These 40k armies bucked the trends and did well in competitive events. Don’t miss the top homebrew army lists that surprised the meta this week.

At the Gentleman’s GT, there was an Ork list spotted hovering near the top of the leaderboards that was built to take the meta by surprise.

Thanks to Best Coast pairings, we can look back at the events as if we were there ourselves! Check out what this guy brought along.

Gentleman’s GT 3rd Place: Orks- Ben Jurek

You might have realized we’ve talked about this list already from the Gentleman’s GT coverage. However, we’re breaking it down in a new light.

Jumping into this Ork list, Freebooterz were taken for the clan tactic of adding 1 to the hit rolls for Orks in the shooting phase if another friendly unit killed something. This can be difficult to pull off but it encourages the player to have his units support one another. For example, a Shoota Boy squad from this list could mow down some screen and have the Gorkanauts/Dakkajets instantly become a lot more deadly. The Freebooterz promote board control and if the enemy can’t deal with them, the game can be over quick.

And finally out of the first Battalion, the Dread Waaagh! detachment is almost an auto-include for the relic shokk attack gun alone (which is what most players only use it for). However, this player brought along two Gorkanauts for some choices on what to pop his Stratagems on. Dread Waaagh! Gorkanauts can fire twice in the shooting phase and when you pair that with the Freebooters +1 to hit, things can get silly quick.

And for the last detachment, the real workhorses were the Dakkajets and Wazbom Blastajet. These units could fly down the table turn one and knock a hole big enough in the enemy’s screen to expose their juicy targets. However, looking at the list as a whole, it’s not very melee-centric at all. Which is yet another reason why this Ork composition is so unique. Awesome job showing us that there’s more to Orks than just Evil Sunz Boy spam!

Amiable Bright Kelowna GT 7th Place: Ultramarines- Tak Kawana

As for the Amiable Bright Kelowna GT, there was an Ultramarines list using a unit that we’ve never even seen hit the competitive table before.

Looking at the Ultramarines, one of the first things we saw that made the list stand out is that there’s not a single Battalion or Guard CP battery to be found! This player decided that points going to useful units were more important than CP from detachments. Also, using the two new HQs out of Shadowspear, they lead some Aggressors, a Relic Whirlwind (never seen that before), and some Victrix Guard to help keep them safe.

The list is already one that we’ve never seen but here’s where it gets awesome.

This guy brought the Forge World Astraeus and hovered this monstrous beast onto the board with Robbie G right behind providing all of the rerolls. This 700 pt LOW celebrated its time to shine on the tables and ended up not doing too shabby!

Amiable Bright Kelowna GT 8th Place: Grey Knights-Marshall Reeves

And last but not least, take a look at a Grey Knights list that placed in the top 10!

This list might have only placed 8th at the event, but to Grey Knights, that’s a solid 2nd place. Check out the details.

Grey Knights were actually spotted kicking butt and taking names on the table. After multiple FAQs that turned these guys into paperweights, we didn’t expect to see this. First, a Battalion of Grey Knights was led by two Grand Masters (one in a Nemesis Dreadknight). As for the unit options in the detachment, all the firepower was really left up to a Dreadnought, an Interceptor Squad, and a random Stormtalon gunship.

Combined with the melee damage output of the Grand Masters and the ranged screen-clearing firepower from three total twin assault cannons, you can really start to see where the list comes together. And with the extra points leftover, a second Battalion detachment only costing 264 pts was taken. Scions supported the Interceptors and the Dreadknight that teleported in on turn two.

It’s honestly a surprise to see Grey Knights do so well, comparatively speaking. Turns out there are Grey Knight players ou there in the community that are still playing the cards they’ve been dealt. Awesome job.

Unique lists give players across the community inspiration. Homebrew lists may not be as popular or as effective as the top meta beaters, but at least you can play the things you want to play and still end your games on a decent note. Great job!

Let us know what you think about these homebrew lists in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.