This is the top three AoS lists for VTC Age of Sigmar that took place in Austria on the 6th and 7th of January. It saw 27 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Slaves to Darkness
– Damned Legion: Host of the Everchosen
– Grand Strategy: Spellcasting Savant
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Chaos Lord (110)*
– General
– Reaperblade & Daemonbound Steel
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
– Lore of Primal Frost: Merciless Blizzard
Be’Lakor, the Dark Master (340)*
– The Lore of the Damned: Binding Damnation

Battleline
20 x Chaos Warriors (360)*
– Hand Weapon & Shield
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Eroding Icon
– Reinforced x 1
20 x Chaos Warriors (360)*
– Hand Weapon & Shield
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Chaos Chosen (460)*
– Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Banner of Screaming Flesh
– Reinforced x 1
8 x Cypher Lords (70)*
8 x Scions of the Flame (70)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Soulscream Bridge (80)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1970 / 2000

What a breath of fresh air this list is! The vast majority of Slaves to Darkness lists you see in articles like this one lean into cavalry, largely because of the army’s relative lack of movement shenanigans and its generally aggressive style. Stefan’s list, however, turns all of that conventional wisdom on its ear by leaning into a defensive control style instead. His list is looking to take and hold objectives, while prevailing in key combats.

We have some common staples in Be’lakor, the Sorcerer Lord, and Slaanesh Chosen, but what makes the list special is that it features some impressive bulk in the form of 40(!) Nurgle Chaos Warriors in 2 units of 20. One of those two units features The Eroding Icon for even more durability. While slow, these two units make for incredible anvils and objective holders, and most units in the game will struggle to shift them. In an effort to compensate for their lack of foot speed, Stefan has chosen to include the Soulscream Bridge. While the Bridge has a significant downside in that it does not allow you to issue commands to the unit until your next Hero phase, that downside is mitigated when you are using the Bridge to move a unit onto an objective as opposed to trying to set up a charge.

The list is rounded out by a Chaos Lord general with the Arcane Tome (for a strong bid at Spellcasting Savant) and 2 of the less-common cultist units in the Cypher Lords and Scions of the Flame. While you don’t see these in as many lists, they bring some interesting capabilities to the table and help this list feature a strong triumph bid. All in all, I am thrilled to see this sort of list do well, as it is a very different approach to Slaves to Darkness than what is normally seen.

Army Faction: Slaves to Darkness
– Army Subfaction: Knights of the Empty Throne
– Grand Strategy: Spellcasting Savant
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADER
1 x Exalted Hero of Chaos (90)*
– General
– Command Traits: Master of Magic
– Rune-etched Blade and Chaos Runeshield
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
1 x Be’lakor (340)*
– Spells: Daemonic Speed
1 x Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
– Spells: Levitate
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle

BATTLELINE
6 x Varanguard (280)*
– 3 x Ensorcelled Weapon
– 3 x Fellspear
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
6 x Varanguard (280)*
– 3 x Fellspear
– 3 x Ensorcelled Weapon
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
5 x Chaos Knights (220)*
– Doom Knight
– Standard Bearer
– Hornblower
– Cursed Flail
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Eroding Icon
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle

OTHER
6 x Furies (80)*

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1970/2000)

In stark contrast to Stefan’s Warrior-centric Slaves to Darkness list, Rainer took 2nd place with a list straight out of central casting: Varanguard, more Varanguard, Be’lakor, and some support units to fill. However, there is a bit of personal flair to this list, as we will discuss below.

An interesting choice here was to Mark the 5-man Knight unit Nurgle and give it The Eroding Icon. While the Icon is undisputably one of the strongest Ensorcelled Banners in the Slaves to Darkness roster, it is typically seen on reinforced units in order to maximize its effect. However, this list instead chose to go hard on offense, and therefore did not have the points to spare for a reinforced unit. In that context, a 5-man unit of Knights makes for a good budget pinner that will deal some damage on the way and require a disproportionate amount of effort to remove.

Another not-often-seen choice here is the unit of Furies. I think this is excellent tech, as Furies are a fast objective grabber/screen that can force an opponent to activate in a sequence they may not prefer. Last but not least, the choice to run an Exalted Hero with the Arcane Tome over a 2nd Chaos Sorcerer in order to push for a triumph bid is an interesting one, as Bloodthirsty can obviously be game-swinging in an army this dependent on making its charges. These personal touches, combined with the raw power of the Be’lakor + Varanguard shell, made for a winning combination.

