Conquest Meta and Power Rankings in the First Half of 2024 in Germany

Since non-German speaking readers of the blog asked if I would translate this article from last week, here is the English version:

Hi everyone! I often get asked about meta lists, power rankings, etc., and honestly, I'm not really keen on them because I believe we're currently in a player-driven meta in Conquest. However, since we've now completed the first six months of Conquest 2024 and I've participated in eight T3 tournaments, I wanted to share a few thoughts. This article is entirely focused on what's happening here in Germany and is purely subjective. At the end, I'll also provide a power ranking and explain the positions of the individual factions.

As of June 8th, we had 8 T3-listed tournaments in Germany with an average of 15 players per tournament. This average has significantly increased since last year. The numerous registrations for the upcoming tournaments indicate, in my opinion, that the game is becoming increasingly popular. Even though the distribution is still somewhat northern-centric, it's gradually spreading more widely, and we no longer attend every tournament due to the number of events scheduled for the rest of the year.

Additionally, the majority of tournaments in Germany have been played with 2000 points for over a year now, which I personally welcome. It's clear that the balancing is designed for this level, and the 150 minutes allocated by many organizers are generally more than sufficient.

Explain for non germans:  T3, short for Tabletop Tournaments, is a website dedicated to organizing and managing tabletop gaming tournaments. It provides a platform where organizers can list their events, and players can register, find information about upcoming tournaments, view rankings, and track their performance in various tabletop games. The site is widely used by the tabletop gaming community to facilitate competitive play and ensure smooth coordination of events. Its very popular in Germany and ~20 years old. Link T3 Stats for COnquest last 6 months Click here

Current Faction Distribution and Top 3 Placements

Given the small data set of 120 placements, I believe the current faction distribution is just as negligible as the frequency of top 3 placements. However, for the sake of completeness, I have included it here:

Hundred Kingdoms: 12 Participants

Spire: 22 Participants

Nords: 18 Participants

Dweghom: 10 Participants

Wadrhun: 16 Participants

Old Dominion: 21 Participants

City States: 18 Participants

Sorcerer Kings: 3 Participants

Spire are the most frequently played faction, despite my regular harsh criticism of them on Discord and the blog. Seriously, pick a nice faction that hasn't caused so much suffering to EA. Brave Humans would be a good start, as only five other participants besides me have fielded them. Percentage-wise, they are the most likely to reach the podium. Almost, anyway. If we exclude Nino, Nick, and myself, the Top 3 distribution is quite balanced, although that leaves us with hardly any Top 3 data. Hence, I consider it not very useful.

The distribution seems to indicate that Sorcerer Kings, Dweghom, and Hundred Kingdoms are played significantly less. However, with the small data set, even one tournament where four Hundred Kingdoms players show up could change the average. In my opinion, this is currently because the active Dweghom and Hundred Kingdoms players have simply chosen other factions for now. Stephan is currently playing City States, Uziel is playing Nords, etc. And as for the Sorcerer Kings, the answer is even simpler: they are just too new, and most people don't build and paint 2000 points in a few days.

Power Ranking

Let’s move on to the power ranking and my personal assessment of the factions. As I mentioned earlier, I believe we have a player-driven meta. This means that someone like Nick would likely achieve similar results regardless of the faction he plays, provided he invests time in understanding it and is genuinely interested. For the rankings, I will assign the following tiers:

S-Rank (Top Class) - Exceptionally strong and flexible. Few weaknesses.

A-Rank (Excellent) - Strong, well-balanced abilities. Minor weaknesses, but still reliable.

B-Rank (Solid) - Effective in specific roles, but noticeable weaknesses.

C-Rank (Below Average) - Average abilities, clear weaknesses, limited strengths. 

Originally, I intended to assign more than four ranks, but I still believe that the armies are mostly very close together, and the difference between A and B rank lies only in very specific builds that are theoretically possible. In essence, I think there are currently only two factions that are approximately 15% above or below the others. Accordingly, I have categorized them into S and C ranks.

