Welcome back, Dear Reader, to the sacred battlegrounds of the second BLUNDERDOME. For those of you who missed yesterday’s announcement on this year’s Blunderdome, you can find the article with more info on the event here. The short version is, this second Blunderdome is going super casual: We’re building 8 lists with none of the nonsense or complications caused by things like “FAQs,” “Balance Dataslates,” or “Points updates.” Just books used exactly as printed, for the most fun, casual 40k experience possible.

For this event, we’ve had our murderer’s row of competitive sickos build lists for our casual funhavers to play with. Each two-person group constitutes a team for the purposes of winning this team, and each competitive player is on the hook for teaching their casual how to play the list. In this article – and the next two – we’re going to cover the eight lists in this BLUNDERDOME two at a time, along with notes on the lists and the documents handed off to their pilots. If you missed part 1 of our list series, where we talked about Drukhari and T’au Empire lists, you can find that here. 

Today we’re talking about the Admech and Ork lists.

Adeptus Mechanicus

I’ll admit, we didn’t think the Admech book was going to completely dominate the competitive scene in our initial review. There were clearly some powerful synergies in the book, but there was also a ton of rules to process, and a tangled web of interactions to parse through. At launch the book was filled with solid, underpriced units that could bring a ton of utility, from rangers using Enriched Rounds and Acquisition at Any Cost to take down big targets and then hang on to the last model near an objective to Pteraxii who could drop in, action, shoot, and leave in the same turn, to serberys raiders who gave them insane move advantages.

And then there were the flyers. Although bombers are all over Tyranid and T’au lists now, Admech got the first crack at them and it took a few months for players to really understand how good those planes could be. But by the time fall 2021 rolled around, Admech players were leaning heavily on flyer-heavy lists which could tear across the table and completely decimate an opponent before the first turn. These days, the faction seems almost quaint, still held in check by a maximum of two flyers (good) and a truly heinous set of secondaries.

We turned to Jeremy “Curie” Atkinson for help on this list. Jeremy had experience piloting the sick Admech flyer lists that were in vogue in late 2021, and was more than happy to help provide a list and notes.

The List

== Forge World: Mars Patrol Detachment ==

HQ1: Tech-Priest Enginseer

TR1: Skitarii Rangers: Ranger Alpha (Galvanic Rifle), 4xSkitarii Ranger

FL1: Archaeopter Fusilave: Command Uplink
FL2: Archaeopter Stratoraptor: Chaff Launcher

== Forge World: Mars Patrol Detachment ==

HQ1: Tech-Priest Enginseer

TR1: Skitarii Rangers: Ranger Alpha (Galvanic Rifle), 4xSkitarii Ranger

FL1: Archaeopter Stratoraptor: Chaff Launcher
FL2: Archaeopter Stratoraptor: Chaff Launcher

== Forge World: Lucius Battalion Detachment ==

Stratagems:
– Archeotech Specialist (-2 CP)

No Force Org Slot:
– Brotherhood of the Cog: Technoarcheologist (Artisans, Relic (Lucius): The Solar Flare)

HQ1: Skitarii Marshal: Relic: Exemplar’s Eternity, Warlord, Warlord Trait (Codex 5): Firepoint Telemetry Cache
HQ2: Tech-Priest Manipulus: Logi, Magnarail lance, Mechanicus Locum, Relic: Raiment of the Technomartyr, Warlord Trait (Lucius): Luminescent Blessings
HQ3: Tech-Priest Manipulus: Magi, Magnarail lance

TR1: Skitarii Rangers: Enhanced Data-Tether, Omnispex, Ranger Alpha (Galvanic Rifle), 19xSkitarii Ranger
TR2: Skitarii Rangers: Ranger Alpha (Galvanic Rifle), 4xSkitarii Ranger
TR3: Skitarii Vanguards: Enhanced Data-Tether, Omnispex, 19xSkitarii Vanguard, Vanguard Alpha (Host of the Intermediary, Radium Carbine, Warlord Trait (Codex 3): Programmed Retreat)
TR4: Skitarii Vanguards: Enhanced Data-Tether, Omnispex, 19xSkitarii Vanguard, Vanguard Alpha (Radium Carbine)

FL1: Archaeopter Fusilave: Command Uplink
FL2: Archaeopter Fusilave: Command Uplink

Curie’s Notes

MOST IMPORTANT: Abuse double pivoting planes all day long. You pivot once at the start of your move, and once ANYTIME during the movement. Can do some really janky movement with planes using this.

