It’s Like Tactics: Gorkanaut & Morkanaut Review

Warning

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

Mini Mega-Maids

The biggest and newest additions to the Ork arsenal came along with tons of promise, but hit with a resounding thud. The Gork and Morkanaut fit right into the Ork ethos, but unlike the Riptide or Wraithknight they never became the bedrock of Ork armies need in today’s game. How did such cool looking models became pariahs before they even got a chance to shine?

Before we start dissecting though, let’s take a quick look at the present Gorkanaut & Morkanaut rules.

(Click below to Enlarge)

Gorkanaut Rules 2014

Heavy Support: Gorkanaut – 245 Points

WS	BS	S	Front	Side	Rear	I	A	HP
4	2	8	13	13	12	2	4	5

UNIT TYPE: Vehicle (Walker, Transport). UNIT COMPOSITION: 1 Gorkanuat WARGEAR: • Deffstorm mega-shoota • Two twin-linked big shootas • Two rokkit launchas • Skorcha • Klaw of Gork (or possibly Mork) SPECIAL RULES: • Rampage TRANSPORT: Transport Capacity: Six models. Fire Points: None. Access Points: A Gorkanaut has one Access Point at the front. OPTIONS: • May take any of the following: – Extra armour…10 pts – Grot riggers…20 pts

Morkanaut Rules 2014

Heavy Support: Morkanaut – 230 Points

WS	BS	S	Front	Side	Rear	I	A	HP
4	2	8	13	13	12	2	4	5

UNIT TYPE: Vehicle (Walker, Transport). UNIT COMPOSITION: 1 Morkanaut WARGEAR: • Two twin-linked big shootas • Kustom mega-blasta • Kustom mega-kannon • Two rokkit launchas • Klaw of Gork (or possibly Mork) TRANSPORT: Transport Capacity: Six models. Fire Points: None. Access Points: A Morkanaut has one Access Point at the front. OPTIONS: • May take a kustom force field…50 pts • May take any of the following: – Extra armour…10 pts – Grot riggers…20 pts

[show-rjqc id=”26″] 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.

Utility

The Gorkanaut & Morkanaut suffer from being a new class of Dreadnought without a meaningful role. If they had been given proper tools for better survival you could have something, but as it is the point costs doesn’t justify the return in investment. Their uses very limited. The transport capacity isn’t enough and the amount of shooting is penalized by Ork Ballistic Skill. They really needed an edge, like better Initiative, 14 armour all around, but as it is they are a dead man walking.

Speed

The Gorkanaut & Morkanaut are stuck at the slow pace as every other Ork Walker. If only they were Super-Heavy Walkers, then all the speed and defense problems would be fixed. Since you want your Gorkanauts & Morkanauts to be in good shooting position it is important to put them in a good starting point.

Assaulty

Gorkanauts & Morkanauts operate mostly like the Deff Dread, with an extra benefit of being AP1 and Concussive. This makes them better, but still forced to strike at I2, but with a good number of attacks. If you need to destroy enemy vehicles this is one of the best options available for Orks, especially with the Gorkanaut having Rampage.

Shooty

By in large Shooting is where Gorkanaut & Morkanaut are supposed to excel at. Their shooting is sub-par, driven down by an inability to target multiple units and low BS. Getting back to a returning theme:: THEY SHOULD BE SUPER-HEAVIES! The Gorkanaut is especially hurt by its signature gun the Deffstorm Mega-Shoota not being twin-linked. It makes the Morkanaut hands down the better option for shooting, by utilizing Blast weapons instead.

The Gork and Morkanaut fit right into the Ork ethos, but unlike the Riptide or Wraithknight they never became the bedrock of Ork armies need in today’s game.

Gork or is it Mork?

What is better and why, Gorkanaut & Morkanaut?

