So with New Zealands first real ETC comped tournament just around the corner, I thought I would do a breakdown of who I think will be top contenders on the weekend.
My assessment is based purely on the lists, and of course excludes my entry as not to be biased.
ETC is a funny child. It changes the meta a lot compared with what people would normally take in New Zealand. Add to that most players in the field have little experience using ETC comp and more importantly the rule changes, and I think things will be mixed up a little more than normal.
Full set of lists can be found here
Ryan Lister - Warriors of Chaos
Can't ignore it. Skull crushers and large Troll unit. Providing he can keep his characters safe and the Trolls under control Ryan will be up in the running
Hamish Gordon - Empire
Double Demi unit, cannons and a barrage of Light/Banishment what's not to like. Typically Empire has not performed as well as the lists suggest but looking at the field I think Hamish has a good chance. The only thing holding him back is the lack of chaff...
Jeff Kent - Orcs and Goblins
Yes I'm picking OnG to be a contender. This is ETC comp, they get 100 extra points and no restrictions. Jeff's take on green Dwarfs has more chaff than normal so he will need to keep control of how much he bleeds, but he is also well placed to take on high armour and avoidance lists. One to watch
Glen Burfield - Daemons
Heh. Its Daemons. If played well they will be top third. Providing Glen misses some of the harder matches the Daemons will have a field day with others. He is the only Daemon list in the tournament so he better be waving the flag hard
Pete Dunn - Skaven
The wylee old rat himself. Knows the list. fine tuned. ETC captain. only a fool counts out the grey seer. Skaven are still a contender despite what all the rat players will tell you. With comp none to different than what is normally run, Pete lines up vs a slightly weaker field than normal
Dan Butler - Warriors of Chaos
Another ETC player, Dan has been practicing with this fine tuned Warriors list for a while. Dan will be a hot contender for the podium. All depends on how many times Lightning Bolt bounces eh.
Peter Williamson - Wood Elves
Some may think this is an unusual choice, but with Wood Elves so new, don't count them out. With what can be considered a large deviation from what the internet is telling you atm, I think many will be surprised to see the list finishing top third of the field. Another to watch.
So a few things you may notice, no Dark Elves and no Dwarfs. Dwarfs make up over 20% of the field, however most a fairly similar in design and I dear say that they will (hopefully) be playing each other all weekend getting 10 points a round...
As for Dark Elves there are only two. Charlies list and mine. Charlie has bought a combination of Black Dragon and dual Manticore. A very interesting/unusual combination going against current Meta trends. Looks nasty but if he comes up against Dwarfs or Empire it will be a setback for him. Hes also not running RBT for counter battery...
There is also several people that have been tempted by the extra points up for grabs. The forests of the old world have been emptied of Beastmen, and even Khemri has marched up from the deserts. whilst extra points is always welcomed, its needed to get over the age of the books. Will it be enough to get them across the line? Sams Tomb Kings maybe, but I don't think we will see a Beast player on the podium.
So there you have it. All thats left to say now is: bring it on!
My assessment is based purely on the lists, and of course excludes my entry as not to be biased.
ETC is a funny child. It changes the meta a lot compared with what people would normally take in New Zealand. Add to that most players in the field have little experience using ETC comp and more importantly the rule changes, and I think things will be mixed up a little more than normal.
Full set of lists can be found here
Ryan Lister - Warriors of Chaos
Can't ignore it. Skull crushers and large Troll unit. Providing he can keep his characters safe and the Trolls under control Ryan will be up in the running
Hamish Gordon - Empire
Double Demi unit, cannons and a barrage of Light/Banishment what's not to like. Typically Empire has not performed as well as the lists suggest but looking at the field I think Hamish has a good chance. The only thing holding him back is the lack of chaff...
Jeff Kent - Orcs and Goblins
Yes I'm picking OnG to be a contender. This is ETC comp, they get 100 extra points and no restrictions. Jeff's take on green Dwarfs has more chaff than normal so he will need to keep control of how much he bleeds, but he is also well placed to take on high armour and avoidance lists. One to watch
Glen Burfield - Daemons
Heh. Its Daemons. If played well they will be top third. Providing Glen misses some of the harder matches the Daemons will have a field day with others. He is the only Daemon list in the tournament so he better be waving the flag hard
Pete Dunn - Skaven
The wylee old rat himself. Knows the list. fine tuned. ETC captain. only a fool counts out the grey seer. Skaven are still a contender despite what all the rat players will tell you. With comp none to different than what is normally run, Pete lines up vs a slightly weaker field than normal
Dan Butler - Warriors of Chaos
Another ETC player, Dan has been practicing with this fine tuned Warriors list for a while. Dan will be a hot contender for the podium. All depends on how many times Lightning Bolt bounces eh.
Peter Williamson - Wood Elves
Some may think this is an unusual choice, but with Wood Elves so new, don't count them out. With what can be considered a large deviation from what the internet is telling you atm, I think many will be surprised to see the list finishing top third of the field. Another to watch.
So a few things you may notice, no Dark Elves and no Dwarfs. Dwarfs make up over 20% of the field, however most a fairly similar in design and I dear say that they will (hopefully) be playing each other all weekend getting 10 points a round...
As for Dark Elves there are only two. Charlies list and mine. Charlie has bought a combination of Black Dragon and dual Manticore. A very interesting/unusual combination going against current Meta trends. Looks nasty but if he comes up against Dwarfs or Empire it will be a setback for him. Hes also not running RBT for counter battery...
There is also several people that have been tempted by the extra points up for grabs. The forests of the old world have been emptied of Beastmen, and even Khemri has marched up from the deserts. whilst extra points is always welcomed, its needed to get over the age of the books. Will it be enough to get them across the line? Sams Tomb Kings maybe, but I don't think we will see a Beast player on the podium.
So there you have it. All thats left to say now is: bring it on!
Think I'll have a tough time of it. Some of the match-ups will just delete me, but I'll take it with a grain of salt and try extract retribution on those that do suit better.
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