Hundred Kingdoms - B-Rank

The Brave Men with Sticks. Since the 2.0 update, the cavalry faction has once again become only a shadow of what it could be. Even worse are the Ashen Dawn released last year, which completely disrupted the faction's balance. There's hardly a sensible reason not to play Ashen Dawn, and very little chance of achieving a decent placement without them. Therefore, we can place the faction "10 Ashen Dawn" comfortably in B-Rank, and significantly lower depending on how few Ashen Dawn are played. Without Ashen Dawn, I would currently rate the faction even lower. However, I must admit that I may view this negatively because two warbands are pretty useless, and veteran lists with Crimson Tower, Sealed Temple, Crossbows, and Hunter Cadre are not to be underestimated.

But why only B and not A, some may ask? In my opinion, this is due to the spring update. Characters now have the same weight class as their regiment, so you can no longer place a few characters in ranged fighters who score early and shoot at the opponent permanently. In addition, the Imperial Officer Supremacy has been significantly weakened, making the faction overall less dominant.

Strategic strengths and weaknesses:

• Strengths:
  • Cavalry: Despite the weakening, cavalry remains a strong component with high mobility and striking power.
  • Flexibility: The faction offers a good mix of infantry, cavalry, and ranged fighters, allowing for versatile strategies
• Weaknesses:
  • Dependence on Ashen Dawn: Without Ashen Dawn, the faction lacks impactful or resilient units.
  • Melee Infantry: The melee infantry is mostly below average and only interesting in special builds. Except for Man at Arms, who are only there to hold points, they are rarely seen.

Tactical Recommendations:

• Utilize Ashen Dawn: Rely on 5 - 10 Ashen Dawn to maximize your army's firepower. There's currently no reason not to do this.
• Balanced Armies: A balanced mix of cavalry and ranged fighters is, in my opinion, the most sensible approach.
  
  

Spire - B-Rank

Many might expect me to give the Spire an S or A ranking, but in my view, they currently deserve only a solid B ranking. Despite their impressive abilities such as the Incarnates Block with Highborne Warlord R5 and Aura of Death, the Spire also face significant challenges.

Some regiments heavily rely on characters, whether through attachments or buffs. For instance, Vanguard Clone Infiltrators are perceived as a threat by few players without support from HCE. However, with a Biomancer granting them +1 Volley, they can become highly effective. These strategies, however, require a significant portion of the total points and precise application in the game.

Nevertheless, there is a variety of regiments that perform well even without buffs. Marksman Clones, Stryx, the Siegebreaker, or Incarnates all demonstrate their impressive stats, especially in combination with Highborne in the Incarnates. However, the defensive and offensive stats of other regiments are often not as high as expected. Additionally, the Spire have limited access to opponent armor reduction, which requires strategic positioning and leaves no room for errors in deck building.

Strategic strengths and weaknesses:

• Strengths:

  • High Flexibility: Biomancies and Pheromancies enable unconventional activation sequences and buffs.
  • Powerful Combinations: Characters like the Highborne Warlord and the synergies between units can unleash devastating effects.

• Weakenesses:

  • Dependence on Characters: Many units are less effective without support from characters.
  • Complexity: Utilizing Biomancies and Pheromancies requires comprehensive planning in deck building, as mistakes can be doubly punishing.

Tactical Recommendations:

• Attraction Pheromones: Few factions have the option to give heavy Brutes regiments a flank, in my opinion, it's a must-pick.
• All the good Stuff: The successful lists mostly feature Vanguard Clones, an Incarnate Block, and a Pheromancer in Brute Drones. In these compositions, the Highborne primarily acts as the Warlord.
  
  

Dweghom - B-Rank

The Dweghom suffered a setback due to the September update, and many players are calling for further adjustments. The trick with the Dweghom lies in their strong stats and high point costs, combined with average scenario play. Many currently view the Dweghom's scenario play as the weakest in the game, yet the Ardent is rarely used in Germany. The Ardent now boasts a very potent spell list, and both Wardens and Berserkers are better than their reputation suggests. Even in the current "4 Characters Magma" lists with Steelshaper Warlord, they integrate seamlessly. In my opinion, the Dweghom faction is currently very competitive, offering several strong options and featuring the best magicians in the game. However, I would still classify them in the B tier, as Dweghom prefer not to split up and tend to avoid scenarios with 4 or 6 zones. It's crucial to deploy strategically on the board from the outset and avoid unnecessary turns and movement actions. This sounds simpler than it is and requires a good understanding of both the scenario and the opponent's armies.

