This is the top three AoS lists for the Realmshift Series 2026 – Chapter 2 that took place in the US between the 15th and 16th of August 2026. It saw 37 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

1st Dylan Therriault
Cities of Sigmar

R1	Win	v	Maggotkin of Nurgle (Tallyband of Nurgle)
R2	Win	v	Seraphon (Sunclaw Starhost)
R3	Win	v	Flesh-eater Courts (Knightly Echelon)
R4	Win	v	Slaves to Darkness (Despoilers)
R5	Win	v	Cities of Sigmar (Zealous Hordes)

Cities of Sigmar
Zealous Hordes
General’s Handbook 2026-27
Drops: 3
Wounds: 152
Spell Lore – Spells of the Collegiate Arcane
Prayer Lore – Scriptures of Sigmar
Manifestation Lore – Krondspine Incarnate
Battle Tactic Cards: Blazing Onslaught, Burning for Vengeance

General’s Regiment
Tahlia Vedra, Lioness of the Parch (340)
• General
Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal (120)
• The Last Blade of Embergard
• Beloved Leader
Freeguild Cavaliers (300)
• Reinforced
Freeguild Cavaliers (300)

• Reinforced
Freeguild Fusiliers (240)
• Reinforced

Regiment 1
Alchemite Warforger (130)
Freeguild Grenadiers (140)
Freeguild Steelhelms (90)
Freeguild Steelhelms (90)

Regiment 2
Jorvan Kreel, Heir of the Kraken (120)
Freeguild Gallants (130)

Faction Terrain
Dawner’s Triumph

Dylan: Not only is this list one of the strongest I’ve ever had the opportunity to pilot, it may be the most exciting I’ve played in fourth edition. It follows a usual structure for my GT lists: A handful of core combat pieces, a moderate degree of shooting output, multiple layers or resources and a handful of technical tools to open play.

The absolute, uncontested MVPs of this list (and Cities as a faction) are the Cavaliers. The speed, durability, offense and layered buffs available to this unit (offered by Tahlia, the Warforger, Gallants, Zealous Hordes, “Hurl them back!”, and the Cavalier-Marshal’s impact mortals) make them one of the most incredible combat units on stats alone. Coupled with their “storm of steel” ability, they are extraordinarily flexible and a nightmare for your opponent to deal with, repositioning on your opponent’s turn and becoming immune to efforts to tag them out from charging. At their present cost, it is hard to see any other unit as the building block of a Cities list’s combat, especially as the focal points of the faction’s triple activation.

Cities of Sigmar has very limited access to meaningful ward saves or recursion and almost no abilities that debuffs enemy output. Instead, this list survives entirely on its ability to control the combat phase to blank enemy hammers and reposition units away from danger or into opportune positions. Steelhelms carry this job by counter-charging to taunt enemy hammers that attempt to engage Cavaliers (subsequently leading to a devastating rend 3 activation by the Cavaliers). The storm of steel ability lets cavaliers slide away from attackers or open routes for Steelhelms to reach their targets by counter-charge. Jorvann, too, lets the Fusiliers and Grenadiers escape combat by striking and fading on both turns. This ability can be used twice in a turn, first during the combat phase and then during the end of turn with rage dice. With some planning, you can make massive, 24″ repositions of your units to deny scoring, save wounds, or prepare to score on later turns. Don’t be tempted to put Jorvann into combat: I’ve never used his ability to turn off crit effects (or even remembered that he has it). His teleports are too valuable to risk him dying anyways.

The Grenadiers are an inclusion people often ask me about. Indeed, the unit is very fragile and expensive for its roll. Their slow speed, poor defense and strange combat profile have proven awkward to use. Their inclusion here relies on their synergies with Jorvann Kreel and Tahlia Vedra: both units give this unusual combat unit dynamic options to score and stay safe, especially during the late game. The foot-gallants are used almost exclusively for their anti-charge rend bubble. The Fusiliers are usually placed on the line in range of Jorvann.

Given that Cities is dangerous on both their own turn and their opponents, this list can follow a variety of gameplans and tempo. A typical game revolves around connecting an all-in go turn using all twenty Cavaliers with Tahlia’s once per game to force the issue and sweep away resources. If the opponent is able to respond at all, it can be mitigated by leveraging the Steelhelms to flip their turn on their head and end the game. But, if there is no safe opportunity to push the game forward, this list is happy to creep forward, set-up its tools and wait to punish an overextension by the opponent. The tactics choices, Blazing Onslaught and Burning for Vengeance, were chosen to keep the focus of this list on rolling through the opponent. Generally, I try not to compromise board position and coordination between units to score tactics early in the game. Capturing the opponent’s hideout and felling their fugitive are accomplished by following the above gameplans: keep your units overlapped and central, capture the middle of the board, wipe away the core of the opponent’s list and end the game as early as possible.

