Horned Rat V This Weekend

Horned Rat V is on this weekend and yesterday I posted up the lists that will be on show.

Personally I think we are starting to see people adapt to a hard cap world far more than was the case even six months ago. The comp being used here is largely SCGT (without special characters). With the balancing of the books and coalesence of well thought out light hard cap composition systems, I can see why I would ever want to play under subjective comp again.

I believe that the lists that will be participating are the best set of lists I've seen at a NZ competition. What I mean by that is that at the top end at least a third of the field are highly competitive while the general competitiveness stretches further down the field.

It also looks like more people are thinking about the meta game and thinking about what they will likely face. Looking through the lists five really jump out at me as "interesting":

• Tom's Daemons - these are just nails. Five units that can move 20" - one of them a Bloodthirster - is going to give people very little time to think.Back this up with two big units of Bloodletters, two single Bloodcrusher Champ and two minimum size Flamers and there is going to be some serious damage handed out. I can't see how he can fail to make Top 5.
• Mal's Lizards - Cloud of 1000 cuts. Mal won't lose any game by more than 2 BP as you've more change of catching a rainbow than getting really serious points out of this. However I think he will struggle to score more than 14 BP in a game as it lacks serious damage dealing - Final Transmutation excepted. Mal will squeak into the Top 4.
• Peter's Brets - this is a real meta list. Brets have had a resurgence in the UK as a potential cure for an outbreak of Ogrenitis. The same principles apply versus the new Empire Demigryphs, the ability to match the charge Neutralises a key advantage. backed up with Beasts magic, a Treb for monsers I think it is a good list - though like Mal, Peter won't want to play Tom.
• Sam's Chaos Dwarfs - the element of surprise is a big asset here. Sam has quickly distilled the best of the book into a list. People will not know what to expect and Sam will then destroy them. He has a real lack of chaff and that will be his biggest problem. i expect him to go Top 5, possibly podium.
• Glen's Vampires - Scream and scream again. Four Banshees! The Beastmen and the Ogres will love this. Backed up by big Crypt Horror unit and a horde of Crypt Ghouls. The big weeakness I see in the list is a lack of staying power if somebody gets into the two fighting units.

These were the lists i found the most interesting (in Mal's case in terms of its total arsey-ness) but there are other lists that arehard (if not interesting). Tim and Joel are bringing 1000 shots each, Hamish has got a wall of steel as has Ben. Rory has a strong list though I think he is lacking Captains.

It should be a fascinating weekend. I just hope I don't have to play any Dwarfs (just jokes: I'm sure they are perfectly nice, if unimaginative people).