This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the Flying Monkey Con Grand Tournament that took place in Wichita, Kansas , USA on 24 and 25 September. It involved 51 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament. The top 10 has 10 different factions represented, that is certainly representative of the wide open meta we have right now.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Allegiance: Cities of Sigmar
– City: Phoenicium
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Mighty Beachhead
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Anointed on Frostheart Phoenix (315)
– General
– Command Trait: Seeker of Vengeance
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Anointed on Frostheart Phoenix (315)
– Artefact: Phoenix Pyre Ashes
Assassin (80)**
Assassin (80)**
Celestial Hurricanum with Celestial Battlemage (290)**
– Lore of the Phoenix: Golden Mist
Haskel Hexbane (180)

Battleline
10 x Phoenix Guard (175)***
10 x Phoenix Guard (175)***
10 x Phoenix Guard (175)***

Units
10 x Flagellants (80)*
10 x Shadow Warriors (120)*
5 x Hexbane’s Hunters (180)*

Core Battalions
*Bounty Hunters
**Command Entourage – Magnificent
***Expert Conquerors

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1985 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 110
Drops: 12

Brett: A Cities list without allies on the Podium? This is something exceptional even in our current meta, and Phonecium has the lowest representation of all of the Cities at just 2%. So Jeremy is doing it the hard way(?) but with a good reason. The Phoenix heros gain a wound and the Phoenix Guard gain +1 to hit and wound rolls (and a 4+ ward) within 12″ of Phoenix Temple hero (the Phoenixes). The result is the Guard become a capablable pining unit with some punch. The Guard are all in Expert Conquerors for objective control. Flagellants are very cheap screens, Shadow Warriors for mobile threat (strike from reserve) and Hexbane’s Hunters. All of these have mostly damage 1 weapons but are Bounty Hunters. Nice play, you’d normally use GVs to clear the screening units. Extra bonus, Flagellants get extra attacks if you don’t wipe the unit.

Hexbane’s Hunters were only announced recently so they are a bit a surprise. Slow moving they are a pair of assassin units with a preference for wizard heroes (they do additional damage to Hexbane’s chosen target). If you use an Underworld squad your opponent might not know what they do. In this case it’s 2 units with a combined 15 wounds and a 5+ ward that can do some annoying damage, including MW at the end of combat. In fact good luck getting Hexbane’s warscroll (it was taken off the Warhammer site). Special mention for the pair of Assassins. They appear with any unit of 5 or more at the start of the combat phase. No need to note which unit at the start off the game.

Shadow warriors striking from reserve could charge and if successful have an Assassin added. Or they can be dropped onto a unit you’ve charged at the start of your combat phase. The Phoenixes and Hurricanum are clearly the hammer units here but are falling behind a little (the Hurricanum through spell damage and buffing adjacent units). Despite the detail this isn’t an army that wins through list tech. There are a lot of old data sheets here with lowish rend and random damage, making the most of that to go 5/0 is pretty remarkable. His first 4 opponents had units that are hard to take down (Gargants, Mawcrushas, Be’Lakor and a Stardrake). At the same time this list is hard to concentrate your forces against and very hard to prevent it scoring. Throughout the competition Jeremy scored consistently taking the even from the other 5/0.

Allegiance: Tzeentch
– Change Coven: Hosts Arcanum
– Grand Strategy: Show of Dominance
– Triumphs:

Leaders
Changecaster, Herald of Tzeentch (140)*
– General
– Command Trait: Spell Hunters
– Artefact: The Fanged Circlet
– Lore of Change: Unchecked Mutation
– Bonding: Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur
Kairos Fateweaver (435)
– Lore of Change: Bolt of Tzeentch
Lord of Change (400)*
– Lore of Change: Tzeentch’s Firestorm

Battleline
10 x Kairic Acolytes (120)*
– 7x Cursed Blade & Arcanite Shield
– 3x Cursed Glaives
10 x Pink Horrors of Tzeentch (250)*
– Split and Split Again
10 x Kairic Acolytes (120)*
– 7x Cursed Blade & Arcanite Shield
– 3x Cursed Glaives

Behemoths
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)*
– Allies

Endless Spells & Invocations
Chronomantic Cogs (40)
Purple Sun of Shyish (70)
The Burning Head (20)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1995 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 400 / 400
Wounds: 63
Drops: 2

Brett: More familiar territory now with a Kairos/Lord of Change double act. All squeezed into a Battle Regiment with some crowd favourites – Purple Sun and Krondspine. Changecaster as General, freeing up the Lord of Change to be aggressive. Mortal Acolytes, MSU Pink Horrors and 3 Endless Spells round out the list. The endless spells are fairly normal choices – Cogs, Purple Sun and the Burning Head, the Burning Head is very cheap MW on demand. Be ready for Kairos to use Gift of Change with both Cogs and the LoC making it much more likely to succeed, the Spawn are a useful boost to melee. Otherwise we’ve seen similar lists a few times, the Krondspine and Horrors will slow your advance while Kairos and the LoC pepper you with spells. This list is easily generating 5+ fate points a turn, units can be summoned from Turn 2.

