This is the top three AoS lists for the War In The Heartlands – Act 3 that took place in the UK on the 18th and 19th of November. It saw 100 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

With a very large field of players in. a five round competition four players achieved five wins and no losses (5/0/0). I’ve included all of those lists instead of just the top 3.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Maggotkin of Nurgle
– Army Subfaction: Befouling Host
– Grand Strategy: Corrupt Arcane Nexus
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADER
1 x Great Unclean One (430)
– General
– Command Traits: Nurgling Infestation – Doomsday Bell and Plague Flail
– Artefacts: The Witherstave
– Spells: Fleshy Abundance
1 x The Glottkin (580)
– Spells: Rancid Visitations
1 x Orghotts Daemonspew (320)
1 x Morbidex Twiceborn (290)*

BATTLELINE
10 x Plaguebearers (120)*
– Plagueridden
– Icon Bearer
– Piper
10 x Plaguebearers (120)*
– Plagueridden
– Icon Bearer
– Piper
10 x Plaguebearers (120)*
– Plagueridden
– Icon Bearer
– Piper

TERRAIN
1 x Feculent Gnarlmaw (0)
1 x Feculent Gnarlmaw (0)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1980/2000)

Fresh (for Nurgle!) from being part of England’s victorious 6 Nations team, Max brought his beautifully painted and very pus-filled army to take out War in the Heartlands. And what a difference a few points changes make! The Garden of Nurgle has gone through a bit of a feculent regrowth recently with points drops to a couple of the big chaps and the little chaps, meaning that Max’s list is 80 points cheaper than it would have been before the recent battle scroll update allowing to squeeze even more into the list. In addition, with the double-Gnarlmaw and Befouling Host combo, Max is certainly summoning something in, from a Beast of Nurgle, more Plaguebearers or even a Great Unclean One.

Another great option for Max to bring in is Sloppity Bilepiper who is able to use his Jolly Gutpipes to play such classics as My Love Is Like a Ripe, Ripe Fart that prevents pile-in moves. With the four big Nurgle heroes doing most of the lifting in this list, preventing enemies from getting their maximum number of attacks by piling in while being at their own maximum efficiency is a real force-divider for the opponent.

Of the big boys, Orghotts is probably the most straightforward, but is still an absolute beatstick, with 5 damage 3 and 7 damage 2 attacks with a D6 damage shooting attack thrown in there too. He also comes with a free CP per turn if you want that D6 damage attack to be hitting and wounding on 2s.

Next up is Morbidex Twiceborn, who can bring back Nurgling bases, but what he mainly brings to the party is that at the end of the battleshock phase (so the opponent’s too) he heals half his wounds, rounding up. So get him down to 1 wound in your combat phase to see that go up to 7 wounds, then heal D3 in the opponent’s hero phase followed by a few more at the end of the next battleshock phase. If you can’t kill him in one go, don’t bother, but easier said than done on a 3+ save and 12 wounds on a 5+ ward.

The Great Unclean One is one of the Loci of Fecundity, which means that Nurgle models heal D3 within 14″ of one of these Loci instead of just the 1 wound, helping Morbidex to be the irritant that he is. It also has its own Monstrous Action to do 4 mortals on a 2+ when at top bracket and is no slouch in combat either, especially with all the Nurglings doing a tonne of attacks that can spread disease, which will then proc on a 3+ because of the Witherstave.

The second Locus of Fecundity is The Glottkin on a truly monstrous 27ish wounds, after factoring in the 5+ ward, is a two cast wizard and has one of the coolest named warscroll abilities in Sigmar called Blightkrieg when The Glottkin and another unit can make a charge at the end of the enemy movement phase. Anyone who has faced Khorne knows exactly how powerful this is and being able to give this lump of pustulant flesh any free movement while also stomping something at the other end is fantastic.