Combat exclusive armies are in immense danger facing this Cities list. More challenging matchups include factions or lists that have considerable shooting or multi-phase mortal wound output. Without a ward save or recursion, consistent attrition damage outside combat will eventually wear down Cities options. Similarly, hard shooting forces cities play uncomfortably aggressive, or hover around obscuring to protect their Steelhelm tools. Armies that shut-down charge damage or punish charge abilities can neutralize the output of the Cavaliers as well.

2nd Rye Anderson
Sylvaneth

R1	Loss	v	Disciples of Tzeentch (Fated Blades)
R2	Win	v	Daughters of Khaine (Coven of Blood)
R3	Win	v	Slaves to Darkness (Godswrath Warband)
R4	Win	v	Ironjawz (Ironjawz Brawl)
R5	Win	v	Hedonites of Slaanesh (Depraved Carnival)

Sylvaneth
Lords of the Clan
General’s Handbook 2026-27
Drops: 5
Spell Lore – Lore of the Deepwood
Prayer Lore – Lore of the Spirit-Song
Manifestation Lore – Manifestations of the Deepwood
Battle Tactics Cards: Legend of the Parch and Siege of Ashes

General’s Regiment
Warsong Revenant (170)
• General
Dryads (100)
Gossamid Archers (120)
Spite-Revenants (100)
Spiterider Lancers (240)
• Aspect of Heartwood

Regiment 1
Treelord Ancient (280)

Regiment 2
Spirit of Durthu (340)
• Glamourweave
• Realmroot Guide

Regiment 3
Spirit of Durthu (320)

Regiment 4
Spirit of Durthu (320)

Faction Terrain
Awakened Wyldwood

Rye: Are you a degenerate gambler willing to bet your entire game on rolling just a few dice? Well, this is the list for you.

Leveraging the dusty old Battletome Treelord Ancient to pump out Run & Charge alongside various goofy Endless Spells, the setup allows the true stars of the show to shine: three (yes, three) Spirits of Durthu. These big fellas pack terrifying damage potential. The Treelord Ancient feeds them +1 to Hit (until your next turn) via its Rampage, while the reaction ability lets a Durthu gain +2 to charge any enemy unit that is already in combat with another Sylvaneth hero. Thanks to that charge reaction, even the normally meme-tier Realmroot Guide Heroic Trait becomes legitimately viable. Top it off with the Lords of the Clan battle formation, and your giant trees are casually healing a flat 3 wounds at the end of every turn.
When set up correctly, your primary Durthu, who holds the Glamour Weave, swings 5 sword attacks hitting and wounding on 2s, followed by another 3 attacks hitting and wounding on 2s at the end of the combat phase, all with re-rolls in both phases. The rest of the list exists purely to keep the Durthu engine humming:

• Warsong Rev: Provides a clutch -1 to Wound prayer and gives 6+ ward/-1 ward to enemies.
• Spiterider Lancers (Heartwood Boon): Deliver a once-per-game flat 6-wound heal to the Durthu cuddle puddle and help score Siege of Ashes 2.
• Dryads, Spite-Revenants, & Gossamid Archers: Run interference, secure Siege of Ashes battle tactics, supply recursion, and apply backline pressure.

Between Durthu’s 3+ Strike-Last Rampage and the native Sylvaneth Fight First command, you can completely dictate the tempo of the combat phase. Just keep your Warsong or Treelord Ancient parked near Places of Power to generate the precious Rage Dice needed for end-of-turn burst damage or clutch saves.

Matchups
Your absolute worst nightmare is reliable, heavy debuffing.

• Tzeentch (Round 1): Despite eventually tabling Radu’s list, early debuffs blunted my momentum, and a positioning blunder cost me the game.
• Slaanesh (Round 5): Jacob kept my Glamour Weave Durthu thoroughly “glazed” and sitting at -2 to Hit for the majority of the match.

Getting charged by units that fly or other monsters can be rough. Durthu’s 3+ fight last rampage only works on non-fly infantry and cavalry. Early pressure from shooting can be similarly hard to weather as you close the distance. High-volume of wounds with strong saves or wards also pose challenges for your low-attack-count list.

• Ironjawz (Round 4): Seeing Grant’s Kragnos across the table was terrifying. Kraggy easily could have pinballed through all three Durthus in a turn or two if given the chance. Lots of wound-dense Brutes and Ragerz also made it tricky to pick this list apart.

The Verdict
Is this list “meta” or even good? Probably not.

While running three Durthus is an absolute blast, for fewer points you could field 3x Kurnoth Hunters, which are easier to obscure, move just as fast, offer better Control and Wound density per point, and won’t balloon your drop count. But if you want to swing big tree swords and force your opponent to respect your rage dice, it gets the job done.

