Hello everyone! It is that time of year again when the Dash28 crew scrambles to get writing coverage for the upcoming US Masters tournament! The event is coming up fast being held in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 15th and 16th. Keep an eye out on this site for more articles covering the lead-up as well as post-event analysis.
One of my favorite parts of the Masters is seeing such a wide geographic range of amazing players bringing their A-game to the event. Seeing what armies are heavily featured, and which lists stand out is always a source of endless discussion in my wargaming circles. We here are Dash28 will be writing some of our takes on the “meta” and lists from the US Masters.
Boogeyman List
First up, we have my pick for the BoogieMan list. This is the general list I think is THE list to be feared at the event. This is a bit of a tough pick in a field as experienced as a Masters event, all the players are bringing what they think is best after all.
For my criteria, I looked at what players are talking the most about. What is the thing I hear the most grumbling and moaning about? What are people claiming is THE broken thing this year? Hmmmm
Yup, it was Scorchwings (Greater Air Elementals were a close second). Unlike in some past years, I don’t think people are quite surprised by this, in fact, a TON of lists are bringing Scorchwings, but only one list is leaning into it so hard that it has the Longbeards of the Eastcoast grumbling, and that is Jeff Radigan’s Forces of Nature.
8 Hordes of Scorchwings! 8!!! And to back that up the raw punching power of two hordes of Centaurs. Oh, and just a little icing on the cake with an Alchemist Curse user.
Honestly, this feels like a list that absolutely shreds apart certain things. 112 shots from the Scorchwings alone means opponents will be losing units before combat starts. The height and maneuverability Scorchwings have let them pick off vulnerable support pieces that might usually be safe by hiding behind the front line. And once the battle is fully joined you have two extremely heavy-hitting units, and the elite fighting stats of Scorchwings to deal with! Why, oh why, do they hit on 3s in combat?!
This is truly a list that said, oh that thing seems a bit too good for its points, think I’ll have all of it. There is a reason eyebrows from even the staunchest general are being raised when they look at this list.
All that said, like everything in Kings of War, I don’t think this list is anywhere near unbeatable. While I haven’t faced this number of Scorchwings, their lower defense and 18″ range mean they are vulnerable to 24″ shooting. I could see some of the Elf lists in the event being able (with luck) to reduce the flying flock’s number before melee was joined.
Defense 6 might also give it some trouble, Centaurs, particularly Hindered Centaurs, are going to struggle to pop D6 in one charge. Find those walls and hope it’s a scenario where you can castle up. No Piercing shots of the Scorchwings should also bounce off D6 a decent amount.
Even with those tools to manage it, I think this is the list people will be watching to see who and what beats it, because for many of us, not Master’s level folks, we see it and go… nope I got nothing.
Favorite List
Now that we have moved on from the filthy list, let’s talk about my favorite list. There were a few lists in the running for this category. Generally, I was looking for something that stood out. I like lists that try things differently than the norm. I also was looking for lists that potentially had some cool themes, or maybe made use of less popular armies.
This was probably the hardest choice in the article for me. There were a few other lists, including a Trident Realms one, that I really liked the look of. But in the end, I picked Nate Murray’s Ogre list as my favorite!
Ogres have been a popular choice through most of the 3rd edition. They have a solid selection of units, scoring characters that are really good, some interesting monsters, and a few tricksy units. Plus, they are a lower model count making painting them easier. So what stood out in Nate’s list to me?
Bask in the glory of the Hunters!!!!
I really like Ogre Hunters, and I think they are terribly underutilized in favor of the flashier, but in my opinion more one-dimensional Siege Breakers. Nate clearly agrees because he has four hordes of Hunters and not a Siege Breaker to be found! I love it!
Adding two Boomer Chariot troops for Stealthy coverage should help compensate some for the Hunter’s lower defense. Nomagarok gets an amazingly reliable Bane Chant helping buff the Hunter’s Crushing Strength 1.
The Mammoth Big Deal is a really excellent choice that I don’t see used much. Being able to pass on Brutal +1 to ogres in 12″ I think is going to help in some pivotal moments. Combined with Kuzlo & Madfall and this list has some really interesting ways to play with enemy Nerve values for multiple points! The Mammoth also has Strider. Between Pathfinder on the Hunters and Strider on the Mammoth, a lot of the list just doesn’t care about the terrain.
