Gk In depth Tactica (Updated 2.3)
Posted: Wed 30 Apr, 2014 6:16 am
GK
(2.3 update) in lower post
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Hey everyone I'm Silenze aka V AnoMaly V and while I'm not the best player I'm more of in the intermediate range of players... I very much know how to play gk (though I forget about units and lose them often which I'm trying to get better at) and I posted this same thread in the tactica section on Gamesreplay.org. The aims of this thread is really just to showcase the strengths of playing Gk as I;m sure everyone knows of their weaknesses pretty considerably. I have played alot of games and really have seen them mature even hardcore playing them when everyone else didn't want to because they were underpowered. I collect them for table top warhammer 40k ( And to answer the question of who the justicar is... it's the guy with the cloth hanging from his pelvis a means of initiation to justicar) I love how the Elite team has really thrown themselves into trying to get this faction to work and I feel like I should try and help out by giving some backbone on how they play. I have some a wargear section mostly for the brother captain and talk some on each of the units in the gk faction and especially on those that have greatly changed like the purgation unit which is now a fantastic unit to play in t1 given you support it correctly. I also have some starter t1 builds that can be used though if you want to run some trip henchmen nonsense that's totally fine as well
With that I'll just copy and paste what I had there though I do think I;m going to look over it again so I don't affend some of the elite players who may say something if I state something and they totally disagree with me (though I have accepted that might and probably will happen anyways), but enough rambling I hope you enjoy the read. If you have something to add or something that you disagree with by all means post it. This thread is designed also in part to give Caeltos and his team an idea of what the players think of the changes that have been implemented and what still needs to possibly be changed.
The last one tactica I did on GK was quite a while ago and since then some major changes have happened therefore I want to make sure that these changes are
noted and as to how they influence the game play. This army
normally exceeds in doing well in the first engagement in T1 but tends
to lose the second engagement once your opponent gets out
their next unit. Your units take a little longer to get out on the
field so generally you may not have them on the field for the
next engagement to happen, but that is ok for that makes the
game balanced in which you take some ground in the beginning
but they get some back in the second. In the third engagement
is when things start to get critical as you really don't want to
get power harassed as a gk player. You are really caring of
upgrades on your units for this army unlike others very much
exceeds in quality rather in quantity because you will not have
enough units on the field to match your opponents most of the
time, but you will have pretty sturdy units that can handle
themselves in the fray none the less. They play and feel most similiar to space marines like they should, although a bit slower but a bit tougher in regards to that they are actually somewhat more well rounded when it comes to assault and ranged combat. If this Faction sounds like what your looking for or just want a nice read up on how Gk has changed.... or to make fun of me for putting up,
this thread then keep reading. I hope you enjoy.
First off
The Brother Captain
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He's your commander.. the only commander, but still capable of
holding his own in combat. He's a Tank. Simple as that. He's
capable of going toe to toe with any of the commanders in t1
and coming out on top in most cases. His strengths lie largely in
supporting and buffing your own fellow units and debuffing your
opponents. So if your a player that likes to play the farseer,
apothecary of the commisar lord.. this guy really won't feel to
different other than that he's slow, but you will be pleasantly
content with his tankiness in combat. This guy exceeds or fails
by the upgrades you give him... and really so does your army in
that respect. He is a huge means of support to your army
especially in t1 when you are most fragile.
Weapons
Sword
___
Now a very good upgrade to take. It's damage buff makes it
sufficient to take in t1 and the buff given from we are the hammer
does make a considerable difference in some t1 engagements especailly
against that of orks and tyranids. Some might also consider getting the sword late game in t3 just for the sake of giving a speed buff to the slow moving termiantors and paladins... and if you have the Holy armor of Titan which gives a 30% reduction in cooldown to your pleasant suprise and your opponents dismay these guys will be literally running down the field like they didn't even have terminator armor on.
Halberd
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This upgrade will always have it's place. It has good dps and
cuts through power armored units with ease. Used alongside a
teleport pack this guy becomes very good at hacking down
fleeing units and commanders. This upgrade is also great to take against hordes where the splash damage makes a considerable difference.
Hammer
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This upgrade for those who like the ability to go toe to toe with
the big stuff. In addition to 100 melee dps it's sweep ability has amazing
knockback and disruption especially when there is a large group.
The best way to use this is with an teleporter pack and is highly
recommended to be so.
Wardstave
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Fantastic piece of equipment and really comes to the liking of
many who like that support buffing ally type play. It gives a
nice 30% damage reduction for one unit, which may be the
difference between the death of your or your enemies' unit.
Works best when paired with purifiers in t2 and of-course with terminators and paladins in t3
Armor
Mantle of terra
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This will always have a place on the field and rightfully so. It
makes it so that all enemy units within the the flame are
incapable of activating abilities which against forces such as
eldar and chaos which are strongly dependent on abilities very
strongly game changing. It's pretty much the global ability Dark ex communion that
disables all enemy abilities for a 12 duration but on a smaller scale 8s and doesn't cover the entire field, but can be used much more frequently and moreover... without the use of red
red.
Blessed armor of aegis
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I used to hate this armor... but now I love it. The health
regeneration buff provided by this armor allows your commander
to really be able to stay on the battlefield at times and that is
how you win matches. You want him on the field as much as
possible buffing and debuffing units and with this upgrade he'll
spend less time healing up at base and more time in the field.
Highly recommended against shooty bases where he will tend to
lose a lot of health just walking around because of ranged fire.
Nemesis Vortex
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It got a nice buff but is still not exactly my cup of tea, however does appease to some players. It makes a small slow moving vortex that you place in an area that explodes after some time and does nice considerable damage. It's slow
moving but there is definitely a best time to use it. When you
get in very congested areas where everyone is standing in the
same spot, it may be hard for your enemies to spot although not
likely, but if it does go off and they weren't paying attention...
that explosion could certainly Change the engagement. The closest thing I can
compare it to is the catachan mine.. but it moves.
Holy armor of titan
___
The name says it all. This army grants a 400hp boost a 30%
reduction in abilities and grants immortality which gives 6
seconds of invincibility which is equivalent to an automatic cap or decap in terms of time. This is what usually takes the place of the mantle of terra, or aegis armor in t3
because while nullifying abilites is good and healing quicker is great. Decapping and capping an objective when they are definitely on the line is ever better.
