Category Archives: Sylvaneth

Top Three AoS Lists for the Woehammer AoS GT

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 Welsh Open

This is the top three AoS lists for Welsh Open that took place in the Cardiff, Wales on the 29th and 30th of April. It involved 51 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: Ogor Mawtribes
Mawtribe: Boulderhead
Grand Strategy: Ready for Plunder
Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Big Chungus (450)*
Frostlord on Stonehorn
– General
– Command Trait: Voice of the Avalanche
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mount Trait: Rockmane Elder
Queen Divine (330)**
Huskard on Thundertusk
– Blood Vulture
– Mount Trait: Rimefrost Hide
– Prayer: Keening Gale

BATTLELINE
Netflix Comedy Special (310)*
Stonehorn Beastriders
– Weapon: Blood Vulture
Lesbian Bed Death (310)*
Stonehorn Beastriders
– Weapon: Blood Vulture
The TERF Eater (310)*
Stonehorn Beastriders
– Weapon: Blood Vulture
White Male Privilege (270)**
Thundertusk Beastriders
– Weapon: Blood Vulture

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Torrbad

TOTAL: 1980 / 2000

Taking down the Welsh Open in a SPICY meta (it’s the stomping ground of the Team Lit folks, among many other reputable gaming clubs around the greater area) is this Monster truck list from competitive stalwart, Hazel Moon.

vroom vroom! Aside from the galaxy-brain race-horse style names, there’s not a tonne unusual about this list. Big Stonehorns never really go out of style – but one thing that makes them especially interesting in this season is their vulture attacks – it’s 1 MW on a 2+ per stonehorn but it doesn’t actually count as a shooting attack and can therefore target those lovely squishy GCs with, on average, 5 MWs per shooting phase.

Other than being strong on objectives, having fantastic charge mortals (especially helpful in this -1/2 hit meta we’re seeing), this is a super reliable list with all the tools to do well – the fact Hazel took down BoC, KO and Fyreslayers twice is testament to the that. Keep on truckin’ Hazel!

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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)
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 AND INVOCATIONS
Molten Infernoth (40)

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

ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS
Artefact
Artefact

TOTAL: 1990 / 2000

Kevin Lathers: Now you may ask yourself, have I seen this list before? Well, sort of.

Slight permutations of this list have been making the rounds. Sometimes it’s Greyfyrd, but I think Vostarg has taken over a bit: it’s easy to see why with its huge bonus to vulkites (+1 to hit and wound on charge). That usually trumps two extra artefacts.

Pulling the previous summary of the list: it relies on blocks of infantry holding objectives and looking for openings to run + charge (ember storm prayer) into important units. The 10-man Vulkite units are both screens and hammers while the Hearthguard are immovable block that can strike first into anyone thinking charging it is a good idea.

The smaller Vulkites and HGB feed into the 30-man Vulkite unit which can pick anything in the game up off the board with dual-flamekeeper buffs. Between 90 and 120 attacks (if Runefather buff is active) on that 30-man black at 3-damage each means even if an opponent is saving on a 2+ they are going to get toasted.

Once the engine of the flamekeepers gets going it’s hard to stop unless opponents can somehow take them out. But they can be well protected behind the infantry and focus on them means Vulkites are staying alive. And with how many Vulkite and Hearthguard Berserkers there are, this is a lot of wounds to chew through.

It’s notable that Alex had to play against not one, but two, Helon LRL lists. LRL usually can give FS a tough time with their AoE spellcasting and precision MWs, but Alex managed to massage that Nulsidian Icon (4+ spell ignore) to a win against both opponents. Further, this list has the benefit of high wound amounts which can sometimes thwart LRL attempts at unit removal.

His other three opponents used combat armies (Khorne, Ogors, and NH) which always struggle into FS lists like this. Once they get stuck in and start killing vulkites it only makes the next combat even worse for them and they quickly getting burned to the ground by the incredible damage stacking of flamekeepers.

As long as we remain in this GHB I will expect to continue seeing this list, or ones very similar to it, show up.

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Allegiance: Sylvaneth
Glade: Heartwood
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Alarielle the Everqueen (820)*
Arch-Revenant (120)*
– General
– Command Trait: Warsinger
– Artefact: Seed of Rebirth (Universal Artefact)
– Aspect of the Champion: Leadership of the Alpha

BATTLELINE
6 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatbows (460)*
– Reinforced x 1
3 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatbows (230)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*

UNITS
5 x Gossamid Archers (210)*

ENDLESS SPELL AND INVOCATIONS
Spiteswarm Hive (40)
Season: Dwindling

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL: 1990 / 2000

The Mathmallow version of the current Sylvaneth hotness adds a unit of Gossamid archers as an additional, incredibly mobile, screen to prevent opponents from interfering with the backline artillery station of 9 Kurnoth hunters.

This style of list has only gotten more popular as the way Sylvaneth is built in GTs has been honed to a fine edge, Alarielle creates a terrible problem for an opponent with her self-recursion and enormous wound count demanding answers, and quickly, to prevent Sylvaneth stabilising on board state and achieving enough positive trades to begin to take over in the late game when Alarielle returns. This long-game style of play, combined with enormous range of influence, excellent mobility and uninteractive trading make sylvaneth more than capable of taking all comers – an absolute must for a GT.

This list is relatively well-spoken about so I’ll avoid going into it too much but in this humble writer’s opinion the Gossamid archers are the most interesting inclusion in this list, an obvious answer to alpha-strike style combat armies, the gossamids are intended to give an extra layer of screening to objectives and provide time for the relatively medium output of the kurnoths to do their work. They do decent damage on their own but strike me as a tech piece aiming to address one of the major flaws of the list: it being so light on bodies. I’d be interested to hear what Mathmallow thinks of them after using them consistently in a few GTs.

A man that needs no introductions, posting another truly LIT performance, well done Mathew

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Allegiance: Daughters of Khaine
Temple: Hagg Nar
Mortal Realm: Ghur
Grand Strategy: Bloodthirsty Zealots
Triumphs: Inspired

LEADERS
Hag Queen on Cauldron of Blood (280)*
– General
– Command Trait: Zealous Orator
– Prayer: Sacrament of Blood
High Gladiatrix (90)**
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
High Gladiatrix (90)**
Bloodwrack Medusa (140)**
– Artefact: Crystal Heart
– Lore of Shadows: Mindrazor

BATTLELINE
20 x Witch Aelves (240)**
– Pairs of Sacrificial Knives
– Reinforced x 1
20 x Witch Aelves (240)**
– Pairs of Sacrificial Knives
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Witch Aelves (120)**
– Pairs of Sacrificial Knives
10 x Witch Aelves (120)**
– Pairs of Sacrificial Knives

UNITS
5 x Khinerai Heartrenders (100)*
5 x Khinerai Heartrenders (100)*

BEHEMOTHS
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (480)**
– Allies

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL: 2000 / 2000

DoK have seen a fairly dramatic fall from grace this season since their points hikes, a shallow book and a number of strong new tomes, but they’re still fundamentally a good army – especially, for my money, when they focus on Aelf swarms.

Those scantily glad murder-vixens don’t look like much on paper – but buffed with +1 to wound by the Gladiatrix, +1 to save by proximity to the Blood Wagon, and starting at Blood Rites 2 in Hagg Nar, they can really perform. If Mindrazor goes off on them too, which the Krondspine’s +1 to cast will help with, they can reach silly level of output, with 3 attacks at 2/3/-2/2 on the charge.

Speaking of Spinedog, we haven’t seen him around these parts for a while, but here he acts as a Morathi-proxy who is, under some scenarios, actually harder to kill and can really allow the Aelf hordes to get into position and choose favourable engagements.

A smart list which I don’t envy having to push around – dems a lorra liddle bases! Makes me wonder – are DoK in line for some new units (and I don’t mean useless Underworlds warbands etc) – perhaps with the Dawnbringer books? That little extra depth could be what they need to shine/bathe in blood again!

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Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Valleycon 2023

This is the top three AoS lists for Valleycon 2023 that took place in New Zealand on the 22nd and 23rd of April. It involved 26 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: Khorne
Slaughterhost: The Bloodlords
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
-Triumphs: Indomitable

LEADERS
Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury (330)**
General
– Command Trat: Firebrand
– Artefact: Argath the King of Blades
Skarbrand (380)
Realmgore Ritualist (100)*
Prayer: Blood Sacrifice
Herald of Khorne on Blood Throne (160)*
Bloodsecrator (110)*
Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Bloodmaster, Herald of Khorne (110)**
Artefact: Halo of Blood

UNITS
30 x Bloodletters (540)**
Gore Drenched icon
10 x Bloodreavers (80**
Reaver Blades
10 x Bloodreavers (80)**
Reaver Blades
10 x Bloodreavers (80)**
Reaver Blades

CORE BATTALIONS
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL: 1970/2000

Peter: We’ve corrected this article to say that Bloodlords can be buffed to cause mortals on 5+ and not 4+ as previously stated.

Hero-hammer is alive and well in the land of Khorne. While I think their book was initially overlooked due to the insane rules from Slaanesh, there is a lot of potential in the new Blades of Khorne battletome. They remain a very tech-y army with a moderate to high skill level, but in the right hands they can get a lot of work done.

In this case, Shaun has packed more than half the points for his army in heroes, and a further quarter of his points in a single, massive unit of Bloodletters.

