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Emperor’s Children Specific Strategies
RULES / POINTS VERSION:
10th Edition, 2025–2026 Chapter Approved
March 2026 Balanced Dataslate
MATCHUP:
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Orks | War Horde |
| VS | |
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Emperor’s Children | Court of the Phoenician |
MISSION:
| GW Mission | C |
| Primary | Linchpin |
| Terrain Layout | GW Terrain Layout 6 |
| Deployment | Tipping Point |
| Deployed First | Orks |
| First Turn | Orks |
LISTS:
Orks:
List
Orks – War Horde (1990 Points)
Orks
War Horde
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Beastboss (80 Points)
• 1x Beast Snagga klaw
• 1x Beastchoppa
• 1x Shoota
Big Mek (95 Points)
• 1x Power klaw
• 1x Traktor blasta
• Enhancements: Follow Me Ladz
Boss Snikrot (75 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 (75 Points)
• 1x Attack squig
• 1x Kombi-weapon
• 1x Power klaw
• 1x Twin sluggas
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
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
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
Flash Gitz (80 Points)
• 1x Ammo Runt
• 1x Kaptin
◦ 1x Choppa
◦ 1x Snazzgun
• 4x Flash Git
◦ 4x Choppa
◦ 4x Snazzgun
Flash Gitz (80 Points)
• 1x Ammo Runt
• 1x Kaptin
◦ 1x Choppa
◦ 1x Snazzgun
• 4x Flash Git
◦ 4x Choppa
◦ 4x Snazzgun
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
Stormboyz (65 Points)
• 4x Stormboy
◦ 4x Choppa
◦ 4x Slugga
• 1x Boss Nob
◦ 1x Power klaw
◦ 1x Slugga
Exported with App Version: v1.49.0 (1), Data Version: v757
Emperor’s Children:
List
EC – Court (1990 Points)
Emperor’s Children
Court of the Phoenician
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (215 Points)
• 1x Hellforged weapons
• 1x Infernal cannon
Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings (215 Points)
• 1x Hellforged weapons
• 1x Infernal cannon
Fulgrim (340 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Daemonic blades
• 1x Malefic lash
• 1x Serpentine tail
Lord Exultant (105 Points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
• 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Phoenix power spear
• 1x Rapture lash
• Enhancements: Tears of the Phoenix
Lord Exultant (80 Points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
• 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Phoenix power spear
• 1x Rapture lash
Lord Exultant (80 Points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
• 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Phoenix power spear
• 1x Rapture lash
BATTLELINE
Infractors (85 Points)
• 1x Obsessionist
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 1x Power sword
• 4x Infractor
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 4x Duelling sabre
◦ 1x Icon of Excess
Infractors (85 Points)
• 1x Obsessionist
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 1x Power sword
• 4x Infractor
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 4x Duelling sabre
◦ 1x Icon of Excess
Infractors (85 Points)
• 1x Obsessionist
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 1x Power sword
• 4x Infractor
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 4x Duelling sabre
◦ 1x Icon of Excess
Tormentors (85 Points)
• 1x Obsessionist
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 1x Power sword
• 4x Tormentor
◦ 2x Boltgun
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Icon of Excess
◦ 1x Meltagun
◦ 1x Plasma gun
Tormentors (85 Points)
• 1x Obsessionist
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 1x Power sword
• 4x Tormentor
◦ 2x Boltgun
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Icon of Excess
◦ 1x Meltagun
◦ 1x Plasma gun
DEDICATED TRANSPORTS
Chaos Rhino (80 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
• 1x Combi-bolter
• 1x Combi-bolter
• 1x Havoc launcher
Chaos Rhino (80 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
• 1x Combi-bolter
• 1x Combi-bolter
• 1x Havoc launcher
Chaos Rhino (80 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
• 1x Combi-bolter
• 1x Combi-bolter
• 1x Havoc launcher
OTHER DATASHEETS
Noise Marines (145 Points)
• 1x Disharmonist
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Sonic blaster
• 5x Noise Marine
◦ 2x Blastmaster
◦ 5x Close combat weapon
◦ 3x Sonic blaster
Noise Marines (145 Points)
• 1x Disharmonist
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Sonic blaster
• 5x Noise Marine
◦ 2x Blastmaster
◦ 5x Close combat weapon
◦ 3x Sonic blaster
Exported with App Version: v1.49.0 (1), Data Version: v757
FACTION SPECIFIC STRATEGIES:
Orks:
The goal of this list is to mirror other lists that I have had a lot of success with. The goal is to establish a big board presence with lots of OC via the 2 big Boyz units. Ideally, I want to get both of those units “stuck In” during the Waaagh turn and be able to tag as many other units as possible to do some serious damage and tarpitting. I especially want to get Ghaz in the thick of it and killing as many things as possible before he goes down. The thought is to then use the other units to strategically charge or pick off other units as the game progresses while the Grots and Stormboyz do actions.
