It’s Like Tactics: Ghazghkull Thraka Review

Warning

It’s Like Tactics is rated theory hammer because these are general observations and assumptions based on only few tested games.

The Biggest and Baddest..

Old Ghazzy the ever present Ork bane for the Imperium, his history is the quintessential Ork narrative. Throughout all editions Ghazghkull has had a place in Ork armies with his unique abilities always making for interesting armies based completely around him. Today with 7th edition Ghazghkull has a few things no other Ork has, and for that he has a role to play in Ork list design.

Before we start dissecting though, let’s take a quick look at the past and present Ghazghkull Thraka rules.

(Click below to Enlarge)

Ghazghkull Thraka Rules 2007

HQ: Ghazghkull Thraka – 225 Points

WS	BS	S	T	I	W	A	LD	Save
6	2	5	5	4	4	5	9	2+

Ghazghkull Thraka Rules 2014

Lord of War: Ghazghkull Thraka – 225 Points

WS	BS	S	T	I	W	A	LD	Save
6	2	5	5	4	4	5	9	2+

UNIT TYPE:
Infantry (Character).
UNIT COMPOSITION:
1 (Unique).
WARGEAR:
• Cybork body
• Mega armour
• Big shoota
• Power klaw
• Bosspole
• Stikkbombs
WARLORD TRAIT:
• Prophet of the Waaagh!
SPECIAL RULES:
• ’Ere We Go!
• Eternal Warrior
• Furious Charge
• Independent Character
• Mob Rule
• Waaagh!
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).
OPTIONS:
• Ghazghkull Thraka may take items from the Runts & Squigs list.

Readers of my previous tactics will notice a few changes to how these reviews are presented. Now you will find is a break down each unit into five broad categories.

[chart id=”18857″]

Utility

Ghazghkull Thraka utility relies on both his beat stick ability and one of a kind Ork buffs. Ghazghkull Thraka Prophet of Mork and Gork power what seperates him from other Ork characters, as it can be used at the most critical moment and make opponents hesitate knowing you always have in your back pocket. Along with Prophet of Mork and Gork, Ghazghkull Thraka potential to cripple almost any unit in assault makes him very useful.

Speed

Ghazghkull Thraka is slowed by his Mega-armour, making it very important you give him a ride. Prophet of Mork and Gork though gives him a temporary boost making him not the absolute slowest Ork around as least for a one turn.

Assaulty

Ghazghkull Thraka is all about the assault, the faster you get him into assault means less chance he will be taken out from shooting. Once in assault you do have to watch out for certain situations and making sure you have other Orks to take challenges. Always make sure to keep Prophet of Mork and Gork in your back pocket when he absolutely has to take a dangerous challenge.

Shooty

Ghazghkull Thraka isn’t much about shooting, with a Big Shoota and not much else, it is too bad he cannot get access to at least a Kombi-weapon to give him more variety.

Today with 7th edition Ghazghkull has a few things no other Ork has, and for that he has a role to play in Ork list design.

How Ghaz came To Be

In late M41, the Eldar of Ulthwe prevented a Waaagh! from endangering Craftworld Idharae. In the process, this act raised Ghazghkull Thraka to prominence.

The earliest records of Ghazghkull since that time were recorded nine years before the Second War for Armageddon. At this time, Ghazghkull was a lowly Ork Boy in the armies on the planet of Urk (possibly where part of his name came from). A Space Marine force of an unknown chapter raided the planet in the hopes of disrupting the Ork forces building up there. During the battle, a bolter round tore into Ghazghkull’s skull, destroying 30 percent of his skull and pulping a good portion of his brain. He was found by the notorious Painboy known as Mad Dok Grotsnik, who rebuilt his skull with adamantium.

Somehow this enabled Ghazghkull’s latent psychic powers, convincing Ghazghkull that he had been somehow blessed by the Ork Gods and from here on in he claimed to be in communication with Gork and Mork. Convinced he was marked for great things, within six years he had risen to the rank of Warboss of his tribe.

Putting it all Together…

Ghaz has two very important traits that make him a worthwhile unit choice for Ork armies. First and foremost he is the only Ork with Eternal Warrior making it possible for him to tank Instant Death wounds. The other one is great, but comes with a fatal flaw, Prophet of Mork and Gork gives all Orks Fearless and Ghazz a 2+ Invulnerable save easily turns the tide of any battle when applied properly. The sad thing Prophet of Mork and Gork is only one use only and means you cannot get things like the Da Finkin’ Cap since Ghazz has to be your Warlord for Prophet of Mork and Gork to work. It is important to be patient with Prophet of Mork and Gork the best use is when all the bonuses are applicable at once. A smart opponent will try to get you to waste it early on, baiting you into a no win situation. Waiting to use it in later turns is a good way to turn the tide of bad game or bring about a critical hammer on your opponent.

Beyond the Prophet of Mork and Gork Ghaz is great in Assault, but you will need to surround him with buddies to get the most use. Buddies who can take challenges and allow you to hold back that using the Waaagh! Ghaz can also take an Attack Squig for an extra re-roll, and since it is almost impossible to get Orks Hatred having even just one extra roll is important. One bad set of to hit rolls is usually what stops Ghaz in his tracks, having only WS6 means against many characters he will only hit on 4s, often missed hits spell doom for Ghaz. Having Ghaz as a Lord of War also means he won’t take up a valuable HQ slot, making him perfect fit for any non-bike Ork Death Star. Ghaz isn’t as mighty as he has been in the past, but he does give you a few tricks over any other Ork boss, it is just a matter of deciding is the tricks are worth 225 points.

— Ghazghkull Thraka Army Templates–

Ghazghkull Thraka Combined Arms Detachment List

Ghazghkull Thraka Council of Waaagh! Formation List

Ghazghkull Thraka Great Waaagh! Formation List

Ghazghkull Thraka Ork Horde Detachment List

Formations

Council of Waaagh!: This is one Formation with tons of potential, but a point sink like no Ork other. The Formation really remedies many problems with Ghaz, he gets multiple Warlord traits, a moral re-roll bubble and permanent Fearless unit to join. You also get free HQ slots you wouldn’t normally have. You just have to make sure to go all in with this Formation even if it approaches the 1k point cost, because if you don’t the unit is still a sitting duck for any army with enough dedicated firepower. If you really want to HQ crazy take it with the Ork Horde Detachment and even put more Warbosses into the mix.

Detachments

Ork Horde Detachment: If you want to make Ork super friends this is the Detachment for you, with Ghaz leading it is like getting an extra Warboss to go along with three HQ slots for something other than beat sticks. Just keep track of the investments you are making because you can easily run out of points for other things that will provide cover or support for whatever Ork nightmare unit you design.

Great Waaagh! Detachment: As the silly season Detachment, I can envision some scenario where you call the Prophet of Mork and Gork Waaagh! for the Fearless alone and stop an opponent in his tracks. Still, taking Ghaz really limits the spam potential for this Detachment as he is sucking up a ton of points you could use for a few MSU Ork units.

Final Thoughts….

Overall, Ghazghkull Thraka could be better, but what you have is a character from another era of 40k where the super ICs was the end all be all, but now with Super-Heavies and other non-sense Ghaz’s point cost is what keeps him back. Still, with that said Ghaz in many situations can devastate armies if given enough turns to rampage.

For tactical articles feel free to email me to continue the discussion or if you discover an inaccurate interpretations of the rules– edits will be made accordingly. Also check out other articles in this series…