Welcome to our Closer Look series. We are digging into the changes for each faction in the new edition of Age of Sigmar. Join us moving forward as we bring on different authors to give insights into their favorite factions!!

This week we look at the big hungry boiis from Ogor Mawtribes!!

The Changes

Editor’s Note: Across all armies, points seemed to increase around 7% across the board, with leaders and behemoths around 5% across the board. We’ll only highlight points increases of 6% or greater, or points decreases of any amount.

Leader

• Frostlord on Stonehorn: +30 points to 430
• Frostlord on Thundertusk: +35 points to 385
• Huskard on Stonehorn: +20 points to 340
• Huskard on Thundertusk: +35 points to 335
• Hrothgorn: +10 points to 170
• Butcher: -5 points to 135

Battleline

• Ogor Gluttons: +20 points to 260

Behemoth

• Stonehorn Beastriders: +20 points to 320
• Thundertusk Beastriders: +15 points to 285

Artillery

• Gnoblar Scraplauncher: +10 points to 130
• Ironblaster: +10 points to 130

Units

• Frost Sabres: +15 points to 55
• Gnoblars: +20 points to 120
• Icefall Yhetees: +10 points to 120
• Ironguts: +25 points to 245
• Leadbelcher: +20 points to 180
• Mournfang Pack: +20 points to 160

As we go through each AOS faction, the Mawtribes changes will seem fairly standard, but in a vacuum, there are some interesting decisions that are helping shape the direction of this army that I look forward to exploring below. For now, we’ll just highlight some of the changes that happened in the FAQ. 

A big change that will need to be explored and exploited is the new option to have duplicates of a single mount trait on all of your Heros on Stonehorns and Thundertusks. This opens up some creativity for popular lists that run 2-3 heroes on behemoths.

While this change came more from the core rules, the significance of the Huskard on Thundertusk being a Priest now plays a more important role in army construction. Considering the popular, aforementioned Behemoth list above, adding healing and ward save options can help keep these beefy boys competitive.

Mawtribes and Ossiarch Bonerepears, both armies had very few major changes in both point costs and FAQs going into 3.0. However, the impact of the edition came more through the core rules for both armies, both good and bad. As the overall metagame begins to take shape, the polarizing effect that the core rules have on the Bonereapers and Mawtribes is an interesting thing to keep track of as we continue along our 3.0 journey.

 

The Impact

Thinking about some of the core Ogor rules that will play a little differently in 3.0, the big ones below come to mind

Might Makes Right –  This iconic ogor rule allows your models to count twice when determining who controls an objective. With so many of the matched play scoring rules revolving around objective ownership, a group of single-reinforced Ogor Gluttons (12 total) will count as 24 models, which beats a reinforced unit of 10 *anything else*, or even one mega-gargant. Having 48 wounds on an objective also seems, you know, pretty good. While an Ogor list designed around objective play may lack an offensive punch if you’re stranding your reinforced Gluttons on an objective, there’s enough durability to hang on for close wins. There’s always the option of Frost Sabres bringing up the rear to hold objectives as your Gluttons collect and beat to hell anything standing in their way.

Ravenous Brutes – One big feature of 3.0 is the smaller table, and the Ravenous brutes mechanic, Ogre units that are outside of 3” of any enemy unit move faster each turn. On shorter tables, this means your units will meet the enemy much faster, encouraging aggressive play allowing your strong, elite packs of units to cut through any screening units and expose the leaders and key units just behind. With smaller units thanks to the reinforcement rules, Mournfang Packs of 2 or 4 wolves, four Ironguts, or small contingents of Maneaters or Gorgers should be enough to toss aside most common battleline units. Ravenous Brutes will help get them into the action earlier than most other units.

Boulderhead Ability, Fearsome Breed – As mentioned above, the ability to grant all of your Heros on Behemoths the same mount trait was gifted from on high through the GW FAQ. The Boulderhead ability, Fearsome Breed, grants all heroes on Stonehorns and Thundertusks a mount trait AND +1 wound. Pairing this ability with the FAQ change to give mount traits to all Heros on Behemoths creates an easy way to manipulate battalions and enhancements in small ways to impact the metagame in a positive, flexible way. For an army with some largely locked-in list variants, this flexibility feels like a bigger change than it is on paper. I look forward to seeing some subtle but impactful list adjustments as the metagame changes.

Thunderbellies Ability, Swift Outflank and Storm Chaser: Thinking about the popular Beastclaw Raiders lists, these two rules play right into their strengths. Swift Outflank states that units within 12” edge of the battlefield can run and charge in the same turn, and Storm Chaser grants +1 to charge rolls for units within 18” of general. Sending your Mournfang Pack up the sides to pressure your opponent and your Monsters trampling up the middle of the board to control central objectives fits like a glove. With the smaller board size of 3.0, these abilities become more impactful, and keep Ogor Mawtribes at the higher end of the meta. 

 

Looking Ahead

Already putting the FAQ to the test, Brendan Dominguez piloted a Boulderhead list with 3x Metalcruncher to a 2-1 record at “A New Era Begins” on July 26. That netted him a virtual third, and as of August he’s currently leading the ITC standings for Ogor players. Review the list below and see for yourself the crushing power of the Mawtribes in 3.0

 

 

One final note on other lists – as the meta has evolved, it’s clear that variations on the above concept seem to be the strongest contender. However, lists with Gargants and Kragnos have popped up and have shown to be strong entrants as well. We’ll revisit alliances and Gargants in general in later articles, but stay tuned for Mawtribes updates in the future.

Overall, there’s plenty more innovation to come with Mawtribes lists, especially in the fluctuating meta ahead. I look forward to seeing how Ogor Gluttons can be maximized given the new reinforcement rules. Add on the rumors of an early re-work on the model line and potential new units added to the battletome and Mawtribes look like a strong meta option to kick off the new edition.