These guys are going to hate playing Ku'gath.

But does "damage by units" include AE and card effects like Flamers?  I assume yes as the units are the sources of the damage.

Your assumption is correct. Here's the Rules Forum answer - http://www.cardgamed...t-or-abilities/

Shame they need other army units to protect them, unlike the Honoured Librarian which can be protected just by its Warlord. It's still a very interesting unit.

Stack this with an Enraged Ork on a planet where you don't have initiative. That's 3 resources for a huge headache for your opponent.

Zugnog won't be able to move him.

Either your opponent has initiative, in which case you're forbidden from playing the "deal 1 damage to" cost, or you have initiative, in which case the 1 damage will kill them. You can't shield costs either, of course.

I guess you could just about manage to move them if you give them a HP boost with another card, but hell, this card has no command icon, so just stick him on planet 1 and sidestep all that crap.

So if I had a warlord at a planet and my opponent didn't, would I be able to give initiative to them? I know that this is probably obvious, but I am just making sure.

Yeah, there's no rules-enabled option to choose who gets initiative, though you can use tactics in game to try to give away initiative.

For example, if you have the initiative token, and set it up so you are getting a decent command bonus at planet 1 where your warbuggies are, you can force the opponent to make a hard choice: either attempt a command snipe to planet 1 (and thus seize the initiative in the coming battle) or let you get that command bonus.

Throw in a warlord like Baharroth and you mess around even more with games of initiative, as Mobile takes place before any battles are determined. Mix in Seer's Exodus, and you've got other options still, for example using the action window before the battle begins to move your warlord out of a battle planet, and thus remove the initiative-trumping ability of a warlord. Of course, those are Eldar tricks, and as yet we've got no way to use Eldar tricks in the same deck as an ork unit, but who knows what the future may bring...

A more practical everyday scenario might be when you have the initiative token to seed planet 1 with a warbuggy, then have the opponent either let you retain initiative and strike first with the big attack value of the warbuggy, or steal initiative, and activate your warbuggy's specialisation.

And if your opponent goes to planet one, you get to use warbuggy's ability. If you opponent does not go to planet one, then your can play the Smash n Bash you've been holding in your hand for just such a moment.

And if your opponent goes to planet one, you get to use warbuggy's ability. If you opponent does not go to planet one, then your can play the Smash n Bash you've been holding in your hand for just such a moment.

wouldnt Smash n Bash kill Rickety?

wouldnt Smash n Bash kill Rickety?

It would under normal circumstances, but you could, for arguments sake, have a Mork's Great Heap out and/or the Kustomisation Station out if you're playing Gorzod.

so this card really isn't too good with Nazdreg or Zogwort, because they are fighting warlords, and so you might not always be anti initiative.

I'm not sure about Zogwort - might be playable with him.  But I'm not 100% sure it makes the cut in Gorzod - not because it's not discountable, but because Gorzod's higher cost curve means I want my cheap units to come with a hammer...

I think this will see the most use with Gorzod, especially since there's likely to be cards released in the future that specifically use the "Goes Fasta!" specialisation. It's a hard sell for Nazdreg since it's weak to DDD and Smash 'n' Bash, whilst also not benefiting from Brutal, but I could see it working with Zogwort, just bare in mind that this needs "army units" to prevent being targeted, not tokens/warlords.

What I like most about this card in a Zogwort deck is that it forces people to actually attack the Runtherders instead of leaving them for last.

Anyone have any experiences with this card? I've only tried to use it in one game and did not use if very well.

My thought is that it has to be included in my deck -- if at all -- like an event or support card. It is not really an army unit when I'm counting the number of units in my hand. (It is kind of like Eager Recruit in that way.)

My Zarathur-swarm deck is cursing that these guys are loyal...

Have given them a try out of Nazdreg, and there is a clash with the command strength of the deck as you say, as well as a lack of synergy with the Warlord ability. The net result is that to run this card, I end up also increasing the ratio of AM command cards in the deck, which again weakens Nazdreg's ability. 

