Category Archives: Soulblight Gravelords

Top Three AoS Lists for Shirecon 2023

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This is the top three AoS lists for Shirecon 2023 that took place in the Sydney, Australia on the 29th and 30th of April. It involved 20 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Soulblight Gravelords
– Army Type: Legion of Blood
– Grand Strategy: Empire of Corpses
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty


LEADERS
Neferata (390)*
– Spells: Waste Away
Vampire Lord (130)*
– Artefacts of Power: Amulet of Screams
– Spells: Spirit Gale
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Cado Ezechiar (135)*
– Spells: Soulpike
Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon (440)**
– General
– Command Traits: Doomed Minions
– Deathlance
– Artefacts of Power: Cloak of Mists and Shadows
– Spells: Vile Transference

BATTLELINE
Deathrattle Skeletons (85)*
– Standard Bearer
– Skeleton Champion
Deathrattle Skeletons (85)**
– Standard Bearer
– Skeleton Champion
Deathrattle Skeletons (85)**
– Standard Bearer
– Skeleton Champion

OTHER
Grave Guard (280)**
– Seneschal
– Great Wight Blade
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Hornblower
Grave Guard (280)**
– Seneschal
– Great Wight Blade
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Hornblower
Fell Bats (85)**

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1995/2000

I’m going to be writing a lot of similar commentaries aren’t I?

It’s Legion of Blood, with Neferata, the usual ethereal VloZd – and msu deathrattle.

However, the list differs a little from the archetype by doubling down on the Graveguard blobs, with a foot vampire to support them. He’s also packing the fantastic Amulet of Screams for threatening wizards with mortals every time they cast to shore up the Soulblight weakness to magic in general.

Cado also makes an appearance, which is nice to see – he’s still a really solid little indie operator with a lot of tactical flexibility, and even though he loses out on faction synergy, he’s still a great tech piece.

I imagine the new Bonereapers were the biggest threat to Qifan’s campaign, but they couldn’t stop Neffie’s roll, and so we enshrine another SBGL 5-0 in the books, and add another tick to the GW ‘nerf column’…

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– Army Faction: Ossiarch Bonereapers
– Subfaction: Petrifex Elite
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Inspired


LEADERS
Katakros (440)*
Mortisan Boneshaper (120)*
– General
– Command Traits: Diversionary Tactics
– Artefacts of Power: Artisan’s Key
– Spells: Drain Vitality
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Liege-Kavalos (180)*

BATTLELINE
Immortis Guard (400)*
Necropolis Stalkers (220)*
– Dread Falchions
Kavalos Deathriders (170)*
– Mortek Hekatos
– Necrophoros
– Nadirite Blade
Necropolis Stalkers (220)*
– Dread Falchions

OTHER
Morghast Archai (240)*
– Spirit Halberd

TERRAIN
1 x Bone-tithe Nexus (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1990/2000

Roland Rivera: Ossiarch Bonereapers have roared onto the scene since the release of their 3rd edition Battletome, and this Petrifex Elite list showcases some of the major reasons behind their success, which are potent elite troops, tons and tons of buffs, and more mobility than what you’d expect from looking at the Move stat on their warscrolls. A note that has to be provided coming in is that this tournament used the Petrifex Elite subfaction ability that was printed on the Ossiarch Bonereapers Battletome, which reduced incoming damage against units with the Hekatos keyword by 1, to a minimum of 1 (it has since been changed by FAQ to be -1 to wound those units in melee). This ability made its elite units very durable against most means of attack, and combined with the healing afforded by Katakros and the Mortisan Boneshaper to make this a very resilient list.

Speaking of Katakros, he is the engine that makes this list go. His Supreme Lord of the Bonereaper Legions command (which hands out +1 to hit and +1 to save in a huge bubble) is a fantastic force multiplier, and he has several other abilities to go with it and can contribute in combat in a pinch (though note that the Supreme Lord of the Bonereaper Legions cannot be issued if Katakros is in combat). The Mortisan Boneshaper does his part by being a Drain Vitality/Mystic Shield caddy that can also do a bit of healing and carries around the Diversionary Tactics command trait for -3 to opposing charges within 12″ of it. The Liege-Kavalos is quick, durable, and can issue Endless Duty for +1 Attacks.

This list also boasts a pretty impressive troop lineup to soak up all these buffs. Immortis Guard are a great grindhouse unit that can both hit hard and take a hit, Necropolis Stalkers are punchy and sneaky-fast thanks to Relentless Advance for +3″ move and Hunt and Kill for run & charge, and the Morghasts are fast fliers that can shut off command abilities. Last but certainly not least, the Kavalos Deathriders are a versatile tech unit that has speed, good durability, and can contribute some damage with their impact hits on the charge.

All in all, while this list is a bit thin on bodies compared to some other armies (something that likely was a factor in its loss to Soulblight), it’s generally good enough at fighting to make up for it.

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– Army Faction: Hedonites of Slaanesh
Army Type: Pretenders
Grand Strategy: Glutton for Depravity
Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Contorted Epitome (190)*
– Spells: Born of Damnation
Keeper of Secrets (400)*
– General
– Command Traits: Strength of Godhood
– Shining Aegis
– Artefacts of Power: The Crown of Dark Secrets
– Spells: Phantasmagoria
Lord of Pain (135)*
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master

BATTLELINE
Blissbarb Archers (300)*
Blissbarb Archers (150)*
Blissbarb Archers (150)*

OTHER
Blissbarb Seekers (200)*
Slickblade Seekers (400)*

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Mesmerising Mirror (60)

TERRAIN
1 x Fane of Slaanesh (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1985/2000

Flexibility and speed like all Hedonites lists. Everything fits in a Battle Regiment to give initiative control. The Grand Strategy is to have 36 Depravity Points (DP) at the end of the battle, and the list is designed to deliver. 3 Blissbarb Archers (1 reinforced) and a reinforced Slickblade Seeker unit will create a lot of DP opportunities through temptations and euphoric killers. The Keeper of Secrets can amp up the Slickblade, granting improved rend and damage to himself. Assuming Phantasmorgoria is on the right enemy unit, it can keep the Slickblade from getting clapped as well. And if this isn’t generating enough DP, the Contorted Epitome is better than 60% chance to generate 3 more a turn. Mesmerising Mirror adds to this feast of DP as well.

The list still has 2 Galletian Champions (Epitome and Lord of Pain). The Lord of Pain has the mobility through Tunnel Master. Park him on a remote objective if the centre is won and support him with the Blissbarb Seekers to use his buff to create a really annoying nest, especially late game. Everything in this list is focused on generating DP or survival (for the Keeper), making it very likely that from Turn 2 on the whole list is doing mortals on 6s and has a 5+ ward. That was enough to stop almost everything except new Bonereapers in their tracks. A tough list to face, so much of this list is mutually supporting but also expendable.

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– Allegiance: Big Waaagh!
Mortal Realm: Ghur
Grand Strategy: Waaagh!
Triumphs:

LEADERS
Orruk Warchanter (120)*
– Warbeat: Get ‘Em Beat
Orruk Warchanter (120)*
– Warbeat: Fixin’ Beat
Orruk Weirdnob Shaman (90)*
– General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Lore of the Weird: Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork
Orruk Megaboss (140)**
– Artefact: Destroyer
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot (100)**
– Lore of the Swamp: Choking Mist
Wurrgog Prophet (170)**
– Artefact: Glowin’ Tattooz
– Lore of the Savage Beast: Gorkamorka’s War Cry
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage

BATTLELINE
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)**
– 1x Gorkamorka Banner Bearers
10 x Orruk Brutes (300)***
– Jagged Gore-hackas
– 2x Gore Choppas
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Orruk Brutes (150)****
– Jagged Gore-hackas
– 1x Gore Choppas

UNITS
4 x Ironskull’s Boyz (80)****
6 x Man-skewer Boltboyz (240)*
– Reinforced x 1
3 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (170)***
– Jagged Gore-hackas
3 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (170)****
– Jagged Gore-hackas

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws (70)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Warlord
***Ironjawz Fist
****Ironjawz Fist

ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS
Artefact
Aspect of the Champion

Austin is a long-time Ork player who pushed Ironjawz and Big Waagh into the top 10 and onto the podium consistently. Big Waagh seems to be the way to go for Orks right now. This is an Ironjawz heavy list adapted for the latest Battlescroll. No Warchanta with an Arcane Tome for Hand of Gork here. The Shaman has been brought along. But made general so he can take Master of Magic to get around the Ork casting problem. 6 Leaders is a bit more than a lot of lists, but Big Waagh lives and dies by the Waagh points. A Warchanta and Wurrgog are worth 3 every round. Add in Get ’em beat to increase the chances of a successful charge an another Waagh point.

All of them have a role, though. The Megaboss is the GC everyone loves to hate. With Tunnelmaster and Destroyer, he can act independently to take an objective or clean up an objective for a BT. He works well with Brutes and is a source of free command. The Swampcaller is there for the Boltboyz, either making it hard to shoot them or hand off a poison. And then there is the Wurrgog. The build on the Wurrgog is fun, fights last is always great but the Glowing Tatts (+2 to ward rolls) and Fuelled by Ghurish rage – just when you think it’s dead, it’s back for another round of staring.

Other than that, a couple of expendable units of Boyz for screens or late game objective control. The Brutes are the real powerhouses in the list with the Boltboyz for solid backing. Gore-gruntas for early capture and Waagh points. The only real weakness in the list is Jagged Gore-Hackas. 2 rend is nice, but 1 damage means that the output is very low. Into units like Nurgle marked Knights, they really struggle. They also weaken as the game goes on which which Chaos armies don’t, at least if they have summoning. A very accessible, positive list and one to keep an eye on.

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Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for the Wartilyo GT

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This is the top three AoS lists for the Wartilyo GT that took place in the Philippines on the 13th and 14th of May. It involved 24 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

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.

Wartilyo Top Table

If you get a few minutes, have a look at the making of the Wartilyo GT Top table. It’s a thing of beauty!

Top Three AoS Lists for the Woehammer AoS GT

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This is the top three AoS lists for the Woehammer AoS GT took place in the UK on the 13th and 14th of May. It involved 30 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

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.

