Since folks seemed to like my review of the IA9 Tyrant's Legion list, I figured I'd work back through some of the other lists. I'm gonna do the Dread Mob list first, probably followed by the Elysians and eventually the Krieg and perhaps some of the others. However, these will be contingent on me actually getting a look over all of the books and having the time to go through them in detail, so we'll see. A caveat: not only have I not played this list (or against it), I also sit in a minority position as far as Orks are concerned. If you think Orks are super-awesome, you'll obviously have some disagreements with me there.
In addition to talking about the Dread Mob list presented in IA8, I'm also going to talk about the additional Ork units available to the standard list that the book adds- some of them are actually quite relevant, which is something of a surprise for Forge World, but I suppose makes the higher-quality portions of IA9 something less of an outlier.
Dread Mob list
So basically it's a Mek-themed variant of the usual Ork list. In fact, in most ways it is the same- you have access to a lot of the same units and many units that are similar to ones from the basic Ork codex, plus a bunch of fancy new stuff. However, you DO lose some things as well- some very important things, as it turns out. But we'll get to that in a minute; first, let's go through the units and see how they rate.
In HQs, we have a couple good choices- Warboss is gone, but we still get the all-important Big Mek with his Kustom Force Field. He can also add a Junka as a dedicated transport- not great, but sometimes you want more vehicles to throw guys in. We also get the Pain Boss, who is similarly cheap and mediocre in combat, but has a very interesting ability: just like a Painboy, he gives FNP to a squad he's part of. Unlike a Painboy, he's an independent character. So for a very reasonable price, we can make a big mob of boyz twice as tough- however, this would work a lot better in a normal Ork list, as we'll see here soon. That aside, however, he's a pretty decent inclusion and he can get a Power Klaw, so you could do a lot worse.
We also get the Kustom Meka-Dread as an HQ choice, which is pretty weird. It's an AV13 walker with a 5++ and DCCWs that add +1 to damage results on the vehicle table. It can also get a KFF built into it, which is nice- but it costs a pretty enormous amount of points and the KFF is even more expensive than on a Mek. If you suit it up as your primary HQ at the center of the force, you're sitting down 255 points, which is just too many for what it does, unfortunately.
Elites have the usual Burna Boyz, but this time around they're allowed to take a Scrap Trukk as a dedicated transport, which is a pretty big improvement; no more having to steal other people's rides. They're still not great, but at least now you can stick five or so of them in a cheap transport and run around scaring people- make no mistake, that is a squad that NEEDs to die and it sets you back a pretty small number of points.
Cybork Slashas are one of the new inclusions, basically being Nobz with a twist. They come 170pts for five bodies with a Painboy and Cybork already built in- looking okay so far. You can give them the shooting upgrades common to Nobz as well as Klaws and Big Choppas, and the Painboy can have a Bosspole- so we pretty much have everything we need to be awesome, except that they don't get a dedicated transport or bikes. What they do get, however, is a random effect- equal chances of no bonus (boo!), Fleet (and take d3 wounds whenever you run, saves allowed), or T5 + Slow and Purposeful. Both of the latter options are fairly decent, although SnP can hurt an assault unit a lot. However, at 30pts/body (plus a little bit for the Painboy), you can get some pretty strong 5++/FNP monsters, so they're definitely worth a look.
The Mekboy Junka is an odd beast- it's 65pts and is basically a Trukk with +1AV and no Ramshackle or Fast. It also gets one of several upgrades for free- and the one you'll always take is the Deffrolla. You can also cram a KFF onto it for 75pts, and can risk turbo (1/6 chance of immobilized) to be Fast for a turn. 65pts for a Deffrolla platform isn't all that bad, but you have some other places to get them in this list, so it won't be a first choice. You can mount a big gun on top (and lose half your transport capacity), which might be worth considering for the Supa-Skorcha, which is identical to a Flamestorm Cannon. AP3 is always nice, especially in an army that doesn't have many low-AP guns.
Spanna Mobz are the replacement for Boyz in this codex; they're the same cost and have the same basic gear, but don't be fooled, they're quite bad. You can only be 10-20 models strong (not a big deal, as we probably want to fit in transports anyways) but instead of an awesome Nob as an upgrade character, we get a crappy Mek, who doesn't have any better stats- in particular no S4 and no second wound- and can't take a Klaw nor a Bosspole. Oh, and the squad isn't allowed any special weapons (Big Shoota, Rokkits) in it, either. What? That is trashy as hell. Unlike the normal Ork codex, we certainly aren't going to be relying on the efficiency of our Troop squads here. Give these dorks some Shootas and drive around pew-pewing things is probably the best option- you can disembark and assault if you have to, but you're not going to be nearly as good at it as normal Orks are.