Strategic strengths and weaknesses:

• Strenghts:
  • Robustness: Dweghom have good stats and at least 5 wounds per stand. Paired with the tokens, this makes the Dweghom very robust.
  • Magic: The Sorcerer with Magma or Fire has the best damage spells in the game, and both the Ardent and Steelshaper have powerful spell lists.
• Weaknesses:
  • Average Scenario Play: Dweghom have difficulty maneuvering quickly and controlling multiple zones, which can disadvantage them in scenario-based games, as the faction lacks movement tricks and generally has a normal movement of 5.
  • Sorcerer Dependence: The Sorcerers are so powerful that you almost always have to play them. Lists without Sorcerers feel like they are only 60% effective.

Tactical Recommendations:

• Warlord: A Steelshaper supported by two Magma Sorcerers creates a strong, self-healing army. Alternatively, you can also build maximum firepower with two Fire Sorcerers.
• Fortress Strategies: Due to the tokens and strong ranged capabilities, it makes sense to "snuggle up" with the Dweghom. If the opponent manages to separate you, isolated Dweghom regiments will perish faster than you'd like.
  
  

Nords - B-Rank

The Nords are a fast and aggressive scenario army capable of outrunning many opponents on scenarios with 4-6 zones, quite literally. They secure zones early, accumulate points, and then coordinate their demise, making it difficult or impossible for the opponent to score. While there are variations with more stable blocks, Nords generally avoid melee combat because the majority of their troops lack durability. Before the spring update, I rated the Nords much higher, but currently, they face a significant issue: Old Dominion. The Undead are now also very effective in scenarios, albeit slightly slower than the Nords. However, they are not slow enough, and it takes an absurd number of hits to kill them, forcing the Nords into an early attrition game. While a block of Praetorians may not be worse than an Incarnates block with Highborne, they arrive in round 1, and while you try to keep the Incarnates at bay, the Praetorians are right in the Nords' face from round 1. On scenarios with only two zones, I consider this matchup unwinnable for the Nords, and on more zones, they only have a slim chance of victory. This catastrophic mismatch would almost justify giving them a D rank, but since they can solidly defeat other factions on many scenarios, I would currently place them at a B rank.

Strategic strengths and weaknesses:

• Strenghts:
  • Reinforcement Control: Nords have many fast units with Flank or the ability to acquire it. This, combined with the two popular Warlords, Jarl and Shaman, provides excellent options for scenario play. It's not uncommon for a Nord player to occupy all zones by round 2.
  • Items and Masteries: The faction's items and masteries are among the best in the game.
• Weaknesses:
  • Dependency on Scenario Play: Nords heavily rely on scenarios that emphasize their mobility and quick occupation of zones. They do not favor scenarios with few zones or kill points.
  • Susceptibility to Attrition: Many regiments and tools of the Nords are effective but come at a high cost due to their movement special rules. As a result, in longer engagements, the Nords may struggle due to their lower defense compared to other regiments.

Tactical Recommendations:

• Coordinated Retreat: Plan your suicidal retreat so that your units obstruct the opponent, preventing them from scoring and influencing the scenario in your favor.
• Fenr: Apart from Uziel and Drizzt, I rarely see them, but in my opinion, they are an optimal unit for scoring in the scenario given their low cost. Don't discard them thoughtlessly.
  
  

Wadhrun - A-Rank

The Dino-Orcs, where some lament the fact that the large monsters can no longer become Fanatic. Unfortunately, Slingers still can, and since Conquest Chants have, in my view, been the best buffs in the game since release, the Wadhrun are clearly an A-tier army. Slingers are audacious even without any support, but when there's a Predator in there, ideally with a cloak, then very bad things happen. They shouldn't be discarded casually, but even the Chosen of Conquest are a solid asset with their third action and their mountain of hit points. Many are currently somewhat disappointed because fewer dinosaurs are seen, but an Apex is still absurdly cheap for its points cost and, in my opinion, the best monster for under 200 points. While on the topic of dinosaurs, we must also not forget the small nasty dinos. The Hunting Pack can inflict absurd damage even without chants and buffs and early on threatens many areas of the table with its high movement. I understand that for many, including myself, the dinosaurs were the reason to play the faction, and then you just don't want to play Blooded, Braves, Slingers, and/or Chosen in large quantities to play effectively. Especially the large infantry blocks can cover absurd distances with Conquest T3, and with the banner for impacts and glorious charge, it hurts twice as much.

