Chonky-bois need love too, so this week I took a hard look at one of my favorite underdog armies, the Ogor Mawtribes. My first Warhammer Fantasy army, Ogors have a special place in my heart, but finding their absolute best and worst options proved somewhat challenging.
Like many Age of Sigmar armies, Ogors have had a true roller-coaster few years. Early-days of competitive AoS were famously plagued by the first “broken” army, Thundertusk spam (though in a personal note, I say Tomb Kings were pretty broken too). The “that guy” army of its time, Thundertusks has few answers, and a sort of no-fun-allowed ability to make you opponent feel as if they hadn’t even been playing a game.
But, those days are long gone, and now the combined Ogors need truly skilled play, and good match-up to crack even the middle or upper ranks in a tournament field.
Powergamers need not apply, but for those who just love their chunky-chunks, lets see if we can find a little efficiency for you.
Over-Performer: Frostlord on Stonehorn (Honorable mention: Frostsabers)
First, let me just get in a brief word on our Honorable Mention. If an over-performer is one that an army wouldn’t want to function without, Frostsabers and a Skal Battalion are so much this. At a measly 40pts, and as one drop thanks to the battalion, Frostsabers are invaluable speed-bumps, screens, and objective grabbers. I suggest Ogor players invest in these as they really are unsung heroes.
Speaking of heroes, the Frostlord on Stonehorn is the easy choice for the armies best unit. At 400pts, this is a significant investment for any 2000pts army, but he is likely to be worth every bit of that.
Access to any of the commonly seen artifacts such as Ethereal Amulet will make this unit stunningly durable. A 3+, 5+ save will always feel good, and in an army with a functionally free D3 heal at least once per game, this unit will likely last long enough to earn back points, and be disruptive to the game.
Across its four kinds of attacks, FoS has a significant damage output, initially. Getting value from it early, and through aggressive play is important here, as Ogors in general tend to fade quickly if they fail to do overwhelming damage to an opponent in the first couple turns of the game.
Aiding that is a Mount-Trait which should seem pretty obvious in our current competitive meta. Metalcruncher targets the most durable of models in melee and simply does D6 wounds to them. That is simply too good to pass up.
While not flashy, or as outright dominant as some of the game’s more obvious heavy-hitters, this unit still does work, and predictably appears in most competitive lists.
Under-Peformer: TIE Maneaters / Icefall Yhetees
This will be a fairly easy choice, as both units talents are more easily replicated elsewhere. Maneaters are, in essence, over-priced Gluttons who pay for the pretense of having tactical flexibility. In truth, this unit has meaningless shooting attacks, and pays such a premium for its optional abilities that most any player would find a better use for those points elsewhere.
Similarly, Yhetees are a frail unit that only reaches its modest potential in very specific lists. Without friendly Thundertusk’s present, they are again, over-costed rank-and-file (by this armies standards) and as non-Ogors themselves, they are barely faster than Hungry Gluttons or Ironguts, which at a glance should be their big boon. As their aura only works on attacks which target them, they are reduced to being a chaff/speed bump unit, in a book that already has a superior option.
To be frank, this can be a fun, and characterful book, but boy does it struggle in competitive play. Certain match-ups such as Fyreslayers really show that when this army cannot exert its will quickly, it will tend to lose. It won’t stop me from playing it though, as this great game is often about so much more than raw meta, and pure competition. Sometimes you just need to rub your belly, belch a warcry, and eat some fools.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
