How best to equip Ardboys?

[Rizara]

hello.   I am new to ironjawz, in fact I just picked up the starter box today.    I dabbled in AoS around 1.5 to 2 years ago shortly after its release, and I only got maybe 3 games in during that time using Ogre's.   

Since I just picked up the starter box, before I assemble my Ardboys I figured I would ask and see what most players feel is the best combination.    I don't have the army book at the moment, planning on getting a digital copy over the weekend.  I only really plan to build the one unit, which may end up getting upgraded to 30 strong at some point, and I hate that you can't take them in increments of 5 (as I planned to pick up the skirmish box next to get a shaman and some brutes cheaper).    

for me personally I was leaning towards the giant choppas (for coolness look), but I have seen many people take them with shields, and I have seen a few lists that take them with two choppas.

[BunkhouseBuster]

It really depends on what you want from your Ardboz:  More attacks?  Better attacks?  Or better survivability?  What role are they going to play in the army, and will that affect your decision?  If you plan on getting Brutes, they will probably be better for your powerful hitters.  Ardboys are good at bringing lots of bodies to the table, and being a tough tarpit that can hold the line pretty darn well.

Keep in mind that you will struggle to equip them all the same as they come out of the box.  There are only two shields per 5 models, and I can't remember how many of the other sets of arms there are, but I do remember struggling to decide which loadout I wanted for them when assembling them.

As far as the Skirmish box having just 5 Ardboyz, I feel that was done with the Ardboyz box in mind.  It comes with 15 models in the box.  So getting the Skirmish box, the Ardboyz box, and the Start Collecting box would get you 30 Ardboyz (5+15+10), which is a strong tarpit for any game mode.

[Sangfroid]

The good news is the Ardboyz box has 15 in so one of those, Weirdnob warband you the extra 20 you need for the 30 :-) 

its been a while since we had this discussion but there are really good threads on this throughout the forum, the first and generally the best place to look for everything ironjawz is called "Competative Ironjawz" check that out from the start it's a great read and you will get loads of good ideas in their 

 

[Rizara]

thanks, I will look through that thread then.   I have been browsing the forums for a while but can't seem to find anything on this other than it seems most go for shields.    You do make a valid point and the only reason I am honestly including these older models is because it comes in the box sets.   There were nice for their time, but I really like the look of the newer models.  

[Sangfroid]

They are okay model wise and really do not compare to the gorgeous brute models however, do not dismiss these smaller Ironjawz on the table top they really do perform an important role. I tend to have mine with a mix of rend and extra attacks (currently thinking about adding in some shields for a 30 strong unit) you will find they fight okay (really well if you get a frenzy in them and or a waaagh going) and can be tough to kill all of them quickly have increased bravery and charge moves, generally can end up being a great all purpose unit for you. 

The new mighty horde rule taking them to effectively 150 for 10 when in a 30 man unit makes them even more useful. 

[Chris Tomlin]

I wonder whether this is a topic worth revisiting?

With the new battleplans and the changes to Ardboys (Massive Regiments), does this change how we want to equip our Ardboys?

@Rizara - Previously I think the consensus amongst the mathematicians was that dual choppas tended to be the most efficient. The two-handed weapons definitely have a place though with their rend and the shields are of course useful as well. There's no easy answer.

Remember we can mix and match within our units. What cool things can we do with our Massive Regiments? I suspect a bunch of shields for ablative wounds and then some other weapons for damage? 

[Malakree]

My feeling is you go 20 Shields and 10 Damage. This then gives you a huge shock absorber which can soak ranged fire/charges no problem allowing you to counter charge/pile in without taking the damage on other units (such as brutes). If you are using the 2" range brutes with them you could use a crafty which has your Ardboys in a lose fitting mob and a solid front line, then you have the brutes inside the mob.  Thus anyone who charges the Ardboys gets piled in by the brutes who can swing past the front line with impunity. 

If the opponent declines to charge the Ardboys you can have the brutes charge out and make a mess of him. This is all ignoring that 10 DW/20 Shield Ardboys is still putting out 70 attacks.

While you could use Gitmob Grots in the same way for less points (270 vs 450) it's also a 5+ save vs a 4+ then 6+ and the unit as a whole is way less threatening. A mob of 30 Ardboys could take and hold an objective with no issues. 

