MATCHUP:

Faction: Chaos Space Marines

Detachment: Chaos Cult

VS

Faction: Orks

Detachment: War Horde

MISSION:

Primary: Scorched Earth

Terrain: GW Terrain Layout 3

Twist: None

RESULT:

100 – 42 Win for CSM

OVERALL TAKEAWAYS:

• Overall game
  • Disclaimer – this was played prior to the September 2025 Dataslate update
  • I can’t help but think that CSM played the game that all Ork players wish they could play and it resulted in a blowout win for CSM.  A quick summary of the game flow is as follows:
    • CSM got first turn and quickly moved 10 man Cultists onto 2 of the objectives.  Meanwhile the Accursed Cultists / Dark Commune bricks (AC/DC’s) hung back to serve as counter charge units.  The vehicles all moved into firing lanes and started focusing on the Ork transports.  Lastly, Vashtorr served as the CSM “Distraction Carnifex” that I jammed up board to serve as a problem the Orks had to deal with.
    • Orks lost 2 transports in turn 1 and had to charge the Cultist squads earlier than expected (pre-Waagh) with Zodgrod’s unit and a Warboss / Boyz unit in order to not fall way behind on primary.  Ghaz charged Vasthorr but got scammed on 4+ invulns (Vashtorr made them all) and then lost his bodyguard Meganobz and Makari in the crackback as Vashtorr rolled 4 Devastating Wounds.
    • CSM killed Ghaz and the remaining transports in round 2 and then moved the vehicles onto objectives to serve as move blocks.  This forced the Orks to Waagh in the bottom of Round 2, before the AC/DC’s had been brought into the fight.
    • Round 3, CSM popped Dark Ritual (Advance & Charge plus +1 to hit and +1 to Wound) on all AC/DC’s and essentially hit the Orks with a counter-Waagh that tabled them. 
• CSM
  • Another detachment that I just love to play.  It is a very different take on CSM that I find so fun and I could play it anytime.
  • Key Combos:
    • Dark Ritual Ability + Desperate Pacts for +2 inches to Move and Charge makes AC/DC’s sooooooo fast
  • Key Stratagems
    • Chosen for Glory to get full hit rerolls and, if you pass a Desperate Pact, full wound rerolls.  I used this every Fight phase on an AC/DC that was in combat. 
    • Reckless Haste to get Advance and Charge after you’ve already burned Dark Rituals on an AC/DC brick.
• Orks
  • Orks aren’t bad but they run out of gas really quick if you don’t nail the Waagh turn.  Unfortunately for the Orks, CSM body blocked them into an only partially effective Waagh and that flipped the game (it was tied at that point).
  • I’m curious how this list plays with some changes now that Orks have received some buffs.
  • Key Combos:
    • Beast Snagga Boyz + Beastboss + Unbridled Carnage into a Monster or a Vehicle.  The Beastboss solo’d Vashtorr using this combo.
  • Key Stratagems
    • Unbridled Carnage (see above) for Critical Hits on 5+ to turbo charge the detachment rule.
    • Ard As Nails to provide -1 to Wound to the opponent (although Cypher made this way less efficient)
    • Orks is Never Beaten to fight on death and take an AC/DC brick down with your Warboss as the Waagh fizzles out.

WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:

• CSM
  • Drop the Warp Talons for a Raptor unit in order to adjust to the new points update.
• Orks
  • Deploy the transports deeper and play more patiently.  I don’t know that it changes the outcome too much, but I definitely bottlenecked myself in Round 1 by deploying to aggressively and then getting stuck behind a bunch of wounded transports.

MVP of the GAME:Cypher.  He hid behind a ruin 9 inches from the center of the board and 9 inches from a side objective.  It completely ruined the Orks’ CP economy by making Ard As Nails 2 CP or an Interrupt 3CP.  That allowed CSM to dominate most of the midfield. 

