What is the only melta weapon in the game that is Str 10 and has an 18″ double pen range? The same weapon that also hits automatically. You would think that the Tau or IG would have such a weapon. You would be wrong! Such a weapon can only be found in the deep recesses of the Ork Weirdboyz’s mind. Ready to be unleashed if you so dare!
Oh OK, that was a bit over dramatic. The bigger picture is all the crying about Orks inability to kill Landraiders needs to stop. There are tools the Orks possess staring right in your face and it is time to use them! Now with rant time over, let us delve into my experiences with one of the rarer units found on the 40k battlefield.
A Weirdboy is basically a Nob that is also psyker. The first things you should notice when considering a Weirdboy is two important drawbacks.
- As a HQ choice it limits the amount Weirdboyz you can have and reduces the flexibility of the rest of your army.
- Lack of options: they have only one upgrade, which is pretty much necessary if you want to run these bad boyz.
You may have noticed that I have overlooked what most would consider a drawback– the random psychic powers. Warphead upgrade greatly mitigates this problem. It allows you to re-roll a power you do not want which in turn increases the chances for the result you want. Another reason the random table is not that big of deal, is most of the powers kick major ass. They also add a tactical element to game play and keeps opponents on the defensive.
My first forays into Weirdboydom I started by running two Weirdboyz as my HQ choices. Which brings us to the first two rules of Weirdboyz.
- Warphead buy it. Do not ask questions!
- Keep your Weirdboy in a unit greater with 10 or more mob size.
Warphead (explained above) even with this upgrade a Weirdboy is still only 85 pts. Even with two of them that leaves room to fill in a roster with units that compensate for lost flexibility gained from other HQ choices. Mob size is very important because you psychic LD test is subject to the mob rule. With the Weirdboy base LD of 7, it is just not going to cut it in smaller mobs.
In my first battle using double Weirdboyz I learned the great potential the ‘Ere We Go power, which allows the Weirdboy and his squad to deepstrike anywhere on the board. At the time the Weirdboy was attached to a large mob Shoota Boyz. I was able to flank my opponent and open a large can of dakka on my surpised opponent. From this one experience it got my head spinning. In future games I tried tons of other combinations. The most effective I found was Tankbusters with Weirdboyz. This allows especially against IG to deepstrike behind heavy front armored armies and rain rear armor death. The key with this tactic is Tankbusters plus Bomb Squigs grants the ability to destroy two tanks with one unit.
Another thing to keep in mind with double Weirdboyz is taking advantage of the Warpath psychic power. I learned that putting a Weirdboy in an assaulting unit (Nobz), can give a squad that extra punch. The flaw with Warpath is it only gives +1 attack to the Weirdboy and his squad. It is too bad it is not a radius power like Pedro Kantor.
Running two Weirdboyz un-chains you from having to hold back your Waaagh. You have the potential of Waaghing every turn even on turn one! Weirdboyz are also great bike hunters. The Frazzle power is pinning blast weapon that is str 6 and AP 3 cutting most annoying Space Marine bike units. Frazzle and Zzap also auto-hit. Keep that in mind when picking the right units to run your Weirdboyz with– the dakkier the better.
After getting my fill of double Weirdboyz, it was time to move on to the single Weirdboy. When running a single Weirdboy they easily complement other HQ choices. Mad Doc Grotsnik + Weirdboy + Megannobz can = lots and lots of spendy death and the same goes for Ghazghkull. Weirdboyz add nicely to any fire base especially in a Battlewagon, with say Tankbusters. Even throwing them with a Lobba/Zzap Battery can prove cheap and deadly (that is if you can pass a leadership test) unit.
The idea with Weirdboyz is to think outside the box. They create a fun environment both you and your opponents can enjoy. Just remember not everything always goes according to plan, but it sure is Orky to bring these insane boyz around.
Here are some sample Armies that use Weirdboyz effectively.
Questions for Comment:
- Any experiences with Weirdboyz?
- How could I have forgot about Old Zogwort?
- What could of made Weirdboyz better?