A question about how to use Borka better came up on the forums this morning and I wanted to add one of the responses to the Borka Tactics Section.
Q: Borka, What am I doing Wrong.
I've played at least one game now with most of our casters and I've been thus far able to figure out how to make them work with the exception of Borka. I've taken him in several games now and I just seem to be missing something. How do people use him to success? What sorts of combos do people find to be effective?
Every time I've taken him, the only useful thing I've been able to do with him is cast Iron Flesh. His feat has seemed to be sub-par, giving me an extra 2" movement that I can never seem to get to work with an alpha strike (due to my opponent hanging back), and Mosh Pit seems to be impossible for me to get any value out of due to his terrible fury stat and the fact that everything else I take with him easily outdistances him.
For the record, I have read the Trollblood Scrum guide to Borka but I'm just not seeing much out of him. I have taken him against Khador a couple of times, Skorne once, and Cygnar once with no success and pretty disastrous results (the games weren't even close).
Every time I've taken him, the only useful thing I've been able to do with him is cast Iron Flesh. His feat has seemed to be sub-par, giving me an extra 2" movement that I can never seem to get to work with an alpha strike (due to my opponent hanging back), and Mosh Pit seems to be impossible for me to get any value out of due to his terrible fury stat and the fact that everything else I take with him easily outdistances him.
For the record, I have read the Trollblood Scrum guide to Borka but I'm just not seeing much out of him. I have taken him against Khador a couple of times, Skorne once, and Cygnar once with no success and pretty disastrous results (the games weren't even close).
A:Play a 25 pt game with this list. (by Nosrek)Borka
Earthborn Dire Troll
Pyre Troll
Max Fennblades + UA
Fell Caller Hero
Stone Scribe Chronicler
This list is good and utilizes many models the average troll player has.
Fennblades are meant to tie up your opponent, iron flesh + SSC stories is money.
It makes them hard to kill and makes the enemy change their tactics to deal with them.
Borka is about moving your battlegroup forward.
Moshpit is a set up tool.
Example. Fell caller charges a jack or beast with war cry on himself and has two chances to KD his Target. The Earthborn can then charge in for auto hits.
Here is the skinny with Borka boy;
1. He adds elephant size survivability to our troopers.
2. He is the king of setups
3. He is a toolbox warlock that can do a bit of everything
Keys to a Borka list...
1.Fell Caller Hero, he is a must in almost every list.
1.1. +2 Mat is good because Borka cannot boost the hitting power of his troops (or beasts, fell caller helps beasts inadvertently via Mosh Pit)
1.2. He brings a spray to the table that can be quite useful for clearing out some UA's
1.3. Under Moshpit the fell caller is a great setup tool for caster or heavy kills
2.Tar pit unit for Iron Flesh, you need a unit to get stuck in and make life hell for your opponent
2.1. Fennblades are great with their UA, they have a great threat range and buy time for borka to move around and find the right angle.
2.2. KW's (2 cabers min is a must) the more I play these guys the more I like them, they add a serious threat to heavies and with the UA they become a great tarpit unit that just won't die.
3. Support Solos to assist Tarpit, borka only does iron flesh for the units, you need more support
3.1 Stone Scribe Chronicler, your main man, Hero's Tragedy. This makes your opponents play differently, after two games with this guy you will learn how to use this to your advantage, you can make your opponent do exactly what you want.
3.2 Fell Caller Hero, Pathfinder, + 2 mat for high defense, and auto stand up for fennblades. See the above for more on fell caller.
4. Hitting power; Borka does nothing to boost the killing power of your army he simply gets you to your opponent to use that hitting power.
4.1 EBDT, natural pathfinder means he charges over linear obstacles, animus is a toolbox in and of itself. Adaptation + damage buff means dead jacks and casters. This beast is great.
4.2 Damage buffer Pyre, Slag, Mauler. I love the mauler but I have seen the light on EBDT and Pyre combo, it allows you to field a fully supported and awesome army.
5. Flankers, you need a resource you can feed to your enemies fast flanking unit.
5.1 Axer, he is great for tying up a unit 6 pts + a great animus. Do not underestimate the Axer he is really really good against small based infantry. Feed him to your opponents weapon master units to buy one more turn to set up a caster kill.
5.2 Scouts, just try them, you may be surprised. One draw back is they need some terrain to set up in.
6. Alpha strike, a fast unit to set your opponent off balance is a great way to allow borka and the battle group to set up a charge lane.
6.1 Fenblades, see above, use their mini feat to set up an alpha strike for them to get stuck in the enemies lines. Save Borka's feat for set up turn.
6.2 Burrowers......more on them later.
Borka's Feat
He has an odd feat that seems over all very sub par. The thing is once you wrap your head around his feat, you realize how good it is.
Example 1. Beasts/Tar pit open a hole,Kenny tops off borka. Borka feats + moshpit, charges 11" + reach, boosts initial attack, then delivers 3 additional auto-hit attacks to finish off enemy.