The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Soulblight Gravelords
Army Type: Legion of Blood
– Grand Strategy: Lust for Domination

LEADERS
Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon (440)
General
– Command Traits: Doomed Minions
– Deathlance
– Artefacts of Power: Cloak of Mists and Shadows
– Spells: Flaming Weapon
Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon (440)
Deathlance
– Spells: Spirit Gale
Neferata (390)*
Spells: Prison of Grief

BATTLELINE
Deathrattle Skeletons (85)*
Deathrattle Skeletons (85)*
Deathrattle Skeletons (85)*

OTHER
Blood Knights (460)*
Kastellan
– Templar Lance
– 2 x Standard Bearer

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1985/2000

Christian had a great series of games and managed to pull off some huge charges with his Zombie Dragons against Owen Jacksons Kharadron army (2 12″ charges!). Christian has kindly given us a brief synopsis of his list below.


Christian Moore: There’s very little subtlety to the list, you have one ethereal dragon and then Neferta either makes the other dragon or the bloodknights ethereal depending on the situation, largely it moves as one castle staying within her -1 to hit aura. Make use of her redeploy at the start with her and your 3 key units so you get to see your opponents deployment regardless of drops.

Skeletons tag objectives and then it’s just a high pressure list that pins people back deals a lot of damage at the same time as being super tanky.

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Army Faction: Sylvaneth
Subfaction: Oakenbrow
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Inspired
– Seasons of War: The Dwindling

LEADERS
Treelord Ancient (330)
Spells: Regrowth, Verdant Blessing
Drycha Hamadreth (320)*
Spells: The Dwellers Below, Verdant Blessing
Warsong Revenant (300)*
General
– Command Traits: Spellsinger
– Artefacts of Power: The Vesperal Gem
– Spells: Treesong, Verdant Blessing
– Aspects of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Battlemage (100)*
Magic of the Realms: Wildform (Ghur)
Spirit of Durthu (350)**
Artefacts of Power: Greenwood Gladius

BATTLELINE
Dryads (100)**
Treelord (230)**
Treelord (230)**

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Spiteswarm Hive (40)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Daniel had a great result at the weekend, which included the scalps of Marc Brookes Skaven and Tom Bell’s Big Waaagh. I’ll let him describe his list to you…


Daniel Scott: Big trees teleporting around! what’s not to love. Oakenbrow makes it so that until they are on their last wound remaining any of the treelords or spirit of durthu wont bracket which is big for the spirit of durthu keeping his sword on 6 damage effectively all the time!. The Treelord ancients ability to pop a wood up anywhere on the board combos with all of the tree monsters have a teleport on warscroll and our Warsong revenant having spellsinger which lets him cast through an awakened wyldwood in the same manner as spell portal essentially but he can’t throw endless spells through them now. The warsong revenant also has vesperal gem allowing him to cast treesong through a wood which cannot be unbinded and will increase the rend of your units melee attacks when they are near that wood good to make durthu rend 3 or turn Drychas attacks into rend 2/3. Drycha is a 10 wound monster who can pump out a lot of shots at rend 1 dmg 1 that do mortals on 6s to hit, my favourite thing to do is combo her with a treelord or two so she can unleash hell and then the treelord can make one of the units that charged fight last. The dryads are there to either screen if needed or teleport around into a better position for you. The Spiteswarm hive is great when you don’t roll a 1, of course! giving you a +3 to move and charge or worsening the rend of incoming attacks to a unit, great for being offensive or defensive.

Overall the list is pretty durable and does have access to some healing in terms of a spell or being near an wood/overgrown terrain feature, all the big guys are on a 3+ save there are no ward saves, with this army you are able to position yourself better to counter this and hopefully only have fights that you want to hide away from shooting if needed. Thanks to the maneuverability of the army battle tactics are normally easy to score a great first turn one if you go first (which normally happens due to the high drops) is to complete a charge after using walk the spirit paths, a buffed up durthu can get a +5 to his charge meaning you only need a 4 hit something and then teleport out so he can receive the buffs again next turn. Overall, the list is a tonne of fun to play and really gives your opponents headaches in terms of deployment and playing out there turns!

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Allegiance: Sylvaneth
– Glade: Oakenbrow
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Spirit of Durthu (350)
Artefact: Greenwood Gladius
Warsong Revenant (300)*
General
– Command Trait: Spellsinger
– Lore of the Deepwood: Treesong
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Treelord Ancient (330)*
Lore of the Deepwood: Regrowth
Battlemage (100)*
Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Allies

Battleline
Treelord (230)*
Treelord (230)*
Treelord (230)*

Units
5 x Skaeth’s Wild Hunt (110)*
Spell1: Lore of the Deepwood: Regrowth

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

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 100 / 400
Wounds: 87
Drops: 2

Yep, another Oakenbrow list! But both are a little different to one another. Ash was on the verge of being champion, only to lose to Christian’s Soulblight.


Ash Coleman: I was playing Oakenbrow, which made my treelords battleline. The other main benefit of Oakenbrow is that it allows the treelord, treelord anicent, and Durthu fight at top bracket unless they have 1 wound left, but even then, you drop 1 bracket.

I also went with the burgeoning as my season of war. This allowed my units to have a 6+ ward unless they made a charge. It was hard to decide between this and the dwindling for the reroll cast, but having cogs in the list allows me to essentially have both.

The idea of the list is to make Durthu as reliable as possible as he will be doing all the heavy lifting. The main combo is giving Durthu +5 to charge from the spiteswarm hive and the battle mage. Skaeth’s Wild Hunt is in the list for +1 to wound spell. So with an AOA or titanic duel, Durthu can be 2s and 2s. The treelord ancient has a once per game ability to summon a Wyldwood anywhere on the board. This allows Durthu to get where he needs to be but also allows Warsong to cast Treesong, which is a +1 to rend spell. The Warsong can measure spells from Wyldoods with the command trait Spellsinger. All this combined with the Greenwood Gladius artefact for the extra D3 attacks makes Durthu a real threat.

All of the treelords can teleport in the movement phase. These are the units going out and getting the objectives while Durthu caused chaos. With a 3+ save and 6+ ward, they can tank a lot. They also have the strike last monster reaction, so even if you get charged, you’ll have a chance to strike them first. They also have a great ability that when you hit an enemy with any of their attacks in combat, they can’t pile in. This is great for tagging the ends of units. The main problem with the treelords is that they are not elite, so they can’t issue commands to themselves. So usually I’d send the treelord anicent with one of them to give an AOA, AOD, or reroll charge if required.

The Warsong has a great warscroll spell that can do AOE mortal wounds to enemy units with 9″ on a Wyldwood. It’s great for finishing units, clearing screens, and killing enemy GCs, and with the Spellsinger command trait I mentioned earlier, he can do it from the other side of the board.

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Army Faction: Orruk Warclans
Army Type: Ironjawz
– Subfaction: Ironsunz
– Grand Strategy: Waaagh!
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Megaboss on Maw-krusha (480)*
General
– Command Traits: Hulking Brute
– Boss Choppa and Rip-toof Fist
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Mount Traits: Mean ’Un
Orruk Warchanter (120)*
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
– Warbeats: Get ’Em Beat
Orruk Warchanter (120)*
Warbeats: Fixin’ Beat

BATTLELINE
Orruk Ardboys (80)*
Gorkamorka Glyph Bearer
– Waaagh! Drummer
– Ardboy Boss
– 2 x Orruk-forged Shield
Orruk Brutes (150)*
Brute Boss
– Gore-choppa
– Brute Choppas
– Boss Choppa
Orruk Brutes (150)*
Brute Boss
– Gore-choppa
– Jagged Gore-hacka
– Boss Klaw & Brute Smasha

BEHEMOTH
Rogue Idol (430)
Rogue Idol (430)*

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Prismatic Palisade (30)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1990/2000

Both Declan and I being Orruk players kept an eye on Joshua’s results all weekend. With the FAQ being released a few days before that effectively killed the Rogue Idols, we knew this would be their last hurrah…


This being the last hurrah for the Idols (unbeknownst), I had a great time smashing and bashing and getting smashed and bashed. The army list with a Maw-Krusha, 2 Rogue Idols, 2 Warchanters, 2 Brute Units and some Ard’boyz is surprisingly fast being a 2 drop I’m hoping for the chance to go first, With mighty destroyers and some good roll’s it hits hard especially with the Idols being violent furied by the Warchanters and a cheeky 3D6” charge from get em beat, a turn 1 charge can seal the deal either way.

My first opponent was a TreeMan list, who hid in his trees at the back edge, I managed to do some damage but not enough, then got out manuvered and picked apart.

My second opponent was Slaanesh, I got priority first turn, and my opponent cheekily placed The Masque 3” from my army preventing mighty destroyers, but allowing a turn 1 “This one’s mine”. It was then a game of trying not to get shot off of the board which my Idols failed but the Krusha survived to go after the big birdie but failed due to the one attack ability on big bird, it was a close game but a loss nonetheless.

My third game was a Be’ Lakor list with Nurgle Knights, Slaanesh Chosen, Khorne Varanguard, and a bridge. He won first priority and did what I was going to do if I had won. He met me at my lines, and a slog fest ensued with one Idol sitting out a turn or two (thanks Be’Lakor) I won the slog fest but not the mission.

My fourth game was against another Slaves, this time with a couple of chariots but still Nurgle Knights and 2 units of Khorne Varanguard. The Idols and Krusha this time picked apart The Slaves whilst the brutes and ard’boyz scored me points.

The last game was against some ghosts who enjoyed a few turns not dying to the Idols and eating the Krusha.

Five great games against five wonderful opponents with beautiful armies.

The Idols are now on 160MM bases and being repurposed for a three Krusha list. It is sad to see the Idols are no more as they are a wonderfully characterful unit. I was happy to win best in faction (yeah for Default Medal) and amazed to be nominated for best painted, I would just like to thank everyone who helped organise and run the event, myself and my mate, who I travelled up with both had a wonderful time, great laughs and enjoyable games.

Farewell Rogue Idols.

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Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Alberta Classic

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This is the top three AoS lists for the Alberta Classic that took place in Canada on the 6th and 7th of May. It involved 19 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

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.

