Let us simply say that the average wellness situation at Competitive Innovations towers has not improved, and move swiftly onto the events.
Part 2 on Friday:
- Michigan GT 40k Champs
- Dragon Fall 40k Worlds Qualifier
- Santiago Open
- Battle at The Guild 4th GT
- I. Würfelgötter Royal Rumble XXL Gelsenkirchen
- OCB 40k Turnier am HeroFest
- LVO XII Warhammer 40k Champs
- Denver 40K Fight Club October Open 2025
- Albany Borealis GT
- RoGB NW 40k Event
- Palladium Games Presents "the dumpster fire gt" Fall Edition
- Sonoma Con GT
- Hanseatic Alliance Open
- Edmonton Wargaming Open 40k 2025
- Sydney Supermajor - NSWTC
- Bourbon City Brawl 40K GT
- Grand Tournament against Cancer
Michigan GT 40k Champs
133-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Lansing, MI, United States on October 04 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.The Showdown
Search and Destroy - Take and Hold
Justin Hackert - Grey Knights (Warpbane Task Force)vs.
Travis King - Aeldari (Warhost)
Thoughts
Two sneaky, violent armies throwdown here, as the non-interactive gut punches of the War Host Aeldari dance with the non-interactive teleportation of the Warpbane. GK historically have been something of a bug bear for Eldar, but Warpbane, for all it's enhanced output, is actually more honest than some of the rulesets the Elves have struggled with in days gone by.I struggle to see consistent ways for the GK to get Wave Serpents opened and their contents slain before the Fire Dragons have done an awful lot of damage here, and those bricks tear through basically anything the GK have. The Eldar screening game is also very strong, and that can limit the areas of the board the GK are able to impact especially early on. Both armies score secondaries nicely, but The sheer threat of the Dragons early game should make a mid-board presence tougher for the GK. In the end, this one went close, but the Aeldari did indeed triumph!
Result
Aeldari (Warhost) Victory - 100 - 87Travis King - Aeldari (Warhost) - 1st Place
Credit: Wings
The List
Archetype
Double Fire Dragon WarhostThoughts
Warhost is the sleeker, sneakier twin to Aspect Host, dialling down the output a little (not a lot, it's still Eldar guys don't panic) in favour of more disruptive tricks and tools. Double Fire and Fade transports just ends some match ups before they began, and having fall back and shoot / charge feels quite crucial in a pressure heavy meta game. Some of our online commentariat seemed of a mind Eldar would fall away despite being visible winners in the last Dataslate - on current evidence, this wasn't the right call...Conan Jennings - Black Templars (Gladius Task Force) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)
Black Templars Repulsor Executioner. Credit: SRM
The List
Archetype
Black Templars GoodstuffThoughts
The Black Templars builds solidified with quite alarming speed around the Rep Ex / Sword Brethren / Melee Character package, and they show no signs of stopping. A smattering of non-interactivity helps it go toe-to-toe with honest and dishonest armies alike, and the full fight on death in Gladius is proving a crucial tool against some of the rushy, angry armies doing the rounds at present. Fantastic work on the top placing.Brian Daugherty - World Eaters (Berzerker Warband) - 3rd Place (Undefeated)
Chaos Spawn Credit: Swiftblade
The List
Archetype
Berzerker Warband GoodstuffThoughts
WE seem to have settled down into a strong position with the restoration of Eightbound to their roster. As this list demonstrates, you can pretty much keep on with the Spawn / Forgefiend / Berzerker packages of before, but you now have some absolutely brutal trading missiles to add into the mix alongside that helps them power through hard targets. Excellent work on the top placing.Ben Isenhoff - Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders) - 4th Place (Undefeated)
Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones
The List
Archetype
Accursed Renegade RaidersThoughts
A delicious singles build here that sprinkles a bit of almost everything scary about CSM that isn't the Bile brick in, and slaps the great ruleset of Renegade Raiders on top. Go fast, hit stuff better - the Chaos dream. Accursed Cultists are sensational in this detachment, where the threat of a sudden move out of combat can be game ending. Noise Marines and Disco lords get work done with that extra ap on objectives too - all in all, this list is primed to do massive damage. Note the ongoing resurgence of Warp Talons too - sneaky...Eric Owczarzak - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal) - 5th Place (Undefeated)
Doomsday Ark. Credit: Rockfish
The List
Archetype
Silent King DDA CastleThoughts
Another strong showing from Starshatter. I was mildly concerned the SK change might hurt this build more than was fair - it seems, however, that triple DDA can still get work done, and the new move buff isn't awful for them to have either! Otherwise it is business as usual for the Crons - blast away with swingy but deadly guns at range, push the issue with Wraiths, and run the last game with the King. Fantastic work on the top placing.The Best of the Rest
There were 20 more players on 4-1 records. They were:- 6th - Randy Brigham - Orks (War Horde): MSU Beastsnagga units, Ghaz leading a Nob squad in a Battlewagon. It feels a good time to be an Ork!