Win Condition: The big wild card here is the Emperor’s Children’s access to super high mobility. Ork will need to time their Waaagh properly and make sure to set it so that as many Charges as possible land during it. If the Emperor’s Children can kite the Orks until the Waaagh is over or engage them before it begins, this will be a tough go. Based on this, the Orks win condition is to play disciplined for the first turn or two or so and to try to catch the Emperor’s Children in a tidal wave of bodies. It will be tough on this board, but a slow trading game does not favor the Orks here.
What I Want to Work On This Game: I don’t have a great history with Orks. In theory, I should be great with them, but it never seems to workout unless it is a really favorable matchup. There are elements to Orks that mirror other armies or lists that I have had a ton of success with. They want to get stuck in melee like World Eaters, Blood Angels, or some of my CSM lists and are great at playing horde/tarpit 40K like Chaos Cult CSM. That said, it just never seems to work out for me when when I play Orks. I suspect part of it is that I tend to play my melee armies in waves instead of setting up one “all in” go turn like the Waaagh turn, but I’ve gotten better at that in the last few games. I want to keep working on setting up that one massive Waaagh turn to diversify how I play melee armies.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos: | Beastboss with Beast Snagga Boyz |
| Ghazghkull Thraka with Boyz (with Big Mek) | |
| Zodgrod Wortsnagga with Gretchin | |
| Warboss with Boyz | |
| Transport / Infantry Combos: | Beastboss + Beast Snagga Boyz in Trukk |
| Warboss + Boyz in Battlewagon | |
| Breaka Boyz + Flash Gitz in Trukk | |
| Strategic Reserves: | Stormboyz |
| Flash Gitz | |
| Key Stratagems: | Careen!: WHEN: Any phase, just after an ORKS VEHICLE unit from your army with the Deadly Demise ability is destroyed. TARGET: That destroyed ORKS VEHICLE unit, if you rolled a 6 for its Deadly Demise ability. You can use this Stratagem on that unit even though it was just destroyed. EFFECT: Your unit can make a Normal or Fall Back move before its Deadly Demise ability is resolved, and before any embarked units perform an Emergency Disembarkation. When making this move, your unit can move over enemy units (excluding MONSTERS and VEHICLES) as if they were not there. |
| Orks Is Never Beaten: WHEN: Fight phase, just after an enemy unit has selected its targets. TARGET: One ORKS unit from your army that was selected as the target of one or more of the attacking unit’s attacks. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time a model in your unit is destroyed, if that model has not fought this phase, do not remove it from play. The destroyed model can fight after the attacking unit has finished making attacks, and is then removed from play. | |
| ‘Ere We Go: WHEN: Start of your Movement phase. TARGET: One ORKS INFANTRY unit from your army. EFFECT: Until the end of the turn, add 2 to Advance and Charge rolls made for your unit. | |
| Unbridled Carnage: WHEN: Fight phase. TARGET: One ORKS unit from your army that has not been selected to fight this phase. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time a model in your unit makes a melee attack, an unmodified hit roll of 5+ scores a Critical Hit. | |
| ‘Ard As Nails: WHEN: Your opponent’s Shooting phase or the Fight phase, just after an enemy unit has selected its targets. TARGET: One ORKS unit from your army (excluding GROTS, MONSTER and VEHICLE units) that was selected as the target of one or more of the attacking unit’s attacks. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time an attack targets your unit, subtract 1 from the Wound roll. | |
| Key Combos: | Ghazghkull Thraka + Boyz + Waaagh! army rule + Get Stuck In! detachment rule + Follow Me Ladz enhancement + Prophet of da Great Waaagh! ability + Ghazghkull’s Waaagh! Banner (Aura) ability + Shokk-Boosta ability + ‘Ere We Go stratagem This is a lot of points and requires proper setup, but you can get a unit that Advances & Charges with +2 to Move, Advance, and Charge, that can move through models, and then gets Sustained and Lethal on 5+ critical hits with +1 Strength, +1 to Hit, and +1 to Wound on close to 90 attacks and a massive footprint. Theoretically this should let you tag a bunch of units in melee and then do some SERIOUS damage. |
| Beastboss + Beast Snagga Boyz + Waaagh! army rule + Get Stuck In! detachment rule + Monster Hunters ability + Beastboss ability + Ferocious Rage ability + Unbridled Carnage stratagem Not as big as the above Ghaz combo, but full hit rerolls into Sustained with Devastating Wounds at Anti-Monster or Anti-Vehicle 4+ for the Beastboss is nothing to sneeze at. |
Emperor’s Children:
This is the new Grotmas detachment for the Emperor’s Children. I will admit to being lukewarm to it because I really wish that they had improved Fulgrim’s datasheet instead of trying to patch him via a detachment. I also am suspicious that this detachment will play better without Fulgrim in it.
