Adepticon 2026 wrapped up this weekend in Milwaukee. I didn’t make it this year (even though it was in my backyard–life is busy), but the data still tells the story. And it’s a familiar one.
Ratkin didn’t just win again. They controlled the top of the event in a way that’s getting hard to ignore. If you’ve been following along, that shouldn’t surprise you. At the Northwoods GT earlier this year, Ratkin were already pushing the limits of what a faction can do (see full recap here). Different players, different event, same result. At some point, it stops being a hot streak, and it starts being the meta.
Ratkin Are Not a Fluke
Let’s start with the obvious. Ratkin won Adepticon. Undefeated. Another Ratkin list also landed in the top 5. And across the field, they posted the strongest average results of any faction.
Adepticon Faction Performance
A cleaner presentation of faction results, field share, win rate, performance delta, and average Elo.
| # | Faction | Record | % of Field | Games | Win Rate | Performance Delta | Average Elo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ratkin | 9-1-0 | 5.7% | 10 | 90.0% | +41.9% | 1650 |
| 2 | Twilight Kin | 4-1-0 | 2.9% | 5 | 80.0% | +31.9% | 1631 |
| 3 | Forces of the Abyss | 3-1-1 | 2.9% | 5 | 70.0% | +21.9% | 1564 |
| 4 | Forces of Nature | 3-2-0 | 2.9% | 5 | 60.0% | +11.9% | 1547 |
| 5 | Goblins | 3-2-0 | 2.9% | 5 | 60.0% | +11.9% | 1524 |
| 6 | Trident Realm of Neritica | 7-7-1 | 8.6% | 15 | 50.0% | +1.9% | 1502 |
| 7 | Halflings | 5-5-0 | 5.7% | 10 | 50.0% | +1.9% | 1501 |
| 8 | Orcs | 11-12-2 | 14.3% | 25 | 48.0% | -0.1% | 1495 |
| 9 | Dwarfs | 2-3-0 | 2.9% | 5 | 40.0% | -8.1% | 1477 |
| 10 | Salamanders | 4-6-0 | 5.7% | 10 | 40.0% | -8.1% | 1469 |
| 11 | Abyssal Dwarfs | 2-3-0 | 2.9% | 5 | 40.0% | -8.1% | 1465 |
| 12 | Xirkaali | 2-3-0 | 2.9% | 5 | 40.0% | -8.1% | 1461 |
| 13 | Empire of Dust | 2-3-0 | 2.9% | 5 | 40.0% | -8.1% | 1451 |
| 14 | Northern Alliance | 6-10-0 | 8.6% | 16 | 37.5% | -10.6% | 1451 |
| 15 | Ogres | 3-6-1 | 5.7% | 10 | 35.0% | -13.1% | 1431 |
| 16 | Elves | 5-10-0 | 8.6% | 15 | 33.3% | -14.7% | 1437 |
| 17 | Nightstalkers | 1-3-1 | 2.9% | 5 | 30.0% | -18.1% | 1443 |
This lines up exactly with what we’re seeing in the broader dataset at https://kow-dataset.web.app/. Ratkin are sitting near an 80% win rate across tracked 4E games. What makes this especially important is that it wasn’t the same players repeating success from prior events. This wasn’t one outlier pilot. It’s spreading across the player base. That tells you something different than a single spike result. It tells you the tools are broadly powerful.
From a list design perspective, Ratkin check too many boxes at once. Speed, volume, board control, and efficient trading pieces. They don’t rely on one trick. They apply pressure everywhere. And right now, most armies don’t have a clean answer to that. If you’re preparing for events, this is the matchup you need to solve first. Everything else is secondary.
Orcs Show Up. Results Don’t.
Now the contrast: Orcs were everywhere at Adepticon–the most represented faction in the field. But they didn’t convert. Average performance lagged well behind the top factions. No Orc list made a serious push at the top tables late in the event. This gap between popularity and results matters. Players clearly believe in Orcs (especially Thonar and the command orders). They like the tools, the playstyle, and the identity. Belief isn’t translating into wins yet. There are a few possible explanations:
- First, Orcs may still be in the “figuring it out” phase. Early edition metas often reward armies that are easier to optimize quickly. Ratkin lists are starting to look refined. Orc builds may still be evolving.
- Second, Orcs may be more sensitive to matchup spread. If they struggle into top-tier factions like Ratkin, high representation just amplifies average losses.
- Third, it may simply be that they are not as efficient as people hoped.
We don’t have a final answer yet, but as of right now, Orcs are overrepresented relative to their results.
The Middle Tier Is Very Real
One of the more interesting takeaways from Adepticon is what happened just behind Ratkin. Twilight Kin took second. Salamanders finished third. Trident Realm also posted strong results across multiple players.
This matters more than it might seem. It would be easy to look at Ratkin and assume the meta is already solved. One dominant faction, everything else trailing behind. That’s not what the data shows.
There is a clear top faction right now. But there is also a healthy group of armies that can win games and spike events. That’s a good sign for the game overall, especially as we start seeing balance tweaks with the next book. It means matchup knowledge, list tuning, and player skill still matter a lot. You don’t need to abandon your faction to compete. But you do need a plan for the top end.
A Note on the Data
This was also the first major event using a new tournament reporting format that required a new parser on my end. It mostly worked but had a few hiccups. A handful of faction entries came through as missing or incomplete. Those games are still included in overall results, but some faction-level summaries may be slightly understated. That’s part of building this kind of dataset in real time. If anything, it reinforces why centralizing and standardizing data matters. The more consistent the inputs, the clearer the picture I can build for the community.
What This Means Going Forward
We’re still early in 4th Edition. We’re not guessing anymore:
- Ratkin are the faction to beat.
- Orcs are still searching for answers.
- And a handful of other armies are quietly proving they can compete at the top tables.
If you’re preparing for your next event, start with this question: How does your list handle Ratkin pressure across the board? If you don’t have a good answer, the rest probably doesn’t matter.
Download the Full Data
If you want to explore the full dataset yourself, you can also dig into the live tracker here:
https://kow-dataset.web.app/