Working from the top of the list, we’ll start with the Fury Thirster. I think you’ll see this unit + command trait combination a lot. The Thirster starts as a great force mulitplier, allowing one unit per round the chance to roll 3D6 for a charge, as well as providing a -1 to hit debuff for enemies within 8″. Giving him Firebrand allows him the ability to chant prayers as well, and Khorne’s Prayer Scriptures are good enough that you’ll want to pack as many priests as possible. He’s also taken Argath, which will cut ward from nearby units, allowing those aura mortals to go through more easily.

He’s followed up by Skarbrand. Skarbrand’s role in the army didn’t change from the last tome. He’s still a massive beatstick character that suffers from some durability issues. Luckily he’s one of the few bracketing units in the game that gets better as he takes damage, so if your opponent happens to leave him standing with only 1 or 2 wounds they are in huge trouble. His damage output became more reliable in this tome, but he lost the ability to increase the number of attacks for Carnage, so you’re banking on that single die. At his bottom bracket that’s a guaranteed 8 mortal wounds, with a potential 16 mortal wound spike, so that one attack can still be very effective if aimed correctly.

I’ll lump the Realmgore Ritualist and Bloodsecrator in the same bucket, as they both have the same goal: time their once-per-game ability well, then die. The blood tithe points gained from their deaths will be 1 shy of summoning an extra GC to the field, and since their attack increases are once per game, it means they can be effective in death. If you don’t have the opportunity to have them killed, you still have two priests running around the field, both of which are GCs, so scoring some late-game battle tactics should be well within your reach.

The Bloodmaster and Herald are both Daemon priests (5 priests in this list!), and serve different purposes. The Herald can move quickly around the battlefield, and carries a healing prayer that can bring back a few of those bloodthirsters as they die, while the bloodmaster buffs them by giving them +1 to wound against an enemy unit. Tie the bloodletters unit near enough to the Bloodthirster to get a 3D6 charge and they’ll fling themselves across the field lightning-fast while setting off the Bloodlords army trait. Give them All-out Attack and you now have a 30-strong unit fighting in two ranks (thanks to their shiny new 2″ weapon range), hitting on 2s, wounding on 2s, with mortal wounds happening on hit rolls of 5+! A large enough squad can reasonably survive most enemy’s Unleash Hell, so you’ve got a very powerful mobile unit that can dish out a ton of damage.

Past there you have three units of Reavers. They are decently cheap battleline, and work well for screens and blood tithe points. Shaun has also taken a Magnificent Command Entourage, bringing an extra artefact on the Bloodmaster, giving it permanent fight-first (note that this also gives the bloodletters fight first due to The Blood Must Flow in a roundabout way).

Congratulations, Shaun, on your first place win! I love to see Khorne come out strong, and I’m sure we will see more Khorne lists in the near future.

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Allegiance: Sylvaneth
– Glade: Heartwood
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Warsong Revenant (300)*
General
– Command Trait: Spellsinger
– Lore of the Deepwood: The Dwellers Below
Treelord Ancient (330)*
Artefact: The Vesperal Gem
– Lore of the Deepwood: Treesong
Arch-Revenant (120)*
Aspect of the Champion: Stubborn as a Rhinox

UNITS
6 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Scythes (500)*
3 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatbows (230)*
3 x Revenant Seekers (240)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*
10 x Shadow Warriors (120)*
Allies

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
Spiteswarm Hive (40)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL: 1990/2000

Not the first, nor likely the last time I’ll find myself writing about Lee Wilmot’s Sylvaneth play, I feel it’s worth commenting on a thread of consistency between his Sylvaneth lists that is often glossed over in favour of unit to unit analysis: The kind of list Lee runs, and the reason he is so successful with Sylvaneth vs top factions such as Gitz, KotET, LRL and so forth, is that the lists he makes score well. Lee’s use of things such as the Vesperal Gem on the TLA (automatically cast once per round), tech choices like the Dweller’s below (Sylvaneth’s generic anti-horde spell) and frankly, the inclusion of a TLA at all (to create a tree 3″ away where-ever he wants, once per game) combine to form a picture of consistency. If piloted well, this kind of list will consistently flip objectives each turn and score Battle tactics, building to a trading advantage that allows Take What’s Theirs (the GS) to be scored at the end of the game.

I do have some questions about how this style of list handles some of the new fast – or spell dominant – books like Seraphon, Slaanesh and KO (always KO) so if you see this Lee, please reach out! That said, this list style allows a base formula to be applied each game, with little room to interact for the opponent (unironically a massive positive for tournament play, and the pillar of LRL’s general success) and provides great scope for adjustment on the fly based on battlefield conditions, Revenant Seekers provide mobility and improve consistency by resurrecting Kurnoths that are killed off by Fight On Death or long range chip damage effects while the combination of the pet Shadow Warriors unit and the Tree Revenants allow for objective sitting once the combination of spell damage, ranged damage and Strike and Fading Kurnoth Hunters clear the way. It’s an extremely well structured way to approach list building for the GT environment where a broad range of matchups will be played and a great show of Lee’s system mastery.

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Allegiance: Gloomspite Gitz
– Gittish Horde: King’s Gitz
– Grand Strategy: Chasing the Moon
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADERS
Skragrott, The Loonking (210)***
– Lore of the Moonclans: The Hand of Gork
Dankhold Troggboss (200)**
General
– Command Trait: Loonskin
– Artefact: Glowy Howzit
Squigboss with Gnasha-squig (100)*
Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Fungoid Cave-Shaman (90)***
Artefact: Staff of Sneaky Stealin’
– Lore of the Moonclans: The Hand of Gork
Webspinner Shaman (65)***
– Lore of the Spiderfang: Curse of da Spider God

UNITS
40 x Moonclan Shootas (250)**
3 x Fellwater Troggoths (160)**
3 x Rockgut Troggoths (160)**
6 x Rockgut Troggoths (320)***
24 x Squig Herd (260)*
5 x Gobbapalooza (160)**
– Lore of the Moonclans: Itchy Nuisance

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
Loonskin Scuttletide (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Galletian Command
**Battle Regiment
***Warlord

ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS
Artefact

TOTAL: 1975/2000

Gitz are back baby… although its perhaps more accurate to say that they have arrived for the first time. Sam has brought a ‘soup’ list to 4-1 here and snagged 3rd place. (A soup list in Gitz is one with a few keywords, so in this case Troggs, Squigs, Spiders and Gitz (in the form of the Gobbapalooza))

It’s great to see the Gobbapalooza popping up in lists now that it’s been made into a single warscroll which makes it much easier to understand and – more importantly – stop ‘gotcha’ moments because an opponents forgot which of the 5 scrolls the little green guy was in the last book!

The Webspinner is a fun addition in this list to also represent the Spiderfang, and he’s brought along a free scuttletide (well the Dankhold has!) This makes these three models very good value and we’ll definitely see it in a few more lists before the book has run it’s course.

The main backbone is the Troggs though – hitting like a freight train you’ll need to hit first and hit hard – and then kill them again when they come back from the Loonshrine. It’s a lot of muscle with a small number of attacks but good damage on the Rockguts.

Games Workshop via Wahapedia

They have the ‘elite infantry’ profile of 3+/3+ which routinely means 2+/3+ and have rend 2, damage 3. Sure you don’t get many attacks, but it makes your opponent sweat when they have to take those saving throws. Even Annihilators have cause for (some) concern.

It’s great to see the Gitz getting near the top now and to have so many players dust off their collections after 3 years in the attics. Hopefully I’ll get a game or two in with them soon… getting serious FOMO watching all my fellow Gitz get in the reps!

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Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Clash of the Titans ’23

This is the top three AoS lists for the Clash of the Titans 23 that took place in Sydney, Australia, on the 15th and 16th of April. It involved 18 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: Sylvaneth
– Subfaction: Oakenbrow
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Inspired
– Seasons of War: The Burgeoning

LEADERS
Treelord Ancient (330)
– Spells: Regrowth, Verdant Blessing
Spirit of Durthu (350)*
– Artefacts of Power: Greenwood Gladius
Drycha Hamadreth (320)**
– Spells: The Dwellers Below, Verdant Blessing
Battlemage (100)**
– Magic of the Realms: Wildform (Ghur)
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

BATTLELINE
Treelord (230)*
Treelord (230)*
Dryads (100)*
– Branch Nymph

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Spiteswarm Hive (40)

TERRAIN
1 x Awakened Wyldwood (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Command Entourage – Magnificent

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

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Army Faction: Slaves to Darkness
 – Army Subfaction: Cabalists
– Grand Strategy: Follow The Path To Glory

LEADER
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
– General
– Command Traits: Master of Magic
– Artefacts: Daemonic Familiar
– Spells: Chaotic Conduit, Daemonic Speed
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled By Ghurish Rage
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
– Spells: Chaotic Conduit, Daemonic Speed
– Mark of Chaos: Undivided

BATTLELINE
10 x Chaos Knights (440)*
– Doom Knight
– 2 x Standard Bearer
– 2 x Hornblower
– Cursed Lance
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
– The Eroding Icon
9 x Corvus Cabal (80)*
9 x Corvus Cabal (80)*

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Soulscream Bridge (80)

OTHER
10 x Chaos Chosen (480)*
– Exalted Champion
– 2 x Icon Bearer
– 2 x Skull Drummer
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
6 x Varanguard (580)*
– 6 x Fellspear
– Mark of Chaos: Nurgle

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1980/2000)

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Army Faction: Gloomspite Gitz
– Army Subfaction: Jaws of Mork
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable X2

LEADER
Seedy – The LoonBoss (85)*
Grimgutz – The Bad Apple Baron (aka Skragrott, the Loonking) (210)*
Cider- The Madcap Shaman (70)*
– Artefact of Power: Moonface Momment
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Grinkrak the Great (190)**
Malus – The Squigboss (80)**
– General
– Command Trait: The Clammy Hand