All that said, I have only played my new Fulgrim once and am going back and forth between playing this detachment or Peerless Bladesmen in the next round of my LGS’s league, so I want to get more reps with it since I’m approaching a dozen with Peerless. I am also intentionally bringing a list that is different, or as different as you can get given the limited range, from how I play Coterie or Peerless.
Like all EC armies, the list is built around Noise Marines, Lord Exultants leading Infractors out of Rhinos, and Winged Daemon Princes. Where I am slanting this one differently is by bringing an additional Tormentor unit for scoring and by bringing an additional Rhino. I also have Fulgrim despite my misgivings about how he plays in this detachment. The idea is to use the Noise Marines, Infractors, and Tormentors to play a minimum sized units (MSU) game while the Winged Daemon Princes and Fulgrim “Kool Aid Man” through walls to smash into anything in their way. The list is built to be able to play either the tempo and trade or all in pressure styles, but I worry that it may be great at neither.
Win Condition: For this matchup, this one is surprisingly simple. The Orks want to play an all in pressure game. That dictates that the Emperor’s Children either need to beat them to punch or use their speed to evade the Orks and force a tempo and trade game. Given the board layout and mission, I’m leaning more towards the tempo and trade approach, but seeing which army goes first will be the deciding factor. If the Orks go first, then tempo and trade is definitely the way to go.
What I Want to Work On This Game: Controlling the board by spreading the Orks out and using my speed to dictate the flow and engagements in the game.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos: | Lord Exultant with Infractors 1 |
| Lord Exultant with Infractors 2 | |
| Lord Exultant with Infractors 3 | |
| Transport / Infantry Combos: | Lord Exultant + Infractors 3 in Chaos Rhino |
| Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 in Chaos Rhino | |
| Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 in Chaos Rhino | |
| Strategic Reserves: | Noise Marines 2 |
| Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 | |
| Key Stratagems: | Contemptuous Disregard: WHEN: Your opponent’s Shooting phase or the Fight phase. TARGET: One Emperor’s Children unit from your army. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time an attack targets your unit, if the Strength characteristic of that attack is greater than the Toughness characteristic of your unit, subtract 1 from the Wound roll. |
| Prideful Superiority: WHEN: Fight phase. TARGET: One Emperor’s Children unit from your army that has not been selected to fight this phase. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time a model in your unit makes an attack that targets a Character unit, you can re-roll the Hit roll and you can re-roll the Wound roll. | |
| Sinuous Breach: WHEN: Your Movement phase or your Charge phase. TARGET: One Emperor’s Children Daemon unit from your army that has not been selected to move or charge this phase. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time your unit makes a Normal, Advance or Charge move, it can move horizontally through terrain features. | |
| Close-Quarters Excruciation: WHEN: Your Shooting phase. TARGET: One Emperor’s Children unit from your army that has not been selected to shoot this phase. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time an Emperor’s Children model in your unit makes an attack that targets an eligible unit within 12″, improve the Strength and Armour Penetration characteristics of that attack by 1. | |
| Key Combos: | Fulgrim + Thrill Seekers army rule + Sensational Performance detachment rule + Master of the Pageant detachment rule + Prideful Superiority stratagem + Sinuous Breach stratagem Used to “Kool Aid Man” Fulgrim through terrain and into re-rolls of hit and wound rolls in melee against Character units. It’s expensive at 2 CP, but gives you the best version of Fulgrim that you are likely to see. |
| Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings + Thrill Seekers army rule + Sensational Performance detachment rule + Daemonic Destruction ability + Stimulated by Pain ability + Sinuous Breach stratagem Used to “Kool Aid Man” the WDP’s through terrain and into doing Charge Mortals. I’ve actually found this one to be more devastating than Fulgrim, which is sad, and it makes it impossible to hide from the WDP’s. | |
| Noise Marines + Thrill Seekers army rule + Close-Quarters Excruciation stratagem Nothing too fancy here. Just a great way to make your Noise Marines even better. This one was clutch in the late game last time that I played this detachment. |
ROUND-BY-ROUND RECAP:
Emperor’s Children win the roll off to determine attacker and defender and choose to have Orks deploy first.
Orks deploy pretty aggressively with the hope of going first and pushing at the Emperor’s Children. They are focused on using the Battlewagon and large unit of Boyz to pressure Objective 3, which is the EC Natural Expansion, while using their Trukks full of Breakas and Beast Snaggas to counter the EC Daemon Princes. Lastly, Ghaz’s unit is staged up to pressure the middle or side objective, as needed.
