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.

Welcome back! We got a shorter week this week, but the events are all of decent size. Especially the Gauntlet hosted in the Netherlands which had a whopping 100 players! This week we have:

• The Gauntlet - Age of Sigmar - Hosted by Threshold Tactics - The Netherlands
• Sparkle Party Death Match XIV - United States
• MOSSPIT 2026 - Norway
• TCC: Age of Sigmar Grand Tournament (7-8th March) - Australia

The Gauntlet - Age of Sigmar - Hosted by Threshold Tactics

100-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Hoofddorp, NH, Netherlands on March 07 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Mission - Linked Ley Lines

Frederic elustondo - Gloomspite Gitz

vs.

Gijs van Muijden - Ossiarch Bonereapers

Thoughts

This is a surprising outcome as OBR are traditionally very good against Gitz. They are incredibly tanky and have the high rend needed to even fell Troggoths. Squigs let them hand out a fair chunk of mortal wounds which can be a problem, but since these are Squig Herds and only one group of Hoppers, that should work well for OBR.

It was a very narrow victory, so it likely was decided by the sheer number of Squiggs that the Gitz had to secure objectives and outmaneuver the OBR.

Result

Gloomspite Gitz Victory - 49 - 46

Frederic elustondo - Gloomspite Gitz - 1st Place

Droggz da Sunchompa. Credit: Rich Nutter

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Squiggs

Thoughts

This is an interesting take on the Squigg archetype. Most people usually run Hoppers, as they can be a pretty scary charge unit. This list instead focuses on Squig herds, which are more passive but make a pretty solid tarpit as they can be brought back by the unit's Squig Herders, and explode when killed, dealing mortal wounds. They also get a lot of attacks, not great ones, but it's a lot. Especially with Squigalanche.

The Troggoths function as an anvil that can actually swing when you need something with a bit more of a punch, while the Snarlfang cavalry run around to grab objectives.

Pim Roeske - Blades of Khorne - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Credit: Robert "TheChirurgeon" Jones

The List

Archetype

Baleful Lords

Thoughts

Baleful Lords really don't have a ton of finesse. While each Bloodthirster has a different enemy type they are nominally better against, they all hit things really hard so even if you can't go after the exact type of unit they have anti-X against, they'll still put up some decent numbers.

Other than raw damage, the dual Unfettered Fury Bloodthirsters can hand out a 3D6 charge while the Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster can hand out another attack.

Dario Grohmann - Sylvaneth - 3rd Place (Undefeated)

Belthanos. Credit: chimp

The List

Archetype

Elite Sylvaneth

Thoughts

Pretty much the same as it ever was. Belthanos is here to hand out Run and Charge to 3 units, while Drych and Spirit of Durthu join him in front line combat. The SoG Revenant Seekers get to join too, with decent Crit mortal scythes and the ability to hand out a 5+ Ward to a nearby ally.

The Warsong Revenant hangs back as a counter caster, one of the rare few units with bonuses to Unbind in fourth edition. The Brancwych is here as well, to hand out Strikes Last to anyone foolish enough to charge their trees.

The rest of the units mostly work as cannon fodder. Able to snag objectives as needed and easily disposed of once they've done their job.

The Best of the Rest

There were 14 more players on 4-1 records. The rest of the top 8 includes:

• 4th - Gijs van Muijden - Ossiarch Bonereapers: See Showdown.
• 5th - Kamil Pocalujko - Blades of Khorne: Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster, tons of Bloodletters and Lord Skaldor's Chosen Regiment of Renown from S2D.
• 6th - Matthias Brinkert - Ogor Mawtribes: Foot Ogor good stuff...plus 3 Scraplaunchers.
• 7th - Michel Jacobs - Flesh-eater Courts: Monster Mash Dragons and Terrorgheist, plus guest starring the Dracolith.
• 8th - Joost Houdijk - Sylvaneth: Sylvaneth big boys with Alarielle, Belthanos, Spirit of Durthu and Drycha.

Sparkle Party Death Match XIV

45-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Seattle, WA, United States on March 07 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Matthias Krushel - Kharadron Overlords

vs.

Carson Whitlock - Ogor Mawtribes

Thoughts

Your standard KO list with a frigate and Skywardens would probably do a lot better here, but this list focuses more on control. Using the Lumineth Endless spells to help lock an opponent down and debuff them before the attack. The problem is the KO lack a lot of really good hammers, and they're going to need them to be able to cut through the Ogor's huge wound count.