Remember the following: Your Stratoraptors are MARS so they have a hit reroll and benefit from Canticles. 2 of your Fusilaves are Lucius so get +1 to save against D1, and extra 3” on their gun ranges.

If you’re worried about shooting T1 – pop Bulwark Imperative (+1 Armour Save, -3” to Movement Characteristic) and Shroudpsalm (Light Cover). Gives you a 1+ save, so even Dark Lances are saved on a 5+.

Every turn the following buffs are important:

• Logi from the first Tech-Priest Manipulus – gives ignore AP 1&2 to a unit. Put it on a big brick of skitarii.
• Luminescent Blessings from the same Tech-Priest Manipulus – gives Transhuman to a unit. Put it on the same brick of skitarii.
• Raiment of the Technomartyr – gives ignore hit and ballistic skill modifiers to a unit. Put it on the Skitarii Ranger brick when you want to move them.
• Firepoint Telemetry Cache from the Skitarii Marshal – Gives Light Cover to a unit. If they’re already in cover they get +1 to their save. Put this on the same brick of Skitarii that has transhuman and ignores AP 1&2. Now you have a unit that is:
  • Transhuman
  • 2+ base save against D1, 2+ save in cover, 3+ save against everything else
  • Ignore AP 1&2
  • If they take casualties, 1CP they auto-pass morale when they’re within 6” of any objective.

Go turn (usually Turn 1 let’s be honest):

• Activate the following buffs:
  • Canticle: Benediction of the Omnissiah (reroll one hit, one wound, one damage roll) -> this stacks with Mars so you get two hit, one wound, one damage reroll per unit).
  • Doctrina Imperative: Protector Imperative (+1 Ballistic Skill, -1 Weapon Skill)
    Awaken the Machine (+1 to hit) on to each of the 3 Stratoraptors. One from each Enginseer, then 1CP stratagem (Tech-Adept) to use the ability an additional time. (note: this step is only necessary if you’re dealing with -1 to hit from Dense or other sources)
  • Teleport the fully buffed Skitarii brick with the Technoarcheologist – go onto an objective and within range of shooting someone.
• Fly bombers over big units / monsters / vehicles and decimate them with bombs.
  If your opponent has a character protected by BODYGUARD (fuck this noise) – park a bomber within 6” of them and spend 2CP on Electro-Filament Countermeasures. Turn off all auras affecting that unit. Park 3 Stratoraptors next to the character and nuke it off the board.

Unload everything into your opponent and crush them!

The Casual Player: Andrew “Pendulin” Haywood

Our casual player for piloting this list is our own resident technomagus. Pendulin is a longtime admech player and recognized early on how difficult nerfing the admech book might be thanks to a number of different synergies and dependencies it had. He’s excited to pick them back up again for this event.

Orks

Released shortly after the Admech book, it likewise took players a while to hone in on an Ork list that was truly broken. Early builds looked at the Kill Rig – certainly a contender for one of the better datasheets in the game at the time – but ultimately settled on a list packed with vehicles and sporting a large number of flyers. The Wazbom Blastajets are the particularly nasty cornerstone of this murdermachine, able to find targets behind cover early on and stack Freebooterz bonuses to turn guns that mitigate poor BS by throwing out D6 shots into accurate death cannons. Add to this a strong indirect game from the Rukkatrukk Squigbuggies and you’ve got a force that can just wipe enemies off the board turn 1 – just like they did at SoCal in late 2021.

For this list we’ve asked none other than Warboss Ben Jurek for help, fresh off his win at SoCal 2022, continuing the tradition of Orks upsetting everyone by dominating that event. Ben’s list is very similar to those, and pretty much represents the apex Ork hunter.