*CANT CAP the whole 6 seconds anymore .... more like half of it... but you can definitely get a free revival off a commander
Acessories
Mind blades
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This upgrade tends to get over looked when people are getting
upgrades but it does make a difference. That extra 15% chance
to do a special can very much make or break an engagement
and if coming up against heavy energy dependent armies...
being able to drain it is very good. a good way to use this ability
is to use it alongside the mantle of terra. You activate the
mantle of terra and go up to say a unit of banshees that can't
activate their washout because of the canticle of absolution
ability. In those 8 seconds or so that the flame is up you are
hitting them draining them of their energy and once the flame is
lifted they can no longer use washout because they don't have
the energy to use it because it was drained.
Teleporta
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This upgrade will also always have it's place and is probably the
most used of the 3 upgrades in this area and for damn good
reason. It's mobility. The one thing your commander lacks and
now with this piece of equipment he's no longer some slow cripple
trying to get up the field. More over when t3 arrives and if you
are capable of getting the armor of titan... the cooldown on this
piece of equipment decreases by a considerable margin as well.
A teleporting terminator armored commander...yes I'll have one
of those
Psyhic Lash
___
This ability is great. If you really want to kill a commander this is
what you get. Moreover if you don't find yourself in a match up where you feel you need to be teleporting constantly this is a very good piece of wargear. just make sure your in range to use it. It takes about a 1s to actually go off so they can run out of it. However if it hits whether or not they are running or not running it will
always do 120 damage. So from my experience when
commanders are running out they usually have less than that so
being able to use that and know you will finish them off is very
good. This is the alternative to teleporting to your opponent
and then finishing them off that way.
Unending Purge
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I don't know I just never got into this upgrade. It makes him
retreat faster and heals him considerably while he retreats which is great but... If you come to know how much health he needs to make it out of combat alive you really don't find yourself using this. This is the upgrade that you get if
you feel you really need some extra speed to get out. Notably if
your fighting against eldar banshees but... really if they are
chasing you... they're is a considerably high change they will kill you anyways if it comes down to that but hey every bit of health counts.
Stormtroopers
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These guys are next to interceptors in probably being one of the most
important units in this army. I'm serious you want these guys
around till the very end. They allow you plenty of options down
the line. They can knock-back enemies potential saving a decap,
they are our only detector unit, they are the only means of
reparing vehicles like the coveted crusader, and provide some
very nice dps with their burst. The best way to utilize them is
to keep them in back at all times. You don't want these guys
the first thing targeted for they will melt under fire. You want
them pouring fire into the brawl that is taking place as your
strikes, interceptors, purifiers, or termis get busy at work within
the fray. Note that they are very nimble and there are things
you want to watch out for otherwise these guys will tend to
"disappear" off the battlefield. A kommando with his shotgun
ability or nades especially when leveled has a very high chance
of just killing the whole unit in one blast. A warlock with the
witch-blade getting amongst them using his special may wipe the
squad especially if he used destructor going into the melee. A leveled
hammer commander will pretty much wipe the squad in 2
specials if " we are the hammer is activated"
Strikes
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They are usually the base throughout most of t1. The question that usually arises for
players when playing these guys is "Do I put nemesis focus on them or psycannon?"
IMHO, the if you're running just one strike squad in t1 you should put nemesis focus on themand make them completely close combat oriented. 1 psycannon does not do much against vehicles. In addition when t2 arrives you don't usually think to get another strike squad out on the field if you want psycannons.
You tend to think of getting a purgation squad out on the field and upgrading them with psycannons instead.If you are running a 2x strike squad base I would definitely consider 2x psycannons over 2x nemesis focus for psycannons generally tend to do better in t3 than nemesis focus strike squads from my experience. One nemesis focusstrike squad isn't bad but 2 tends to be excessive and you really tend to feel you are lacking in both the AV and Anti infantry department as these guys really can't go up against dedicated t3 units like nobs, seer council, terminators etc.
**These guys are getting a considerable change in the next update in which nemesis focus is being taken out and psybolts put in. I'm very anxious to see the difference but until then we can make do with what we have**
Purgation
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These guys were once the unit that really never saw t1 at all.
Now they are definitely viable you just have to know to use
them. They are great power farm bashers, and a great
suppression unit. And now that the flames got there own
slowing ability they really can handle a horde. The best way to
use them is allow for an assault unit to go and get stuck in
combat. Follow up with the purgation and burn/suppress all the
enemy units in the melee. in t2 they gain access to psycannnons
which are fantastic at taking health off vehicles or monstorous
creatures. not so much when it comes to actual infantry unless
they are heavy infantry like terminators. The psycannon really
see there full strength when paired up alongside some
teleporting interceptors that can stun a vehicle and allow the
sufficient time for the psycannons to go to work on the enemy
vehicle. You no longer have to take 2xs to get the same kind
of damage now that the interceptors grenade sticks to the
target and does considerable damage on this stun itself.
However 2x purgation does still work and provide a lot of dakka
just know that you are very susceptible to just one unit
countering them. Jump infantry, make a ruckus of this unit as
purgation are just like setup teams and cant take melee.
Interceptors
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They were the crown jewel back then without their grenades
sticking to enemy tanks... they are the crowned jewel now that
they do. Now that their grenades stick to enemy tanks they are
a very good unit to take up as they allow you to be able to
stun vehicles for your army to take it down. They also removed
nemesis focus and just gave the flamer. The flamer does add
more damage so I do recommend you get it if you have the
resources.
Rhino
Mobility. Grey knights lack it. they want it and here it is. It's
not a good unit but its not a bad unit either in t1. It enables
your forces to get around which is enough to make up for the
fact it really doesn't fare to well in t1 from even normal shooting
but in t2 It gets the ability to take up a lascannon. or
stormbolter. Let me save you the trouble. Get the lascannon. It
can deal with walkers from ranged and does a pretty nice job at
sniping out commanders trying to run away. in t3 however. this
tank can't come close to compare with predator tanks and
dedicated tanks they shoot faster do more damage and have
more health so... yea don't get this to counter them.
Purifiers
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These are my favorite unit.. but I find it hard to play them at
times. They are truly a glass cannon. They do incredible
amounts of damage but take it as well. They have the longest
charge range in the game and very much need it because of
how much damage they take just getting into combat but you
can mitigate that by getting a wardstave and putting up a
bubble on them to take off some of the damage.
**I have been trying these guys out and even with a wardstave to help with damage reduction they are still quite squishy.. make sure they are always supported or you will find yourself purchasing back models often
Libby
[/color]
The libby is the guy that just finds a hard time making it to the
field. When you have the choice between a dreadnought and
purifiers and now even the vindicare assassin who is great at
taking out vehicles and is nice for just sniping out models at
ranged. He offers great buffs to your army but is very slow and
definitely not the greatest when it comes to getting into
combat. All in all he's a good unit but does seem to fall short
when in comparison to other units to take at this tier.