Emperor’s Children deploy very aggressively as they do not fear Orks shooting at all. The thought is to pressure the Orks Natural Expansion Objective, which is Objective 5, with the Daemon Prince and a Rhino full of Infractors while seeking to protect their own Natural Expansion Objective with the other 2 Rhinos full of Infractors. The Noise Marines are then deployed to shoot the middle Objective in order to clear the way for Fulgrim to smash into the Orks Deployment Zone.
Board state post deployment is shown below.
Post Deployment
Orks then win the roll of to go first and both sides make their Scout Moves. The board state at the start of the battle is shown below.
Start of the Battle
ROUND 1:
| Phase: | Go First: Orks |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| CP at Start | 1 |
| Command | [Orks] Draw Secondaries: Overwhelming Force & Engage On All Fronts [Orks] [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim uses Daemon Primarch of Slaanesh — Fights First [Orks] [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka + Boyz uses Get Da Good Bitz ability and Objective 1 is stickied for Orks |
| Movement | [Orks] Gretchin uses Thievin’ Scavengers ability for +1 CP [Orks] Kommandos 1 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 5 [Orks] Kommandos 2 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 3 [Orks] Kommandos 2 uses Bomb Squig to Deal 3 Mortal Wounds to Rhino 2 [Orks] Trukk 1 Makes a Normal Move Objective 5 [Orks] Trukk 2 Makes a Normal Move behind Terrain near Objective 5 [Orks] Battlewagon Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 3 [Orks] Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin Makes a Normal Move to reposition to block Fulgrim [Orks] Boss Snikrot Makes a Normal Move to back up to avoid a Charge from EC |
| Shooting | [Orks] All Units Shoot and whiff |
| Charge | [Orks] None |
| Fight | [Orks] None |
| End of Turn | [Orks] Scores Secondary: Engage On All Fronts — 2 VP |
| Score at End | 12 |
| CP at End | 2 |
Not a great Secondary draw for Orks and it results in a boring first turn that is mostly focused on staging and setting up a big Round 2. They are a little bit exposed given how open this board layout is, but the hope is to draw out Fulgrim and the Daemon Prince in order to setup the Waaagh!. Board state in the middle of Round 1 is shown below.
Middle of Round 1
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| CP at Start | 2 |
| Command | [Emperor’s Children] Draw Secondaries: Cull The Horde & Engage On All Fronts [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 1 uses Objective Defiled and Objective 2 is stickied for EC |
| Movement | [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 1 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 5 [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 2 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 3 [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 3 Makes a Normal Move along the flank near Objective 3 [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Makes a Normal Move to follow Rhino 1 [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 1 Makes a Normal Move to Shoot Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 1 and 2 Make a Normal Move to screen EC DZ [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim uses Sinuous Breach for 0 CP and rolls a 5 to Advance to Charge the Battlewagon |
| Shooting | [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 1 Shoots Kommandos 1 and kills 4 models [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Shoots Kommandos 1 and Deals 0 Damage [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 2 Shoots Kommandos 2 and kills 1 model [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 3 Shoots Kommandos 2 and Destroys the Unit [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 1 Shoots Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin and kills 13 models [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim Shoots Zodgrod Wortsnagga and kills 3 models |
| Charge | [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim Declares a Charge into Battlewagon and Boss Snikrot — Charge Succeeded [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 1 Declares a Charge into Kommandos 1 — Charge Succeeded |
| Fight | [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim Fights Battlewagon and Destroys the Unit — 2 Orks die disembarking [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim Fights Boss Snikrot and Deals 1 Damage [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 1 Fights Kommandos 1 and Destroys the Unit [Orks] Boss Snikrot Fights Fulgrim and Deals 6 Damage |
| End of Turn | [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Engage On All Fronts — 2 VP [Emperor’s Children] Drops Secondary: Cull The Horde for 1 CP |
| Score at End | 12 |
| CP at End | 3 |
Turn 1 goes about as expected for the Emperor’s Children. They are able to wipe out the Orks screens by killing the Kommandos and most of Zodgrod’s Grots. They also take back a lot of board position, have Fulgrim in a position where the Orks have to deal with him and, most importantly, were able to do so without having to get out of their Rhinos. Now the pressure is on the Orks to decide if they want to burn the Waaagh! to kill Fulgrim and a bunch of Rhinos or hold onto it and risk Fulgrim surviving to become a serious problem. Board state at the end of Round 1 is shown below.
