This is the top three AoS lists for Crucible that took place in New Zealand on the 30th and 1st of October. It involved 44 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.
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The Top Three AoS Lists
Army Faction: Soulblight Gravelords
– Army Type: Vyrkos
– Grand Strategy: Lust for Domination
– Triumphs: Inspired
LEADER
1 x Nagash (900)*
1 x Vampire Lord (150)*
– General
– Command Traits: Shaman of the Chilled Lands
– Artefacts: Ulfenkarni Phylactery
– Spells: Flaming Weapon
BATTLELINE
30 x Deathrattle Skeletons (130)*
– Skeleton Champion
– 3 x Standard Bearer
10 x Dire Wolves (150)*
– Doom Wolf
10 x Dire Wolves (150)*
– Doom Wolf
ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Aethervoid Pendulum (40)
1 x Umbral Spellportal (80)
OTHER
4 x Myrmourn Banshees (90)*
3 x Fell Bats (90)*
CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment
TOTAL POINTS: (1980/2000)
Danny Wadeson: What we have here is a list that looks simple on the surface of things….and is simple beneath the surface too. It’s Nagash, and a shit load of chaff. Now, utilising Nagash well isn’t that simple, but essentially, he’s King-Magic-Man and likes bringing skellybobs back. You’ve got the Myrnmourn Banshees in there to deny opponent’s magic too, which seems somewhat overkill given Naggy’s +3 to unbinds, but hey, sometimes you really, really want to be the only one on the board flinging spells around. And it clearly works – taking down some tricksy factions, including stuff like IDK, which I’d have thought had the forward pressure necessary to give this list trouble. Would love to have seen some of these games!
Army Faction: Gloomspite Gitz
– Subfaction: Badsnatchers
– Grand Strategy: Chasing the Moon
– Triumph: Indomitable
LEADERS
Fungoid Cave-Shaman (110)*
– Spells: Itchy Nuisance
Fungoid Cave-Shaman (110)*
– Spells: The Hand of Gork
Dankhold Troggboss (210)**
– General
– Command Traits: Loonskin
– Artefacts of Power: Glowy Howzit
Webspinner Shaman (65)***
– Spells: Rupture
BATTLELINE
Fellwater Troggoths (170)**
Rockgut Troggoths (170)**
Rockgut Troggoths (170)**
Moonclan Shootas (120)***
Moonclan Shootas (120)***
Moonclan Stabbas (120)***
– Bad Moon Icon Bearer
– Gong Basher
– Stabba
– 3 Barbed Nets
BEHEMOTH
Aleguzzler Gargant (140)**
Mangler Squigs (260)***
OTHER
Gobbapalooza (170)***
– Spells: Levitate
ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Scuttletide (80)
1 x Geminids of Uhl-Gysh (50)
CORE BATTALIONS
*Andtorian Acolytes
**Battle Regiment
***Battle Regiment
TOTAL POINTS: 1985/2000
Lodivicus: I have to admit, when I was asked to do the analysis and commentary on this list, I felt like I was getting Punk’d a little bit. It’s VERY off-meta and illustrates the skill of Chris Kennedy and the level of internal balance Gloomspite Gitz currently has. If you’ve been wondering if it’s possible to 5-0 with a Gitz list that contains pretty much at least one of all the different keyword types in the faction, Chris is here to say “Yes!”
For most mixed lists in Gitz, one would expect that King’s Gitz would be the subfaction choice taken most often. But not here! Chris chose Badsnatchers (reroll one of the casting dice if another Badsnatchers Moonclan Wizard is wholly within 9”) with two Fungoid Cave-Shamans and the Gobbapalooza fitting the bill. Completing the Moonclan Grot portion of the list, two units of Moonclan Shootas and a unit of Moonclan Stabbas round out the list to act as screens, objective control, ranged support and increase the wound count of the list.
The Dankhold Troggboss general with his Glowy Howzit (4+ ward until he can no longer resist the urge to eat it) is one of the most durable general choices available in Gitz and pairs well with the Chasing the Moon Grand Strat. He also adds Scuttletide to the list for free with his Loonskin command trait and gives out the mighty +1 attack to Troggoths when being a Shepherd of Destruction. Completing the Troggoth portion of the list is two units of Rockgut Troggoths (durable hammers with throwin’ boulders) and a unit of Fellwater Troggoths (debuffing tech troggs with their terrible stench and noxious vomit).
The Squig component of the list is not met by the more common Squig Herd or Boingrot Bounderz component, but instead, Mangler Squigs takes the place in the list. With its faction specific monstrous rampage, Giant Boing! it can get pretty much anywhere it wants to go and deal pretty effective damage once there.
What would a mixed list be without a Spiderfang component? The Webspinner Shaman is one of the most popular Andtorian Locus choices due to his 65 point price tag and built in 5+ ward. In true off-meta fashion, Chris gave him the Frost spell Rupture instead of the more popular Hoarfrost or Merciless Blizzard. Considering this event happened 2 weeks after the Rupture nerf, I can only assume he expected that he might run into a lot of Incarnate lists and didn’t want to be without his Incarnate de-levelling tool or perhaps was a list submission deadline casualty.
We have all the four major keyword types in Gitz covered, but how could it truly be an all-encompassing mixed Gitz list without bringing an Aleguzzler Gargant to round it out? With his 3d6 charge and Hand of Gork in the list, this monster can reliably be delivered pretty much anywhere he’s needed. Once there, he can do things like the Smash to Rubble monstrous action to opposing faction terrain or act as a monstrous missile.
