This Week in the ITC: Space Wolves win a Major and More!

Warhammer enthusiasts, Salty John from TFG Radio here to bring you some news from the competitive world of 40k from the past two weeks!

Every now and then I miss a week for these articles due to work, children, etc so we have two weeks worth of news to catch up on this time around. First up a look at the current standings.

The top 10 has changed a lot in the last 4 weeks, and even more drastically since I started doing this article series again. Sean “Renaissance Man” Nayden currently has a sizeable lead sitting atop first place.

Just look at those placings. Sean normally has a much later start to the season, he usually waits until mid-late summer to start his run but man is he off to a big start this season. With top 8 placings at almost every Major he’s entered so far and 2 wins, including his most recent at The Alamo GT. Well done. Colin McDade, James Kelling, and Jason McKenzie are all names you should recognize if you follow this article series or competitive 40k in general. Former LVO champ Nick Nanavati has also made an appearance in the top 10, if previous seasons are any indication we’ll be seeing some big things from him at some point in 2021.

Junior Aflleje is among the best West Coast players in the United States and currently resides at the number 5 position in the top 10. Playing Blood Angels to great effect so far this season Junior has managed to accumulate an impressive set of placings in the West, even traveling to Texas for the Alamo GT where he came in 45th. Blood Angels continue to be a decent faction in the ITC putting together some good showings, they were joined by Space Wolves this weekend with the Salty Alliance Major in Utah having a SW army in first place!

Utah has a robust 40k scene so I was a little surprised to find out that this was its first tournament to qualify as a Major! Congratulations to the organizers on getting a first-time Major together and run, seemingly, without a hitch at the beginning of the end of 2020, 5 months into 2021. The top 12, all undefeated or 4-1, is a pretty healthy mix of factions and players. Colin Ward went 4-1 with Blood Angels and the top spot went to Scott Rumple with Space Wolves! Rich Kilton, a consummate sportsman, and Ork player had a strong showing in his home territory with a solid 8th place only losing in the final round. Necrons were also well represented at the event in the top spots and the other undefeated player Nick Wenker took home the RennMan award. Scott Rumple’s Space Wolf list was a blend of things that are good across the Space Marine Spectrum and some SW flavor.

• SW Successor getting +1 to hit and double exploding 6s.
• Chapter Master Jump Pack, Frost Weapon, Lightning Claws. Phobos Librarian. Primaris bike Chappy with Master of Sanctity.
• 5 Incursors, 5 Infiltrators, 5 Intercessors.
• Relic Contemptor with 2 Volkites.
• 3 squads of 5 Jump Pack Wolfguard with Lightning Claw and Storm Shield. 2 squads of 5 Wolfguard Terminators with Lightning Claw and Storm Shield.
• 1 Cyberwolf, 1 Invader ATV.
• Long Fangs with 4 Multimelta and Cherub
• Drop Pod

The list is definitely tuned to take advantage of the Space Wolf successor rules that combo well with the units from the Space Marine, and Space Wolf, books that are already performing well. Jump Pack troops, Terminators, Drop Pod Devs (in this case Long Fangs), and Volkite Contemptors. It’s a true toolbox list, which seems to be the way to win in 9th!

A lot of great showings came through in the last two weeks, including a GT win by former LVO and ITC Champion Brandon Grant at the Battle for LA GT in California. He played another great toolbox-style army and list, Sisters of Battle. If you’re interested in seeing the lists for these events you can see them at any time with a BCP subscription or while the events are still live with an unpaid account!