End of Round 1
ROUND 2:
| Phase: | Go First: Orks |
| Score at Start | 12 |
| CP at Start | 4 |
| Command | [Orks] Call the Waaaagh!!! [Orks] Draw Secondaries: Cleanse [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim uses Daemon Primarch of Slaanesh — Fights First [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim’s Demonic Poisons do 1 Mortal Wound to Boss Snikrot [Orks] Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin uses Insane Bravery stratagem [Orks] Score Primary: 3 VP |
| Movement | [Orks] Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin Makes a Normal Move to Objective 4 To Cleanse [Orks] Breaka Boyz Disembarks onto Objective 5 To Charge Rhino 1 [Orks] Breaka Boyz uses Bomb Squig to do 1 Mortal Wound to Rhino 1 [Orks] Warboss + Boyz Makes a Normal Move to Objective 3 to Charge Rhinos 2 and 3 [Orks] Boss Snikrot Falls Back from Fulgrim [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka + Boyz Makes a Normal Move to Charge Fulgrim [Orks] Flash Gitz 2 Deploys From Reserves near Objective 5 to Shoot Rhino 1 [Orks] Stormboyz Deep Strike near Objective 2 [Orks] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 uses Rapid Ingress stratagem to Deep Strike near Objectives 4 and 5 |
| Shooting | [Orks] Trukk 1 Performs Cleanse on Objective 5 for 2 VP [Orks] Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin Performs Cleanse on Objective 4 for 3 VP [Orks] Flash Gitz 2 uses Ammo Runt ability to Shoot Rhino 1 and Deals 4 Damage [Orks] Trukk 2 uses Firing Deck ability to Shoot Rhino 1 and Destroys the Unit for 3 VP [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 1 Explodes and uses Deadly Demise ability to deal 1 Mortal Wound to Breaka Boyz and WDP 1. Infractors take 1 Mortal Wound disembarking [Orks] Warboss + Boyz Shoots Rhino 2 and Deals 1 Damage [Orks] Stormboyz Shoots Tormentors 2 and Deals 0 Damage |
| Charge | [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka + Boyz Declares a Charge into Fulgrim — Charge Succeeded [Orks] Warboss + Boyz Declares a Charge into Rhinos 2 and 3 — Charge Succeeded [Orks] Breaka Boyz Declares a Charge into Infractors 1 — Charge Succeeded [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 uses Heroic Intervention stratagem into Breaka Boyz [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 uses Demonic Destruction to deal 4 Mortal Wounds to Breaka Boyz |
| Fight | [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka + Boyz uses ‘Ard As Nails stratagem for -1 to Wound against them [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka + Boyz uses Orks Is Never Beaten stratagem for Fight on Death [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim uses Prideful Superiority for 1 CP thanks to Master of the Pageant to re-roll Hit and Wound rolls [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim Fights Ghazghkull Thraka + Boyz and kills 17 Boyz [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka Fights Fulgrim and Destroys the Unit [Orks] Breaka Boyz Fight Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 and Deals 7 Damage [Orks] Warboss + Boyz Fights Rhinos 2 and 3 and kill Rhino 2 for 2 VP and do 4 Damage to Rhino 3 [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 take 1 Mortal Wounds disembarking from Rhino 2 [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 Fights Breaka Boyz and Destroys the Unit [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 Consolidates onto Objective 5 [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Consolidates onto Objective 5 [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 3 Fights Warboss + Boyz and kills 0 Boyz |
| End of Turn | [Orks] Trukk 1 Cleanse fails [Orks] Scores Secondary: Cleanse — 2 VP [Orks] Scores Secondary: Overwhelming Force — 5 VP |
| Score at End | 22 |
| CP at End | 0 |
Orks decide to be aggressive and call the Waaagh!. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to lock in as many Charges as they would have liked thanks to the Emperor’s Children being clever about how they positioned their units to prevent a single, devastating wave of Charges. Orks also made the first big mistake of the game and it could be a game changer.
In this case, it was spending 3 CP on Ghaz’s unit to ensure that they took down Fulgrim. At the time, it felt needed as Fulgrim was positioned to be a problem, had Fights First active, and the Orks had a ton of CP. Unfortunately, using Orks Is Never Beaten proved to be completely unnecessary and a waste of 2 CP. That one will hurt next turn as the Emperor’s Children did not lose many of their damage dealing units and now Orks won’t have enough CP to Interrupt or Fight on Death. This could be a game losing mistake due to getting tunnel vision on needing to kill the biggest threat on the board, which stinks but does feel kind of Orky per the lore. Board state in the middle of Round 2 is shown below.
