Category Archives: Nighthaunt

Age of Sigmar, Army Lists, Death, Destruction, Fantasy, Games Workshop, Gloomspite Gitz, Idoneth Deepkin, Nighthaunt, Order, Seraphon, Top three lists, Tournaments

Top Three AoS Lists from the Sunshine Coast Open

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Sunshine Coast Open took place in England, UK on 11th and 12th June. It involved 74 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three, I wanted to remind everyone of our friendly Discord server where you can join in the conversation with the Woehammer crew and suggest articles or series for the website.

Also if there’s a one day or two day tournament you’d like us to cover drop us a comment on this post and we’ll have a look at it for you.

Allegiance: Seraphon
– Constellation: Dracothion’s Tail
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Prized Sorcery
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (265)*
– General
– Command Trait: Ancient Knowledge
– Artefact: Godbeast Pendant
– Ancient Knowledge 2nd Spell: Mystical Unforging
– Spell: Stellar Tempest
Engine of the Gods (265)*
– Mount Trait: Starborne
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Curse
Saurus Astrolith Bearer (150)*

Battleline
20 x Skinks (150)*
– Boltspitters Celestite Daggers & Star Bucklers
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Skinks (75)*
– Boltspitters Celestite Daggers & Star Bucklers
5 x Saurus Guard (115)*

Units
2 x Salamander Hunting Pack (280)*
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Chameleon Skinks (230)*
– Reinforced x 1

Behemoths
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)*
– Allies

Endless Spells & Invocations
Chronomantic Cogs (45)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1975 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 400 / 400
Wounds: 87
Drops: 1

Incarnate bonded to slaan

Declan: To say Seraphon have done well in AoS3 is an understatement of the year. Chris has not taken Thunder Lizard, but has gone for magic. In order to compensate for the slightly reduction in survivability there’s an Incarnate! I don’t know how many of these we’ll see but they are nigh on impossible to kill in one turn (there are a few ‘instant kill’ abilities that can do it). It’ll be interesting how many Incarnate’s we’ll see given their high price point.

If I do play one soon I’ll be able to add some additional comments!! Well done to Chris – Seraphon may be the best army out there (or perhaps second), but to take them to a 5-0 still requires a high level of skill.

Allegiance: Nighthaunt
– Procession: Scarlet Doom
– Grand Strategy: Hold the Line
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Krulghast Cruciator (150)*
– General
– Command Trait: Cloaked in Shadow
Guardian of Souls (150)*
– Lore of the Underworlds: Seal of Shyish
Spirit Torment (115)*
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Underworlds: Shademist

Battleline
30 x Bladegheist Revenants (525)*
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Bladegheist Revenants (175)*
10 x Bladegheist Revenants (175)*
6 x Spirit Hosts (250)*
– Reinforced x 1

Units
4 x Myrmourn Banshees (105)*

Behemoths
Black Coach (335)*

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 100
Drops: 1

Matt rocks up undefeated with what must be the new Nighthaunt… how do I know – he’s got the Black Coach and is taking Nighthaunt! From one player in the UK with the Coach to three in one list at the Champions event this weekend, things have certainly changed for the ghostly bois!

No crossbow lads for Matt despite GW trying to flog them; but he has gone Bladegheists instead – and loads of them. They must be good to have gone 4-1-0 and the debuffs to opponents will be helping to keep them alive.

Allegiance: Idoneth Deepkin
– Enclave: Ionrach
– Grand Strategy: Hold the Line
– Triumphs: None

Leaders
Lotann, Warden of the Soul Ledgers (115)*
Akhelian Thrallmaster (110)**
Akhelian King (250)*
– General
– Bladed Polearm
– Command Trait: Unstoppable Fury
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mount Trait: Voidchill Darkness
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon

Battleline
3 x Akhelian Morrsarr Guard (195)*
3 x Akhelian Morrsarr Guard (195)*
20 x Namarti Reavers (340)*
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Namarti Reavers (170)**
10 x Namarti Reavers (170)**
10 x Namarti Thralls (130)**
10 x Namarti Thralls (130)**
3 x Akhelian Ishlaen Guard (195)*

Faction Terrain
Gloomtide Shipwreck

Total Points: 2,000

Declan Hazel has taken another of the new army releases, and like my recent comments there are reavers and thralls… lots of them! The reavers are the shooty ones, and although they have shorter range than the LRL Sentinels, they do move — and quick! — so expect them to grab some objectives whilst shooting you off the board.

