Matchup analysis → Priority Assets mirror
Priority Assets mirror — Sabotage
Warhammer 40,000 11th edition · GDM 2026 matched play · primary mission matchup
Priority Assets and Priority Assets come out dead even.
| Force disposition | Primary mission card | Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Priority Assets | Sabotage | 10 |
| Priority Assets | Sabotage | 10 |
- The matchup in a nutshell
- Playing Priority Assets
- Playing Priority Assets
- The three layouts
- Decision points
The matchup in a nutshell
The lowest ceiling in the matrix on paper, and the widest army it rewards. Holding pays a flat 4 VP no matter how much ground you own, while sabotage pays per unit — and 5 VP instead of 3 when that unit is in the enemy's half. So both of you are paid to push cheap bodies forward and to slam the door on the way back.
| Priority Assets (side 0) | Priority Assets (side 1) | |
|---|---|---|
| Card | Sabotage | Sabotage |
| Scores at | mixed | mixed |
| Hold window | 0 enemy turns | 0 enemy turns |
| Exposure | 17/20 | 17/20 |
| Activation cost | 14/20 | 14/20 |
A hold window of zero changes where the fight is. Nobody has to survive anything: you walk on, the turn ends, you get paid. Which means there is no window to shoot them off the marker afterwards — by the time it matters, they have already banked it. Denial on this card happens before the grab, not after. You are not buying reactions. You are buying space.
Playing Priority Assets
Your card: Sabotage. Scoring checkpoint: mixed. Hold window: 0 enemy turns.
How you score
Hold 1 objective, cheaply, for 4 VP a round. Then send units to commit sabotage: 3 VP each, 5 VP each in their territory. Three cheap units in their half is 15 VP a turn, which no amount of objective holding will match.
What it costs you
Every sabotaging unit spends its turn not shooting, and the good version of the plan sends it where it will probably die. That is fine — a unit that sabotages in their half has already banked 5 VP before it dies. Losing it is a business expense, not a disaster. Exposure 17/20, activation cost 14/20.
How you break them
Screen your own territory. Every enemy unit you keep out of your half turns their 5 VP into 3. That is a 40% pay cut for a job a single cheap unit can do, and it is the highest-value defensive action on this card. Beyond that, punish the sabotage units: they are cheap, they are alone in your deployment zone, and they are not shooting back.
What your list needs
- Numbers. The card pays per unit, so three 60-point units beat one 200-point unit every single time.
- Mobility — the sabotage has to happen in their half to pay full price.
- One durable holder for the flat 4 VP, and nothing more spent on objectives.
- A screen along your own territory edge. It denies 2 VP per enemy unit per turn and pays for itself immediately.
Playing Priority Assets
Your card: Sabotage. Scoring checkpoint: mixed. Hold window: 0 enemy turns.
How you score
Hold 1 objective, cheaply, for 4 VP a round. Then send units to commit sabotage: 3 VP each, 5 VP each in their territory. Three cheap units in their half is 15 VP a turn, which no amount of objective holding will match.
What it costs you
Every sabotaging unit spends its turn not shooting, and the good version of the plan sends it where it will probably die. That is fine — a unit that sabotages in their half has already banked 5 VP before it dies. Losing it is a business expense, not a disaster. Exposure 17/20, activation cost 14/20.
How you break them
Screen your own territory. Every enemy unit you keep out of your half turns their 5 VP into 3. That is a 40% pay cut for a job a single cheap unit can do, and it is the highest-value defensive action on this card. Beyond that, punish the sabotage units: they are cheap, they are alone in your deployment zone, and they are not shooting back.
What your list needs
- Numbers. The card pays per unit, so three 60-point units beat one 200-point unit every single time.
- Mobility — the sabotage has to happen in their half to pay full price.
- One durable holder for the flat 4 VP, and nothing more spent on objectives.
- A screen along your own territory edge. It denies 2 VP per enemy unit per turn and pays for itself immediately.
