2023 marks the first year that I will not be attending the Kings of War US Masters event. Although I once again qualified to represent my beloved Northeast region, the recent birth of my daughter means I will be changing diapers instead of rolling dice! Of course, I will be following all of the action and rooting for the Northeast from the sidelines.
After having some time to read through this year’s crop of lists, here are my picks and observations.
Boogeyman List
For me, a “Boogeyman” list is one that is highly skewed, few players look forward to facing, but probably won’t win the whole event. I say “probably” because, by nature of being a skew list, it has some hard counters in the meta that the controlling player is hoping to avoid.
Following that criteria, Jeff Radigan’s Scorches of Nature (see what I did there?) and Lex Simon’s Basileans glaringly stand out. I know several of my fellow writers on -/28 are already planning to write volumes on the Scorchwing problem, so let’s talk about the Elohi.
Out of 2300 points, Lex has spent 1720 (roughly 75% of his total points) on Elohi. The remaining points do not lead to much diversity, as they account for three Phoenixes (one of the Ancient [1] variety) and a Paladin Chaplain Hero to add a touch more Heal (bringing the total to 17 + Iron Resolve + Radiance of Life) and access to Hex. That’s right, Lex constructed an entire list out of three unit entries…
This is a fast list, a punchy list, and a sneakily resilient list. It can even cause some trouble in the Ranged phase with all those Firesparks. Would I want to square off against it? Absolutely not!
I fully expect this list to steamroll most opponents throughout the weekend, but one or two bad matchups could and likely will prevent Lex from being crowned the Master.
Favorite List
I had the pleasure of facing Nathan’s Nightstalkers in the opening round of last year’s Masters. We had a heck of a game – fun, tactical, and down to the wire. I loved his list then, and I love it now. Though he has changed up some of the support units (there is a noticeable lack of Soulflayers this year), the core of the list remains the same.
The two Legions of Blood Worms supported by the Horror play unlike anything else in Kings of War. They command a lot of board space, have a combined 10 Unit Strength, are difficult to shift with De 4+, Stealthy, Fury, Lifeleech (2) and 25/28 Ne, and actually shred units in Melee. Don’t believe me? Just do the math.
- Hammer of Measured Force unit
- 40 Att on Me 4+ = 20 Hits
- 20 Hits on 4+ with Vicious = 11.67 Damage
- Blessing of the Gods unit with Bane Chant
- 40 Att on Me 4+ with Elite = 26.17 Hits
- 26 Hits on…
- 5+ with Vicious = 10.11 Damage
- 4+ with Vicious = 15.17 Damage
- 3+ with Vicious = 20.22 Damage
- 2+ with Vicious = 25.28 Damage
Aside from this lethal center, the army is supported by Lightning Bolt (21), Heal (7), superb chaff in the form of two Troops of Phantoms and faster hammers in the form of one Regiment of Shadowhounds and two Hordes of Fiends.
A final noteworthy aspect of Nathan’s list is that he invested a whopping 140 points in Magical Artefacts. A case could be made that he has gone overboard in this regard, but every one of them (aside from the Blade of Slashing) serve a critical purpose.
In summation, Nathan has crafted a wholly unique list and has historically performed well with it. Bravo!
Observations
Out of 64 lists, there are only 7 that do not include a formation and/or a limited unit/upgrade (if you’re interested, those lists are Brinton William’s Abyssal Dwarfs, Bruce Monach’s Undead, Daniel Wright’s Halflings, Kenneth Heisler’s Orcs, Nathan Clevenger’s Nightstalkers, Stephen DeRose’s Varangur, and Tim Smith’s Undead).
This contributes to a larger trend within the US Masters meta of the different lists for each army feeling very same-y. Is it Dwarfs? Then you can expect Golloch’s Fury [1], Faber Ironheart [1] and The Royal Guard [1] Formation. Is it Elves? Then you can expect Argus Rodinar [1] and Kal’ar’s Hunters [1] Formation. Is it Ogres? Then you can expect Nomagarok [1]. And so on.
Undoubtedly, there are certain formations and limited units/upgrades that are extremely points efficient and/or integral to the function of a list. The Ring of Harmony [1] upgrade for the Gladewalker Druid is a classic example, taking an already powerful build (Elementals + Surge) and amplifying its power by allowing the Gladewalker Druid to cast two spells per turn. Faber Ironheart [1] is another classic example. For an additional 25 points he has all the rules of a regular Steel Juggernaut but gains +2 Att, +2 Ne, and Wild Charge (D3).
Is this a problem? Well, it depends who you ask. Personally, I like to see variety within armies, and that’s just not happening very much right now at the highest level of competition. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but go ahead and compare the Dwarf, Elf, or Empire of Dust lists and you’ll see what I’m talking about…
Speaking of which, you can access all of the lists here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3z5q3n13wechw2n/AACJKDdSKeomJ0sEPppxna9xa?dl=0
Please feel free to respond to my picks and observations or share your own predictions in the comments below, and best of luck to all those attending the Kings of War US Masters 2023!