It’s good to see different armies emerging since the release of the new book, but I would much prefer to see better internal balance (like Seraphon), than the famine & feast of the last two IDK books. Great work by Hazel!

Allegiance: Gloomspite Gitz
– Option: Glogg’s Megamob
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Hold the Line
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Dankhold Troggboss – Trev (240)*
– General
– Command Trait: Shepard of Idiotic Destruction
– Artefact: Aetherquartz-studded Hide
Fungoid Cave-Shaman – Freddie the Fungoid (95)**
– Lore of the Moonclans: The Hand of Gork
Madcap Shaman – Madcap Max (80)**
– Artefact: Moonface Mommet
– Lore of the Moonclans: Itchy Nuisance
Breaka-Boss on Mirebrute Troggoth – Mr Marvin Brute (180)*
– Allies

Battleline
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (290)***
– Reinforced x 1
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (290)***
– Reinforced x 1
3 x Fellwater Troggoths (155)***
3 x Fellwater Troggoths (155)**

Units
5 x Spider Riders (100)*
3 x Rippa’s Snarlfangs (70)*
1 x Marshcrawla Sloggoth – Drummer Dave (150)*

Behemoths
Aleguzzler Gargant – Gary (165)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
The Burning Head – Steve the Swamp Trogg (20)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Warlord
***Hunters of the Heartlands

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 330 / 400
Wounds: 141
Drops: 8

Declan – Peter has clearly listened to my comments about his last secret pick and gone down the list somewhat. And I’m surprised he only had to get to 10th to get a Gitz list. Dominic managed the holy grail of 2 draws… a result that’s probably rarer than a straight 5-0; and all with Troggs. As Stuart Hodges (Trogg) will tell us – Troggs are the best and Dominic has proven this with a Trogg list whose only allies are the Marshcrawler and MireBrute. This means it’s all Troggs, all the time.

To cement my opinion of Dominic being a genius amongst Troggs, he’s also got an Aleguzzler, Rippas & Spider Riders. Remember the Aleguzzler falls over on any double to charge (welcome back to AoS1… which everyone thought dead!) and Spider Riders with poison arrows in the fluff — but none anywhere near the army. I think the lads leave them at home to prevent friendly fire. Great list, and a frankly superb result. Well done Dominic — and more of these please Peter!

Final Tournament Placings

Age of Sigmar, Beasts of chaos, Blades of Khorne, Chaos, Cities of Sigmar, Daughters of Khaine, Death, Destruction, Disciples of Tzeentch, Fantasy, Flesh-Eater Courts, Fyreslayers, Games Workshop, Gloomspite Gitz, Hedonites of Slaanesh, Idoneth Deepkin, Ironjawz, Kharadron Overlords, Kruleboyz, Lumineth Realm-Lords, Maggotkin of Nurgle, Meta Analysis, Nighthaunt, Ogor Mawtribes, Order, Orruk Warclans, Ossiarch Bonereapers, Peter Holland, Seraphon, Skaventide, Sons of Behemat, Soulblight Gravelords, Stormcast Eternals, Sylvaneth, Tournaments

AoS Meta Stats (w/e 12th June 2022)

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On Reddit Warhammer 40k has the Meta Mondays posted by the brilliant u/JCMS85 on r/WarhammerCompetitive. So why can’t we have one for AoS? Well we can….

Here are the stats for all the Grand Tournaments that have taken place between Monday 6th June and Sunday 12th June 2022. These are all the GT’s that I can locate on Tabletop.to or BestCoastPairing, if you know of any others please send me a link and I’ll add them.

There was a total of 10 Grand Tournaments last week, however only 9 had data available to analyse. Valleycon 2022 was a 26 player tournament but no lists were available at the time of publishing these stats.

