9th Edition Ork Stratagems – An In-depth Look

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

This classic stratagem returns from the 8^th Edition book. This was an excellent stratagem before, became even more relevant at the release of Saga of the Beast and will be a signature stratagem used by most lists in most games.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Its transhuman, but naturally it only works on the new models you don’t own, and costs 1CP more than most other factions. Not especially thrilled about it, especially as it mostly conflicts with the Snakebite clan culture. Still, at least it puts the new models almost at parity with what everyone else is getting.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Every Ork player spent a full season of play living in fear of the tremor shells pumped out of Thunderfire Cannons… now we get to give everyone else a taste of their own medicine! There’s very few units that can equip a Heavy Lobba, but the main ones are the Kill Rig and Hunter Rig. Once their models are actually available, I fully expect the Kill Rig to be spammed in most competitive lists.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Of course it’s great, it’s for the new models you don’t own yet!  I don’t think “Da Biggest and Da Best” secondary objective is going to be something most people take, but this can really help you seal the deal in murdering a vehicle for +3 victory points.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

It’s sorta a side-grade vs. the Saga of the Beast’s Wildfire stratagem, with the same goal of popping around some mortal wounds. I like it though, and for those that want to take Burna-Bommers, its something you’ll probably want to spit out most turns. The overall use of Burna-Bommers are going to slide hard though. The deletion of the much loved/maligned Flying Headbutt stratagem kills a lot of the interest in the unit.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Of course its great, its for the new models you don’t own yet! To be serious, it’s a sidegrade version of the old Snakebites stratagem Monster Hunters. Limiting it to Beast Snagga units instead of its universal usage before is just classic GW.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

As we’ll see in some of the worst stratagems, the new book has stolen several innate abilities from datasheets and locked them behind a stratagem. This is somewhat the case with this one, although it’s really not a half-bad stratagem. Previously, 1 in every 10 boyz in a unit could bring a tankbusta bomb, which had a S8, -2AP d6 profile, but no more. This new stratagem does have a better damage profile, with 2d3 mortal wounds, and a big plus – you’re no longer trying to hit with your BS as this is a fight phase only stratagem.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

In the coming sections, we’ll see many, many stratagems that are inferior versions of an 8^th edition stratagem. This stratagem is among those, as it is significantly worse than its old version, but it’s still so useful you should always remember it. The nuance is pretty easy to miss though. In 8^th Edition, you could have your warboss fight, fight again with the old version of Get Stuck In Ladz, and then fight on death if he was murdered during combat with Orks is Never Beaten. With the new book, you’ll never be fighting twice, because Get Stuck in Ladz is totally different, and the new Orks is Never Beaten only can be used if your character hasn’t already fought. Not especially relevant, but the old version could also let you shoot your weapons, the new version does not.  This stratagem stays prominent because at this stage in 9^th Edition “Fight Last” abilities are everywhere and Orks cannot mitigate that in any meaningful way outside of this stratagem and a warlord trait that won’t be taken that often. You need this to at least have a chance to clap back after Drazhar and his Archon sidekick murders your warboss.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

In 8^th, you were likely to want the Killa Klaw in every list, then an additional more situational relic (or the super SAG while that was a thing). Overall, the new relics look pretty good.  Going through all the stratagems, things are looking worse than they did with your 8^th Edition book, and WAY worse without Saga of the Beast. Apart from the single culture specific stratagems, there’s really not a lot here you’re going to want every game. We’ll dig more into the relics later, but you’ll have no problem finding three that are worth taking.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Much like Extra Gubbinz, there’s just not a lot of good stratagems on offer, so you’re honestly better just going crazy with as many warlord traits and artifacts as you can find a use for. I think every list will find a use for two traits, and there’s some interesting jank you can pull out with three. The warlord traits aren’t universally better than 8^th Edition’s, in fact most of them are worse than their previous versions, but the fact you can have 1-3 of them floating around makes it less an overall nerf as a sideways change.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

A sidegrade version of the old Billowing Exhaust Clouds stratagem. This version costs 1CP more, and only works on vehicles, but has the benefit of being a sort of area of effect. The previous play was to use it on a huge squad of bikers, but now this is limited to vehicles, which they are not. Here’s another reason to spam squig buggies!