Army Faction: Lumineth Realm-lords
– Army Subfaction: Zaitrec
– Grand Strategy: Spellcasting Savant

LEADER
1 x Scinari Cathallar (120)*
– General
– Command Traits: Shaman of the Chilled Lands
– Artefacts: Phoenix Stone
– Spells: Total Eclipse
1 x Scinari Calligrave (110)*
– Spells: Merciless Blizzard
1 x Archmage Teclis (740)**
1 x The Light of Eltharion (230)**

BATTLELINE
10 x Vanari Auralan Wardens (150)**
– High Warden
– Spells: Overwhelming Heat
5 x Vanari Dawnriders (120)**
– Steedmaster
– Standard Bearer
– Spells: Speed of Hysh
10 x Vanari Bladelords (240)**
– Bladelord Seneschal

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Umbral Spellportal (80)
1 x Malevolent Maelstrom (50)
1 x Aethervoid Pendulum (40)

TERRAIN
1 x Shrine Luminor (0)

OTHER
5 x Vanari Dawnriders (120)**
– Steedmaster
– Standard Bearer

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Andtorian Acolytes
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)

Hey everyone, back at it with another shiny elf list review. This time around, we’re centred around the Zaitrec subfaction. The inclusion of Scinari Calligrave and Scinari Cathallar adds both offensive and supportive spellcasting capabilities to the force. With the Merciless Blizzard and Speed of Hysh spells at their disposal, they can control engagements and enhance the overall mobility of the army. Furthermore, the Calligraves’ ability to OPG makes an area of the field a haven for your casters, and troops alike can’t be understated.

Big Teclis at the center is always a respectable choice, though given his substantial point cost you do start running low on bodies. That being said though, Teclis brings unparalleled countermagic prowess, and his ability to securely score Magical Dominance all by his lonesome means he enables multiple battle tactics with his inclusion. The Light of Eltharion aka The Butcher of Tor Yvresse adds another layer of versatility, giving a consistent source of rend 3 to ensure the list can handle various threats effectively. Worth noting, Eltharion also gets around the new and improved Look Out Sir due to his shooting ability not being a missile weapon. Snipe those heroes!

At battleline we have two sets of Wardens and a big brick of Bladelords providing the foundation, with the Wardens bringing a copy of Overwhelming Heat and a redundant Speed of Hysh it’s likely that you’ll always be able to utilize the mobility the latter provides. Bladelords usually operate as a bodyguard in their five man units but as a 10 man brick their a solid choice for a hammer. With both perfect strike or the horde clearing mode offering a consistent amount of damage regardless of what the situation calls for. A great tech piece is the Hurakan Windchargers as they adds mobility and a fast-attack element to the army, and if truth be told it’s the reach piece that I’d be playing if I were looking for one. The Umbral Spellportal and Aethervoid Pendulum as Endless Spells provide additional strategic options, enhancing the list’s overall flexibility and damage output through the hero phase.

Taking the Andtorian Acolytes and Battle Regiment as their Battalions means that you are a nice and tidy 3 drops coming in at 2000 points on the nose. Well done and good showing.

Army Faction: Ogor Mawtribes
– Subfaction: Meatfist
– Grand Strategy: Ready for Plunder
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Firebelly (120)*
– Spells: Billowing Ash
Slaughtermaster (140)*
– General
– Command Traits: Gastromancer
– Spells: Hoarfrost
Frostlord on Stonehorn (460)*
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Mount Traits: Rockmane Elder

BATTLELINE
Ogor Gluttons (240)*
– Crusher
– Bellower
– Tribal Banner Bearer with Lookout Gnoblar
– Paired Ogor Clubs or Bluntblades
Ogor Gluttons (240)*
– Crusher
– Bellower
– Tribal Banner Bearer with Lookout Gnoblar
– Paired Ogor Clubs or Bluntblades
Ironguts (240)*
– Gutlord
– Bellower
– Rune Maw Bearer
Ironguts (240)*
– Bellower
– Rune Maw Bearer
– Gutlord

ARTILLERY
Ironblaster (200)*

OTHER
Gnoblars (120)*

TERRAIN
1 x Great Mawpot (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Carson Whitlock: Hey… I recognize this list!

This is the usual Ogors combined arms we see doing fairly well into every matchup. It’s got tools for pretty much every situation and, in general, has a large spread of medium hammers to account for the relatively low save profiles on foot ogors. The focus here is being able to project threats in every phase (Ironblaster MVP) and at any point in the game. Against certain armies, we see the firebelly doing heavy lifting with that -1 to hit bubble, and the gnoblars make for an excellent “movement shenanigan punishment” screen. As always, the stonehorn will be an excellent fast anvil AND hammer, perfect for pinning your opponent in place while the foot ogors march up the field.

It’s no surprise that this list was able to pass the DPS check of gargants and chew through all of the bodies that Death armies tend to present. Slaves to Darkness poses a unique challenge of having both good saves and near army wide ward against mortals wounds, which really affects the Ogor player’s ability to clear units with charge mortals.

Final Tournament Placings

https://www.bestcoastpairings.com/event/LJRRW402VC