Meta Snapshot 4/20/2026

 

Hello fellow 40K enthusiasts! We've had another weekend go by, and if you're like me, you like to know which armies are at the top of the pack. I've gathered that data, so I'm here to share it with you.

It looks like we have a continuation of the three factions that have been at the top of the meta for weeks now trading positions with each other but collectively not letting anyone else up there. Top Faction this week is Chaos Space Marines, with two 1st Place showings, six (6!) 2nd Place showings, and one 3rd Place showing. Only one of these showings was at an event with over 100 players though.

It almost doesn't seem to matter what detachment the CSM list is, because the scoring results are spread out across 5-6 detachments. The uncertainty comes from one of the lists not naming the detachment on BCP and not having any identifiable Enhancements for me to use to figure it out. Based on the unit choices, there's a chance it might be a Soulforged Warpack, but there are similar lists under other detachments. Pactbound Zealots accounted for 3 of the 2nd place results, Renegade Raider lists had 1st place and 2nd place showings, and each of these detachments showed up in the top three at events: Chaos Cult (1st), Creations of Bile (2nd), Huron's Marauders (3rd), and the maybe-Soulforged Warpack (2nd).

There's a lot of variation in unit choice across the lists, but there are some identifiable trends. CSM players appear to have equal facility to make shooty lists or punchy lists, or a blending of the two. Chosen appear a lot, as do Huron Blackheart and Cypher. I guess if you have a Lone Op with a 4++ save and Vect aura, you like to use him. Defilers are appearing with some frequency - I guess the new datasheet is pretty spicy - and Vashtorr the Arkifane often appears in the shooty lists, as these often feature Daemon Vehicles like Defilers and Forgefiends.

The Number Two faction of the weekend is Ultramarines, with three 1st place results, three 2nd place results, and one 3rd place result. This particular week, the lists went 2-1 for Blade of Ultramar over Gladius in both the 1st and 2nd place brackets, but as those two detachments are virtually identical I suspect it doesn't matter that much. The top Ultramarines list was a Gladius that took 2nd at Alpine-Con with 202 players.

Most of the lists were pretty similar, featuring some combination of Uriel Ventris, either Marneus Calgar or Roboute Guilliman (occasionally both), 1-2 Ballistus Dreads, 1-2 Repulsor Executioners, 1-2 units of Victrix Honour Guards, and the Wardens of Ultramar, with a sprinkling of other characters and utility units to taste. One list swapped out the Ballisti and RepExes for a pair of Gladiator Lancers and Repulsors, and oddly used a 10-man Terminator Squad, and then one list was a weird outlier with a pile of characters, two units of Infiltrators, and two 10-man Sternguard squads. That last one did include Roboute Guilliman, which tracks. It's nice to see a different list, but from what I've seen the typical Ultramarines list is going to include Ventris, 2 Ballistus, 2 RepExes, and 12 Victrix.

If you've been following these articles since I started them, I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn the Number Three faction of the weekend is Necrons. Necrons, Ultramarines, and CSMs have been the bullies of the meta for weeks now. It sure would have been nice if GW had addressed that with the Munitorum Field Manual they just released, but instead I guess that's just going to the state of affairs until 11th drops. 

Anyhow, Necrons had one 1st place list, three 2nd place lists, and three 3rd place lists. As with CSMs, the Necron results are across a wide swath of detachments, with the only one to repeat being Starshatter Arsenal (the 1st place and one of the 3rd place lists). The other detachments that scored in the top 3 at their events were Pantheon of Woe (2nd), Canoptek Court (3rd), Awakened Dynasty (2nd), Cursed Legion (2nd), and Cryptek Conclave (3rd). The top Necron list of the weekend was the Awakened Dynasty list that took 2nd at The Leipzig Major with 177 players. 

There was actually quite a lot of unit diversity in these lists. To my surprise, C'tan did not appear in all of them. They did appear in 4 out of the 7, which is a majority, and in two of the lists C'tan pretty much were the list - one each of the Deceiver, Nightbringer, and Void Dragon, and two Transcendants, with a smattering of utility units. Two of the lists had 2 C'tan, the Deceiver and the Void Dragon. Two lists were Starshatter lists (one of which had the 2 C'tan) and if you've seen one Starshatter list, you've got a good idea what to expect: the Silent King and Doomsday Arks. Other than that, there wasn't enough similarity between the lists to generalize what to expect of Necrons in any kind of useful way. Must be nice to play an army with such a deep bench.

After Necrons there''s the dropoff, but a few other factions did have a moment. Tyranids had three 1st place lists (Subterranean Assault, Vanguard Onslaught, and Invasion Fleet), one 2nd place list (Vanguard Onslaught) and a 3rd place list (Invasion Fleet) , with one of the event winning lists (Subterranean Assault) being at Alpine-Con. Chaos Knights had one 1st place result (Houndpack Lance), two 2nd place results (Infernal Lance and Iconoclast Fiefdom), and a 3rd place results (Infernal Lance). Deathwatch had a 1st place, a 2nd place, and 2 3rd place results, all Black Spear Task Force. Death Guard had one of each, all Virulent Vectorum.