- 7th - Justin Hackert - Grey Knights (Warpbane Task Force): The massed Purifier Warpbane list from the Showdown.
- 8th - Gabriel Baughman - Leagues of Votann (Needgaârd Oathband): Massed Thunderkyn and Steeljacks with some Land Fort support.
- 9th - Jeff Micek - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium): Morty and mini-Morty leading the Virulent charge.
- 10th - James Richardson - Orks (War Horde): A deceptively shooty War Horde list with big bricks of Flash Gitz and lots of Tankbustas!
- 11th - Kyle Sams - World Eaters (Berzerker Warband): Eightbound MSU plugged in to the usual WE Goodstuff.
- 12th - Logan Schmidt - Chaos Daemons (Daemonic Incursion): Delicious brutality with Belly, triple Thirster, Skarbrand, and some Nurgle utility pieces.
- 13th - Travis Talsma - Adeptus Custodes (Lions of the Emperor): Triple Allarus MSU in a very cool go-wide golden boys Lions list.
- 14th - Nicholas Bentley - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance): Atropos, Lancer, triple Despoiler in IF.
- 15th - Manik Gudimani - Tyranids (Vanguard Onslaught): All-in Genestealer and Ravener rush, goddamned hero.
- 16th - Kramer Doyle - Aeldari (Warhost): Usual suspects Warhost with Baharroth leading a brick of Hawks in support.
- 17th - Dan Bruce - Space Wolves (Gladius Task Force): Mixed arms Gladius Wolves with big bricks of Thunderwolves and some Vindicators.
- 18th - Jason Jesse - Aeldari (Aspect Host): A cheeky Strategic Savant Wayleaper Autarch alongside the Asurman / Fuegan adventures.
- 19th - Foster Weiss - Dark Angels (Wrath of the Rock): Lots of Deathwing Knights led by the Lion, with a couple of Lancers for backline.
- 20th - Shane Benjamin - Tyranids (Invasion Fleet): Good old gunline bug Invasion Fleet with a Norn Emissary.
- 21st - Aaron Butler - Adeptus Custodes (Shield Host): Very cool Dreadnought / Praetor spam in Shield Host, love to see it!
- 22nd - Luke Carrington - Space Marines (Astartes) (Librarius Conclave): Deliciously violent double drop pod Librarius with Sternguard and Hellblaster gut punches in the sky.
- 23rd - Andrew Stirratt - Space Wolves (Saga of the Beastslayer): Wolf jail with some Vindicators and Wulfen amidst the cavalry.
- 24th - Layten Brinley - Orks (Kult of Speed): Mighty Kult of Speed nonsense that packs Ghaz in a Battlewagon in for added punch.
- 25th - Will Horan - Adeptus Custodes (Lions of the Emperor): Four bricks of Custodian Guard for agro plays.
