Wesley St. Hines shocks the 40k world with an Astra Militarum horde army at LVO 2025! Full Top 8 breakdown, winning lists, and meta analysis inside.
LVO 2025 Warhammer 40k Top Lists & Meta Analysis
The Las Vegas Open (LVO) 2025 held October 2-5 at the Horseshoe Convention Center was one of the largest and most competitive Warhammer 40,000 events in history. With over 1,000 players battling across 9 rounds of grueling competition, the cream of the competitive scene rose to the top.
Let's break down the winning lists and analyze what made them so effective in the Fall 2025 meta.
Tournament Overview
Event Date: October 2-5, 2025
Location: Horseshoe Convention Center, Las Vegas
Total Players: 1,000+
Rounds: 9 (Swiss into Top 8 bracket)
Points Limit: 2000 points
Rules Pack: GW Grand Tournament 2025
Top 8 Final Standings
The top 8 at LVO 2025 featured a surprisingly diverse faction spread:
1st Place: Wesley "Nemo" St. Hines - Astra Militarum (Recon Element) - 9-0-1
2nd Place: Tyler Stice - Deathwatch (Black Spear Task Force) - 8-2
3rd Place: Folger Pyles - Aeldari (Warhost) - 8-1
4th Place: Ben Jurek - Chaos Knights (Infernal) - 8-1
5th Place: Dante Bazini - T'au Empire
6th Place: Donovan Silo - Grey Knights (Banishers)
7th Place: Matthew Guyire - Adeptus Mechanicus
8th Place: Skari - Drukhari (Skysplinter Assault)
1st Place: Astra Militarum - Wesley "Nemo" St. Hines
In what many are calling the biggest upset of 2025, Wesley St. Hines piloted an "off-meta" Astra Militarum Recon Element list to a stunning 9-0-1 record and the championship title.
The Strategy: Horde Guard
Wesley's list was pure infantry spam - over 180 models on the table, designed to overwhelm opponents with bodies and frustrate them into mistakes.
Key Units:
3x Cadian Castellan (55pts each) - Plasma pistol + Power fist
3x Cadian Command Squad (65pts) - Medics, vox-casters, plasma weapons
1x Scout Sentinel - Lascannon + Hunter-killer missile
18x Infantry Squads (180 models total!)
- 4x 20-man Cadian Shock Troops
- 2x 20-man Death Korps
- 4x 10-man Death Korps
2x Catachan Jungle Fighters - Flamers for midboard pressure
2x Rough Riders (10 models each) - Hunting lances for counter-charge
Why Recon Element Dominated:
The Recon Element detachment gave Wesley several key advantages:
Master of Camouflage: +1 save against shooting (always in cover)
Stacking Cover: Additional +1 if already in cover = Guardsmen with effective 4+ or 3+ saves!
Reactive Movement: 6" move when enemies get within 9"
Tanglefoot Grenades: -2 to enemy charge rolls
Why It Worked:
Board Control: 180+ bodies meant uncontestable objective presence
Time Pressure: Opponents ran out of time trying to clear units
Anti-Elite: Massed plasma devastated elite infantry armies
Psychological Warfare: The sheer number of models frustrated opponents
"The list was designed to make opponents run out of time, options, and patience." - Wesley St. Hines
2nd Place: Deathwatch - Tyler Stice
Tyler Stice brought Deathwatch to within striking distance of the title, showcasing the faction's incredible versatility with the Black Spear Task Force.
Key Units:
Watch Master (Warlord) - Vigil spear
Captain in Gravis Armour - The Tome of Ectoclades enhancement
Judiciar - Thief of Secrets enhancement
Lieutenant with Combi-weapon
3x Deathwatch Veterans - Mixed loadouts with xenophase blades, thunder hammers, frag cannons
2x Deathwatch Terminator Squads - Power fists, storm bolters, cyclone missiles
Indomitor Kill Team - Heavy Intercessors, Aggressors, Eradicators
2x Rhinos - Transport and early positioning
Why It Worked:
Kill Team Flexibility: Mixed units adapted to any threat
Durable Core: Terminators with storm shields shrugged off damage
Ranged Firepower: Cyclone missiles and Indomitor team dominated shooting
Strategic Enhancements: Tome of Ectoclades and Thief of Secrets provided crucial buffs
3rd Place: Aeldari - Folger Pyles
Folger Pyles proved Aeldari are still a top-tier threat with a Warhost detachment build focused on mobility and devastating alpha strikes.
Key Units:
Avatar of Khaine - Centerpiece threat
Farseer Skyrunner - Psychic support
Fire Dragons (in Wave Serpent) - Anti-tank specialists
Wraithblades - Durable melee threat
Swooping Hawks - Scoring and harassment
Shining Spears - Fast melee hammer
Why It Worked:
Speed: Everything moved 12"+ to dictate engagement
Alpha Strike: Fire Dragons deleted key targets turn 1
Psychic Support: Fortune and Doom swung key matchups
Trade Efficiency: Cheap units scored while heavies killed
4th Place: Chaos Knights - Ben Jurek
Ben Jurek piloted an Infernal Household list that leveraged the raw power of Chaos Knights.
Key Units:
Abominant - Warlord
War Dogs (multiple units) - Versatile light knights
Desecrator - Ranged fire support
Rampager - Melee monster
Why It Worked:
Durability: Knights are notoriously hard to remove
Scary Threats: Forced opponents to make tough target priority decisions
Objective Presence: Large bases controlled space effectively
Meta Takeaways from LVO 2025
What's Strong:
✅ Horde Infantry - Wesley's win proves bodies on objectives wins games
✅ Elite Kill Teams - Deathwatch showed mixed units are competitive
✅ Detachment Synergies - Recon Element and Black Spear provided crucial edges
✅ Reactive Abilities - Movement tricks and charge denial were premium
What Surprised:
🔥 Astra Militarum - The biggest underdog story of the year
🔥 Deathwatch - Still viable despite lacking a codex update
🔥 Faction Diversity - 8 different factions in Top 8!
What Struggled:
❌ Low model count lists couldn't contest objectives
❌ Pure shooting without board control
❌ Slow, immobile armies that couldn't adapt
Building Your Own Competitive List
Want to replicate tournament success? Here are the key principles from LVO 2025:
1Bodies Matter - Wesley winning with 180+ models proves objective presence is king
2Detachment Choice - Pick your detachment to complement your strategy
3Layered Threats - Have multiple threat vectors (shooting AND melee)
4Practice Your Plan - Know exactly how you score primary and secondary VP
5Clock Management - Be efficient with your time, especially against hordes
Create These Lists in GrimSlate
Use GrimSlate to recreate these championship-winning lists! Our army builder includes:
Complete datasheets for Astra Militarum, Deathwatch, Aeldari, and all factions
Real-time points calculation
Kill Team composition tools for Deathwatch
PDF export for your tournaments
Game Mode to track VP during your matches
Start building your tournament list today!