3rd Logan Young
Cities of Sigmar

R1	Win	v	Seraphon (Shadowstrike Starhost)
R2	Win	v	Disciples of Tzeentch (Fated Blades)
R3	Win	v	Sons of Behemat (Taker Tribe)
R4	Win	v	Sylvaneth (Glade Defenders)
R5	Loss	v	Cities of Sigmar (Zealous Hordes)

Cities of Sigmar
Zealous Hordes
General’s Handbook 2026-27
Drops: 3
Manifestation Lore – Primal Energy (10 Points)
Battle Tactic Cards: Legend of the Parch, Blazing Onslaught

General’s Regiment
Cannonade Cogfort (530)
• General
• Grapple-Net Launcher
Freeguild Steelhelms (90)
Freeguild Steelhelms (90)

Regiment 1
Alchemite Warforger (130)
Freeguild Gallants (130)
Ironweld Great Cannon (140)

Regiment 2
Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal (120)
• The Last Blade of Embergard
• Beloved Leader
Freeguild Cavaliers (300)
• Reinforced
Freeguild Cavaliers (300)
• Reinforced
Fusil-Major on Ogor Warhulk (160)

Faction Terrain
Dawners Triumph

Mike Mercurio: Who doesn’t love the thunderous sound of hoofbeats beneath the roar of cannon fire? Probably whoever is on the other side of this Cities of Sigmar list, that’s for sure.
20 Freeguild Cavaliers and their Beloved Leader Marshall continue marching across the mortal realms, not to mention the win column. This time, however, they do so in the shadow of a Cannonade Cogfort. The Cogfort adds an interesting dimension to the list; offering both solid ranged output in addition to anti-shooting tech to protect the formation. The Cogfort can also be quite flexible with its Special Ammunition ability; offering access to additional Rend into high armor targets or reducing ward saves into armies that rely on them. And with the bonus to hit from the Ogor Warhulk, and the Beloved Leader ability from the Cavalier-Marshall preventing negative modifiers from enemy abilities, the artillery support is indeed quite hearty.
And if you think charging into the thick of it will keep you safe, think again. Freeguild Cavaliers can still charge in combat, avoiding engagements with potentially problematic hammers off turn. Gallants then provide the Cavaliers with additional rend, meaning one of those units will be Rend -2 Damage 2 in the enemy combat phase. Not to mention the humble Steelhelm sacrificing themselves for Sigmar’s knights to further prevent incoming damage.
Overall, a fun take on what has become a competitive staple in the current meta.

6th Boris Poletaev
Ironjawz

R1	Win	v	Slaves to Darkness (Godswrath Warband)
R2	Win	v	Ironjawz (Ironjawz Brawl)
R3	Loss	v	Slaves to Darkness (Despoilers)
R4	Win	v	Flesh-eater Courts (Knightly Echelon)
R5	Win	v	Blades of Khorne (Murderhost)

Ironjawz
Ironjawz Brawl
General’s Handbook 2026-27
Drops: 3
Spell Lore – Lore of the Weird
Prayer Lore – Warbeats
Manifestation Lore – Manifestations of Gorkamorka
Battle Tactics Cards: Burning for Vengeance and Siege of Ashes

General’s Regiment
Scourge of Aqshy: Megaboss (150)
• General
• An Eye For Da Fight
• Amberbone Whetstone
Scourge of Aqshy: Brutes (320)
• Reinforced
• 2 Gore-choppa
Scourge of Aqshy: Brutes (320)
• Reinforced
• 2 Gore-choppa
Scourge of Aqshy: Brutes (320)
• Reinforced
• 2 Gore-choppa
Zoggrok Anvilsmasha (160)
• 1 Grunta-tongs

Regiment 1
Warchanter (110)
Weirdbrute Wrekkaz (180)
• Reinforced
Weirdbrute Wrekkaz (90)

Regiment 2
Weirdnob Shaman (110)
Brute Ragerz (200)
• Reinforced

Faction Terrain
Bossrokk Tower

edumh22: The best way to define this Ironjawz list, in my opinion, is scary. Daring to charge that many Brutes is only for the bold—they are incredibly efficient, and you had better wipe them out before they hit back, especially since they get buffed after being attacked.

The inclusion of the Ragers and the new Megaboss on Scourge of Ash helps address the list’s slow mobility and board control struggles. If ignored, the Megaboss can start buffing himself, ramping up his damage output and becoming a real menace. Having an extra Mighty Destroyers move boosts the army’s mobility and helps trap enemy units aiming to charge deep into the Orruk lines.

Zoggrok remains a solid pick because he boosts the units’ damage output and compensates for the list’s lack of Rend, while also providing an extra hero to declare the Waaagh!. I also love the choice to run the Weirdnob Shaman; he is easily one of the best wizards in the game when near big units, particularly when paired with the Manifestations of Gorkamorka. Having a reliable wizard for teleports, combined with so many charge buffs, constantly threatens the opponent and forces them to play defensively.

Overall, while this list is very efficient, it takes a highly skilled player to achieve a result this great.

Final Tournament Placings