The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Ossiarch Bonereapers
– Subfaction: Petrifex Elite
– Grand Strategy: Defend What’s Ours

LEADERS
Katakros (440)*
Mortisan Ossifector (120)*
– General
– Command Traits: Dark Acolyte
– Artefacts of Power: Lode of Saturation
– Spells: Protection of Nagash
– Aspects of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Mir Kainan (250)*

BATTLELINE
Immortis Guard (200)*
Necropolis Stalkers (220)*
Necropolis Stalkers (220)*
Mortek Guard (150)*
– Necrophoros
– Soulcleaver Greatblade
– Nadirite Blade

BEHEMOTH
Mortek Crawler (200)*
Mortek Crawler (200)*

OTHER
Kainan’s Reapers (250)*

TERRAIN
1 x Bone-tithe Nexus (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Ossiarch Cohort

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

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Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
Stormhost: Hammers of Sigmar (Stormkeep)
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADERS
Knight-Incantor (120)*
Spell: Celestial Blades
Knight-Relictor (120)*
General
Command Trait: High Priest
Prayer: Translocation
Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Lord-Imperatant (170)*
Artefact: Arcane Tome

UNITS
5 x Vanquishers (110)*
5 x Vanquishers (110)*
5 x Vindictors (130)*
3 x Annihilators with Meteoric Grandhammers (240)
3 x Annihilators with Meteoric Grandhammers (240)**
2 x Stormdrake Guard (340)*
Drakerider’s Lance
1 x Stormstrike Chariot (170)*
3 x Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (240)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Galletian Sharpshooters
***Redemption Brotherhood

ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS
Holy Command: Call for Aid
Holy Command: Thunderbolt Volley

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Army Faction: Soulblight Gravelords
Army Type: Vyrkos
Grand Strategy: Empire of Corpses
– Triumph: Indomitable

LEADERS
Radukar the Beast (290)*
– General
– Command Traits: Hunter’s Snare
Torgillius the Chamberlain (125)*
– Spells: Fading Vigour
Necromancer (90)*
– Spells: Waste Away
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Belladamma Volga (170)**
– Artefacts of Power: Ulfenkarni Phylactery
– Spells: Spirit Gale

BATTLELINE
Deadwalker Zombies (230)*
Deadwalker Zombies (230)*
Deathrattle Skeletons (255)*
– Skeleton Champion
– 3 x Standard Bearer
Dire Wolves (130)**
– Doom Wolf
Dire Wolves (130)**
– Doom Wolf

BEHEMOTH
Mortis Engine (230)*

OTHER
Fell Bats (85)**

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1965/2000

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Allegiance: Kruleboyz
Warclan: Skulbugz
Mortal Realm: Ghur

LEADERS
Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast (290)*
– General
– Command Trait: Supa Sneaky
– Mount Trait: Weird ‘Un
Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast (290)**
Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot (100)*
– Lore of the Swamp: Choking Mist
Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot (100)*
– Lore of the Swamp: Choking Mist
Murknob with Belcha-banna (80)*
Killaboss with Stab-grot (100)*
– Artefact: Gryph-feather Charm
– Aspect of the Champion: Stubborn as a Rhinox

BATTLELINE
20 x Gutrippaz (300)*
20 x Gutrippaz (300)**
10 x Hobgrot Slittaz (80)**

UNITS
3 x Man-skewer Boltboyz (120)*
3 x Man-skewer Boltboyz (120)*
3 x Man-skewer Boltboyz (120)***

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Kruleboyz Finga
***Galletian Sharpshooters

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Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Regicide in the Realms

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This is the top three AoS lists for the Regicide in the Realms that took place in the UK on the 6th and 7th of May. It involved 16 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

As this event had less than 20 players attending there won’t be any list comments here as the guys will be concentrating on the larger events of the week.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

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.

The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Blades of Khorne
Army Subfaction: Skullfiend Tribe
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADER
1 x Realmgore Ritualist (100)*
Prayers: Killer Instinct, Blood Sacrifice
1 x Realmgore Ritualist (100)*
Prayers: Bronzed Flesh, Blood Sacrifice
1 x Slaughterpriest (110)*
General
– Command Traits: High-priest of Khorne
– Bloodbathed Axe
– Prayers: Unholy Flames, Killer Instinct
– Galletian Enhancement: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
1 x Bloodsecrator (110)**
Artefacts: Banner of Blood
1 x Bloodstoker (90)****

BATTLELINE
10 x Skullreapers (380)**
Skullseeker
– 2 x Icon Bearer
10 x Bloodreavers (80)***
Blood Chieftain
– Icon Bearer
– Hornblower
– Meatripper Axe
10 x Bloodreavers (80)***
Blood Chieftain
– Icon Bearer
– Hornblower
– Meatripper Axe
10 x Bloodreavers (80)***
Blood Chieftain
– Icon Bearer
– Hornblower
– Meatripper Axe

TERRAIN
1 x Skull Altar (0)

OTHER
5 x Garrek’s Reavers (70)*
6 x Mighty Skullcrushers (400)****
Skullhunter
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Hornblower
– Bloodglaive
6 x Mighty Skullcrushers (400)****
Skullhunter
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Hornblower
– Bloodglaive

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Warlord
**Galletian Command
***Galletian Veterans
****Vanguard

TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)

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Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords
Subfaction: Legion of Blood
– Mortal Realm: Shyish
– Grand Strategy: Lust for Domination
– Triumphs: N/A

Leaders – Parade Ground
Neferata, Mortarch of Blood (390)*
Lore of the Deathmages: Waste Away
Skeleton High King (440)*
Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon
General
– Deathlance
– Command Trait: Doomed Minions
– Artefact: Cloak of Mists and Shadows
– Lore of the Vampires: Soul Pike
The Ever-Living Prince (440)*
Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon
– Vampiric Sword
– Lore of the Vampires: Vile Transference
The Scorned Captain (135)**
Wight King
– Artefact: Amulet of Screams
– Aspect of the Champion: Stubborn as a Rhinox
The Discarded Princess (135)**
Ivya Volga, the Outcast

Battleline – Procession Host
The Endless Duty (85)**
10 x Deathrattle Skeletons
The Worked-To-The-Bone Brigade (85)**
10 x Deathrattle Skeletons
The Impending Doom (220)**
10 x Black Knights
– Reinforced x 2

Endless Spells – Delirious Visions
The Reins Of Tyranny (40)
Soulsnare Shackles
The Great Unwashed (30)
Suffocating Gravetide

Core Battalions
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Battle Regiment

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 97
Drops: 4

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Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
– Mortal Realm: Ghyran
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours! – Triumphs: Inspired

LEADERS
Karazai, The Scarred (550)*
General
Celestant-Prime, Hammer of Sigmar (330)*
Knight-Vexillor (120)**
Meteoric Standard
Artefact: Arcane Tome – Spell: Celestial Blades
Knight-Vexillor (120)*
Meteoric Standard
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Knight-Vexillor (120)**
Meteoric Standard
Knight-Vexillor (120)**
Meteoric Standard

UNITS
5 x Vanguard-Hunters (110)**
Boltstorm Pistols and Shock Handaxes
5 x Vanguard-Hunters (110)**
– Boltstorm Pistols and Shock Handaxes
5 x Vindictors (130)**
6 x Praetors (280)*

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment


ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS Holy Command: Call for Aid

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Army Faction: Ossiarch Bonereapers
Subfaction: Petrifex Elite
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Katakros (440)*
Mortisan Boneshaper (120)*
General
– Command Traits: Show of Superiority
– Artefacts of Power: Artisan’s Key
– Spells: Drain Vitality
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Mortisan Boneshaper (120)*
Spells: Mortal Contract

BATTLELINE
Mortek Guard (300)*
Mortek Hekatos
– Nadirite Blade
– 2 x Necrophoros
– 2 x Soulcleaver Greatblade
Immortis Guard (400)*
Immortis Guard (400)*

BEHEMOTH
Gothizzar Harvester (210)*

TERRAIN
1 x Bone-tithe Nexus (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1990/2000

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Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Broken Realms and Minis for War 3

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This is the top three AoS lists for Broken Realms and Minis for War 3 that took place in Scotland on the 1st and 2nd of April. It involved 72 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

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.

The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Sylvaneth
– Glade: Oakenbrow
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Season of War: The Dwindling

Leaders
Drycha Hamadreth (320)**
Lore of the Deepwood: The Dwellers Below
Spirit of Durthu (350)*
– Artefact: Greenwood Gladius
Treelord Ancient (330)
– Lore of the Deepwood: Regrowth
Warsong Revenant (300)**
General
– Command Trait: Spellsinger
– Artefact: The Vesperal Gem
– Lore of the Deepwood: Treesong
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Battlemage (100)**
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Allies

Battleline
10 x Dryads (100)*
Treelord (230)*
Treelord (230)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Spiteswarm Hive (40)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Command Entourage – Magnificent

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 100 / 400
Wounds: 88
Drops: 5

Scotland has a strong and friendly AoS community. Their Discord has many members, and I was lucky enough to be invited to join. All of our lists have player comments today after, and I want to thank the Scottish AoS community and all the players mentioned in the article for helping us out.

Reece Fraser: I was playing oakenbrow, which allowed my treelords to become battleline. This is good on its own, but the real benefit was that it allowed all the treelords / ancient / durthu to fight at their top bracket when you look at the damage table on the warscroll until they are reduced one wound, but there are various ways to heal in Sylvaneth.

The general combo in the list is to get plus 5 to charge through the spiteswarm hive endless spell, which gives plus 3 on a 2+ once the spell is successfully cast. This is followed by plus 2 from the battlemage of ghur. The bonuses went on Durthu 9 times out of 10. The combo start with the Greenwood Gladius combined with the ancient’s once per game ability to place a tree anywhere on the table. Then the warsong revenant, who can cast through trees thanks to the spellsinger command trait, casts treesong, guaranteed from the use of the vesperal gem. All this combined can really catch opponents out.

The list was also built around the idea that every major threat piece in the army can teleport. All treelords, including Durthu, have this ability on the warscroll, allowing them to teleport through woods and overgrown terrain 9” away. In addition to this, they have access to the once per turn teleport which allowed Drycha to follow.

This allows you to create a treelord castle for Drycha, which I found quite effective. You put Drycha in her shooting mode at the start of each turn which gives her 20 shots instead of the base 10 (3+/3+/-1/1, 6s to hit are a mortal wound). I would then cast mystic shield on a treelord to help him go to a 2+ save and teleport him and another treelord 9” away from enemies. Drycha would then teleport behind them, but still within her 12” shooting range.

This allows you to shoot into what is needed, 20 shots with drycha and 3 each with the treelords. When it is the opponents turn and tney try to charge into this castle you can unleash hell for another 20 shots. Then in the monsterous rampage phase, if positioned correctly, you can attempt to make one charging unit fight last on a 3+ with a treelord and either roar or stomp with the other two monsters. Combined with treesong on that tree they are huddled around, this gives them all extra rend (-2 and -3) on all of their attacks.

The general of the army was the warsong revenant which, as explained earlier, casts through trees. The general plan was to just sit in a corner near a tree or overgrown to get the bonus +1 to cast.

Turn one he casts spiteswarm most times. After that, unless it needed to be recast, he would use his artifact for the rend spell that can’t be unbound and his built-in spell Unleash Spites, which causes mortals on 5+ with a 9” range. The number of models in the target unit determines how many dice you roll.