BATTLELINE
20 x Moonclan Shootas (125)*
20 x Squig Hoppers (360)**
36 x Squig Herd (390)**
10 x Boingrot Bounderz (280)**

TERRAIN
1 x Bad Moon Loonshrine (0)

OTHER
6 x Sneaky Snufflers (110)**
6 x Grinkrak’s Looncourt (190)**

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Warlord (Bonus Triumph)
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1940/2000)

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Allegiance: Ironjawz
– Warclan: Bloodtoofs
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Waaagh!
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADERS
Megaboss on Maw-Krusha (480)**
– General
– Command Trait: Hulking Brute
– Boss Choppa and Rip-tooth fist
– Artefact: Armour of Gork
– Mount Trait: Fast ‘Un
Orruk Megaboss (140)*
– Artefact: Destroyer
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Orruk Warchanter (120)**
Orruk Warchanter (120)*
Orruk Weirdnob Shaman (90)*
– Lore of the Weird: Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork

UNITS
6 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (340)**
– Jagged Gore-hackas
3 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (170)**
– Jagged Gore-hackas
3 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (170)**
– Pig-iron Choppas
5 x Orruk Brutes (150)**
– Jagged Gore-hackas
– 1 x Gore Choppas
5 x Orruk Brutes (150)**
– Jagged Gore-hackas
– 1 x Gore Choppas

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
The Burning Head (30)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL: 1960/2000

We said no comments, but this is my list. Happy with 3/5 with Ironjawz. Shout out to the Burning Head, for armies with no casting buffs and little range, it can be a very useful little source of easy to cast AoE Mortal Wounds.

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Final Tournament Placings

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

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 AoS Lists for Adepticon 2023

These are the top AoS lists for Adepticon that took place in the USA on the 23rd and 24th of March. It involved 204 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.

There was some controversy around the scoring for Adepticon, so we decided as a team to focus on all those lists that went undefeated or were in a tournament winning position (4 wins from 4 after round 4).

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: Disciples of Tzeentch
Change Coven: Guild of Summoners
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Master of Destiny
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Ogroid Thaumaturge (170)*
General
– Command Trait: Arcane Sacrifice
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of Fate: Arcane Suggestion
Lord of Change (400)*
Artefact: Nine-Eyed Tome
– Universal Spell Lore: Ghost-mist
Curseling, Eye of Tzeentch (180)*
– Lore of Fate: Glimpse of Future
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Magister (120)**
Lore of Fate: Shield of Fate

Battleline
10 x Kairic Acolytes (120)**
– 7x Cursed Blade & Arcanite Shield
– 3x Cursed Glaives
10 x Kairic Acolytes (120)**
– 7x Cursed Blade & Arcanite Shield
– 3x Cursed Glaives
10 x Tzaangors (180)**
– 8x Pair of Savage Blade

Behemoths
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (480)**
Allies – Bound to Magister

Endless Spells & Invocations
Umbral Spellportal (80)
Purple Sun of Shyish (90)
Burning Sigil of Tzeentch (60)

Core Battalions
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Battle Regiment

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 480 / 400
Wounds: 72
Drops: 4

Kaleb returns with a variation on his LVO list. Kairos is replaced with a Lord of Change; the extra 40pts are then used to upgrade the Changecaster to a Curseling and to enable Kaleb to take Burning Sigil instead of Tome of Eyes to get the summoning train rolling. The list goes up from 2 drops to 4 drops to allow the Lord of Change to have a re-roll casts relic to practically guarantee that those casts will go off, most likely Umbral Spellportal and then the Warscroll spell for a consistent 6 mortal wounds or so a turn.

The reason that Umbral Spellportal is the key spell is so you can feed it to the Krondspine. How the combo works is that the Magister successfully casts their first spell and then uses the Destiny Dice to cast a second, with the double killing the Magister, sending the Incarnate wild. Spellportal can then be chucked out near the Krondspine’s charge target. Obviously another spell could be cast through it (or even move the Purple Sun through it) but the main job of the portal is for the Krondspine to be able to charge in and then Devour the endless spell to go up to level 3. It is a slight risk as it goes down a level if it fails, but Kaleb would just need to roll a 4 on 2D6 for it to be successful. With it more than likely being successful, the Krondspine is hanging around for a bit, no matter what it goes into.

If not more important than an indestructible Krondspine is that the Battle Tactics and Grand Strategy for Tzeentch are among the most straightforward to achieve, demonstrated by Kaleb scoring all 5 Battle Tactics every turn and Master of Destiny being arguably the easiest Grand Strategy in the game to complete.

One of those Battle Tactics, the Guild of Summoners specialises in: Call for Change, which is to summon a Lord of Change. Normally these would need 27 fate points, but in Guild of Summoners, the first Lord of Change is only 9 fate points and the first fate point is the auto-cast at the start of the game with Arcane Armies.

Congratulations on another superb showing from Mr Tzeentch himself and very much a trendsetter for several Tzeentch lists doing well in tournaments…

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

Leaders
Wurrgog Prophet (170)**
– Artefact: Glowin’ Tattooz
– Lore of the Savage Beast: Gorkamorka’s War Cry
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast (290)**
General
– Command Trait: Egomaniak
– Mount Trait: Fast ‘Un
Orruk Warchanter (120)***
Warbeat: Fixin’ Beat
Orruk Megaboss (140)***
Artefact: Gryph-feather Charm (Galletian Champion)
– Aspect of the Champion: Stubborn as a Rhinox
Gobsprakk, The Mouth of Mork (260)***
Skragrott, The Loonking (160)**
Allies

Battleline
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)*
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)*
5 x Orruk Ardboys (80)*

Other Units
3 x Orruk Gore-gruntas (170)**
Jagged Gore-hackas
3 x Man-skewer Boltboyz (120)***
24 x Squig Herd (240)*
Allies
– Reinforced x 1

Endless Spells
Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws (70)

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

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Aspect of the Champion

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 400 / 400
Wounds: 153
Drops: 12

Big Waagh is enjoying a kind of thematically Ghurish resurgence, due to their access to great GCs and the simple fact they can also now take some Gitz allies, who, as you may have heard, have enjoyed somewhat of a glow up.

Either way, a 5-0 Waagh is a thing to be celebrated, so let’s dive into how it got there. The compliment of heroes has a few interesting surprises – you have ol’ laser eyes with his 4+ ward, a Warchanter and Megaboss as standard, and Gobsprakk for his anti-magic tech – but we also see here a Snatchaboss. Even though he’ll only be buffing one unit of 3 Boltboyz, he’s a well rounded solo operator, and Rob has slapped Egomaniak on him – I wonder if some of the Ardboyz acted as a bodyguard, making him a relatively fast and very durable monster with MW spike potential.

Then there’s the newly much-more-expensive Skagrott. At 210, I wonder if Ron would still ally him in – but as it stood, he’s an insanely high value allied spellcaster with a nasty, long range MW spell.

The other allies on loan from Gitz are the Squid Herd – a super cheap way to gain access to a high volume of attacks and further mid-range MWs when they fail a battleshock test – although they also have a recursion mechanic, meaning if you don’t kill the whole unit, the pain train keeps on comin’.

Overall, it’s a fantastic hero-hammer Waagh that makes great use of their spicy new allies. The points don’t quite add up anymore, but the fact it took down high profile armies such as Ogors, NH, Slaves, and Gitz themselves speaks to the versatility of the list – and Rob’s prowess of course. The Orruk book as a whole might be a complete bin-fire, but Big Waagh clearly offers the best way to make like an Orruk and slap whatever manic, vaguely green muscle you can lay your hands on into a potent krump!

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Allegiance: Lumineth Realm-lords
Great Nation: Helon
– Mortal Realm: Hysh
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Archmage Teclis and Celennar, Spirit of Hysh (700)*
General
Scinari Cathallar (110)*
Lore of Hysh: Total Eclipse
Scinari Loreseeker (160)*
Artefact: Tuskhelm (Galletian Champion)
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage

Battleline
5 x Hurakan Windchargers (130)*
10 x Vanari Auralan Wardens (150)*
Lore of Hysh: Overwhelming Heat
20 x Vanari Auralan Sentinels (300)*
Lore of Hysh: Speed of Hysh
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Vanari Auralan Sentinels (150)*
– Lore of Hysh: Overwhelming Heat
10 x Vanari Auralan Sentinels (150)*
Lore of Hysh: Speed of Hysh

Endless Spells & Invocations
Umbral Spellportal (80)
Rune of Petrification (60)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 87
Drops: 1

I call this list archetype the ‘can’t wait for the next Battlescroll’! Lead designer Matt Rose has highlighted that Helon and Sentinels are in line for an adjustment, for what should by now be fairly obvious reasons.

Tell you what though, it’s quite fun seeing the Tuskhelm on the Loreseeker. Imagine him popping up wherever he wants pre-game, then yeeting himself into you with a flaming weapon like a less sneaky version of the Masque.

Otherwise, there’s not much to say – it’s Sentinels projecting extreme prejudice at range and up close, with Teclis doing Teclis things. The only thing of interest left about this kind of list is how hard it’s going to get hit by the nerf bat!