Despite this, its proved a useful and versatile unit, and one that synergises well with the builds that use 3 Ammo Depot rather than the more standard 2x KFG, 2x Tellyporta. One nice trick I've managed to carry off is to plonk it on planet 2, next to my Sanctioned Psyker, and thus discourage a warlord snipe on the much needed command without too much investment on my part, as well as then having him ready to be used usefully in next turn's combat (as I had initiative token this turn, and opponent had it next turn).

This to me is one of the simpler tricks with this unit: if you are on initiative this turn, stick em on planet 2 next to a capper.

Its definitely a unit that requires a bit of Orky cunning to make most use out of, though having played you a few nights ago, I know you're up to the task!

The text can be a bit misleading it seems, by making people think that they are not getting the proper use of the card if they play it into initiative-holding situations. 3/1 cards are already great when you have the initiative, what the ability does is to address (circumstantially) the weakness 3/1 have in off-initiative situations, thereby greatly increasing this card's flexibility. Never should feel bad about playing 3/1 into a combat where you are going first, the card is more or less guaranteed to trade with something higher-value and to draw fire, what more could you want.

These things can also smash firedrake terminators, which are a headache for Zogwort, and they laugh in the face of zarathur's flamers and rotten plaguebearers. Awesome!

My Zarathur-swarm deck is cursing that these guys are loyal...
 
Have given them a try out of Nazdreg, and there is a clash with the command strength of the deck as you say, as well as a lack of synergy with the Warlord ability. The net result is that to run this card, I end up also increasing the ratio of AM command cards in the deck, which again weakens Nazdreg's ability. 
 
Despite this, its proved a useful and versatile unit, and one that synergises well with the builds that use 3 Ammo Depot rather than the more standard 2x KFG, 2x Tellyporta. One nice trick I've managed to carry off is to plonk it on planet 2, next to my Sanctioned Psyker, and thus discourage a warlord snipe on the much needed command without too much investment on my part, as well as then having him ready to be used usefully in next turn's combat (as I had initiative token this turn, and opponent had it next turn).
 
This to me is one of the simpler tricks with this unit: if you are on initiative this turn, stick em on planet 2 next to a capper.
 
Its definitely a unit that requires a bit of Orky cunning to make most use out of, though having played you a few nights ago, I know you're up to the task!

I guess you're saying its because Zogwort gets a synergy with the sig squad?

For me, its better with Nazdreg than Zogwort, as it can force an opponent to attack a unit that benefits from Brutal. Also, Naz decks tend to carry around units with as high HP as possible.

I've not tested Gorzod yet, but poking the deckbuilder, I find it doesn't fit well because Gorzod so badly needs extra command strength, so every cheap unit must carry a hammer. I guess this unit plus an Assault Valkyrie is going to be pretty terrifying combat presence for just 2C4R though...

So you can have the initiative token and not be considered to have the initiative?

This refers to initiate in general. Not just the token? Correct?

Except during the deployment phase and in between combat rounds and during the HQ phase. 

For me, its better with Nazdreg than Zogwort, as it can force an opponent to attack a unit that benefits from Brutal. Also, Naz decks tend to carry around units with as high HP as possible.

Very technical point, but it does not force you to attack another unit. You can still declare an attack vs. the Warbuggy. You just can't assign it damage. Very few cases when you would want to make that choice, but it is there. If, say, a Warbuggy and Enraged Ork were together at a planet and you just wanted to get through the combat round and retreat, you could attack the Warbuggy so as not to give the EO more swing.

Again, corner case, as they say, but worth noting.

So you can have the initiative token and not be considered to have the initiative?

 

This refers to initiate in general. Not just the token? Correct?

 

Except during the deployment phase and in between combat rounds and during the HQ phase. 

Right. In general, the player with the token has initiative, but when a battle takes place you check for initiative at that planet. Depending on warlord presence, the player without the token might have initiative at a particular battle. The moment that battle ends, the initiative passes back to the player with the token.

This is a bigger issue for units such at the Ramshackle Trukk which lose hit points when they get initiative.