This is the top three AoS lists for the Guts & Glory Club Tournament that took place in the USA on the 11th and 12th of March. It involved 48 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Ossiarch Bonereapers
– Legion: Petrifex Elite
– Mortal Realm: Ghyran
– Grand Strategy: Unrelenting Efficiency
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Liege-Kavalos (160)*
– General
– Command Trait: Mighty Archaeossian
Mortisan Boneshaper (110)*
– Artefact: Godbone Armour
– Lore of Mortisans: Drain Vitality
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Mortisan Soulmason (120)*
– Lore of Mortisans: Arcane Command

Battleline
10 x Mortek Guard (140)*
– Nadirite Blade and Shield
– 1x Soulcleaver Greatblades
10 x Mortek Guard (140)*
– Nadirite Blade and Shield
– 1x Soulcleaver Greatblades
5 x Kavalos Deathriders (180)*
– Nadirite Blade and Shield

Units
6 x Necropolis Stalkers (340)**
– 2x Dread Falchions
– Reinforced x 1
6 x Necropolis Stalkers (340)**
– 2x Dread Falchions
– Reinforced x 1

Artillery
Mortek Crawler (200)*
Mortek Crawler (200)

Endless Spells & Invocations
Bone-tithe Shrieker (50)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Galletian Veterans

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 125
Drops: 4

You may be aware of our recent collaboration with Stormkeep and presenting out stats on YouTube. We’ll Mrigank of Stormkeep fame has managed an impressive 5-0, but not with Stormcast as you’d expect, but Bonereapers! I’ll let Mrigank explain the list.

Mrigank Jha: So pivoting away from the traditional Arkhan Magic + Infantry based lists , this list doesn’t focus on hordes of Mortek Guard. Roar makes them vulnerable and the meta has too many ranged horde killers (Ogors, Skaven, Stormcast, LRL). So, keeping the 2×6 stalkers for Blenders, this list goes towards Catapults. All out Defence and Armor may make it seem weak, but the special ammo is what is important. Ogors, LRL, and Gitz, the three big bad, are fairly low bravery, and Gitz in particular, has small wound heroes. Being able to wreck a giant Grot unit or Squigherd unit. Taking out Gnoblars entirely the same way is amazing. Sniping a Sentinel Captain to turn off empower, and in case of a Slaves to Darkness matchup, sniping an Ensorcelled Banner is amazing.
Stalkers are amazing with Mystic shield and re roll saves on defence or additional rend and damage on offence (can increase rend even further with Bludgeon)
So, for my matches, I mainly did that. Use catapults at key targets, and push Mortek guard out early as Stalker screens. Stalkers to counterattack. Necromantic Mastery (heroic action) with Bone Tithe Shrieker to add 1 to hit rolls and stop Inspiring Presence and Rally. In instances of where your opponent leaves a GC out in the open, the special ammo can help you snipe it on a lucky roll. You can also use this one to break coherency in entire units strung out as screens

I faced LRL, Ogors, Anvilgard Cites, Skaven and Gitz. The Catapult range and threat meant they often chose to target it instead of my other threats , the ones that take objectives and its fairly difficult to kill catapults with 12 W 4+ save and reducing a rend.
I used the Kavalos as a fast threat, objective taker, Mortek guard as screens / first line of defense, and stalkers to get into the thick of it.

Allegiance: Slaanesh
– Host: Lurid Haze Invaders Host (Host of Chaos)
– Mortal Realm: Ulgu
– Grand Strategy: Defend What’s Ours
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
The Contorted Epitome (240)*
– General
– Command Trait: Feverish Anticipation
– Artefact: Oil of Exultation
– Host Option: General
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Sigvald, Prince of Slaanesh (210)*
– Host Option: General
Glutos Orscollion, Lord of Gluttony (440)*
– Lore of Pain and Pleasure: Battle Rapture
Infernal Enrapturess, Herald of Slaanesh (120)*
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of Slaanesh: Born of Damnation

Battleline
22 x Blissbarb Archers (280)**
– Reinforced x 1
11 x Blissbarb Archers (140)**
11 x Blissbarb Archers (140)**

Other
1 x Cockatrice (105)*
1 x Cockatrice (105)*

Endless Spells and Invocations
Mesmerising Mirror (60)
Wheels of Excruciation (80)
Dreadful Visage (70)

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Galletian Sharpshooters

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 96
Drops: 9

Old book HoS take the podium! With a new book around the corner east to forget, this is just a current, often nerfed, HoS list. It has all of the stars, Sigvald, Epitome, and Glutos, with a lot of Blissbarb. Blissbarb are as much the heart of the list as the heroes, ok archery and a fantastic source of Depravity Points (DP). The Epitome build is very tanky (for HoS) with an extra wound and one of the new Ghurish enhancements – Fuelled by Ghurish Rage (once per battle 3+ ward). Add in the Flaming Weapon, and it’s still a very dangerous unit.

Back to the DP – Hedonites are really a summoning army, everything is fragile (not Glutos), just now they can use Revel in Pain as well while they have the points. You’re forced into an unenviable choice of removing units (Generating DP) or heroes (and being shot) – very hedonistic. With the Cockatrice to act as blockers, objective getters and generally be pains it’s a very annoying army that can react to most situations. The list even has 2 ways to snipe out Galletian Champions – Galletian Sharpshooters for all of the Blissbarb and Mesmering Mirror, swingy but if it goes off…. Both of the other spells do mortal wounds as well based on 6 dice. Dreadful Visage is very effective against screens etc, if it does damage it reduces Bravery by 1. Orcs hate it.

