CROSSING THE RUBICON: WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN

We all watched in awe as Liam VSL (the patron saint of European Warhammer 40K) took CSM to the top of the heap at the London Grand Tournament - defeating Eldar, not once, not twice, but three times in a row to take home the title. With his win 3D printers around Europe began spitting out Obliterators and Chosen by the dozens as people rushed to be top of the new meta. 

Congratulations to Liam on a well-deserved win. If you missed any of the action you can check him out on stream for a masterclass in movement and target priority. Looking over his list and watching him play got me thinking about my own journey to the top of the pile of 40K players at a tournament (maybe not as big as the LGT, but still…you got to start somewhere). Now that my goals are out in the open it’s time to start planning for success. If I want to win my first ever tournament then, the first question I need to answer is, “what does it take to win a 40K event”? To me, this answer has several parts. I’ve broken it down into five main themes which I will be focusing on individually in this article and in future pieces where I’ll dive more in-depth into each of the following.

A winning list 

For those of you who know me, you know that I have a small problem when it comes to army selection. I can never choose just one! I love each army for a different reason and some I just wanted to see what they’d look like painted and on the table. Each of my armies has always started from a competitive point of view (i.e. I’m not buying or painting hammerfall bunkers) so I’ve got options for tournament play. But what, at its core is a “good” tournament army? 

For me, this is a multipart answer and one that changes with the size of the tournament. First though, the army’s playstyle must appeal to me. I’m a fairly aggressive player and enjoy armies that have a bunch of tools (even if I’m only now learning how to use them all effectively). So static gunlines don’t appeal to me at all, but highly mobile ones do - because I get to think ahead and plan turns and movements and not just react to my opponent turn after turn. 

Second, the army has to be able to handle a few mistakes. I LOVED playing Eldar at the end of ninth, but I didn’t win with them much. They were too much glass and not enough cannon for my skill-level at that time. As I develop as a player I would very much like to get into the high-skill floor, higher skill ceiling armies, but at the moment I need an army that can handle me as a player and the flaws in my micro-play and macro-strategy that I bring to the table and not crumble. This will also keep me from getting disheartened and jumping ship when I go on my inevitable cold streak. 

Know your enemies

Understanding the meta is key to not only selecting the perfect army for me to win my first event, but will help set me up for that win by providing an overview of potential threats to my army and where I can make big points in poor matchups for my opponents. I am lucky enough to be part of an amazing team in The Order where we discuss lists, strategies, tactics and the meta on a near-daily basis. More recently I have been working a lot with the Netherlands WTC Team and prospects, through conversations with the best players around, my knowledge of which factions, lists and units to watch out for has improved immensely. I think this is a great tip for anyone looking to improve their game. Talk about the game! Find some like-minded people, join in escalation leagues at your local gaming store and/or join a discord.

Ruben doing his meticulous planning at last years Alliance Open supermajor

Know the format, missions and terrain

 Each tournament offers something different. Some are three rounds, others five or six. Some are even larger. Some tournaments use specific missions and have relatively light terrain setups, others change their missions regularly and the terrain varies from table to table. Knowing what to expect can mean the difference to going X-1 at a smaller or medium event and going undefeated. It may also inform your army choice for that particular event, as some armies are better on lighter terrain than others, or some armies have horrible primary scoring on specific missions at an event, etc. 

Not to agree with Dean too much, but reading the rules pack is an awesome way to get a leg up on the competition, mostly because you’re likely to be one of the few who do. Knowing the missions and terrain means that you can also practice specific matchups that you’re likely to see at the event. 

Test, Practice, Repeat

Knowing your army, the likely meta and maps and missions for an event allows you to test specific ideas and really hone your list to help it be as good as can be before game one. Having a few solid playing partners who can help you refine your decisions or even define your style is invaluable for your development as a competitive 40K player. You can find playing partners (either for TTS or IRL games) on Discord or by loitering around your local gaming stores.

I like to test different armies early on in the process to find one that I’m enjoying at the moment and then, refine the list to match the current meta and meet the predicted scoring needs for the upcoming event. 

Practice game with gamingclub The Order!

A little bit of luck

 I have to admit, I think GW has done an amazing job at creating a relatively well-balanced meta with September’s dataslate. There are still stronger armies, but no real boogieman armies of which to speak (I can hear the cries of wraithknights as they sit, gathering dust on our shelves again). It seems that almost any army can win and that every army has some good and some bad matchups. Depending on which army you play, you’re likely looking to avoid one matchup or the other on your paths to the top. Or everyone has that one player that they just can’t seem to beat, regardless of what they’re playing or which mission. I’m not saying that tournament results are based on luck, but at the big events, with enough dice being thrown sometimes luck can play a part. 

What I’m looking to do, and what this series is helping me do is to narrow down the amount of luck I NEED to complete my goal of winning an event. The better informed I am about the current state of the local meta, the missions and terrain available at an event and any specific rules or FAQs in place for an event to less luck I’ll need to succeed. 

Stay tuned to this series as I’ll be selecting two armies to dominate the Dutch scene and I’ll be bringing on a familiar face to help me get one of those armies table ready by the middle of November. If you have any questions about how I am preparing for the upcoming season or if you have any tips or tricks I should be learning to help me cross the Rubicon - join us on the DTC40K Discord.