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

If you play melee Ork lists, you know the frustration of tremor shells and tanglefoot grenades. This is a great one to have in your pocket, and one of the rarely well priced stratagems in this book.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

A very situational stratagem as you first need the vehicle to “successfully” roll for its explosion, but very worthwhile in many situations.  There’s some additional potential jank when you’re looking at a unit that has models embarked on it, but rolling a 6 isn’t something you can ever count on. The extra CP cost for wagons makes my brain hurt.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

It’s exactly the same as Hit ‘Em Harder from Saga of the Beast, but costs twice as much. Why? The prior version was a pretty good pick, and when combined with the now deleted Tin Heads Specialist Mob (R.I.P.), it made a list of mostly MegaNobz pretty viable. This nerf (along with many others) slides MANz way back down the totem pole.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Large squads of boyz or beast snaggas are likely not the direction that most lists will want to go, but in the event that you do take them, any ability or stratagem that gets a large mob further distance up the board is worthwhile. The extra CP penalty for units with 11 or more models makes this unaffordable in most situations, however.  Don’t confuse this with the FAR superior double fight stratagem from 8^th Edition.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Another frustrating hit for Orks. This ability used to be baked in for free in the Flash Gitz datasheet and would trigger if you rolled a 6. Being able to guarantee it for 2CP has its value, but it essentially is replacing the old double-shooting Bad Moon stratagem from 8^th Edition, which was much more flexible. Overall, it’s a down-grade because of its limitation to Flash Gitz, high cost and the other abilities/stratagems its replaced.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Morale changes are certainly one of the top 3 worst changes to the Ork faction in general with the new book, as their two major tools for mitigating their horrific morale issues have been removed. Mob Rule is functionally gone, and this 2CP stratagem was formerly a free ability baked into all warboss datasheets. It’s also just as expensive and d3 mortal wounds worse than Insane Bravery, but if you brought a lot of infantry, chances are you’re desperate enough to use it.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Similar, but worse than the Saga of the Beast stratagem of the same name; it’s cheaper, but limited to a single datasheet. This had very situational, edge-case usage before – I think I managed to find an opportunity just once in all my games. I’m not that high on the Nob on Smasha Squig, so I don’t think I’ll see much use out of it.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

There’s been a lot of talk about some jank you can pull off with this, Makari and the character protection rules. Please don’t do that silliness. Poor Makari wasn’t great before, got nerfed in the new book, and really doesn’t need another hit. The big boogeyman in early 8^th Edition Codex Orks was Lootas and the relic SAG surrounded by grot shields. Lootas are very bad now, gretchin are very overpriced, and this now costs twice as much. R.I.P. Grot Shields.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Exactly the same as the 8^th Edition version, but somehow much worse. How? Well, the gimmick before was to place several big threat units into the Tellyporta and bring them in to make a pretty reliable charge through a combination of Here We Go! and the Evil Sunz +1 to charge trait. No more, both those bonuses are GONE, so you’re looking at rolling a hard 9 with the same odds (or worse) than every other faction. This is still a fairly viable stratagem with vehicles, because they have Ramming Speed’s 3d6 charge, or for units you want for shooting purposes. The Kill Rig may find some spicy uses coming out the Tellyporta.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Wow, you get to enjoy the old version of Here We Go if you pay 1 CP, but it’s only for three Lord of War vehicles you’re unlikely to ever take.  Its wording also makes it not function as it should if combo’ed with Ramming Speed.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