MAGNUS OF THE GAME: Ghaz.  Not his fault that Vashtorr made all of his invulnerable saves, but Da Prophet has got to do more than just kill a unit of Cultists in the game.

LISTS:

Chaos Space Marines

Chaos Cult

Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Cypher (90 Points)

  • 1x Cypher’s bolt pistol

  • 1x Cypher’s plasma pistol

Dark Commune (100 Points)

  • 1x Cult Demagogue

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Commune stave

     ◦ Enhancements: Cultist’s Brand

  • 1x Mindwitch

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Warp Curse

  • 1x Iconarch

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Chaos Icon

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

  • 2x Blessed Blade

     ◦ 2x Commune blade

Dark Commune (90 Points)

  • 1x Cult Demagogue

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Commune stave

     ◦ Enhancements: Warped Foresight

  • 1x Mindwitch

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Warp Curse

  • 1x Iconarch

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Chaos Icon

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

  • 2x Blessed Blade

     ◦ 2x Commune blade

Dark Commune (95 Points)

  • 1x Cult Demagogue

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Commune stave

     ◦ Enhancements: Incendiary Goad

  • 1x Mindwitch

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Warp Curse

  • 1x Iconarch

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Chaos Icon

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

  • 2x Blessed Blade

     ◦ 2x Commune blade

Sorcerer in Terminator Armour (80 Points)

  • 1x Chaos Familiar

  • 1x Combi-weapon

  • 1x Force weapon

  • 1x Infernal Gaze

Vashtorr the Arkifane (175 Points)

  • Warlord

  • 1x Vashtorr’s claw

  • 1x Vashtorr’s hammer

BATTLELINE

Cultist Mob (50 Points)

  • 1x Cultist Champion

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Brutal assault weapon

  • 9x Chaos Cultist

     ◦ 9x Autopistol

     ◦ 9x Brutal assault weapon

Cultist Mob (50 Points)

  • 1x Cultist Champion

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Brutal assault weapon

  • 9x Chaos Cultist

     ◦ 9x Autopistol

     ◦ 9x Brutal assault weapon

Cultist Mob (50 Points)

  • 1x Cultist Champion

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Brutal assault weapon

  • 9x Chaos Cultist

     ◦ 9x Autopistol

     ◦ 9x Brutal assault weapon

Cultist Mob (50 Points)

  • 1x Cultist Champion

     ◦ 1x Autopistol

     ◦ 1x Brutal assault weapon

  • 9x Chaos Cultist

     ◦ 9x Autopistol

     ◦ 9x Brutal assault weapon

OTHER DATASHEETS

Accursed Cultists (195 Points)

  • 10x Mutant

     ◦ 10x Blasphemous appendages

  • 6x Torment

     ◦ 6x Hideous mutations

Accursed Cultists (195 Points)

  • 10x Mutant

     ◦ 10x Blasphemous appendages

  • 6x Torment

     ◦ 6x Hideous mutations

Accursed Cultists (195 Points)

  • 10x Mutant

     ◦ 10x Blasphemous appendages

  • 6x Torment

     ◦ 6x Hideous mutations

Chaos Predator Annihilator (135 Points)

  • 1x Armoured tracks

  • 1x Combi-weapon

  • 1x Havoc launcher

  • 2x Lascannon

  • 1x Predator twin lascannon

Chaos Predator Destructor (140 Points)

  • 1x Armoured tracks

  • 1x Combi-weapon

  • 1x Havoc launcher

  • 2x Lascannon

  • 1x Predator autocannon

Chaos Vindicator (185 Points)

  • 1x Armoured tracks

  • 1x Combi-bolter

  • 1x Demolisher cannon

  • 1x Havoc launcher

Warp Talons (125 Points)

  • 1x Warp Talon Champion

     ◦ 1x Warp claws

  • 4x Warp Talon

     ◦ 4x Warp claws

Orks

War Horde

Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Beastboss (105 Points)