The dryads where there mostly because I had to fill battleline, but still can be quite tanky with minus 1 to hit and wound

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Allegiance: Fyreslayers
Lodge: Vostarg
– Grand Strategy: Master of the Forge
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Auric Runefather (120)**
General
– Command Trait: Spirit of Grimnir
Auric Runemaster (130)**
– Artefact: Volatile Brazier
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Curse
Battlesmith (150)*
– Artefact: Nulsidian Icon
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Auric Runesmiter (120)***
Forge Key
– Prayer: Ember Storm
Auric Flamekeeper (90)***
Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Levitate
Auric Flamekeeper (90)***

Battleline
30 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (480)*
Reinforced x 2
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (160)*
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (160)*
15 x Hearthguard Berzerkers (450)**
Poleaxes
– Reinforced x 2

Endless Spells & Invocations
Molten Infernoth (40)

Core Battalions
*Galletian Veterans
**Warlord
***Command Entourage – Magnificent

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Artefact

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 162
Drops: 10

Alex travelled all the way up from Wales to the part in Broken Realms and we’re lucky enough that Alex agreed to give us a breakdown on how his list worked.

Alex Bruce: The list relies on two main bricks of the army, the unit of 30 Vulkites with Fyresteel Handaxes and the unit of 15 Hearthguard Berzerkers with Poleaxes who act as a strong brick and counter punch to the army. Being in Vostarg, the units of Vulkites get +1 to Hit and +1 to Wound on the charge along with the +1 Attack from the weapon option chosen. This means that they become 2+/2+/-/1 with 3 attacks per model on the charge. In the Galletian Veterans battalion, this lets the first two ranks fight, which makes both the big unit of 30 as well as the two units of 10 dangerous threats for your opponent.

Whilst these units work well on their own merits, the runes that you can use compliment the base profiles with a number of buffs. Additional Rend and Mortal Wounds on 6s to Wound are the most frequently used however rolling the enhanced effect of the +1 to Hit rune gives the Vulkites another +1 Attack taking them to 4 attacks each on the charge. 6+ Ward (or 5+ for the enhanced effect) as well as +2 Move (with +2 Charge for the enhanced effect) board wide are both really useful utility runes. On top of this, each of the units of Vulkites can fight on death once per game, which can really boost the output of these units even when they aren’t on the charge.

Backing this up is a good number of unique buff heroes. The Runefather allows the runes to be enhanced on a 5+ rather than a 6+ and can give another +1 Attack to all units wholly within 12″ once per game. The Runemaster has the Volatile Brazier artefact to make sure that your Molten Infernoth is reliably on the board and in the opponents army causing damage (which your Grand Strategy is also to have this on the board at the end of the game!). The Battlesmith provides a 4+ Spell Ignore and 6+ Ward, which can be pushed to a 5+ Ward once per game, both wholly within 12″ as well as Rally on a 4+ for any units wholly within 18″ thanks to him being a totem. The Runesmiter provides that backboard pressure with the deep strike ability, which he can take one unit with him and backup prayer for run and charge, which both the Runemaster and Runesmiter know. Finally, the two Flamekeepers provide the army with further flexibility and buffs either providing more fighting on death to any of the units, +1 Damage to their attacks for that phase (which can stack!), or allowing units to charge at the start of either player’s combat phase.

Overall, the army is very resiliant and controls the board space very well. Any opponent who dares come close to this army is quickly overwhelmed by the amount of output it can dish out. There are layers of flexibility and redundancy in the list even down to the fact that the terrain piece provides a bonus +1 to pray for all priests within 18″.

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Allegiance: Gloomspite Gitz
– Gittish Horde: Jaws of Mork
– Grand Strategy: Chasing the Moon
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Dankhold Troggboss (200)***
General
– Command Trait: Alpha Trogg
– Artefact: Glowy Howzit
Madcap Shaman (70)***
Artefact: Moonface Mommet
– Lore of the Moonclans: The Hand of Gork
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Squigboss with Gnasha-squig (80)**
Skragrott, The Loonking (160)***
Grinkrak The Great (190)**

Battleline
20 x Moonclan Shootas (125)*
40 x Moonclan Shootas (250)*
Reinforced x 1
30 x Squig Hoppers (540)**
Reinforced x 2

Units
6 x Grinkrak’s Looncourt (0)*
6 x Sneaky Snufflers (110)**
10 x Loonsmasha Fanatics (220)**
Reinforced x 1

Core Battalions
*Galletian Sharpshooters
**Battle Regiment
***Command Entourage – Magnificent

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1945 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 186
Drops: 7

Nathan is starting to become somewhat of a regular on the Top Three’s now! Following up on his Brewdog result a couple of weeks back, he’s at it again, I asked him for a few words about his list:

Nathan Watson: It’s very much the same as my Brewdog list in how it plays, but I wanted to take the fanatics in a unit of 10 to better benefit from the all out attack to make them more consistent. I also swapped the loonboss to a Dankhold Troggboss to try and have the option to play for a guaranteed grand strategy. Chasing the moon involves keeping your general alive to the end of the battle, and the Troggboss is very survivable with a 4+ spell ignore and a 4+ ward.

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Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords
Lineage: Legion of Blood
– Grand Strategy: Vampiric Conquerors
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Vampire Lord (140)*
General
– Command Trait: Sanguine Blur
– Expertise: Arcane
– Universal Spell Lore: Levitate
Vampire Lord (140)*
Artefact: Oubliette Arcana
– Expertise: Arcane
– Universal Spell Lore: Levitate
Radukar the Wolf (140)*
– Lore of the Vampires: Amethystine Pinions
Necromancer (130)**
– Lore of the Deathmages: Decrepify
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Necromancer (130)**
Lore of the Deathmages: Fading Vigour
Gorslav the Gravekeeper (80)**

Battleline
60 x Deadwalker Zombies (360)***
Reinforced x 2
60 x Deadwalker Zombies (360)***
Reinforced x 2
20 x Deadwalker Zombies (120)*
20 x Deadwalker Zombies (120)*
20 x Deadwalker Zombies (120)**
20 x Deadwalker Zombies (120)**

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment
***Galletian Veterans

Total: 1960 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 234
Drops: 4

I saw this lost with 200 Zombies and couldn’t resist including it as out wildcard!

William Cruickshanks: Alright, 200 Zombies.

So when I first saw this list, my first thought was that it’d be a stupid idiot spam list. That said, after looking at the list a bit more, there’s actually quite a bit to it.

I will say, any idiot can play this list vs. LRL or something. You just need to box them in and have bodies for the most part. But vs melee matchups, there is so much nuance to having 200 bodies with 6″ pile in, access to flight / 9″ pile in and fight twice that you can actually pull off some pretty astonishing things.

Your general win condition is to just flood the board with Zombies, and make it so that even if your opponent kills stuff they’re only really denting screens of Zombies, and then a unit of 2-3 attack fight twice zombies punches back and takes zones back off them. Fight twice with a 9″ pile in is often used more for movement / leapfrogging off units than it is for anything else. My biggest tip would be to try and conserve models as long as possible, and never let your opponent kill your stuff on their turn if you don’t have to. Also, 6″ pile in has SO MUCH you can do with it, so learn it! It’s fall back and retreat, it’s free movement every combat phase even if you don’t end within 3″, it makes you a super useful movement blocker as you can end 3.01″ away, the applications are endless.

You don’t have to do anything crazy vs. guns, but vs. melee the skill ceiling is pretty high 😀

Oh, and zombies are really good in the new book too. Very different, but very good. Three games in and can’t wait til it comes out!

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Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Dazmaul Wargaming

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This is the top three AoS lists for the Dazmaul Wargaming Tournament that took place in the UK on the 18th and 19th of March. It involved 29 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

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.

The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords
Lineage: Vyrkos Dynasty
– Mortal Realm: Shyish
– Grand Strategy: Vampiric Conquerors
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
1 x Necromancer (130)*
General
– Command Trait: Pack Alpha
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Deathmages: Decrepify
– Aspect of the Champion: Leadership of the Alpha
1 x Radukar the Beast (310)*
1 x Vampire Lord (140)*
– Lore of the Vampires: Amethystine Pinions

Battleline
40 x Deadwalker Zombies (240)*
Reinforced x 1
40 x Deadwalker Zombies (240)*
Reinforced x 1
40 x Deadwalker Zombies (240)*
Reinforced x 1

Units
1 x Corpse Cart with Balefire Brazier (80)*
20 x Grave Guard (280)*
Great Wight Blades
– Reinforced x 1

Behemoths
Zombie Dragon (270)*

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

I can’t in good faith make any more jokes about Soulblight rising back up, so I’ll just jump right into it.

What we’ve got here is a Vyrkos list that gleefully flips off the last season and screams ‘RIP BOUNTY HUNTERS’ while pushing 120 zombies up the board and, presumably, cackling gleefully. They’re all backed up by the usual buff pieces allowing them to get extra attack (Radukar, if he makes a charge) and fight twice (Necromancer, with danse macabre) – and remember they do MWs on 6s to hit and bring back models killed as zombies on a 2+. So it’s not like they can’t spike a few rolls and do a surprise bunch of mortals to whatever tries to chew through them or pull from the front and rally back up.

On top of that, they’re backed up by a Corpse Cart, which projects a -1 to wound aura, making those zombos even more infuriating to kill, and the pretty standard 20 Graveguard – who also make an excellent target for the hero buffs – who always have and still absolutely slap. A newly bargain-priced Zombie Dragon provides access to monstrous rampages and some nice targeted damage, while fitting neatly into the battle regiment!

5 wins for Soulblight at the moment is a great result, and it seems like loads and loads of meat is well and truly back on the menu, boys (and girls).

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Army Faction: Flesh-eater Courts
Army Subfaction: Hollowmourne
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (450)
Spells: Flaming Weapon
1 x Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (450)*
General
– Command Traits: Grave Robber
– Artefacts: Corpsefane Gauntlet
– Mount Traits: Gruesome Bite
– Spells: Spectral Host
1 x Abhorrant Archregent (240)*
Artefacts: The Dermal Robe
– Spells: Deranged Transformation
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
1 x Abhorrant Ghoul King (170)*
– Spells: Blood Feast
1 x Varghulf Courtier (160)*

BATTLELINE
10 x Crypt Ghouls (80)**
6 x Crypt Horrors (220)**
6 x Crypt Horrors (220)**

TERRAIN
1 x Charnel Throne (0)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Galletian Veterans

TOTAL POINTS: (1990/2000)

Having just called a list with 9 x Flayers “the list” we’ve got one of the best variations. I say that because I played against a version of this a lot. 2 Dragons and 2 blocks of Crypt Horrors is a smart way to play the faction. It gives you more threats to push an opponent. You still have the ability to bring 9 x Crypt Flayers/Horrors (Flayers are probably better) on through summoning. You might have to do it earlier if the Terrorgheist are in combat though.

