Still learning the rules, but my regular opponent has started fielding Deathstrikes as a hard counter to my Stompa/SupaStompa mob. In the last 2 games they sustain, launch a shot at the stompas (they can't see), target the supastompa, roll well and do 6 TK wounds and instantly kill it (also breaking the formation).

Is this the correct way the rules work, as i'm struggling to find a counter to it and losing 500pts of formation on turn 1 is a bitter pill to swallow.

Hi AnthonyS,

As a fellow Ork player, I can totally sympathise! Sadly, that is how the rules. and Deathstrikes in particulars work.

You need either find ways to counter the DS, and hit them before they can attack (Fighta Bommas are great at this provided AA isn't too fierce) or find list builds that don't rely on large War Engines. It really negates the benefits of a Deathstrike if you turn up with a force that is mostly Speed Freaks/Wagons etc and all the DS can kill is a pair of buggies!

Spaceships with pinpoint attacks are my other bugbear...

Cheers
Reedar

My opponent puts them guarding the blitz, normally behind LoS blocking terrain, with Hydra air cover and with a sentinel screen to prevent landa attacks due to overlapping zones of control. I normally throw my fighta-bombas at them, but loose most to the AA.

Its mainly the frustration of them ignoring Los - so i can't hide - and also being able to chose to hit the Supa-Stompa by targeting it (ignoring the stompas).

The rules are all correct.
My tip would be live with the pain.
Some lists have a really good counter to deathstrikes, but most find that they are difficult to do anything about, they
sit nicely hidden next to the blitz within an air bubble. Putting planes into them could see you lose an activation of planes with no gurantees of stopping them.
With your orc list, remember that the supper stompa is only 250 points, so its death isnt the end of the world (assuming the stompas eventually get around to unbreaking and being useful). The deathstrikers are 200 points, and are pretty useless as an offensive weapon once theyve fired. So take the pain, run the broken stompas back to your blitz and try to keep them away from artillery and plane fire until they rally. Your opponent will put the now debunked death strikes on his blitz - and your effectively both on the same activations (if you rally) and some points down.
Occasionally your opponent will roll some ones, and it will be even sweeter.
Playing to re-act can be really counter intuitive, especially when space ship barriages are involved, I have sene players go exceptionally out of the way to avoid the nasty macro barriage, and in doing so set up in a way where they cant hope to win.

Really good points.

The Supa Stompa is what i take to counter the Russ company, as the macro barrage can do some damage over turns, so losing it leaves me without a good way of dealing with the Russ's. It feels like playing Rock, Paper, Scissors but without the Paper.

Do wish the stompas were better - they never really do much and feel like a 225pts tax to take the supa stompa. Even if they were WE1, it would mean the Supa stompa couldn't get sniped.

On the Russes, a couple of Big Gun with Zzaps on overwatch will slow them down. Bikes to CC engage them will also be helpful, or infantry/dreads with a later turn 1 double followed by an early turn 2 engage. Boyz in a Landa will likely put a dent in them too, so long as it's not taking AA coming in.

How many Hydra are covering the Deathstrikes that your Fightas are getting shot down? You could try a flight of 4 or 5 to survive it.

_________________
Dave

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Squats 2019-10-17

Big guns did a number on the russ company last game, so they were hit early with a manticore strike.

There were 3 hydras covering the deathstrikes, so lost 2 planes trying to get at them. The landa was also blown up (critical, 2nd game its happend) when they went in.

Will need to rework the list i think.