Plaguebearers are also in the list and, while they won’t kill much, they are absolutely non-trivial kills themselves as they have 2 wounds, a 5+ ward, can go up to 3 wounds a model with a spell and can return models on a battleshock roll of a 1, which can be enough to tip an objective in Max’s favour…something that I discovered in our Round 5 game, costing me 2 points as the extra Plaguebearer dropped me from Hold 1, Hold 2, Hold More to just Hold 1.

So what did I learn about how the list plays? It is a very tough list and when piloted by someone with Max’s skill expression, a couple of breaks need to go your way to have a shot. There are aspects of a DPS-check army (i.e. can you do enough damage to it before it kills you) that has some similarities with Gargants, but with the extra mechanic of 5+ wards, summoning, the healing and having some really cheap battlelines being able to grab objectives, it’s one of the top armies at the moment. But it was a really fun game and Max is a true gentleman and a worthy winner of the event.

Army Faction: Seraphon
– Army Type: Starborne
– Subfaction: Fangs of Sotek
– Grand Strategy: Spellcasting Savant
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Skink Oracle on Troglodon (270)
– Artefacts of Power: Sacred Stegadon Helm
– Spells: Cosmic Crush
Skink Starseer (150)*
– General
– Command Traits: Shaman of the Chilled Lands
– Spells: Speed of Huanchi
Skink Starpriest (130)*
– Spells: Merciless Blizzard
Lord Kroak (410)**
Saurus Astrolith Bearer (140)**

BATTLELINE
Saurus Guard (140)**
Raptadon Chargers (300)**
– Raptadon Charger Alpha
– 2 x Hornblower
– 2 x Icon Bearer
Saurus Warriors (360)**
– Saurus Warrior Alpha
– Celestite Club
– 2 x War-drummer
– 2 x Icon Bearer

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Malevolent Maelstrom (50)
1 x Aethervoid Pendulum (40)

TERRAIN
1 x Starborne Realmshaper Engine (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Andtorian Acolytes
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1990/2000

Army Faction: Idoneth Deepkin
– Subfaction: Fuethán
– Grand Strategy: Overshadow
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Isharann Tidecaster (130)*
– General
– Command Traits: Teachings of the Túrscoll
– Artefacts of Power: Rune of the Surging Gloomtide
– Spells: Steed of Tides
Lotann (110)**

BATTLELINE
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)*
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)*
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)*
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)*
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades

BEHEMOTH
Akhelian Leviadon (400)*
– Mount Traits: Reverberating Carapace

TERRAIN
1 x Gloomtide Shipwreck (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1990/2000

Akhelian Allopexes are costed as units of 3 but shown as singles. There are 3 units of 3 with each unit costing 450pt.

Army Faction: Idoneth Deepkin
– Subfaction: Fuethán
– Grand Strategy: Akhelian Pursuit
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Lotann (110)*
Isharann Tidecaster (130)**
– General
– Command Traits: Teachings of the Túrscoll
– Artefacts of Power: Rune of the Surging Gloomtide
– Spells: Steed of Tides

BATTLELINE
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)*
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)*
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)*
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)*
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades
Akhelian Allopexes (Bloodthirsty Shiver) (450)**
– Razorshell Harpoon Launcher, Barbed Hooks and Blades

BEHEMOTH
Akhelian Leviadon (400)**
– Mount Traits: Reverberating Carapace

TERRAIN
1 x Gloomtide Shipwreck (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1990/2000

Akhelian Allopexes are costed as units of 3 but shown as singles. There are 3 units of 3 with each unit costing 450pt.

