Warhammer 40K: The Balance Dataslate Just Turned The Clock Back 6 Months
Let’s talk about the fallout from the 40k Balance Dataslate. I think someone turned back the clock!
Not long ago GW put out their large Balance Dataslate. This was supposed to help fix a lot of balance issues and should have helped fix the game. However, it didn’t quite hold up. Now with results rolling in the meta is looking pretty similar to how it did at the start of the year.
The Pre-Balance Meta
The meta before the balance dataslate was pretty clear. Admech and Orks had dominated at GW run events in New Orleans and Orlando. They were the clear favorites in many other events. Just behind them ran the dreaded Drukhari, still a powerful force. A few other lists, such as Marines, Custodes, and Death Guard made up a pretty far behind second tier of lists. Armies like Necrons, Astra Miliatrium, and Knights sat at the bottom of the list. It was clear something needed to change.
The 40K Balance Dataslate
via Games Workshop
To fix the known issues GW put out the 40K Balance Dataslate. It targeted Admech, Orks and Drukhari to get some nerfs, as well as generically nerfing flyers. Armies like Knights, Necrons and Guard all got buffs. With some powerful nerfs to Orks and Admech it seemed like maybe things were getting fixed.
The Austin Results
This week GW released data showing the win % for all three major events combined. They have not released individual data for Austin. However, based on their comments we know a few things. For one Admech and Orks did a lot worse at Austin than they had in previous events. This shows that their books are pretty balanced now. In fact, both are sitting pretty close to the 50% win/lose ratio. That’s pretty good. On the other had Necrons and Astra Miliatrium. Despite buffs, they don’t seem to have gone up at all and remained the bottom of the bottom. Given that Necrons are a 9th edition Codex and have been buffed, it seems that there is something seriously wrong with their codex. Lastly, Drukhari, who already rocked the highest win ratio around got even better!
Comparing the overall data to the Orlando only date we can see that there was some movement. The buffs did seem to help out Imperial Knights, but not Chaos Knights. However, this could be due to more soup options. The fact the Drukhari got better is a pretty big worry. So is the fact that Necrons fell in the standings, despite getting buffed. Having one army with a near 70% win ratio and another that is closer to 40% is a real issue.
We Turned the Clock Back
Back in April when we first started getting some good event data after the long lockdown lull, I looked at the meta. The top lists at the time were Drukhari followed by Custodes. Imperial Soup was another top list. Harlequins had a strong run at the start of the edition, but were slowing down. Necrons, Nids and Astra Milaitrum were all problem lists that hung out at the meta’s bottom.
8+ months later, several books and supplements and a 40K Balance Dataslate later and the meta seems really similar. Drukhari and Custodes still have the highest win rates. Necrons and Astra Miliatrium are down at the bottom. Harlequins and Imperial soup at strong. There has been some movement of course. Orks and Admech had their big burst, but seem to have been nerfed back down. Nids and Imperial Knights are in a better place. But overall, looking at the very top and bottom lists there’s been really little movement this year. All the Dataslate seems to have done is reset the meta to before the Ork and Admech books came out.
This Isn’t A Healthy Meta
There are a couple of things that make this meta particularly unhealthy from a balance and interest standpoint. The wide disparity in win ratio is pretty bad. A couple armies clearly just have a massive advantage, while a few others have a massive disadvantage. Yes, top players can throw off the numbers by winning more. But they also pick their armies because they think they are the best. Richard Siegler won all three GW events, but he used different lists each time. Each time picking the most powerful current faction to play with.
A second issue is just how little the meta has moved. Not only is this fairly boring, but it also argues that some armies just don’t have easy answers. There isn’t some trick to figure out to change the meta. Of course, the big elephant in the room is Drukhari. They’ve kept a crazy high win ratio for most of the year and absolutely dominate. This is despite a number of nerfs and FAQs that have targeted them. It’s clear that something needs to be done about them. Let’s see what GW cooks up next.
Let us know what you think about the meta, down in the comments!