Middle of Round 2
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 12 |
| CP at Start | 2 |
| Command | [Emperor’s Children] Draw Secondaries: Defend Stronghold & Secure No Man’s Land [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 fails Battle Shock [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim’s Demonic Poisons do 3 Mortal Wounds to Ghaz + Boyz [Emperor’s Children] Score Primary: 8 VP |
| Movement | [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Makes a Normal Move towards Trukks 1 and 2 [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Makes a Normal Move towards Trukk 2 [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 Makes a Normal Move towards Trukk 1 [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 1 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 4 [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 1 Makes a Normal Move to Shoot Stormboyz [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 2 Makes a Normal Move to Charge Stormboyz [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 3 Disembarks Rhino 3 to Charge Warboss + Boyz [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 Makes a Normal Move to Charge Warboss + Boyz [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 3 Falls Back [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 2 Deploys From Reserves near Objective 5 to Shoot Flash Gitz 2 |
| Shooting | [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 2 Shoots Stormboyz and Kills 1 model [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 1 Shoots Stormboyz and kills 1 model [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Shoots Flash Gitz 2 and Kills 2 models [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 Shoots Flash Gitz 2 and Deals 0 Damage [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 Shoots Warboss + Boyz and Deals 0 Damage [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 3 Shoots Warboss + Boyz and Deals 0 Damage [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 1 Shoots Ghazghkull Thraka + Boyz and Kill Nob, Makari, and Big Mek [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 2 Shoots Flash Gitz 2 and Destroys the Unit |
| Charge | [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 Declares a Charge into Warboss + Boyz — Charge Succeeded [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 3 Declares a Charge into Warboss + Boyz — Charge Succeeded [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 1 Declares a Charge into Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin — Charge Succeeded [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 2 Declares a Charge into Stormboyz — Charge Succeeded [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Declares a Charge into Trukk 1 — Charge Succeeded and uses Demonic Destruction ability for 7 Mortal Wounds [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Declares a Charge into Trukk 1 — Charge Succeeded and used Daemonic Destruction ability to kill Trukk 1 [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 Declares a Charge into Beastboss + Beast Snagga Boyz — Charge Succeeded |
| Fight | [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 Fights Beastboss + Beast Snagga Boyz and Kill Beast Snagga Boyz and do 3 Damage to Beastboss [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Piles In to Beastboss [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Fights Beastboss and Destroys the Unit [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Piles In to Trukk 2 [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Fights Trukk 1 and Deals 9 Damage [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 1 Fights Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin and Deals 5 Damage which leaves Runtherd + Zogrod [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 2 Fights Stormboyz and Kill 2 models [Orks] Warboss + Boyz uses ‘Ard As Nails stratagem — for -1 to Wound [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 3 Fights Warboss + Boyz and use Lord’s “Go Mode” to Kill 8 models [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 Fights Warboss + Boyz and use Prideful Superiority stratagem, Lord’s “Go Mode”, and Precision on Infractors to Kill Warboss and all Boyz but the Nob [Orks] Stormboyz Fights Tormentors 2 and Destroys the Unit by rolling 4 Sustained Hits [Orks] Trukk 2 Fights Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 and Deals 1 Damage [Orks] Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin Fights Noise Marines and Kill 4 Models |
| End of Turn | [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Secure No Man’s Land — 4 VP |
| Score at End | 24 |
| CP at End | 0 |
Ooof. The Orks Round 2 mistake of burning too many CP in their turn comes back to bite them as the Emperor’s Children see an opportunity and go all in with their own Go Turn. As a result, the Orks get absolutely devastated and this game may be over early as the Waaagh! is now over and the Orks have lost most of their units. Board state at the end of Round 2 is shown below.
