Orruk Warclans: Megaboss GHB2019

Written by Benjamin Lolmaugh

When you hear the sound of the WAAAGH, you often imagine a huge hulking greenskin bellowing as his underlings surge past him. This is the warboss, the chieftain, the clan leader, the Megaboss. In Orruk Warclans we have such a creature.

OVERVIEW:

The Megaboss is an iconic figure in every Greenskins army in Age of Sigmar. He is often the best fighter, the most cunning and of course the most brutal. At least in the lore. On tabletop, it can be a bit different but that's always how things go. This monster of a foot-character can punch up, killing characters twice his points or be stuck footslogging with the rest of the horde. So lets dive in and take a look at the Megaboss.

THE WARSCROLL:

As of General's Handbook 2019 this bad boy comes in at only 150 pts. Which is an absolute steal when you take a look at what you get.

Taking a cursory look at his Stat Wheel you can gather that this is a slow moving but tough foot Hero. The movement can be overcome by the Thermalrider Cloak if you are trying to keep up with Goregruntas but the 4" is on par with all the other Ironjawz infantry. Keep in mine that if you're going Ironjawz allegiance you will be move from Mad As Hell and from using the Mighty Destroyer command ability. 

Melee is where all Ironjawz shine and the Megaboss stand head and shoulders (literally) above the others.  6 attacks at 3+ 3+ -1 and 2 Damage is great for only 150 pts but when combined with Realm artifacts or Ironjawz artefacts, he can chew through just about anything in a turn or two. While many heroes, including melee specialized heroes only have 3 attacks at 3+ 3+ -1 D3 damage, the Megaboss is throwing double or quadruple that in combat. 

The Rip-Toof Fist used to be a weapon with a shit profile that didn't really do much. Now its always on, and always worth watching for. Dealing a few mortal wounds back to a Hero during a crucial combat phase can turn the tide of the whole game. But it is easy to forget in the haze of dice rolling. 

Strength from Victory is probably the coolest improvement to the Megaboss and Megaboss on Mawkrusha in the whole Orruk Warclans book. Instead of just relying on killing a Hero specifically with the Choppa, now it works no matter who the Megaboss is fighting. Plowing through skeletons, you're getting more wounds and attacks. Plowing through human sized Heroes, more wounds and attacks and triggering Smashin' and Bashin'.

The Megaboss lost the 5" reroll 1s to Hit buff to Brutes and kept the same Go on Ladz, Get Stuck In! command ability that he had before. Thankfully it has been updated for AoS 2.0 with the new wordings of wholly within. Also the ability can only be triggered at the start of the combat phase and only lasts until the END OF THAT phase. It does not last until YOUR NEXT phase like many other buffs do. Like the Warchanter Violent Frenzy. Note, that this CANNOT work with Mighty Destroyers that trigger in the Hero phase. While this ability is okay in my book, I rather use my command points on as many Mighty Destroyer extra fights in the Hero phase as I possibly can. Unlike the Violent Frenzy, you also can use this before teleporting your large group of Ard Boyz in front of the enemy.  

While the Megaboss doesn't have a great command ability, he can use the Mighty Destroyer ability as well as the Ironjawz/Great Waaagh Waaagh ability. 

Mighty Destroyers for those new to the Ironjawz game, is probably the most powerful ability the Greenskins have. It allows a unit around the Hero to do one of 3 things depending on distance away from the closest enemy unit. That unit can move if outside 12", charge if within 12" or pile in and attack if within 3". If you are interested in going in depth into the Ironjawz faction abilities, check out the article. 

PROS & CONS:

+ Sturdy

+ Self Heal

+ Great attack profile

+ Good value

- Poor warscroll command ability

- No after saves 

- Pivotal model that is easy to snipe

- Lost Brute buff

BATTALIONS:

He's not need for any Matched Play battalion save the Bossfist from White Dwarf. In that battalion, the Megaboss are actually a tax.

ARTIFACTS:

While the Megaboss doesn't really need an artifact to bust heads, he can certainly shove a shiny sword up the ass of a Stardrake. With the prevalence of mortal wounds, he might not even make it combat. 

Thermalrider Cloak - +4 movement and fly is amazing for such a slow model. Not only does this give you an excuse to make a Megaboss riding a goregrunta but it works well with the extra movement from Mighty Destroyers. This will allow that slow Megaboss to keep pace with the Goregruntas or a Gorefist or to snipe those weedy support heroes behind the main lines.

Metalrippers Claw - This give the Boss Choppa -3 Rend instead of -1. This is certainly better than -1 but its not only that. There are many units in the game now that reduce or ignore -1 Rend altogether. This pretty much guarentees whatever the Megaboss touches will be taking wounds. Just watch out for those ghosty-bois. 

Gryphfeather Charm - +1 Movement and -1 to Hit. Very good at keeping your Megaboss general alive. Especially useful in Ironsunz for -2 in the first turn. In lower point games (1000 or under) this is basically a must. It makes your wholly within ranges more manageable with the 1" leeway in movement.  

Ethereal Amulet - Reserved for Megaboss on Mawkrusha. If you're trying to keep your Megaboss alive, go with the Gryphfeather Charm. 

WRAP UP:

While this model certainly had a place last book, it doesn't really have one this time around. For 300 more points I can have a Mawkrusha that kills 3 times as much in a turn. While he is pretty cheap, I also always cut him first in favor of another Warchanter.

GRADE: C