Strategic strengths and weaknesses:

• Strengths:

  • High Mobility: The Conquest Tier 1 buffs significantly increase the mobility of all regiments; even without buffs, the movement values of the Wadhrun are very good.
  • Deadly Accuracy: Wadhrun consistently seem to roll one more attack die than expected and with their buffs in the form of chants and/or the Warchief, they hit opponents quite reliably.

• Weaknesses:

  • Dependency on Buffs: Many regiments of the Wadhrun only reach their full potential with chants, which sometimes makes them less flexible compared to alternatives.
  • Fragile: While most Wadhrun regiments have 5 or more hit points, their defense values are rather modest without chants. When opponents get a hold of the Dino-Orcs, they often take a beating.

Tactical Recommendations:

• Buff Management: Conquest tokens significantly simplify deck building. Make sure to always reserve a token for the next round. If a regiment has a character, it can also be placed over it during deck building and then activated as a subsequent activation. This always gives you the option to chant directly.
• Exploit Mobility: It's easy to switch flanks when necessary. Especially the Fanatic regiments and Hunting Packs have an absurd range, allowing you to control the game.
  
  

Old Dominion - S-Rank

Old Dominion has become the undisputed leader since the update. This is primarily because they have the second fastest scenario play after the Nords, bonuses on reinforcement rolls, great stability, and some of the best heavy selections in the game. Why Para Bellum gave them this scenario boost while making scenario play worse for many factions remains unclear. However, a future rule called "Brittle" will allow for more hits against the Old Dominion. Since they lack a Resolve value, currently you need an absurd number of hits to destroy them. This was true before, but now with the revamped Legionnaires, an incredibly cheap, fast unit that can easily hold zones until the bitter end, things have changed. I like the changes in general, but the units should not have been made 20% cheaper. Furthermore, their reinforcement rolls are eased by 1, and deploying a block of Praetorians in Round 1 that scores and makes life difficult for most players is a strong option. Alternatively, choosing other units is viable too because almost everything is competitively playable with Old Dominion currently. Whether it's cavalry with unique special rules like Overrun, allowing double impacts if the opponent is broken through the first ones and executing multiple charge actions in a turn, or Varangians adept at killing Praetorians. This shouldn't be underestimated as the likelihood of mirrors is quite high currently, with defeats from Old Dominion mostly being against Old Dominion except for a few exceptions. In this matchup, Karyatids are useful for threatening important targets effectively with 4 shot AP 2, or Skofung for linebreaker, for instance, against Kataphrakts. However, the faction isn't an auto-win. You still need to play well, and even though many say flank attacks against Old Dominion are ineffective, it does make a significant difference whether you flank Praetorians or not. Clearly S-tier.

Strategic strengths and weaknesses:

• Strengths:

  • Robust: Having no Resolve absorbs a lot of damage, but be cautious because many regiments only have D3, which can sometimes backfire.
  • High Damage: Thanks to Aura of Death or high cleave values combined with Terrifying, enemy stands die very quickly.

• Weaknesses:

  • Dark Power: If you're not playing with a Warlord who raises the Dark Power level, you may find yourself lacking momentum in crucial turns. Especially since you can only inspire from T3 onward, apart from during the charge.
  • Expensive Heroes: Regiments like Pratorians and Kataphraktoi require costly upgrades and heroes with items to truly shine. Without these, most are just average.

Tactical Recommendations:

• Focus: Even though many things are currently viable with the Old Dominion, one should consider their actions carefully. An Xhiliarch Warlord is solid with two to three Varangians, or a Strategos with regiments that benefit from it.
• Scenario Control: You can score quickly now, but you don't have to. If you overextend too much, the undead can also die.
  
  

City States - A-Rank (with Chariots)

Currently, there are two common variants of the City States: firstly, the dense blocks of Hoplites that become extremely sturdy with the help of characters, and secondly, an army emphasizing Fluid Formation and shooting, where almost everything has Vanguard. While one seeks the long grind, the Vanguard list aims to score quickly and win. I find both concepts interesting and they make the faction very solid, but there's something missing. What's missing are the Chariots. Where I would currently place the faction at B-rank, they clearly rise to A-rank with the Chariots. The great advantage of Chariots is that you can get up to three of them for a Restricted Slot. This gives you inexpensive access to up to three fast, scoring shooting regiments that are also very durable for their points. As if that's not enough, you can reliably get them on the field in Round 2. Whether you can effectively play more than three is currently challenging, especially since there will likely be a small update there soon. However, I see three Chariots as almost a mandatory choice for most City State armies. Additionally, the Talos, which some already describe as spamable, is a solid option that can easily replace a block of Hoplites. However, I currently view using more than one as less practical.