Still no Cogs, taking the risk that a spell will fail, and only one of the Crypt Horror units will have all of the buffs. The 6 strong units are a risk as well, against a Rend -2 attack even with a 5+ ward (and only one should have it), it’s only 36 effective wounds. A block of fulminators can overcome that on the charge easily. Still, they have fight twice near one of the Dragons on top of rerolls to hit. And additional attacks – they are very nasty threat.

Tunnel Master on the Archregent is surprisingly useful. He can grab an unattended objective easily and then summon friends. But just as easily, it lets him stay within range of either the dragons or Crypt Horrors. Lots of mobility and stacks of board control, it’s a very effective way to control your opponents’ scoring opportunities and really terrify them.

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Army Faction: Gloomspite Gitz
– Subfaction: Jaws of Mork
– Grand Strategy: Chasing the Moon
– Triumph: Indomitable

LEADERS
1 x Skragrott, the Loonking (160)**
Spells: The Hand of Gork
1 x Squigboss (80)**
– Artefacts of Power: Gryph-feather Charm
1 x Squigboss (80)**
1 x Grinkrak the Great (190)***
1 x Fungoid Cave-Shaman (90)***
General
– Command Traits: The Clammy Hand
– Artefacts of Power: Moonface Mommet
– Spells: The Hand of Gork
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master

BATTLELINE
20 x Moonclan Shootas (125)*
Moonclan Boss
– Bad Moon Icon Bearer
– Gong Basher
– 3 Barbed Nets
20 x Moonclan Shootas (125)*
Moonclan Boss
– Bad Moon Icon Bearer
– Gong Basher
– 3 Barbed Nets
36 x Squig Herd (360)***
36 x Squig Herd (360)***

OTHER
1 x Grinkrak’s Looncourt (190)*
1 x Marshcrawla Sloggoth (150)**
1 x Gobbapalooza (145)***
Spells: Itchy Nuisance
6 x Sneaky Snufflers (110)***

TERRAIN
1 x Bad Moon Loonshrine (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Galletian Sharpshooters
**Warlord
***Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1975/2000

Our latest boogey man (for all of a month and then more demons arrived this week). Simon was keen to see a horde on the table and took over 100 models. Beyond that, though there is so much going on, it’s hard to know where to start. We’ve got a couple of sources of Hand of Gork (for teleports), and Grinkrak’s Looncourt can teleport themselves (if you don’t want the bodyguard). Fungoid Cave Shaman as General? Not sure I’ve seen that before, he’s a sneaky Tunnel Master as well, not sure you’d want to use that too early but he has a nasty Mortal Wound spell with a range of only 6″.

Squigboss’s for both Squigg units, of course, Skragrott (is he mandatory, certainly see him a lot) and a Sloggoth for monster action. The point, of course, is the heroes buff the Squiga (or Shootas), and you let loose the Squig’s. Individually, it’s not really an issue. The 30 Squiggs (and 6 herders) in each of the Squigg herds can hit, from the charge, 120 times. And if you kill some on the crack back, they do a mortal as they flee. With a 3 for bravery, there is a lot of fleeing. Their version of rally is once a game (2+ from each Squigherd) and kills the squiherd but unless you can clear the unit in a turn (difficult) you’ve probably got 2 turns of this from each unit.

That’s the name of the game for the squig build. Wear your opponent down in rounds 1 through 3 and then crack back. With the heroes handing out ‘shrooms granting wards or bonuses to the Shoota (only target) and the Sloggoth giving +1 to hit the Shootas start to be an issue. Sloggoth’s affect is an aura and will apply in any phase – charging the Shootas will be painful. Goes first, winds the squiggs up and unleashes them into your key units. Goes 2nd, hold the squiggs back at let’s the Shootas blunt your attack. If you try to hide, then the Shootas can even be teleported to punish you. If you injure them but don’t clear the unit, it can be rallied 3 times. If you do kill it, there is a 50% chance of them returning via the moon shrine.

I’ve only scratched the surface, but despite weak looking warscrolls, this is a very competitive army. 140+ wounds that can have multiple models or units returned is bad. Their overwhelming you with buckets of dice, which is worse. It’s probably a bit cheap with a lot of sources of mortal wounds. It’s an army that you have to try to outlast or watch them run away with things in the turn 4 and 5. Losing to Flesh Eater courts probably reflects the amount of damage even 3 Crypt Flayers (or 6 Crypt Horrors) can do with buffs and fight twice. They can kill anything in this list in a turn. Otherwise, more elite armies will struggle.

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Allegiance: Big Waaagh!
Grand Strategy: Waaagh!
– Triumphs:

Leaders
1 x Gordrakk the Fist of Gork (500)*
1 x Orruk Warchanter (120)*
Warbeat: Get ‘Em Beat
1 x Orruk Warchanter (120)*
Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Warbeat: Fixin’ Beat
– Lore of the Weird: Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork
1 x Gobsprakk, The Mouth of Mork (260)**
1 x Orruk Megaboss (140)**
– General
– Command Trait: Skilled Leader
– Artefact: Gryph-feather Charm (Galletian Champion)
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
1 x Wurrgog Prophet (170)**
Artefact: Glowin’ Tattooz
– Universal Spell Lore: Ghost-mist

Battleline
10 x Orruk Brutes (300)***
– Jagged Gore-hackas
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Orruk Brutes (150)***
Pair of Brute Choppas
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)***
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)*
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)**

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Warlord
***Galletian Veterans

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Artefact

Total: 2000 / 2000

Tom & I spent much of late 2021 and 2022 battling each other for top Ironjawz and top Big Waaagh in the UK… and whilst he always beat me, my fun run last year got me the Big Waaagh title…! Woot. Since then Big Waaagh has suffered with the new General’s Handbooks and it’s great to see Tom bucking the trend with a 4-1 result (and top table game 5 match.

Tom’s taken a mostly traditional Big Waagh list with Ironjawz as the base, but he’s gone with Gordrakk and Gobsprakk. Two big flying models in the era of Gallatian Champions is a brave decision but it does allow Tom to stop spells with Gobsprakk and kill characters with Gordrakk.

It’s a great call to bring a model that can cause mortal wounds to Galatian Champions and has the reach to get them. Being able to avoid shooting doesn’t help when a Maw Krusha gets within 1″.

The rest of the army is standard Big Waaagh… but I like all the pieces and it’s made me consider actually painting my Gobsprakk – so a great double result. Well done Tom!

Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Wardolly Weekend

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This is the top three AoS lists for Wardolly Weekend that took place in Australia on the 18th and 19th of March. It involved 16 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

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.

The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
Stormhost: Hallowed Knights (Scions of the Storm)
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Celestant-Prime, Hammer of Sigmar (330)
Gardus Steel Soul (170)*
Lord-Castellant (160)**
– Artefact: Mirrorshield
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Lord-Relictor (150)*
– General
– Command Trait: High Priest
– Prayer: Translocation
– Aspect of the Champion: Stubborn as a Rhinox
Yndrasta, The Celestial Spear (280)*

Battleline
5 x Liberators (120)**
Heavens-wrought Weapon and Shield
5 x Vindictors (130)*
10 x Sequitors (240)**
– 5x Stormsmite Greatmaces
– Reinforced x 1

Units
5 x Retributors (210)**
5 x Retributors (210)***

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Galletian Veterans
***Galletian Command

Additional Enhancements
Aspect of the Champion

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 106
Drops: 10

Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords
Lineage: Kastelai Dynasty
– Grand Strategy:
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Vengorian Lord (280)
General
– Command Trait: Rousing Commander
– Artefact: Fragment of the Keep
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Prince Vhordrai (460)
Lore of the Vampires: Amethystine Pinions
Radukar the Beast (310)
Vampire Lord (140)
Lore of the Vampires: Amethystine Pinions
Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master

Battleline
10 x Blood Knights (400)
Reinforced x 1
5 x Blood Knights (200)
5 x Blood Knights (200)

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 101
Drops: 7

Allegiance: Ironjawz
Warclan: Ironsunz
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumphs:

Leaders
Megaboss on Maw-Krusha (480)*
General
– Boss Choppa and Rip-tooth fist
– Artefact: Destroyer
– Mount Trait: Fast ‘Un
Orruk Megaboss (140)*
Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Orruk Warchanter (120)**
Orruk Weirdnob Shaman (90)**
Lore of the Weird: Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork
Megaboss on Maw-Krusha (480)**
– Boss Choppa and Rip-tooth fist
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon

Battleline
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)*
– 1x Gorkamorka Glyph Bearers
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)*
– 1x Gorkamorka Glyph Bearers
5 x Orruk Brutes (150)*
Pair of Brute Choppas
– 1x Gore Choppas

Units
6 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (340)*
Pig-iron Choppas
– Reinforced x 1

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Command Entourage – Magnificent

Total: 1960 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 120
Drops: 4

Allegiance: Sons of Behemat
Tribe: Stomper Tribe
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Make the Land Tremble
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADERS
King Brodd (550)*
Warstomper Mega-Gargant (450)*
General
– Command Trait: Monstrously Tough
– Artefact: Arcane Tome
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon

UNITS
3 x Mancrusher Mob (450)
1 x Mancrusher Gargants (150)**
1 x Mancrusher Gargants (150)**
1 x Mancrusher Gargants (150)**

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws (70)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Bosses of the Stomp – Unified
**Footsloggas – Unified

TOTAL: 1970/2000

Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Sparkle Party Deathmatch VIII

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This is the top three AoS lists for Sparkle Party Deathmatch VIII that took place in the USA on the 11th and 12th of March. It involved 52 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?

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.

The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords
Lineage: Legion of Blood
– Grand Strategy: Vampiric Conquerors
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Neferata, Mortarch of Blood (350)*
– Lore of the Deathmages: Fading Vigour
Vampire Lord (140)**
General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Expertise: Arcane
– Universal Spell Lore: Levitate
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Lauka Vai, Mother of Nightmares (280)***
– Lore of the Vampires: Spirit Gale

Battleline
5 x Black Knights (100)***
5 x Black Knights (100)***
10 x Deathrattle Skeletons (80)*
10 x Deathrattle Skeletons (80)*

Units
10 x Blood Knights (400)***
Reinforced x 1
20 x Grave Guard (280)**
Great Wight Blades
– Reinforced x 1
1 x Corpse Cart with Unholy Lodestone (80)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Horrorghast (70)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Galletian Command
***Battle Regiment

Total: 1960 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 124
Drops: 4

Some of our readers may remember that we interviewed Jeremy Veysseire some time ago on General Speaking. We reached out once more, and ever the gentleman, Jeremy agreed to give us a rundown of his list.

