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Detachment: Ork Great Waaagh-Band (2016 Waaagh Ghazkull Supplement)

Command (804 pts): "Council of the Waaagh!"

-Big Mek, Mega Force Field
-Ghazghkull Thraka
-Mad Dok Grotsnik
-Nobz (2x), Boss Nob, Trukk w/ Rokkit Launcha, Reinforced Ram
-Warboss, Mega Armour
-Warboss, Mega Armour

Core (750 pts): "Waaagh!-band"

-Boyz (10x)
-Boyz (10x)
-Boyz (10x)
-Boyz (10x)
-Boyz (10x) Trukk w/ Rokkit Launcha, Reinforced Ram
-Boyz (10x) Trukk w/ Rokkit Launcha, Reinforced Ram
-Gretchin (10x), Runtherd
-Mek
-Nobz (2x), Boss Nob, Warbikes for Mob
-Warboss, Warbike, Da Lucky Stikk, Power Klaw

Auxiliary (294 pts):

-Lootas (6x)
-Lootas (5x)
-Lootas (5x)
-Lootas (5x)
-Lootas (5x)

Total: 1848 pts


Explanation

After ITC banned the "Green Tide" formation in 2016, most competitive Ork lists were pigeon-holed into taking a 'bikerstar' Zhadsnark list and/or Buzzgob's Big Mek Stompa. While these are both incredibly powerful Forgeworld options, the absence of "Green Tide" armies at competitive events deprived many Ork lists of massive hordes of Boyz screaming down the table, a sight we love to associate with 'true' Orky behavior! In this context, many Ork players dismissed the 2016 Ghazkhull supplement release (a revitalization of its 2014 counterpart) because it was thought to contain no viable competitive options.

This list seeks to refute that prevailing wisdom. It makes use of the Decurion-style "Great Waaagh! Band" Detachment to engage in a simple but effective scheme built around Ghazghkull Thraka's special rules concerning Waaagh!:

Warlord Trait: Prophet of the Waaagh!: The Warlord gains the Waaagh! special rule. If the Warlord already has the Waaagh! special rule then, in addition to the usual effects, all friendly models with the ’Ere We Go! special rule gain the Fearless special rule when he calls a Waaagh!, until the start of their next turn (Orks Codex pg. 201).

Prophet of Gork and Mork: If Ghazghkull is your Warlord, he gains a 2+ Invulnerable save on any turn he calls a Waaagh! This invulnerable save lasts until the start of his next turn. In addition, Ghazghkull and all other models in his unit that are equipped with mega armour can Run on a turn he calls a Waaagh! despite having the Slow and Purposeful special rule (which is conferred by wearing mega armour) (Orks Codex pg. 190).

Combine these with the following "Great Waaagh! Band" Detachment rule:

Da Great Waaagh!: If this Detachment contains your Warlord and he has the Waaagh! special rule, he can call a Waaagh! each and every turn, including the first turn.

And voila! You are declaring a Waaagh! every turn, permanently giving all of your units Fearless (no more worry about terrible Ork leadership!). You're also giving Ghazghkull Thraka a 2+ Invulnerable save, and his Council the ability to run and charge despite wearing Mega Armour!

I've kept the 6 mandatory units of Boyz at minimum 10 models with no upgrades to go along with an MSU-style list.

The "Waaagh!-band" Core choice requires 1 unit of Nobz or Meganobz. I've chosen Nobz and put them on Warbikes to escort the Warboss Biker. As much as competitive Ork players detest running Nobz as their own unit, the Fearless provided by this list allows us to ignore their poor Leadership value. With warbikes they've got great mobility and decent survivability at Toughness 5 with Jink 3+ Cover saves after Turbo Boosting. The other viable option was to take Meganobz and stick them in a Trukk along with a Warboss in Mega Armour, but this option is 10 pts more expensive, arguably less mobile (Trukks explode easily!) and arguably less durable (Toughness 4 Meganobz don't have Invulnerable saves or Jink!).

There are a lot of great options for Auxilary choices. I've decided to go with multiple units of Fearless Lootas, since normally the only weakness of Lootas is their Leadership value. While there are many good killy options in Auxilary (MSU Fearless Stormboyz, for instance), I chose Lootas so that the list can have some Dakka to deal with Flyers and other light, mobile vehicles that might otherwise try to kite my Orks around the table!

Don't forget Thraka's got Eternal Warrior & Feel No Pain (5+) from Mad Dok Grotsnik. So that's one nasty Warlord, contained within a deathstar of Ork HQs. They'll be running across the table with sixty Fearless Ork Boyz, plus an MSU Bike squad with another Warboss in tow. Needing more Dakka? You've got 5 separate units of twenty six Fearless Lootas in the backline!