Two other Troop options exist: Gretchin Scavengers and Deff Dread Mobs. The former are just like Gretchin, but cost 1pt more and have Assault/Defensive Grenades (and lose d3 models whenever they use them.) Ick. Gretchin's strong point is their cheapness, making them cost more is stupid. Deff Mobs are normal Deff Dreads from the Ork codex taken as Troops, but still aren't scoring. They come in units of 1-3, but that doesn't save them from having crappy BS or a rather high price tag.
The Scrap Trukk, a transport option for squads sized 12 or lower, is pretty much just like a regular Trukk except it also gets Armor Plates and a Grabbin' Klaw for free. I mean, that's a straight-up improvement, but the Trukk is still a pretty bad transport and there are actually some impressive units later on in the entries, so we can probably forget about this thing for the most part.
Deffkoptas are in here. With Buggies gone, they start to look like a more valuable choice, as Rokkits are more rare in this army. Killa Kans are also present, but are bizarrely part of the Fast Attack slot as well and come in mobs of 3-5. This doesn't hurt them any and can make for a pretty hilarious army on the table if you care to field nothing but walkers- in theory, you could run 15 Kans, 18 Dreads and two Kustom Dreads, not that you would have enough points for all that. Still cramming 15 Kans (only 600pts!) into a list could be pretty hilarious.
Warkoptas are another of our new transports, clocking in at the same price as the Junka but an AV10 fast open-topped skimmer. It can carry ten models and has a TLDeffgun and Big Shoota built in; the latter can be swapped for a Skorcha for free (nice) or other stuff, the former for a S4 2d6 shot gun that jams on snake eyes. They come in squadrons of 1-3, so they might be interesting as a way to deliver something ugly to the opponent post haste.
Last but most certainly not least we have the Grot Tank Battle Mob. Grot Tanks are 30pts (plus a weapon, starting at 5pts for Big Shoota and getting their usual range of stuff) and are BS3 AV10. They move 2d6" each turn (or 3d6" if you don't want to shoot, snake eyes cause one penetrating hit) and have a 5++ against everything but ordnance/destroyer guns. You can also bolt a Shoota onto any of them for another 5pts and one tank can be made "commander," which nets it a second gun and the ability to reroll your movement distance. These guys are brutal, as they can be running Grotzookas at 40pts each and spitting out ridiculous numbers of shots- and what's worse, the whole squadron can Tank Shock something and force a huge number of Morale checks on it.
Heavy Support sees the return of the Mega-Dread from our HQ slot, except now with fewer options and a Killkannon on one arm. It's still super-expensive for an AV13 unit and still not any good. Lootas also make their appearance in HS, being pretty much identical to their normal counterparts but able to take a Scrap Trukk. (Don't.) The Looted Wagon is also back and just as terrible as ever.
The Lifta Wagon is an odd beasty. It's expensive for an Ork vehicle- 225pts, although it gets Battlewagon armor at least. It can carry six models, although you'll be hard-pressed to find something you actually want to put inside it; perhaps a small unit of Lootas or something? Because you're going to want to hang back with this thing- it has a 48" range gun that only works on vehicles, but AUTOMATICALLY does d6 glancing hits to them. You also roll a scatter die; on a hit, nothing else happens, but on an arrow, you get to place the target vehicle somewhere along that direction within 24". If that means it lands on another vehicle, IT takes d6 glances as well. If it lands on a non-vehicle, the unit takes 2d6 wounds (with saves allowed). If it lands in impassible terrain it's destroyed. Holy crap. So the WORST you'll ever do is suppress the hell out of the vehicle, and fairly often you'll get to smash TWO things or destroy it outright, no saves, no rolling on the damage table, no nothing? Hell and damn yes! Now, you of course have to think about the price tag, but unlike a Battlewagon, this thing can sit safe in a corner where its side armor won't get exposed and just wreck every vehicle your opponent brings, one by one. Or, more accurately, three by three, because if you are doing this, you are doing it right and fielding a full complement of these babies.
After an act like that it's hard to follow up, but Big Trakks do what they can. 50pts buys you a pretty nice frame- 12/11/10, two Big Shootas, Tank, Armor Plates, and it can carry twelve models. No Ramshackle rule to screw things up and reasonable armor values mean this thing is actually fairly hard to bring down. Better yet, it can take a Deffrolla for a mere 10pts, meaning 60pts buys you a nasty S10 ramming machine, and if you're feeling snazzy, you can swap its Shootas for Skorchas or even plate more of them on.