Example 2. Throw ****, Slam ****, cause utter chaos and move your opponents whole army around. I love throwing a heavy into a caster, boosted collateral damage rolls is better than many people think. I still use the mauler in some lists just so I throw a jack 8" and deliver a pow 15 +3d6 on the caster. Caber throwers can absolutely own onB borka's feat.
Finally, how Borka runs his army..
Borka, I believe, relies very heavily on the synergy of the list you build around him. To be successful you need to design a list to play a certain strategy. I personally love borka because I believe the best offense is a good defense.
I build 3 different Borka lists
Assassination
Borka
Mauler
EBDT
Axer
Max Fennblades+UA
SSC
Fell Caller Hero
I call this assassination because its all about the fennblade screen buying time for your beats to get off a good trample or charge the enemy heavies. I love vengeance because it allows me to open up my own charge lanes.
Alpha Strike:
Borka
EBDT
Pyre
Fell Caller Hero
Champion Hero
SSC
Max KW's +3 Cabers + UA
Max Burrowers
This list is ****ed up. Read what sevvwall says about borka + burrowers. The first time i played this list i felt like a cheap bastard. I have not stumbled on this list on the net before, and i feel guilty putting it out there. Burrowers + iron flesh + war cry + Hero's Tragedy + Champions commander ability will send your opponent home crying if you manage to pull it all off. Whats worse even if you let your opponent kill off the burrowers, they then have to deal with a fully supported unit of KW's who will now get the alpha strike.
Attrition
Borka
EBDT
Pyre
Axer
Fell Caller Hero
SSC
Max Fennblades + UA OR Max KW's + UA + 2 Cabers
min KSB + UA
If you use fennblades, they alpha stike and KSB rolls with borka and battle group. They make a great tarpit if things get rough. If you use KW's (which i prefer in this setting) its all about the pita screen. Pyre helps hurt infantry, axer deals with flanking units, and EBDT and Borka act cool until feat time.
When i first started I was so hestitant on Borka, when I first played borka I felt like you are feeling. With the help of the this community and lots of games against LOTS of different lists I feel very comfortable when I put borka on the table.
What really won me over with Borka is I can put him on the table and know for a fact that I am the aggressor. Borka + the synergy that is our troll blood army = eGaspy ****ting bricks.
Be aggressive and have fun with Borka. I never expect to win with Borka, I try to ignore what my opponent puts up and deal with it as the game progresses. By just playing my game I find myself winning from time to time and having fun in every game.
The forums have given me great advice and I am sure they will correct me of I missed something or said something just plain wrong.
Earthborn Dire Troll
Pyre Troll
Max Fennblades + UA
Fell Caller Hero
Stone Scribe Chronicler
This list is good and utilizes many models the average troll player has.
Fennblades are meant to tie up your opponent, iron flesh + SSC stories is money.
It makes them hard to kill and makes the enemy change their tactics to deal with them.
Borka is about moving your battlegroup forward.
Moshpit is a set up tool.
Example. Fell caller charges a jack or beast with war cry on himself and has two chances to KD his Target. The Earthborn can then charge in for auto hits.
Here is the skinny with Borka boy;
1. He adds elephant size survivability to our troopers.
2. He is the king of setups
3. He is a toolbox warlock that can do a bit of everything
Keys to a Borka list...
1.Fell Caller Hero, he is a must in almost every list.
1.1. +2 Mat is good because Borka cannot boost the hitting power of his troops (or beasts, fell caller helps beasts inadvertently via Mosh Pit)
1.2. He brings a spray to the table that can be quite useful for clearing out some UA's
1.3. Under Moshpit the fell caller is a great setup tool for caster or heavy kills
2.Tar pit unit for Iron Flesh, you need a unit to get stuck in and make life hell for your opponent
2.1. Fennblades are great with their UA, they have a great threat range and buy time for borka to move around and find the right angle.
2.2. KW's (2 cabers min is a must) the more I play these guys the more I like them, they add a serious threat to heavies and with the UA they become a great tarpit unit that just won't die.
3. Support Solos to assist Tarpit, borka only does iron flesh for the units, you need more support
3.1 Stone Scribe Chronicler, your main man, Hero's Tragedy. This makes your opponents play differently, after two games with this guy you will learn how to use this to your advantage, you can make your opponent do exactly what you want.
3.2 Fell Caller Hero, Pathfinder, + 2 mat for high defense, and auto stand up for fennblades. See the above for more on fell caller.
4. Hitting power; Borka does nothing to boost the killing power of your army he simply gets you to your opponent to use that hitting power.
4.1 EBDT, natural pathfinder means he charges over linear obstacles, animus is a toolbox in and of itself. Adaptation + damage buff means dead jacks and casters. This beast is great.
4.2 Damage buffer Pyre, Slag, Mauler. I love the mauler but I have seen the light on EBDT and Pyre combo, it allows you to field a fully supported and awesome army.