Dreadnought
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Well there is nothing more to say. It's the dreadnought. It Pwns
just like all the other walkers do but does need to be supported
or it will go down quickly. Just play smart and this unit really just
plays itself.
Vindicare Assassin
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The new kid on the block. This guy is an awesome unit. He is
relatively cheap though when you get the upgrades (you must
get the upgrades) he does get to cost a respective much but
He does great on the field. He has fantastic range and great
dps. He will generally snipe out a model in every shot and
against vehicles he hurts alot. He does have a set up time now
so you need to play smarter with him but if you play him right he
easily makes his cost back in spades.
Terminators
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These guys are pretty hefty unit and are bought within the tech
tree as opposed to with red which was much needed. They are
a good unit when it comes to taking out infantry but if
outnumbered against hordes tend to start taking considerable
damage if unsuppoted. They get acess to flamers and
psycannon. Usually i go with flamers on them because I know
their job is to fight infantry not vehicles but if you want that
added anti vehicle all power to you.
Paladins
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These guys are the heavy hitters. These guys are what you
send against the supers that make it out endgame. They should
definitely be outfitted with psycannons as they generally end
up on a chase to take down said tank or super unit and that
psycannon makes all the difference. You don't want these guys
going up against hordes outnumbered because that is not where
they excel. They excel at dealing with heavy infantry and
vehicles. Keep that in mind and these guys will do great on the
field
Land Raider Crusader
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Gone are the days of "drop a Crusader and you win the game
xD" However that's ok because it's still a great unit after its
nerf. This unit should be the support unit not necessarily
leading the push but being the backbone in a push suppressing
multiple units as your units come down the field. Note that if
this tank is timefield and nuked with eldrich storm and your
enemy is standing by with antivehicle units.... It's pretty much
gone although that can be largely said for most vehicles but...
yea just to show that this vehicles is not an unstoppable unit
though it may feel like it.
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Advanced in Game play section
___________________________
Gk usually get a max of 4 units out in t1(largely because you want to get upgrades on your commander and your stormtroopers in addition to any power units you may get out)... if you try and get 5 for t1 you will be feeling the hurtin most cases as you run late getting to t2 (unless that is you lost a squad but wiped one of your opponents units and spent time getting out another unit to which they may have also) From my experience Always Always put sergeants on your stormtroopers when you get the chance. There is just no good reason not to for 65 req and 15 power. They become detector units, their hp increases, their model count goes up by 1, and their dps goes up also. Interceptors tend to be one of the more vital t1 units in this army.They are jump troops to
counter suppression teams have psych nades to counter heavy energy
races. Most important they have krak nades that now stick to vehicles (though there time before explosion is roughly 3 seconds) which
generally is the difference in a vehicle staying alive or being
killed, so when utilizing builds that don't have them... know you
will be lacking one of our best means of taking down vehicles by hard
stunning them for your other units. Finally as a rule of thumb
you should put down 1-2 generators at the beginning of the game. I just don't find it a good idea to put down three because 200 req is a huge deal if lost when that could have easily been used to pull out your third squad. gk unlike eldar and some other armies really have a natural build order that utilizes 1 generator getting out a unit... getting out another unit... putting down the next generator.... then getting the third unit and putting down the last generator. While it may seem you are not getting enough power in t1 they actually are getting plenty of power and I actually find that gk played correctly have quite a strong t1 where you can get a few gen bashes in there to really equal out the power difference. I advise that when you get out units before you begin upgrading in both tiers 1 and 2. You may find yourself lacking in numbers in key engagements if you don't and while you may not have that upgrade you want... having one more unit on the field makes up for that piece of wargear in most cases.
Upgrades to take on commander
vs
Eldar
Chaos
*should have (I and others would say must have) canticle- you want to be able to take away doomblast and deny eldar their abilities or you can say gg.
vs
orks
nids
*should have sword- I find that you want to buff your units to be able to
deal enough damage to your opponents boyz in combat. you
don't have to get it but you will see a considerable hige difference in
engagements if you if have it and are using " we are the hammer" with the sword upgrade than without it.
vs
IG
SM
*free choice
- against these forces I usally find myself not necessarily in need to take any upgrade but I usually give him something based on that of what my opponent is giving me in terms of an ideal play style. I don't usually run mind-blades against these forces as they aren't to energy dependent other than the commanders or they just have abilities that aren't energy based. So I commonly find myself choosing between the sword, aegis armor, and the mantle of terra as my t1 upgrade.
GK T1 Match Starter Builds
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Brother Captain (commander)
*Old school standard*
1. 2x Stormtroopers
strike squad
interceptors
- you should have both stormtroopers units upgraded in this build
and 1 upgrade on your commander. This build is what every Gk
player used to run as it was really the only one.. now it's still ran, though I personally don't run it often anymore however it still can be run effectively though against some match ups there are better builds now.
*For the Emperor*
2. Stormtroopers
2x strike squad
interceptors
- this build is a very assault and ranged oriented build that focuses on the sturdiness of your units to win out the day. This build is quite slow so to make up for that you want the sword in addition to the fact that we are the hammer buffing all these gk in t1 is just short of rediculous in some cases.There is a draw back however if you start losing models you will find yourself running low on req quite often because of how much it cost to reinforce each unit.
*Jack of All Trades*
3. Stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
-this build is the jack of all trades build in which you have a little
of everything. the strength to this build is utilizing each of the
units strengths in unison of one another to best the situation.
You should have upgraded stormtroopers and one upgrade on
your commander on this build. Highly Recommend if your playing
against SM. The aim is to jump the devastator team. When
your opponents ASM jump into the combat you want to
suppress them with the purgation. In order to take care of the
commander you want to throw your commander at him and
support him with stormtrooper shooting. Send your strikes at
your opponents tacticals and when they have run off then begin
to go after the scouts. Of-course this doesn't happen all the
time... but that is definitely the ideal goal.
*Power Harass Multi-Front*
upgrade your commander if you want to but don't need to.
4. 2x stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
rhino
- this build utilizes the rhino to get the purgation around the
field as to make up for there slow footslogging speed. The aim of
this build is to defend your power while bashing your opponents
with the purgation squad inside the rhino flanking behind after
the power harass. This build works best when you are operating
two separate forces to create multi fronts.
