Hello, 40k fans SaltyJohn here from TFG Radio to do a quick recap of where we’re at headed into the LVO.
The Las Vegas Open is just 15 days away! The top 10, clubs, and faction rankings seem pretty much locked in at this point. Let’s jump right in and start looking at the top 10 in the ITC right now in 40k and the top 30!
Impressive that Jim Vesal is just barely in the lead for the overall ITC award going into the Las Vegas Open! While it is unlikely someone out of the top 10 jumps high enough with a win at LVO to win the ITC I think the top 30 represents the players with the best chance at winning the Las Vegas Open 2020. The current top 10 is packed with an insane amount of Warhammer 40k talent as it is, but when you open it up to the top 30 this looks like the most competitive top 30 I have ever seen going into the Las Vegas Open. It’s going to be really exciting watching who wins. Personally I usually like to go with a dark horse pick to win. While I am not going to pick a single person, I will say I think the winner will be someone in the top 100 but not the top 30 of the ITC.
The top Clubs going into the ITC are a lot of the same names that have been there for the majority of the season really. Brohammer on top with a lot of the usual suspects in the top 15. I doubt a club outside of the top 10 can overtake Brohammer to win, based on potential LVO finishes, but I think from Canhammer and up, 6th and up, has a good shot if their club members perform well.
I am personally excited to watch what could happen with the Sisters of Battle rankings given that the LVO could potentially be a big coming out for that range with the timing of the release. It might be really fun to watch. Space Marines as a faction has changed quite a bit that last 4 months. The names in the top 10 are almost completely different than they were pre-Iron Hands and now the top 3 is almost unrecognizable.
Tau is another faction that will be cool to watch play out at LVO. With both Seigler and Pullen, amazing players in their own right, vying for that top spot and in contention for the overall win as well adds a lot of drama to this race.
Having a few new factions thrown into the mix this year has been fun. Two I have liked watching because I find them interesting in terms of players in the top 3 and armies that can be fielded are Khorne and Tzeentch. Normally I am more of a Nurgle man myself but in this case, I am finding Khorne and Tzeentch lists intriguing.
With a big boost in Psychic Awakening and a cool new Mephiston model, Blood Angels are poised to make a splash at LVO. Unfortunately, the number one BA player right now won’t be playing at the LVO, he will be helping us Judge! So this award is up for grabs.
Necrons are in a really weird spot meta wise. They have struggled a lot since their codex came out but recently have seen some big success as a decent counter to Space Marines. I know Antonio Cedeno is going to LVO and will be running Necrons, we’ll see if he can take them deep enough into the field to take home the Necron title this season.
A few more interesting factions to watch for who takes the top prize home at LVO are Aeldari, Dhrukhari, and Deathwatch.
I am interested to see how Psychic Awakening helps out Aeldari and if the Drukhari can stand up to a huge field of Space Marines. Deathwatch is championed year in and year out by Anthony D’Amore it seems and it will be cool to watch him take home that prize.
The ITC Hobby Track prizes will also be given out at the LVO. Jim Vesal is also on top of that ITC Prize track too! Insane, I don’t think that has ever been the case before. It would be really special if the top ITC player, and hobbyist, were the same person!
Currently, Team Battle-Brothers are at the top of the heap for clubs in terms of Hobby Scores. LVO is great on a lot of different levels. There’s intense competition, amazing armies on display, more games and 40k than you can really imagine in one place, and to top it all off it’s Vegas! I am looking forward to the LVO a lot this year. In case you missed the post from Monday here is the PSA Video from the LVO 40k Judges for this year.
I hope to see you all at the Las Vegas Open 2020!
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