The Warhammer 40,000 Grand Championships will be held this weekend on the banks of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Eight masters of the game will battle it out to beccome Best General in 2022, and Organised Play Manager Zach Rochner is on the ground for a closer look at the champs’ lists. Take it away, Zach!
The faction distribution in our eight lists is quite even – Harlequins are the only ones showing up more than once. No surprise, as these mischievous Aeldari have the tools to deal with numerous competitive archetypes. Fast-moving, well-costed, and extremely hard-hitting in multiple phases, Harlequins are always a contender. Their players at the tournament, Zach Point and Alexandre Sacco, are both highly experienced, and have done well with Harlequins in the past.
Unfortunately for the adherents of the Laughing God, they have strong competition from the Archenemy. Ben Cherwien and Matt Geyer are bringing Chaos Daemons and Thousand Sons, respectively. Matt and Ben have both loaded up on Flamers – these pyromantic powerhouses were one of the big winners of the new Codex: Chaos Daemons, and have been seen in numerous winning lists recently. They’re points-efficient and can put out enough shots to whittle down even the toughest of opponents. Combined with strong Primary and Secondary scoring opportunities for these lists, Flamers could help to push them over the edge.
Speaking of lists with high scoring potential, John Lennon is once again going to battle with his Adepta Sororitas. The Order of the Bloody Rose can put out incredible amounts of damage across multiple phases, especially with Repentia squads running about – and John brought two. He is, however, also bringing a few units less widely utilised – specifically Paragon Warsuits and Mortifiers. A charging unit of Mortifiers should cause concern for any opponent. I like this list a lot – John has brought a good mix of hard-hitters, problem-solvers, and units that will confidently score well on Primary and Secondary Objectives.
John isn’t the only player with the potential to do incredible up-close damage. Zaak Herstetter’s Blood Angels are well-positioned to wipe away anything that gets too close. Boasting over 30 jump-pack Space Marines, Zaak has moved past any notion of hanging around in his backfield, slowly scoring Primaries, or not punching things. He has shown himself to be a disciplined and considerate general – his final round at the Kansas Open was an incredibly tight game that came down to the final moments, resulting in a one-point victory over last year’s champion Mani Cheema.
Jack Harpster, whom we have seen do well with multiple factions this year, is bringing his Orks. Jack has serious power, with enough Squighog Boyz, Beast Snagga Boyz, and Kill Rigs to make any player scream Waaagh! He will also have ample ability to score Primary and Secondary points through other choices in his list.
Richard Siegler, well known as a T’au Empire and Adeptus Mechanicus player, has decided this time around to bring Crimson Fists. Win rates being what they are, non-Blood Angels Adeptus Astartes armies are not favoured. However, Richard is a very strong player, and underestimating him would be a grave error.
Each of these players is a master of their trade, so it’s hard to pick a definite favourite – but I think Adepta Sororitas and Thousand Sons are well placed to take the crown. Last year, we had a big upset between pre-codex Aeldari and Blood Angels in one of the last rounds. Could we see another unexpected winner this time around? Anything is possible with this group of players.
From Best General to Best Overall
Alongside our Best General bracket are our intrepid Best Overall players. These champions of the Warhammer hobby have earned their place on the podium through competitive and hobby scores in equal parts, showing themselves to be true renaissance players.
Best Overall has a clear standout faction with Imperial Knights – three of the eight players are bringing Imperial Knights to the contest.
This faction must overcome only being able to hide Armiger-class Knights behind Obscuring terrain, and they have somewhat limited access to Objective Secured in certain builds. However, all three lists are balanced in their approach.
The greatest fear for any Knight player is the T’au Empire bringing three Hammerheads and going first. Understandably, some of our Noble scions may have been nervous when they saw Andrew Gonyo was bringing T’au – but fortunately he’s decided to bring three Riptides instead. Of course, these are just as worrisome as Hammerheads in most cases!
The battle for Best Overall is guaranteed to be fascinating all the way through, with gorgeously painted armies commanded by world class players! We can’t wait to bring you all the winners from both brackets.Remember, we will be streaming all the action from New Mexico live on the Warhammer Twitch channel. Tune in here to watch.
