Strategic Maneuvers: Orc Raiders

[Tai-Pan]

Orc Raiders
By Tai-Pan

Units required: Blade Gruts, Tornak, Deathwalker 9000

Sometimes, when an enemy sees that you've drafted a unit like DW9000 or James Murphy, they tend to move their units in an anti-explosion formation. That means that they don't put their figures next to each other. Using the Blade Gruts and Tornak, you can exploit this and destroy the enemy.

If your opponent is still grouped together when your army gets there, use DW9000's explosion attack a couple times, they'll learn. Once they spread out, charge in with the Blade Gruts and Tornak. Move them through the enemy line as quickly as you can. Generally, two turns with the Blade Gruts bonding with Tornak will get you to the rearmost units in the opponent's army are. That's where the paydirt is. Use the Gruts and Tornak to tear up any units back there, usually they are ranged units with lower defenses, or expensive support units that are boosting your opponent. Now, your enemy is faced with Orcs in the back, and the remainder of your army in front. Most opponents will want to deal with the Orcs because they are threatening some of the more valuable units. This is where you have a choice: you can continue attacking with the Orcs to further cripple the rear, however you will also be fighting the enemy's frontline troops as they turn back, you can move the Orcs further back so that they are not threatened by the enemy's melee units, with a move of 6 and 7 the Orcs can outrun most shock troops, or you can charge the front lines with the rest of your army, creating mass mayhem.

Grut Orcs can be replaced by Heavy Gruts, however Heavy Gruts are slower but they have higher attack/defence. DW9000 can be replaced with James Murphy, or Johnny "Shotgun" Sullivan. You may wish to boost DW9000's defense with Thorgrim the Viking Champion or RotV Raelin the Kyrie Warrior. Good units to have in your main army to charge after the Orcs have reached the rear are any Samurai, Knights of Weston and a Human Champion, MacDirk Warriors that are drawing strength from a wounded Human Champion, or other similar squads.

Suggested Armies
Deathwalker 9000 140
Blade Gruts 40
Heavy Gruts 70
Tornak 100
Zombies x2 120
Guilty McCreech 30
Total 500

Deathwalker 9000 140
Blade Gruts x2 80
Tornak 100
Raelin 80
Thorgrim 80
Tagawa Samurai 120
Total 600

[Phoenix 133]

I think a fairly competent army with decent range or melee troops could best this strategy.
Say against that army, I have Q9, some KOW, and raelin, marching in a spread-out formation, but only one or two spaces apart, aside from Q9, who takes the lead. While the orcs charge, Q9 uses his Queglix to decimate their ranks, and once they get past him, they go for raelin. Say the remaining orcs inflict, oh, two or three wounds on her. The next turn, the KOW can close in, and, benefiting from Raelin's aura, hack the orcs to pieces. After that, its a simple matter to use Q9 and the KOW to hunt down DW9k.

Just my personal thoughts

[Tai-Pan]

It's not a sure-win army or strategy, these maneuvers are just to suggest new types of ideas that may not be apparent to newer players.

[Arrow Grut]

Yes, but if there is a SINGlE orc left, then you can bomb ray-ray and all her little buddies!