The Leeds GT: Meta Breakdown

The Leeds GT is almost here, the lists are locked in and list checking will be commencing soon - we can now take our first look at the meta and how this last event of 10th edition is shaping up.

This will be the last chance for those push for a last minute climb in the king of 10th rankings or the chance to run that one list that they've always wanted to try but have not had the chance to yet. We have a first look at the faction choices that have been made so lets dive in and take a look.

yep, they're still here

Just incase you were hoping for a weekend without defilers or the twin lance, I am sorry to say that they are still out in force. The most popular faction for this weekend is the Tau Empire, usurping the marines for the first time in several events, though it is only by one, it still counts.

The Space Marines themselves follow in second place and then Chaos Space Marines and Astra Militarum are tied for the final podium. If asked to summarise the archetypes for these factions the word I'd use is gunline. Defilers remain the big problem with Pactbound Zealots going on a complete tear across the entire meta.

This firepower focus is also replicated up in some of the other popular choices of Aeldari (who are enjoying quite the surge in popularity), Votann, and Necrons all able to field fast firepower decent mobility from the gun platforms.

We do still see a decent representation for the melee-focused factions in the Custodes and Imperial Knights, leaning into the strong melee staging and volume as required.

Are Blood Angels the Answer?

You know what they say, when you have a big enough hammer - everything looks like a nail... And the blood angels have a very big fast hammer, addressed directly to the Warmaster himself, but are these fast combat units the answer to defilers and the current gunline meta?

In theory, yes. A Lot of gunlines like to stage and threaten the firing lanes around the boards and play with the pressure that the threat creates. This can be countered by anything that is able to close those gaps from fire-free staging points, a task in which the Jump Pack assault infantry of the Blood Angels are excellent at, both in staging from terrain or a well placed rapid ingress.

This unfortunately, is limited by most of the popular gunlines packing plenty of screening chaff or the ability to fall back and shoot after being charged. With the additional threat of a heroic from some melee beatsticks (Chosen / Victrix are both staples in the popular CSM/Marine lists), applying some pressure to dissuade this full send approach.

Whilst the theory is sound, the data is trending against that conclusion, with just 1 Blood Angel player going 4-0 at the recent Bristol GT before falling to Deathguard Defiliers. Maybe this event is the one to change the fortune for the sons of Sanguinius, and if all else fails they can enjoy a fantastic weekend killing all of the different shapes and sizes of Horus on the battlefield.

Faction specialists

In the past we have seen the end of edition events being a hot bed for the faction specialists to show off their final form after a full edition of optimising and experience with their list. We do see that to an extent at Leeds with a reasonable representation from the niche factions of Deathwatch, Sisters, and AdMech to name a few. But a few factions still only have a single representative flying their flag - to which I commend them and wish them all the best for this last hurrah.

Final thoughts

This weekend is going to have a great mix of fun and crazy picks and ideas from players, and the competitive staples adding a ton of variety that will make this weekend special and the final send off for the edition.

If you are coming this weekend, we look forward to welcoming you, if not we hope to see you virtually in our official livestream on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UKTCTV

If you want to be part of the new edition you can get tickets to our upcomming events on our store using the link here.