Hey all, so it has been a rollicking two days for the 125+ players playing Warhammer Age of Sigmar at the Las Vegas Open 2019 (LVO 2019). The first five rounds were held over Friday and Saturday and we have now found our top 8 players to go into Sunday’s knockout elimination! The champion will be the winner of the ITC’s grand finale for the 2018 season and, as it happens, the winner could also finish top of the ITC rankings for the year. Here I’ll wrap up the weekend’s action and preview the top 8 shootout! Check back tomorrow for the full results, awards and accolades.
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LVO 2019 – Age of Sigmar
The Las Vegas Open 2019 ran a truly unique format for competitive Warhammer Age of Sigmar – eight rounds over three days, with the last three rounds only being contested by the top eight players!
The Age of Sigmar tournament was 2,000 points and General’s Handbook 2018. Realms, Realmscape features, Realm Artefacts and Realm Spells were all in play.
The battleplans in play at LVO 2019 were:
- Round 1: Total Commitment in Shyish
- Round 2: Border War in Aqshy
- Round 3: Duality of Death in Ulgu
- Round 4: Better Part of Valour in Chamon
- Round 5: Shifting Objectives in Ghyran
You can read my full breakdown of the LVO 2019 pack for more details and you can find all the lists in my lists preview.
LVO 2019 – Day 2 Results
The weekend was dominated (largely) by the members of the Team America ETC team and the two-time defending champion Andrew Standiferd. These guys really showed both their competitive pedigree and their current form.
I spent the weekend following along on the Best Coast Pairings app watching the results come in and the pairings for each round. Having the lists and results for each individual player to hand was fun.
So here is where the day ended:
- Bill Souza (Flesh-Eater Courts)
- Olivier Gandouet (Idoneth Deepkin)
- Alan Bajramovic (Grand Host of Nagash)
- Roger Barker (Legion of Sacrament)
- Jeff Paynter (Stormcast Eternals)
- Matthew Pashby (Idoneth Deepkkin)
- Andrew Standiferd (Stromcast Eternals)
- Joe Krier (Disciples of Tzeetnch)
A remarkably different field than at last year’s LVO dominated by Changehost and Vanguard Wing lists. You can find the full results and all the scores, pairings and more in the Best Coast Pairings app.
LVO 2019 – Top 8 Shootout
Now, the top 8 players will be going into a straight knockout over three rounds on Sunday. Think March Madness but for Warhammer Age of Sigmar! The Realms and Battleplans are secret and will only be announced to the players just before each round. But let’s run through each player, their list, their route to the top 8 and a bit about each of them.
Bill Souza (Flesh-Eater Courts)
Bill Souza, captain of Team America ETC, currently 2nd in the ITC rankings and 1st after 5 rounds. Bill has been smashing face this year with Flesh-Eater Courts and knows how to play the list really well (who needs a new book?).
Over the weekend, Bill has taken 5 major victories and secured all his secondaries for a perfect score. He faced Gloomspite, Hammers of Sigmar, Sylvaneth, Fyreslayers and Stormcast.
In the top 8, he will be facing Joe Krier and his Disciples of Tzeentch.
Olivier Gandouet (Idoneth Deepkin)
Olivier came 4th at the LVO 20189 with a Mixed Order list but is running Idoneth Deepkin this year. He is taking 24(!) eels backed up by Drycha and a Spelllweaver (for the auto-dispell) – both of those are ally choices you don’t often see in Deepkin lists.
Olivier has 5 major victories but dropped one secondary. He faced Mixed Order, Legion of Sacrament, Hagg Nar, Joe Krier’s Disciples of Tzeentch, and Matt Pashby’s Idoneth Deepkin!
In round 6, he is facing the two-time defending champ Andrew Standiferd and his Stormcast.
Alan Bajramovic (Grand Host of Nagash)
Alan is a Team America ETC player, currently 7th in the ITC rankings and I understand was a convert to Age of Sigmar from competitive 40k. Alan has been running an interesting triple threat Grand Host of Nagash list with Vhordrai, Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon and 30 Grimghast Reapers, with Arkhan for support.
Alan achieved 4 major wins, 5 secondaries and a draw across the weekend. He faced Astral Templars, Celestial Vindicators, Hammers of Sigmar, Legion of Night, and Roger Barker’s Legion of Sacrament.
In Round 6, he has Matthew Pashby and his Idoneth Deepkin.
Roger Barker (Legion of Sacrament)
Roger Barker is another Team America ETC player. He has 90 Grimghast Reapers (but no Nagash, just Arkhan) says it all really.
Roger also had 4 major wins, 5 secondaries and a draw across the weekend. He played against Blades of Khorne, Nighthaunt, Anvils of the Heldenhammer, Grand Host of Nagash x 2.
In Round 6, Roger has Jeff Paynter and his Hammers of Sigmar Surecharge Bomb.
Jeff Paynter (Stormcast Eternals)
Jeff came 9th at LVO 2018 with a Skyfire heavy Disciples of Tzeentch list and now he is back again with the Gavriel Surecharge Stormcast list.
Jeff got 4 major victories, a minor loss and 5 secondaries. He played Beasts of Chaos, Slaanesh (Pretenders), Blades of Khorne (x2) and Idoneth Deepkin (Dhom-Hain).
In Round 6, he has Roger’s Legion of Sacrament.
Matthew Pashby (Idoneth Deepkin)
Matthew Pashby, the only non-Team America or previous top 10 LVO placeholder in the top 8 shootout! Not only that, but he is running a Dhom-Hain list with only 15 eels, as well as Eternal Guard (!) and Heartrenders as allies. Go this guy!
Matt achieved 4 major wins, a major loss and 5 secondaries. He faced Destruction, Beastclaw Raiders, Grand Host of Nagash (x2) and Olivier’s Dhom-Hain in a killer mirror-match in round 5.
Andrew Standiferd (Stromcast Eternals)
Two-time defending champion of the Las Vegas Open, Mr Andrew Standiferd. Andrew is most known for off-the-wall Stormcast lists which exceed all expectations (or maybe he’s just a great player). Andrew is fighting to defend his crown.
Andrew has only dropped points once this weekend and that was against Bill Souza in the final round. Andrew credits it down to a small mistake in his deployment which ultimately proved costly. Will Andrew get revenge and redemption on Sunday?
Andrew faced Seraphon, Blades of Khorne, Mixed Order, Slaanesh (Seekers), and Bill’s Flesh-Eater Courts.
Joe Krier (Disciples of Tzeetnch)
Joe Krier, currently 1st in the ITC rankings, Team America ETC player, and 6th at last year’s LVO is a man on the mission, again with Disciples of Tzeentch.
Joe had 4 major wins, 5 secondaries and one major loss over the weekend. He faced Gloomspite Gitz, Hagg Nar, Pestilens, Olivier’s Deepkin, and Everchosen – what a mixed bag!
So that’s the run down. Check back tomorrow for the full results, awards and wrap-up from the event.
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