Top Cards from Each Rivals Deck at the World Championships of Warhammer 2025

I had the privilege of joining Phil from the What the Hex?! streaming the World Championships and catching a lot of the biggest games live, from early feature matches to the semi-finals and finals. (Catch the replays on their YouTube channel.) Watching from the desk is like getting a director’s cut of the meta: you don’t just see what wins—you see why it wins. After the dust settled, I went through all 66 Nemesis lists to pull the choices that kept showing up in the hands of the best players in the world.

Here’s the headline. The field coalesced around a simple recipe: pair reliable aggression with flexible scoring and movement. That’s how we got the champion—The Wurmspat running Blazing Assault + Reckless Fury—and a runner-up meta built on Elathain’s Soulraid with Blazing Assault + Pillage and Plunder. Third place leaned the same way but swapped the flex engine: Zarbag’s Gitz with Deadly Synergy + Pillage and Plunder. If you’re looking for a blueprint, that’s it in one sentence: punch cleanly, move efficiently, score consistently.

Thanks to some quick work by Skyler (also from What the Hex?!) in collecting all 66 decks, I was able to analyze the decks to identify key cards. Below, I break down every Rivals deck that showed up at Worlds, why players chose it, which warbands rode it deep, and—most importantly—the three Objectives, Ploys, and Upgrades from each set that the field trusted most, including how often they were chosen. If you’re building for events, this is the short list you start from.

To see the full list of decks, check out Skyler's spreadsheet.

Blazing Assault

Blazing Assault was everywhere at the top tables for good reason: it’s the cleanest “make contact, get paid” package in Nemesis. It starred in the winning list (Wurmspat) and anchored multiple deep runs with Mollog’s Mob and Elathain’s Soulraid. The common thread was tempo: get in, connect, and convert early glory into staying power.

Objectives

  • Get Stuck In (100%) — Turn-one glory for doing what aggro already wants to do; that early upgrade snowball wins close sets.

  • Critical Effort (100%) — Rewards the first real brawl; pairs with accuracy spikes to push damage over the top.

  • Keep Choppin’ (96.3%) — Sustains pressure across the round; repeated swings force awkward defenses and resource drains.

Ploys

  • Lure of Battle (100%) — Drags fights onto your preferred hexes; converts board presence into immediate payoff.

  • Determined Effort (92.6%) — Variance fixer on key attacks; keeps “should score” turns from stalling out.

  • Healing Potion (88.9%) — One extra activation on a keystone fighter is often the match in mirrors.

Upgrades

  • Accurate (100%) — Converts volume of attacks into reliability; the quiet MVP in long rounds.

  • Great Strength (96.3%) — Cracks vital damage thresholds so you close instead of chipping.

  • Great Fortitude (88.9%) — Buys time to cash end-phase scoring when the counterpunch lands.

Pillage and Plunder

If Blazing Assault is the hammer, Pillage and Plunder is the toolkit. It was the most represented Rivals deck in the room and paired with everything from Soulraid to Jaws of Itzl to Gitz. The best pilots used it to glide between control and aggro mid-game, cashing in Delves, movement edges, and quiet two-glory swings that win brackets.

Objectives

  • Broken Prospects (100%) — Pays you for engaging the token game you’re already playing; simple, live, reliable.

  • Share the Load (100%) — Safe board spread turns into points even when the scrum stalls.

  • Against the Odds (96.4%) — Converts messy boards into bankable glory—great catch-up lever when tempo slips.

Ploys

  • Wary Delver (89.3%) — Greases the Delve engine without exposing fighters; “do the thing, score the thing.”

  • Trapped Cache (85.7%) — Chip damage that flips holds and breaks defensive math.

  • Sidestep (64.3%) — The best one-hex nudge in the format; fixes angles and end-phase lines.

Upgrades

  • Impossibly Quick (96.4%) — Hard to be upset about increased survivability; dead fighters can't Delve.

  • Canny Sapper (92.9%) — Sneaky relocation that protects leads and sets late-phase locks.

  • Gloryseeker (78.6%) — Efficient damage scaling once the brawl starts.

