This is the top three AoS lists for the Age of Ropecon that took place in Finland on the 29th and 30th of July. It involved 22 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Blades of Khorne
– Army Subfaction: Skullfiend Tribe
Grand Strategy: Slaughter The Sorcery

LEADER
1 x Bloodsecrator (120)*
1 x Slaughterpriest (110)*
– Prayers: Bronzed Flesh, Killer Instinct
– Nullstone Adornments: Pouch of Nulldust
1 x Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury (330)*
– General
– Command Traits: Firebrand
– Artefacts: Ar’gath, the King of Blades
– Prayers: Killer Instinct, Bloodbind
1 x Skarbrand (380)**
1 x Bloodmaster (110)**
– Prayers: Witchbane Curse, Blood Sacrifice

BATTLELINE
10 x Bloodreavers (80)*
10 x Blood Warriors (190)**
10 x Bloodreavers (80)**
10 x Skullreapers (190)**
8 x Claws of Karanak (100)**

INVOCATION
1 x Hexgorger Skulls (50)
1 x Wrath-Axe (70)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Warlord
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)

Not that we really though it would, but it’s good to see that the slight nerfs – which were fair enough, especially to Murderlust – haven’t stopped Khorne from having a good time against some tough opponents. Anttu here has brought the ‘mortals with double thirster back-up’ archetype, and it’s one close to my heart. Usually, the main choice with this kind of list is whether you double down on a big blob of Blood Warriors or go more MSU – and Anttu has opted for the latter here, with 5 battleline units.

The Reavers and Blood Warriors are staples, and the Claws of Karanak are, for my money, still one of the best units in the army, especially in the new season where turn 1 tactics are difficult for Khorne – their pre-game move makes Surround and Destroy a lot more viable. With the points saved by having less Blood Warriors or Crushers, for example, the list packs in a 3rd hammer in the form of 10 Skullreapers, who haven’t seen much love overall but represent a good wound density and the potential for a really decent number of MWs – plus in Skullfiend tribe they gain extra value by being battleline (useful for battle tactics) and the possibility of gaining fight first with a good charge roll.

It’s a great, balanced list that shows off a good amount of warscrolls and took down some serious armies en route to 1st and looks super fun to play.

Army Faction: Flesh-eater Courts
– Subfaction: Morgaunt
– Grand Strategy: Growing Kingdom
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Zombie Dragon (430)*
– Mount Traits: Razor-clawed
– Spells: Blood Feast, Flaming Weapon
Crypt Ghast Courtier (70)*
Crypt Ghast Courtier (70)*
Abhorrant Archregent (240)**
– General
– Command Traits: Savage Chivalry
– Artefacts of Power: Decrepit Coronet
– Spells: Hoarfrost, Spectral Host
Abhorrant Archregent (240)**
– Spells: Deranged Transformation, Hoarfrost
Abhorrant Ghoul King (170)**
– Spells: Levitate, Merciless Blizzard

BATTLELINE
Crypt Ghouls (240)
Crypt Ghouls (160)
Crypt Ghouls (80)*

OTHER
Crypt Horrors (220)

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Chalice of Ushoran (50)

TERRAIN
1 x Charnel Throne (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Andtorian Acolytes

TOTAL POINTS: 1970/2000

Hanna recently joined our Discord server to tell us about Finland’s Ropecon AoS GT, and we jumped at the chance to have her comment about her second placed list at the same time!

Hanna Leppänen: This list is based around lots of summoning and recursion with two Archreagents summoning 20 Beastflayers each and Ghoul King another 10 Beastflayers or 10 Crypt Ghouls. The Morgaunt subfaction lets you bring a Serf -keyworded unit (Beastflayers or Crypt Ghouls) back immediately when they die on a 4+, with the cost of a command point. Add in 2 Crypt Ghast Courtiers, a summoned Varghulf from the Zombie Dragon GK, and potential Heroic Action using muster (6 dice in your hero phase, for every 2+ you can return a Serf to a unit). With Varghulf and Heroic Action you can bring back a Crypt Horror model instead on a roll of 5+ if you wish).