*Assassination Shunt Build*
canticle
5. 2x stormtroopers
2x interceptors
vindicare or dreadnought if you have the power saved up t2
*very specific order of operations otherwise you wont get
everything out and at the right times*
1st 2x stormtrooper squad
2st 2 power gens
3rd interceptor squad
4th another power gen
5th interceptor squad
6th seargants on both stormtroopers
7th canticle
8th t2
160 power for t1
if they have vehicles you want the grenade upgrades first over
the seargants then you get a vnidicare of dreadnought (purifiers will deprive you of
getting to t3 because you now have 3 power units on the field
that take many casaulties) (the dread and libby dont take up
power in constantly healing the unit.
then t3
- This build is a very aggressive shunt build in which the sole
purpose of this build is to get in assassinate one of your
opponents units and get out; and they do excel at this. In the
mean while your 2x henchmen and commander are supposed to
hold back your opponents forces while your interceptors heal up
and get ready to repeat assassinating a unit you have
designated for termination. Usually the cases where you would run this build is when I come against multiple eldar forces where I have come to know they like to use shuriken catapults. This build also works well against IG if you have an ally to support your push by suppressing units with a suppression team of some sorts. There 2x krak nade throw in t2 will almost take out a full health chimera, so transport vehicles usually don't become a problem. In addition your base will be able to handle any dedicated tanks coming out in t3 though if your opponents take up a strong infantry base build instead you will find yourself struggling.
*End game jack of all trades*
6. 2x stormtroopers
purgation
interceptors
-this build is very much like the 1 1 1, jack of all trades build,
yet focuses more on end game. Stormtroopers and interceptors
make for fantastic units end game. Strikes lose there staying
power once t3 is reached and because of that stormtroopers
find themselves more potent. If they have grenades or plasma
both are capable of knockback which may save a decap. In
addition to that 2x stormtroopers can better support a
Landraider Crusader as opposed to just the one stromtrooper
unit. The purgation unit really solidifies the base in which in t1
they can power harass, and suppress hordes while interceptors
are in the thick of it, all in all the stormtroopers are pouring in
the dakka. By t3 they most likely have their psycannons and
psycannon never lose their importance when it comes to the
fact that many heavy units will be coming out late game. Pair
them up with a interceptor squad to stun said heavy unit and
that is one very crippled or dead vehicle or monstrous
creature.
+I have play tested all of these builds and they do work well given used in the proper situations, not to say that some work better than others given the opponent your facing and the faction choice. However mixing things up is always good as it keeps your opponent guessing as to what you are going to bring out next.
______
Builds to consider when facing certain factions
*Obviously the player has free reign to do whatever they want in a build
however these are just personally builds that I find work best against these type of opponents
Orks and Nids
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stormtroopers
2x strikes
interceptors
sword and mind blades(extra knockback and damage buff).
stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
IG
2x stormtroopers
2x interceptors
works best if the map is wide open
stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
2x stormtrooper
purgation
interceptor
2x stormtrooper
strikes
interceptors
works but a purgation build is usually best
SM and CSM
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stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
2x stormtrooper
purgation
interceptors
Eldar
_____
stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
2x stormtrooper
purgation
interceptors
2x stormtrooper
2x interceptor
vindicare
stormtrooper
2x strikes
interceptor
*Also to note is that these builds are much more 2v2 and 3v3 based.
**Skipping Tier 2
- Skipping tier 2 is always a very risky situation for any army. If you find yourself with the inability to deal with tier 2 units coming out they will be able to bash your power and prevent you from getting t3 units that you wanted to get out early and you will find yourself behind in a deficit. Gk are a faction that rally compares to one other faction the tyranids in that you really want to get into t3 to bring out the tier 3 units. Just the same as you see Tyranid players skipping entirely through to t3 so they can pull out their carnifexes and doom early. The same applies to GK. while purifiers are good terminators and paladins beat out purifiers without question. Purifiers while a nice unit for t2 lose their staying power quicker than any other unit in that once tier 3 comes around they while still effective can't go toe to toe with dedicated t3 units like nob squads, seer council, and terminators; and if they are the best assault units by t2 that means any units from t1 are surely not going to be even close to the same category of assault effectiveness. So how you skip to t3 is by...
- Making sure that you have a base that is capable of dealing with the factions that you are coming against with the unis you have out on the field just by having to give them upgrades.
Example:
SM: Say SM runs a 1 1 1 build and so do you. In t2 the SM player takes up for say a dreadnought. You if you feel comfortable with the situation may skip this phase because by upgrading the purgation to have psycannons interceptors to have a krak grenade can effectively deal with the dreadnought though chances are you probably won't kill it. However you can stall it long enough to get to t3. Then once there if you feel you are going to need something to deal with it and you dont have the power to pull out for say a paladin squad then go with possibly another psycannon purgation team or even the vindicare assassin. This will give you a storng enough base to hold off the dreadnought and the best part is that you are in t3 already.
Example 2:
Orks: Run a standard boyz 2x shoota loota boy squad build against your stormtrooper 2x strike interceptor build. In t2 they can pull out for say a deff dread, a trukk, stormboyz etc. However you can deal with all of them still effectively. By upgrading the strikes with psycannons you take on vehicles. The krak grenade also helps to stun them. You are not going to be as strong as you were in t1 against the now upgraded boyz but if you can control the engagements with shooting utilizing your stormtroopers to knockback assault units with plasma guns or grenades then you should be fine skipping to t3. Say you get to t3 and you feel that you need to deal with the t2 tide of orks... well then possibly consider bringing out dreadnought which cost 200 less req than terminators but still does the job because it's a strong vehicle that will buff your large base and help turn the tide against all the orks players assaulting t2 units when properly supported.
At the end of the day skipping tiers can certainly pay off especially if you believe the game that you will be playing will a long one that will be decided by t3 units and not t2 units. Just always make sure that you have your bases covered to deal with a changing battlefield.
As GK generally are only capable of getting 4 units (THEY can get more. Just putting that out there for people who will say something) in t1 this is the large reason as to why it is they still have trouble when it comes to playing 1v1 matches in addition to lack of actual tanks which everyone knows by now. All the other factions can get 5 comfortably and some can even get 6 with some considerable ease as well. Being outnumbered in units in such a manner makes it very hard to keep pace of map control unless you make sure to focus down and wipe squads. It's not impossible to win in 1v1s but it is still even with some very good updates to help them with vehicles... a tough hill to climb.
I hope that you got out something from this thread something you didn't know from before and if not maybe some re-assurances to some things you also believed to be the case. That's it for now... see you in game
***I'll probably just update this thread when the next gk update comes out so as not to make a whole-nother thread. I don't expect the chages to be absolutely drastic just mainly dealing with the strike squads and fixing the bug issue with the vindicare assassin camo cloak.
