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Kings of War Data Analytics | Data & Dice Blog > Blog > Tournaments > Clash of Kings Australia 2024: Analyzing the Meta
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Clash of Kings Australia 2024: Analyzing the Meta

By Trevor
Last updated: 2025-07-15 11:03 pm
By Trevor
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27 Min Read
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Welcome to ‘Data and Dice,’ where we delve into the heart of Kings of War tournaments. Today, we’re dissecting the Clash of Kings Australia 2024, armed with comprehensive data and insights. With the excitement palpable, let’s plunge into the data-driven depths of this grand event. If you haven’t already listened to them, please check out the latest episodes from Direct Misfire (Direct Misfire – a Kings of War Podcast | Direct Misfire Podcast (podbean.com)) and Counter Charge (Counter Charge (ohiohammer.com)) where they discuss the CoK 2024 lists.

Contents
Faction BreakdownUnit Composition BreakdownMagic ItemsStandout ListsConclusions

Faction Breakdown

A total of 24 factions made the cut, with a fairly strong balance across the lists. Here is the full table:

FactionCount
Abyssal Dwarfs5
Empire of Dust5
Goblins4
Nightstalkers4
The Herd4
Kingdoms of Men4
Undead4
Dwarfs3
Ogres3
Elves3
Northern Alliance3
Varangur3
Trident Realm of Neritica2
Free Dwarfs2
Forces of the Abyss2
Basileans2
Halflings1
Salamanders1
Forces of Nature1
League of Rhordia1
The Order of the Green Lady1
Noble Undead1
Ratkin1
Orcs1

In my army review about the Abyssal Dwarfs, I expected the CoK changes would be good to them–and I’m not surprised to see them top the list here along with EoD. This is a good mix of factions overall and will give an early look at the effectiveness of the CoK 24 changes.

Unit Composition Breakdown

Our analysis begins with a broad overview of the unit compositions. Players are bringing a lot of unit strength: the typical army brings close to 14 drops (of which 11 are scoring) and 24 US. As expected, the Goblin lists bring the most, with Christopher Willcox sporting 18 drops (15 scoring) and 35 US. On the low end, Dan Harwood (Herd), Ed Hamacek (Rhordia), and Luke Shafer (KoM) all manage just 20 US, while Kathryn’s uber-elite Basileans bring 21 US on just 10 drops.

The most popular units? No surprises here, given the makeup of the lists.

Unit NameCount
Forest Shamblers14
Giant11
Fleabag Riders10
Beast Cavalry10
Warriors9
Skeleton Spearmen9
Ravagers9
Gargoyles8
Abyssal Grotesques8
Soulflayers8
Hunters of the Wild8

Magic Items

45 different items were taken! Here are the top few:

Magic ItemCount
Sir Jesse’s Boots of Striding23
Brew of Strength16
Blade of Slashing14
Lute of Insatiable Darkness11
Fire-Oil11
Blessing of the Gods9
Brew of Sharpness8
Mace of Crushing7
Mead of Madness7
Staying Stone6
Inspiring Talisman6
Orb of Towering Presence6
Hammer of Measured Force6
Brew of Haste6

If you’ve been following KoW for awhile, none of these come as a surprise. The Orb of Towering Presence, in particular, makes a routine showing on these lists. I’m a bit surprised to see the Hammer of Measured Force, which many players think is a points trap. I guess we’ll see how it performs!

Standout Lists

Every tournament has its surprises. Here, we’ll examine a few lists that stood out, either through unconventional choices or through exemplifying current trends. There’s a lot of data to parse, but I’ll provide the full html file here that has army lists:

FactionNamePtsItem PtsObjectiveMovementDefenseOffenseTotal UnitsUnit StrengthScoring UnitsAvg SpeedNimbleShamblingAvg DefenseNerve PoolShots to Six NerveRegenHealIron ResolveLifeleechStealthyTotal AttacksTotal Ranged AttacksExpected DamageLeaderGrounderBufferMissileShockAnvilPlinkerPestDiverFlankerAnchorChaffDeck ChairBattleline
Abyssal DwarfsEvan Ferris230030CCAB162195.2134.82304533000016716757.931314451120186
Abyssal DwarfsAndrew Goodman230060CBBB152097.1404.52063148000014315258.332135334370345
Abyssal DwarfsJoshua Angel230085C+BC+B1323106.8304.22013026000014715864.230204532350337
Abyssal DwarfsLuke Loseby230040B+C+AB+1528126.0314.42333996510018219366.930212323241247
Abyssal DwarfsMichael Douglas2300115CCA+C112285.2035.41844864611012414556.231215633010017
BasileansKathryn2300130CAC+B102298.7504.8164296111100012313162.152326110480018
BasileansTrevor Younghusband230050AA+C+C1327139.4804.219728721090013013058.8522230247130205
DwarfsAdrian Scott230080BDAA1523124.6305.22365970000018618673.850233751002067
DwarfsJeffrey Traish230075BCAA1626115.1004.72514850000020120167.230203322030289
DwarfsDale Hastings230025ADAB1726134.2125.12435380000014415361.230310642000097
ElvesMatt Curtis230085CBCB1419106.6204.42093200000014214665.342333264051525
ElvesLachlan230080C+ACC1323107.9324.51993030000013213357.833122144461303
ElvesGlen Porritt230055CBBC1122106.3134.41823520400113714657.330321249010006
Empire of DustAntony Pedersen230065BCAD1527115.50124.4238427310011014314345.440321561022068
Empire of DustNick Prosser230045CB+AC1219107.6354.819138802209012112156.052415403320408
Empire of DustChris Harper230015BBAC1427126.1294.5230399219011115216147.230312412202228
Empire of DustRob230020CBB+C1122106.7284.719537611409112113050.3313233030310010
Empire of DustDaniel Glenn230015BBAC1623126.13104.5234383319011114115050.841423121213285
Forces of NatureAlex Sobinoff2300105BBAC1524136.1334.922144001000114914957.1505322015220347
Forces of the AbyssKen Ferris230060ABBC+1526136.7403.8224262101202114717257.150542050441304
Forces of the AbyssAdam MacAskill230020ABBB1428136.9303.92162767002415015664.361442030443105
Free DwarfsRobert Sadler2300120BBB+A1327116.2324.72154440000119019068.741223439150029
Free DwarfsStephen Tuck230095B+C+B+A+1428125.7314.52304380000018819082.0513346110224157
GoblinsStephen Devenish230045BBBB1724126.4404.22533492000018818861.842341253232155
GoblinsAntony Lee230030AACA1832128.6904.12663440000018418469.2411402822120223
GoblinsPaul Collins230055C+C+CD191996.2404.02683081000017018044.1314200101420195
GoblinsChristopher Willcox23000A+AC+B1835157.8704.02873500000024024055.1320300100474324
HalflingsDaniel Bird230095BBBB1327116.8404.52053541020015515559.941112244250113
Kingdoms of MenHenry Lukin230010ABC+B+1824137.1404.42503550000015815867.743134141390375
Kingdoms of MenLyle Marsden230075CCCA122486.4104.22083050000015015471.020305451330046
Kingdoms of MenLuke Schafer230050CB+DB112088.3204.51602520000011311565.123615030660236
Kingdoms of MenGregory Turkich230010BBBB1225117.6204.82113960000015015061.332323503551018
League of RhordiaEd Hamacek2300190DCBB112086.5204.61833170950013214062.422425400231037
NightstalkersAndrew Whitehead230090BBBA1327127.5504.021228920001317917968.801225203470108
NightstalkersLindsay230050AC+BC1628156.2504.124733717001616716855.100421222230023
NightstalkersJason Miszczyszyn230015C+BCC1223107.2204.018923400001213814052.700700050530005
NightstalkersMatthew Trewella230055B+BCC1524137.1403.922125710001516016255.700710022761033
Noble UndeadSimon Gilbert2300130BBBB1523116.3395.021841803011015015464.930404003020126
Northern AllianceEric Caramancion 230020BBBA1424116.8424.52083304000015915970.141134272241207
Northern AllianceJohn McGarry230045C+CBB1324106.2204.320732511011116816867.451323215013307
Northern AllianceBrendan Cousins230085C+BCB1323107.0523.81992720500415115160.251414365241315
OgresBruce Tobin230080CCCC1122116.1304.518128501000013614256.630212141000208
OgresTrent Walker230015BCBB1425136.1404.62183530900014815165.040233202000105
OgresYan Zhi Lai230020BBCB1422136.6604.52073051400013813867.743254042041014
OrcsWalter Dirix23005BCCA1625126.1204.22303131000016818075.131317200150065
RatkinOswald Wendt230055C+BC+C+1323117.4504.52083260500116817256.941424100152306
SalamandersDamien Madigan230040CBBB+1123106.5344.71953650300016516568.240304635221119
The HerdBen Rantall2300155C+ACB1321118.1704.22063012000015115165.9301232112371318
The HerdDan Harwood230055BACB1420127.4614.52063223000014214266.7325220214250408
The HerdPatrick Williamson230075BACB+1427127.5724.42073073000016216269.1413330114260418
The HerdTony Winmill230035BA+BC1421128.2834.22033253800013313351.2423221014380517
The Order of the Green LadyAdam S230015CA+CB11221010.0404.81703002600012512768.43222600411100206
Trident Realm of NeriticaAge Zae230065BC+BB1526115.9503.92313111020716216268.1602622160013316
Trident Realm of NeriticaJon Turkich230040BBBC+1525126.3213.72312815030313813857.8301043370211223
UndeadMitchell Millington230075BBBB1226117.3564.919537204011015415467.242324201251027
UndeadScott Marshall230075BBB+C+1226106.8265.0204396110011014915558.7312034221301010
UndeadMatthew Sellick230085BBBB1327116.6484.422336817211017918560.931214002032026
UndeadCraig Smellie230065BBBB1425116.6274.323840203213018718761.741231201122406
VarangurMichael Clarke230015BBBA1424116.4304.42223540601516116673.131124347040125
VarangurSteve Houghton230045ACBA1529145.9404.12343575020517917970.330135335020138
VarangurOwen Jones230095BBBB1425136.9804.12153373050516016067.150145125150228
AVERAGE2300.059.582.983.083.083.013.924.311.26.73.61.94.4215.5351.41.64.10.71.91.6155.4159.062.23.51.02.82.03.02.32.73.72.14.01.11.62.36.3
STDEV0.038.86.87.07.07.02.03.11.61.12.03.00.424.869.82.25.52.04.03.722.922.17.51.30.91.51.31.71.92.53.82.22.82.31.42.61.8