This is an extremely frustrating addition to the book. When I first read it, I thought to myself, “Wow, an extra -2AP to Burnas! Add that to their melee profile, and you’ve got a hard hitting unit!” Then I dug deeper into the new Burna datasheet. In 8^th Edition, the Burna’s melee profile was S-User, -2AP 1D; there is no melee profile in the new book, and Burnas don’t carry choppas. If you’re hoping to send them into combat, they’re using the default “unarmed” profile from the core rules. Pay 1CP to be as good as you used to be in the old book.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

No, this isn’t the much lauded, loved and signature More Dakka of 8^th Edition, this is the new version that interacts with the overall bad, wannabe rapid-fire, dakka profile weapons. Most Orks hit on 5s, and very often in 9^th Edition, they’re hitting on 6s (especially with weapon profile changes in this new book and emerging terrain orientations). Most of the guns that see usage with the new dakka profile are Big Shoota style guns, which have no AP. Are you really expecting to get 2CP of value in giving yourself a few more shots with a 0AP gun, hitting at best on a 5? I’ve used this on the BATTLE FORTRESS, a legends unit that shoots 62 Big Shoota equivalent shots and is the one unit in existence that gains the most shots from this stratagem, and the expected math from all that is it kills one extra Space Marine.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

A very situational stratagem, especially given its limitation to Beast Snaggas. Preventing a fall back can be very power, but you’re paying 2CP upfront for a chance at rolling a 4+. There’s much better and cheaper versions of this stratagem in other books.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Pay 2CP to make your Kustom Force Field as good as it was in 8^th Edition for one phase, then explode it and make it useless the rest of the game. Is this for real?

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

This is really a fantastic stratagem and will ultimately define future Ork lists. The Goffs culture is already at the top half of the heap, and this brings it there more so. Exploding hits on 5s and 6s are great on Boyz, Kommandos, MegaNobz, and even gives some viability to regular Nobz. Given the lack of useful stratagems, you may even find yourself pop this out on your Warboss as he goes in for a big fight.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Not even remotely like the old double-shooting version in 8^th Edition. Bad Moonz, Evil Sunz and Deffskullz are being punished this edition, going from the three best cultures to the three worst. Exploding 6s on Dakka weapons is garbage, because almost all Dakka weapons are garbage. You want this on weapons that actually pack a punch, and Big Shootas ain’t it.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

This has been a much hyped stratagem online, but I’m sorry everyone, Evil Sunz are dead. I was a huge Evil Sunz player before, but it’s not looking good for them.  This stratagem is also exactly the same as the 8^th Edition Drive By Krumpin’ and it saw very rare use back then. It’s not a game changer then, it won’t be now.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Their clan culture will certainly end up becoming a popular one in the opening days of the codex, though I think at the end of the day, it’s a distant third, or maybe even fourth in the clan rankings. This is a great little stratagem that is almost always useful. 1CP to let a unit deny a spell? Absolutely! Other factions, however, have similar stratagems that aren’t as limited. In my opinion it shouldn’t have been faction-specific.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Similar, but different to their 8^th Edition version. Getting +1 to wound vs. the old rerolling all wounds is an interesting math problem depending on your target. It was generally too expensive before, and will probably remain so now in most instances. The limitation to core pushes it a little below its prior version, but not TO badly.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

Now here’s a stratagem I’m absolutely in love with. There’s a lot of really interesting uses for this in-game, especially when combined with the stellar “I’ve Got a Plan Ladz!” warlord trait. Being able to pull an infantry unit from a battlefield edge and send them into strategic reserves is just what you want to do with a big squad of Boyz, Nobz, or a small squad of gretchin objective takers. I love a good feint, and this gives you some cool ones for Turn 1 and beyond. There could have been really interesting use with this if all the Lootas and Tankbusta guns weren’t Heavy – the penalty for moving is too extreme to make it a worthwhile usage.

Warboss Lisa’s Take:

The culture in general really hasn’t changed much, but all the good ones have become so much WORSE, that Freebooters have just risen to the top by staying the same. This new stratagem is a great one for objective play and works nicely with MANz especially. Combined with the Da Badskull Banna relic, you’ve got a pretty interesting combo that plays with the Objective Secured ability.