Result

Ogor Mawtribes Victory - 62 - 42

Carson Whitlock - Ogor Mawtribes - 1st Place

Credit: Fancy Necromancy

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Foot Ogors

Thoughts

Foot Ogors are generally pretty uncomplicated. Gluttons can handle a lot of simpler threats, since they hit hard enough but also have a ton of wounds to chew through. Gorgers and Ironguts are for more serious threats, since they hit like a truck in addition to their high wound count that comes with Ogors.

The Butcher and Slaughtermaster support the troops with some excellent buffs and debuffs like Greasy Deluge for -1 to be hit and Blood Feast for +1 attack. The Ironblaster is a damn good ranged attack piece, while the unsuspecting Gnoblars sit out front to screen out any threats that would try and charge it.

Stark Pister - Stormcast Eternals - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Prosecutor. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Archetype

Shock and Awe

Thoughts

This is a pretty straightforward list, with Krondys throwing a bit of spice into the mix.

The primary mover of this list is the Palladors and Vanguard Raptors. Vanguard Raptors are still one of the best shooting units in the army, often able to turn a Hero unit into a pincushion if they can get close enough to shoot them, which isn't usually a problem with their ability to run and shoot. Even if they cant get close to Heroes, their rend 2 shots can make quick work of just about anything.

Vanguard Palladors are one of the best hammers in the army right now. They can drop down, throw out a decent ranged attack then charge in. We usually see the Javelins for their ability to shoot twice but the Shock Axes aren't too shabby either, able to inflict a -1 to wound on the enemy if they swing first, and they do more damage on the charge.

All of this is held up by Krondys, a strong spellcaster whose warscroll spell puts out various different debuffs. Even if the enemy gets close, the Praetors help him shrug off wounds, and he is certainly no slouch in combat, either.

The Best of the Rest

There were 8 more players on 4-1 records (or better). They were:

• 3rd - ALEXANDER Gonzalez - Helsmiths of Hashut (4-0-1): So many Blunderbusses and Flamethrowers.
• 4th - Matthias Krushel - Kharadron Overlords: See Showdown.
• 5th - James Terwilliger - Soulblight Gravelords: Prince Vhordrai and Vampire Lord with Blood Knights and Deathrattle Skeletons.
• 6th - Alexander Frias - Ossiarch Bonereapers: Katakros with a mix of Infantry
• 7th - Ryan Koning - Slaves to Darkness: Knights and Warriors with Helsmiths artillery RoR.
• 8th - Thomas O'Brian - Gloomspite Gitz: Little bit of everything with Fanatics hidden for a fun surprise.
• 9th - Frederick Schmidt - Sylvaneth: Sylvaneth herohammer, not a single infantry or cav in sight.
• 10th - Chris LaMoy -Soulblight Gravelords: Prince Vhordrai and Vampires.

MOSSPIT 2026

44-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Østfold, Norway on March 07 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Mission - Bountiful Equinox

aleksander Dalane - Disciples of Tzeentch

vs.

Benjamin Flodda - Lumineth Realm-Lords

Thoughts

It's a showdown of both new books for the title of (arguably) better!

It's an interesting match here. This Lumineth list is very much a tank list, Severith aside they all want to stand on objectives and dare you to fight them. Even Severith can serve in the cause of debuffing the enemy and making their time a lot harder.

Tzeentch, meanwhile, wants to trick their opponent. Bait them into unfavorable fights, waste their time on chaff, and snag objectives they just left.

The problem is bountiful equinox is a great mission for armies that want to stand still, like this Lumineth list. Needing to plant their flag on 3 objectives (relatively) close together makes their job a lot easier and likely is what lead to a strong victory.

Result

Lumineth Realm-Lords Victory - 68 - 56

Benjamin Flodda - Lumineth Realm-Lords - 1st Place

Avalenor, the Stoneheart King. Credit: Rich Nutter

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Stoneguard

Thoughts

In contrast to the usual nimble aelves, this list wants to plant its flag on objectives early and sit tight. The Reinforced Stoneguard start with a 4+ save but get a 3+ once two mountain runes are jotted down. Since Alarith gets additional hammer swings for each Mountain Rune, you're gonna wanna jot those down as fast as possible. The Wardens also add in as an anti-cav unit, removing Charge from enemy units.

Severith is here both to hit enemies at Range who won't come to you, and also to debuff enemy units that did charge by inflicting -1 to wound. The Light of Eltharion rounds things off with another good Hammer alongside Alarith, to put down the enemy.