The Recursion means that you have to kill a unit outright to prevent them from mustering back, and even then there is a chance the unit comes back full health wholly within 6″ of a table edge, 9″ away from opponent models. This means you can lose an objective if you’re not careful on your turn. There is the usual restriction of only one of each command per phase, so only one unit can be brought back each phase. The command itself can be used by any model capable of issuing a command. Old books have weird, janky rules and FEC is a prime example of this. Worth to note is that Muster rules allow models to be stringed out and you can muster one unit to get it within 10″ of another source of muster. Chalice of Ushoran is another thing that brings back models at the end of turn, so it can also lead to some weird interactions with objective control, especially on your turn.

Crypt Ghouls and Horrors (also Flayers which are not present in this list) have new warscrolls in Dawnbringers book 1, making Crypt Ghouls more streamlined to play with (re-roll 1’s change to -1 rend when near heroes and 5+/6+ auto-wound instead +1A). Unfortunately this breaks the Morgaunt Bloody Loyalty ability since the Boundless Ferocity ability is always in effect (used to be +1 attacks when over 20 models, Morgaunt Bloody Loyalty gave it on a unit of 10+ when near Courtiers). Crypt Horrors got +1 attacks and – 1 rend near Heroes. Crypt Horrors don’t benefit from Morgaunt CA, but they give you access to the “United Court” battle tactic and are a reasonably punchy unit, especially when buffed. Overall the changes didn’t change the damage numbers too much, but made both less tedious to play.

There is something to be said about FEC spellcasting. Andtorian Acolytes gives extra primal dice on a 3+ at the start of the hero phase, which helps with getting FEC spells off. Most FEC spells are buffs that can lead to a lot of damage with +1/+D3 Attacks and Zombie Dragon 16″ bubble of re-roll wound rolls. Hoarfrost is exceptionally good spell for FEC units, whose biggest downfall is – to hit debuffs with most things having 4+ to hit as baseline. 30 buffed up Crypt Ghouls do quite a lot of damage, especially if you use Feeding Frenzy on them. FEC warscroll spells are great, so for most spellcasters the spell choices were picked to be situational at best, Spectral Host giving the option for ZD to have run & charge, Deranged Transformation giving Horrors +4″ move and Merciless Blizzard for a Hail Mary BT if nothing else was available.

The MVP’s of this list were definitely the Serfs, with Beastflayers being excellent tarpits against damage 2 monsters and Ghouls who do tons of damage when buffed a bit. The list power projects really well and makes it hard to play against since there are multiple threats that don’t fold to an average backline objective holder.

Allegiance: Interns to Darkness
– Damned Legion: Knights of the Empty Throne (run and charge for mounted units)
– Mortal Realm: Aqshy
– Grand Strategy: Overshadow
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Chaos Lord on Daemonic Mount (160)* (strike first when he charges, grants it to knights)
– General
– Command Trait: Idolater Lord (Priest)
– Artefact: The Conqueror’s Crown (Enemy models with < 3 wounds cannot contest objectives w/in 6″)
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle (-1 to wound in melee)
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Curse (6’s to hit are MW in addition)
Be’Lakor, the Dark Master (340)* (Can shut down a unit for 1-2 turns)
– The Lore of the Damned: Daemonic Speed (3D6 charge for mounted units)
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)* (can give +1 to hit and wound to a unit)
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided (reroll Eye of the Gods)
– Lore of Primal Frost: Hoarfrost (D3 to replace melee profile Hit, wound, or rend to that value)

Battleline
10 x Chaos Knights (440)* (Tanky)
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle (-1 to wound in melee)
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Eroding Icon (reduce rend by 1 from melee attacks)
– Reinforced x 1
18 x Spire Tyrants (140)* (immune to battleshock when within 3″ of enemy)
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle (-1 to wound in melee)
– Reinforced x 1
3 x Varanguard (290)* (Killy, can fight twice once per game)
– 3x Fellspear (+1 to wound and rend on the charge)
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne (+1 Attack on the charge)
22 x Blissbarb Archers (320)* (Ranged death, 41 shots, 18″ 3+/3+/-1/1)
– Reinforced x 1

Units
3 x Ogroid Theridons (160)* (Smashy glass cannons)
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne (+1 Attack on the charge)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1970 / 2000

Slaves to Darkness have settled quite comfortably into the ‘also rans’ groove in recent months, with a ‘woops all Varanguard’ or ‘Archaon + HOW MANY Splintered Fang!?’ skew lists occasionally nabbing a cheeky podium – and their recent shot in the arm from the battlescroll seems to have been more of a little jab to the foot.