The three layouts
Priority Assets mirror is played on one of three boards, and they are not the same game. All three are transcribed and measured below.
| Board | Deployment | Openness | Centre exposure | Cost to raid a home marker | No-man's-land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Layout 1 | diagonal across the short axis | 4/20 | 5.1% | 50% | 1.6% |
| Layout 2 | diagonal across the long axis | 5/20 | 10% | 39.1% | 0% |
| Layout 3 | diagonal across the long axis | 4/20 | 13.7% | 40.5% | 1.8% |
- Layout 1 — diagonal across the short axis, openness 4/20. The middle is free real estate: there is a legal spot within range of a central marker that only 5.1% of the enemy deployment zone can see. Home markers are a fortress: taking one means standing in front of 50% of their deployment zone. No-man's-land markers sit at 1.6%. Almost anywhere you stand near a marker (92% of legal spots) can be put fully out of sight.
- Layout 2 — diagonal across the long axis, openness 5/20. The middle is free real estate: there is a legal spot within range of a central marker that only 10% of the enemy deployment zone can see. Raiding a home marker costs 39.1% exposure — real, but payable with one screened unit. No-man's-land markers sit at 0%. 82% of the legal holding spots can go fully out of sight — pick the spot, not the marker.
- Layout 3 — diagonal across the long axis, openness 4/20. The middle is contested ground — the best holding spot on a central marker is still visible to 13.7% of the enemy deployment zone. Raiding a home marker costs 40.5% exposure — real, but payable with one screened unit. No-man's-land markers sit at 1.8%. Almost anywhere you stand near a marker (96% of legal spots) can be put fully out of sight.
If your plan needs enemy ground, Layout 2 is where it is cheapest (39.1% exposure against 50% on Layout 1) — the same raid can be a bargain or a suicide depending on which board you drew.
Numbers are measured on the transcribed sheets: every legal spot within control range of each marker is tested, and the best one is reported — the way a real player looks for the safest place to stand, not the middle of the marker.
Decision points
- Deployment — how many units can you afford to lose per turn? That number is your score rate.
- Every turn — push or consolidate? Push, unless it costs you the single held objective.
- Round 5 — no end-of-battle bonus exists, so maximise simultaneous sabotage on the last turn.
Ratings and why
Every score is an integer out of 20. For edge, 10 is dead even and the score is given for side 0; the other metrics are absolute, per side. How these are derived →
| Metric | Score | Confidence | Basis | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| edge (for Priority Assets) | 10/20 | high | theory | Mirror: identical cards. |
Priority Assets (side 0)
| Metric | Score | Confidence | Basis | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ceiling | 14/20 | medium | theory | Per-unit sabotage scoring (3 VP, +2 VP in enemy territory) scales with unit count but has no big single payout. |
| floor | 12/20 | medium | theory | A flat 4 VP hold line plus one sabotage a turn is reliable even from a losing board. |
| tempo | 13/20 | medium | theory | Sabotage resolves at the end of your turn, so it rewards pushing forward on your own activation. |
| complexity | 11/20 | medium | theory | Simple engine, but the enemy-territory rider forces a real risk calculation every turn. |
| exposure | 17/20 | medium | theory | Sabotage is worth 5 VP instead of 3 in the opponent territory, so the card explicitly pays you to send units where they die. |
| activationCost | 14/20 | medium | theory | Each scoring unit spends its turn sabotaging rather than shooting. |
Priority Assets (side 1)
| Metric | Score | Confidence | Basis | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ceiling | 14/20 | medium | theory | Mirror: both players hold this card, so the profile is identical on each side. |
| floor | 12/20 | medium | theory | Mirror: both players hold this card, so the profile is identical on each side. |
| tempo | 13/20 | medium | theory | Mirror: both players hold this card, so the profile is identical on each side. |
| complexity | 11/20 | medium | theory | Mirror: both players hold this card, so the profile is identical on each side. |
| exposure | 17/20 | medium | theory | Sabotage is worth 5 VP instead of 3 in the opponent territory, so the card explicitly pays you to send units where they die. |
| activationCost | 14/20 | medium | theory | Each scoring unit spends its turn sabotaging rather than shooting. |
Playbook
Playing Priority Assets (side 0)
- This card moves its checkpoint during the game, so the same grab costs a full enemy turn early and nothing late — price the grab accordingly before committing a unit to it.
