While the Warhammer 40,000 universe is filled with grim grit and despair it has a distinct streak of humour, both goofy and morbid, running through it. No faction better embodies this humour than the Orks. Orks are hoards of boyz, ramshackle looted trukks, and various other strange sights, all held together solely by belief. In the Warhammer 40,000: Conquest Living Card Game these themes are carried through to create some hilarious and distinct game play.
In my first Buying Guide – The Basics, I discussed the LCG format and made suggestions for initial purchases. In this article I’m going to delve into Conquest’s fungal green skinned hooligans, the Orks.
General
Orks are a motley crew to be sure. As a faction the green skins can focus on swarms of little runts or bully their opponent with giant nobz and ramshackle trukks. They focus on brutal and indirect damage, and to a lesser degree cost reduction, support manipulation, and readying. New players will enjoy Orks if they enjoy aggressive strategies, playing fast and loose, and don’t mind incuring a bit of collateral damage in the process.
The Threat Beyond (Warlord Cycle)
Orks get a lot of interesting tools in the core set but probably two of their ost important army units come in the Threat Beyond. Snakebite Thug and Evil Sunz Warbiker both provide powerful 2 cost units. They fill out the faction’s cost curve and are versatile options that can be used in any of the Ork warlords. You will also get Mork’s Great Heap which can really boost your deck depending on the strategy you’re using.
The Scourge (Warlord Cycle)
Almost every pack in the Warlord cycle included at least something decent for Orks but one of the best packs was definitely the Scourge. Starting out with Kustom Field Generator Orks get a tremendous support that works as an excellent defensive tool. The faction gains access to Attack Squig Herd and Iron Guard Recruits which are utilitarian units for combat and with Dakka Dakka Dakka! which helps players control swarms of opposing units in addition to being a double shield card.
Zogwort’s Curse (Warlord Cycle)
The last War Pack I would recommend a new player to consider grabbing for Orks in general is Zogwort’s Curse. Not only does this War Pack come with an Ork Warlord that opens up new play style opportunities but it comes with several great Astra Militarum cards you can supplement your decks with. Tallarn Raiders is another cheap but strong unit that can be used for both combat and command. Staging Ground provides a tool for mid combat tricks, being especially powerful with options like Snakebite Thugs and Evil Sunz Warbikers. Finally Steel Legion Chimera is a defensive unit that can be utilized to shield your boyz.
Nazdreg
Ork’s first Warlord, Nazdreg, is a strong Warlord that focussed on the Brutal mechanic and generally aggressive play styles. Nazdreg is likely one of the warlords that fairs best with only 2 core sets, especially once a few War Packs are added. Generally this warlord favours aggressive cards like Tellyporta Pad and works best with high health units.
Threat Beyond & The Scourge
Like for the faction in general these War Packs are filled with excellent tools for Nezdreg. Snakebite Thug’s self damage turns into extra Brutal fuel, and Kustom Field Generator allows players to spread damage out and more effectively benefit from Nazdreg’s ability.
Boundless Hate (Planetfall Cycle)
The third War Pack I would recommend to a new player unterested in using Nazdreg specifically is Boundless Hate. One of this warlord’s main weaknesses is being targeted directly, something that Front Line ‘Ard Boyz helps protect against. Additionally Rok Bombardment further allows Orks to control large groups of units while allowing Nazdreg’s units to sometimes gain the benefit of extra Brutal power. And finally Sacaellum Shrine Guard is another cheap unit to help fill out your cost curve.
Zogwort
The second warlord given to Orks is the Weirdboy Old Zogwort. A seemingly bizarre warlord at first glance, Zogwort is actually reasonably powerful due to his token creation ability. Because of his self contained ability Zogwort is a good starting point for a wide variety of strategies.
Zogwort’s Curse & The Threat Beyond
For a player interested in the old Weirdboy, Zogwort’s Curse is an easy sell since it is the War Pack he comes in. Along with Zogwort himself, both Zogwort’s Curse and The Threat Beyond come with all the great cards I’ve talked about this warlord benefitting from.
What Lurks Below (Planetfall Cycle)
The final War Pack I would recommend for a player interested in getting started with Old Zogwort is What Lurks Below. In this War Pack Zogwort can make use of Smasha Gun Battery by applying the damage to produce snotling tokens from Zogwort’s Runtherders or powering up other Ork units. Skrap Nabba is a command body that helps smooth resource gain but also can contribute to combat. Last but not least Orks get the very strong event Outflank’em, which arms Orks with the means to completely warp combat.
Gorzod
The third warlord for the Orks released during the Planetfall cycle, if Gorzod. This warlord changes the conventional deck construction rules letting you include common Astra Militarum and Space Marine Vehicle army units in your decks. To balance this Gorzod cannot include events, support, attachments, or non-Vehicle army units unless they are neutral or Ork.
Deadly Salvage (Planetfall Cycle)
Like Most other warlord the most important purchase for Gorzod is the War Pack he comes in, Deadly Salvage. Unfortunately this War Pack doesn’t include any Space Marine or Astra Militarum cards that he can include.
The Scourge & The Threat Beyond
Gorzod is no exception among the Ork warlords and benefits greatly from the several staple cards that come in both The Scourge and in The Threat Beyond. Even though Snakebite Thug andEvil Sunz Warbiker are both not Vehicles but still fill vital positions. Among the other cards Kustom Field Generator also helps greatly, allowing you to further potect your already tough units.