End of Round 2
ROUND 3:
| Phase: | Go First: Orks |
| Score at Start | 22 |
| CP at Start | 1 |
| Command | [Orks] Draw Secondaries: No Prisoners & Extend Battle Lines [Orks] Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin passes Battle Shock [Orks] Boyz passes Battle Shock [Orks] Trukk 2 fails Battle Shock [Emperor’s Children] Fulgrim’s Demonic Poisons do 1 Mortal Wound to Boss Snikrot and 3 to Ghaz [Orks] Trukk 2 uses Grot Riggers ability to heal 1 Wound [Orks] Score Primary: 3 VP |
| Movement | [Orks] Flash Gitz 1 Disembarks from Trukk 2 to Shoot and Charge Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 [Orks] Boyz Fall Back onto Objective 3 [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka Makes a Normal Move to Charge into Noise Marines 1 [Orks] Stormboyz Makes a Normal Move to Shoot and Charge Tormentors 1 |
| Shooting | [Orks] Trukk 2 Shoots Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 and Deals 0 Damage [Orks] Flash Gitz 1 use Ammo Runt and Gun Crazy Show-Offs abilities to Shoot Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 and Kill 2 models [Orks] Stormboyz Shoots Tormentors 1 and Deals 1 Damage [Orks] Zodgrod Wortsnagga + Gretchin Shoots Noise Marines 1 and Deals 0 Damage |
| Charge | [Orks] Flash Gitz 1 Declares a Charge into Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 — Charge Succeeded [Orks] Boss Snikrot Declares a Charge into Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 — Charge Succeeded [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka Declares a Charge into Noise Marines 1 — Charge Succeeded [Orks] Stormboyz Declares a Charge into Tormentors 1 — Charge Succeeded |
| Fight | [Orks] Boss Snikrot Fights Lord Exultant + Infractors 2 and Kills Infractors 2 for 2 VP [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 uses Counter Offensive stratagem to Fight Flash Gitz 1 and Kills 4 Models [Orks] Ghazghkull Thraka Fights Noise Marines 1 and Destroys the Unit for 2 VP [Orks] Stormboyz uses Unbridled Carnage stratagem to Fight Tormentors and Kill 2 Models [Orks] Flash Gitz 1 Fights Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 and Kill 1 Model [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant 2 Fights Boss Snikrot and Destroys the Unit [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 1 Fights Stormboyz and Destroys the Unit [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Fights Trukk 2 and Destroys the Unit |
| End of Turn | [Orks] Scores Secondary: Extend Battle Lines — 4 VP [Orks] Scores Secondary: No Prisoners — 4 VP [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Defend Stronghold — 3 VP |
| Score at End | 33 |
| CP at End | 0 |
A good scoring turn for Orks, but it feels more like a last gasp than a true come back. They’re about to get clapped again by the Emperor’s Children and potentially may not make it into Round 4. An interesting observation, Fulgrim’s Daemonic Poisons are doing some serious work in this game. The steady bleed of Mortal Wounds on key Ork units is contributing to them being very vulnerable in the coming turn. Board state in the middle of Round 3 is shown below.
Middle of Round 3
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 27 |
| CP at Start | 1 |
| Command | [Emperor’s Children] Draw Secondaries: Marked For Death & Cleanse [Orks] Mark — Zodgrod, Ghaz, and Boyz [Emperor’s Children] Mark — Flash Gitz 1 [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 fails Battle Shock [Emperor’s Children] Use Fulgrim’s Daemonic Poisons to do 1 Mortal Wound to Ghaz and 3 to Zodgrod, which kills the Gretchin [Emperor’s Children] Score Primary: 13 VP |
| Movement | [Emperor’s Children] Tormentors 1 Advances towards Objective 4 [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Advances to Charge into Ghazghkull Thraka [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Advances towards Objective 1 to Shoot and Charge the Grots on it [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 2 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 5 to Cleanse [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant 2 Embarks into Rhino 3 [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino 2 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 3 to Cleanse [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 3 Makes a Normal Move to Charge Boyz |
| Shooting | [Emperor’s Children] Chaos Rhino Performs Cleanse on Objective 3 [Emperor’s Children] Noise Marines 2 Performs Cleanse on Objective 5 [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 1 Supercharges their Plasma Pistol to Shoot Flash Gitz 1 and Destroys the Unit. Hazardous Test passed. [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Shoots Gretchin and Kills 3 Grots [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Shoots Zodgrod Wortsnagga and Deals 0 Damage |
| Charge | [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 3 Declares a Charge into Boyz — Charge Succeeded [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Declares a Charge into Ghazghkull Thraka and Zodgrod — Charge Succeeded and it uses Daemonic Destruction to do 7 Mortal Wounds and kill Ghaz for 5 VP [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Declares a Charge into Gretchin — Charge Succeeded and it uses Daemonic Destruction ability to kill 1 Grot |
| Fight | [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Fights Zodgrod Wortsnagga and Destroys the Unit [Emperor’s Children] Lord Exultant + Infractors 3 Fights Boyz and Destroys the Unit [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Fights Gretchin and Kills all but 1 Grot |
| End of Turn | [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Cleanse — 5 VP [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Marked For Death — 5 VP |
| Score at End | 50 |
| CP at End | 1 |
And that is probably game over for the Orks as the Emperor’s Children basically table them. Between Fulgrim’s Daemonic Poisons and the Winged Daemon Princes Charge Mortals, the Mortal Wound output of the Emperor’s Children have been insane this game and it is definitely punishing the Orks even more for their early game mistakes. Board state at the end of Round 3 is shown below.