Here's the full list of events and their top 3 finishes.

ALPINE-CON 40K Singles 2026 - Alpine Cup: 202 players, 7 rounds

  1. Tyranids Subterranean Assault
  2. Ultramarines Gladius
  3. Dark Angels Gladius

Iberian GT Andoain 2026: 34 players, 5 rounds

  1. Chaos Knights Houndpack Lance
  2. Deathwatch Black Spear Task Force
  3. Chaos Knights Infernal Lance

Tennessee Elite Open - Singles: 150 players, 7 rounds

  1. Adeptus Sororitas Hallowed Martyrs
  2. Tyranids Vanguard Onslaught
  3. T'au Empire Auxiliary Cadre

Rataclysm 2026: 122 players, 6 rounds

  1. Blood Angels Angelic Inheritors
  2. Chaos Space Marines Pactbound Zealots
  3. World Eaters Berserker Warband

The Fool's Crusade: 52 players, 5 rounds

  1. Orks Kult of Speed
  2. Chaos Knights Iconoclast Fiefdom
  3. Chaos Space Marines Huron's Marauders

Last Stand of the North Warhammer 40k 2,000 Point GT: 22 players, 5 rounds

  1. Tyranids Vanguard Onslaught
  2. Chaos Space Marines (unidentified detachment)
  3. Deathwatch Black Spear Task Force

Iberiancito Invasion: 22 players, 5 rounds

  1. Tyranid Invasion Fleet
  2. Chaos Space Marines Pactbound Zealots
  3. T'au Empire Mont'ka

Ludiverse - Solo Warhammer 40K: 83 players, 5 rounds

  1. Ultramarines Gladius
  2. Chaos Knights Infernal Lance
  3. Astra Militarum Grizzled Company

Samara Heat Solo - 1: 30 players, 5 rounds

  1. Space Marines (Iron Hands) Hammer of Avernii
  2. Necrons Pantheon of Woe
  3. Necrons Canpotek Court

LEIPZIG MAJOR 40K 2026 - Caggtus-LAN Leipziger Messe: 177 players, 5 rounds

  1. Adeptus Custodes Lions of the Emperor
  2. Necrons Awakened Dynasty
  3. T'au Empire Mont'ka

Warhammer 40,000 Grand Tournament: 65 players, 5 rounds

  1. Necrons Starshatter Arsenal
  2. Drukhari Spectacle of Spite
  3. Ultramarines Blade of Ultramar

WAAGHMASTER! VI: 40 players, 5 rounds

  1. Space Marines (Iron Hands) Hammer of Avernii
  2. Death Guard Virulent Vectorum
  3. Tyranids Invasion Fleet

Leithal Hits GT: 28 players, 5 rounds

  1. Astra Militarum Grizzled Company
  2. World Eaters Berserker Warband
  3. Astra Militarum Grizzled Company

The 36 Chambers: 42 players, 5 rounds

  1. Chaos Space Marines Chaos Cult
  2. World Eaters Goretrack Onslaught
  3. Necrons Starshatter Arsenal

Willen Games April Grand Tournament: 32 players, 5 rounds

  1. Orks War Horde
  2. Chaos Space Marines Creations of Bile
  3. Death Guard Virulent Vectorum

ICE HAMMER ITC GT I - 2025/2026: 39 players, 5 rounds

  1. Ultramarines Blade of Ultramar
  2. Necrons Cursed Legion
  3. Necrons Cryptek Conclave

Blue Water GT: 32 players, 5 rounds

  1. Chaos Space Marines Renegade Raiders
  2. Chaos Space Marines Pactbound Zealots
  3. Grey Knights Warpbane Task Force

Montana Beerhammer GT 2026: 80 players, 5 rounds

  1. Ultramarines Blade of Ultramar
  2. Chaos Space Marines Renegade Raiders
  3. Blood Angels Angelic Inheritors

Perils of the Geekery: 44 players, 5 rounds

  1. Death Guard Virulent Vectorum
  2. Ultramarines Blade of Ultramar
  3. Deathwatch Black Spear Task Force

AZ 40K League Spring '26 Champs: 64 players, 7 rounds

  1. Deathwatch Black Spear Task Force
  2. Ultramarines Blade of Ultramar
  3. Thousand Sons Grand Coven

I don't mind saying I'm getting a little tired of the top three positions in the meta being dominated by Ultramarines, Chaos Marines, and Necrons. That said, with a new edition coming, I may miss this stretch. If history is any guide, Aeldari (Eldar) will be broken again at the beginning of the new edition and stay that way longer than anyone wants.

That, fellow enthusiasts, is what I have for you today. I'll make the effort to keep you appraised of what's doing well in the meta. I hope you find the information helpful to you. May all your games be fun ones!



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