It’s an exciting time for competitive Warhammer 40,000 players. Events are kicking back into gear, with the official Warhammer Events US Open Series right around the corner. The last few months have also seen a new Chapter Approved: Grand Tournament Mission Pack, as well as rebalanced points, and a glut of new codexes, and Warhammer events supremo Mike Brandt is back again to talk to a few tournament experts about how they see the competitive meta evolving.
Mike: It’s safe to say that we’re really excited for the culmination of this year’s tournament season, and we wanted to see what effect all these changes will have on the competitive meta in the second half of the year. The Drukhari have been dominating events recently – is that set to continue, or will we see the recently revamped Adepta Sororitas, Adeptus Mechanicus or Orks rise to the top?
Sean Nayden plays Drukhari as part of his combined Aeldari forces, and he’s confident that they’ll continue to perform well with some changes in tactics, even as the field widens to allow other factions their time in the sun.
Sean: The return of events this year has been such invigorating news for Warhammer 40,000. There is so much excitement when you enter a crowded ballroom with hundreds of other gamers bent on dominating the tables. The pandemic created a stalled meta, mostly leaving Space Marines, Necrons, and Death Guard leading the pack – until Codex: Drukhari dropped in the spring. It had an instant impact when it hit a meta full of its natural prey. With the summer months here, and a run of major tournaments opening up in the United States, I don’t think Drukhari will dominate for much longer. The Adeptas Sororitas triumphed at the Lone Star Open this month, and Games Workshop’s much-anticipated US Open Series will see further changes to the meta. Orks are on the way, while the Adeptus Mechanicus and Adepta Sororitas are gaining momentum. There is a lot for players to take into account.
The elite MSU (multiple small units) style that Space Marines and Drukhari players fall into is no longer the only thing to plan for – the Mechanicus can bring major bodies to the field, and while Sisters of Battle are able to field small squads in Transports, they have access to newer units and Stratagems that also favour a horde mentality.
I believe that volume, both for shooting and close combat, is important in future lists. Some of that volume should contain strong AP to account for the defensive buffs that the Adeptus Mechanicus can apply to its infantry blobs.
As an Aeldari player, however, there are still plenty of interesting choices. For my Drukhari, 10-woman Hekatrix Bloodbride squads from your favorite Wych Cult (probably the Cult of Strife because of the wonderful Stratagems they received in the Book of Rust) can put out a punishing number of attacks, and many of them will get a delicious -4 AP with their improved Blade Artists ability.
Harlequins will probably favour Troupes armed with Harlequin’s embraces, backed up by Troupe Masters for their re-rolls to wound. While the Masque of the Soaring Spite continues to be a popular choice, it’s also worth considering a return to Frozen Stars.
With both an extra attack per model and access to +1 to wound, this masque form can give Harlequins units just enough punch to deal with the increased toughness of Orks while keeping the -3 AP needed to punch through the Adeptus Mechanicus special rules that ignore AP of -1 and -2. And that’s not to mention the excellent natural saves of Battle Sisters!
And finally, for the elder statesman of the Aeldari, the Craftworlds, there are a bounty of options for heavy-volume shooting. From large blobs of Guardians to the Blast profile on tanks such as the Fire Prism to my personal favourite new addition to my army – Forge World’s Shadow Spectres – which have a great dual purpose as anti-tank or anti-infantry.
So get out there and enjoy the return of events and the great new puzzles of trying to beat all the wonderfully varied armies of the 41st Millennium.
Mike: Sean managed an impressive top-eight finish at the recent Lone Star Open, combining Harlequins and Asuryani in an innovative list he’s kindly sharing with us. His lists are known for being unusual within the meta, and this fun and deadly Aeldari warhost looks like no exception.
We also spoke to Stephen Box of Vanguard Tactics, who reckons that the Adepta Sororitas will be one of the most significant changes to the upcoming meta, as they now pose a huge threat to some of the current meta’s major players – particularly the raiders from Commorragh.