Grand Tournaments

Ranked from largest to smallest.

US Open San Diego – California/USA
74 Players

PositionFactionSubfactionResult
1stSeraphonThunder Lizard5-0-0
2ndCities of SigmarLiving City5-0-0
3rdCities of SigmarLiving City5-0-0
4thBonesplitterzDrakkfoot4-0-1
5thBlades of KhorneReapers of Vengeance4-0-1
6thLumineth Realm-LordsZaitrec4-0-1
7thStormcast EternalsHammers of Sigmar4-0-1
8thLegion of the First Prince4-0-1
9thBeasts of ChaosGavespawn4-0-1
10thSeraphonThunder Lizard4-0-1
San Diego Open

Atlantic City Open – New Jersey/USA
73 Players

PositionFactionSubfactionResult
1stMaggotkin of NurgleDrowned Men5-0-0
2ndSoulblight GravelordsLegion of Blood5-0-0
3rdMaggotkin of NurgleDrowned Men4-0-1
4thIdoneth DeepkinNautilar4-0-1
5thSkaventide4-0-1
6thDaughters of KhaineKhailebron4-0-1
7thDaughters of KhaineHagg Nar4-0-1
8thSons of BehematBreaker Tribe4-0-1
9thStormcast EternalsHammers of Sigmar4-0-1
10thLegion of the First Prince4-0-1
Atlantic City Open

GT de CAT – Catalunya/Spain
30 Players

PositionFactionSubfactionResult
1stSeraphonThunder Lizard5-0-0
2ndSeraphonThunder Lizard4-0-1
3rdLegion of the First Prince4-0-1
4thMaggotkin of NurgleDrowned Men4-0-1
5thSeraphonThunder Lizard4-0-1
6thNighthauntReikenor’s Condemned3-0-2
7thSylvaneth3-0-2
8thDaughters of KhaineKhailebron3-0-2
9thDisciples of TzeentchHosts Duplicitous3-0-2
10thKharadon OverlordsBarak-Zilfin3-0-2
GT de CAT

Mawtribes Massacre: Annihilation – England/UK
30 Players

PositionFactionSubfactionResult
1stStormcast EternalsHammers of Sigmar4-0-1
2ndIronjawzIronsunz4-0-1
3rdMaggotkin of NurgleDrowned Men4-0-1
4thSeraphonThunder Lizard4-0-1
5thFyreslayersGreyfyrd3-1-1
6thBeasts of ChaosGavespawn3-0-2
7thDaughters of KhaineHagg Nar3-0-2
8thStormcast EternalsHallowed Knights3-0-2
9thLegion of the First Prince3-0-2
10thSoulblight GravelordsVyrkos Dynasty3-0-2
Mawtribes Massacre: Annihilation

Sunshine Coast Open – England/UK
27 Players

PositionFactionSubfactionResult
1stSeraphonDracothion’s Tail5-0-0
2ndNighthauntScarlet Doom4-1-0
3rdIdoneth DeepkinIonrach4-0-1
4thSeraphonThunder Lizard3-1-1
5thSons of BehematTaker Tribe3-1-1
6thNighthauntEmerald Host3-0-2
7thLumineth Realm-LordsAlumnia3-0-2
8thCities of SigmarTempest’s Eye3-0-2
9thBeasts of ChaosGavespawn3-0-2
10thGloomspite GitzGlogg’s Megamob3-0-2
Sunshine Coast Open

Wargames for Warriors – Utah/USA
22 Players

PositionFactionSubfactionResult
1stLegion of the First Prince4-0-1
2ndDaughters of KhaineKhelt Nar4-0-1
3rdNighthauntEmerald Host4-0-1
4thSoulblight GravelordsKastelai Dynasty4-0-1
5thDaughters of KhaineZainthar Kai3-0-2
6thSlaves to DarknessRavagers3-0-2
7thStormcast EternalsHammers of Sigmar3-0-2
8thMaggotkin of NurgleBefouling Host3-0-2
9thSoulblight GravelordsKastelai Dynasty3-0-2
10thSoulblight GravelordsKastelai Dynasty3-0-2
Wargames for Warriors