In the Ork parthenon I am always partial to Mork as a sneaky git, but what about the Gorkanaut or Morkanaut? The Morkanaut cheaper and can get the best upgrade. By contrast, the Gorkanaut technically gets more shooting and has the USR of Rampage. The Rampage rule seems pretty good, because obviously the Gorkanaut will always be outnumbered, but when you think of using it to take out heavily armoured targets it becomes mostly useless, unless your opponent likes running squadrons.

Morkanaut weapons shoot less and can Get Hot!, but the taking a KKF can prevent Hull Point loss.The KFF will instantly make a Morkanaut really spendy, but I rather have some defense than no defense. The Morkanaut Mega-Blasta type weapons also have higher strengths and lower AP values than anything the Gorkanaut can offer. The Gorkanaut shooting revolves around hot dice rolls. If I am going to spend 250 points on a unit I want some reliability a thing the Morkanaut offers..

Putting it all Together…

The definitive reason why the Gorkanaut & Morkanaut aren’t very good is very simple: Cost. They are so outrageously over-costed as to be made almost useless. They are the Land Raider of the Ork Codex and they don’t even get AV14. In the world of Grav you will most likely be immobile by turn 2 and dead by turn 3. Now, if they were point costed correctly you would be able to afford to field a few. Beyond the defensive liabilities they don’t really do anything you can’t get with other Ork units. Being a transport vehicle isn’t very good without enough fire ports. I can continue the litany of reasons the Gorkanaut & Morkanaut ain’t worth a damn, but that would make for a short angry review.

There are a few uses for the Gorkanaut & Morkanaut. The Morkanaut is a very good mobile Kustom Force Field, because of the large size you can spread the bubble wide to the rest of your units. If you combine this with a Void Shield Generator Fortification you have decent alpha strike defense. The Gorkanaut & Morkanaut are also a secret sauce against certain Super Heavies, they won’t survive against most Imperial Knights, but against things like the Stormsurge or Imperial Guard Super-Heavy tanks they can do some serious work. Gorkanaut & Morkanaut will also strike before any Stomps. You can also use the Gorkanaut & Morkanaut as a mini-Stompa, by putting in small unit of Lootas, taking all Meks to repair any damage, and bubble wrapping with Ork units to prevent stray Melta shots coming your way.

— Gorkanaut & Morkanaut Army Templates–

Gorkanaut & Morkanaut Allied Detachment List

Gorkanaut & Morkanaut Combined Arms Detachment List

Gorkanaut & Morkanaut Dread Mob Formation List

Gorkanaut & Morkanaut Great Waaagh! Detachment List

Gorkanaut & Morkanaut Ork Horde Detachment List

Formations

Dread Mob: This Formation is made for KKF Morkanauts, it is the best way to give a invulnerable bubble to protect all the other Walkers. Save on points take one, giving you enough left over for a detachment to use the extra Painboy and Big Mek you get with the Dread Mob. If you are lucky, the firepower dedicated to kill the Morkanaut might give the other parts of your army time to do some real damage.

Detachments

Ork Horde Detachment: If you think you need a Kustom Force Field and don’t want to usethe points on a Big Mek, you can always take a Morkanaut instead, it frees up that third HQ spot for another Warboss or a Painboy. Gorkanauts & Morkanauts as a point sink means you have to be careful to not pull points away from completing this typically top heavy Detachment.

Great Waaagh! Detachment: You thought Killer Kans or Deff Dreds Deep Striking were funny, well what about a Gorkanaut or Morkanaut! A better use for a Gorkanauts & Morkanauts than Deep Strike novelties, is filling them up with Tankbustas from the extra Elite slots you get, hoping to get close enough to pop out and shoot something.

Final Thoughts….

Overall, the Gorkanaut & Morkanaut are poorly designed; this was a great opportunity to give the Orks something on par with the Riptide or Wrathknight, instead GW made something goofy with random things pulled from other Ork units, generating only un-fun all around. In the next iteration the design team better make them Super-Heavies or drastically reducing the point cost and give them squadrons.

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…