Hello, fellow Warhammer 40k fans! SaltyJohn from TFG Radio, and one of the Las Vegas Open Head Judges, here to bring you another article reviewing the ITC Standings for the 2019 season with the new scoring method in place.
Oh boy is there a lot going on in competitive 40k this week. Besides some changes to the top 10 and minor movement also in the top teams, Marines are hitting the meta like a thunder hammer, GW is making some big releases and announcements. On top of all that we have the NOVA Open and Invitational! Crazy, crazy week. First a look at the top 10 and relative newcomer to those standings Mark Perry.
The top 10 has really stabilized the last month. While the rankings up there are close I am wondering if even with the new scoring system there just isn’t a way to really provide enough opportunity pre LVO for late season movement. The will of course be tested, this weekend is NOVA and then So Cal Open is set to be a huge points grab this year again. So either of those could shift the standings significantly, assuming Jim Vesal doesn’t just win all those events too.
Mark Perry is relatively new to the top 10 but his name is definitely recognizable to people, like me, who keep up on the comings and goings of the top 100 players or so in the ITC. Brohammer has been having quite the year and it’s nice to see Mark doing so well with Chaos and Thousnd Sons. I want to continue taking a look at the faction rankings, this time with Astramiliwhatsit and Asuryani two hotly contested factions last year.
Astra Militarum was a powerhouse faction the last several months but they might be beginning to lose their edge, at least as a pure* faction. Brandon Grant is currently in first as Astra Militarum and that comes as no surprise. A 2nd place finish at Slaughterfest Major in late July with pure AM and 9th place at BAO have him firmly in the lead. Scott, this can’t be my real name, Horras Heresy has one of the better fake names in the ITC.
The Battle for best Asuryani is currently between last years winner of this faction Ray Ahumada from the Veteran Gamer Reenlisted podcast, only give it a listen if you’re ok with crass humor, and Team Draco’s Konrad Bartkiewicz. Both players are doing well with Asuryani this season but neither has managed a first-place finish at either a GT or Major event. This faction may prove to be slightly underpowered when compared to other Aeldari factions, and definitely when it comes to the soup options. Good for them though, sticking it out with a faction that is played as pure and not pure* according to the ITC.
The other big news hitting the ITC is the new meta being produced through all the new Space Marine releases, and the death of the Index options. Index needed to go and while I wish they had done it differently, by you know adding the Index options to the actual codices so we don’t lose iconic units from the game, at least they through us a consolation prize? With the Legendary units? Right? Space Marines though, that’s big news for the ITC they hit like a ton of bricks and I don’t think we’ve even seen the best chapter supplements yet. We did, however, get to see the new Shrike model and a hint, maybe, at a new loyal Primarch, perhaps. So in true Salty John style, I will leave you this week with a meme.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