(2.3 update) in lower post
____
Hey everyone I'm Silenze aka V AnoMaly V and while I'm not the best player I'm more of in the intermediate range of players... I very much know how to play gk (though I forget about units and lose them often which I'm trying to get better at) and I posted this same thread in the tactica section on Gamesreplay.org. The aims of this thread is really just to showcase the strengths of playing Gk as I;m sure everyone knows of their weaknesses pretty considerably. I have played alot of games and really have seen them mature even hardcore playing them when everyone else didn't want to because they were underpowered. I collect them for table top warhammer 40k ( And to answer the question of who the justicar is... it's the guy with the cloth hanging from his pelvis a means of initiation to justicar) I love how the Elite team has really thrown themselves into trying to get this faction to work and I feel like I should try and help out by giving some backbone on how they play. I have some a wargear section mostly for the brother captain and talk some on each of the units in the gk faction and especially on those that have greatly changed like the purgation unit which is now a fantastic unit to play in t1 given you support it correctly. I also have some starter t1 builds that can be used though if you want to run some trip henchmen nonsense that's totally fine as well
With that I'll just copy and paste what I had there though I do think I;m going to look over it again so I don't affend some of the elite players who may say something if I state something and they totally disagree with me (though I have accepted that might and probably will happen anyways), but enough rambling I hope you enjoy the read. If you have something to add or something that you disagree with by all means post it. This thread is designed also in part to give Caeltos and his team an idea of what the players think of the changes that have been implemented and what still needs to possibly be changed.The last one tactica I did on GK was quite a while ago and since then some major changes have happened therefore I want to make sure that these changes are
noted and as to how they influence the game play. This army
normally exceeds in doing well in the first engagement in T1 but tends
to lose the second engagement once your opponent gets out
their next unit. Your units take a little longer to get out on the
field so generally you may not have them on the field for the
next engagement to happen, but that is ok for that makes the
game balanced in which you take some ground in the beginning
but they get some back in the second. In the third engagement
is when things start to get critical as you really don't want to
get power harassed as a gk player. You are really caring of
upgrades on your units for this army unlike others very much
exceeds in quality rather in quantity because you will not have
enough units on the field to match your opponents most of the
time, but you will have pretty sturdy units that can handle
themselves in the fray none the less. They play and feel most similiar to space marines like they should, although a bit slower but a bit tougher in regards to that they are actually somewhat more well rounded when it comes to assault and ranged combat. If this Faction sounds like what your looking for or just want a nice read up on how Gk has changed.... or to make fun of me for putting up,
this thread then keep reading. I hope you enjoy.
First off
The Brother Captain
________
He's your commander.. the only commander, but still capable of
holding his own in combat. He's a Tank. Simple as that. He's
capable of going toe to toe with any of the commanders in t1
and coming out on top in most cases. His strengths lie largely in
supporting and buffing your own fellow units and debuffing your
opponents. So if your a player that likes to play the farseer,
apothecary of the commisar lord.. this guy really won't feel to
different other than that he's slow, but you will be pleasantly
content with his tankiness in combat. This guy exceeds or fails
by the upgrades you give him... and really so does your army in
that respect. He is a huge means of support to your army
especially in t1 when you are most fragile.
Weapons
Sword
___
Now a very good upgrade to take. It's damage buff makes it
sufficient to take in t1 and the buff given from we are the hammer
does make a considerable difference in some t1 engagements especailly
against that of orks and tyranids. Some might also consider getting the sword late game in t3 just for the sake of giving a speed buff to the slow moving termiantors and paladins... and if you have the Holy armor of Titan which gives a 30% reduction in cooldown to your pleasant suprise and your opponents dismay these guys will be literally running down the field like they didn't even have terminator armor on.
Halberd
____
This upgrade will always have it's place. It has good dps and
cuts through power armored units with ease. Used alongside a
teleport pack this guy becomes very good at hacking down
fleeing units and commanders. This upgrade is also great to take against hordes where the splash damage makes a considerable difference.
Hammer
___
This upgrade for those who like the ability to go toe to toe with
the big stuff. In addition to 100 melee dps it's sweep ability has amazing
knockback and disruption especially when there is a large group.
The best way to use this is with an teleporter pack and is highly
recommended to be so.
Wardstave
____
Fantastic piece of equipment and really comes to the liking of
many who like that support buffing ally type play. It gives a
nice 30% damage reduction for one unit, which may be the
difference between the death of your or your enemies' unit.
Works best when paired with purifiers in t2 and of-course with terminators and paladins in t3
Armor
Mantle of terra
___
This will always have a place on the field and rightfully so. It
makes it so that all enemy units within the the flame are
incapable of activating abilities which against forces such as
eldar and chaos which are strongly dependent on abilities very
strongly game changing. It's pretty much the global ability Dark ex communion that
disables all enemy abilities for a 12 duration but on a smaller scale 8s and doesn't cover the entire field, but can be used much more frequently and moreover... without the use of red
red.
Blessed armor of aegis
____
I used to hate this armor... but now I love it. The health
regeneration buff provided by this armor allows your commander
to really be able to stay on the battlefield at times and that is
how you win matches. You want him on the field as much as
possible buffing and debuffing units and with this upgrade he'll
spend less time healing up at base and more time in the field.
Highly recommended against shooty bases where he will tend to
lose a lot of health just walking around because of ranged fire.
Nemesis Vortex
____
It got a nice buff but is still not exactly my cup of tea, however does appease to some players. It makes a small slow moving vortex that you place in an area that explodes after some time and does nice considerable damage. It's slow
moving but there is definitely a best time to use it. When you
get in very congested areas where everyone is standing in the
same spot, it may be hard for your enemies to spot although not
likely, but if it does go off and they weren't paying attention...
that explosion could certainly Change the engagement. The closest thing I can
compare it to is the catachan mine.. but it moves.
Holy armor of titan
___
The name says it all. This army grants a 400hp boost a 30%
reduction in abilities and grants immortality which gives 6
seconds of invincibility which is equivalent to an automatic cap or decap in terms of time. This is what usually takes the place of the mantle of terra, or aegis armor in t3
because while nullifying abilites is good and healing quicker is great. Decapping and capping an objective when they are definitely on the line is ever better.
*CANT CAP the whole 6 seconds anymore .... more like half of it... but you can definitely get a free revival off a commander
Acessories
Mind blades
___
This upgrade tends to get over looked when people are getting
upgrades but it does make a difference. That extra 15% chance
to do a special can very much make or break an engagement
and if coming up against heavy energy dependent armies...
being able to drain it is very good. a good way to use this ability
is to use it alongside the mantle of terra. You activate the
mantle of terra and go up to say a unit of banshees that can't
activate their washout because of the canticle of absolution
ability. In those 8 seconds or so that the flame is up you are
hitting them draining them of their energy and once the flame is
lifted they can no longer use washout because they don't have
the energy to use it because it was drained.