Tactics

Warlord Trait: As per the "Council of the Waaagh!" Formation, you make two additional rolls on the Waaagh! Ghazghkull Warlord Traits Table, re-rolling duplicates, and apply both of the results to Ghazghkull Thraka in addition to his standard Warlord Trait.

Here we're looking for, in order of priority, (1) the trait that gives Thraka and his unit the Crusader special rule, (2) the trait that gives Thraka the Rage special rule, and (3) the trait that gives one of Thraka's weapons the Master-crafted special rule. The other three trait options are pretty terrible.

And remember, if you don't like the first results of your warlord trait rolls, you can choose to reroll them as per the Great Waaagh-Band Detachment benefit!

Deployment: First turn is incredibly important with this list, since you're not able to Waaagh! until the start of your own turn. If you don't roll first turn, then you might want to change your deployment strategy: do your best to hide all units (except the Council, which has Fearless) behind cover/LOS so as not to trigger too many morale checks after the opponent's first turn of shooting. Remember that the Banner of the Great Waaagh!, held by one of the Nobz in your Council unit, allows all friendly Orks within 12" to re-roll failed Morale and Pinning checks.

Otherwise: Do your best to deploy all units (except Lootas) at the very edge of your deployment zone. Deploy the Council on foot such that all models are within 6" of at least two Trukks. Your opponent will want to shoot out those flimsy AV10 Trukks to hamper your mobility, so it's good to have some backup rides. Don't forget your Big Mek's Mega Force Field will give those Trukks a 4+ Invulnerable save, plus Ramshackle, making them not-so-flimsy after all!

The Council: At the beginning of your first turn hop them into a Trukk (Despite Bulky they only take up 11 capacity) and cruising speed across the battlefield towards your opponent's biggest threat. Remember that Trukks are Fast vehicles, so you will almost always want to Flat Out another 12" to prep that lovely Turn 2 charge.

Knowing that Council is the scariest part of your list, your opponent may want to focus their firepower upon them. Remember that unit has majority Toughness 5, Feel No Pain (5+), and a baseline 4+ Invulnerable save from the Big Mek's Mega Force Field. At all times be sure to keep the Big Mek and Mad Dok Grotsnik protected from incoming fire behind other models. For any Instant Death (S10) or AP1/AP2 fire, move Ghazghkull Thraka up to tank them with his 2+ Invulnerable save & Eternal Warrior. Tank all other fire with the two Warboss's 2+ Armour saves (3 wounds each), or the Nobs's 4+ Invulnerable save (2 wounds each).

That council will destroy everything in assault combat with 4x S10 AP2 Power Klaws and majority Weapon Skill 6! Don't forget: (1) the whole unit has Rampage thanks to Mad Dok Grotsnik, and (2) If any unit in the detachment contains 10 or more models it gains Hammer of Wrath!

Other Units: Any Trukks not being used by the Council should be used to cruise & flat out a unit of Boyz (plus Mek) across the field. Even though it's tempting, don't stick the Mek with the Council because that causes the unit to drop to majority Toughness 4 from 5.

Run your sixty Fearless Boyz around the table, using them to hold objectives or charge anything their choppas are capable of killing (remember Hammer of Wrath if the unit still contains 10 models). Don't frown when they die, that's what they're for!

Beeline your Biker retinue (comprised of Warboss and 3x Nobz) towards any remaining threats and be sure to make use of their +1 Jink save after Turbo-Boosting. Consider tanking shots that don't Ignore Cover on the Warboss Biker, since Da Lucky Stikk enables him to re-roll failed saves (as well as To Hit and To Wound rolls).

Station your multiple units of twenty six Fearless Lootas in your backline, and use their S7 firepower to take down light vehicles -- especially zooming flyers, since nothing else in the list can really deal with flyers!

Gretchin are Gretchin. Use them to hold objectives. They're fearless too!

Lootas are a good solid choice in this list as are tankbustas..(lots of Rokkits..)
Overall its a very nice list..downright Nasty for a solid CC list in a shooting meta...

It's no secret that setting up the Great Waaagh!-band this way results in the bonuses you outlined, in fact this is the only way to make the detachment not entirely terrible. The only actual bonus is Waaagh! every turn, the other rules the detachment gives are huge nerfs that ruin the whole thing completely and make your army fall apart.

I've got to say that I think the list can really be improved if you're looking to make it as competitive as possible, as it stands I dont think it would worry any of the top builds much at all. I do however commend you for trying to do something other than Zhad, bikes and cheesy Stompa.

The Council itself is built okay but it could really do with da Lucky Stikk on one of the Warbosses, this greatly increases your odds of keeping Ghaz alive (if he dies your army will collapse under the Mob Rule-nerfing detachment rule) and gives you two durable combat characters instead of one. The Warboss on bike with Nobz don't gain as much from DLS and should probably be removed anyway for being unreasonably expensive for a competitive environment. Keep in mind that a huge part of competitive play is built around dealing with jetbikes, bikes and Thunderwolves and so a minimum unit of overcosted Nobz even with a Warboss isn't too scary.