Justice Series – England/UK
18 Players

PositionFactionSubfactionResult
1stMaggotkin of NurgleBefouling Host5-0-0
2ndDaughters of KhaineZainthar Kai4-0-1
3rdCities of SigmarTempest’s Eye4-0-1
4thNighthauntScarlet Doom3-0-2
5thMaggotkin of NurgleDrowned Men3-0-2
6thSoulblight GravelordsVyrkos Dynasty3-0-2
7thSons of BehematBreaker Tribe3-0-2
8thDaughters of KhaineZainthar Kai3-0-2
9thKruleboyzBig Yellers3-0-2
10thStormcast EternalsTempest Lords2-0-3
Justice Series

Game Knight AoS GT – Ontario/Canada
12 Players

PositionFactionSubfactionResult
1stIdoneth DeepkinMor’Phann5-0-0
2ndSons of BehematBreaker Tribe3-0-2
3rdOgor MawtribesBoulderhead3-0-2
4thStormcast EternalsHammers of Sigmar3-0-2
5thMaggotkin of NurgleMunificent Wanderers3-0-2
6thBonesplitterzIcebone3-0-0
7thLegion of the First Prince2-0-3
8thLumineth Realm-LordsZaitrec2-0-3
9thOssiarch BonereapersPetrifex Elite2-0-3
10thBlades of KhorneBaleful Lords2-0-3
Game Knight AoS GT

Grand Alliance Stats

286 players took part in 10 GT’s over the last week.

Grand AllianceWin RateArmies% Share of Armies5-0 Wins4+ Wins
Chaos54.5%5619.6%213
Order51.0%11941.6%622
Death46.6%4816.8%17
Destruction46.1%5622.0%05

Faction Stats

The below stat show the results for those factions represented by 5 armies or more only.

FactionWin RateArmies% Share of Armies5-0 Wins0-5 Losses
Seraphon66.2%132.27%31
Legion of the First Prince65.0%81.40%00
Maggotkin of Nurgle58.6%213.67%20
Idoneth Deepkin58.5%111.92%10
Soulblight Gravelords57.7%132.27%10
Cities of Sigmar57.0%101.75%20
Daughters of Khaine56.4%142.45%01
Lumineth Realm-Lords52.1%101.75%00
Ironjawz50.8%132.27%00
Sons of Behemat48.5%142.45%01
Ogor Mawtribes47.2%111.92%00
Nighthaunt46.7%213.67%02
Stormcast Eternals45.0%437.52%03
Kruleboyz44.3%111.92%01
Sylvaneth40.0%50.87%01
Hedonites of Slaanesh38.3%61.05%00
Skaventide37.9%71.22%00
Fyreslayers34.4%91.57%01
Ossiarch Bonereapers31.1%111.92%01
Gloomspite Gitz30.0%61.05%01

Despite Nighthaunt and Daughters of Khaine being released now for a couple of weeks, we still see Seraphon, Legion of the First Prince and Maggotkin of Nurgle topping the win rates. On top of that Seraphon managed to grab three 5-0 results this week.

As a rough guide factions should have win rates of between 45-55% to ensure the game is roughly balance (true balance being impossible). The above shows that 7 factions have exceeded this band (including the new Daughters of Khaine) with Seraphon and Legion of the First Prince have exceeded the 60% win rate barrier. There are also seven factions below this ideal range, including one of the new battletomes for 3rd Edition (Fyreslayers). While Stormcast Eternals have a win rate of 45% we have to bear in mind that this is the most popular faction and is often the ones new players use when first playing Age of Sigmar, so the range of skill of the players inside this faction will vary widely, while many of the other faction will have a dedicated fan base or have tournament players looking for a faction that provides them the best chance at good results.

Subfaction Stats

The below stat show the results for those subfactions represented by 5 armies or more only.

