Dread Mob VS Tyranids

This is my first battle report in.. well, forever so please forgive the terrible sloppiness. My opponent, Josh, is a member of my local gaming group and is ranked high on the leader board in the 40K campaign he is currently playing. I’m rusty as hell and asked Josh to get me back into the game, teach me how to do stuffs. Josh, being the awesome guy that he is, did just that!

The Details

Date: 4/1/2015
Location: WNY Gaming, Hamburg NY
Points: 1500
Opponent: Josh R / Tyranids
Mission: Eternal War: The Scouring
Deployment: Dawn of War
Objectives: 6

The Lists

Orks

  • This list was directly referenced from BIGBOSSREDSKULLZ, the master of the Dread Mob!
  • Formation: Dread Mob
  • Big Mek w/Mega Force Field, Slugga, Choppa, 2 x Grot Oilers
    • Warlord Trait: Dead ‘Ard – Warlord has ‘Feel No Pain’
  • Painboy w/2 x Grot Orderlies
  • 3 x Killa Kans w/Big Shootas
  • 3 x Killa Kans w/Rokkits
  • 3 x Killa Kans w/Grotzookas
  • Deff Dread w/4 x Power Klaws
  • Deff Dread w/4 x Power Klaws
  • Deff Dread w/2 x Power Klaws, 2 Skorchas
  • Morkanaut w/KFF, Grot Riggers
  • Gorkanaut w/Grot Riggers

Tyranids

  • Formation: CAD
  • Hive Tyrant w/Regeneration, Twin-linked Devourer with Brainleech Worms, Twin-linked Devourer with Brainleech Worms, Wings
    • Warlord Trait: Master of Manoeuvre – Warlord has ‘Outflank’
  • Hive Tyrant w/Twin-linked Devourer with Brainleech Worms, Twin-linked Devourer with Brainleech Worms, Wings
  • 2 x 30 Termigaunts w/Fleshborers
  • 1 x 30 Hormagaunts
  • 2 x Biovores
  • 1 x Malanthrope
  • 1 X Zoanthrope
  • Carnifex Brood
    • 2 x Twin-linked Devourer with Brainleech Worms, Twin-linked Devourer with Brainleech Worms
  • 1 x Sporocyst w/5x Barbed strangler

Pre-Deployment

When I picked Josh up and he saw the Gorkanaut & Morkanaut, an “Oh no” was muttered. He was under the impression that I was bringing a horde of Orks (as I normally do) and geared his list accordingly. It was at this point I felt I might have a fighting chance.

Deployment

Josh won the roll-off so he chose to have me deploy first. I had my Burny Dread and one Choppy Dread on the left flank, along with the Morkanaut and Rokkit Kans more towards the right-middle. On the far right flank were the Grotzooka Kans with the Big Shoota Kans and Gorkanaut bringing up the right-middle. The Big Mek and Painboy rode with the Gorkanaut to give him the 4++ of the Mega Force Field. Josh failed to seize the initiative so I went first.

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Turn 1

Orks: Everyone shuffled forward, shot and did virtually nothing. I killed a single gaunt.. thanks, night fighting. I moved onto a few objectives, but nothing really fun or noteworthy.
Tyranids: His gaunts on the right flank moved up towards the objective to contest. The gaunts really couldn’t hurt anything I had on the table so they became massive tar pits. The Sporocyst dropped a big spore mine in front of the Rokkit Kans but they took it out in over watch.

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Turn 2

Orks: Again, slow as molasses, we all shuffled except the Big Shoota Kans who stayed put on the rear objective. The Grotzooka Kans took out 4 gaunts and the Rokkit kans shaved off a wound of one of the Carnifex’s but that was about it. Both the ‘nauts whiffed terribly as did the Big Shoota Kans. The Choppy Dread on the left flank made it into one of the gaunt tar pits as did the other Choppy Dread on the right. Man, those D3 hammer of wrath attacks really wreak face! Still, chewing through 30+ gaunts takes a little while.
Tyranids: Both of his Flyrants came in and peppered my Kans with shots. The Grotzooka Kans made every one of their cover saves, which is ridiculous! The KFF from the Morkanaut saved the Rokkit Kans collective butts as well.