Army Faction: Orruk Warclans
– Army Type: Big Waaagh!
– Grand Strategy: Spellcasting Savant

LEADERS
Swampcalla Shaman and Pot-grot (100)*
– General
– Command Traits: Eye of the Blizzard
– Spells: Merciless Blizzard
Wurrgog Prophet (170)*
– Artefacts of Power: Glowin’ Tattooz
– Spells: Hoarfrost
Gobsprakk (240)**
Orruk Megaboss (140)**
– Artefacts of Power: Destroyer
Orruk Warchanter (120)**
– Warbeats: Fixin’ Beat
Swampboss Skumdrekk (280)***

BATTLELINE
Gutrippaz (150)***
– Gutrippa Banner Bearer
– Gutrippa Drummer
– Gutrippa Boss
– Wicked Stikka
Orruk Brutes (280)***
– Brute Boss
– Jagged Gore-hacka
– Boss Choppa
– 2 x Gore-choppa
Hobgrot Slittaz (80)***
– Scrap Totem Bearer
– Noise-maker
– Hobgrot Boss

OTHER
Brute Ragerz (200)***
– 6 x Mighty Gore-hacka
Man-skewer Boltboyz (240)***
– Boltboy Boss

CORE BATTALIONS
*Andtorian Acolytes
**Command Entourage
– Magnificent
***Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

After doing reasonably well with Kruleboyz and Tzeentch, but never cracking that 4-1 wall, I was really chuffed to finally be able to get there at Heartlands in such a great field of opponents. The new Orruk battle tactics have definitely helped Big Waaagh recently and the list is build with these in mind. Sneak Up is a great early or late battle tactics for putting all Kruleboyz units within 3″ of a terrain feature; Dat’s Our Turf Now! just needs two Ironjawz units within 6″ of the centre; the general is a Kruleboyz general, opening up Take Dat You Suckas! for doing 10 wounds and not taking 10 in return; Wait For It, Ladz just needs 30 Waaagh points. If you can do all of these very doable tactics and then get one more from the GHB, often Intimidate the Invaders or Magical Dominance, then you practically have to be tabled not to score 5 battle tactics.

With the general being the Swampcalla to access Take Dat You Suckas!, it made sense to also make him the focus of the Grand Strategy too as the other common option, Waaagh, needs him or a battleline unit to also not only be alive, but in your opponent’s territory too. On a turn-by-turn basis, he’s mostly there to buff the boltboyz, but by putting Merciless Blizzard on him too means that I have a 12″ exclusion zone around him and the Wurrgog has his own 12″ no-go zone too. Speaking of the Wurrgog, he did win me game two by staring off Alarielle the bottom of turn 5, but don’t sleep on his warscroll spell either. It is a ‘roll the number of dice in the unit spell’ but, if cast on a 10+ (and Primals can modify), it does mortals on 4s at 24″ away. That spell took out 18 Blissbarbs of 30 in one hero phase and gives him a bit of extra utility.

Speaking of Primals, I wanted to maximise my number of these so had the Andtorian Acolytes battalion and the Command Ability to get an extra one in my hero phase on a 5+. While sometimes these missed, there were several hero phases when I had 5 Primal Dice ready to go, either for my own casting or for Gobsprakk to do his thing and cause D6 mortals to wizards. Though he didn’t actually take out any wizards at this event, the threat was always there and, with the number of Primal Dice I often had, many opponents just skipped casting magic.

Other honourable mentions go to the Megaboss on Foot with the Destroyer artifact, who has the fight-on-death ability to make him a real thorn in any opponent’s side for the bargain price of 140pts. It allows you to attack elsewhere first, knowing that the Megaboss will definitely get to attack and, if the Megaboss somehow survives, then, unless your opponent shoots him off or kills him with magic (but see Gobsprakk above), he’s going to get to hit again. The other big winner from this list is the point when you hit 20 Waaagh points and have +1 to hit and +1 to wound. Having this on your whole army is spectacularly good, making the output really consistent AND allowing you to use CP for All Out Defense while not reducing the damage.

All my opponents were absolutely fantastic to play, with nailbiting moments in every game and Mark and Liam run a fantastic event with Cameos this year from the Cookie Monster, Admiral Adama and Hodor encouraging us to hold the objectives! If you get a chance, grab a ticket and I’ll hopefully see you next year!

Final Tournament Placings

To view all of the results for the tournament please follow the link below to Best Coast Pairings

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