Call me old fashioned but I can't see 6 units of 10 Boyz achieving anything without a PK Nob except perhaps being a bit of a nuisance and tying up a couple of units briefly. Without Objective Secured MSU Troops, even when Fearless, aren't great. This problem is worsened by only some of the Boyz being in Trukks while the others are on foot - your opponent knows exactly what order to deal with your army in. First target is obviously the Council, whose Trukk will be gone in the first turn, then it's the Trukk Boyz and then it's the Boyz on foot. The Lootas fire can quite easily be weathered, they aren't turning out an unusual amount of firepower for a competetive list and then it's just a matter of sitting on the objectives the furthest away from Ghaz and co. That's an admittedly simplistic way of looking at how the list can be dealt with but I'm just trying to point out some weaknesses. I think the Boyz either all need a PK Nob and a Trukk, or you should be taking two Great Waaagh!-bands and doubling the amount of Boyz you've got on the table and really going for MSU.

In my mind the best way to run a Council based list is all in Trukks with your auxiliary choices and remaining points going on mounted MSU Tankbustas, or alternatively going all out for the MSU and taking as many GW!-b's and Boyz as possible. Sadly though I dont think this detachment is capable of top-level competitive play because it's a lacklustre deathstar for the points and even when Fearless the rest of our units can't quite do enough.

However, in a non-cutthroat environment your list would probably do quite well because it's still a capable deathstar and Fearless Orks can be a pain to deal with if you haven't got a thousand scatter lasers to shoot or a hundred OS Marines in free OS transports to outscore them. It's also a very fun detachment to use in an environment like this. I hope you forgive my negativity and I wish you a lot of luck tweaking and using this list.

Thanks very much for your constructive feedback. I'll try to respond to all the points you made.

xlDuke wrote:

The Council itself is built okay but it could really do with da Lucky Stikk on one of the Warbosses, this greatly increases your odds of keeping Ghaz alive (if he dies your army will collapse under the Mob Rule-nerfing detachment rule) and gives you two durable combat characters instead of one.

Da Lucky Stikk on a Council Warboss is not a bad idea. The reasons I gave it to the Warboss Biker are (1) the +1 WS bonus does not stack with the Banner of the Great Waaagh! and (2) in my experience running this list against competitive armies, the Council is often my only unit fully intact and alive at the end of the game. Thus, I didn't think it needed help with survivability.

xlDuke wrote:
The Warboss on bike with Nobz don't gain as much from DLS and should probably be removed anyway for being unreasonably expensive for a competitive environment. Keep in mind that a huge part of competitive play is built around dealing with jetbikes, bikes and Thunderwolves and so a minimum unit of overcosted Nobz even with a Warboss isn't too scary.

Remember the Waaagh!-band requires you take either a unit of Nobz or Meganobz. As I said in my post, the other viable option was to take Meganobz and stick them in a Trukk along with a Warboss in Mega Armour, but this option is 10 pts more expensive, arguably less mobile (Trukks explode easily!), and arguably less durable (Toughness 4 Meganobz don't have Invulnerable saves or Jink!). Do you still think the Meganobz option is better?

xlDuke wrote:
Call me old fashioned but I can't see 6 units of 10 Boyz achieving anything without a PK Nob except perhaps being a bit of a nuisance and tying up a couple of units briefly. Without Objective Secured MSU Troops, even when Fearless, aren't great. This problem is worsened by only some of the Boyz being in Trukks while the others are on foot - your opponent knows exactly what order to deal with your army in.

The 3 Trukks brought in this list are simply insurance in case my opponent gets first turn. With 3 Trukks, I can often deploy such that every model in the Council is within 6" of each Trukk, giving each Trukk a 4+ Invulnerable save and ensuring that the Council can cruise + flat out 24" on Turn 1. Any Trukks leftover, in my opinion, are simply a cherry on top and can be used to transport Boyz.

I considered upgrading the Boyz units, but that gets expensive and leaves very little points remaining for Auxilary choices. I understand in the Green Tide formation it was fashionable to give anywhere between 4-10 units of Boyz a Boss Nob w/ Power Klaw. That strategy only worked because the Green Tide functioned as a single unit, and thus was much better equipped to protect Nobz by tanking shots on Boyz forever. Unfortunately, I see giving Nobz & Power Klaws to 10-man units of Boyz simply a waste of 35 pts per unit, as most of those Nobz won't survive long enough to get into assault.