Deadly Synergy

Deadly Synergy rewards clean sequencing and teamwork. It showed up in third place with Gitz and repeatedly popped on camera when players chained assists and “do-the-thing” turns into locked end-phases. If your warband likes to work in pairs, this deck turns that plan into inevitability.

Objectives

  • Outmuscle (100%) — Always on for pair-play warbands; sequencing matters more than matchup.

  • Aggressive Unity (91.7%) — “Play your game” scoring that’s live in most board states.

  • Infiltrate (75.0%) — Natural fit when pressure is spread; helps swing priority lanes.

Ploys

  • Defiant Duo (83.3%) — Two-fighter inevitability that powers mid-round conversions.

  • Out of Nowhere (83.3%) — Surprise angle-fix that punishes false safety.

  • Brother-in-Arms (79.2%) — The glue for combo turns; assists become real damage.

Upgrades

  • Titan of Combat (100%) — Pays you for synergy play; locks in leads once you’re ahead.

  • Coordinated Deathblow (91.7%) — Raises your damage ceiling through clean setups.

  • Duellist (75.0%) — Keeps a key piece relevant deep into round three.

Reckless Fury

When Reckless Fury paired with Blazing Assault, you could feel the table tilt. This is the “close in three activations” half of the champion’s pairing. It’s less about subtlety and more about forcing your opponent to have exactly the right answer, right now.

Objectives

  • Best Foot Forward (100%) — Turn-one momentum plus territory pressure; sets the tone immediately.

  • Frenzied Rush (100%) — Forces answers, or you run away with the board.

  • Red Aftermath (100%) — Clincher objective for explosive sequences.

Ploys

  • Reckless Attitudes (100%) — Embrace the variance and cash the ceiling; great for spike turns.

  • Diving In (85.7%) — Commitment tool that flips attack math in your favor.

  • Push Through (57.1%) — Ensures overextensions actually connect.

Upgrades

  • Headlong Charge (100%) — Extends threat and warps opponent positioning.

  • Headcase (71.4%) — Keeps the chain rolling once you’re in the pocket.

  • Bellowing Tyrant (42.9%) — Extra reach on boards where you must manufacture the fight.

Countdown to Cataclysm

This one didn’t flood the room, but when it appeared, it had purpose—disrupt, counter-punch, and cash big end-phase swings. It fit the players who wanted to punish overreach without giving up their own ability to close.

Objectives

  • The Perfect Cut (92.9%) — Precise fights, precise scoring; ideal for pilots who pick targets.

  • Spread Havoc (85.7%) — Anti-castle pressure that taxes clumped boards.

  • Loaded for Bear (85.7%) — High floor while you advance your plan.

Ploys

  • Improvised Attack (100%) — “Gotcha” damage that punishes sloppy angles and bad lines.

  • Counter-charge (92.9%) — Flips activation-order pressure onto the opponent.

  • Total Collapse (85.7%) — Late-round hammer once you’ve softened the table.

Upgrades

  • Utter Conviction (100%) — The closer; turns a lead into a lock.

  • Great Fortitude (64.3%) — Keeps anchors alive to cash the end-phase.

  • Desperate Rage (64.3%) — Converts trades into favorable dice math.

Emberstone Sentinels

If you like games decided by positioning and patience, Emberstone Sentinels quietly over-performed. I saw multiple matches where Sentinels pilots stalled explosive opponents, then walked the scoreboard up with surgical end-phases.

Objectives

  • Iron Grasp (100%) — Board control that pays rent every round.

  • Aggressive Defender (100%) — Encourages controlled counterpunching; perfect into rash aggro.

  • Supremacy (81.2%) — Classic for a reason; Sentinels make it look routine.

Ploys

  • Settle In (100%) — Establish your fortress; everything else unlocks from here.

  • Confusion (100%) — Breaks end-phase math and steals points.

  • Healing Potion (93.8%) — Buys the one activation your scoring needs.

Upgrades

  • Agile (93.8%) — Positioning stickiness that frustrates chase decks.

  • Great Fortitude (93.8%) — Staple resilience in long rounds.

  • Great Strength (93.8%) — Turns control into threat—forces respect.