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Army Faction: Ogor Mawtribes
– Army Subfaction: Boulderhead
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Kragnos (720)
1 x Frostlord on Stonehorn (450)*
General
– Command Traits: Voice of the Avalanche
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Mount Traits: Rockmane Elder
– Spells: Flaming Weapon

BATTLELINE
1 x Stonehorn Beastriders (310)*
Blood Vulture
1 x Stonehorn Beastriders (310)*
Blood Vulture
2 x Mournfang Pack (170)*
Skalg
– Culling Clubs and Hackers and Ironfist

TERRAIN
1 x Great Mawpot (0)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: (1960/2000)

Since the Ironblaster points hike, bar the very occasional Stonehorn heavy podium, Ogors have settled comfortably into a ‘top 5’ army, as though they have a nice big dinner early on and then get a bit too sleepy to bother chasing the absolute top spot.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that of course – we don’t want every faction to be Lumineth Slaanesh! Taking down three tanky melee armies, the shooty Ogors and a summoning heavy Tzeentch list for a 5-0 is a great result, either way.

So how did Tony do it? Well, he took Kragnos and a bunch of Stonehorns. The name of the day here is killing stuff on the charge – why risk having to roll attacks? Kragnos is capable of a OHKO of a big monster with the right roll of course, but probably the main thing he offers is a 3d6 charge aura. Given Stonehorns do mortals on a 4+ for dice equal to their unmodified charge roll – which a 3d6 is – you can start to see the appeal.

That’s about all there is to it. Like the Ogors themselves, it’s big and not very clever, but gets the job done.

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Army Faction: Sylvaneth
Subfaction: Gnarlroot
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty
– Seasons of War: The Burgeoning

LEADERS
Spirit of Durthu (350)
General
– Command Traits: Gnarled Warrior
– Artefacts of Power: Greenwood Gladius
The Lady of Vines (290)
– Spells: Verdant Blessing
Alarielle the Everqueen (820)*
– Spells: Verdant Blessing

BATTLELINE
Dryads (100)*
Dryads (200)*
Tree-Revenants (110)*

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Spiteswarm Hive (40)
1 x Chronomantic Cogs (70)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 1980/2000

This list from Joey Trizenberg is so elite and character focused that it might be playable in Marvel Ultimate Crisis. The Lady of Vines and Alarielle’s summoning mechanics bulk out the wound count and utility this list needs with 30 dryads and a unit of tree revenants satisfying most of your objective-sitting needs. The reason such a limited selection of units can get away with this is that both Alarielle and Durthu demand answers, immediately, and can either murder or pin vast quantities of the opponent’s army, limiting their scoring options.

Durthu with the Gladius and Gnarled warrior is a brutal beatstick, and ethereal 3+ keeps him healthy over the game and the gladius makes him hit like a brick. Combine this with a 6+ ward and the number of wounds in this army gets a sneaky boost to keep it in the game. This said, the selection of the Burgeoning as the Season of war requires a 70 point investment in the form of Cogs to make the quantity of spellcasting in this list work, especially so, when you consider that Gnarlroot is being taken for 3d6 casting, messaging that Joey wants to ensure he’s spreading trees and getting up the very important LoV’s 5+ ward spell, which is rather inconsistent when raw-cast as a 7+ on 2d6.

Legitimate analysis aside, I’d pay good money to see this list smack around Sons of Behemat, that’d be a great table to watch. Great work Joey, a great achievement to get an uncommon 5-0 for sylvaneth, let alone with a list that is a major departure from what we usually see.

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Army Faction: Ogor Mawtribes
Subfaction: Meatfist
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Tyrant (150)*
– Big Name: Brawlerguts
Kragnos (720)*
Icebrow Hunter (120)**
General
– Command Traits: Touched by the Everwinter
– Prayers: Keening Gale
Tyrant (150)**
– Artefacts of Power: Gryph-feather Charm
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
– Big Name: Brawlerguts
Tyrant (150)**
Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Flaming Weapon
– Big Name: Brawlerguts

BATTLELINE
Frost Sabres (80)*
Frost Sabres (80)*
Stonehorn Beastriders (310)*
– Blood Vulture

ARTILLERY
Ironblaster (200)*

TERRAIN
1 x Great Mawpot (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Command Entourage – Magnificent

TOTAL POINTS: 1960/2000

Continuing their recent hot-streak of great results is another 4-1 Alarielle finish! Oh how people bemoaned the Everqueen upon the book’s release – and in fairness, she takes a bit of figuring out, as her power doesn’t lie in her melee power but rather in her zoning and revival ability.

She’s backed up here by the standard Arch-Rev with Warsinger to make stuff speedy – make that extra-super speedy when also combined with the Spiteswarm Hive. It’s also nice to see a brace of Dryads as surprisingly effective screens – sure they turn into splinters once hit but, with -1 to hit and wound, the can be like reeds in a breeze…. and a reinforced blob of Seekers for doing Seeker things (namely pinning stuff at speed and just never, ever dying due to their abilities to heal themselves and bring their own models back automatically).

Overall, a nicely balanced list that gives Big Momma and her Fancy Beetle a good run out against a tough variety of opponents.

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Army Faction: Lumineth Realm-lords
Subfaction: Helon
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Archmage Teclis (700)*
Spells: Healing Zephyr
Scinari Cathallar (110)*
General
– Command Traits: Master of Magic
– Artefacts of Power: Silver Wand
– Spells: Total Eclipse
– Aspects of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage

BATTLELINE
Hurakan Windchargers (130)*
– Windspeaker Seneschal
– Standard Bearer
Hurakan Windchargers (130)*
Windspeaker Seneschal
– Standard Bearer
Hurakan Windchargers (130)*
Standard Bearer
– Windspeaker Seneschal

OTHER
Vanari Auralan Sentinels (300)*
High Sentinel
– Spells: Overwhelming Heat
Vanari Auralan Sentinels (300)*
High Sentinel
– Spells: Speed of Hysh

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Umbral Spellportal (80)
1 x Rune of Petrification (60)
1 x Emerald Lifeswarm (60)

TERRAIN
1 x Shrine Luminor (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

More LRL! Funnily enough, this list has also opted for Helon, and who cares how many Sentinels. But they also go hard on WIndchargers! A cunning tactical ploy to have slightly fewer shots on slow bodies and slightly more shots on fast bodies. I’m sure the dilemma was agonising.

Since this tournament, and indeed my comments on the 3rd place list, Sentinels, Teclis, and Windchargers have gone up a few points. So lists like this will no longer be able to take quite so many endless spells! I’m sure the effect on their efficacy will be devastating.

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Army Faction: Disciples of Tzeentch
Army Subfaction: Guild of Summoners
– Grand Strategy: Master of Destiny
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADER
1 x Magister (120)*
Spells: Shield of Fate
– Bonding: Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur
1 x Curseling (180)**
Spells: Glimpse the Future
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
1 x Ogroid Thaumaturge (170)**
General
– Command Traits: Arcane Sacrifice
– Artefacts: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Arcane Suggestion
1 x Lord of Change (400)**
Staff of Tzeentch and Rod of Sorcery
– Artefacts: Nine-Eyed Tome
– Spells: Ghost-mist

BATTLELINE
10 x Kairic Acolytes (120)*
Kairic Adept
– Cursed Blade and Arcanite Shield
– Scroll of the Dark Arts
– Vulcharc
– 3 x Cursed Glaive and Arcanite Shield
10 x Kairic Acolytes (120)*
Kairic Adept
– Cursed Blade and Arcanite Shield
– Scroll of the Dark Arts
– Vulcharc
– 3 x Cursed Glaive and Arcanite Shield
10 x Tzaangors (180)*
Twistbray
– Icon Bearer
– Brayhorn Blower
– 2 x Tzaangor Mutant
– Pair of Savage Blades

BEHEMOTH
1 x Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (480)*

ENDLESS SPELL
1 x Umbral Spellportal (80)
1 x Burning Sigil Of Tzeentch (60)
1 x Purple Sun of Shyish (90)

CORE BATTALIONS:
*Battle Regiment
**Command Entourage – Magnificent

TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)

Please read the review for Kaleb’s winning list and substitute the word ‘Kaleb’ for ‘Jonathan’! Seriously, I wasn’t kidding about Kaleb’s list being a trendsetter!

I should probably include a few more words on Jonathan’s path to 13th place so that Peter doesn’t get mad at me and assigns me 500 words on each variant of contrast paint. He did fantastically well to get to table 2 in Round 5 but then faced the Kryptonite of many Tzeentch lists: Kragnos and Stonehorns. With the ability to ignore so much magic AND the speed of Tony’s 4th placed list (see above) it was always going to be tricky. While having some monsters to eat would be handy for the Krondspine, Jonathan wouldn’t have been given the time to get the summoning going and so had to settle for a still very impressive 4-1 in the end.

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Army Faction: Ossiarch Bonereapers
– Subfaction: Mortis Praetorians
– Grand Strategy: Unrelenting Efficiency
– Triumph: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Arkhan the Black (340)
Katakros (430)*
Mortisan Soulreaper (100)*
Spells: Protection of Nagash
– Aspects of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Mortisan Soulreaper (100)*
General
– Command Traits: Katakros’ Chosen
– Artefacts of Power: Artificer’s Blade
– Spells: Drain Vitality

BATTLELINE
Mortek Guard (420)*
Necrophoros
– Mortek Hekatos
– Nadirite Blade and Shield
Mortek Guard (280)*
Mortek Hekatos
– Necrophoros
– Nadirite Blade and Shield
Mortek Guard (140)*
Nadirite Blade and Shield
Immortis Guard (150)*

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
1 x Nightmare Predator (40)

TERRAIN
1 x Bone-tithe Nexus (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

A list reminiscent of classical pre-Stalkers as Battleline lists for Ossiarch Bonereapers. Obviously, this list was before the new battletome so a few things need to be considered. Katakros and Arkhan are the headliners, with Arkhan being one of the few legitimately good units in OBR with his +2 to casting and blazing fast speed. Katakros offers a ton of buffs from stealing a command point on a 4+, -1 to hit on an enemy unit, and giving +1 to hit and to saves for all units within 36″. Mortis Praetorians doesn’t see as much play as Petrifix Elite but if you’re going to run Katakros it’s about the same with his +1 to save aura, though you do lose the -1 Rend from Petrifix Elite. Rounding off the list is two Soulreapers, which while not very good allow him to slip in 2 Galetian Champions at 2000 points.

