This is the Top Three AoS Lists for Dice and Ducks: Decimation that took place in the UK on 27th and 28th August. It involved 16 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5 game tournament.

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The Top Three AoS Lists

Army Faction: Sons of Behemat
– Army Type: Taker Tribe
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Kraken-Eater (490)*
– General
– Command Traits: Very Acquisitive
– Artefacts of Power: Glowy Lantern
– Bonding: Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur
– Spells: Flaming Weapon
Gatebreaker (525)*
– Artefacts of Power: Vial of Manticore Venom Gatebreaker (525)*
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Flaming Weapon

BEHEMOTH
(SPINEDOG) Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Bosses of the Stomp – Magnificent

TOTAL POINTS: 1940/2000

Peter: There is a theory among some at Woehammer that the Sons are (despite appearances) going to be the leading faction going forwards. Not only that, but that this is the list that will lead the way.

With a Krondspine attached the a kraken the opponent is going to have to seriously consider where they want to focus their attention. Either way they go, they’ll be struggling to cope with the opposite side of that coin. Two Mega-Gargant with additional thanks to flaming weapons and another that has an easier time thanks to the vial of Manticore venom.

It’ll be interesting to see how often this list starts to crop up.

Army Faction: Daughters of Khaine
– Subfaction: Khailebron
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumph: Inspired

LEADERS
Morathi-Khaine (680)**
The Shadow Queen (680)**
Melusai Ironscale (115)**
– General – Command Traits: Zealous Orator
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Mindrazor

BATTLELINE
Blood Sisters (280)*
– Gorgai
Blood Sisters (140)*
– Gorgai
Blood Stalkers (540)**
– Krone
Khainite Shadowstalkers (150)**

OTHER
Khinerai Heartrenders (95)**

CORE BATTALIONS
*Bounty Hunters
**Battle Regiment

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Danny: It’s Morathi and the Bow Snakes! Backed up by 10 and 5 Blood Sisters and Shadowstalkers and a unit of Heartrenders, for teleporting objective/scoring plays. Simple, but effective – and a 3 drop means it’ll still have a good chance of dictating turn order. Shadowstalkers, despite their nerf in the new book, are becoming increasingly common – probably because, while Heartrenders are great for dropping down and being a nuisance, Shadowstalkers ability to teleport _every_ turn makes them that more flexible, and their 11 wounds on a 4+ makes them able to take a hit, whether while scoring or as an emergency snek-screen.

This list understandably beat Kboyz, Skaven, Sons and Khorne, but Fangs of Sotek probably confounded the stab sneks and could handle Morathi with plenty of ranged chip damage.

Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords
– Lineage: Legion of Night
– Mortal Realm: Shyish
– Grand Strategy: Vampiric Conquerors
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

LEADERS
Mannfred von Carstein, Mortarch of Night (380)
– Lore of the Deathmages: Decrepify
Necromancer (125)*
– General
– Command Trait: Unbending Will
– Artefact: Arcane Tome
– Lore of the Deathmages: Fading Vigour
Vampire Lord (140)*
– Lore of the Vampires: Amethystine Pinions

UNITS
5x Blood Knights (195)*
1x Corpse Cart with Balefire Brazier (80)*
30x Deathrattle Skeletons (240)**
10x Dire Wolves (135)**
10x Dire Wolves (135)**
20x Grave Guard (280)* – Great Wight Blades
20x Grave Guard (280)* – Great Wight Blades

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Expert Conquerors

TOTAL: 1990/2000

Danny: Legion of Night is a relatively off-meta pick for Soulblight these days, so it’s nice to see it being picked alongside Mannfred, which is thematically appropriate, and doing well with an unusual list.

The aforementioned Manny is a familiar sight and an excellent all-round utility piece. But he’s rarely backed up by _30_ Deathrattle, who everyone said were too fragile against bounty hunters to reinforce, and have thus been typically run in msu given their cheap, cheap cost of 80 pts making them a cost-effective screen. Deathrattle can bring back models on a 4+ when they activate though – so having a unit big enough to take a hit and activate 2nd means there’s a good chance they regen plenty before the end of the phase – combo that with Expert Conqs and unless you super-commit and wipe the entire squad (30 wounds on a 4+ with AoD, with a ward of 6 re-rolling 1s, and quite possibly some debuffs such as -1 to wound from the corpse cart) – you can see how it might be tricky to steal an objective off them.

The next unusual element of this list is not Graveguard, as they’re a standard hammer, but simply taking two bricks of them. And why not? They’re so good! Going lighter on Blood Knights (just the token 5, you’d be mad not to take any) frees up the points needed, and now there are two scary blobs, either/both of which can be buffed to Shyish and back by the Necromancer, vampire lord AND Manny’s CA (+1 hit and wound).

A nice spin on things that performed brilliantly, losing only to Khorne, who might have their weaknesses, but do not count ‘a shit load of attacks and 6″ pile ins’ among them.

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

Leaders
Megaboss on Maw-Krusha (480)
– General
– Boss Choppa and Rip-tooth fist
– Command Trait: Heroic Stature
– Artefact: Armour of Gork
– Mount Trait: Mean ‘Un
Orruk Warchanter (115)
– Warbeat: Fixin’ Beat
Orruk Warchanter (115)
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Warbeat: Get ‘Em Beat
– Lore of the Weird: Foot of Gork
Orruk Weirdnob Shaman (90)
– Lore of the Weird: Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork
Wurrgog Prophet (150)
– Artefact: Glowin’ Tattooz
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon
Wardokk (80)
– Lore of the Savage Beast: Gorkamorka’s War Cry

Battleline
10 x Orruk Brutes (320)****
– Jagged Gore-hackas
– Reinforced x 1
10 x Gutrippaz (180)****
5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)****
5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)***
5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)***
5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)
5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Warlord
***Bounty Hunters
****Expert Conquerors

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Artefact

Total: 1955 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 148
Drops: 13

Danny: Big Waagh are now one of the least represented factions at tournament level, and I can see why – first book of the edition syndrome (I know it was a twin with Stormcast, but one twin is always technically born first…) and their meta-lists have a high skill floor. So it’s great to see them hanging on in there.

This list represents what is looking like the way to go with Big Waagh for this season – msu ‘Ardboyz. They’ve always been a cost-effective package, and while vulnerable to Bounty Hunters, enough of them in msu format still asks some hard questions of your opponent in terms of target priority.

They’re backed up here by the seemingly entrenched HQ combo, although spicily, Thomas here also throws in a Wardokk with the ‘fight last’ spell as an additional tech piece – something the Wurrgog also has access to but rarely uses given his laser-eyes are so clutch.

Now for the elephant in the room. Or should I say, the Gutrippaz in the bin. Yes, this list takes a unit of Gutrippaz. With no support. Why? Let’s ask Thomas. Someone, please ask Thomas. The only thing I can think of is that they’re in Expert Conquerors as a way to count as 30 and, y’know, if their janky ability goes off -1 to hit against 20 wounds isn’t too bad. I guess?

Either way, congrats for a clutch place in the top 5 with an odd duck of a list that took down some difficult match ups!

Final Tournament Placings

For the full tournament lists and Placings see tabletop.to.