Dragon Fall 40k Worlds Qualifier
53-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, US on October 04 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.Lucas Wilson - Chaos Daemons (Daemonic Incursion) - 1st Place
Be'lakor - Credit: RichyP
The List
Archetype
Big Boi TimeThoughts
Another triumph for the Incursion big boi list, with a slight variation on the theme here that goes harder on GUOs alongside the usual suspects. T13 is no joke, and that pushes this over the threshold against some armies to being almost impossible to shift. Incursion has been such a consistent performer over this last year - very well done on bringing home the event win!Jordan Nach - T'au Empire (Mont'ka) - 2nd Place (Undefeated)
Cadre Fireblade. Credit: Jack Hunter
The List
Archetype
Mont'ka PressureThoughts
T'au are back, baby. Speedy Mont'ka is having a moment, with a few armies out there in the wider game at the moment who really don't like being gunned down out the gates before they can get their shoes on. Riptide buffs have helped, but the playstyle - knife edge, early tempo, agro play - also benefits massively from the demise of Challenger cards. Great to see this dynamic T'au variant on the rise again! Well done.The Best of the Rest
There were 7 more players on 4-1 records. They were:- 3rd - Kevin Leonard - Chaos Daemons (Scintillating Legion): Scintillating with lots of Screamers, some Chickens, and a couple of Burning Chariots.
- 4th - Patrick Meisch - T'au Empire (Retaliation Cadre): Loads of Suits, Riptides and Ghostkeels in Ret Cadre.
- 5th - Colin Dunlop - Adeptus Mechanicus (Data-psalm Conclave): Cawl leads a charge of Electro-Priests to war with Disintegrators behind.
- 6th - Ian Smith - Aeldari (Aspect Host): Fuegan / Lykhis Aspect with a full Reaper brick with Maugan Ra backing them up.
- 7th - Eric Sroka - Adepta Sororitas (Champions of Faith): Castigator and Sacrosanct spam in Champions.
- 8th - Frank Russo - Space Marines (Astartes) (Librarius Conclave): Librarius Conclave antics with some Redemptors and a Terminator brick.
- 9th - J Sawlaw - Aeldari (Warhost): Fuegan brick Warhost with a cheeky Conclave for Eldrad along with the usual Aspect MSU.
Santiago Open
38-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Ñuñoa, Región Metropolitana, Chile on October 04 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.José correa . - Aeldari (Aspect Host) - 1st Place
The List
Archetype
Aspect HostThoughts
A nice well rounded Aspect list here, which doesn't lean as hard into the Alpha strike Fire Dragon brick of the massed Swooping Hawks and goes a bit more MSU. As the meta evolves this may well be the way, but the other exciting thing here is a return for the Avatar of Khaine! He got a little points drop awhile back and, whilst far from his index era glory, he is a nice durable bait piece who can bully an expansion when required too. Great to see him out - the elf dominance continues!The Best of the Rest
There were 6 more players on 4-1 records. They were:- 2nd - Sebastián Segura - Aeldari (Seer Council): A deliciously weird Aspect Host list with multiple Farseer Conclaves, an Avatar of Khaine and a bunch of Vibro Cannons.
- 3rd - Hugo Quinteros - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal): Nightbringer and the Silent King lead some Starshatter DDAs to battle.
- 4th - Franco Adonis - Drukhari (Reaper's Wager): Venom pressure Reaper's with a Deep Striking Harlequin Troupe.
- 5th - Alejandro Jorquera - Space Marines (Astartes) (Shadowmark Talon): Bricks of death in Raven Guard - Centurions, Inceptors, Hellblasters, and Terminators!!
- 6th - Bruno Fajardo - Blood Angels (Liberator Assault Group): Death Company and Sang Guard bricks with Lancer support.
- 7th - Hans Baier - Death Guard (Virulent Vectorium): Morty, mini-Morty, and plenty of Drones.
