For a long time I’ve been holding back, holding back from living out personal Ork fantasy. Before I talk about my fantasy you should know my favorite characters in the Ork codex: Snikrot and Mad Doc. I always dreamed of one day putting them both together in a ball of fun to wreak havoc on my opponents. It wasn’t till the latest Ork FAQ I could realize a wonderful Ork dream without any guilt.
Snikrot joining with independent characters and still using the Ambush power seemed like a no brainer especially with rules as written, but many players refused to allow it. As well only few tournaments in my area accepted it. This left me with playing Snikrot without the benefit of power claw buddy or more importantly a bosspole! Unless I just wanted them to walk across the board…
Without an IC Snikrot either came on the board killed one thing and then get obliterated by a hail of gun shots. I know even with the bonus of an IC it wouldn’t guarantee Snikrot and his boyz a chance. Still it would at least give them a chance, better yet a powerclaw does increase the chances of vehicles blowing up to Kommandos assaults.
So when GW inadvertently confirmed what I already knew,
Q: If an Independent Character on a warbike joins
Snikrot’s unit before the game starts, can they still turn
up using the Ambush special rule? (p62)
A: Yes.
I was overjoyed. Only now that I have gotten back to playing my Orks. So I am eagerly waiting to try to see if Mad Doc and Snikrot joining forces can actually work.
I think Snikrot and Mad Doc has some potential for a few reasons. First off giving Komandos 5+ invul saves seems like a no brainer; giving Orks a chance against pesky power weapons and the new annoyance: Grey Knights. Then you thrown on top of the 5+ a FNP from Mad Doc and you get a Marine like save against basic weapons. Then there is the fearless Mad Doc provides, this is good especially with a smallish squad (by Ork standards) getting below 10 Orks can happen pretty fast and then being swept away is even worse. With a boost to saves, losing combat doesn’t mean losing the rest of the unit.
Then there is Mad Doc’s power claw which deals with two big problems for Kommandos: Dreds and Marines making saves. You cannot count on the two Burners for enough power weapon love and you need something to cut down any mountain of rifleman Dreads that may show up. It also makes multi-charging units and vehicles less risky.
Now we cannot forget Mad Doc’s rage problem. Nothing is worse than being kitting around the board by an empty rhino. With Snikrot’s help you can bring the unit where you want, the same reason Death Company and Stormravens can be effective. Drop a rage unit in a bucket of models and watch your opponent scatter or shoot everything at them. Either way you play with your opponent’s mind which allows other elements of your army to do their job.
It is important to consider the other elements in your Ork army when running this type of unit. I figure any list should try to bring pressure to the center of the board pronto, to keep your opponent pinned in one area. As well a dedicated squad of Lootas with the sole job of shooting any target that intend to kite Mad Doc around. The biggest problem though is the bucket of points you just dumped into this sort of unit, so is the rewards worth the cost?
Anyway I cannot wait to get some play testing down and see what works and what doesn’t. What type of army list would you build around Snikrot and Mad Doc? As well any other Snikrot IC combos can you think of… two Warbosses on bikes anyone?