Also of note is that your Ardboys would get +3" charge range or +4" if you get the Bloodtoofs. An average charge range of 11" is nothing to be sniffed at.

[Rizara]

thanks guys, as I said I couldn't find anything specificially on it but I thought the same.  I also had realized that the kid was so limited as to what you can equip them with since it doesn't come with enough shields for the entire unit.    All said and done, I appreciate the feedback.    Right now, I have 10 built as a command unit (drummer/banner/boss with giant axe and mace), with 4 build with great choppas and the other 3 with shields and choppas.   I will be adding more shields as I get more and I am still working out what I want to take for a 2000 point list.   Was thinking about the 30 ardboys since they do get a points reduction for that last set of 10, just wish it wasn't such a huge point sink.    I also haven't a clue how ranged melee weapons play out in AoS compared to other games.  I know in warmahordes a 2inch range weapon was crucial as it extended your combat threat including your charge range, since you could technically still charge if your weapon's reach would still reach them and not your base alone.     All I know from my few times trying is that ranged weapons didn't seem as effective as getting stuck in to combat, and that mortal wounds were devastating.   Then again this was my experience playing ogre's against night goblins and seeing how that shaman was wrecking my army while my cannon toting ogres did next to nothing.   

[BunkhouseBuster]

Having read through this thread, I'm of a mind set that we should equip them based on their role in the army.  "Well, of course we should" you all might say.  But here me out on this.

In Objective missions, we want bodies on the field to hold the objectives, yes?  We also get the Massive Regiments discount for taking a full sized squad, right?  Plus, with the new Ironjawz abilities to get extended guaranteed charges (combined with their Drummer), looking at Ardboyz as a unit that can get stuck in with reliability may change how we should use them. With these all in mind, I think we have hit a point where equipping the entire unit with one option is a valid one.  Here's my thinking:

Option A - 10 Boy squad, mixed to flavor.  This unit is here to play chaff or counter-charge.  It helps fill in the Battleline requirements and gets bodies on the field.

Option B - 30 Boy squad, all shields.  This is the ultimate tarpit: 60 wounds with 4+, 6++ saves.  Put this on an objective and hold the line.  Pair with a Shaman for Mystic Shield for further resiliency.

Option C - 30 Boy squad, all with Choppas/Big Choppas.  What with that boost to reliable charge ranges, getting aggressive may be the way to go.

Option D - 30 Boy squad, mixed equipment.  Don't know what you need in your army?  Take a little bit of everything.  In many games and events, having a mix of the three options will give you the options you need.

[Malakree]

1 hour ago, BunkhouseBuster said:

Option B - 30 Boy squad, all shields.  This is the ultimate tarpit: 60 wounds with 4+, 6++ saves.  Put this on an objective and hold the line.  Pair with a Shaman for Mystic Shield for further resiliency.

Option C - 30 Boy squad, all with Choppas/Big Choppas.  What with that boost to reliable charge ranges, getting aggressive may be the way to go.

For Option C I am of the opinion you should have a couple of shields in the unit, odds are you will take casualties before you manage to get the full unit in and the trade off of say 5/10 attacks for 6++ save on your first 10/20 (mortal)wounds is huge. Sling them at the back of the unit and a lot of the time they won't even be in range to attack.

For Option B, The more I look at it the more I think that a Gitmob Shaman is an AMAZING ally for any Ironjawz. At 80 points in is 2/3rds the price of a Weirdnob shaman and if you sling it in the middle of a massive unit of Ardboys then it's going to be basically untargetable while also being able to shuffle off wounds it takes onto a nearby Ardboy on a 5+. The Ardboy then gets a 6++ save against that wound. It gives you a extra unbinding attempt plus the ability to cast Bolt/Shield oh and he functionally has a spear so can potentially attack without getting in range for retaliation.

Add in that the model is £6 and one or two of these to bolster your army is a steal at £12 and 160 points. If you would prefer you can get 2 moonclan grot shamans for £8.20 that don't have the wound shuffle but give you Curse of the Badmoon instead.

Personal opinion is that the new allies rule makes Grot Shamans just a fantastic choice for any Ironjawz. They offer so much for their points value.