Filip Skoglund - Skaventide - 2nd Place (Undefeated)

Rat Ogors. Credit: Rockfish

The List

Archetype

Clan Moulder Variant

Thoughts

A bit of a twist of the classic Clan Moulder list. The Rat Ogors do a lot of the heavy lifting, being quite punchy for their point cost. They can stab themselves to get an extra attack, and the Brood Horror can join the fun to buff their poor To Hit score.

The Stormfiends are the interesting variation on this list. Far from their heyday as the peak shooting unit, they've taken up a new role as masters of subterfuge. The Grinderfists allow them to deep strike in the opponent's hero phase, letting them grab an objective they just left behind, and  then clubbing them in the back line next turn.

The Best of the Rest

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

• 3rd - aleksander Dalane - Disciples of Tzeentch: See Showdown.
• 4th - Aslak Blytt - Ossiarch Bonereapers: Katakros with Stalkers and Archai and the Black Coach regiment of Renown.
• 5th - Johannes Vedeld - Stormcast Eternals: Iridan with Prosecutors, Palladors and Vanguard Raptors.
• 6th - Martin Andre Røhme - Disciples of Tzeentch: Kairos with Tzaangors
• 7th - Simen Lillehagen - Stormcast Eternals: Karazai and Stormdrakes with some Questor for good measure
• 8th - Christian Brubakken - Maggotkin of Nurgle: Bloab, Belga, Lord of of Afflictions and a Sorcerer with a mix of infantry and the Helsmiths Artillery RoR.

TCC: Age of Sigmar Grand Tournament (7-8th March)

35-player, 5-round Grand Tournament in Mortdale, New South Wales, AU on March 06 2026. All the lists for this event can be found in Best Coast Pairings.

The Showdown

Mission - Passing Seasons

Jacob Strachan - Disciples of Tzeentch

vs.

Damien Saavedra - Ossiarch Bonereapers

Thoughts

(To be clear, this is the new Disciples of Tzeentch book against the old Ossiarch Bonereapers book.)

This is a pretty slam dunk win for Tzeentch. Tzeentch has a lot more options to engage in ranged attacks, deal mortal wounds and outmaneuver the OBR, who are pretty much solely locked to hoofing it across the battlefield. If a hard counter exists in Sigmar, this is it.

Result

Disciples of Tzeentch Victory - 69 - 39

Jacob Strachan - Disciples of Tzeentch - 1st Place

Credit: Liebot - https://instagram.com/liebot_pics

The List

See Showdown

Archetype

Daemons

Thoughts

We're starting to see the new Tzeentch book stretch its legs a bit and show what it can do. This here is pretty damn nefarious.

The Lord of Change is of course the locus of the list. A 3 cast Wizard who adds +1 to Casting Rolls for other wizards and makes all the Daemons around him -1 to be hit. He also gets to spend a command point to bring back the Daemons in the list, refreshing the horde. The Changecaster can shut off weapon abilities while the Curseling weakens armor, making foes far more vulnerable to their attacks.

The triple spawn serve a lot of roles. The most obvious is to fuel the "Turned to Spawn" spell, which when cast in the opponent's hero phase can effectively lock them out of being able to move that turn as they are forced to deal with the enemy they are now in combat with. Even though the new book changed the spell to not be able to pull other units in, being able to lock down a problematic unit is still very helpful. They're also effectively limitless, since if they die they go right back into reserve, making them perfect targets for Smoke and Mirrors to swap out from the units you actually want to protect.

The Daemons and Tzaangor and Enlightened are your true damage dealers. The Horrors aren't killer but they can do enough damage and gum up the enemy, while the Tzaangor Enlightened can swoop in and strike in a killing blow for much tougher foes.

The Best of the Rest

There were 5 more players on 4-1 records. They were:

• 2nd - Mitch Bugg - Ogor Mawtribes: Foot Ogors.
• 3rd - Pui Hin HO - Lumineth Realm-Lords: A Vanari themed list led by Severith, Light of Eltharion and a Hurakan Windmage.
• 4th - Joel Menzies - Blades of Khorne: Two Bloodthirsters with Bloodletters and Blood Crushers.
• 5th - Ewan Forrester - Blades of Khorne: Baleful Lords.
• 6th - Damien Saavedra - Ossiarch Bonereapers: Katakros and Soulmason with a mix of Archai, Stalkers and Immortis Guard

Wrap Up

Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.