- Screen your own territory. Every enemy unit you keep out of your half turns their 5 VP into 3. That is a 40% pay cut for a job a single cheap unit can do, and it is the highest-value defensive action on this card. Beyond that, punish the sabotage units: they are cheap, they are alone in your deployment zone, and they are not shooting back.
- Priority Assets needs: Numbers. The card pays per unit, so three 60-point units beat one 200-point unit every single time. Mobility — the sabotage has to happen in their half to pay full price. One durable holder for the flat 4 VP, and nothing more spent on objectives. A screen along your own territory edge. It denies 2 VP per enemy unit per turn and pays for itself immediately.
Playing Priority Assets (side 1)
- This card moves its checkpoint during the game, so the same grab costs a full enemy turn early and nothing late — price the grab accordingly before committing a unit to it.
Applies to both sides
- The hold line is flat (4 VP for one or more objectives, home excluded), so a second and third objective are worth zero — the scaling is entirely in the number of units that sabotage.
- Sabotaging inside the opponent territory is worth 5 VP per unit instead of 3, so the mirror is a forward-pressure race, not a home-sitting race.
- Screen your own territory: every enemy unit you keep out of it downgrades their sabotage from 5 VP to 3 VP.
- Holding 3 objectives feels safe and scores exactly the same as holding one — the units are wasted.
- Measured across all 45 transcribed layouts: a central objective can be held from a spot only 4.6% of the enemy deployment zone can see (best board 0%), while taking an enemy home objective means standing where a median of 47.7% of their deployment zone has line of sight, rising to 91.7% on the most exposed board. Cards that pay for enemy home objectives are charging you that difference, and the board decides the price.
- All three boards for this pairing are transcribed and measured. Layout 1 (diagonal across the short axis) reads 4/20 for openness, Layout 2 (diagonal across the long axis) reads 5/20 for openness, Layout 3 (diagonal across the long axis) reads 4/20 for openness. Taking a home marker off the opponent costs 39.1% deployment-zone exposure on Layout 2 and 50% on Layout 1 — the same play, priced very differently. Central markers stay the safest ground on all three, bottoming out at 5.1% on Layout 1.
Frequently asked
Who is favoured in the Priority Assets mirror match?
Priority Assets and Priority Assets come out dead even.
How do you stop your opponent scoring in the Priority Assets mirror?
Screen your own territory. Every enemy unit you keep out of your half turns their 5 VP into 3. That is a 40% pay cut for a job a single cheap unit can do, and it is the highest-value defensive action on this card. Beyond that, punish the sabotage units: they are cheap, they are alone in your deployment zone, and they are not shooting back.
What units does a Priority Assets list need for this mission?
Priority Assets needs: Numbers. The card pays per unit, so three 60-point units beat one 200-point unit every single time. Mobility — the sabotage has to happen in their half to pay full price. One durable holder for the flat 4 VP, and nothing more spent on objectives. A screen along your own territory edge. It denies 2 VP per enemy unit per turn and pays for itself immediately.
How does the Priority Assets primary mission card score?
The hold line is flat (4 VP for one or more objectives, home excluded), so a second and third objective are worth zero — the scaling is entirely in the number of units that sabotage. Sabotaging inside the opponent territory is worth 5 VP per unit instead of 3, so the mirror is a forward-pressure race, not a home-sitting race.
What are the common mistakes in this matchup?
Holding 3 objectives feels safe and scores exactly the same as holding one — the units are wasted.
Related matchups
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Provenance
- Status: draft — ratings carry their own confidence and basis above.
- Written against the GDM 2026 matched play data snapshot pinned as
2026-05-09 23:42:21. - Subjects analysed:
gdm:disposition/priority-assets,gdm:primary/priority-assets/sabotage. - Machine-readable: JSON · Markdown source