As for units this list doesnt really have much of a hammer. That’s clearly not the point though, with 60 Mortek Guard you can gum up the board pretty bad, 30 3+ Save, 6+ Ward wounds aren’t easy to cut through if you didn’t bring a Monster to roar them. While they may not hit nearly as hard as Stalkers, they’re not totally impotent either, and can usually win a grind out war over 2-3 turns of combat against nastier things. The Immortis guard are a workhorse unit to protect Arkhan from ranged fire, since an 11 wound 4+ Save Monster makes him a giant red bullseye for enemy fire.

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Allegiance: Slaanesh
– Host: Lurid Haze Invaders Host (Host of Chaos)
– Mortal Realm: Ulgu
– Grand Strategy: Defend What’s Ours
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
The Contorted Epitome (240)*
General
– Command Trait: Feverish Anticipation
– Artefact: Oil of Exultation
– Host Option: General
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Sigvald, Prince of Slaanesh (210)*
Host Option: General
Glutos Orscollion, Lord of Gluttony (440)*
Lore of Pain and Pleasure: Battle Rapture
Infernal Enrapturess, Herald of Slaanesh (120)*
Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of Slaanesh: Born of Damnation

Battleline
22 x Blissbarb Archers (280)**
Reinforced x 1
11 x Blissbarb Archers (140)**
11 x Blissbarb Archers (140)**

Other
1 x Cockatrice (105)*
1 x Cockatrice (105)*

Endless Spells
Mesmerising Mirror (60)
Wheels of Excruciation (80)
Dreadful Visage (70)

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Galletian Sharpshooters

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 96
Drops: 9

As Peter put it the other day, Old Slaanesh (the previous Battletome) was in play. This is a popular “old list” right now. Slaanesh, like all aelves, has always been very difficult to balance, at the moment though they are a bit of a sleeper. Mobile with mad summoning, decent shooting and surprisingly durable with Revel in Pain.

Laron’s doubled down on the Epitome with Fuelled by Ghurish rage on top of Oil (+1 wound) and Flaming Weapon. Glutos, the mobile road block, is here with Sigvald to snipe out annoying Galletian Champions and the Enrapturess to make sure those casts go off. Beyond wards, bravery and damage spells, the army is packing all 3 Hedonite Endless Spells. Mortal wounds for everyone and a fight last as well. Mandatory Blissbarbs and the soon to be extinct Cockatrice (the monster keyword isn’t on the new scroll). The Cockatrice still has a place to generate DP and for their fast movement, letting them score early points.

And that’s the conundrum of facing the chaos aelves – target the Blissbarb, and apart from being stung, you’ll give them a lot of DP (summoning points). And as you kill them, they’ll get harder to kill. Worse, Glutos and the Epitome will be free to act. Target the heroes, and the Blissbarb will make you look like a porcupine. The old HoS book is a dps check. You need to deal with them fast enough that their summoning doesn’t matter. Preferably from range.

Laron took the list to 4-1 handily defeating several top armies (and Stormcast). Pretty amazing with a list that shouldn’t have a lot of surprises and was at the time running with a 47% win rate. That success should tell you how good the general was.

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Allegiance: Sylvaneth
– Glade: Heartwood
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs:

Leaders
Alarielle the Everqueen (820)*
Arch-Revenant (120)*
General
– Command Trait: Warsinger
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Deepwood: Verdurous Harmony

Units
10 x Dryads (100)*
10 x Dryads (100)*
3 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatbows (230)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*
6 x Revenant Seekers (480)*
Reinforced x 1

Endless Spells
Spiteswarm Hive (40)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

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

Continuing the 4-1 with Alarielle trend – which I’m personally happy to see given Momma Nature is such a great model, is this Heartwood list that, well, pretty much follows the template.

Probably the most important synergy in overall playstyle here is the way the Seekers compliment what Alarielle can do. Beetle-bum is much more of a mixed phase zoning piece with her big’ ol….base and surprising speed, so you need something like the Seekers to be able to zoom in on smaller, more versatile bases, do a good amount of damage, and actually stay where they end up – something they’re willing to risk due to their built in healing, 5+ rally and ability to bring a model back. With Dryads and Tree Revs as annoying, teleporty objective grabbers and screens, and the 3 Greatbows doing plinky-plink damage at long range, this kind of list can be very difficult to actually navigate around. And of course, by the time you finally kill Alarielle, she’s liable to come back in later rounds when you no longer have the tools to take her off again.

Losing only to a Gnarlroot Sylvaneth semi-mirror, and taking down a good variety of other lists en route, this new list archetype (I’m calling it Beetle-Momma and the Seekers) clearly has legs/wings/roots…. I’ll leaf it there. Big up to Matthew!

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Allegiance: Idoneth Deepkin
Enclave: Mor’Phann
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Akhelian Thrallmaster (110)*
Isharann Soulrender (120)*
Artefact: Rune of the Surging Gloomtide
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Akhelian King (250)*
General
– Bladed Polearm
– Command Trait: Unstoppable Fury
– Mount Trait: Voidchill Darkness

Battleline
6 x Akhelian Morrsarr Guard (360)*
Reinforced x 1
6 x Akhelian Morrsarr Guard (360)*
Reinforced x 1
20 x Namarti Reavers (340)*
Reinforced x 1
10 x Namarti Reavers (170)*
20 x Namarti Thralls (260)*
Reinforced x 1

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 115
Drops: 1

This list makes use of some of the best Idoneth units avaiable in the book, without relying on Lotann or the Leviadon. Two champs are there to support the Namarti units, both defensively and offensively, and the Artefact allows the Isharann character to summon a Gloomtide Shipwreck at the end of the first movement phase. This is particularly good with Tunnel Master, because the Soulrender can pop up anywhere on the board and drop a large piece of line of sight blocking impassable terrain.

The eels and king can work in tandem to deal a lot of damage. The eels can charge in first, eat the Unleash Hell while still getting their mortal wound bomb off, while the king can pop himself and possibly both eel squads into high tide, creating the possibility of an alpha strike against any enemy who may have deployed too aggressively.

Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for the Lords AoS Tournament

This is the top three AoS lists for the Lords AoS Tournament that took place in Vietnam on the 25th and 26th of March. It involved 8 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

Allegiance: Nighthaunt
Procession: Quicksilver Dead
– Grand Strategy: Dismantle the Brave
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Guardian of Souls (150)***
Artefact: Midnight Tome
– Lore of the Underworlds: Shademist
– Lore of the Underworlds: Spectral Tether
Krulghast Cruciator (150)***
General
– Command Trait: Ruler of the Spirit Hosts
– Artefact: Lightshard of the Harvest Moon
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief (340)*
Lore of the Underworlds: Seal of Shyish
– Lore of the Underworlds: Spectral Tether
Spirit Torment (120)***
Spirit Torment (120)*
Tomb Banshee (90)*

UNITS
20 x Dreadscythe Harridans (320)**
5 x Hexwraiths (170)***
8 x Myrmourn Banshees (200)**
3 x Spirit Hosts (130)**
3 x Spirit Hosts (130)**

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
Chronomantic Cogs (70)

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

ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS
Spell
Artefact

TOTAL: 1990/2000

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Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
– Stormhost: Knights Excelsior (Scions of the Storm)
– Grand Strategy: Survivor’s Instinct
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADERS
Knight-Incantor (120)***
Spell: Celestial Blades
Lord-Imperatant (170)***
Lord-Relictor (150)***
General
– Command Trait: High Priest
– Artefact: Arcane Tome
– Spell: Lightning Blast
– Prayer: Translocation
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master

UNITS
3 x Annihilators with Meteoric Grandhammers (240)**
3 x Annihilators with Meteoric Grandhammers (240)**
3 x Aetherwings (70)***
3 x Aetherwings (70)***
5 x Vanquishers (110)**
5 x Vanquishers (110)**
3 x Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (240)*
3 x Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (240)*
3 x Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (240)*

CORE BATTALIONS
*Galletian Sharpshooters
**Galletian Veterans
***Warlord

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

TOTAL: 2000/2000

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Allegiance: Disciples of Tzeentch
– Change Coven: Hosts Arcanum
– Grand Strategy: Master of Destiny
– Triumphs: Indomitable

LEADERS
Kairos Fateweaver (440)**
Ogroid Thaumaturge (170)**
Artefact: Arcane Tome
– Lore of Fate: Shield of Fate
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage
Fluxmaster, Herald of Tzeentch on Disc (170)**
Artefact: The Eternal Shroud
– Lore of Change: Unchecked Mutation
Be’Lakor, the Dark Master (355)*
Allies

UNITS
10 x Pink Horrors of Tzeentch (250)*
10 x Kairic Acolytes (120)*
7 x Cursed Blade & Arcanite Shield
– 3 x Cursed Glaives
10 x Kairic Acolytes (120)*
– 7 x Cursed Blade & Arcanite Shield
– 3 x Cursed Glaives
3 x Tzaangor Skyfires (190)**