But! Here we have Damien mixing things up in a way I’ve not seen before but makes a lot of sense. He’s brought Be’lakor, who’s become a relative staple of S2D lists to help them out with control, and the usual must-takes of a Sorceror and 10 Nurgle knights. What’s more surprising is a reinforced blob of Spire Tyrants – presumably because they’re just so cheap now and make for a good pile of bodies, also with -1 to wound from the Nurgle mark via Idolator Lord on the Mounted Lord – who also carries the Conquerors Crown for a cheeky objective stealing play and the abililty to bestow fight-first on the knights, allowing for a double activation with the cavalry units.

He’s also packed in a reinforced unit of Blissbards on loan from Slaanesh, who aren’t cheap but still offer a good volume of reliable shooting attacks that Slaves just otherwise have no access to – plus, I bet they look good in black. The final notable pick is the now bargain-basement Theridons, who are squishy and un-synergistic as always but for 160 pts can bring some absolute pain if they do make it into combat.

Beating out Seraphon twice and KO means the path to 3rd was fraught with real danger, but this list seems to have had the bodies, speed and staying power to handle some serious ranged threat. Big kudos to Damien for an imaginative and successful Slaves list!

Army Faction: Stormcast Eternals
– Army Type: Scions of the Storm
– Subfaction: Hammers of Sigmar
– Grand Strategy: Overshadow
– Triumph: Inspired – Holy command: Call for aid

LEADERS
Knight-Incantor (120)*
– General
– Command Traits: Eater of Magic
– Spells: Merciless Blizzard
Lord-Castellant (160)*
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
Battlemage (100)*
– Magic of the Realms: Wildform (Ghur)
Lord-Relictor (150)**
– Prayers: Translocation

BATTLELINE
Dracothian Guard Tempestors (630)**
Sequitors (120)**
– Sequitor-Prime
– Redemption Cache
– 2 x Stormsmite Greatmace
Vanquishers (100)**
– Vanquisher-Prime

OTHER
Retributors (210)**
– Retributor-Prime
Stormdrake Guard (340)**
– Stormdrake-Prime
– Drakerider’s Lance

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Suffocating Gravetide (30)
1 x Aethervoid Pendulum (40)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Andtorian Acolytes
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Brett: Stormcast (SCE) have been a rarity for us lately, overtaken by more recent books, but they are still a solid faction, just not the easiest to play. The new GHB may help them with primal dice to buff their otherwise lacklustre casting and the Knight Incantor’s guaranteed deny. No surprises with Liví’s list having one then as well as the Lords Relictor, Castellant and a Battlemage. Essentially, the standard leadership group for SCE. Livi likes living on the edge, taking a 5 wound hero to set up a chance (on a 5+) of removing a spell from their opponent with Eater of Magic. Then doubling down with Merciless Blizzard.

4 leaders means Andtorian Acolytes is easily filled and primal dice are available on 3+. That small change means at least one extra primal dice in the course of a game. With Blizzard needing a 12 to cast that’s a strong bonus. The rest of the list is fairly standard, 4x Tempestors as the hammer unit backed by Retributors and Stormdrake. The Stormdrake’s mobility is their key asset while the Retributors and the Tempestors can benefit (once down) from the combination of Translocation (Lord Relictor) and Wildform (Battlemage) to get anywhere on the board with +2 to charge. That’s better than the Lord Imperatant’s 7″ strat because you can drop just outside 9 (say 9.2″), preventing redeploy but still having an effective 7″ charge.

Price drops (from 140 to 120) on Sequitors have seen them return to lists. They can do a surprising amount of mortal damage and can be a threat. More unusually, Livi has chosen to take Vanquishers, probably to save 20 points for Endless Spells. This is why the Lord Castellant has Arcane Tome. He has a built-in Mystic Shield with his lantern, leaving him free to deploy an Endless Spell. And in a move for innovation, this list has 2 Endless Spells to make up for the lack of ranged. Firstly, the Pendulum for a chance to snipe small heroes and cause annoying wounds and also Gravetide for some more anti horde. As always, the weakness for SCE is scoring from turn 3 onwards when they finally wear down your units. Being able to return a Battleline unit (Call for Aid) helps of course, especially Sequitors, that means you can return a threatening unit.

Solid hammers and a lot of answers make this a tight list in the end and allowed a solid recovery from the first round loss. Great work taking SCE this close to the podium.

Final Tournament Placings