Codex Orks Review. Part 5, Fast Attack

Moving on, we have the Fast Attack section of the codex. Now presuming you have actually bothered to read any codex's FA slots, you can expect to see Jumpers, Bikes, and some light armored boxes in this FOC.

Well, the Ork codex doesn't disappoint.

We have 4 choices.

Stormboyz: Jumpers

Warbuggies: Light Armored Boxes

Warbikers: Bikes

Deffkoptas: Flying bikes

So, let's look into these choices with some depth.

Stormboyz

Dude needs a Choppa

Rating: Just above Terrible

Fun Factor: Weeeeeeeeeee.....

Fail Factor: *SPLAT*

Wow, the first unit that I have rated poorly.

Why? Well we have a basic Ork with a jumppack for 12pts.

There are no weapons upgrades, only a Nob Upgrade with the regular gear.

We also get a Zagstruk upgrade, which lets us charge off the deepstrike.

Doesn't sound too bad until the special rules come into play..

Every time you use your jump pack, roll a dice, on a 1 Its owner lands on his head and his pack detonates. P 47. Sigh. Regardless of the roll, you gain that D6 as extra movement. Upsides, yeah. Downsides, yeah. Your movement is 13-18 inches with a jump pack. You are still fragile as hell though.

So there is a SC upgrade here too?

A merciless kill and a fanatical disciplinarian, Boss Zagstruk is the much-feared leader of a band of Stormboyz know as the Vulcha Squad. P 63. Nice fellow. My kinda Ork.

Zagstruk is a WS5 Nob with 4 Attacks and a 4+ save. He has special clawed feet that are PK's which hit at initiative on the charge, and only on the charge.

You can also charge off Deep Strike, but it has a D3 Stormboys tax.

Finally, he has the Commissar Shooty-shoot rule, so he will top squad members to auto-pass leadership.

The problem with these guys is that they tend to kill themselves. Deepstrike, charge, move next turn, you really are starting to whittle down your numbers in a squad that isn't too tough to begin with.

Warbuggies

Rating: Almost an auto-choice

Fun Factor: Weeeeeeeeeee.....

Fail Factor: AV10, open topped, squadron

So, Buggies.

30pts each, come in squadrons of up to 3, and can pack a TL Rokkit for 5 points each.

That's a BS4 (basically) rokkit for 35 points, on a Fast platform.

Did I mention that. This is a 10/10/10 Fast Open Topped platform.

Sounds good to me.

We are a vehicle, so can block movement like speeders as well.

So, there has to be some other upgrades...

Skorcha (Heavy Flamer): 10pts each. Nice, as it includes the Wartrakk upgrade below

Red Paint: +1 inch movement and you stay in the lower movement bracket (7" = 6" for shooting, but not for hitting against)

Grot Riggers: 4+ fixes immobilized. As we will be in a squadron, useless.

Armor plates: Ignore Crew Stunned. As we will be in a squadron, useless.

Upgrade to WarTrakk: re-roll dangerous terrain tests

Overall, the only issue with these guys is that being open topped and squadroned, a glance is as good as a normal Pen on destroying, and, well, absolutely rooted on a Pen (which with AV10 is all but guaranteed).

However, for semi-reliable, fast anti-tank, you don't have many options, and these guys usually win out.

Warbikers

Rating: Good, but bad

Fun Factor: Zoom zoom!

Fail Factor: Expensive!

So warbikers. Whats the deal here.

Well its a basic Ork, with a bike, so +1T, 4+ Save for 25 points. Squad size 3-12.

The bikes have twin-linked S5AP5 3 shot 18" guns, which is nice. No special weapons options though.

A normal Nob upgrade as well.

As Orks don't especially believe in "clean", these guys belch fumes and bring their own 4+ cover save.

So whats the deal.

With Wazdakka, you get to bring these guys as troops, hence good.

In the FA slot, you are missing out on anti-tank, so bad.

Right, so as some people will need the "why" spelled out for them for both good and bad, lets start.

Good:

T5, fast, troops. a squad of say, 8 bikers will lay out 24 TL S5 shots, then charge with 20 S4 Attacks, and 4 S9 PK hits. You are going to be wounded on a 5 normally. Great

Bad:

You are taking up valuable FA slots for Rokkit buggies and Deffkoptas. You are also the price of 4 basic boys. Sure, you are probably more resilient, but still not "all that and then some"!

Deffkoptas

Rating: Awesome!

Fun Factor: Zoom zoom!

Fail Factor: Expensive!

So finally, Orky Jetbikes.

Winnah!

Ever since the first Deffkopta was pioneered, the Mek fraternity has devised more and more cunning ways to turn it from bizarre conveyance to lethal weapon. P 48

So what does this mean to us.

Jetbike, Hit and Run (I2 eww), Scouts. Basic boy with +1T for a bike, 4+ save and 2 wounds. (That's bolded for me, so I don't forget it in game, AGAIN).

Sweet!

Cost? 35pts/model. Squad of 1-5

So upgrades:

TL Rokkits - 10 points

Kustom Mega Blasta - 5 pts (KMB is S8 AP2 gets hot, 24").

Any Deffkota can also get a PK (buzzsaw) or a Bigbomm, which is dropped (one use only) over a squad you jet past. S4 AP5 large blast.

So, these guys sound good, until you start tallying up points, they get exxy.

What tends to happen is people either max out (and blow LOTS of points) or do 3x1 with Rokkits and Buzzsaw, for a semi-alpha strike.

Both are very effective in their give roles.

Celebrity Deathmatch: Deffkoptas vs Warbuggies

So now I will get asked the question I don't want to answer.
Which is better in the FOC. Which do I max out.

Well the answer is, unfortunately, it depends.
See, to my eyes, both are equally good. Both perform similar, if slightly different roles.
The Warbuggies are great for spending the game cruising around laying out fire.
The Deffcoptas are great for 1st turn charges into tanks that haven't moved yet.
Both are anti-tank. Both melt to small arms fire. Both are quick. Both can be strong, both can be weak.

So it really depends on your army and opponent.
I personally prefer Deffkoptas, if only so that I can turbo-boost in the Scout move to where I want to be, shoot and charge into either a Devestator/Long Fang/Loota/etc squad, or into a key vehicle I need to stop.
These guys will never kill a squad in HtH unless kitted out, but their job in my lists is to tie you up while the slower components catch up. In my later lists I have been adding another Fast tough element, Nob Bikers, to really annoy the enemy back line.
The fact I don't own 9 warbuggies might also be related.

Any Orks list you see out there says 9 buggies are better, and there are both mathhammer and other reasons to agree here.

See, it depends.

Oh, I know how to decide!
Warbuggy models are from GorkaMorka, so are awesome by default. Deffkoptas come in AoBR so are cheap as chips and awesome.
Crap. Tied again