Strategic strengths and weaknesses:

• Strengths:

  • Stable Units: Hoplite blocks supported by characters are extremely resilient and can dominate prolonged battles.
  • Scenario Strong: Thanks to Fluid Formation and Vanguard, they can secure zones effectively. Additionally, the Eidolon and Mechanist have abilities that allow Lights to score points.

• Weaknesses:

  • Dependence on Characters: The current Phalanx regiments are at best mediocre without characters and cows that can hit hard.
  • Vulnerability to Flanking Attacks: Since nearly everything from the City States derives its high defense values from shields and/or Phalanx, flank attacks by opponents are often disastrous.

Tactical Recommendations:

• Elite Fighters: Agema with a hero are currently, in my opinion, the best option alongside the Chariots that the City States have. With Movement 6, Fluid Formation, and Cleave 1, they excel at beating up opponents. Pairing them with a Polemarch amplifies their damage significantly. Vanguard isn't as crucial here, but rather the +5 Charge Helmet plays a more significant role.
• Effective Scenario Units: Haspits may seem mundane at first glance, but with Movement 6 and built-in Vanguard, they are currently one of the best scenario units that the City States possess. They can reach most zones from the rear edge and stand solidly with D2 + Shield, R3, and W6.
  
  

Sorcerer Kings - C-Rank

It seems like you're discussing the Sorcerer Kings faction in Conquest, highlighting their current strengths and challenges:

The Sorcerer Kings are currently perceived as weaker compared to older factions in Conquest and are gradually being adjusted. This is partly due to their limited roster, which lacks diversity and robust options across different aspects. They struggle particularly with poor scenario play, a quasi-requirement for three characters, mediocre magic capabilities, and units that are sometimes deemed too costly. As a result, you categorize them as C-Rank. However, you note that the faction isn't inherently bad but rather feels constrained, requiring tweaks and more tools to compete effectively against other factions.

In terms of current popular strategies with the Sorcerer Kings, the Court of Fire composition stands out due to model availability. The item Jadoo is commonly included for its ability to grant rerolls of 6s in attacks across the army. Rajakur blocks with Raj for defensive and offensive enhancements, Flamecasters for ranged threats, and Bakasura are also popular choices. Lists featuring three or four Bakasuras are appealing but challenging to fit due to their high point costs and the logistical difficulty of deploying heavy units effectively on the battlefield.

Overall, while the Sorcerer Kings have their limitations, they can still potentially secure victories against unoptimized lists or opponents unfamiliar with their capabilities.

Strategic strengths and weaknesses:

• Strengths:

  • Rituals: The effects of the rituals are almost negligible; they give us a third action with an elemental, and that is very powerful.
  • Synergies: There are numerous synergies within the same element, and fully exploiting them makes the units effective.

• Weaknesses:

  • Momentum builds up gradually: Sorcerer Kings are rather slow in the early rounds, and their speed increases with rituals starting from round 4.
  • Costly: Elemental regiments pay a lot of points for being elementals and derive little benefit because we can only trigger a handful of rituals in the game.

Tactical Recommendations:

• Three Wizards: Currently, there's no reason not to include three Magi and Shalut in every list. Rituals win games, so we want the option to trigger them with high probability.
• Only one Warlord: Theoretically, there are more options, but currently, the Maharajah is the only sensible choice. Not using him as a Warlord means further limiting yourself.

It is important to emphasize that the current meta in Germany is heavily influenced by individual player skills and preferences. This results in a diverse and lively tournament landscape where various strategies and factions can be successful. Therefore, every faction has the potential to win tournaments, even with strategies that may not align with the tips mentioned here. The future will reveal how this evolves and which new trends and tactics will emerge.

In conclusion, I encourage all players to continue actively participating in tournaments and refining their strategies. Each faction offers unique opportunities and challenges to master. The ongoing development and exchange within the community significantly contribute to making the game more exciting and varied. With that in mind, I wish everyone success and enjoyment in the upcoming tournaments!