What do I think of these? A few notes: Traish’s Dwarf list is tough. Everyone expects Dwarfs to have good offense and defense, but he somehow manages to mitigate some of their weaknesses by having a list reasonably tuned for speed and scenario play (from a Dwarf perspective). Stephen Tuck takes a similar approach with his Free Dwarf list. Note that in the US Masters, many Dwarf lists looked great on paper, but they’re prone to bad match-ups. Will Ordered March change that for scenario play?

A number of Goblin lists look great as well. It’s tough to pick against Stephen Devenish, but Antony Lee brings a fun mix: you get all the drops and US of a goblin list, but with plenty of speed 10 fleabag riders to force the issue. I’m curious to see how it performs, but on paper it’s a scary mix.

On a pure damage standpoint, Stephen Tuck should do 82.0 expected damage per turn (anticipated output if all units hit at the same time against a def 4 opponent), leading the way. Walter Dirix has a punchy Orc list that comes in second with 75.1, and Adrian Scott is third with 73.8. Steve Houghton’s Varangur list could be a surprise: high damage, decent scenario play (29 US, 14 scoring drops), reasonable survivability between stealthy, regen, and iron resolve, and some moderate speed.

Finally, I really like the EoD lists. I can’t wait to see how they play, but they should be strong enough to out-grind most opponents and still have the US and drops to compete with the rest of the field (sans goblins). Nick Prosser’s list has the most grind ability with avg defense of 4.8, 22 heal, and 9 lifeleech. That’s a tough match-up that can out-grind most opponents.

Conclusions

What do you think? Any lists you particularly love or hate in the field?

Below is the Excel file with all the data supporting this. As you note errors, please let me know so I can fix them going forward!

armiesDownload

The Clash of Kings Australia 2024 is a testament to the dynamic and strategic richness of Kings of War. As we’ve seen, data not only tells the story of this tournament but also hints at the evolving nature of the game. Stay tuned to ‘Data and Dice’ for more in-depth analysis and passionate discussions about all things Kings of War.

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