FactionSubfactionWin RateArmies5-0 Wins0-5 Losses
SeraphonThunder Lizard67.3%1121
Maggotkin of NurgleDrowned Men65.5%1110
Legion of the First Prince65.0%800
Lumineth Realm-LordsZaitrec60.9%500
Idoneth DeepkinNautilar58.6%600
Cities of SigmarLiving City58.3%620
NighthauntScarlet Doom54.3%700
Daughters of KhaineZainthar Kai54.3%700
Soulblight GravelordsVyrkos Dynasty53.3%600
Sons of BehematBreaker Tribe53.1%1000
Stormcast EternalsAstral Templars50.0%600
Stormcast EternalsHammers of Sigmar49.1%2301
IronjawzBloodtoofs44.2%900
KruleboyzBig Yellers43.4%801
Hedonites of SlaaneshLurid Haze42.0%500
NighthauntEmerald Host41.5%1302
FyreslayersGreyfyrd38.6%700
Skaventide37.9%700
Stormcast EternalsHallowed Knights35.6%901
Ossiarch BonereapersPetrifex Elite32.3%1001
Gloomspite Gitz24.0%501

The faction stats are pretty much replicated above with Lumineth Realm-Lords/Zaitrec joining the +60% club this week. Meanwhile despite Anthony Trentanelli’s heroics with Skaven recently (claiming two GT’s and going 4-1 this week) they still sit below 45% with a miserable 37.9% win rate. Will their new battletome and the Generals Handbook see a change in this though? A new tome can’t come soon enough for Gloomspite Gitz and Ossiarch Bonereapers….

Age of Sigmar, Army Lists, Cities of Sigmar, Destruction, Fantasy, Games Workshop, Nighthaunt, Order, Sons of Behemat, Top three lists, Tournaments

Top Three AoS Lists from the Quest of Champions – Heat 3

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Quest of Champions took place in Nottingham, UK on 4th and 5th June. It involved 34 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three, I wanted to remind everyone of our friendly Discord server where you can join in the conversation with the Woehammer crew and suggest articles or series for the website.

Also if there’s a one day or two day tournament you’d like us to cover drop us a comment on this post and we’ll have a look at it for you.

Allegiance: Sons of Behemat
– Tribe: Breaker Tribe (Fierce Loathing: Idiots with Flags)
– Grand Strategy: Beast Master
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Luther Kraken Botherer (525)*
Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant

Threeshanks (525)*
Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon

Dirk Bumscrounger (525)*
Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant
– Artefact: Vial of Manticore Venom (Universal Artefact)

Behemoths
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)
– Allies

Core Battalions
*Bosses of the Stomp – Magnificent

Total: 1975 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 400 / 400
Wounds: 105
Drops: 4

Danny: Sons of Behemat looked at the priority target list and said ‘hold my giant flagon of mead’. Then they allied in a near-unkillable Krondspine and brought the three most souped up, lethal big bois they could and took down another event. It’s not that SoB NEED a Krondspine to be competitive, but that thing certainly is cropping up in a fair old lists these days. There’s debate to be had whether a weird narrative-based model has much business in matched play but, it’s here – and it’s here to stay. I’d love to see the formation of this list in action – remember the K-spine gives out an aura of +1 to hit (which the literally and figuratively swingy Gatebreakers love) and prevents stuff from falling back, which COULD be a savage play for armies that don’t particularly want to stand toe to toe with a metric fuck-tonne of angry gargant. Either way, congrats to Dan for the big win while putting more or less as much of a twist on comp SoB as is possible at the moment.

Allegiance: Big Waaagh!
– Grand Strategy: Dominating Presence
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Orruk Megaboss (140)
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Weird: Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork
Orruk Warchanter (115)
– Warbeat: Fixin’ Beat
Orruk Warchanter (115)
– Warbeat: Get ‘Em Beat
Breaka-Boss on Mirebrute Troggoth (180)
– Artefact: Mork’s Eye Pebble
– Mount Trait: Fast ‘Un
Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot (105)
– Lore of the Swamp: Nasty Hex
Wurrgog Prophet (150)
– Artefact: Glowin’ Tattooz
– Lore of the Savage Beast: Gorkamorka’s War Cry

Battleline
15 x Orruk Ardboys (255)*
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Orruk Ardboys (170)*
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Orruk Brutes (160)
– Jagged Gore-hackas