Alright, so that's the army as it stands. How does it compare to the normal Orks? Well, it basically doesn't. You can't field the same sea of bodies as them and you can't hide Klaws everywhere in your army to frighten people. On the other hand, you have GOOD transports and a lot of flame weapons available to make people unhappy with. Also, you can take no small number of Deff Rollas for a fairly cheap price and you have a number of pretty quick vehicles- this means that the Dread Mob can potentially play as a very aggressive list, pushing forward and disembarking the enemy to set them on fire. Maybe something like this:
1750 Dread Mob list
1 Big Mek (KFF, Junka, Deffrolla, 3 Skorcha, Supa-Skorcha, RPJ) (175)
1 Big Mek (Junka, Deffrolla, 3 Skorcha, Supa-Skorcha, RPJ) (125)
5 Burna Boyz (75)
9 Burna Boyz (135)
9 Burna Boyz (135)
12 Spanna Boyz (Shootas) (72)
12 Spanna Boyz (Shootas) (72)
12 Spanna Boyz (Shootas) (72)
10 Spanna Boyz (Shootas) (60)
2 Warkoptas (Skorcha, Rattler) (150)
5 Grot Tanks (Rokkits, Command w/Rokkit) (240)
5 Grot Tanks (Rokkits, Command w/Rokkit) (240)
1 Big Trakk (Deffrolla, RPJ) (65)
1 Big Trakk (Deffrolla, RPJ) (65)
1 Big Trakk (Deffrolla, RPJ) (65)
Spanna Boyz in the Trakks, Burnas in the Warkoptas, small Burna squad with one of the Meks. One Spanna squad is extra in case you need to swap around or hold a home objective; you could dump it for some upgrades elsewhere. You have five Deffrollas, all of them moving at least 13" each turn, and two Warkoptas carrying a load of flamey death. Warkoptas can move 12" and fire both their guns, which is pretty deadly to most infantry, or they can move 6" and drop basically a million templates on someone if they're in range. Similarly, the Trakks can rush in to annihilate vehicles and the Boyz inside can shoot out once targets present themselves, or disembark when necessary. You're still Orks in assault, so go for a charge against a weakened unit if you can. Grot Tanks help screen the rest of your forces and open up transports, with KFF lending a hand there as well. You have flame templates coming from nearly everything (and you could even swap them onto the Trakks if you wanted to pay some points, say from that extra squad) and the Junkas even have AP3 ones for those jerks who can't seem to fail a save. Even Terminators hate having to make 30-40 saves in one turn, though, so don't feel like you can't handle them. Against Tyranids you can inflict tons of S10 hits, just get rid of those Hive Guard. Your vehicle count isn't high and you rely on them to destroy tanks, so make those your first priority.
You could also swap the Deffrolla spam for some Lifta Wagons to disembark people and then tons of flame templates to kill off whatever's left, which would look relatively similar. However, it would be less in-your-face and more able to handle diverse targets, but also more vulnerable to losing its Wagons and being unable to do much of anything. In this configuration you would definitely want some supplemental anti-tank- Kans might be a good choice here, as they could act as wrap for your Wagons and deter assaulters, as not a lot of things want to tangle with multiple walkers in combat, even crappy ones.
Regular Orks
Grot Tank Battle Mobs as an Elite choice is interesting, but just ends up giving you even more competition in that slot. However, if you find Lootas to be too static, Grot Tanks can perform similar duties (spitting out S6 shots with Grotzookas) on the move, albeit at a higher price.
Big Trakks are actually even better than their Dread Mob counterpart- they can be taken as 1-3 HS choices, meaning for 180pts you can get 3d6 S10 hits on anything you plow through- yikes. If that isn't wrecking just about anything, I don't really know what to say.
Gun Trukks as a 1-5 Heavy Support choice seems interesting. BS2 is sucky, but for 50pts/model you can get Kannon + Rokkit, and you can move 6" and fire both. Not completely horrible?
So our big gain is being able to get more non-sucky transports (36 Boyz/slot instead of 20 from a Wagon) and Deffrollas in our HS, althouggh Grot Tanks are well worth considering as well. However, I would probably do something silly like this:
1850pt Ork list
1 Big Mek (KFF) (85)
10 Lootas (150)
10 Lootas (150)
10 Lootas (150)
11 Boyz (Nob, PK, Bosspole) (106)
12 Boyz (Nob, PK, Bosspole) (112)
12 Boyz (Nob, PK, Bosspole) (112)
12 Boyz (Nob, PK, Bosspole) (112)
12 Boyz (Nob, PK, Bosspole) (112)
12 Boyz (Nob, PK, Bosspole) (112)
3 Warbuggies (Rokkits) (105)
3 Warbuggies (Rokkits) (105)
2 Warbuggies (Rokkits) (70)
2 Big Trakks (Deffrolla) (120)
2 Big Trakks (Deffrolla) (120)
2 Big Trakks (Deffrolla) (120)
Mostly showing AV12, just like a Battlewagon will be, and you have more hulls and a fair amount of shooting. You lose out on the flamers compared to the Dread Mob list, but Lootas and Klaws can make up for it. If you wanted to go all-mobile you could swap the Lootas for Grot Tanks, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Overall Thoughts
The Dread Mob list still isn't really balanced (in the sense Kirb uses) or terribly well-designed, but I think it's a better list than regular Orks overall. It's like WH or Tau: it's got one build that seems workable and not a whole lot else to offer. But at least it has decent units (unlike the Tyrant's Legion) and some neat stuff to play around with, even if most of it isn't terribly competitive. I would rate it quarely in the "usable" category for those that want to try it out.