Battle at The Guild 4th GT
32-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in León, Gto., México on October 04 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.Joseph Walsh - Necrons (Starshatter Arsenal) - 1st Place
Imotekh the Stormlord. Credit: Pendulin
The List
Archetype
No King StarshatterThoughts
King free Starshatter here, with a Warrior brick, some res tech, and a Stalker making up the points. This lets you go a bit wider with the threats here, and it does look like Szeras is brought in as a bait piece ahead of the lines with some of the spare change. Necrons in general are navigating this meta just fine in singles, where it seems the combat pressure hasn't quite eclipsed everything else as anticipated! Very well done on the event win.The Best of the Rest
There were 4 more players on 4-1 records. They were:- 2nd - Amador Perez - Space Marines (Astartes) (Stormlance Task Force): Stormraven / triple Redemptor Stormlance rush.
- 3rd - Daniel Rivera - Adeptus Mechanicus (Haloscreed Battle Clade): A mixed arms Halo list with Priests, Ruststalkers, and plenty of supporting shooting.
- 4th - Zaid De Anda - Aeldari (Warhost): Maugan Ra and Fuegan line up some non-interactive War Host transport shooting.
- 5th - Abraham Thierry - Black Templars (Gladius Task Force): Triple Impulsor / double Rep Ex Templar rush.
I. Würfelgötter Royal Rumble XXL Gelsenkirchen
30-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE on October 04 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.Mario Titz - Space Wolves (Stormlance Task Force) - 1st Place
Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones
The List
Archetype
MSU StormlanceThoughts
Intriguingly, Space Wolves appear to be having a really solid week. This list goes wide on the many, 4++ toting threats available to the Sons of Russ, and jams them at you extremely fast. It is capable of chasing down tricksy, board edge type armies at alarming speed, and it has the saves to tank a key turn of shooting on the way in too. Wolves took some hits in recent times so I think it bodes well to see all their key units out there taking names! Awooo indeed.The Best of the Rest
There were 4 more players on 4-1 records. They were:- 2nd - Phil Str - Dark Angels (Stormlance Task Force): Dangels Stormlance with the Lion, some Black Knights, and Deathwing Knights.
- 3rd - Christian Schachmann - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance): Triple Despoiler / lots of baby War Dogs.
- 4th - Marvin Weigel - Chaos Knights (Infernal Lance): Triple Despoiler / lots of baby War Dogs.
- 5th - Niklas Fritschen - Chaos Daemons (Scintillating Legion): Lots of Chickens, Kairos, Screamers and some Nurgle utility.
OCB 40k Turnier am HeroFest
32-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Bern, BE, Schweiz on October 04 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.Daniele Simeone - Ultramarines (Ironstorm Spearhead) - 1st Place
Ultramarines Primaris Techmarine. Credit: SRM
The List
Archetype
Ironstorm DakkaThoughts
Iron Hands players warming themselves up awaiting their new rules? Always a slight warning of a potential apocalypse to come... This list goes HARD on tanks, conjuring up the ghost of Black Templar tank car parks from days gone by. Is there more to come? We shall see! Amazing work on the event win.The Best of the Rest
There were 3 more players on 4-1 records. They were:- 2nd - Clemens Haerder - Adepta Sororitas (Champions of Faith): Castigator / Sacrosanct spam.
- 3rd - Philippe Langer - Chaos Space Marines (Renegade Raiders): Noise Marine / Predator heavy Raiders with a Possessed brick.
- 4th - Martin Menoud - Blood Angels (Liberator Assault Group): Bladeguard bricks and plenty of MSU in Liberator.
Wrap Up
There you have it folks! I have to say, aside from a heavy dusting of elf atop the scene, the post-slate meta is looking extremely diverse from a singles perspective. Loads of different modes of play and archetypes out in force, and the anticipated era of combat pressure dominance hasn't quite come to pass. I think that's awesome, and it'll be very interesting to see where the new Drukhari slot in in the coming weeks too! Time to dive in.Lowest of Men, out.
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Competitive Innovations in 10th: In Their Element pt.2