Units
3 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (170)*
– Jagged Gore-hackas
3 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (170)
– Jagged Gore-hackas
6 x Man-skewer Boltboyz (240)
– Reinforced x 1

Core Battalions
*Hunters of the Heartlands
**Warlord
***Warlord

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 151
Drops: 12

Danny: Big Waagh may not have taken down many GTs recently but it’s still proving relevant thanks to its combined toolkit. And this go-wide, non-monster list deviates some from the usual scope of what does well – dismounting the Megaboss from the murder cabbage keeps points down and avoids giving up double points now they’re on priority targets. The rest of the HQ selection is the standard double Warchanter, guided missile-Mirebrute and Ol’ Explodin’ Head himself, the Wurrgog. 15 and 10 ‘Ardboyz makes for what is always a surprisingly effective tarpit with 5 brutes for hitty-battleline, and the list is rounded out by mobile Hogs and 6 boltboys to bring ranged MW potential. Fun, mean, green – and effective!

Allegiance: Cities of Sigmar
– City: Tempest’s Eye
– Grand Strategy: Hold the Line
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Anointed on Flamespyre Phoenix (290)
Anointed on Flamespyre Phoenix (290)*
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of Eagles: Aura of Glory

Battleline
20 x Phoenix Guard (350)*
– Reinforced x 1
20 x Phoenix Guard (350)*
– Reinforced x 1
20 x Phoenix Guard (350)*
– Reinforced x 1
20 x Phoenix Guard (350)*
– Reinforced x 1

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 104
Drops: 2

Danny: Here’s how this list works. For some reason, 175 points of Phoenix Guard gets you 10 wounds on a 4 up ward and 2, 2″ attacks at 3/3/-1/1 each. That’s already one of the best battleline units in the game and this list packs 80 of them. The frosting on top of this stabby cake is two Anointed on Flamespyre Phoenixs – they’re not especially killy in melee but do 5 mortals (on top bracket) just for flying over a unit (with their 16″ move), also have a 4+ ward, and come back to life fully healed on a 4-6 after you kill it. Oh and it has a 12″ aura of re-roll wounds for Phoenix Guard command ability. Let that sink in – an entire army on a 4+ ward, two flying monster heroes who do FIVE mws for flying over you and have a 50/50 chance of needing to be fully killed twice, each.

Army Faction: Nighthaunt
– Army Subfaction: The Scarlet Doom
– Grand Strategy: Hold the Line
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADER
Dreadblade Harrow (145)**
Lady Olynder (340)**
– Spells: Shademist, Seal of Shyish
Spirit Torment (115)**
– General
– Command Traits: Cloaked in Shadow
Kurdoss Valentian (210)**
Cairn Wraith (115)**
– Artefacts: Reaper of Sorrows

BATTLELINE
Grimghast Reapers (320)*
– Reinforced x1
Bladegheist Revenants (175)*
Bladegheist Revenants (175)*
Bladegheist Revenants (175)**
Spirit Hosts (125)**

OTHER
Chainghasts (95)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Hunters of the Heartlands
**Warlord – additional spell

TOTAL POINTS: (1990/2000)

Danny: New Nighthaunt alert! In a weird way it’s always slightly reassuring when new books place in the 10-3 mark – it kinda implies they’re not immediately too strong and are going to take a little figuring out, but can also be relevant and compete. the new book has some excellent sub factions, and this list leans heavily into Scarlet Doom which allows Bladegheist Revenants to do mortals on a 5+ per MODEL on the charge – nice, considering the new book’s various debuffs ON the charge, including -1 to hit – which combined with their being unrendable and having a targeted 5 up ward can make them frighteningly difficult to chew through. Kurdoss and Olynder both made out like spoopy bandits in the new book too, with the former becoming a beat-stick at a competitive price and Olynder packing all sorts of utility and great spells. There are a LOT of rules to cover with New-haunt, but that gives you the overview – big blobs of ghosts swarming you, stealing objectives and being really annoying to whittle down while a suite of heroes float around offering targeted support. A high skill floor, but great to see them haunting competitions more effectively than ever.