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Turn 3

Orks: The Gorkanaut’s Deffstorm Mega-Shoota took 3 wounds off his warlord Flyrant but he made his grounding check… ugh. The Morkanaut took a few wounds off one of the Carnifex’s but that was about it. The Rokkit Kans charged the Sporocyst and smashed him with their Hammer of Wrath attacks. The two tar pits took my two Choppy Dreads out of the game, but the dreads just kept on hitting & splatting. The Burny Dread moved towards the center “mountain” to support the Morkanaut.
Tyranids: The warlord Flyrant unleashed an unholy amount of shooting at my Rokkit Kans and took them out. The other Flyrant swooped up to behind the Gorkanaut but his 4++ Mega Force Field saved his bacon, only took two wounds. Both Carnifex’s moved up, one toward the Morkanaut, the other towards my Big Shoota Kans. I don’t recall exactly how the first Carnifex died, I think either overwatch to the Morkanaut or to the Morkanaut’s Klaw of Mork itself, but it died. The tar pits did their thing with the Choppy Dreads but this time the Grotzooka Kans got in on the fun on the right flank. This proved critical to whittling down that blob.

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Turn 4

Orks: The Burny Dread made it close enough to the center objective to flame the Malanthrope and his Biovores. In CC, the Malanthrope fell but the Dread backed off to secure the objective. The Morkanaut finished off the final Carnifex and the Gorkanaut took aim at the warlord Flyrant but whiffed. I was rolling 1’s like a boss! I couldn’t hit a thing to save my life. Both tar pits made progress but it was clear that the left flank wasn’t going to be resolved by game end and the right might finish.
Tyranids: One Flyrant took the last two hull points from the Morkanaut and wrecked him. This was a moral victory for Josh and the joy/smile on his face was worth losing my beloved ‘naut. The warlord Flyrant shave a hull point off the Gorkanaut but I was making those Mega Force Field saves like a boss. Tar pits.. tar pitted. The right flank almost completed their objective but there was one gaunt hiding within the Kans so I was locked in combat still. Very funny and sad moment.

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Turn 5

Orks: The Gorkanaut tried to shoot everything at the warlord Flyrant but nothing hit. Epic fail. Big Shoota Kans did the same. The tar pit on the right flank finally collapsed!
Tyranids: Flyrant on the left shot at the Big Shoota Kans but they made their cover saves. The warlord Flyrant got behind the Grotzooka Kans and wiped them out.

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Final Results

ORK VICTORY!
Orks: 5 – Objectives: 3, Line Breaker, First Blood
Tyranids: 4 – Objectives: 4

Conclusion

What a bloody battle! Not much that Josh brought could damage the AV I brought, which was fortunate for me. Being locked in combat, the Choppy Dreads didn’t bring much to this game but seeing their strength in action was impressive. Josh’s dice were pretty hot most of the day while mine, we both agreed were crap. I asked a bunch of questions which Josh patiently answered and explained. He’s one of those opponents you love facing because he keeps the game light and enjoyable. This was a very fun game and not a bad for the first outing of my Dread Mob.

5 comments

  1. Woo dread mob orks! Awesome! Glad to see them doing so well! I love me a good dread mob!

    I’d probably drop a power klaw off the other deff dreads and add a skorcha and grot riggers to them. That’s my only suggestion! (don’t forget that all deff dreads got a +1A bonus in our codex update…actually got better!)

    1. Thanks! I’m very impressed with the formation so far as well. My only wish would be a built in AA option. The extra 2 x PK on the dreads ensure they’ll wreck face when they get in close. Adding in the Skorcha, while very awesome, normally only works against me. In two separate occasions it’s done too well and fouled my charge distance. The one Burny Dread is enough to scare most units so they leave my Choppy Dreads alone… that is until they get in CC, 6 attacks on the charge w/4 PK is scarey for even the toughest units!

  2. Great writeup mate 🙂

    I see you went with a straight copy from my list. I think that’s more or less the go to list as it’s very flexible and can react to most situations.
    Lack of AA isn’t that bad of an issue. Gorkanaut has his big dakka arm which is FAQed to str 6 and that helps in taking the birds down.

    -t

    1. Hey Tommy! Thank you. After seeing your great success the last few BatReps (bravo BTW), I just had to try out your list for myself. Worked like a champ. I don’t know if I like the twin Burny Dread as much, but the only way to know for sure is to keep trying out options. The 4-PK Dreads are my preferred configuration at this point. I added a referral link/nod to you sir, please forgive my laziness!
      I tried to use the Gorkanaut as AA but was having crap luck with the dice. I’ll give it another go before running to the Traktor Kannons but it was very frustrating letting those Flyrants have their way with my poor ‘nauts.

  3. Hi, i have been running the IA8 dread mob list for some time now with a lot of luck. Love it. The only problem is that its its slow as mollasses. One solution for this would be using the dread mob formation from codex ghazkul cause it gives “here we go” giving you the ability to run and charge. Is there a reason you dont include a warboss to get a WAAGH?

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