[Banglesprout]

Hey guys, short time lurker and this is my first post! Before I get on topic, just wanna say thanks to @Chris Tomlin, @Sangfroid, @Nico and everyone else who's contributed to all the awesome Ironjaws posts on this forum - there's so much great stuff for a new megaboss to read, I've always been an orc/orruk/goblin/grot at heart but this community is making it even better to be green

*Anyway* on topic - personally I feel you have two options when you take Ardboyz, and they are quite different beasts.

1. Take the minimum sized 10 man unit

If you take this unit then in my mind you equip them with shield. Why? Because that's what makes them unique. For the same cost as 5 brutes you're getting less killing power, but 5 more wounds. So the reason you take the unit over brutes is you want survivability over killing power - emphasis that, take the shields! If you *don't* take the shields, my question would be... why didn't you just take Brutes??

2. Maximum sized 30 horde

That 90 points discount is really tempting isn't it? Is this the unit with the largest horde discount in GHB2017?

In this case I think your weapons options are more flexible - because with a unit this size you have the numbers to meaningfully mix your equipment, plus you surely don't want such an expensive unit to merely survive, you also want it to do some fighting! My instinct is to go with roughly 15 with shields, and then 15 with choppas and smashers. The math-hammer is conclusive that 2 weapons are (slightly) better than 1 big one in almost every case - so it'd be a case of "how many do I think I'll get into combat? Give that many 2 choppas, give the rest shields".

I admit though, I've not tried using the horde yet so it'd be great to hear from anyone who has. I can't help but think that with so many points tied up in one unit you'll really struggle to challenge multiple objectives - especially if you're also taking mawcrusher(s).

[Nico]

Thanks!

Given that the Seraphon are back in town rend -1 becomes a liability rather than a plus point, which would also point towards double Choppas.

[Malakree]

11 minutes ago, Banglesprout said:

1. Take the minimum sized 10 man unit

If you take this unit then in my mind you equip them with shield. Why? Because that's what makes them unique. For the same cost as 5 brutes you're getting less killing power, but 5 more wounds. So the reason you take the unit over brutes is you want survivability over killing power - emphasis that, take the shields! If you *don't* take the shields, my question would be... why didn't you just take Brutes??

On this particular point yes you get 5 more wounds but you also get a 50% increase in attacks without wound reduction. 

5 Brutes with Two Brute Choppas is 20 attacks 3/3/-1/1 while 10 Ardboys with Two Choppas is 30 attacks at 4/3/-/1. Also if for any reason you put extra attacks on them (say a Waaagh!) then you get 10 extra attacks rather than 5.

In terms of killing big things, using Big Choppas on your Ardboys, I'd say you are absolutely correct. For killing swarms of other massive units, Grots, Ghouls, Skaven, all of which have low armor saves and 1 wound each you want the volume off attacks rather than the brutes bigger attacks. You also get a +3" charge instead of a +1" charge making it more likely you will get the charge.

Overall yes I agree with you but I think there are several situations where Two Choppa Ardboys outperform Two Choppa Brutes.

[BunkhouseBuster]

37 minutes ago, Malakree said:

For Option C I am of the opinion you should have a couple of shields in the unit, odds are you will take casualties before you manage to get the full unit in and the trade off of say 5/10 attacks for 6++ save on your first 10/20 (mortal)wounds is huge. Sling them at the back of the unit and a lot of the time they won't even be in range to attack.

For Option B, The more I look at it the more I think that a Gitmob Shaman is an AMAZING ally for any Ironjawz. At 80 points in is 2/3rds the price of a Weirdnob shaman and if you sling it in the middle of a massive unit of Ardboys then it's going to be basically untargetable while also being able to shuffle off wounds it takes onto a nearby Ardboy on a 5+. The Ardboy then gets a 6++ save against that wound. It gives you a extra unbinding attempt plus the ability to cast Bolt/Shield oh and he functionally has a spear so can potentially attack without getting in range for retaliation.

Add in that the model is £6 and one or two of these to bolster your army is a steal at £12 and 160 points. If you would prefer you can get 2 moonclan grot shamans for £8.20 that don't have the wound shuffle but give you Curse of the Badmoon instead.

Personal opinion is that the new allies rule makes Grot Shamans just a fantastic choice for any Ironjawz. They offer so much for their points value.

Good points, and I haven't looked at any Allies yet myself.  I pretty much only have the time to focus on my armies and trust my opponents to know their armies.