The 6 units of 10 Boyz aren't meant to achieve anything much. If my opponent ignores them and focuses firepower on the Council the whole game, then he's going to have to deal with sixty Boyz who are capable of tar-pitting and being very cost-efficient in close combat. If my opponent makes it a priority to take out the flimsy Boyz, as many have done, then the council is free to go about its business.

xlDuke wrote:
In my mind the best way to run a Council based list is all in Trukks with your auxiliary choices and remaining points going on mounted MSU Tankbustas

Tankbustas instead of Lootas is a good suggestion, and I might play around with it. Before I added Lootas, the only armies that gave me trouble were flyer-based lists that avoided my council because they could stay in Zooming mode the whole game. With 26 MSU Lootas I have some slim way to deal with that, albeit not great. Tankbustas, I fear, won't be able to output the same volume of shots that Lootas can, and can't deal with FMCs as well (Tyranids, anybody?). But I'll certainly try them out!

If you find the Council durable enough without DLS in that's great and either gives you more options elsewhere in the list or can save you a few points. I would personally play it safe and include it anyway because of how detrimental losing Ghaz is but if your experience tells you otherwise then stick with what works.

Ahh, I forgot to complete my comment on the Nobz properly. I do personally think that Mega Nobz are far superior to Nobz on Warbikes because although they are slightly more expensive and slower they are a threat to almost everything and have to be dealt with quickly, whereas the Nobz at best have S5 attacks and aren't capable of dealing with much on their own. What I would do in this list is use either 3 Mega Nobz (if you need more PKs) or a 3 man unit of naked Nobz (if you've given your Boyz PK Nobz and don't need more) as backfield objective holders or Lootas/Mek Gun babysitters. With DLS out of the Council you could add it to an MA Warboss in a Boyz Trukk for another Trukk unit that needs to be dealt with or even with that minimum unit of Nobz in a Trukk so they feel useful. My love of Trukks is becoming pretty obvious now I guess .

Tankbustas certainly don't offer the same level of protection from flyers that Lootas do but I've never had too much of a problem with flyers, they're usually quite ignorable but I can see how Flyrant/Demon FMC lists are an issue. Bustas do have a much better chance at dealing with the SHVs and some of the GMCs you'll face and can net you an extra VP for First Blood, they'll also add to your board control ability and early game mid-board pressure while Lootas are static and predictable. Perhaps it comes down to how mechanised you want the list to be and how much of a problem Hard To Hit units are in the places you play.

Something I forgot to mention before was that if the draft FAQs are to be relied on, Greentide will be GW sanctioned again soon so perhaps your tournament organiser will allow it to be used. It's a great fun formation and I was disappointed it didn't become a Core choice for this larger detachment.

xlDuke wrote:

Ahh, I forgot to complete my comment on the Nobz properly. I do personally think that Mega Nobz are far superior to Nobz on Warbikes because although they are slightly more expensive and slower they are a threat to almost everything and have to be dealt with quickly, whereas the Nobz at best have S5 attacks and aren't capable of dealing with much on their own.

I wouldn't be so quick to undervalue their Initative 3 S5 with 5 attacks each on the charge @ WS5 thanks to DLS (plus HoW). Sure, 3x S9 AP2 Power Klaws from a MANz unit is going to threaten more, but aren't T5, 3+ Cover, 12" moving Nobz arguably more durable than T4, 2+ Armour, 6" moving MANz? Meganobz are vulnerable to a host of weapons that every competitive list is likely to bring in abundance: AP1/AP2 and/or S8-9 (for Instant Death). Whereas Biker Nobz are only vulnerable to Ignores Cover and/or S10 (for Instant Death).

I understand where you're coming from though. In normal CAD-based lists I wouldn't be caught dead running a unit of Nobz as bikers or otherwise. But, to be fair, I also wouldn't be inclined to take a unit of MANz+Trukk without giving them a source of FNP (aka Mad Dok Grotsnik), or without running them in a Bullyboyz formation.

xlDuke wrote:
Tankbustas certainly don't offer the same level of protection from flyers that Lootas do but I've never had too much of a problem with flyers, they're usually quite ignorable but I can see how Flyrant/Demon FMC lists are an issue. Bustas do have a much better chance at dealing with the SHVs and some of the GMCs you'll face and can net you an extra VP for First Blood, they'll also add to your board control ability and early game mid-board pressure while Lootas are static and predictable. Perhaps it comes down to how mechanised you want the list to be and how much of a problem Hard To Hit units are in the places you play.

Right Tankbustas are of course better at dealing with higher AV vehicles and SHVs, but if my opponent is running a SHV that's a primary target for the Council, no?

I wouldn't think my early game board control is too bad with this list, given each unit of Boyz is running each turn. Plus the backline presence provided by 48" range Lootas I think is a better deterrent against Deep Strike or high- mobility lists that will try to set up a presence in my Deployment zone and would otherwise divide the attention of my killy units in an attempt to deal with them.