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So lately I have been trying out Grand Master Mordrak and using his First into the Fray ability. He is also usually accompanied by a librarian. I use this to kill a high value target on first turn while the rest of my army moves across the board. Basically I drop in and use Warp Rift + 12 storm bolter shot to take out something like a long fang unit or a few tanks that are fairly close together. The auto penetrate ability on the warp rift is very useful. Last time I used it, I was able to remove 17 Necron warriors on first turn. That was fun. On subsequent turns I use the summoning power to bring something in close and assault with the terminators.

I have had very good success with this build and was wondering if anyone else has had experience with this?

I asked about him in my GK alpha strike sneaky strategy thread which sadly got no replies: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/388154.page

Maybe your thread will have better luck.

Warp Rift can be great a lot of times. But what do you do next turn when the rest of their army is right next to you? Does the Mordrak squad end up getting almost wiped out next turn?

Also, regarding summoning, how often do you get mishaps? It seems far too dangerous to me to use that power (the homer or whatever it is called that the Librarian has does not work with Summoning according to just about everyone). If you are playing it differently, great for you, but I don't think anyone in my area would allow it.

Mordrak and friends usually last a few turns because of the 2+ and the fact that the rest of my army moved forward 12" as well so they still have quite a few targets.

In my area, we generally abide by the INAT which states that teleport homer does prevent scatter.

I've eaten him twice with DE. A month ago, my opponent Deep Struck (?) him and a libby, plus buddies far away from support. The first time, I got half my army in reserve (half of 1850), and with a ravager, 8 Trublasters, a couple venoms, a liquiifier and wyche-*pistols*, I'd shot them completely down. The wyches didn't have anything to assault. I guess that 10 TH/SS termies would have done a wee bit better.

Last week, same opponent, same unit. Mordrak and crew got the jump on a set of wyches after they'd shot their raider down. Mo' and buddies beat the girls, who failed morale and ran away. It took a second set of girls and maybe 5 total rounds of h2h, but they finished him and the libby off.

Along with the Dreadknight, he's a GK unit I'm not impressed with, given how horrifyingly destructive psyfileman and purifiers are to DE.

I suppose I need to face him with a better general behind the dice.

Ghost Knights do have stealth, so they shouldn't be much worse as TH/SS termies if they are in cover.

Actually, ghost knights don't have stealth. You have to use shrouding to give it to them.

Against DE, I would never DS him. That would be suicide. I would have him ride in the extra LRC that is in my list as a back up transport.

Hellstorm wrote:Actually, ghost knights don't have stealth. You have to use shrouding to give it to them.

NO, Ghost Knights DO have Stealth. This is stated under the "Ghostly Bodyguard" rule on Mordrak's page. ( Just like the Space Wolves Lone Wolf has common rules embedded inside a special ability ).

Shrouding does nothing to them since they already have Stealth.

Just a heads up, Mordrak cannot be accompanied by anyone other than his Ghost Knights (he hasn't got the Independant Character rule). So the trick of putting a Librarian in with him doesn't really work.

L. Wrex

EDIT: Scratch that, I've figured out how it works. Provided Mordrak has at least one bodyguard he counts as an upgrade character for a unit, and thus a character can then join said unit. My bad

Lycaeus Wrex wrote:Just a heads up, Mordrak cannot be accompanied by anyone other than his Ghost Knights (he hasn't got the Independant Character rule). So the trick of putting a Librarian in with him doesn't really work.

Sorry, that is wrong. Any IC can join the unit of Ghosts Knights, of which Mordrak is a part.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Lycaeus Wrex wrote:EDIT: Scratch that, I've figured out how it works. Provided Mordrak has at least one bodyguard he counts as an upgrade character for a unit, and thus a character can then join said unit. My bad

This is right.

Hellstorm wrote:
I have had very good success with this build and was wondering if anyone else has had experience with this?

I have faced him and am not impressed. Yes, he is scary, but the minute he dies, the rest disappear as well. So, he is even more vulnerable to the termie armies gamble. Also, once he DSes, he is slow. It takes one turn of shooting usually to send him off.

Has anyone tried deep striking him with a techmarine, kitted out with rad,psycho nades, and warding stave. I could see this being a pretty hard to deal with unit. The techmarine can bolster the units cover and increase survivability.

unityvybe wrote:Has anyone tried deep striking him with a techmarine, kitted out with rad,psycho nades, and warding stave. I could see this being a pretty hard to deal with unit. The techmarine can bolster the units cover and increase survivability.

Bolster only works on a ruin in your own deployment area.

It is better to take an Inquisitor in TDA with a psycannon to hit side or rear armor, or a Libararian to use warp rift and other psyker powers.