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
Chronomantic Cogs (70)
Umbral Spellportal (80)
The Burning Head (30)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Warlord

ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS
Artefact

TOTAL: 1995/2000

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Allegiance: Sylvaneth
Glade: Heartwood
– Grand Strategy: Defend What’s Ours
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Warsong Revenant (300)*
General
– Command Trait: Spellsinger
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Deepwood: Verdurous Harmony
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
The Lady of Vines (290)*
Lore of the Deepwood: Verdurous Harmony
Spirit of Durthu (350)*
– Artefact: Greenwood Gladius
Arch-Revenant (120)*

Battleline
3 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Scythes (250)
3 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatswords (250)
3 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatbows (230)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)

Endless Spells & Invocations
Vengeful Skullroot (60)
Gladewyrm (40)

Core Battalions
*Warlord

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 92

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Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Silverstream Smackdown 2

This is the top three AoS lists for Silverstream Smackdown 2 that took place in New Zealand on the 11th and 12th of March. It involved 26 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: Heartwood
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Warsong Revenant (300)*
General
– Command Trait: Spellsinger
– Artefact: Arcane Tome
– Lore of the Deepwood: The Dwellers Below
Treelord Ancient (330)*
Lore of the Deepwood: Verdurous Harmony
Arch-Revenant (120)*
Aspect of the Champion: Stubborn as a Rhinox

UNITS
6 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Scythes (500)*
3 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatbows (230)*
3 x Revenant Seekers (240)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
Spiteswarm Hive (40)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL: 1980/2000

This solid list from Lee Wilmot is almost a who’s who of Sylvaneth mainstays. The TLA and WSR combination allows aggression from turn 1, using the free tree placement to enable maximum value Warsong bombs followed by either use of the new realmspell Teeth of Gallet, or Dwellers below for better value on horde units like Squigs or massed cultists. This hero combo works with the strike and fading Kurnoth hunters – buffed by the Spiteswarm Hive – and the revenant seekers to ensure the Sylvaneth hammer is kept healthy and outputting maximum damage while the bows sit on a back objective and pick off wounds, or soften up targets, at artillery ranges. Tree revenants sneak off to pick up objectives and provide shooting protection for the warsong and archrevenant, little scamps that they are.

This lists’ real value is in how few truly poor matchups it has, it is a one drop, can alpha decently and loves the double turn, can score 5/5 Battle tactics consistently and really gives opponents few opportunities to interact with the list on their own terms. Even against lists which push the sylvaneth for board space early, like KotET and BoC the Sylvaneth units are often durable enough to weather the early storm and punch out, or alternatively simply relocate key pieces to safer locations and return to playing the objective game. Well done to Lee on his piloting – 5 games of sylvaneth is quite exhausting and mistakes are heavily punished – he’s done excellently to manage the tournament win with a 4-1-0!

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Allegiance: Beasts of Chaos
Greatfray: Darkwalkers
– Grand Strategy: Protect the Herdstone
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Doombull (160)*
– General
– Command Trait: Bestial Cunning
– Artefact: Brayblast Trumpet
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Great Bray-Shaman (95)*
Lore of the Twisted Wilds: Wild Rampage

UNITS
10 x Ungors (80)*
Mauls & Half-Shields
20 x Ungor Raiders (230)*
6 x Bullgors (390)*
Pairs of Axes
10 x Ungor Raiders (115)*
6 x Beasts of Chaos Tzaangor Enlightened on Discs of Tzeentch (430)*

BEHEMOTHS
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (480)*
Allies

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL: 1980/2000

Brett: With the new book Beasts haven’t set the world on fire but are providing consistent results even if a little back from their recent peak. Jimmy has gone with the Ungors and a Doombull which aren’t common picks but they have their reasons. The Ungors (and Ungor Raiders) are relatively cheap and meet battleline leaving enough points for an Incarnate. That’s important. With BoC’s herdstone increasing rend on turns 2 and 4 you don’t want to commit too early. Because BoC can ambush (deploy to reserve and bring them on in the first or second round) and fade into the shadows (teleport from within 9″ of the board edge to another location 9″ from the board edge and 9″ from enemy units) they can hide very well. But to do that you need something for your opponent to focus on – the Incarnate.

They need at least 2 rounds to do that and that means you can wait until you have at least -1 rend on everything to commit. The Tzaangors can still score a Battle Tactic first round (Desecrate seems likely) while your opponent tries to deal with the Incarnate. If they don’t then he can make their life hell pretty quickly. Still the list might be a little slow without the teleport. They have access to book tactics which are pretty competitive. The Doombull’s had a bit of a glow up, one of his most useful talents is a command that allows a unit to charge in the combat phase – avoiding unleash hell. He’s a Tunnel Master (teleport) and can use his trumpet to summon Ugors (or raiders) to the cause. The Bray Shaman is along to provide exploding 6s. If anything is alive to reach -3 rend from the Bullgors or Doombull (turn 4) pretty much nothing on the opponents army is going to survive.

Only drawing to Sylvaneth and otherwise winning all of his matches is a great effort. Sylvaneth with their fire and fade, mortal wounds and desire to make you come to them is a solid counter. Otherwise an unblemished run with a new books is a great effort.

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Allegiance: Skaven
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs:

LEADERS
Verminlord Corruptor (350)*
General
– Command Trait: Devious Adversary
– Artefact: Blade of Corruption
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Grey Seer (120)*
Lore of Ruin: Death Frenzy
Master Moulder (90)*
– Artefact: Rabid Crown
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master

UNITS
20 x Clanrats (100)*
– Rusty Blade
– 1 x Standard Bearers
– 1 x Standard Bell Ringers
20 x Clanrats (100)**
Rusty Blade
– 1 x Standard Bearers
– 1 x Standard Bell Ringers
6 x Rat Ogors (420)
10 x Gutter Runners (200)**
10 x Gutter Runners (200)**

BEHEMOTHS
Hell Pit Abomination (210)
Hell Pit Abomination (210)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Warlord
**Galletian Sharpshooters

ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS
Artefact

TOTAL: 2000/2000

We’re honoured to have Skaven aficionado and all-around top bloke Kieren Coates join our team. Kieren is well known on the tournament circuit down under and has featured in past editions of our top three. Who better to talk about the ratmen than him?!

Kieren Coates: A classic mixed arms MSU list with the unique twist of no clan Skryre, the list features 6 independently operating threats able to choke up the board while dealing surprisingly large amounts of damage.

Opting against the 1 drop race, the list has no issues in being forced to go first with 6 rat ogres able to hop through a gnawhole with death frenzy, mystic shield, +1 to wound and +3 to charge, leaving it with an impressive 82% chance to land its charge with one reroll.

If youre able to piece through 36 wounds of pure rat meat, that will fight on death to trade back you may just be unlucky enough for the Master Moulder to roll a 3+ upon the units death to bring the whole pack back to life again for round 2

Even beyond the alpha rat ogres, there is still 20 gutter runners skirmishing with ranged mortals, 2 hell pits ready to clear out any hordes or MSU which are not able to piece through 14 wounds in one swing, one of which is likely to get a mutation for 16 wounds at a 4+ save. at only 210 points, it’s incredibly efficient, and when it dies for some unfortunate souls, it has a 1/3 chance to come back to life with D6 wounds ready to swing again.

If you do manage to hit through respawning, death frenzied rate ogres, skirmished gutter runners and horde clearing hell pits, you still have to deal with the big boss which is the verminlord corruptor with the blade of corruption, 2D6 + 2 attacks (with command trait), often hitting at 2’s, 2’s, -2 rend, 2 damage with 6’s to wound being a whopping rend 3 damage 6. Did I mention he has another horde clearing spell to back up the two hell pits?

Once youre through all of that the real humble MVP of skaven, 40 clanrats for 200 points holding the objectives still need to be dealt with, healing D3 clanrats per pack in every battleshock phase.

Overall it’s lots of melle power with chance to revive, horde clearing power and MSU skirmish combined that many lists cant manage to crack through – well done to Locky

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Allegiance: Idoneth Deepkin
– Enclave: Nautilar
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: The Creeping Gloomtide
– Triumphs: Inspired

LEADERS
Sokatra, Leviadon Keeper (140)*
Isharann Tidecaster
Lore of the Deeps: Steed of Tides
– Aspect of the Champion: Stubborn as a Rhinox
Allopleuron The Turtle Emperor (250)*
Akhelian King
General
– Command Trait: Unstoppable Fury
– Bladed Polearm
– Artefact: Arcane Tome
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon

UNITS
Turtle Trappers (170)*
10 x Namarti Reavers

BEHEMOTHS
Archelon the Ancient (460)*
Akhelian Leviadon
Mount Trait: Ancient
– Idoneth Deepkin Battleline (Enclave: Nautilar)
Carbonemys the Cleaver (460)*
Akhelian Leviadon
Idoneth Deepkin Battleline (Enclave: Nautilar)
Definitely also a Turtle (480)*
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur
Allies

ENDLESS SPELLS & INVOCATIONS
Malevolent Maelstrom (30)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment

TOTAL: 1990/2000

Monster mash hasn’t been the soup of the day for a couple seasons, so it’s nice to see a few heavies make their way back into the Idoneth’s menu. The turtles are going to be very heavy hitters, especially in Nautilar where they count as batteline and get a monstrous action increasing the rend on two of their weapon profiles to -3. Ancient is present to get some extra durability out of the first turtle, but both are there to absorb damage and dish it back out.

