, and what to expect from your opponent’s force. Blades of Khorne do not work this way.

Blades can be better broken into three categories: independent operators, tech pieces, and drones. In Samuel’s case, he has brought a balance of the three, with a skew towards independent operators.

In this list, the idependents are Archaeon and Skarbrand. Both are meant to be beatstick intimidation pieces with minor buffs to other units. Archaeon is the only wizard in Samuel’s list, and he will see some benefit from Mystic Shield, but the known spell are limited since Khorne does not have a spell lore (for obvious reasons). Skarbrand is an excellent intimidating force, and only opponents that have never faced him before will risk damaging him without being positive that he will die. At his lowest bracket (his best) he can guarantee 8 mortal wounds with his axe, Carnage. While he can’t score VP from killing a Galletian Champion, he can certainly deny his opponent a few battle tactics through the use of the rare rule: “you can just pick that one up.”

The Bloodsecrator, Slaughterpriest, and Cockatrice are Samuel’s tech pieces. The first provides two useful auras (forcing Wizards to re-roll successful casting attempts and providing Blades of Khorne units +1 attack). The second gives access to prayers (Blood Sacrifice in this case, allowing early blood tithe gains) and invocations (which Samuel has elected to leave at home). The Cockatrice brings a particularly interesting ability that is one of the few in this list that will benefit Archaeon. If the Cockatrice manages to ping some mortal wounds on an opponent, that unit can only hit on 6s in that combat phase. This can be used to either protect Archaeon and Skarbrand from the beatings Samuel’s opponents are surely going to throw at them, or can be used to add some additional protection for his drones.

A note for the above units: Skarbrand, the Bloodsecrator, and the Slaughterpriest can all be used at summoning points for daemon units. Khorne is in a great spot right now, partially because the summoning mechanic allows them to pull a GC out of thin air onto an objective for the measly cost of 2 blood tithe points. This allows for some seriously flexible scoring, ecen into the late game, assuming you have a hero or skull alter and some blood tithe points burning a hole in your pocket.

Back on the subject of drones, Samuel has chosen to take the mortal flavor of drone: 10 blood warriors and 30 blood reavers. The blood warriors’ 2 wounds and 4+ somehow make them one of the most durable units in the book (about equal with Mighty Skullcrushers), which is saying something. The blood reavers are fast and will die as soon as they connect with something, providing some early blood tithe points.

All around a deceptively technical list, and one that was piloted to a great 4-1.

Allegiance: Flesh-eater Courts
– Grand Court: Blisterskin
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs:

LEADERS
Abhorrant Archregent (240)*
– Artefact: The Dermal Robe
– Lore of Madness: Deranged Transformation
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (450)*
– General
– Command Trait: Hellish Orator
– Artefact: Eye of Hysh
– Mount Trait: Gruesome Bite
– Lore of Madness: Spectral Host
Crypt Infernal Courtier (130)*

UNITS
9 x Crypt Flayers (540)**
10 x Crypt Ghouls (80)**
10 x Crypt Ghouls (80)*

BEHEMOTHS
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (480)
– Allies

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Galletian Veterans

TOTAL: 2000/2000
WOUNDS: 83
DROPS: 7

Declan: Well I’m the first to admit that I’m not an expert in Flesh Eater Courts, but I have fought them a few times and this one has a Incarnate of Ghur – so there’s that. Frederic has gone for the 4-1 that’s difficult to pull off known as the submarine (LWWWW); and it’s a great result with a difficult army to use. This one is all about close assault, the Krondspine, Terrorgheist and Crypt Flayers.

Despite the increase in cost (480 points from 400 points in the latest balance update), the Krondspine is still good, and as he doesn’t die until the end of the turn so when it’s in combat you can guarantee it will dish out damage.

This allows teleporting Ghouls and gives the Terrorghiest a useful -1 to be hit with the Eye of Hysh, not to mention his warscroll ability to summon more Crypt Flayers. The Archregent can do the same, but also comes with a great utility spell:

It’s easy to cast and – crucially – lasts to the next hero phase. This means Frederic can make one awesome unit a turn with additional D3 attacks in combat. Sure, he may roll a 1, but you’ll never forget it if you’re on the other end of a 3 on a Terrorgheist or Crypt Flayers.

The army certainly has potential, but Frederic must have commanded it well to get a 4-1; they’re still not common with FEC.

Final Tournament Placings