Goatboy’s Warhammer 40K: Weak List Wins Are The Best Wins
Goatboy here to talk about the best win in 40K – winning with a weak list.
It is one thing to win with the best list that is out there. The cream of the crop that rises to the top where it feels like you can just cruise thru all the match ups, score all the points, and win that sweet trophy full of ITC points. But is that win the best win? Is that something that really lets you feel like the best player there is. If you come to a knife fight with a bazooka is that really showcasing how good you are? How much you can out general the competition?
Now I am not saying come to an event with your pants down and a list so bad you might have issues fighting out of a wet paper sack. Instead play with something that takes a little bit of thought to get working. Those mid tier lists that you always question how they got at top 8. Those so called “bad options” that somehow a better player gets to work as you are left wondering why your Thicc City Beats left you high and dry on the dance floor.
This idea is why I want to try and get some Space Goats to work. I plan on practicing a bit, theory hammering a lot, and hopefully finding the sweet spot if the new missions come out in time for LVO. It’s the idea to win a bit with something cool instead of winning it all with the best equipment. Do you know how many rocking Jack White songs were made with subpar equipment? A crap ton and I think winning with something less spectacular would be something to fun to do.
Realistic Goals for a 40K Weak List
Of course this isn’t about winning the whole thing this is more so with winning enough to satisfy your goal. I always say winning more games than losing should be the goal of most “competitive” minded players. Sometimes getting to the top 8 isn’t a blessing. You are often thrown to the game grinder with 3 tough games to burn thru to get some recognition at the end. Or with the huge event you still have to grind thru some Shadow Games to find out if you made the Top 8. I like playing 40k but there is a point where you have to ask yourself is it worth it to play so much at a high level, probably miss a fun dinner, and not get a good amount of sleep? This is most likely why I don’t want to consider myself a true “Pro” 40k player. But at 43+ years old, with 2 kids, a mortgage, and a legit job you have to ask yourself – isn’t this supposed to be how you let off steam and have fun?
Picking A Perfect 40K Weak List
So what armies do well in this type of thought? Mid Tier armies that force you to play good with some nice movement, offensive punch, and ability to score points. Most likely this points you to Marines as while it isn’t the best it gives you a ton of flavor options to try and spice out a win or two. Or 3 if you really want to feel good and hit that sweet spot of 50% win rate. I am hoping when we see the new CSM it will be decent enough to shake things up a bit but still give you the feeling like you have to work to beat up the Imperium. Or at the very least have a chance when you try to hold an objective or two.
I think winning on your own terms with a nicely painted army is always going to do better for my tortured hobby soul then any kind of net list nonsense that tries to crush it every single game. It is most likely why I gravitate towards big models that are high punch with high threat of lose when they end up falling down and going boom. These extreme bits of game are quick to get answered and that leaves me a lot of time to ponder do all things on big bases go to heaven?
It’s About More Than Winning
Anyway this is after a nice weekend where I got lucky in a few matches and was able to pull a 4-2 at the NOLA open. It felt special enough as I haven’t had a chance to play a bunch and my two losses – while hurtful to my grimdark pride – were fine as they were at least fun. There’s nothing terrible about getting your teeth kicked in by two swell fun players. Heck I even got to play a Texas Player I haven’t met yet but we knew all the same people. I still think most competitive minded players should try a tournament or two when they feel up to it. It is a heck of a lot of fun and a good way to spend a weekend thinking about 40k and probably eating something not good for you.
Until next time – remember playing something cool and winning with it will always feel like you are a special 40k general. Who likes to win with what is the best when you can win with something that has the player ask the question – how the heck did you win with that hot mess?
~What 40K Weak List would you take to your next event?
