Welcome to Competitive Innovations, our weekly feature for a number of game lines across the tabletop wargame space. Each week our army list and tactics experts canvass the top tournaments for their game of specialty, looking at the week’s top match-ups and how they played out on the tabletop to let you know what’s hot, what’s not, and what might be coming next as the competitive meta evolves year-round.

Apologies for the late article this week. In addition to recuperating from the Big GT at Nova this past weekend, there were four other events to cover and so it was a lot to go through! This week we'll be looking at:

• NOVA AoS GT
• The Northern Wastes GT
• Windy City WAAAGH!
• La Voz Open 2025 - AoS
• Clash of Drak 2

NOVA AoS GT

120-player, 8-round Major in Washington, DC, United States on August 29 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Mission - Cyclic Shifts

Jeremy Veysseire - Kharadron Overlords

vs.

Fabien Barbusse - Cities of Sigmar

Thoughts

Honestly, these are basically the two meta lists right now, so it could go either way. Cyclic Shifts is a mission with a whopping six objectives that are very spread out but both armies have a lot of flexibility in their ability to move around. Kharadrons have flying boats while Cities of Sigmar have cavalry...plus some Kharadrons they hired of their own.

Both armies are very solid on the shooting game and are tanky to boot, so they're going to spend a lot of time taking pot shots at each other to try and poke a hole in each other's defenses until one can find purchase on the objectives.

If you can tell, I'm waffling because I wouldn't be able to call this shot going in blind, and the final result is in fact insanely close with the Cities of Sigmar player barely clutching it.

Result

Cities of Sigmar Victory - 61 - 59

Fabien Barbusse - Cities of Sigmar - 1st Place

Pontifex Zenestra, Credit: Conner Tolbert

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Freeguilders

Thoughts

This is pretty much the meta for Cities of Sigmar so most lists you see are generally following this formula even if they may add or subtract a few things based on personal preference.

Zenestra leads the list with her warscroll prayer which lets her do some very useful movement shenanigans, like denying enemies the ability to get within 5" of human units but probably more importantly she can recall human units back to her side from anywhere on the field if things get too hairy. Send out the Cavaliers to hit a juicy target, then call them back in the next hero phase before they can get eaten up. The Fusil-Major can tag an enemy unit so the Great Cannon gets +1 to hit on its own shots. Some lists will include more shooting, like the Fusiliers, but this one spent its energy elsewhere.

The Freeguild Marshal lets you issue the Officar's Orders to units even if they're not close by, which is crucial given how powerful these buffs are. The Command Corps are a solid fighting force who also tax command point usage for the enemy, so even if they do get close, they're gonna pay for that all out attack/defence.

Callis and Toll basically exist to deep strike on any open objectives, but if your opponent is particularly heavy on casting, they can be pretty good at sniping wizards or endless spells if neccesary. The interesting addition here is the KO Regiment of Renown which is a popular pick in many armies that can take it. It lets you spend a CP to either do some mortal wounds from range, heal up a unit or teleport. It also comes with solid ranged shooting, which makes up for this list's lack of Fusiliers.

Jeremy Veysseire - Kharadron Overlords - 2nd Place

 

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Vongrims and Boats

Thoughts

I'd categorize this as "KO Good Stuff" because it has some shades of that, but it does have some interesting twists.

The most straightforward part is the Skywardens and the Frigate. Frigate charges enemy, brings the Skywardens with it, crashes into the enemy and dumps the Wardens out. Everyone gets First Strike and mops up the enemy. If they don't the Frigate can pull them back out next time.

The Gunhaulers are a really solid gun platform and while they remain next to each other they can run and shoot, which their threat range absurdly big. The new Vongrim units are a bit less heavily armored than most KO stuff, but for their cost, can do some decent damage and hold objectives well. Particularly when the Codewright is behind them buffing their OC.

The Best of the Rest

The rest of the top eight includes:

• 3rd - Kaleb Walters - Disciples of Tzeentch: Kairos with lots of Tzaangors and the S2D Regiment of Renown.
• 4th - Dylan Therriault - Cities of Sigmar: Freeguilders
• 5th - Walter Brock - Flesh-eater Courts: Ushoran and Morbheg Knights
• 6th - Michael Sabetti - Sons of Behemat: Kragnos, King Brodd and a Warstomper with Big Pig Regiment of Renown
• 7th - Victor Szafranski - Sons of Behemat: 3 Gatebreakers and Braggit's Bottle Snatchaz
• 8th - Tucker Barco - Stormcast Eternals: Lord-Celestant on Stardrake with Ruination Chamber and Callis and Toll.