A final note for the Cocodog Wranglers, one of my club mates has recently started using these and they are very annoying! What a great support piece, they can character hunt, block up enemy lines, or even just be some extra points of damage.
This list most definitely has weaknesses, I don’t think it would do well versus some of the Drakon and shooting-heavy Elf lists I have seen in the field. But in return, I think some of the more melee-heavy lists are really going to be surprised by how impactful Ensnare Large Infantry can be. Overall, it looks like a blast to play, and I bet it looks really cool on the table too!
First-Round Match to Watch
I had a really tough time picking which first-round match I think is THE one to watch. There are a few I think are either really interesting pairings, great generals to see square off, or maybe will just plain be a table with a ton of well-painted stuff. However, after some debating here is my pick for Master’s Round 1 that I would love to watch.
Keith Randall (Elves) vs. Eric Trowbridge (Dwarves)
There are a few things that I really like about this match-up. First, Elves vs. Dwarves is SUCH a classic pairing. Both Eric and Keith are top-notch generals, with Eric being a former Master’s winner, and Keith being the preeminent Elf General in the country. This really is a pairing of two titans of the game, two players who are masters at what they do. They are both also really amazing people to just hang out and spend time with!
But let’s get onto their lists. First up, Eric:
There are some pretty typical Dwarf choices here, with a core of Irongaurd with Throwing Mastiffs backed up with a Steel Behemoth upgraded to Golloch’s Fury, and two Lords on Large Beast. This gives a super tough core, while also being able to throw out some threat with the dogs and Golloch’s gun. Once the lines close the Dwarf Lords and Golloch’s can put some damage out too.
However, Eric has taken some really interesting differences from the typical Dwarf lists I see. First, he has two regiments of Berzerkers, which is pretty unique, and an Elite Horde of Shieldbreakers. This gives the list even more combat punch. For some thick chaff, as well as just a little additional speed, Eric has taken two Troops of Brock Riders, which is a really interesting choice I don’t think I have ever seen. Finally, he has two Flame Belchers which is another choice I NEVER see taken, but looking at them I can see they will be a pretty efficient addition to his like pumping out 15 Shattering shots with a range 14″?! What a weird range, but sure!
I am puzzled at the lack of Sharpshooters, which I think are really good, but I respect Eric thinking outside the box.
Now onto Keith’s list:
This is a list I have seen Keith slowly tweaking and prepping over the iterations of 3rd Edition and I think it is in a really good place right now. 2 Drakon Hordes, 2 Nimble Regiments, a Drakon Lord, and Nimble Stormwind cav gives an insane amount of shenanigans to deal with. Keith will be picking charges carefully to completely nuke targets off the table once he charges.
Backing up his combat wing he has a respectable array of Elven shooting and magic to force opponents to move forward or get mowed down. 2 Gladestalker Regiments, 2 Silverbreeze Regiments, and a mounted mage with Alchemist Curse and Boots of Levitation. It’s not as many shots as some armies, but it is still enough to threaten things, particularly Defense 4 targets like Brock Riders and Berzerkers. Alchemist Curse normally would have a field day, but Eric has enough dogs and flamethrowers that Keith won’t be able to be as aggressive with it as he might have been versus some opponents. That said, I am sure Alchemist Curse will be earning its points in this match!
Overall, I think this is going to be a really interesting match to watch, Keith’s SO much faster than the Dwarves, but they have a LOT of toughness to back up their line, which might make it harder for some of Keith’s units to make the impact they are looking for. I am also really interested to see how some of Eric’s more unique dwarf units do, despite this being a potentially bad match-up for them.
Observations
Masters every year had trends, as the current phase of the game has had a whole year to play out, people figure out some of the clear winning choices in armies, and those get heavily featured. The clear winner of Cheese Unit has to be Scorchwings which feel like they are everywhere. However, I am also really amazed at how many people are bringing Dwarves this year. Dwarves have always been a popular army, but I often think it is less represented at Masters, minus a few individuals who seem to always take them.
Finally, I noticed that Alchemist Curse with Boots of Levitation on Mounted Characters was a really popular choice. Not surprising, it is a stupidly powerful spell combo.
Overall, I am really excited to see how matches shake out this year. While there are some trends, I don’t think there is one faction that seems to be dominating the conversations.
Do you want to see the lists yourself? Check them out here