That combination of threats was very effective. Laron’s opponents had limited or no shooting, that shooting was frequently shorter ranged. Combined with effective heroes and the mortal wound output it’s hard to counter unless played just right. That Epitome is a thing of nightmares….

Allegiance: Kharadron Overlords
– Sky Port: Barak Zilfin
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Aether-Khemist (90)**
– General
– Command Trait: Collector
– Artefact: Spell in a Bottle
Endrinmaster with Dirigible Suit (160)**
– Artefact: Staff of Ocular Optimisation
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Arkanaut Admiral (140)**
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Gotrek Gurnisson (480)

Battleline
10 x Arkanaut Company (90)*
– 1x Skypikes
– 1x Light Skyhooks
– 1x Aethermatic Volley Guns
10 x Arkanaut Company (90)*
– 1x Skypikes
– 1x Light Skyhooks
– 1x Aethermatic Volley Guns
10 x Arkanaut Company (90)**
– 1x Skypikes
– 1x Light Skyhooks
– 1x Aethermatic Volley Guns

Units
10 x Grundstok Thunderers (260)*
– 2x Aetheric Fumigators
– 2x Decksweepers
– 2x Aethercannons
– 1x Grundstok Mortars
– Reinforced x 1

Behemoths
Arkanaut Ironclad (490)
– Main Gun: Great Volley Cannon
– Great Endrinworks: The Last Word

Endless Spells & Invocations
Warp Lightning Vortex (80)

Core Battalions
*Galletian Sharpshooters
**Warlord

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Artefact

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 95
Drops: 9

One last hurrah for the old book, this time around we’re lucky enough to have Carl’s comments on hid list

Carl Stokes: This was the final ride of the Warp Lightning Vortex in KO and I was determined to send it off with a bang!
I’ve always felt that KO struggle into high tempo combat heavy armies that can either shrug off the heaps of rend -1 shooting I can bring to bear and/or close the gap in one turn to crack open my boats.

Enter Gotrek.

He completely changes the way opponents have to think about KO. The things I used to be very concerned about (Kragnos, Varanguard, Mawkrushas) are now the armies I feel extremely favored into. Gotrek forces combat armies to forfeit the alpha strike into my boat bunker and allow me to seize the initiative and dictate the flow of the game.

With old KO rules, this also meant that forcing me to go first just allowed me to perfectly lob a WLV into my opponent’s backfield and then hide the Ironclad behind a layer of 10 Thunderers and a Khemist who would guarantee my opponent was at -1 to hit in close combat. And of course, should they fail to kill the Thunderers and Khemist, a very angry dwarf was right around the corner…

The best part is how easily this list transitions to the new book! Not only is this archetype alive and well, but because the warp lightning vortex becomes a free soulscream bridge and a few characters are easily swapped around, I can add 5 more new and improved Thunderers (that rally on a 4+) to the list and make it a one-drop. I’m always trying to spread the Gospel of Gotrek and I think the new KO tome will really demonstrate his utility in the faction.

Allegiance: Flesh-eater Courts – Check Header
– Grand Court: Blisterskin
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Abhorrant Archregent (240)
– Universal Spell Lore: Levitate
Abhorrant Archregent (240)
– General
– Command Trait: Hellish Orator
– Artefact: The Dermal Robe
– Lore of Madness: Spectral Host
Abhorrant Ghoul King (170)*
– Lore of Madness: Deranged Transformation
Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (450)*
– Artefact: Eye of Hysh
– Mount Trait: Gruesome Bite
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Varghulf Courtier (160)*
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master

Battleline
9 x Crypt Flayers (540)**
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Crypt Ghouls (80)**
10 x Crypt Ghouls (80)*

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Galletian Veterans

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1960 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 98
Drops: 8

FEC is a statistical anamoly – both Metawatch and TSN have them as a 50%+ faction, we have them at about 43% win rate. Who’s right? Well we don’t write about them that often so there aren’t that many podiums in the events we cover. But that could just be the low player representation.

Anyway the list, this is the “list” or the most common way we see FEC. A double reinforced Crypt Flayer unit with 2 x Crypt Ghoul screens, Terrorgheist, Archregents and Ghoul Kings. This gives the widest range of spells and summoning. It can summon, during the battle, up to another 9 Crypt Flayers and 20 serfs – this is really a 2660 point list. That’s key to beating them – don’t commit too early, force your opponent to bring most of their units onto the table so you don’t face an overwhelming force in Turn 2 or 3. Not taking Chronomatic Cogs is an interesting choice.

FEC really needs to get their buffs off (adding up to 4 attacks and a 5+ ward) so Cogs is almost mandatory. Only losing to Fyreslayers though is a testament to what the faction is capable of. Roll well and the Flayers are terrifying, very hard to kill and rally really well. In the matchups here they’ve taken down almost everything including Varanguard. With the new book announced it’s likely we’ll see more interest in the faction and enjoy those damn Flayers.

Final Tournament Placings