21 minutes ago, Nico said:

Given that the Seraphon are back in town rend -1 becomes a liability rather than a plus point, which would also point towards double Choppas.

Oh yeah, and literally in my case!  Our local Seraphon player is a college student who went home over the summer and finally came back.  Not getting Rend can hurt an Ironjawz plans quick!

[Nico]

Also I agree that either 10 or 15 Shields makes sense.

[Banglesprout]

1 hour ago, Malakree said:

On this particular point yes you get 5 more wounds but you also get a 50% increase in attacks without wound reduction. 

5 Brutes with Two Brute Choppas is 20 attacks 3/3/-1/1 while 10 Ardboys with Two Choppas is 30 attacks at 4/3/-/1. Also if for any reason you put extra attacks on them (say a Waaagh!) then you get 10 extra attacks rather than 5.

In terms of killing big things, using Big Choppas on your Ardboys, I'd say you are absolutely correct. For killing swarms of other massive units, Grots, Ghouls, Skaven, all of which have low armor saves and 1 wound each you want the volume off attacks rather than the brutes bigger attacks. You also get a +3" charge instead of a +1" charge making it more likely you will get the charge.

Overall yes I agree with you but I think there are several situations where Two Choppa Ardboys outperform Two Choppa Brutes.

I found your point about the killing power interesting, so thought I'd do a bit of math-hammer. 

Ardboyz

Boss and 9 boyz with two weapons gives 10.333 wounds average. Against armour that means:

- : 10.333 wounds

6+ : 8.611 wounds

5+ : 6.889 wounds

4+ : 5.167 wounds

3+ : 3.444 wounds

2+ : 1.722 wounds

Brutes

Boss with boss choppa, 1 gore choppa, 3 brutes with two weapons gives 10 wounds average, with -1 rend. Against armour that means:

- : 10 wounds

6+ : 10 wounds

5+ : 8.333 wounds

4+ : 6.666 wounds

3+ : 5 wounds

2+ : 3.333 wounds

Conclusion

It's surprisingly close isn't it? My instinct had been that the Brutes would be further ahead, but they're only 1.5 wounds ahead, and against unarmoured they're slightly behind.

Of course this doesn't take into account various other game factors: brutes get much better if a megaboss (on foot) is nearby, or if "duff up da big things" comes into effect. You've also got more attacks concentrated in fewer models so you can field them in larger units and bring more of those attacks to bear than if you try the same thing with Ardboyz.

Ardboyz on the other hand do get a nicer bonus from Waaagh, their drummers, and their standards, and you get a nice horde discount if you field 30.

They're both great units - but I'd still vaguely typify them as "Brutes are brutally killy, Ardboyz are ardboyz to kill".

 

 

[Malakree]

32 minutes ago, Banglesprout said:

I found your point about the killing power interesting, so thought I'd do a bit of math-hammer. 

- Trimmed for post Space -

Conclusion

It's surprisingly close isn't it? My instinct had been that the Brutes would be further ahead, but they're only 1.5 wounds ahead, and against unarmoured they're slightly behind.

Of course this doesn't take into account various other game factors: brutes get much better if a megaboss (on foot) is nearby, or if "duff up da big things" comes into effect. You've also got more attacks concentrated in fewer models so you can field them in larger units and bring more of those attacks to bear than if you try the same thing with Ardboyz.

Ardboyz on the other hand do get a nicer bonus from Waaagh, their drummers, and their standards, and you get a nice horde discount if you field 30.

They're both great units - but I'd still vaguely typify them as "Brutes are brutally killy, Ardboyz are ardboyz to kill".

 

 

Just did quick calcs myself and more or less agree with your numbers. I think the brutes are potentially slightly less than 10 wounds but it's quibbling. 

13.67 with the WC for AB's,

The Brutes with WC are then 4 from GC, 6.67 from TBC, 0.89 from BK, 2.38 from BS for a total of 14 hits.

Meaning the Brutes benefit more from the WC buff. 

I agree with you, it's close whatever happens. What it does say is that a massive unit of 30 Ardboys is incredibly good value for money because your ability to mix and match Two Choppas and Choppa+Shields Allows you to get the best of both worlds. 