Teleporta
___
This upgrade will also always have it's place and is probably the
most used of the 3 upgrades in this area and for damn good
reason. It's mobility. The one thing your commander lacks and
now with this piece of equipment he's no longer some slow cripple
trying to get up the field. More over when t3 arrives and if you
are capable of getting the armor of titan... the cooldown on this
piece of equipment decreases by a considerable margin as well.
A teleporting terminator armored commander...yes I'll have one
of those
Psyhic Lash
___
This ability is great. If you really want to kill a commander this is
what you get. Moreover if you don't find yourself in a match up where you feel you need to be teleporting constantly this is a very good piece of wargear. just make sure your in range to use it. It takes about a 1s to actually go off so they can run out of it. However if it hits whether or not they are running or not running it will
always do 120 damage. So from my experience when
commanders are running out they usually have less than that so
being able to use that and know you will finish them off is very
good. This is the alternative to teleporting to your opponent
and then finishing them off that way.
Unending Purge
_____
I don't know I just never got into this upgrade. It makes him
retreat faster and heals him considerably while he retreats which is great but... If you come to know how much health he needs to make it out of combat alive you really don't find yourself using this. This is the upgrade that you get if
you feel you really need some extra speed to get out. Notably if
your fighting against eldar banshees but... really if they are
chasing you... they're is a considerably high change they will kill you anyways if it comes down to that but hey every bit of health counts.
Stormtroopers
______
These guys are next to interceptors in probably being one of the most
important units in this army. I'm serious you want these guys
around till the very end. They allow you plenty of options down
the line. They can knock-back enemies potential saving a decap,
they are our only detector unit, they are the only means of
reparing vehicles like the coveted crusader, and provide some
very nice dps with their burst. The best way to utilize them is
to keep them in back at all times. You don't want these guys
the first thing targeted for they will melt under fire. You want
them pouring fire into the brawl that is taking place as your
strikes, interceptors, purifiers, or termis get busy at work within
the fray. Note that they are very nimble and there are things
you want to watch out for otherwise these guys will tend to
"disappear" off the battlefield. A kommando with his shotgun
ability or nades especially when leveled has a very high chance
of just killing the whole unit in one blast. A warlock with the
witch-blade getting amongst them using his special may wipe the
squad especially if he used destructor going into the melee. A leveled
hammer commander will pretty much wipe the squad in 2
specials if " we are the hammer is activated"
Strikes
___
They are usually the base throughout most of t1. The question that usually arises for
players when playing these guys is "Do I put nemesis focus on them or psycannon?"
IMHO, the if you're running just one strike squad in t1 you should put nemesis focus on themand make them completely close combat oriented. 1 psycannon does not do much against vehicles. In addition when t2 arrives you don't usually think to get another strike squad out on the field if you want psycannons.
You tend to think of getting a purgation squad out on the field and upgrading them with psycannons instead.If you are running a 2x strike squad base I would definitely consider 2x psycannons over 2x nemesis focus for psycannons generally tend to do better in t3 than nemesis focus strike squads from my experience. One nemesis focusstrike squad isn't bad but 2 tends to be excessive and you really tend to feel you are lacking in both the AV and Anti infantry department as these guys really can't go up against dedicated t3 units like nobs, seer council, terminators etc.
**These guys are getting a considerable change in the next update in which nemesis focus is being taken out and psybolts put in. I'm very anxious to see the difference but until then we can make do with what we have**
Purgation
______
These guys were once the unit that really never saw t1 at all.
Now they are definitely viable you just have to know to use
them. They are great power farm bashers, and a great
suppression unit. And now that the flames got there own
slowing ability they really can handle a horde. The best way to
use them is allow for an assault unit to go and get stuck in
combat. Follow up with the purgation and burn/suppress all the
enemy units in the melee. in t2 they gain access to psycannnons
which are fantastic at taking health off vehicles or monstorous
creatures. not so much when it comes to actual infantry unless
they are heavy infantry like terminators. The psycannon really
see there full strength when paired up alongside some
teleporting interceptors that can stun a vehicle and allow the
sufficient time for the psycannons to go to work on the enemy
vehicle. You no longer have to take 2xs to get the same kind
of damage now that the interceptors grenade sticks to the
target and does considerable damage on this stun itself.
However 2x purgation does still work and provide a lot of dakka
just know that you are very susceptible to just one unit
countering them. Jump infantry, make a ruckus of this unit as
purgation are just like setup teams and cant take melee.
Interceptors
____
They were the crown jewel back then without their grenades
sticking to enemy tanks... they are the crowned jewel now that
they do. Now that their grenades stick to enemy tanks they are
a very good unit to take up as they allow you to be able to
stun vehicles for your army to take it down. They also removed
nemesis focus and just gave the flamer. The flamer does add
more damage so I do recommend you get it if you have the
resources.
Rhino
Mobility. Grey knights lack it. they want it and here it is. It's
not a good unit but its not a bad unit either in t1. It enables
your forces to get around which is enough to make up for the
fact it really doesn't fare to well in t1 from even normal shooting
but in t2 It gets the ability to take up a lascannon. or
stormbolter. Let me save you the trouble. Get the lascannon. It
can deal with walkers from ranged and does a pretty nice job at
sniping out commanders trying to run away. in t3 however. this
tank can't come close to compare with predator tanks and
dedicated tanks they shoot faster do more damage and have
more health so... yea don't get this to counter them.
Purifiers
_____
These are my favorite unit.. but I find it hard to play them at
times. They are truly a glass cannon. They do incredible
amounts of damage but take it as well. They have the longest
charge range in the game and very much need it because of
how much damage they take just getting into combat but you
can mitigate that by getting a wardstave and putting up a
bubble on them to take off some of the damage.
**I have been trying these guys out and even with a wardstave to help with damage reduction they are still quite squishy.. make sure they are always supported or you will find yourself purchasing back models often
Libby
[/color]
The libby is the guy that just finds a hard time making it to the
field. When you have the choice between a dreadnought and
purifiers and now even the vindicare assassin who is great at
taking out vehicles and is nice for just sniping out models at
ranged. He offers great buffs to your army but is very slow and
definitely not the greatest when it comes to getting into
combat. All in all he's a good unit but does seem to fall short
when in comparison to other units to take at this tier.
