Ork Boyz: Sluggas VS Shootas

There are two standard weapon options for ork boys. There is the standard slugga/choppa combo, and then the shoota configuration. Most of my army consists of slugga/choppa boyz, but that is just because I mostly use AOBR boyz, because I can find them cheap on eBay. So which one is best?

Slugga/choppa boyz:

Advantages: +1 attack

Disadvantages: short range, little/no firepower.

These guys are not going to be doing much in the shooting phase. they can cause a little damage, but against MEQ’s or TEQ’s it won’t do much good. (One thing I think would be cool is if you could take a unit that had 2 sluggas per boy, and no choppas. same advantage, smaller disadvantage.) However, in close combat they will rip anything apart. Just think: 120 WS4 S4 attacks on the charge. THAT is why orks are the best close combat unit in the game, point for point.

Shoota Boyz:

Advantages: mid-range guns, decent firepower

Disadvantages: fewer attacks

These guys are better for holding objectives, because they can get in a turn of fire before they are assaulted. Also, they can diminish the disadvantage of the lower attacks if they squeeze in a turn of fire before they assault. It won’t erase the disadvantage, but it will reduce it. However, 6″ of range isn’t much, and so what you are really taking is an average of 10 extra hits. So lets see, against space marines you get 1.6 extra kills, against IG you get 4 extra kills. however, you get far less kills in close combat, which means it all balances out.

In the end, I personally prefer Slugga/Choppa boyz, because of their ability to slice anything apart with no fear of not wounding. Once, I took down a Swarmlord with a unit of thirty boyz, because even though they hit and wounded on 6’s, and he had a 3+ save with a 4+ CC invulnerable,  simply because I got nearly a hundred attacks a turn. (though technically I had caused 2 wounds in the shooting phase with lucky shots from my big shootas… but you get my point.)

Did you know? Orks have the longest assault radius in the game. A unit of stormboyz in a hi-jacked trukk can assault a unit up to 45″ away. (13″ trukk movement with red paint job + 2″ deployment + 12″ jump pack movement + D6 extra movement + D6 waaagh! movement + 6″ assault = 45″, assuming 6’s on extra movement and waaagh!.) This means that they can consistently get assaults on turn 1, even if they get the minimum roll on both, (which would be 34″,) because you start 12″ away from the board edge. (for a total of 46″ minimum, average 51″, maximum 56″.) That’s more than four feet!