Final Tournament Placings

Age of Sigmar, Army Lists, Death, Destruction, Fantasy, Games Workshop, Maggotkin of Nurgle, Nighthaunt, Order, Sons of Behemat, Sylvaneth, Top three lists, Tournaments

Top Three AoS Lists from Vault Wars 2022

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Vault Wars took place in Missouri, USA on 14th and 15th May. It involved 39 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

Vault Wars differs in that each player takes two lists with so 250 points being changed between the lists. The idea being that each player can choose the list yet think most suits their opponent. For the purpose these top three we will only look at their first lists.

Before I jump into the Top Three, I wanted to remind everyone of our friendly Discord server where you can join in the conversation with the Woehammer crew and suggest articles or series for the website.

1st Place – Tom Lyons

Tom won all five games over the weekend. Along the way they beat Sons of Behemat/Breaker Tribe in round 1, Maggotkin of Nurgle/Drowned Men in round 2, Idoneth Deepkin/Dhom-Hain in round 3, Maggotkin of Nurgle/Befouling Host in round 4 and Lumineth Realm-Lords/Syar in Round 5.

Allegiance: Nighthaunt
– Procession: Reikenor’s Condemned
– Grand Strategy: Prized Sorcery
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Dreadblade Harrow (100)**
– General
– Command Trait: Ruler of the Spirit Hosts
– Artefact: Pendant of the Fell Wind
Guardian of Souls with Nightmare Lantern (135)**
– Artefact: Corpse Candle
– Lore of the Underworlds: Shademist
Guardian of Souls with Nightmare Lantern (135)
– Lore of the Underworlds: Shademist
Krulghast Cruciator (120)***
– Artefact: Midnight Tome – Reaping Scythe
Reikenor the Grimhailer (145)***
– Lore of the Underworlds: Soul Cage
Spirit Torment (115)***

Battleline
30 x Chainrasp Horde (285)*
– Reinforced x 2
20 x Chainrasp Horde (190)*
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Chainrasp Horde (95)

Units
2 x Chainghasts (75)**
10 x Dreadscythe Harridans (160)*
4 x Myrmourn Banshees (75)
2 x Chainghasts (75)***

Behemoths
Black Coach (200)

Endless Spells & Invocations
Mortalis Terminexus (85)

Core Battalions
*Hunters of the Heartlands
**Warlord
***Warlord

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Artefact

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 127
Drops: 14

Danny: What have these Nighthaunt players got to prove, with all this big wins on the eve of the new book! Reikenor’s Condemned is an interesting sub-faction that requires a wide variety of units – the tl;dr is that it offers re-roll hits to Chainrasps and Stalkers, can bring even more models back, and gives Stalkers +6″ movement. So it’s a tight list of requirements but offers a lot of utility. With 5 heroes and a Black Coach there’s an awful lot of overlapping synergy going on in general – but a key piece is the Cruciator who buffs the death ward of 6 to a 5 if he inflicts a wound on anything – with 12″ range, 4 attacks 3/3/-2/1 that’s not usually TOO hard. Beware folks – all of this has just got much, much better…

2nd Place – Justin Newman

Justin managed four wins over the two days and lost a fifth. Along the way they beat Fyreslayers/Greyfyrd in round 1, Hedonites of Slaanesh/Lurid Haze in round 2, Soulblight Gravelords/Legion of Blood in round 3, then lost against 1st placed Tom in round 4 before beating Sylvaneth/Gnarlroot in round 5.

Allegiance: Maggotkin of Nurgle
– Subfaction: Befouling Host
– Grand Strategy: Hold the Line
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Horticulous Slimux (225)**
Sloppity Bilepiper, Herald of Nurgle (130)**
Lord of Afflictions (210)*
– General
– Command Trait: Overpowering Stench
– Artefact: The Splithorn Helm
Orghotts Daemonspew (300)*

Battleline
1 x Beasts of Nurgle (110)**
1 x Beasts of Nurgle (110)**
2 x Pusgoyle Blightlords (220)*
1 x Beasts of Nurgle (110)**
1 x Beasts of Nurgle (110)**
1 x Beasts of Nurgle (110)**
1 x Beasts of Nurgle (110)*
1 x Beasts of Nurgle (110)*
1 x Beasts of Nurgle (110)*

