Freebooterz have been a lot of fun to play with. Stacking multiple hit modifiers with every kill means that they should be 50% more accurate than any other Ork. When you consider the volume of shooting an Ork army is capable of producing, 50% equates to a bucketload of extra hits. That simple math is what caught my attention when I first read the codex.
Guest Writer: Logan Heath
Seeing the improved datasheets for the buggies, mek gunz, and aircraft all gave me that giddy feeling we all get when we see something broken or overpowered. And then when I looked at the points, I felt as if Christmas came early.
I believed in Freebooterz. Even during 8th edition, I kept turning over their potential in my mind. Once their current book was released, I was convinced the time had come to jump in. So I did, and I won SoCal Open in a way that generated a lot of discussion. I was looking forward to playing them for many more events.
Then the balance dataslate was published. Any list with more than two aircraft had to change, and Orks were saddled with being the only faction with a rule of one on five different units.
But I didn’t want to let go of Freebooterz and accept their dizzying math potential had become just a fond memory. I love the shooting phase. I always have. Rolling so many dice and eliminating targets from a distance is why I started playing the game over twenty years ago, and it’s why I still play.
Can Freebooterz still hit a critical mass in the shooting phase to win like before?
Here’s the list I created to try to capture what I felt when I first read through the current codex:
Freebooterz Outrider
Expand for Army List
Wartrike, Warlord, Junkboss
5 Kommandos
5 Kommandos
Boomdakka Snazzwagon
Megatrakk Scrapjet
Kustom Boosta Blasta
Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy, Nitro Squigs
Shokkjump Dragsta
Mek Gun, Kustom Mega Kannon
Mek Gun, Kustom Mega Kannon
Wazbom Blastajet, 2 Supa Shootas, Blastajet Force Field
Wazbom Blastajet, 2 Supa Shootas
Freebooterz Outrider
Big Mek in Mega Armor, Da Krushin’ Armour, Kustom Mega-Blasta
3 Warbikers
3 Warbikers
3 Warbikers
3 Deffkoptas
3 Deffkoptas
3 Deffkoptas
The list is…fine. I’ve tried this list and many like it in a lot of games trying to find out what flavor of Freebooterz I would take to LVO. And after a local GT this weekend, I’ve come to the conclusion that, for me at least, Freebooterz have lost what made them exciting.
There’s too many points in too few units. Ork vehicles can take some punishment, but any competitive army can kill multiple vehicles in a single phase. The list I took to SoCal Open had many efficiencies supporting it while forcing the opponent to make inefficient plays. This meant that even though I would lose several assets in a turn, I would still have the tools to clear the offensive threshold to win. The balance dataslate changed all that.
I’m not complaining either. The Ork codex had too much efficiency compared to many other armies I’ve played against. Something needed to change. I just hoped that after such a change happened, I would still feel excited to play the army.
So what is the future of Freebooterz?
I hope that some people continue to play them. Hitting on 3s with a pair of Wazboms is still a great feeling, and overcoming the dense terrain penalty to still have buggies hit on 4s is very satisfying. As for me, I don’t think they are good enough to go far in a competitive event. Being stuck with a single Scrapjet just isn’t enough volume while a unit with multiple Scrapjets has a lot of vulnerabilities.
If Freebooterz aren’t the future of having a competitive shooting Ork army, then I believe that the best alternative comes in the form of the Speed Mob.
Evil Sunz Outrider
Expand for Army List
Speed Mob Army of Renown
Warboss on Warbike, Da Killa Klaw, Speed King, Warlord
6 Deffkoptas, Boom Boyz
6 Deffkoptas
3 Megatrakk Scrapjets
3 Rukkatrukk Squigbuggies
6 Warbikers, Big Choppa
6 Warbikers
Wazbom Blastajet, 2 Supa Shootas, Blastajet Force Field
Wazbom Blastajet, 2 Supa Shootas
While large units of Ork Vehicles aren’t the most efficient, the Speed Mob gives enough benefits to make them worth taking. Advancing and shooting at full effect while gaining a 5+ invulnerable save helps units of three buggies more than I first thought, and twelve Deffkoptas have so many tricks to play with. I think the future of shooting Orks revolves around the Mad Max looking helicopters. The Speed Mob has two ways to keep the Deffkoptas alive turn after turn with Drive By Dakka (read Fire and Fade) and Attack Out O’ Da Sun. Their damage output is multiplied by the Speed Mob giving Deffkoptas an extra attack (which becomes three extra attacks per Deffkopta) and the stratagem Crashin’ Through gives Orks a very reliable source of mortal wound output. And most importantly, I get a little giddy when I talk about them.
Despite all of this, I’m still missing what drew me to Orks in the first place. I’ll be taking the Evil Sunz Speed Mob to LVO, but the Ork shooting phase just isn’t what it was. That’s not a bad thing. Change is good. Freebooterz are still fun, but Orks aren’t holding my attention like they used to. I’m hopeful that as Games Workshop continues to balance the game, Freebooterz and the Ork shooting phase in general can find its way back into the focal point of the Warhammer community. As much as I appreciate change, I believe that a shooty Ork army should have a place in the competitive meta.
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