Goatboy’s Warhammer 40K: Team Tournaments Are The Best
Goatboy here to talk about why Warhammer 40K Team Tournaments may be the best events for the community.
One of the bigger events I am planning for is the current GW Kansas City Team Event. I am also thinking about ATC as well, but that takes a bit more wrangling discussion with the wife, vacation time, and just what kids have to do during the summer. Either way, Team events are on my mind, and I was going to chat a bit about it.
Why do I like team tournaments? Well they’re a few big reasons beyond just seeing friends and competing with a group of your buddies. In fact, in a lot of ways, I feel like team events really do a lot more for the competitive scene than the regular RTT battles and seas of netlists you have to drag your plastic toys thru.
Why Team Tournaments?
The big thing I enjoy is that a Team environment incentivizes playing an out-of-the-normal style armylist. A weirder list that other teams can’t really prepare or figure out will do wonders for your team and future match-ups. Team events are ruled by match-ups with players either forcing good match-ups or wrecking a team’s plan by throwing a wrench in what people think they are prepared for.
With events only allowing 1 army per team, you end up trying to find outlier lists that might not like to play the best list in the event – but can do wonders to some of the 2nd and 3rd best lists that show up. Just being able to have a chance to see other armies that normally don’t show up is a huge bonus to team events. It also means a lot of players can dust off old armies and let them shine again. Army diversity is always good for the hobby!
Beyond just having a lot more diverse amount of armies on the tabletop, team events also give you a different mindset when playing the game. Sure, we all want to win, but sometimes winning the game isn’t going to win the team match-up. Taking a “rough” match-up that you will most likely lose but gives your team 3 winnable matches is much better than just you wrecking your game and your teammates all losing.
It also means Team Tournaments are something you want to continue playing through your “lose” games. This isn’t about you going 6-0 and wrecking a top 8. It is about helping guide your team to as many team wins as you can. This isn’t about single-player domination – but instead outplaying the match-ups as well as playing up your individual games.
2 or 4 Players Per Game?
Now I am not a fan of a ton of team games where you are playing with a partner on a tabletop – but this type, where the games are controlled individually but flow into a total win, are just a lot more exciting. The amount of discussion to figure out match-ups, hearing how you might win a game, and the whole team just helping everyone discuss avenues to victory is just a neat way to engage in 40K.
I know over in Europe, a lot of discussion is ongoing about the competitive scene and team tournaments. We have a few of these tournaments here in the states, but a lot of it comes from just trying to get a team together and keep them together for an event. Everyone has things to do and life will get in the way at times. Still, I would say to anyone that enjoys playing competitive 40K to look at trying to get on a team, practice a ton with an army that might not fit the current mold of best single-player experience, and find a team tournament.
Team Tournaments are Rejuvenating
I have had fun at all the team events I have gone to, and they have done wonders to refresh my desire to play competitive 40K. I think removing a ton of the stress of “winning it all individually” is a big factor plus winning with all your friends is awesome. Just getting to hang out with your buddies that you are not going to see on the other side of the table in an event is a great thing.
Plus what competitive game is there where your only goal is to lose not so badly, earn a few points, and you still did a good job?
So put away that Grey Knights netlist, dust off those weird lists, find some buddies, and get to a team tournament near ya!