The Northern Wastes GT

50-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Prince George, BC, Canada on August 30 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Carson Whitlock - Ogor Mawtribes

vs.

Matthias Krushel - Kharadron Overlords

Thoughts

It's pretty much no contest here. Ogors are in a very decent spot right now, and this is a very strong Ogors list. The problem is Ogors generally succeed by being a very large barrier of meat thats difficult for most armies to cut through, especially when getting pelted at by the suped up Ironblaster from Scourge of Ghyran. KO don't gotta deal with that though, they can shoot from a distance to soften up the enemy, and even pick up the cannon before it becomes a problem and then charge in with the frigate. With two reinforced squads of Skywardens it shouldn't even be that hard to remove the gluttons and Ironguts before they even get to act.

Result

Kharadron Overlords Victory - 80 - 46

Matthias Krushel - Kharadron Overlords - 1st Place

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

KO Good Stuff

Thoughts

Most of the damage comes from the Frigate and the Skywardens. Frigate crashes into the enemy, Skywardens fall out and beat the crap out of stuff with First Strike. The Vongrins mostly hold back to hold objectives, while the characters support the main strike force by buffing their stats or debuffing enemies by removing their wards, reducing attack stats and so on. KO is just really good right now and are a mobile shooting force that is very hard to deal with for most lists.

The Best of the Rest

The rest of the top 8 includes:

• 2nd - Pendleton Cox - Kharadron Overlords: KO good stuff.
• 3rd - Daytond Obre - Slaves to Darkness: Be'lakor and his Legion of the First Prince with Bloodletters, Bloodcrushers and Flamers.
• 4th - Carson Whitlock - Ogor Mawtribes: See Showdown.
• 5th - Christian Robson - Ironjawz: Kragnos, Gordrakk and generic Maw-Krusha with Wrekkaz.
• 6th - Matt Chayba - Blades of Khorne: Baleful Lords of Skarbrand and one of each Bloodthirster.
• 7th - Michael McMullen - Kharadron Overlords: lots of Vongrimms.
• 8th - Nicholas Schemenauer - Slaves to Darkness: Abraxia and Varanguard.

Windy City WAAAGH!

46-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Elk Grove Village, IL, United States on August 30 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Mission - Passing Seasons

Rich Collis - Idoneth Deepkin

vs.

Sam McEuen - Gloomspite Gitz

Thoughts

Oh this is an interesting one. While the Idoneth have a lot more models, the Gitz definitely are not indisposed. Troggoths hit like a truck and if the Moon is in the right position, they're tanky as hell too as they reduce rend. Thralls are definitely going to want to hit the Troggs first if they can, in order to cut down those 2+ wound rolls.

This ultimately comes down to a close call with the Idoneth winning.

Result

Idoneth Deepkin Victory - 50 - 40

Rich Collis - Idoneth Deepkin - 1st Place

Akhelian Thrallmaster. Credit: Matthew 'chimp' Ward

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Idoneth Horde

Thoughts

This is a unique list which is deceptively quite powerful. Thralls are a pretty okay unit on their own. Lotann can give a unit Crit Auto-wound (bypassing their awful wound rolls) and the Thrallmaster can give them Crit 2 hits. You only get one, but both are very useful so neither are unwelcome.

Ideally the thralls want to swing first, since if they can allocate damage the opposing unit will get -1 to wound on the clap back. They have ways to improve charges to try and charge first, or if they can bank on waiting for round 3 they can get first strike from tides. Even if they don't, there are numerous defensive buffs in the army such as hiding them from shooting or reducing rend by 1 for enemy units. Even if a few get picked up, the Soulrender can bring some back, plus an extra with their heroic trait.

The Allopex exists to hang out on the fringes of the battle, shooting at the enemy and charging in at the right time, while the Leviadon supports the army by granting them a 5+ ward.

Corey O'Keefe - Cities of Sigmar - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Cities of Sigmar Ironweld Great Cannon. Credit: SRM

The List

Archetype

Freeguilders

Thoughts

We've seen this a lot recently so I don't think I need to relitigate it too much. Fusil-major marks a target so the Great Cannons can tear it up, the Cavaliers charge in and then Zenestra uses her Warscroll spell to pull them back out. Command Corps help offer denial by taxing command abilities and Callis and Toll can drop in to steal open objectives and snipe out wizards.