Jeremy Veysseire: The important thing about the Legion of Blood army I played at Sparkle Death party is that it was designed originally roughly 1 year ago to counter the hyper aggressive meta that was around Maggotkin Flies, Dragons and Ironjawz through the following important mechanics of Neferata’s spell allowing a unit of mine to ignore negative modifiers to saves (aka REND) for either Neferata and the Blood Knights on a 3+ save platform making them easily 2+ save during the crucial fights and the minus 1 to hit Aura from Neferata’s Command Ability, the reduction in attacks to 1 unit with the book spell. The additional mechanics that were more of a bonus such as the Bravery Reduction, the additional models fleeing and the Horrorghast combo really punished in some cases Dragons and the flies themselves since my army does not do straight raw damage per say but more of this “I will kill you by a thousand slow cuts while you scream for the hills.”

So we fast forward to Spark Death Party, why bring this army since the meta has evolved so much since then? Well, I wanted to see if the combo was a good counter to Gitz, Slaves and Mawtribes, which all fit those hyper aggressive archetypes. The difference being that all of those armies have abilities to deal out a lot more MW consistently than the previous meta (yes, even more than dragons) and still punch very hard. I made some tweaks by incorporating Lauka Vai and the Corpse Cart for the +1 to cast aura, hoping that in some games I could get Lauka Vai’s spell off allowing me to really control how my opponent could choose the engagement and the additional thought process was if the Gitz armies went deep in Squig Herd since they can’t reroll charges, it could potentially stop them when they want to charge.

Now lets cover some of the additional combos in the list that are less obvious, Levitating Blood Knights to always be able to move any enemy units when they retreat and plant themselves easily where they want while removing terrain to clunk them up. Making the Grave Guards Sworn protectors allows me the ability to do another Battle Tactic “A Matter of Honor” with them and just in the off chance I can get them to activate in the Hero Phase with the Vampire Lord. Lauka Vai’s MW on the Charge really allows me to sometimes get Neferata out of combat or lets me remove a GC consistently with her as she can be kind of a surgical strike unit and she provides the Blood Knights coverage if Neferata fails to cast her spell.

At the event itself, I played in order into FEC, Fyreslayers, Mawtribes, Gitz, Cities of Sigmar. My first 4 matchups were exactly the type of army I wanted to face, aggressive melee armies and man oh man did the combo work. Some highlights, keep Gotrek debuffed with less attacks and half charges while the army picked up everything else around him, into Mawtribes watching Stonehorn hit on 5’s with Neferata’s minus 1 to hit, into Gitz watching BK just absolutely lock units up and the Black Knights blocking avenues up the board. Neferata slayed a Terrorgheist, a Phoenix, a Grimwrath, and terrified the Heroes on Stonehorn with her dagger. The army obviously got to play the type of armies it was designed to fight into and it did incredibly well due mostly to its ability to keep my opponent’s army locked away and debuffed as I cut him ever so slightly to drain him of his life essence like perhaps…a Vampire. But honestly, all it took was probably a non Static shooting army like KO or Seraphon to just ruin my day. What a great last ride for this army before the new battletome.

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Army Faction: Stormcast Eternals
Army Type: Scions of the Storm
– Army Subfaction: Hammers of Sigmar
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Holy Command: Thunderbolt Volley
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Lord-Castellant (160)*
Artefacts: Quicksilver Draught
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
1 x Lord-Relictor (150)***
General
– Command Traits: High Priest
– Prayers: Translocation
1 x Battlemage (100)****
Ally
– Realm: Ghur

BATTLELINE
5 x Judicators with Boltstorm Crossbows (190)**
Judicator-Prime
– Thunderbolt Crossbow
5 x Judicators with Boltstorm Crossbows (190)**
– Judicator-Prime
– Thunderbolt Crossbow
2 x Dracothian Guard Fulminators (240)****
5 x Drakespawn Knights (110)****
Dread Knight
– Standard Bearer
– Hornblower

OTHER
10 x Protectors (440)*
Protector-Prime
– 4 x Starsoul Mace
3 x Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (240)**
Raptor-Prime
1 x Stormstrike Chariot (170)***
Stormstrike Axe and Tempestuous Spear

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Galletian Command
**Galletian Sharpshooters
***Vanguard
****Vanguard

Total Points: 1990/2000
Total Drops: 10
Total Units: 10
Total Wounds: 109

Through our friends at Stormkeep, we were able to reach out to Stark and ask if he’d give us a rundown of his list. Thanks again, Stark, for the comments, I’m sure we’ll be hearing from you again in the future!

Stark Pister: This list is a natural evolution of my HaXbows list from last season, with which I topped out at 4-1. Last season I played 15 Judicators + 3 Longstrikes in a 3 drop with double chariot bounty hunters and so this list pulls back on the shooting and chariots for a more durable anvil/hammer in the block of 10 protectors to fit the more midboard grind battleplans of this season.

In my opinion the strongest Stormcast lists tend to be mixed arms builds with durable screens protecting efficient shooting and high damage melee hammers to riposte threats that try to get through the screens to threaten the shooting, all supported by minimal characters since our faction synergies tend to be minimal. I tend to build my tournament lists with this a general philosophy as the balanced nature allows the flexibility to deal with most types of opponents. In a similar vein, I try to have units with diverse types of damage to have the tools to minimize polarized matches. I find Stormcast’s incredibly deep roster tends to provide the options to really customize what you want available in any given meta.

This new season presents a lot of opportunities and a lot of challenges for Stormcast lists. Fortunately, our main minimal support characters are all GCs (except Gardus). One of our big strengths is the ability to snipe out small enemy buff heros and now that is even better with enemy GC’s being critical for half the non-book tactics and several battle plans, incentizing use of the Sharpshooter battalion. However, they balanced sharpshooters well by forcing it to be 3 required units so you can’t be very low drop. High drops can be problematic for shooting armies because an early double can allow melee to close the gap and for opposing shooting to gain the upper hand in output, so this needs to be compensated for somehow. Longstrikes make the perfect GC hunters, and with scions, translocate, and Thunderbolt volley, they provide very flexible turn one threat that helps offset those high drops. The added threat of the Judicators forces conservative screening of heros while they efficiently clear those screens from a safe distance.

The Gallatian Command battalion provides the opportunity for a very strong combo in Stormcast when used alongside a Galatian Champion with the Quicksilver Draught and the new Tunnel Master makes it easy to set up even with a hero like the Castellant who wants to be on the board in the hero phase for his ability. More importantly, it allows the combo to be down at the start of the game as part of your initial deployment castle, and with the help of the Relictor, it can be anywhere it needs to be on turn one. This allows you to defend from alpha strike armies that choose to go first against you (or the rare person you outdrop), while being able to get them buffed and into the optimal position when given top of one. Lord Castellant is the perfect hero for this job not just because of his ability to buff them to a 1+ save but critically because he has a 40mm Gryph Hound that enables the whole 10 block to fit within the 2.5″ bubble to allow them to strike first with him when someone charges them. This provides a HUGE deterrent to hitting your midbaord castle from the front and specifically acts as protection of your main melee hammer against the double turn.

The Ghur Battlemage helps make up for the paladin speed issues in the mid game and pairs well with the Relictor for melee units in general throughout. I often lead with Mystic shield on one of the screens to help with weathering the potential double as well, before flipping to wildform to go on the offensive. He also provides the bare minimum magic defense, which coupled with heroic willpower and the relictor Dispel at least let you disrupt the low hanging fruit.

The efficient battleline slots provide the opportunity to pick up an all-star screen in the Drakespawn Knights, who pair well with the Chariot to safely claim objectives and pin large threats until their buffs are down. The Chariot even has vanguard battalion to reroll its first charge outside of hero range. Because the battleline are the riposte and ranged units, they can easily stay back to protect heros from shooting for a while.

Another critical consideration this season has been the battle tactics. The teleporting GC lineup and Sworn Bodyguard paladins make most of the new ones achievable with some planning, though This One’s Mine is rarely an option. Hammerstrike Assault and Draconith Desctruction can be good backup options, albeit riskier that come in handy against armies where killing the one thing needs to be your focus anyway. The spicy Drakespawn pick can even sneak a late game Pioneers of the Realms.

Shoutouts to my mentor Matt Beasley for helping refine the list and forcing me to get reps in (and for lending the Drakespawn), to my painting mentor Ricky Fischer whose squigs I beat in round 5 to finish the tournament, and to the whole of Dimensional Cascade. Special thanks to my partner Larc for the unending support of my unbelievably-high-time-commitment hobbies.

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Army Faction: Slaves to Darkness
Army Subfaction: Knights of the Empty Throne
– Grand Strategy: Follow the Path to Glory
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADER
1 x Be’lakor (355)
Spells: Binding Damnation
1 x Chaos Sorcerer Lord on Manticore (265)*
General
– Command Traits: Master of Magic
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Daemonic Speed
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
1 x Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
Spells: Chaotic Conduit
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
– Leadership of the alpha
1 x Exalted Hero of Chaos (100)*
Rune-etched Blade and Chaos Runeshield
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided

BATTLELINE
3 x Varanguard (290)*
3 x Daemonforged Blade
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
10 x Chaos Knights (460)*
– Doom Knight
– Standard Bearer
– Hornblower
– Cursed Lance
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Eroding Icon
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
5 x Chaos Knights (230)*
– Doom Knight
– Standard Bearer
– Hornblower
– Cursed Lance
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
10 x Splintered Fang (100)*

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Umbral Spellportal (80)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)

Another notch on Be’lakor’s bedpost! If you’ve not met him on the table before, Be’lakor’s man schtick is being able to stop a key unit from doing stuff (on a 3+ each phase) until your next hero phase. He’s been hotly debated in (all 9) S2D player circles because, while he offers a great amount of short-term control, which potentially allows you varanguard/10 knights (as in this list) to do their work, it’s also entirely possible that you roll a few crucial 2s, and then you’ve basically paid 355 pts for a not very durable, not very killy and kinda fast hero.