Dreadnought
___
Well there is nothing more to say. It's the dreadnought. It Pwns
just like all the other walkers do but does need to be supported
or it will go down quickly. Just play smart and this unit really just
plays itself.
Vindicare Assassin
_____
The new kid on the block. This guy is an awesome unit. He is
relatively cheap though when you get the upgrades (you must
get the upgrades) he does get to cost a respective much but
He does great on the field. He has fantastic range and great
dps. He will generally snipe out a model in every shot and
against vehicles he hurts alot. He does have a set up time now
so you need to play smarter with him but if you play him right he
easily makes his cost back in spades.
Terminators
_____
These guys are pretty hefty unit and are bought within the tech
tree as opposed to with red which was much needed. They are
a good unit when it comes to taking out infantry but if
outnumbered against hordes tend to start taking considerable
damage if unsuppoted. They get acess to flamers and
psycannon. Usually i go with flamers on them because I know
their job is to fight infantry not vehicles but if you want that
added anti vehicle all power to you.
Paladins
_____
These guys are the heavy hitters. These guys are what you
send against the supers that make it out endgame. They should
definitely be outfitted with psycannons as they generally end
up on a chase to take down said tank or super unit and that
psycannon makes all the difference. You don't want these guys
going up against hordes outnumbered because that is not where
they excel. They excel at dealing with heavy infantry and
vehicles. Keep that in mind and these guys will do great on the
field
Land Raider Crusader
______
Gone are the days of "drop a Crusader and you win the game
xD" However that's ok because it's still a great unit after its
nerf. This unit should be the support unit not necessarily
leading the push but being the backbone in a push suppressing
multiple units as your units come down the field. Note that if
this tank is timefield and nuked with eldrich storm and your
enemy is standing by with antivehicle units.... It's pretty much
gone although that can be largely said for most vehicles but...
yea just to show that this vehicles is not an unstoppable unit
though it may feel like it.
___________
Advanced in Game play section
___________________________
Gk usually get a max of 4 units out in t1(largely because you want to get upgrades on your commander and your stormtroopers in addition to any power units you may get out)... if you try and get 5 for t1 you will be feeling the hurtin most cases as you run late getting to t2 (unless that is you lost a squad but wiped one of your opponents units and spent time getting out another unit to which they may have also) From my experience Always Always put sergeants on your stormtroopers when you get the chance. There is just no good reason not to for 65 req and 15 power. They become detector units, their hp increases, their model count goes up by 1, and their dps goes up also. Interceptors tend to be one of the more vital t1 units in this army.They are jump troops to
counter suppression teams have psych nades to counter heavy energy
races. Most important they have krak nades that now stick to vehicles (though there time before explosion is roughly 3 seconds) which
generally is the difference in a vehicle staying alive or being
killed, so when utilizing builds that don't have them... know you
will be lacking one of our best means of taking down vehicles by hard
stunning them for your other units. Finally as a rule of thumb
you should put down 1-2 generators at the beginning of the game. I just don't find it a good idea to put down three because 200 req is a huge deal if lost when that could have easily been used to pull out your third squad. gk unlike eldar and some other armies really have a natural build order that utilizes 1 generator getting out a unit... getting out another unit... putting down the next generator.... then getting the third unit and putting down the last generator. While it may seem you are not getting enough power in t1 they actually are getting plenty of power and I actually find that gk played correctly have quite a strong t1 where you can get a few gen bashes in there to really equal out the power difference. I advise that when you get out units before you begin upgrading in both tiers 1 and 2. You may find yourself lacking in numbers in key engagements if you don't and while you may not have that upgrade you want... having one more unit on the field makes up for that piece of wargear in most cases.
Upgrades to take on commander
vs
Eldar
Chaos
*should have (I and others would say must have) canticle- you want to be able to take away doomblast and deny eldar their abilities or you can say gg.
vs
orks
nids
*should have sword- I find that you want to buff your units to be able to
deal enough damage to your opponents boyz in combat. you
don't have to get it but you will see a considerable hige difference in
engagements if you if have it and are using " we are the hammer" with the sword upgrade than without it.
vs
IG
SM
*free choice
- against these forces I usally find myself not necessarily in need to take any upgrade but I usually give him something based on that of what my opponent is giving me in terms of an ideal play style. I don't usually run mind-blades against these forces as they aren't to energy dependent other than the commanders or they just have abilities that aren't energy based. So I commonly find myself choosing between the sword, aegis armor, and the mantle of terra as my t1 upgrade.
GK T1 Match Starter Builds
_________
Brother Captain (commander)
*Old school standard*
1. 2x Stormtroopers
strike squad
interceptors
- you should have both stormtroopers units upgraded in this build
and 1 upgrade on your commander. This build is what every Gk
player used to run as it was really the only one.. now it's still ran, though I personally don't run it often anymore however it still can be run effectively though against some match ups there are better builds now.
*For the Emperor*
2. Stormtroopers
2x strike squad
interceptors
- this build is a very assault and ranged oriented build that focuses on the sturdiness of your units to win out the day. This build is quite slow so to make up for that you want the sword in addition to the fact that we are the hammer buffing all these gk in t1 is just short of rediculous in some cases.There is a draw back however if you start losing models you will find yourself running low on req quite often because of how much it cost to reinforce each unit.
*Jack of All Trades*
3. Stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
-this build is the jack of all trades build in which you have a little
of everything. the strength to this build is utilizing each of the
units strengths in unison of one another to best the situation.
You should have upgraded stormtroopers and one upgrade on
your commander on this build. Highly Recommend if your playing
against SM. The aim is to jump the devastator team. When
your opponents ASM jump into the combat you want to
suppress them with the purgation. In order to take care of the
commander you want to throw your commander at him and
support him with stormtrooper shooting. Send your strikes at
your opponents tacticals and when they have run off then begin
to go after the scouts. Of-course this doesn't happen all the
time... but that is definitely the ideal goal.
*Power Harass Multi-Front*
upgrade your commander if you want to but don't need to.
4. 2x stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
rhino
- this build utilizes the rhino to get the purgation around the
field as to make up for there slow footslogging speed. The aim of
this build is to defend your power while bashing your opponents
with the purgation squad inside the rhino flanking behind after
the power harass. This build works best when you are operating
two separate forces to create multi fronts.