The Best of the Rest

There were 6 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

• 3rd - Kevin Engel - Cities of Sigmar: Freeguilders
• 4th - Zach Lambe - Hedonites of Slaanesh: Glutos and Sigvald with Seekers and Twinsouls.
• 5th - Jake Cachey Muhr - Ossiarch Bonereapers: Katakros and 2 wizards with Mortek Guard and Stalkers.
• 6th - John Beelow - Skaven: A menagerie of rats including a Screaming Bell, Doomflayers, Rat Ogors and Warpvolt Scourgers.
• 7th - George Coe - Maggotkin of Nurgle: Glottkin and Rotigus with Plaguebearers and a Daemon Prince.
• 8th - Trevor Gieser - Nighthaunt: Reikenor with Bladegheists, Grimghast Reapers and Dreadscythe Harridans.

La Voz Open 2025 - AoS

37-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Lugo, España on August 30 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Miguel Benito - Blades of Khorne

vs.

Gregorio Rodríguez Sánchez - Ironjawz

Thoughts

This is pretty much a given for the Khornates. With a 4+ ward, it's very difficult for them to do the necessary Damage to kill a meaningful number of the enemy heroes. The one advantage Ironjawz would have is speed, as they would have an easier time getting onto objectives than the Khornates.

Once they get there though, they're kinda stuck. They gotta get that charge in to maximize damage and so they would need to balance sending units in while holding back. Given the sheer strength and tankiness of Gorechosen, it's definitely in their court and they do not disappoint, with a strong victory.

Result

Blades of Khorne Victory - 66 - 47

Miguel Benito - Blades of Khorne - 1st Place

Skullgrinder. Credit: Rich Nutter

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Gorechosen

Thoughts

This is pretty much the platonic ideal of the current Gorechosen lists.

The Mighty Lord of Khorne adds 1 to Wound rolls to units within 12", which thanks to their big base and every unit being one model, it's quite easy to keep many inside of it. He also can hand out First Strike to a unit, which is a cherry on top. The Bloodsecrator can add +1 attack once per battle within 12", which is again quite easy with a bunch of one model units. It also gets the relic which lets it add D3 attacks to other units, at least as long as its wound count holds out.

Skullgrinders and Deathbringers are two sides of the same coin. Both deal Rend 1 Damage 3 attacks, and its a lot of em'. The Skullgrinders can inflict strike last on a unit at the start of combat, while Deathbringers can auto slay a model if anything survived at the end of combat.

Worth noting there are a lot of nerfs incoming, and this event didn't use them.

The Best of the Rest

There were 6 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

• 2nd - Kiko Fernandez - Kruleboyz: Kruleboyz good stuff.
• 3rd - Mario Martínez Jimijack - Soulblight Gravelords: Prince Vhordrai and Vampire Lord on Horse with Blood Knights and Chaff.
• 4th - Carlos Ferrero Manauta - Lumineth Realm-lords: Herohammer with Bladelords.
• 5th - Andrés Inmortale - Stormcast Eternals: Tornus with Reclusians, Palladors and Vigilors.
• 6th - Álvaro Barbuelas - Kharadron Overlords: Kharadron Good Stuff.
• 7th - Gregorio Rodríguez Sánchez - Ironjawz: See Showdown.

Clash of Drak 2

30-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France on August 30 2025. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

rudy MzH - Kruleboyz

vs.

xavier pateau - Kharadron Overlords

Thoughts

This is definitely going in the KO's favor.

While Kruleboyz have gotten quite the lift since Scourge of Ghyran, their advantage involves being able to grind it out against other melee armies. KO get to skip all that and just shoot em' from afar. And those poor pathetic Crossbows are going to pale in comparison to the big hulking guns on the side of a KO Frigate.

Result

Kharadron Overlords Victory - 17 - 3

xavier pateau - Kharadron Overlords - 1st Place

Instagram: bair_paints

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

KO Good Stuff

Thoughts

We saw variations on this list two other times so I think you get the idea by now. Brokk supports the Frigates and Gunhauler with extra attacks so they can lay down fire from afar before the Frigates charge in with the Skywardens who wreck face up close.

The Best of the Rest

There were 4 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

• 2nd - Aidan Dousson - Sylvaneth: Drycha and Belthanos with Kurnoth Hunters, Revenant Seekers and Spite-Revenants.
• 3rd - alexandre sans - Skaven: Vizzek and a Screaming Bell with Stormfiends and lots of Clanrats.
• 4th - rudy MzH - Kruleboyz: See Showdown.
• 5th - Adam Fromont - Kruleboyz: Kragnos leads a legion of Gutrippaz and other Kruleboyz good stuff.

Wrap Up

While the KO and Blades of Khorne domination seems to continue unabated, we do have some FAQs on the horizon that will likely need a week or two to appear in tournaments. So while we wait for those, uh, enjoy your airship rides?

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