Dwarves seem to have been decent counters to the list otherwise scoring was strong across the board. KO shooting and mobility can be difficult to counter for an army with essentially 18″ range (but Dalton still won). Fyreslayers on demand ward can be an issue for spell based MW (you aren’t spamming attacks to generate damage). As a known quantity going 5/0 takes skill, the lack of units hampers scoring which probably Dalton the event.

Allegiance: Lumineth Realm-lords
– Great Nation: Syar
– Grand Strategy: Tame the Land
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Hurakan Spirit of the Wind (265)
Hurakan Spirit of the Wind (265)
Hurakan Windmage (120)*
– General
– Command Trait: Goading Arrogance
– Artefact: The Perfect Blade
– Lore of the Winds: Howling Gale
Hurakan Windmage (120)*
– Lore of the Winds: Transporting Vortex
Sevireth, Lord of the Seventh Wind (345)*

Battleline
30 x Vanari Auralan Sentinels (495)*
– Lore of Hysh: Lambent Light
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Vanari Auralan Wardens (145)*
– Lore of Hysh: Total Eclipse
10 x Vanari Auralan Wardens (145)*
– Lore of Hysh: Protection of Hysh

Endless Spells & Invocations
Geminids of Uhl-Gysh (40)
Chronomantic Cogs (40)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 90
Drops: 3

Brett: Lumineth (and Sentinels) back in the winner’s circle with a 4/1, 3rd. The dual Spirit of the Wind/Windmage combos is a diversion, the Spirits can move 24″, shoot and move another 12″ and still charge. The Windmage heal them if they are within 12″. Severith shares the Spirits mobility with a MW ability if he crosses over an enemy unit. The core of the army is the Sentinels with their long range shooting. But instead of windriders the army is using extremely mobile heroes to apply pressure and complete Battle Tactics. Typically using terrain is the best way to avoid the Sentinels even with their indirect shooting. Sevireth and his band can still reach you.

We don’t see Geminids enough, turning off commands is underrated and very powerful as are the incidental MWs. It offers board control in the same was as Purple Sun at half the price. Cogs is potentially significant with so many units self buffing via spells. It worked with consistent scoring throughout with the exception of the Idoneth who have the ability to drop the combat range to 12″.

Allegiance: Gloomspite Gitz
– Option: Gloomspite Gitz
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Fungoid Cave-Shaman (95)**
– Lore of the Moonclans: The Hand of Gork
Dankhold Troggboss (240)*
– General
– Command Trait: Alpha Trogg
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Levitate

Battleline
6 x Fellwater Troggoths (310)*
– Reinforced x 1
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (290)*
– Reinforced x 1
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (290)*
– Reinforced x 1
3 x Rockgut Troggoths (145)**
3 x Rockgut Troggoths (145)**
3 x Rockgut Troggoths (145)**
3 x Rockgut Troggoths (145)**

Units
1 x Marshcrawla Sloggoth (150)*
– Allies

Endless Spells & Invocations
Mork’s Mighty Mushroom (40)

Terrain
Bad Moon Loonshrine

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

Total: 1995 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 150 / 400
Wounds: 148
Drops: 2

Brett: Picking our last list was a bit more controversial, at least in our virtual office. Double battle regiment Gitz army (yes a 2 drop army). This Gitz/Troll army has minimum HQs or other distractions and is relying on the unreliable Rockgut Troggoth for everything. There’s 24 in this army with 6 Fellwaters, led by a Dankhold and partnered with a Sloggoth (he broke free from the Kruleboyz somehow). The Cave-Shaman gives extra CP on a 4+ and might do some MW. Ranged attacks at very close range (6″ and 9″) this is a slow moving combat army. They can hit very hard but there are a lot of D3s and D6s for number of attacks or damage, fitting for an older book but guaranteed to make things “interesting”. The Sloggoth giving +1 to hit (or free all out attack) within 18″ makes things a bit more spicey.

Beau went all the way to the final round without dropping a game, that’s a stellar piece of work. In the last round he ran into the overall winner and his regeneration (most units get D3 wounds in the hero phase) just wasn’t enough.