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

Total: 1965 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 117
Drops: 2

Danny: Maggotkin with Befouling Host is emerging as the premier alternative to Drowned Men – Gnarlmaws are pretty darn sweet and offer lots of synergy (and contagion points!) now, so the ability to take 2 offers flexibility. This list is a semi-creative take on the Beast of Nurgle spam list – with two of the funniest characters in the game (who also happen to offer a tonne of buffs and synergy) – Sloppity and Horticulous – and Daemonspew for a nice single-model hammer. Beasts are basically a nightmare to pin down – they can run retreat/charge, put disease points on units they retreat from, and do d3 mortals on a 2+ when they make a charge. You can probably see how the list functions now.

3rd Place – Bryce Wickline

Bryce finished the weekend with one loss and four wins. His path saw him beat Idoneth Deepkin/Nautilar in round 1, Sylvaneth/Gnarlroot in round 2, Maggotkin of Nurgle/Blessed Sons in round 3, Soulblight Gravelords/Legion of Blood in round 4. This was followed by a loss to Idoneth Deepkin/Nautilar in round 5.

Allegiance: Sons of Behemat
– Tribe: Breaker Tribe (Fierce Loathing: Idiots with Flags)
– Grand Strategy: Beast Master
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Kragnos, The End of Empires (720)
Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant (525)*
– General
– Command Trait: Louder than Words
– Artefact: Enchanted Portcullis
Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant (525)*
– Artefact: Amulet of Destiny (Universal Artefact)

Battleline
1 x Mancrusher Gargants (170)

Core Battalions
*Bosses of the Stomp – Magnificent

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1940 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 100
Drops: 4

Danny: Sons are in an interesting place – they’re still great, but in certain matchups the Priority points they give up handicap more than perhaps is fair. Still, 2 Gate-breakers (the hardest hitting ones) with a 3d6 charge next to big ol’ Chadnos, and a more ‘throwaway’ (it’s all relative with Sons…) Mancrusher offers a nice hierarchy of pain, and kinda gives each warscroll a more dedicated role than the usual 4 big’uns. Sons aren’t going anywhere despite having a big crosshair painting on their enormous butts!

Wildcard – Brendan Melnick

Brendan won three games and lost two, ending his weekend in a very respectful 11th. Along the way he beat Bonesplitterz/Icebone in round 1, then lost against 3rd placed Bryce in round 2. This was followed by wins against Maggotkin of Nurgle/Drowned Men in round 3 Legion of the First Prince in round 4. In the last round he lost against Maggotkin of Nurgle/Befouling.

Allegiance: Sylvaneth
– Glade: Gnarlroot
– Grand Strategy: Prized Sorcery
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Warsong Revenant (275)*
– General
– Command Trait: Nurtured by Magic
– Artefact: Chalice of Nectar
– Deepwood Spell: Throne of Vines
Treelord Ancient (280)*
– Deepwood Spell: Treesong
Branchwraith (95)*
– Deepwood Spell: Regrowth

Battleline
20 x Dryads (190)*
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Tree-Revenants (80)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (80)*

Units
3 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatswords (225)*
6 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Scythes (430)*
– Reinforced x 1

Behemoths
Treelord (180)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Chronomantic Cogs (45)
Umbral Spellportal (70)
Spiteswarm Hive (40)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 111
Drops: 1

Danny: Gotta love those plucky murder-trees juicing the old…so very old… book for all its worth. This version revolves (as does any competitive build now) around the Warsong Bomb – that’s what all the endless spells are for essentially, to add cast attempts and extend range for fully loading up on the Warsong’s scroll spell. It also brings two Treelord (and ancient and normal) for save stacking, synergy, and durable monsters, and rounds it off with a killer tree blob – 6 sycthes (great value, good rend) and 3 swords (can spike mortals on 6s to wound) offering play into both hordes and tankier, high save stuff. Doesn’t look like 3-2 is going to be the best this kind of list can do for long – but congrats for the result on hard-mode in the meantime!

Final Tournament Placings