End of Round 3
ROUND 4:
| Phase: | Go First: Orks |
| Score at Start | 33 |
| CP at Start | 2 |
| Command | [Orks] Draw Secondaries: Assassination & Storm Hostile Objective [Orks] Gretchin passes Battle Shock [Orks] Score Primary: 3 VP |
| Movement | [Orks] None |
| Shooting | [Orks] Gretchin Shoots Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 and Deals 0 Damage |
| Charge | [Orks] None |
| Fight | [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Fights Gretchin and Destroys the Unit |
| End of Turn | [Orks] None |
| Score at End | 36 |
| CP at End | 2 |
Orks are tabled and will max out at 36 points. This will be an ugly final score. Board state in the middle of Round 4 is shown below.
Middle of Round 4
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 50 |
| CP at Start | 2 |
| Command | [Emperor’s Children] Draw Secondaries: Area Denial & Overwhelming Force [Emperor’s Children] Drop Secondaries: Overwhelming Force for 1 CP [Emperor’s Children] Draw Secondaries: Sabotage [Emperor’s Children] All Units passes Battle Shock [Emperor’s Children] Score Primary: 15 VP |
| Movement | [Emperor’s Children] None |
| Shooting | [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 1 Performs Sabotage |
| Charge | [Emperor’s Children] None |
| Fight | [Emperor’s Children] None |
| End of Turn | [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Area Denial — 5 VP |
| Score at End | 70 |
| CP at End | 2 |
Emperor’s Children continue to run up points and this one is looking like it will be a 100 for them, which feels appropriately perfect. Board state at the end of Round 4 is shown below.
End of Round 4
ROUND 5:
| Phase: | Go First: Orks |
| Score at Start | 36 |
| CP at Start | 0 |
| Command | [Orks] None |
| Movement | [Orks] None |
| Shooting | [Orks] None |
| Charge | [Orks] None |
| Fight | [Orks] None |
| End of Turn | [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Sabotage — 6 VP |
| Score at End | 36 |
| CP at End | 0 |
No changes here as the Orks are tabled.
Middle of Round 5
| Phase: | Go Second: Emperor’s Children |
| Score at Start | 76 |
| CP at Start | 2 |
| Command | [Emperor’s Children] Draw Secondaries: Assassination & Behind Enemy Lines [Emperor’s Children] All Units passes Battle Shock |
| Movement | [Emperor’s Children] Daemon Prince of Slaanesh with Wings 2 Makes a Normal Move into Orks DZ |
| Shooting | [Emperor’s Children] None |
| Charge | [Emperor’s Children] None |
| Fight | [Emperor’s Children] None |
| End of Turn | [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Assassination — 5 VP [Emperor’s Children] Scores Secondary: Behind Enemy Lines — 4 VP [Emperor’s Children] Scores Primary: 15 VP |
| Score at End | 100 |
| CP at End | 2 |
1 minor move for a Daemon Prince and perfection is secured. 100 to 36 victory for the Emperor’s Children. Board state at the end of the game is shown below.
End of Round 5
RESULT:
Singles Format: 100 – 36 WIN for Emperor’s Children
WTC Teams Format: 20 – 0 WIN for Emperor’s Children
GAME REVIEW:
Unfortunately, this game was decided early thanks to a massive CP usage mistake by the Orks. They got too excited about “needing” to take down Fulgrim and it left them completely exposed in the Emperor’s Children’s crack back turn. I can’t help but think how this could have gone if the Orks had the ability to use Counter Offensive or Fight On Death on the 20 model Boyz + Warboss unit during that EC turn. I’m not saying it wins the Orks the game, but it potentially flips control of that side of the board to the Orks, which would have led to a much closer game.
From an Emperor’s Children’s perspective, this game is all about how quickly they can punish mistakes and start “running down hill”. It’s one of the things that I love the most about this army. It is so fast and flexible that you can pounce as soon as the opponent makes a mistake. I also think this potentially answers my question on how to play Court in a way that is different from Peerless or Coterie that I can really enjoy – wait for the opponent to make a mistake and then pounce – because the added Melee bonuses really help you punish the opponent as soon as they make a mistake.
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:
- Orks
- I said it at the start of the game and then proceeded to ignore it in the game…..be more disciplined and patient with how I set up the Waaagh! and use stratagems. Failure to do both of these in Round 2 cost Orks the game.
- Emperor’s Children
- Not a ton here for EC this game.
EARNED THEMSELF A NAME:
Fulgrim. His Daemonic Poisons did solid work all game long to bleed key Ork units and his Round 1 positioning forced the Orks hand on when to call the Waaagh!. He’s not always great, but on this board and mission against this opponent, he was a major difference maker.
MAGNUS OF THE GAME:
The Ork pilot’s CP usage. Again, its very Orky to get tunnel vision on needing to take down the biggest and baddest unit in the enemies unit, but the Round 2 over investment in CP to take down Fulgrim was a crippling mistake.
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