Edge of the Knife

High-risk, high-reward—every activation felt like a dare, and the players who threaded the needle made this look terrifying. When it hit the table, you could feel the viewer count spike.

Objectives

  • Behind Enemy Lines (100%) — Announces pressure from the jump and creates scoring windows.

  • Calm Before the Storm (100%) — Set up without ceding tempo; unusual and powerful.

  • Risky Position (100%) — The audible that rewards brave pilots and precise timing.

Ploys

  • Fake Out! (100%) — Steals a tempo window you “shouldn’t” have; flips a losing round.

  • Opportunity Strikes (100%) — Always-on threat that punishes tiny errors.

  • Power from Death (100%) — Turns attrition into advantage; perfect for grindy matches.

Upgrades

  • Parting Shot (100%) — Wins end-round exchanges by forcing bad math.

  • Sharpened Points (100%) — Reliability for razor-thin margins.

  • Dark Horse (83.3%) — Surprise pop that swings odds at the exact right time.

Raging Slayers

Raging Slayers did exactly what it says on the tin. It wasn’t the most popular, but when pilots wanted simple, forward momentum, this set kept the pressure meter pinned.

Objectives

  • Best Foot Forward (100%) — Territory and threat from activation one.

  • Unrelenting Massacre (80.0%) — Keeps a lead rolling when you’re already in the mix.

  • No Contest (80.0%) — Converts pressure into points without a fancy setup.

Ploys

  • Venting Strike (80.0%) — Checks greedy positioning and flips contested hexes.

  • Knife to the Heart (60.0%) — Puts real fear into key enemy pieces.

  • What Pain? (60.0%) — Keeps your offense online through chip and counterpunch.

Upgrades

  • Haymaker (100%) — Sets the tone; when it lands, boards crumble.

  • Keen Eye (60.0%) — Accuracy so your crucial swings matter.

  • United in Anger (60.0%) — Pushes a lead across the finish line.

Wrack and Ruin

Wrack and Ruin was rare, but it played a different game—slow the board down, make every approach awkward, and cash inevitability. When that plan clicked, opponents looked like they were running uphill.

Objectives

  • Alone in the Dark (100%) — Bottles the game and forces bad approaches.

  • Bloody and Bruised (100%) — Scrappy scoring tailor-made for grindy matches.

  • Stay Close (100%) — Makes them fight on your terms.

Ploys

  • Confusion (100%) — Blows up tidy end-phase math when it matters most.

  • Damned if You Do (100%) — No-win decision points for the opponent.

  • Fireproof (100%) — Keeps anchors on the table long enough to cash end-phase.

Upgrades

  • Great Speed (100%) — Surprise reach to reclaim lanes and angles.

  • Wary Tread (100%) — Stability in movement puzzles; denies soft punts.

  • Sundering Weapon (66.7%) — Breaks defensive tech when you must push damage.

Hunting Grounds

The niche control pick. With the right pilot, it turned boards into puzzles that only one player had the key to. Even in losses, it forced longer games and awkward fights.

Objectives

  • Back Off! (100%) — Resets bad scrums; buys time against racers.

  • Home Advantage (100%) — Rewards disciplined territory play over haymakers.

  • Lead by Example (100%) — Smooth scoring while you set the bubble.

Ploys

  • Deny Invaders (100%) — “Not here.” Shuts down enemy lines before they form.

  • Mind Your Step (100%) — Punishes overreach and preserves spacing.

  • Poor Footing (50.0%) — The extra nudge to force fights onto your terms.

Upgrades

  • Hidden Aid (100%) — Early stabilization so your plan survives contact.

  • Great Speed (50.0%) — Reach to reclaim control lanes.

  • Killing Blow (50.0%) — Efficient finishing when you must trade.

So…what should you actually include?

If you’re aiming for the Worlds blueprint, start from the pairings that went deepest: Blazing Assault + Reckless Fury for relentless pressure, or Blazing Assault + Pillage and Plunder for a more flexible, movement-rich approach. If your warband thrives on teamwork and clean activation order, Deadly Synergy + Pillage and Plunder gave pilots a steady scoring floor with a real ceiling. From there, trim down to the card clusters above—they’re the ones champions relied on when every roll, push, and hex mattered.