*Assassination Shunt Build*
canticle
5. 2x stormtroopers
2x interceptors
vindicare or dreadnought if you have the power saved up t2
*very specific order of operations otherwise you wont get
everything out and at the right times*
1st 2x stormtrooper squad
2st 2 power gens
3rd interceptor squad
4th another power gen
5th interceptor squad
6th seargants on both stormtroopers
7th canticle
8th t2
160 power for t1
if they have vehicles you want the grenade upgrades first over
the seargants then you get a vnidicare of dreadnought (purifiers will deprive you of
getting to t3 because you now have 3 power units on the field
that take many casaulties) (the dread and libby dont take up
power in constantly healing the unit.
then t3
- This build is a very aggressive shunt build in which the sole
purpose of this build is to get in assassinate one of your
opponents units and get out; and they do excel at this. In the
mean while your 2x henchmen and commander are supposed to
hold back your opponents forces while your interceptors heal up
and get ready to repeat assassinating a unit you have
designated for termination. Usually the cases where you would run this build is when I come against multiple eldar forces where I have come to know they like to use shuriken catapults. This build also works well against IG if you have an ally to support your push by suppressing units with a suppression team of some sorts. There 2x krak nade throw in t2 will almost take out a full health chimera, so transport vehicles usually don't become a problem. In addition your base will be able to handle any dedicated tanks coming out in t3 though if your opponents take up a strong infantry base build instead you will find yourself struggling.
*End game jack of all trades*
6. 2x stormtroopers
purgation
interceptors
-this build is very much like the 1 1 1, jack of all trades build,
yet focuses more on end game. Stormtroopers and interceptors
make for fantastic units end game. Strikes lose there staying
power once t3 is reached and because of that stormtroopers
find themselves more potent. If they have grenades or plasma
both are capable of knockback which may save a decap. In
addition to that 2x stormtroopers can better support a
Landraider Crusader as opposed to just the one stromtrooper
unit. The purgation unit really solidifies the base in which in t1
they can power harass, and suppress hordes while interceptors
are in the thick of it, all in all the stormtroopers are pouring in
the dakka. By t3 they most likely have their psycannons and
psycannon never lose their importance when it comes to the
fact that many heavy units will be coming out late game. Pair
them up with a interceptor squad to stun said heavy unit and
that is one very crippled or dead vehicle or monstrous
creature.
+I have play tested all of these builds and they do work well given used in the proper situations, not to say that some work better than others given the opponent your facing and the faction choice. However mixing things up is always good as it keeps your opponent guessing as to what you are going to bring out next.
______
Builds to consider when facing certain factions
*Obviously the player has free reign to do whatever they want in a build
however these are just personally builds that I find work best against these type of opponents
Orks and Nids
___________
stormtroopers
2x strikes
interceptors
sword and mind blades(extra knockback and damage buff).
stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
IG
2x stormtroopers
2x interceptors
works best if the map is wide open
stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
2x stormtrooper
purgation
interceptor
2x stormtrooper
strikes
interceptors
works but a purgation build is usually best
SM and CSM
_______
stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
2x stormtrooper
purgation
interceptors
Eldar
_____
stormtroopers
strikes
purgation
interceptors
2x stormtrooper
purgation
interceptors
2x stormtrooper
2x interceptor
vindicare
stormtrooper
2x strikes
interceptor
*Also to note is that these builds are much more 2v2 and 3v3 based.
**Skipping Tier 2
- Skipping tier 2 is always a very risky situation for any army. If you find yourself with the inability to deal with tier 2 units coming out they will be able to bash your power and prevent you from getting t3 units that you wanted to get out early and you will find yourself behind in a deficit. Gk are a faction that rally compares to one other faction the tyranids in that you really want to get into t3 to bring out the tier 3 units. Just the same as you see Tyranid players skipping entirely through to t3 so they can pull out their carnifexes and doom early. The same applies to GK. while purifiers are good terminators and paladins beat out purifiers without question. Purifiers while a nice unit for t2 lose their staying power quicker than any other unit in that once tier 3 comes around they while still effective can't go toe to toe with dedicated t3 units like nob squads, seer council, and terminators; and if they are the best assault units by t2 that means any units from t1 are surely not going to be even close to the same category of assault effectiveness. So how you skip to t3 is by...
- Making sure that you have a base that is capable of dealing with the factions that you are coming against with the unis you have out on the field just by having to give them upgrades.
Example:
SM: Say SM runs a 1 1 1 build and so do you. In t2 the SM player takes up for say a dreadnought. You if you feel comfortable with the situation may skip this phase because by upgrading the purgation to have psycannons interceptors to have a krak grenade can effectively deal with the dreadnought though chances are you probably won't kill it. However you can stall it long enough to get to t3. Then once there if you feel you are going to need something to deal with it and you dont have the power to pull out for say a paladin squad then go with possibly another psycannon purgation team or even the vindicare assassin. This will give you a storng enough base to hold off the dreadnought and the best part is that you are in t3 already.
Example 2:
Orks: Run a standard boyz 2x shoota loota boy squad build against your stormtrooper 2x strike interceptor build. In t2 they can pull out for say a deff dread, a trukk, stormboyz etc. However you can deal with all of them still effectively. By upgrading the strikes with psycannons you take on vehicles. The krak grenade also helps to stun them. You are not going to be as strong as you were in t1 against the now upgraded boyz but if you can control the engagements with shooting utilizing your stormtroopers to knockback assault units with plasma guns or grenades then you should be fine skipping to t3. Say you get to t3 and you feel that you need to deal with the t2 tide of orks... well then possibly consider bringing out dreadnought which cost 200 less req than terminators but still does the job because it's a strong vehicle that will buff your large base and help turn the tide against all the orks players assaulting t2 units when properly supported.
At the end of the day skipping tiers can certainly pay off especially if you believe the game that you will be playing will a long one that will be decided by t3 units and not t2 units. Just always make sure that you have your bases covered to deal with a changing battlefield.
As GK generally are only capable of getting 4 units (THEY can get more. Just putting that out there for people who will say something) in t1 this is the large reason as to why it is they still have trouble when it comes to playing 1v1 matches in addition to lack of actual tanks which everyone knows by now. All the other factions can get 5 comfortably and some can even get 6 with some considerable ease as well. Being outnumbered in units in such a manner makes it very hard to keep pace of map control unless you make sure to focus down and wipe squads. It's not impossible to win in 1v1s but it is still even with some very good updates to help them with vehicles... a tough hill to climb.
I hope that you got out something from this thread something you didn't know from before and if not maybe some re-assurances to some things you also believed to be the case. That's it for now... see you in game
***I'll probably just update this thread when the next gk update comes out so as not to make a whole-nother thread. I don't expect the chages to be absolutely drastic just mainly dealing with the strike squads and fixing the bug issue with the vindicare assassin camo cloak.
It was a pleasure to write it. If you have any questions to ask just post em here