The List

++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Orks) [37 PL, -3CP, 770pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Clan Kultur: Freebooterz

Detachment Command Cost [-2CP]

Gametype: 1. Eternal War

+ HQ +

Beastboss on Squigosaur [9 PL, -1CP, 160pts]: 3. ‘Ard as Nails, Beasthide Mantle, Stratagem: Big Boss

+ Troops +

Gretchin [2 PL, 40pts]
. 10x Gretchin: 10x Grot Blaster

+ Fast Attack +

Stormboyz [3 PL, 60pts]
. Boss Nob: Power Klaw
. 4x Stormboy: 4x Choppa, 4x Slugga, 4x Stikkbombs

Stormboyz [3 PL, 50pts]
. Boss Nob: Choppa
. 4x Stormboy: 4x Choppa, 4x Slugga, 4x Stikkbombs

+ Flyer +

Wazbom Blastajet [10 PL, 230pts]: 2x Tellyport Mega-Blastas, Blastajet Force Field, 2x Supa Shoota

Wazbom Blastajet [10 PL, 230pts]: 2x Tellyport Mega-Blastas, Blastajet Force Field, 2x Supa Shoota

++ Outrider Detachment -3CP (Orks) [73 PL, -3CP, 1,295pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Clan Kultur: Freebooterz

Detachment Command Cost [-3CP]

+ HQ +

Deffkilla Wartrike [6 PL, 120pts]: 1. Roadkilla (Speed Freeks), Da Badskull Banner (Freebooterz), Warlord

+ Elites +

Kommandos [4 PL, 60pts]
. Boss Nob: Power Klaw
. 4x Kommando: 4x Choppa, 4x Slugga, 4x Stikkbombs

+ Fast Attack +

Megatrakk Scrapjets [15 PL, 300pts]
. Megatrakk Scrapjet
. Megatrakk Scrapjet
. Megatrakk Scrapjet

Megatrakk Scrapjets [5 PL, 100pts]
. Megatrakk Scrapjet

Megatrakk Scrapjets [5 PL, 100pts]
. Megatrakk Scrapjet

Rukkatrukk Squigbuggies [6 PL, 95pts]
. Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy

Rukkatrukk Squigbuggies [12 PL, 190pts]
. Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy
. Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy

+ Heavy Support +

Mek Gunz [2 PL, 45pts]
. Mek Gun: Kustom Mega Kannon

Mek Gunz [2 PL, 45pts]
. Mek Gun: Kustom Mega Kannon

+ Flyer +

Dakkajet [8 PL, 120pts]: 2x Additional Supa Shoota

Dakkajet [8 PL, 120pts]: 2x Additional Supa Shoota

++ Total: [110 PL, -6CP, 2,065pts] ++

Ben’s Notes

Secondaries

• Engage on All Fronts
• First strike
• Any third ( gave dudes to do actions )

Play

• Shoot with things that don’t benefit from the plus 1 to hit trigger first
• Mek gunz, Squig buggies – shoot these first
  Target an easy to kill or msu unit for early as possible trigger, then roll into wazboms and everything else
• Deepstrike the 3 man scrapjet unit if you like for 3d6 charge out of deepstrike and a bunch of mortals. All the Scrapjets mortal triggers happen too

Stratagems
1. Ramming speed
2. The freebooter obsec one
3 .Telly porta
4. Moar dakka on a jet if needed .

Things not to forget

• Scrap jet mortal trigger
• Squig mines on buggies happen in the move phase
• The squigosaur can tank most things
• The +1 triggers in melee as well. Kill with a character first then hit with your buggies since they are 4 ws

The Casual Player: SoylentRobot

Stepping up into the Orks role is SoylentRobot, a sometimes Orks player and probably the most casual/inexperienced player in this edition of BLUNDERDOME. Soylent’s got his work cut out for him, but if he gets a decent matchup and goes first, he can make some real noise with an army that’s always in danger of just spiking some dice and blowing an opponent off the table.

Next Time: Tyranids and Harlequins

That wraps up our look at the third pair of Blunderdome lists, but check back in tomorrow for the final pair of lists – and the most heinous of the lot. Once we’ve wrapped up our list review we’ll talk about the bracket and then next week it’s on to the games. in the meantime if you have any questions or feedback, drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com.