Stephen: The Drukhari have performed extremely well of late, due both to their ability to field multiple small, fast-paced units that can fight well in both phases and to their army-wide invulnerable save. However, all of this is now also true of the Adepta Sororitas thanks to their new melee units, Characters, and tanks – and the Shield of Faith ability.
One factor which had helped the Drukhari dominate is the Cult of Strife’s ability to always fight first. However, the recent clarification on how this interacts with “fight last” effects – like the Adepta Sororitas’ Word of the Emperor blessing – in the 2021 Grand Tournament Mission Pack 2021 changes things. On top of this, more durable combat units such as the Celestian Sacresants now mean the faction poses a huge threat in melee as well as at range.
With their 2+ Save and 4+ invulnerable save, plus a bonus to hit when they use their Set to Defend ability, and -1 to any wound rolls with the Inviolate Shieldwall Stratagem, Sacresants are extremely hard for the Drukhari to deal with in close combat.
Their high Leadership also means that the Incubi Tormentors rule rarely comes into play – the Drukhari bounce off their shields, and the remaining Sacresancts then wound Incubi and Wyches on 2+ with their Strength 6 weapons. Combine that with a Hospitaller bringing back D3 models a turn and the shieldwall can regenerate before the next round of combat.
One of the most significant changes to the Adepta Sororitas book is their access to Blessings of the Faithful. I’ve already mentioned how Word of the Emperor can force a nearby unit to fight last, but once per game the bearer can also use its Miraculous ability to turn off all invulnerable saves within Miracle range – which can be up to 6”!
These are both another huge blow for the Drukhari menace, but they also happen to be a great counter to some of the other top meta factions, such as Death Guard, Harlequins, and Dark Angels Terminators with storm shields. The best thing about these blessings is that they’re not affected by other abilities, and can’t be turned off and stopped.
The Sororitas also have Dominion units which can now not only move 6” pre-game, but can do so inside a Transport. This means that a Sisters of Battle player can move to screen their other units, using terrain and Transports to keep them protected from a first-turn alpha strike. Combine this with the Blinding Radiance blessing, which makes Core and Character units within miracle range harder to hit, along with Junith Eruita’s ability to grant Light Cover to all Infantry units wholly within 6” to really add some durability to a sometimes fragile army.
Choosing the right Order can be difficult, as they all have fantastic rules. Right now, I’m enjoying the combat ability of the Bloody Rose to beef up Celestian Sacresancts. I’ve had some great results and look forward to continuing my run as the competitive season unfolds.
Stephen has put together an army list that he thinks is a strong starting point for the Adepta Sororitas in the new meta, based around the melee units he favours. He used this army to claim victory at a recent Rogue Trader Tournament, so take notes!
Sean and Stephen were also kind enough to open their third eyes and gaze into the warp in order to predict the overall winners at the incoming US Open Series.
Sean: For the US Open in Texas, I believe that mixed Aeldari will win… as that’s what I’ll be playing. Orks will be on the scene, with Adeptus Mechanicus and Drukhari finishing near the top as well.
Stephen: With the recent releases, my top predictions put Adeptus Mechanicus in first place, with Drukhari, Adepta Sororitas, and Orks not far behind. However, it does depend on who is running what list. The list is a tool in a player's toolbox – it’s the player that commands the army and will ultimately decide the difference between victory and defeat.
Mike: Will you be one of those players? What will you be fielding? Do you agree with Sean and Stephen’s predictions, or do you think there’s an army lurking in the shadows that will rise up and win the US Open Series? Take to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and let us know.
P.S. It's great to get feedback from some of the top players around the world. Besides just speaking with the "best of the best," we keep a careful eye on the global meta, results from tournaments, and data from analysis sites and trackers. Since the release of Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus, it became clear some of Sean and Steve's predictions for this codex were almost too on the money – some of their rules interactions were a bit more powerful than intended. As a result, expect to see a FAQ release for Adeptus Mechanicus tomorrow dealing with some of the sharpest ends of their collective stick – in particular, large blocks of Skitarii troops and some of the interactions over-tuning Ironstrider Ballistari.