  • 1x Beast Snagga klaw

  • 1x Beastchoppa

  • 1x Shoota

  • Enhancements: Follow Me Ladz

Boss Snikrot (95 Points)

  • 1x Mork’s Teeth

  • 1x Slugga

Ghazghkull Thraka (235 Points)

  • 1x Ghazghkull Thraka

     • Warlord

     ◦ 1x Gork’s Klaw

     ◦ 1x Mork’s Roar

  • 1x Makari

     ◦ 1x Makari’s stabba

Warboss (90 Points)

  • 1x Attack squig

  • 1x Kombi-weapon

  • 1x Power klaw

  • 1x Twin sluggas

  • Enhancements: Supa-Cybork Body

Zodgrod Wortsnagga (90 Points)

  • 1x Da Grabzappa

  • 1x Squigstoppa

BATTLELINE

Beast Snagga Boyz (95 Points)

  • 9x Beast Snagga Boy

     ◦ 9x Choppa

     ◦ 9x Slugga

  • 1x Beast Snagga Nob

     ◦ 1x Power snappa

     ◦ 1x Slugga

Boyz (170 Points)

  • 19x Boy

     ◦ 19x Choppa

     ◦ 19x Slugga

  • 1x Boss Nob

     ◦ 1x Power klaw

     ◦ 1x Slugga

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Trukk (70 Points)

  • 1x Big shoota

  • 1x Spiked wheels

  • 1x Wreckin’ ball

Trukk (70 Points)

  • 1x Big shoota

  • 1x Spiked wheels

  • 1x Wreckin’ ball

OTHER DATASHEETS

Battlewagon (160 Points)

  • 4x Big shoota

  • 1x Deff rolla

  • 1x Grabbin’ klaw

  • 1x Lobba

  • 1x Wreckin’ ball

Battlewagon (160 Points)

  • 4x Big shoota

  • 1x Deff rolla

  • 1x Grabbin’ klaw

  • 1x Killkannon

  • 1x Lobba

  • 1x Wreckin’ ball

  • 1x ’Ard Case

Breaka Boyz (140 Points)

  • 1x Boss Nob

     ◦ 1x Choppa

     ◦ 1x Rokkit pistol

     ◦ 1x Smash hammer

  • 5x Breaka Boy

     ◦ 1x Knucklebustas

     ◦ 3x Smash hammer

     ◦ 1x Tankhammer

Deffkoptas (80 Points)

  • 3x Deffkopta

     ◦ 3x Kopta rokkits

     ◦ 3x Slugga

     ◦ 3x Spinnin’ blades

Gretchin (80 Points)

  • 20x Gretchin

     ◦ 20x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 20x Grot blasta

  • 2x Runtherd

     ◦ 2x Runtherd tools

     ◦ 2x Slugga

Gretchin (40 Points)

  • 10x Gretchin

     ◦ 10x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 10x Grot blasta

  • 1x Runtherd

     ◦ 1x Runtherd tools

     ◦ 1x Slugga

Kommandos (120 Points)

  • 1x Bomb Squig

  • 1x Distraction Grot

  • 9x Kommando

     ◦ 1x Breacha ram

     ◦ 1x Burna

     ◦ 4x Choppa

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 2x Kustom shoota

     ◦ 1x Rokkit launcha

     ◦ 4x Slugga

  • 1x Boss Nob

     ◦ 1x Power klaw

     ◦ 1x Slugga

Meganobz (70 Points)

  • 2x Meganob

     ◦ 2x Twin killsaws

Stormboyz (65 Points)

  • 4x Stormboy

     ◦ 4x Choppa

     ◦ 4x Slugga

  • 1x Boss Nob

     ◦ 1x Power klaw

     ◦ 1x Slugga

Stormboyz (65 Points)

  • 4x Stormboy

     ◦ 4x Choppa

     ◦ 4x Slugga

  • 1x Boss Nob

     ◦ 1x Power klaw

     ◦ 1x Slugga