The third “turtle” is a krondspine. The addition of the Arcane tome means that the incarnate can be bonded to either the King or the Tidecaster, depending on what the match requires. The lack of druability on Idoneth’s heroes also opens up the option of getting the Incarnate as afar away from the friendly units as possible then just shrugging your shoulders when the bonded hero eventually dies.

Past there the list is self-explanatory. The King does King things. The Tidecaster casts some tides (Steed of, specifically). The reavers fill out the last battleline slot, and act as a decent harassing unit, with the ability to make good use of the turtles’ auras.

Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Midtcon GT

This is the top three AoS lists for the Midtcon GT that took place in Denmark on the 4th and 5th of March. 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?

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
– Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours!
– Triumphs: Inspired
– Burgeoning

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

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

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

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment
**Command Entourage – Magnificent

Total: 1980 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 200 / 400
Wounds: 87
Drops: 4

Sylvaneth are really putting their roots down recently – and the nice thing is it’s still with a variety of lists – it seems like a great season for them, which is allowing people to flex their list building muscles with them and still do well.

Sune here has gone big tree heavy – with two hero trees and a full complement of treelord battleline. Durthi with the Gladius just absolutely slaps, and when such a threat is backed up by an Ancient (for a source of auto-forest at the start of the game) and a Warsong Rev for nasty casting through said forest (usually) – it’s a hell of a pincer movement.

Making full use of some allied tech, not only has Sune employed the now fairly standard Ghurish battlemage for the additional charge bonus, but he’s also rocking a Zephyros, who is just an absolute bargain basement GC who can also teleport.

Overall, I can see the root to victory for this list just being so many hyper-mobile scoring threats backed up by a killer Durthu that it’s overwhelming trying to keep up. Gratz to Sune on the evil tree 5-0.

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Allegiance: Slaves to Darkness
Damned Legion: Host of the Everchosen
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Indomitable

Leaders
Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120)*
General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
– The Lore of the Damned: Daemonic Speed
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Be’Lakor, the Dark Master (355)*
– The Lore of the Damned: Daemonic Speed

Battleline
5 x Chaos Knights (230)*
Mark of Chaos: Khorne
10 x Chaos Knights (460)*
Mark of Chaos: Nurgle
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Eroding Icon
– Reinforced x 1
15 x Chaos Chosen (720)*
Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh
– Ensorcelled Banner: The Banner of Screaming Flesh
– Reinforced x 2

Endless Spells & Invocations
Soulscream Bridge (80)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1965 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 109
Drops: 1

A rare HOTE list! Often overlooked in favour of Cabalists casting shenanigans or the battleline and run/charge of KOTET, a HOTE list really wants something to take advantage of that 5+ rally – aaaand 15 Chosen might just be the unit to do it!

Interestingly, Jon has Marked the Chosen as Slaanesh – *outside* of Legion, meaning he’s committing to their native -1 rend being enough, combined with their weight of attacks, to act as the list’s main hammer. HOTE offers a free second banner – so as well as the ubiquitous Eroding Icon on the pinning unit of Knights, he’s taken the Slaanesh banner on the Chosen for an additional attack on the charge – quite possibly relying on the mortal fishing to deal with more heavily armoured targets.

I suppose Be’lakor – whiffy and unreliable as he’s likely to be – does offer the option of locking down the Chosen’s natural predator for a turn or two, allowing them to clean everything else up – although I do struggle to see the logic of not even being able to roll on the EotG table with such a heavy investment of a unit – still, it worked out, and congrats to Jon for a great result!

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

Leaders
Battlesmith (150)**
– Artefact: Nulsidian Icon
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Battlesmith (150)**
Aspect of the Champion: Leadership of the Alpha
Auric Runesmiter (120)***
General
– Runic Iron
– Command Trait: Master Priest
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Curse
Auric Runesmiter (120)***
Runic Iron
– Artefact: Volatile Brazier
– Prayer: Ember Storm
Auric Runesmiter (120)***
Runic Iron
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Curse
Celestant-Prime, Hammer of Sigmar (330)**
Allies

Battleline
20 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (320)*
Reinforced x 1
20 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (320)*
Reinforced x 1
20 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (320)*
Reinforced x 1

Endless Spells & Invocations
Molten Infernoth (40)

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

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Aspect of the Champion

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 330 / 400
Wounds: 153
Drops: 9

Kevin Lathers: Now we see how far someone can skew a Fyreslayer list. Gustav has decided to deal with Fyreslayer’s innate slowness by just being able to deepstrike nearly the entire army. This list also lacks the usual Flamekeepers which accompany Vulkite Berserkers in nearly all Vostarg lists.

Between the Celestant-Prime, who can not only deepstrike but guarantee a charge, and three Runesmiters, Gustav can deepstrike all but two units in the list. Vulkites further benefit from this with their built-in +1 to charge rolls, thus making it an 8 on the roll to make a charge out of deepstrike. Twenty of them in GV is quite potent as well, even without the usual Flamekeepers.

I’m not certain how Gustav played things, but it seems the typical action would be to deepstrike two units of Vulkites and a battlesmith, along with the Celestant, leaving another brick with a battlesmith on the field; or deepstrike all three Vulkites and use Tunnel Master to bring a smith closer. In both cases this ends up performing almost like a pseudo-Beasts of Chaos list, only with a lot more wounds on the field and the ability to fight on death.

Once your opponent is boxed-in by warded up blocks of Vulkites and their big-daddy Celestant, holding objectives should be easy enough for the remaining group. It also retains the option of just sitting on an objective with the battlesmiths and making the opponent have to move the vulkites off in order to score anything, which can be daunting with 40 wounds under a 5+/6+ ward and the ability to rally on 4+’s.

Anything that can punch its way out of this is going to prove formidable and without Flamekeepers the Vulkites lose their incredibly hard punch-back ability, fighting on death more than once, and their combat phase charging. Further, having two battlesmiths eats up a lot of points that could move toward other heroes or more Vulkites. This list is sacrificing a lot for its strategy. This may have resulted in the two losses to both Ogors and Big Waagh who, depending on their build, should have no trouble weathering the storm and fighting their way out.

Still, it’s an interesting list with a great performance. Definitely an interesting way to take Fyreslayers.

Allegiance: Cities of Sigmar
City: Hallowheart
– Grand Strategy: Mighty Beachhead
– Triumphs: N/A

Leaders
Battlemage of Ghur (100)*
General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– 1st Hallowheart Lore Spell: Ignite Weapons
– 2nd Hallowheart Lore Spell: Sear Wounds
Battlemage of Hysh (100)*
– City Role: General’s Adjutant
– 1st Hallowheart Lore Spell: Crystal Aegis
– 2nd Hallowheart Lore Spell: Warding Brand
Runelord (100)*
Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel master
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Curse
– 1st Hallowheart Lore Spell: Ignite Weapons
– 2nd Hallowheart Lore Spell: Warding Brand

Battleline
30 x Freeguild Crossbowmen (300)*
– 1 x Marksman
– 3 x Standard Bearer
– 3 x Piper
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Freeguild Guard (80)*
Swords and Shields
– 1 x Sergeant
– 1 x Standard Bearer
– 1 x Drummer
10 x Flagellants (80)*
– City Role: Honoured Retinue
– 1 x Prophet

Units
4 x Stormdrake Guard (680)*
1 x Drakerider’s Lance (Stormdrake-Prime)
– 3 x Drakerider’s Warblade
Reinforced x 1
Gotrek Gurnisson (480)*
Allies

Endless Spells & Invocations
Soulscream Bridge (80)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 480 / 400
Wounds: 109
Drops: 1

With a new book almost here, Adam has proven there is still life in one of the oldest, and probably never the strongest battletomes. In the end, it’s a pretty conventional approach, drawing on really mobile Stormcast allies (Dragons, of course). 3 very magical and small heroes leave a lot of room for a real hero, and Gotrek, at his current 480 points, fits well. Hallowheart really helps the wizards. Each gets an extra spell. That means 2 instances of +1 to wound (Ignite), a heal (Sear Wounds), 4+ ward (Warding Brand), and a mortal wound ward. Soulscream gives a useful teleport if required, and everything is in a Battle Regiment to give options for the initial priority.

The army is really planning to castle. The heroes are effectively buff machines, mostly for the Crossbowman. The Flagellants and Guard are there to screen, and Gotrek can prowl around, ready to pounce on anything that trys to deal with them. They can stand and deliver (with 2 shots each) at 24″ with a fantastic unleash hell. There is still the option to Wildform Gotrek and send him through the Soulscream bridge to harrass something important. And all the while, the Drakes are there to cap and harrass your enemy. With Breathe and Lance, they are very dangerous and hard to manage. Adam lost to fire and fade (Sylvaneth), who really make you go to them, a weakness. And a faction that out castles castles, Fyreslayers. 6th is a very respectable result for cities.

Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for the Norsehammer Open

This is the top three AoS lists for the Norseshammer Open that took place in Norway on the 4th and 5th of March. It involved 36 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: Skaven
Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs:

Leaders
Thanquol on Boneripper (430)*
– 4 Warpfire Projectors
– Lore of Ruin: Skitterleap
Verminlord Warbringer (400)**
General
– Command Trait: Devious Adversary
– Artefact: Warpstone Charm
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Warlock Bombardier (110)*
Lore of Warpvolt Galvanism: More-more-more Warp Power!
Clawlord (110)*
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
– Aspect of the Champion: Fuelled by Ghurish Rage

Battleline
20 x Clanrats (100)**
Rusty Blade
– 1x Standard Bearers
– 1x Standard Bell Ringers
20 x Clanrats (100)**
Rusty Blade
– 1x Standard Bearers
– 1x Standard Bell Ringers
6 x Stormfiends (640)**
– 2x Windlaunchers
– 2x Ratling Cannons
– 2x Doomflayer Gauntlets
– Reinforced x 1

Units
1 x Warp-Grinder (60)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Lauchon the Soulseeker (50)

Terrain
3 x Gnawholes

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Battle Regiment

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 116
Drops: 5

Peter: Luckily, one of our Discord members had seen that Ben had discussed his list on the AoS Coach Discord channel. We reached out and asked if we could use the comments on Woehammer. Ben kindly agreed.

