Hello
I tended in the past to always use smaller units and fun things. This never worked out haha. Its fun to play with what you like but its not fun to lose every game either so there has to be a happy medium right?
So I picked up 2 of the older Ogre Mega armies to start my army off with. I have some questions.
Can all Ogre armies be competitive against all comers?
Boomers warriors whats a good ratio, and how do you use boomers?
Shooters, are they worth it if you plan to bum rush?
Chariots, is the formation effective and with Ogres already being speed 6 do we need them?
Goblins - how to use them in this list?
Thanks for any answers. I just am trying to figure out how to build an effective army for once.
When you figure out the secret, let me know! I also like to run smaller units and fun things.
I bounce between armies, and have run my Ogres twice (first attempt, second attempt). I think they can do ok with only a horde or two to unlock stuff. (Siege Breakers are usually the go-to unit it seems). I am a casual player, but do try to dissect my play and breakdown my lists, so more serious folks can get something out of my reporting and testing. The linked reports there should cover some of my thoughts on the units and such in more detail. Quickly hitting on some of the highlights though:
-A handful of Warrior regiments worked really well for me. They are cheap; the first few unlock; and they hit things very well. At worst they are cheap but threatening chaff, but by running some multiples, one of them should be getting into a flank at some point and doing work for you. Shields are fine, but so are two-handed weapons. Nice, cheap, and versatile.
-Boomers I am still not quite sure on. I liked them best as a horde, and as a late drop trying to go after infantry (trying to make use of their slightly greater shooting and charge range; getting a volley off and then a charge). They do shooting and melee well, but at Def4, aren’t terribly durable.
-Shooters were very tough for me to use. Line of Sight was a constant issue for me since most everything is their height and Pot Shot hurts. A regiment or two seemed ok for objective babysitting, but hordes in particular were really difficult for me to use well once things started moving.
-Sergeants with the Crossbow seem amazing though. They are quite mobile and can contribute throughout the game and in multiple phases of the game.
-Warlocks also seem very good, giving you access to fun things like Drain Life and Bane Chant, and spells can be boosted by nearby units.
I’ve only run them twice so far, but the Ogres seemed like a really fun army. Best of luck to you!
As a person who likes to take fun things but also can get burnt out on losing a bunch, I feel you
Competitive Ogres are built around 2-3 Siege Breaker hordes, often with Berserker Brave regiments as thick chaff, Nomagarok and 1-2 Warlocks in charge, 1-2 Crocodog Wranglers, possibly another hero (Berserker Bully or Sarge on Chariot most likely), and a smattering of other Ogre units that either shoot or move faster than Sp 6. Warrior Chariot regiments are really solid, Hunter hordes with brew of haste take the place of cav except they also ensnare which is really rough in the right match-up. Boomer hordes seem to have fallen away, with Shooter hordes making the occasional appearance after a long absence. Red Goblin Scout troops are really great chaff, extremely fast and with the recent Nv buff also tend to stick around just a little bit too long. Neither Giants or Mammoth are very popular these days, Siege Breakers do what the Giant does but better and the Big Deal upgrade, while really cool, doesn’t help fix the Mammoth’s weird long base.
The formation seems really legit to me, but I have a hearty respect for Ogre chariots, which IMO are easily the best chariots in the game. It doesn’t make it to many competitive lists I’m guessing because of the Chariot Warlord, which is not a popular pick - same goes for the foot Warlord, you never see those dudes.
Ironically one of the weaknesses of the Ogre list is that it’s quite slow compared to other really aggro / flying armies!
For better our worse, almost every Ogre list I face now has this core (spoilered if you want to take this journey without specific list help):
Last year, I faced a lot of ogres in tournaments. The fact that warrior regiments unlock (now up to three, back then unlimited) created a new style “multiple small units” ogre list.
If i were to build an ogre list, I’d start out with these three warrior regiments and three characters. Then, you need hordes for unlocking purposes. Siegebreakers were common last year, this year I’ve also seen warriors with great weapons.
The core mentioned by @Boss_Salvage above is a generic tournament-army, yet I’ve to see a single red goblin on the table still.
See scouts or spitter regiments in some of the ones i run across - but otherwise it is a combo of warrior regiments, siege breaker/hunter/berserkers hordes, a boomer chariot for stealthy and massed heroes of various denominations
I also like to run smaller units and fun things.