Hello, fellow Warhammer 40k fans! SaltyJohn from TFG Radio, and one of the Las Vegas Open Head Judges, here to bring you a wrap up of this week in the ITC.
The final stretch of the season has begun. With So Cal Open next weekend and not too many large Majors like it left before the ITC season ends at the Las Vegas Open the top rankings, or the top 30 really, are more or less set. With the end in sight, I am looking for some input from you the readers on how you’d like to see me cover the run-up to the LVO. Take a look at the rankings below, top 10 and top 30 overall are included, and think about what you’d like me to do to cover the end of the season.
Some of these articles have been really long, where I interviewed some of the top players throughout the year. I am thinking I definitely want to continue that going into the home stretch, besides some interviews what else would you like to see? While you ruminate over that there are two items that could really affect the home stretch that we should briefly discuss. Orks and Chapter Approved. I am going to discuss predictions for So Cal Open next week, but with some Ork previews coming out in the past week of Orktober it warrants discussion. There’s also a rumor floating around that in Chapter Approved Necrons are only getting 1 point drop for Warriors and Immortals, meaning their single biggest issue of overly expensive Troops choices is unlikely to be solved. However, I don’t put too much stock in that particular rumor. So now we will have a meta shifting codex, most likely, and an overall adjustment to the game such as Chapter Approved effect us going into the end of the season?
The Ork codex will be one of two types of codices we’ve seen so far. Meta shifting or an Index 2.0 list. Unless you’re a playtester you haven’t seen enough of the codex yet to tell which of the two categories it lies in. With Knights taking a hefty hit from the nerf bat it’s likely that without a big shake-up from Orks or Chapter Approved that we will see another Aeldari dominated Top 8 at LVO this year. If Orks have the tools to handle the various Aeldari lists then we could see a shift in the meta towards other lists dominating the top player’s choices in faction for the end of the season. It would be pretty disappointing if after an entire year of releases we end up with a Top 8 at LVO that is once again skewed heavily toward Aeldari factions. That brings me to the point about Chapter Approved. With Chapter Approved we have the chance to see major rules changes, perhaps even changes to the matched play format in its entirety. The beta codex for Sisters of Battle will be included in CA as well, which in and of itself is exciting, but also gives me pause about how much they’ll be including in the book outside that. The last Chapter Approved was not that large of a book, and if this one is going to have a full beta codex in it I am not sure it will have a ton of other adjustments to the game, but I will be happy if I’m wrong about that.
One thing I think we will definitely see with the shift in meta after the September FAQ will be a move back towards Custodes being a big presence at tournaments. Even with Knights, they were still a solid choice for those players who have the mind to run the list well. I would even pick Geoff Robinson as my favorite to win the LVO this year, but I am not sure if he’ll be playing or if Warhammer TV will have him commentating at LVO or what. If he plays at LVO, and he takes his Custodes, I think he stands a decent chance now to win the whole thing. Last year I don’t think Tyranids had enough legs for him to really have a big chance of winning it all but with a solid army like Custodes, which is a thinking man’s army, he would stand a good chance. Another big name with a solid chance at this point in the year of taking it all at LVO would be Nick Nanavati. Plus if the current top 10 stays practically the way it is now, then not only would a win at LVO get him the LVO championship it would guarantee him the big prize, the 2018 ITC Season Champion title! I can’t imagine many of the top 10 players will miss LVO so I expect there to be fierce competition going into the home stretch, particularly at the LVO among those players.
As usual let me know what you though, next week I am going to dive into the So Cal Open, who from the top 30 is going, and what chances I think they have of coming away with some big points. Remember, let me know your thoughts on how you’d like to see me cover the Top 30 players in the months running up to the LVO!
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