While I did not personally witness the event (I wish I had), if I had to hazard a guess (which apparently I do), I would bet that Chris’ opponents enjoyed playing against a list that was so off-meta with so many vastly different and fun components even when they lost to it. It’s definitely not the usual Gitz list you’d expect to see at an event. While I wasn’t provided with the exact lists that he ran into, looking at the factions/subfactions of his opponents it appears that he ran into several different archetypes and barrelled his way to a 5-0 finish with this mishmash crew of Gitz. Very impressive!
Army Faction: Seraphon
– Army Type: Starborne
– Subfaction: Dracothion’s Tail
– Grand Strategy: Spellcasting Savant
– Triumph: Inspired
LEADERS
Slann Starmaster (290)*
– General
– Command Traits: Arcane Might
– Artefacts of Power: Spacefolder’s Stave
– Spells: Hoarfrost
Skink Starpriest (130)*
– Spells: Cosmic Crush
Saurus Astrolith Bearer (140)**
Skink Starseer (150)**
– Spells: Merciless Blizzard
Lord Kroak (410)***
– Spells: Comet’s Call
BATTLELINE
Saurus Guard (140)**
Skinks (90)**
– Moonstone Club and Star-buckler
Skinks (90)**
– Moonstone Club and Star-buckler
BEHEMOTH
Bastiladon with Ark of Sotek (180)***
Bastiladon with Ark of Sotek (180)***
ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Aethervoid Pendulum (40)
1 x Umbral Spellportal (80)
1 x Malevolent Maelstrom (50)
TERRAIN
1 x Starborne Realmshaper Engine (0)
CORE BATTALIONS
*Andtorian Acolytes
**Battle Regiment
***Linebreaker
TOTAL POINTS: 1970/2000
I’m a Seraphon player, but there comes a point where you have to just hold up your scaly hands and say ‘it’s the wizard lizard list’. It’s always hard to write commentary on this list archetype because much of the skill comes from what you choose to summon, and where, and how you use it once it’s on the board, which obviously I have no way of knowing.
But for those unfamiliar with the engine in general, here’s how the list works. For every cast, unbind, and dispel, plus for every ‘cosmic node’ (wizards and wizardy shit like the Astrolith), you get a star power point. No, that isn’t the official name. Star power can be used to summon stuff, or do a shit load of MWs to stuff near aforementioned C-nodes. The Slann gets double star power be…wait…hold up…
He didn’t take the double star power command trait!! This is unheard of! He’s taken the ‘can control 3 endless spells and double their range’ trait! That would certainly allow him a lot more leeway in terms of positioning the somewhat fiddly Maelstrom, and allow for one of Kroak’s damage spells to go through the portal instead of Pendulum, which with double-range can much more reliably be cast normally. I can’t believe someone finally didn’t take Lord of Celestial Resonance, what a trailblazer.
There are also two Arks of Sotek because they’re cheap as fuck massive wound sponges with spike mortal potential.
But he didn’t take LoCR!!!
Army Faction: Maggotkin of Nurgle
– Subfaction: Munificent Wanderers
– Grand Strategy: Blessed Desecration
– Triumph: Inspired
LEADERS
Great Unclean One (430)*
– Doomsday Bell and Bileblade
– Artefacts of Power: The Witherstave
– Spells: Fleshy Abundance
Sloppity Bilepiper (120)*
– Artefacts of Power: Tome of a Thousand Poxes
– Spells: Gift of Disease
Rotbringer Sorcerer (120)*
– General
– Command Traits: Infernal Conduit
– Spells: Plague Squall
Sloppity Bilepiper (120)**
BATTLELINE
Plaguebearers (240)
– Plagueridden
– Icon Bearer
– Piper
Plaguebearers (120)
– Plagueridden
– Icon Bearer
– Piper
Plaguebearers (240)
– Plagueridden
– Icon Bearer
– Piper
OTHER
Nurglings (100)*
Nurglings (100)*
Beasts of Nurgle (100)**
Beasts of Nurgle (100)**
Plague Drones (200)**
– Icon Bearer
– Bell Toller
– Plaguebringer
TERRAIN
1 x Feculent Gnarlmaw (0)
CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Vanguard
TOTAL POINTS: 1990/2000
Roland Rivera: This is perhaps one of the most unexpected Nurgle lists I have seen since the 3rd edition book dropped. It picked one of the least-used subfactions (Munificent Wanderers), and is running some very rarely picked units in the Rotbringer Sorcerer (two of them even more so) and the Great Unclean One. The fact that this list went 3-0 in Day 1 is nothing short of remarkable. Take a bow, John, take a bow.
This list is clearly playing the objective game above all else, as its 50 Plaguebearers are not much to write home about offensively but can be extremely hard to shift when backed up by a Sloppity Bilepiper to prevent pile-ins and a caster using Fleshy Abundance to juice up their Wound count. It also uses Nurglings and Beasts for a bit of mobility, as well as potential pinning maneuvers. Plague Drones can also pitch in as pinners, while dealing enough damage that they have to be respected.
On the matter of Hero support, the Great Unclean One carries the Witherstave, which makes disease points more effective, and the Infernal Conduit command trait juices up the list’s summoning ability. All in all, a surprising list, but a pleasant surprise indeed.
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/O00KjF8dxX