5. Flankers, you need a resource you can feed to your enemies fast flanking unit.
5.1 Axer, he is great for tying up a unit 6 pts + a great animus. Do not underestimate the Axer he is really really good against small based infantry. Feed him to your opponents weapon master units to buy one more turn to set up a caster kill.
5.2 Scouts, just try them, you may be surprised. One draw back is they need some terrain to set up in.
6. Alpha strike, a fast unit to set your opponent off balance is a great way to allow borka and the battle group to set up a charge lane.
6.1 Fenblades, see above, use their mini feat to set up an alpha strike for them to get stuck in the enemies lines. Save Borka's feat for set up turn.
6.2 Burrowers......more on them later.
Borka's Feat
He has an odd feat that seems over all very sub par. The thing is once you wrap your head around his feat, you realize how good it is.
Example 1. Beasts/Tar pit open a hole,Kenny tops off borka. Borka feats + moshpit, charges 11" + reach, boosts initial attack, then delivers 3 additional auto-hit attacks to finish off enemy.
Example 2. Throw ****, Slam ****, cause utter chaos and move your opponents whole army around. I love throwing a heavy into a caster, boosted collateral damage rolls is better than many people think. I still use the mauler in some lists just so I throw a jack 8" and deliver a pow 15 +3d6 on the caster. Caber throwers can absolutely own onB borka's feat.
Finally, how Borka runs his army..
Borka, I believe, relies very heavily on the synergy of the list you build around him. To be successful you need to design a list to play a certain strategy. I personally love borka because I believe the best offense is a good defense.
I build 3 different Borka lists
Assassination
Borka
Mauler
EBDT
Axer
Max Fennblades+UA
SSC
Fell Caller Hero
I call this assassination because its all about the fennblade screen buying time for your beats to get off a good trample or charge the enemy heavies. I love vengeance because it allows me to open up my own charge lanes.
Alpha Strike:
Borka
EBDT
Pyre
Fell Caller Hero
Champion Hero
SSC
Max KW's +3 Cabers + UA
Max Burrowers
This list is ****ed up. Read what sevvwall says about borka + burrowers. The first time i played this list i felt like a cheap bastard. I have not stumbled on this list on the net before, and i feel guilty putting it out there. Burrowers + iron flesh + war cry + Hero's Tragedy + Champions commander ability will send your opponent home crying if you manage to pull it all off. Whats worse even if you let your opponent kill off the burrowers, they then have to deal with a fully supported unit of KW's who will now get the alpha strike.
Attrition
Borka
EBDT
Pyre
Axer
Fell Caller Hero
SSC
Max Fennblades + UA OR Max KW's + UA + 2 Cabers
min KSB + UA
If you use fennblades, they alpha stike and KSB rolls with borka and battle group. They make a great tarpit if things get rough. If you use KW's (which i prefer in this setting) its all about the pita screen. Pyre helps hurt infantry, axer deals with flanking units, and EBDT and Borka act cool until feat time.
When i first started I was so hestitant on Borka, when I first played borka I felt like you are feeling. With the help of the this community and lots of games against LOTS of different lists I feel very comfortable when I put borka on the table.
What really won me over with Borka is I can put him on the table and know for a fact that I am the aggressor. Borka + the synergy that is our troll blood army = eGaspy ****ting bricks.
Be aggressive and have fun with Borka. I never expect to win with Borka, I try to ignore what my opponent puts up and deal with it as the game progresses. By just playing my game I find myself winning from time to time and having fun in every game.
The forums have given me great advice and I am sure they will correct me of I missed something or said something just plain wrong.
A:My best success with Borka comes from playing a beast brick, (By The Happy Anarchist)
My best success with Borka comes from playing a beast brick, walking up unkillable with 2-3 unkillable heavies and having a skirmish screen of either Nyss or Fenns with Iron Flesh on early turns screen for me.
Earthborn + Mulg, always. Then either a Mauler or Pyre/Axer. Brick up behind Janissa's wall, Earthborn animus all over so that you have a wall of ARM 22+ beasts, mostly benefitting from Cover/Linear Obstacle melee bonus.
They march up the field while the Fenns/Nyss range ahead and tie up models, contest objectives, often get the first strike by shooting or charging with minifeat in the case of the Fenns. I generally save the feat for the battlegroup charging up, letting them charge for free. The Mauler, especially with Mosh Pit can often get the two handed throw off for a 15+3d6 collateral on something key, and 3 heavies will generally kill most any other heavies in the game. Then they have the 3 heavies sitting there. You can often get the Krielstone still up there to provide more protection, and depending on how patient you are, Janissa's wall. Or sometimes there is another obstacle or obstruction at the kill point.
Basically, your Fenns/Nyss take care of their infantry, while being very difficult to deal with themselves. Your beasts take care of their beasts. It is a horrible attrition war to face. All the while Borka sits nearly unkillable.
Privateer Press Forum Post can be found including many other good thoughts and advice on making Borka work. HERE
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