As I delve deeper and deeper into this codex, my oddboy brain runs rampant with all sorts of different conceivable combinations. My latest obsessive project came from Skeetergod's suggestion of having a Big Mek on a bike to help repair my kans. Genius. But that got my brain started. If meks are being made so prevalent in this current manifestation or Gork's (or Mork's)children of the orkpocolypse, how can we harness that orky goodness? I've seen lists that have meks supporting stompas, battlewagons, and the new gorkanauts/morkanauts. Repairing hull points and keeping them safer with the now slightly less powerful kustom force field. But I've yet to see the return of the walkers.
During my many sleepless nights I've come up with an orky strategy. First pair my kans with a dread to bolster their nerve a little and second is to add some meks to help them from being glanced to death.
Instead of making a large unit that must all target the same enemy, I've decided to stick with 3 kans. Sure I don't have to take tests the first time I lose a single kan in squads of 5 or more, but the thought is to create these new mobs in the style of a MSU. These 3 cans would form a semicircle, flaty enemy facing. The next is to add a dread. Usually close combat orientated with maybe a single long range weapon to keep things interesting. He'll walk in front of the kans to add a moderate shield with greater HP and better armour. And in the squishy middle would be the Big Mek. This is where all the possibilities open up as to how to kit him out and should he be in a squad of his own. In a squad he can't be singled out when shot at, except by precision shots. But in a squad everyone would have to be pretty tight formation, especially if taking a KFF so that the walkers would benefit from the invulnerable save. Having him on a warbike makes him tougher and gives a better natural save, but there is even less room in the squishy middle for an infantry unit for him to join. Here are a few combinations I can think of for a Big Mek lead unit. Again, the idea is to have two or three of these units in the army, so as to decrease any individual MSUs priority. This unit will be position in the center surrounded by a deff dread and 3 killa kans.
Big Mek A 110 points
- warbike, kustom force field (110)
PROS: tougher, good saving throw, invulnerable saving throw
CONS: can be singled out easily, only one mek's tools roll, not an infantry unit so can't attach a bonus mek
Big Mek B 139 points
- kustom force field, 'eavy armour (89)
- gretchin x 10 (35)
- bonus mek for HQ choice (15)
PROS: good saving throw, invulnerable saving throw, cannot be singled out easily, add a mek's tool roll
CONS: pretty weak unit, takes a lot of room so has to be in very tight formation for everyone to take advantage of the KFF
Big Mek C 184 points
- kustom force field, 'eavy armour (89)
- burna boyz (2 burnas, 3 meks) (80)
- bonus mek for HQ choice (15)
PROS: good saving throw, invulnerable saving throw, cannot be singled out easily, 5 mek's tool rolls, can be in looser formation for KFF to work
CONS: most expensive, 2 burna boyz may not see much action