He has been cropping up recently though, suggesting that, overall, he’s worth it for the time he buys the hammers to do their work. Ricky here has actually gone for KOTET, which will allow the two units of knights, the Varanguard, and the Sorcerer on Manticore to all make up plenty of ground by running and charging. Obviously, that’s going to allow a fair bit of early pressure, especially with daemonic power being cast on 3d6 with a re-roll by the Manticore Sorc, allowing one unit to charge with 3d6 as well. I imagine the spell-portal is also there to allow the Manticore’s warscroll spell – one of the few good offensive spells S2D has access to – to reach out across the board to soften stuff up.

Finally, we have an Exalted Hero, who is utterly garbage, but only 100 points, and I imagine it is mainly there for GC based scoring.

Taking down one of the two mirrors and also managing to chew through NH and a monster heavy Ogor list means this is a great result with a techy list from Ricky!

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Army Faction: Cities of Sigmar
Army Type: Hallowheart
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Battlemage (100)*
General’s Adjutant
– Spells: Roaming Wildfire, Ignite Weapons
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
1 x Freeguild General (100)*
General
– Command Traits: Veteran of the Blazing Crusade
1 x Celestial Hurricanum with Celestial Battlemage (290)*
Spells: Ignite Weapons, Sear Wounds
1 x Anointed on Frostheart Phoenix (320)**
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Sear Wounds, Flaming Weapon
1 x Lord-Arcanum (140)**
Spells: Warding Brand, Roaming Wildfire

BATTLELINE
20 x Freeguild Handgunners (200)*
Marksman
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Piper
– Long Rifle
20 x Freeguild Crossbowmen (200)*
General’s Retinue
– Marksman
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Piper
10 x Freeguild Crossbowmen (100)*
– Standard Bearer
– Marksman
– Piper
10 x Flagellants (80)**
Prophet
10 x Freeguild Guard (80)**
Sergeant
– Standard Bearer
– Drummer
– Freeguild Halberd
10 x Freeguild Guard (80)**
Sergeant
– Drummer
– Standard Bearer
– Freeguild Halberd

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Quicksilver Swords (60)

OTHER
2 x Dracothian Guard Fulminators (240)**

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1990/2000)

Once you get one player comment, you can often get two or three from the connections those players have. That was the case here as well when Stark said he could reach out to Louis-Philippe for his comments.

Louis-Philippe: The Anointed on Frostheart Phoenix should only have Flaming Weapon (The mistake has been spot before start of the tourney and opponents were dully advise).

Game plan: First of all, AoS is a dice game. Luck is part of the game, but careful planning can sway the odds in your favour. …sometime 😛

Flagellants are there for the easy ‘’Sanctify’’ battle tactic T1 (White dwarf). Since I always let my opponent go first (I was lucky not to face a 1 drop), he usually doesn’t kill anything. So that was a free one turn 1. (Aside from game 4, where the battleplan didn’t favour that BT (Position Over Power). Fun fact, that was the only game my opponent concentrated on his resource to kill my flagellant on his T1.

This list has 4 (double, cause Hallowheart) casters, meaning an 8 cast hero phase T1. The Hallowheart command ability lets you take D6 mortals for the same amount in casting bonus. Meaning this list is usually casting at +1, if not +2 or +3, but could reach a whopping +9! and since all your spells are cast on 6s (aside Flaming weapon) unless your opponent is able to unbind, everything goes flying out. Fun fact (not so fun for my opponent): In my 4th round T1 hero phase, I was casting with a +5 from that command ability since my phoenix failed all his ward saves. Got to heal 3 wounds back with Sear Wounds though.

I mostly face Melee lists (Fireslayer, Skaven (night/gutterrunners), Nighthaunt, nurgles (beast), Soulbright Grave lord)

So, the plan was to deploy away from their charge range. For the skaven, I deployed my shooting units 3’’ aways from the front of my shaft unit, so his deepstriking rats only had my shaft to shoot at (and my Fulminators which they killed with mortals). He also charged my shaft with his deceiver (one of them failed the charge). His deceiver didn’t like mortals from magic bottom of 1 (and the other rats didn’t like my shooting).

As for the Soulbright, well Jeremy is impressive, tactics wise and had a bit of luck, he stole initiative T2, forcing me to move forward by burning my ‘’back’’ objective, and had Neferata do 1 wound (yes only 1 unsaved wound to my Phoenix, mind you it was the dagger that got through, Phoenix was at 11 health, he rolled a 5… pouf no more Phoenix).

Units :
The goal was to use the Freeguild Guards and Flagellants as chaff around the Handgunners and Crossbowmen. My general and the battle mage from Ghur had to be close to each other for the adjutant rule and my general was in the middle of the range unit, providing +1+1 with his CP and a 18’’ wholly whiting immune to bravery. The Phoenix was there to act as tarpit and increase survivability (if there’s any) of the chaff unit since his -1 wound bubble affects any enemy unit within range.
Fulminators are there to act as a menace, which they did great since most of my opponents were scared of them and diverted resource to deal with them.
Finally, th Lord-Arcanum was there to :

  • Be an extra GV
  • Give 1 more (possibility of 2) HP to the fulminators
  • But mostly give 6’’ more movement range on the Quicksilver Swords, which make them a 20’’ threat range on cast (remember the casting bonuses I talked about earlier)

Battleplans :
R1-Prize of Gallet
R2-Ours for the taking
R3-Only the Worthy
R4-Position over power
R5-Jaws of gallet.

Possible upgrade : Swap ‘’Tunnel Master’’ from the battlemage to the Lord-Arcanum.

Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for the Brewdog AoS GT

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This is the top three AoS lists for the Brewdog AoS GT that took place in the UK on the 4th and 5th of March. It involved 40 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, 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.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Slaves to Darkness
Damned Legion: Ravagers
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Be’Lakor, the Dark Master (355)*
The Lore of the Damned: Daemonic Speed
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
General
– Command Trait: Idolator Lord
– Prayer: Heal
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
– The Lore of the Damned: Daemonic Speed
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
– Universal Spell Lore: Levitate

Battleline
30 x Splintered Fang (300)*
Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
– Reinforced x 2
20 x Splintered Fang (200)*
Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
– Reinforced x 1
9 x The Unmade (80)*
Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh

Units
6 x Varanguard (580)*
– 6x Fellspear
– Mark of Chaos: Khorne
– Reinforced x 1

Behemoths
Chaos Gargant (145)*
Allies

Endless Spells & Invocations
Soulscream Bridge (80)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 145 / 400
Wounds: 125
Drops: 1

I’ve known of Geir for a while now. Some of you may remember that he attended the Honest Wargamers World Championship event last year. Geir is a high performing player in Scandinavia and so it’s nice to see him come to the UK to compete. I was personally very keen to get Geir’s comments on his list after following his performances for a while, I jumped at the chance to reach out to him.

Geir Vedeld: This is a very well-balanced list. It works well offensively and defensively. It is relatively fast with good damage output, with both mortal wounds, high volume of attacks and potentially high rend on the charge from Varanguard. It has a large footprint with high body count and wounds. Plenty of screening possibilities and supports different playing options into different matchups.

Ravagers
When you play Splintered Fang and Cultists, Ravagers for the “Rally the Tribes” ability is very strong. I chose Idolator Lord instead of Master of Magic because I want to give a mark to the Splintered Fang. Slaanesh being a natural choice with the +1 to run/charge and the Run & Charge from the Command Ability. With only Move 6”, the list would not be fast enough imo.

Heroes
It is a 5-cast 5-unbind list, ideally getting 4 spells off: Demonic Power, Demonic Speed, Mystic shield and bridge. Arcane Bolt on Be’lakor for the last cast. Fair to say: The bridge is there for 3 reasons: the threat early game, the possibility to heavy flank early game, and also mobility late game. I would never send my Varanguard crashing blindly into the enemy T1 unless I know I the benefits are high. But the Bridge is very difficult for the opponent to deal with, particularly lists without many screens.

The warscroll spell of the Chaos Sorcerer Lord is one of the strongest in the game. No-brainer really. The Heroic Action with the 3d6 cast gives reliability for the most important spells. Taking 2 CSLs to ensure “Rally the Tribes”.

Be’lakor is there for the following reasons: 1) Stop God-like characters and high-point units, 2) Defensively to protect my Varanguard when they charge in early, 3) Monster and Roar for the no-rend Splintered Fang, 4) Taking objectives alone, being stronger than most MSU, and 5) 2-cast mage.

Battleline
50 Splintered Fangs (30+20) has a very high output for 500 points. It gives the list board presence, mortal wounds, volume attacks, screens, recursion stagger strategy in gameplay, etc. Feels almost like playing Soulblight 😊. Lots of options come from those two units if you play them correctly.

9 Unmade are in my head a no-brainer in most S2D lists atm. The option to shut down redeploy when you rely on charging as your main output is truly strong. They are easily killed – but similarly easily rallied.

Units
The Varanguard is probably the most important unit in the list. It needs the spell support, and it needs the support of Be’lakor. I either keep them behind the lines for countercharge, I bridge them with 3d6 charge to lock down the enemy or heavy flank with them. With the protection of Be’lakor on the heaviest countercharge piece in the other army, I feel I can use their utility quite well. Also, with mystic shield and demonic power they get the 1+ save from All Out Defence and are still 2+/2+ when they are charged themselves.

The Chaos Gargant is selected for these purposes: 1) Roar together with the Fangs, 2) -1 save with the no-rend Fangs, and 3) it keeps the list one-drop as it fills a spot in the Battle Regiment reserved for none. Against deep striking / teleporting armies, it can screen my backline. Pretty neat and useful!

The list has a lot more utility than described here. Happy to discuss over a beer. Enjoy trying it out for yourself. It is not necessarily an obvious 5-0 list into all tournaments, but it is difficult to play against when the general knows to utilize it.

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Allegiance: Gloomspite Gitz
– Gittish Horde: Jaws of Mork
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Loonboss (85)**
– General
– Command Trait: The Clammy Hand
– Artefact: Nightflyer Cloak (Galletian Champion)
Madcap Shaman (70)**
Artefact: Moonface Mommet
– Lore of the Moonclans: The Hand of Gork
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Squigboss with Gnasha-squig (80)****
Skragrott, The Loonking (160)**
Grinkrak The Great (190)***

Battleline
30 x Squig Hoppers (540)***
Reinforced x 2
60 x Moonclan Shootas (375)*
Reinforced x 2
20 x Moonclan Shootas (125)*

Units
6 x Grinkrak’s Looncourt (0)*
5 x Loonsmasha Fanatics (110)****
5 x Loonsmasha Fanatics (110)****
6 x Sneaky Snufflers (110)**

Core Battalions
*Galletian Sharpshooters
**Warlord
***Vanguard
****Battle Regiment

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1955 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 199
Drops: 10

Nathan is the vice captain of AoS Team Scotland, and his lists have appeared before in a number of our articles. This event had some true top-class players taking part. Nathan was also kind enough to share the design thoughts behind his list.

