Lead for Team 6 Grots in a Trench Coat
Written By: Sebastien Demeule
About three months ago, after the Goonhammer Open in Winnipeg, another event caught my attention, one that was different from what I was used to. The Western Canada Team Championship is a competitive Warhammer 40k event in a team format. I had never experienced such a format before, but I was aware of its existence through events like the World Team Championship, which attracts some of the best players from around the world.
To attend a team event, the most important thing you need is a team. I went to work and talked with some of my friends and regular opponents locally. Thanks to Matt here, who did a lot of work on that front, we were able to form a team. Our team consisted of me, our team captain Matt, Rudy, Wilfred, Ben, and Andrew. All of us had been doing events in and around Winnipeg for a few years and had a good grasp of the game, but none of us had team event experience. From there, we had to figure it out.
About a month before WCTC, the World Team was being held in Austria, and many of the team members produce content online, so I kept a close eye on that to see how the team aspect actually works. I also knew that the competition in Saskatoon would likely be tougher than what we are used to in Winnipeg, as many teams travel from out of province to Saskatoon, and for most of them, it wasn’t their first time. With that information, I got to work and sorted everyone with armies. My plan was to keep the players with armies they were comfortable with, rather than trying to change too much and putting them in unfamiliar situations. Our team ended up playing Space Marines, World Eaters, Emperor’s Children, Imperial Knights, Orks, and Thousand Sons. To my surprise, all the players were very motivated to improve their level of play and get lots of practice. Most even started playing on TTS, so they had more chances to play. Overall, the team formation, building, and practice were enjoyable, and I was pleased with the team and our motivation.
On the way to the event, most of the players seemed excited, but we also needed to manage expectations. I knew our inexperience would slow us down, so the goal was to go there, have fun, and improve our games as we experience a higher level of play that we don’t usually encounter. Everyone got on board with that goal.
We knew our first pairing was where we risked facing one of the bigger teams, as it was a random match-up among the 16 teams. Oh god, did we get served, Trident Gold, arguably one of the best teams present in the room. The goal was to warm up. We expected a tough fight and aimed to avoid losing too badly, making them earn the win. I think we succeeded in that. We didn’t give up a single 0-20, and we even managed a draw, but no wins. I was personally paired with an Astra Militarum player with a lot of high-level tournament experience. I learned a few things as I made mistakes against an opponent who knew exactly what to exploit. Trident Gold went on to finish second in the event.
Our second pairing was with another team that lost their first round, and we thought we would meet our match there. We faced Weapons of Cash Destruction, another very good team. We managed to put in results and lost the round once more, but that meant we were only 2 points away from a draw. That team finished the event in 4th position.
Our third pairing was with One Ping Only. The pairing process went much better as we gained experience, and we had more favourable matchups than bad ones. We fought hard and managed to score more points than our opponents, but we would have needed an extra 2 points to snag the win, so we walked away with a draw.
That wrapped up our first day. The morale was high, and we looked forward to day 2. We knew we would face teams with experience more similar to ours, and we believed we could secure a win. My two games in rounds 2 and 3 were against Necrons, which I knew were very good matchups for me (World Eaters). We could pit the WE against Necrons again, along with a few other good pairings. Day 2 arrived, as did round 4, but the pairing didn’t go as well. Instead of Necrons, it was Chaos Knights (very unfavourable), and some other players on the team had similarly tough matchups. We fought as hard as we could, but we couldn't come close to a draw against Team MTG Refugees.
Going into game 5, we had one draw and three losses, and we were probably fighting for last place. We were paired with another Trident team, Obsidian, this time. We knew they had experienced players, and it would be another tough match. The pairing process went better, with only two matchups that weren’t ideal, but several others were favourable. One of our less favourable matchups turned into a win, and everyone else fought as hard as they could, winning four out of six games, which put us ahead of the draw and into the win column.
We finished the events with one win, one draw, and three losses, placing us 12th out of 16 teams since we had more battle points than others with similar records. The team was mentally exhausted, as some described the five games as the most challenging they had faced in a single event, and they weren't wrong. It was by far the hardest Warhammer I have ever played, and the added pressure of not letting the team down was also overwhelming.
From my perspective, the experience was definitely worth it. I am looking forward to the next team event. With the newfound experience, we understand what to work on and where to focus our energy to make the next event more successful. All team members gained valuable experience from this event. Some learned to pair, some learned to play with clocks, and others were introduced to new play patterns and tactics they hadn't encountered before. I can confidently say that, from my point of view, the event was a success. I really enjoyed playing with my team, and I am forever grateful for the support I received, even after facing some of the toughest matchups and the most exhausting battles imaginable. Still, they always approached it with a warrior spirit and the best attitude one could hope for. I would be more than happy to be part of the same team at the next event.
To Andrew, Wilfred, Rudy, Ben and Matt, thank you for joining me on this crazy adventure!