Benjamin Flodda: This was my list this weekend testing the rats for upcoming teams tournaments mostly. Nice bonus to go through the weekend undefeated! I think the list is pretty strong and has play into most things, although it’s pretty fragile and it doesn’t take too much poor positioning for things to start to fall apart. But played carefully, I think it has legs.

So, the warpgrinder is basically to give yourself some deployment flexibility. It gives one-drop opponents something to worry about in their deployment if they plan to give away first, and it requires them to always zone out the rattling cannons. Once the fiends are on the table, they are way too easy to play around imo. So they mostly go in deep strike regardless, although deepstriking clanrats is definitely valid in some cases. And if you place the grinder close to a gnawhole it’s amazing how many points it can score you late-game.

The most fun thing in the list is definitely the clawlord combined with arcane tome and launchon. Everybody expects the boat to be for thanquol (which it certainly can be), but early game you can sling the clawlord into the opponent with the boat (taking a mortal which gives him an extra attack) and with double death frenzy, flaming weapon and with +2 attacks from devious adversary. You can shoot down a screen and often get into fun stuff, turn 1, and with +1 to hit and wound from the warbringer, he can really do work! If you then position him within 3 of something after he fought, if he dies he can fight (this time with 13 attacks on 2+ 2+ and damage 3) or he rolls a 3+ and survives, at which point he can fight in the following hero phase AND when he dies. That little dude took down a megagargant on his own this weekend.

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

Leaders
Auric Runefather on Magmadroth (360)**
General
– Command Trait: Blood of the Berzerker
– Artefact: Draught of Magmalt Ale
– Magmadroth Trait: Coal-heart Ancient
Auric Runesmiter (120)**
Forge Key
– Artefact: Ash-cloud Rune
– Prayer: Prayer of Ash
Auric Runemaster (130)**
– Artefact: Volatile Brazier
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Heal
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Auric Flamekeeper (90)***
Battlesmith (150)***
– Artefact: Nulsidian Icon
– Aspect of the Champion: Leadership of the Alpha
Doomseeker (80)**
Knight-Incantor (120)***
Allies

Battleline
15 x Hearthguard Berzerkers (450)*
Broadaxes
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Hearthguard Berzerkers (300)*
Poleaxes
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Bladed Slingshields (150)***

Endless Spells & Invocations
Runic Fyrewall (40)

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

Additional Enhancements
Artefact – Greyfyrd
Artefact – Greyfyrd
Artefact – Warlord**
Aspect of the Champion – Warlord ***

Total: 1990 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 120 / 400
Wounds: 117
Drops: 10

Kevin Lathers: The current GHB is starting to hit its stride and has allowed Greyfyrd to finally shine. This subfaction was always popular, but seldom winning, and now that’s changed. It gives Galletian Champions one extra wound and also two extra artefacts. That’s hard to pass up in the current GHN and Duardin glimmerlust always shines for more treasures.

Ole’s list has some interesting inclusions, particularly a Knight-Incantor and a Doomseeker. The Doomseeker is a cheap GC that can occasionally slap something hard if it can get near its “target.” The Knight-Incantor is a utility piece: he provides an automatic unbind for those pesky Lumineth, Skaven (and indeed, he saw two), and Sylvaneth matches while also giving the army a spellcaster for mystic shield. The biggest oddity here is the “Ash-Cloud Rune” which can block spell casting from targeting units wholly within 12” of the user for a turn. A very situational item that means he was very worried about spellcasting.

But the main crux of his list is the Hearthguard Berserkers and Runefather on Magmadroth. While the Hearthguard Berserkers can hold points and shred anything charging them, the DadDroth is the ultimate in Hammer Technology and with Blood of the Berserker can remove any one threat almost guaranteed. A common setup for the Droth is to use the rend rune, enhance it with the heroic action (or finest hour if the rune enhanced or you don’t need more rend), pray for +1 to wound rolls from the Runesmiter, and send him in as a missile of death. 

The Hearthguard Berserkers see the common mix of one unit of poleaxes and one of broad. The broadaxes being buffed by a flamekeeper and benefitting from runes while Poleaxes provide much needed mortal wounds into matchups like Nighthaunt. The flamekeeper can really make Broadaxes shine giving them 3 damage swings, charge in their opponent’s combat phase, or fight on death.

The rest of the list reads as the usual suspects: Runemaster for prayers and fyrewall; Runesmiter for deepstrike and/or Runic Empowerment; and a Nulsidian Battlesmith for spell blocking and wards on the non-HGB.

Overall, the list is going to be a brick on objectives with a dangerous hammer inside.

Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals
Stormhost: Hammers of Sigmar (Scions of the Storm)
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs:

Leaders
Knight-Incantor (120)*
Spell: Celestial Blades
Lord-Relictor (150)*
General
– Command Trait: High Priest
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Spell: Thundershock
– Prayer: Translocation
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Battlemage (100)*
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Allies

Battleline
4 x Dracothian Guard Fulminators (480)*
Reinforced x 1
5 x Liberators (120)*
Heavens-wrought Weapon and Shield
5 x Vanquishers (110)*

Units
6 x Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (480)*
Reinforced x 1
10 x Protectors (440)*
– 4x Starsoul Maces
– Reinforced x 1

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Additional Enhancements
Holy Command: Call for Aid

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 100 / 400
Wounds: 102
Drops: 1

Brett; Classic, at least in this meta, Stormcast (SCE) list giving probably the best combined arms approach in the current game. Except artillery of course but a combination of hammers from Cavalry (Fulminators), Fire support (Raptors – since artillery really isn’t an AoS “thing”) and Infantry (Protectors). Fulminators going up 10 points have made a lot of people look to Desolators and Tempestors but Fulminators on the charge are still the most consistent high damage hammer around. With Celestial Blades from the Knight Incantor and all out defence they are still hitting on 2s and wounding on 2s with -2 rend and 3 damage. Slightly down with the loss of Bounty Hunters they are good enough to make your opponent either tar pit them (looking at you Gitz) or try to manoeuvre around them.

The Protectors have similar tech piece and are another target for the same buffs. They really benefit from the Battlemage (+2 to movement/charge) and Lord Relictor giving them teleport with an effective 7″ charge. And Starsoul maces, mortals on a 2+. They are a great defensive unit as well with 2+ saves. The problem is that both the Fulminators and the Protectors need to charge and are vulnerable to Unleash Hell. And that brings the Raptors out to play. Their long range shooting could remove screens or, just as easily most other ranged units. Scions of the Storm so they can be kept in reserve, Liberators and even Protectors for screens if they are on the board and really only Sentinels to outrange them.

Has to be said that the Lord Relictor is a very busy fellow, what with prayers, spells and Tunnel Master as well as being the general. That’s a weakness of this list in the Galletian Champion era, all of these heroes are needed elsewhere and none are stellar in combat. Losing only to Lumineth in the second round and coming in a very respectable 3rd Simen proves there is still some life in SCE. Can they get a 2nd book this edition already please?

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Allegiance: Sylvaneth
– Glade: Winterleaf
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Seasons of war: The Dwindling

Leaders
Warsong Revenant (300)*
General
– Command Trait: Spellsinger
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Deepwood: Verdurous Harmony
– Aspect of the Champion: Tunnel Master
Battlemage (100)*
Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
– Allies

Battleline
20 x Dryads (200)*
Reinforced x 1
10 x Dryads (100)*
5 x Tree-Revenants (110)*

Units
6 x Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Scythes (500)*
Reinforced x 1
10 x Gossamid Archers (420)*
Reinforced x 1

Behemoths
Treelord (230)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Spiteswarm Hive (40)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 2000 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 3 / 4
Allies: 100 / 400
Wounds: 116
Drops: 1

A nice ‘sampling platter’ list here from Thomas. As ever, the core threats are a big blob of Scythe-noth and a Warsong Rev to handle the arcane side of things. Now, traditionally, Kurnoth are pretty ponderous, but with +3 to normal moves *and* charges from the Spiteswarm Hive, and an additional +3 from the Ghurish Battlemage, they now have an average threat range of 21″ – which is somewhat scarier. Of course, because of when both these spells proc, it means the Hunters also retain their charge bonuses if they choose to teleport – so really, very little of the board is safe, and if you don’t have adequate screens or a way to delete the Kurnoth (much more easily said than done given their durability), then you can expect these things to reap the rewards.

The rest of the list is basically supporting tech – a lone Treelord to fill the behemoth slot of the batreg while also offering Rampage access and the sneaky ‘enemy can’t pile in’ tech – Gossamids (reinforced no less!!) to potentially force melee armies to curl up and cry every time they want to charge something useful, or threaten a fair chance of some nasty spike damage – and plenty of dryads for board control and further screening. Never understimate how powerful -1 to hit and wound is by the way – doesn’t matter if you have a rubbish save if you don’t have to roll any dice.

Well done to Thomas for the 4-1 with a balanced list.

Final Tournament Placings