Nathan: Squig hoppers can threaten a huge distance and only ever need around half the unit to go in an kill something with 5-6 attacks a hopper, 6s to hit do a mortal in addition from squig boss and loonboss all out attack is 6s to wound is a mortal in addition too. Rest of the unit trails back to Grinkrak for fight on death and to allow me to remove casualties to break coherency and rally back at will.

60 shootas can actually do a lot of damage at 3s to hit and 5s to wound with all out attack. If I get hand of gork off I can get them denying massive swathes of the table to deny space and buy more time for hoppers. Also rally back tricks on them.

2 x 60 wound bricks that occupy large amount of the table and don’t really die.

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Army Faction: Gloomspite Gitz
– Grand Strategy: Chasing the Moon
– Triumphs: Indomitable

LEADER
1 x Skragrott, the Loonking (160)*
1 x Dankhold Troggboss (200)**
– General
– Command Traits: Loonskin
– Artefacts: Glowy Howzit

BATTLELINE
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (320)*
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (320)*
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (320)*

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Malevolent Moon (80)

TERRAIN
1 x Bad Moon Loonshrine (0)

OTHER
5 x Sporesplatta Fanatics (90)*
5 x Gobbapalooza (145)*
2 x Dankhold Troggoths (360)**

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment
**Troggherd Heavies (Magnificent-Additional Triumph- Indomitable)

TOTAL POINTS: (1915/2000)

As you can see, we’ve been extremely lucky in getting comments from not one, not two, but all four players featured in today’s article. Sean is a long time Gitz player, and has actually tabled Sons of Behemat with the old book!

Sean: The idea was to use Skraggrot, the Molevelant Moon and the shrine to accomplish the grand strategy keeping the Troggboss at the back under the light of the moon but within range to use the all out attack for the extra attacks for the dankholds. The Gobbapoloza and the sporesplatta fanatics are there to buff up the rockguts, giving out extra rend or charge bonus combined with the -1 to hit bubble. Skraggrot is used mostly to ensure that by turn 3, I have the moon covering the board, so I get the save bonus across all my troggoth units. The realm command was really useful at times for units that had ended up stuck in combat for even more additional attacks. The main aim was to move up and survive the initial charge from my opponent and use all the additional attacks to clear the unit before moving forward to tag the objectives.

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Army Faction: Soulblight Gravelords
Army Type: Vyrkos Dynasty
– Grand Strategy: Lust for Domination
– Triumph: Indomitable

LEADERS
Necromancer (130)*
General
– Command Traits: Pack Alpha
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Invigorating Aura, Prison of Grief, Spectral Grasp
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Belladamma Volga (200)****
Spells: Amaranthine Orb, Invigorating Aura, Soulpike
Radukar the Wolf (140)***
Spells: Amethystine Pinions, Invigorating Aura, Spirit Gale
Torgillius the Chamberlain (90)***
Spells: Decrepify, Fading Vigour, Invigorating Aura
Gorslav the Gravekeeper (80)***

BATTLELINE
Dire Wolves (260)**
Dire Wolves (260)**
Dire Wolves (130)**
Dire Wolves (130)**
Dire Wolves (130)***
Dire Wolves (130)****

OTHER
Kosargi Nightguard (180)*

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Horrorghast (70)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Galletian Command
**Galletian Veterans
***Warlord
****Vanguard

TOTAL POINTS: 1930/2000
Drops 12

Finally, but by no means least, we have the fantastic Cara Newby. When I saw this list, I had to include it as the Wildcard. A shed tonne of Wolves, Kosargi Nightguard and almost all of the Cursed City characters. What’s not to love!

Cara: So the list is very much themed around the Vyrkos bloodline of vampire and wolves, it was designed for attending the Brewhammer event in the Brewdog Brewery. Which was the concept for it all, really. But let’s be honest when looking at the new Dynasty that came out with the latest soulblight book and the Cursed City game, who hasn’t considered leaning into it and doing a full wolf list! That image of eighty wolves charging through snow,howling in the night, is just great, and I feel this list brings it to life quite well.

The main points of the army are speed, board space control and wounds, and endless amounts of wounds. While they only have a 5+ save and 6+ ward save you wouldn’t think wolves can last but with the 2 wounds each a basic unit for their points is 20 wounds and comes back with 10 wounds through gravesite or Gorslav after they died. The whole list is 210 wounds total and with 160 of being wolves, so another potential 80 wounds extra.. Coming to a grand total of 290 wounds, potentially. (maybe a few extra wolves too from Belladama’s lycan curse spell)

With two blocks of twenty wolves for holding the line and larger fighting blocks, then four units of tens for screens, mobility around flanks, it forms a solid core to the army. Now you might say, but what about damage? While each wolf only has two attacks base 4’s and 4’s it doesn’t seem much. But on the charge, they auto get +1,+1.. And the doomwolf getting an extra attack helps a lot, especially as most of the units are in Gally Veterans so they can fight through each other. In fact, you can have a Doomwolf per ten models, so in the larger units, there are two making a unit of twenty wolves on the charge, an impressive 42 attacks hitting on 3’s and wounding on 3’s. But that’s just the start of the damage because of the buffs the hero’s can give out to their puppies, all combined with the majority of the army being a move of 10 inches , so getting a bulk of the force of those units into combat isn’t too hard. But combat doesn’t win games, it can lead to it but its points that do that and this is where the wolves really shine a unit of ten can occupy a lot of space on an objective and stop an opponent getting on it, a unit of twenty can easily fill an objective and have some spare over the edge.

So what does the rest of the list do and help these simple goals you could say.

Belladama is a key piece being naturally a +1 wizard with two spell casts herself, both her warscroll spells are great , with under the killing moon being an almost auto want cast as it gives off a 12” aura of 6’s on hits explode into two hits for soulblight models. LycanCurse is a great spell for tying up units you want to charge so they can’t redeploy or suffer an unleash hell from (not to mention you get to place the replacement wolves before models are removed, so there is even a chance of bringing supporting heroes or other units into combat behind the original target.) She can pass off wounds to wolves nearby combined with her 4+ save and 9 wounds, she can be very hard to kill. Her command ability ‘pack alpha’ can give a unit of wolves that ability to pile/fight in 6 inches, just like a zombie unit so with a solid run a unit of wolves can get across that table first turn and into combat and again not suffer an unleash hell, but I will caution it isn’t a charge so you don’t get the on charge bonuses for the wolves, so best done with a ten wolf unit, to delay the opponent. Oh, did I mention she counts as a general too?

Radukar the Wolf again is mostly a buff piece with his command ability used at the start of the combat phase, giving off a +1 attack to all soulblight units wholly within 18”. He again is tough to kill as he can pass off wounds to his nightguard on a 2+, who are permanently next to him in this list. While he can fight and cause damage, his main focus is being that buff piece hence the Pinions spell to get him where he needs to be, and when he is there launching off spirit gale at the enemy for some range damage. (especially into low brav armies, like gitz). Again he counts as a general as well!

Torgillius is a cheap little necromancer and generally lives right next to Radukar , giving the army that 4+ chance of an extra command point (this army can be a very command point hungry one to get all the buffs you want up, so anything that helps is good!) as well as an extra spell. Throwing out his debuff spells at nearby enemies (which you cast depends on what you’re facing and would be best at the time) as he is generally in the thick of packs of wolves who are doing the fighting. He can last longer than expected with his 4+ ward save, but combat is not really where you want him to be.

Gorslav The Gravekeeper doesn’t really need much explanation, he is there for another hero and one who can make sure you bring back a unit a turn and with a bit more flexibility in there you bring them back as it isn’t fixed to gravesites. He can survive pretty long if still nearby the wolves as they are deadwalkers, but again, combat isn’t where you want him to be.

The actual picked general is just a lowly necromancer, but again provides that vital buffing role of being able to make a summonable unit fight twice.Command trait wise pack alpha gives him a way of giving out a free command per turn again helping with the command point usage for the army a great deal. Having the arcane tome he can cast that and also get an extra spell off , I went with movement debuffing spells for him mostly as they are good range and anything slowing down your opponent while your fast army moves around is good. He has tunnel master for those quick grabs of objectives and getting out of trouble, but generally lives near the rest of the heroes in the thick of things, passing off wounds again to nearby troops. He also has his sworn bodyguard nearby in case anyone tries to hunt him down, making him even more survivable.
The last of the units I have is a reinforced unit of night guard who are not only a great looking model but with four wounds each and a 5+ save and 5+ ward, they can tank not bad.. But their main ability is to cause pain, nearby Radukar they get one extra attack, bringing them to three, 3’s and 3’s , -1 rend and 2 damage a swing 2” reach.. And when Radukar uses his command ability, which you pretty much do most turns, they go up to 4 each.. So that’s 32 damage for the unit potentially, which really adds a punch. For such a small unit.

Finally the horrorghast is there to try and take advantage of chip damage from the force as there are no major hitters, but with the auto ability of reducing bravery from being nearby deadwalkers/deathrattle which soulblight have.. Even high bravery things can lose larger numbers to battleshock and with SB having 10 across the board, it affects the list little. Especially as keeping the points low (1930) to get that indomitable triumph, while that itself is good.. The main purpose of low points is to stop your opponent having that triumph instead or even two triumphs if they have leaned into it.

So to sum up with all the buffs working.. A unit of twenty wolves can have 3 attacks each (+1 for doomwolf) hitting on 3’s with exploding 6’s.. Wounding on 3’s then fighting twice. So a potential of 124 attacks, all while flooding the board and objectives with a presence and space occupying, restricting your opponent’s movements. As a General rule , two or three units of wolves are in the grave to start with, simply because it can be hard to fit them in the deployment zones and also provide that threat of coming up behind enemy lines. With that threat, people are forced to either ignore it or keep units back to stop it, either way it is a good thing.

The list does pretty well but it isn’t fast to move around the army and takes dedication and practice to keep things moving at a pace and make sure you can maximize buff’s. Hard opponents are ones where chip damage really doesn’t do much to their force or they have really high armour saves/ wards. Or indeed if they just hit so hard it doesn’t matter what you had that unit is dead.. Such as a big block of varanguard (but thats where screening with smaller units is key)

Thanks for reading if you have made it this far!

Miss Cara Newby,

Proud member of the Farmhammer Podcast team and part of the Scottish AoS scene.

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