If you're running a Death Cabbage the Ardboys would actually pull slightly ahead because they benefit more from a 15" Waaagh! than the Brutes (More likely and Ardboys get more attacks /cost for a successful Waaagh). You also need to take into account the +2 Bravery making them bravery 8 vs a brutes bravery 6 and the fact that you can lose 2 Ardboys for every Brute on failed Battleshock but Ardboys aren't significantly more likely to take battle-shock than Brutes.

Overall I think I come to the conclusion that you should be running a unit of Ardboys for every unit of Brutes, maybe 1 unit of 30 for 2 units of brutes. Also running the Brutes as 5s and using the Ardboys to screen properly for them and allow you to just take way less wounds onto your brutes. 

Ultimately my stance then would be that a Orruk-forged Big Choppas on Ardboys are a waste of time, just take brutes instead. A combination of Twin Choppas and Choppa/Shields gives the best potential output against lower armour swarms while also maximising the survivability. The massive unit cost reduction (50% off for your 10 of your 30 Ardboys) makes them such a great choice and really allows you to utilise your brute squads more effectively. Both units are awesome.

[Warboss Gorbolg]

I'm still in the camp that the 1/6 shield save is really underwhelming in comparison to the 50% damage increase from the choppas and smashes.  In a vacuum, I think the choppas and smash are the best combination of offense and defense available to Ardboys.  I include 2 or 3 with the big choppas out of every 10 just because I think they look cool.

Ultimately all of the different combos seem playable which is good because the sprues were clearly developed with a combo of weapons in mind.

[Malakree]

So loosely the shields add 1 wound to the squad per 3 you put them on. No where near exact but the fact you can save mortal wounds to is pretty huge.

[BunkhouseBuster]

While we are on the subject, we can also bring up an old discussion back from April on the subject of the Shield in an Ardboys unit and whether it can stop any wounds or just Mortal Wounds.

Quote

The Rules FAQ uses the example of Phoenix Guard, which their rule for that extra "save" specifically mentions Mortal Wounds AND regular wounds.  Which sets the precedent you mentioned.

However, the Rules themselves treat Mortal Wounds as wounds that basically ignore armor saves:

"Some attacks inflict mortal wounds.  Do not make hit, wound, or save rolls for a mortal wound - just allocate the wounds to models from the target unit as described above."

And the Ardboys warscroll says:

"Roll a dice before allocating a wound to a model with an Orruk-forged Shield.  On a roll of 6 the wound is ignored."

Also, if the Shields only work against regular wounds that allow armor saves, why not just make the Shields give the Ardboys a 3+ armor save?  The math works out the exact same except against something that has a -4 rend (and who in the Mortal Realms has that?) in which case that Shield "save" would still function.

So, by my logic, I would err on the side of the Ardboys Shields protecting from Mortal Wounds, based on the wording in the rules for Mortal Wounds and Allocation, which both are done done after normal armor saves (if any).  My thinking is this:

- Unit suffers Wound and Mortal Wounds

- Roll armor saves as normal

- Determine total damage (d3 wounds, etc)

- Allocate unsaved wounds and Mortal Wounds to models

- Roll Ardboys Shield save against all wounds (so if the one wound did 2 damage, make 2 Shield "save" rolls)

Does that make sense for anyone else?  Since we are in agreement that we ought to be fielding some more shields on our Ardboys, I want to make sure that we use them correctly.

[Malakree]

I definitely read it as block a wound or mortal wound from any source.

The point at which you "Allocate" a wound would be when the wound counter on the model itself.

Since both wounds and mortal wounds are "Allocated" to models in this fashion you can do both, it would be after literally everything else. So as an example for my interpretation of it. A Gitmob Grot Shaman takes a wound, it rolls it's "Kunnin" (or just Lucky) save and transfers it to an Orruk Ardboy unit. It can then make a 6++ save against that wound.

 

Going onto it as a pure rules question. Under Inflicting damage the AoS rules state the following

Quote

INFLICTING DAMAGE

After all of the attacks made by a unit have been carried out, the player commanding the target unit allocates any wounds that are inflicted to models from the unit as they see fit (the models do not have to be within range or visible to an attacking unit). When inflicting damage, if you allocate a wound to a model, you must keep on allocating wounds to that model until either it is slain, or no more wounds remain to be allocated.

Once the number of wounds suffered by a model during the battle equals its Wounds characteristic, the model is slain. Place the slain model to one side – it is removed from play. Some warscrolls include abilities that allow wounds to be healed. A healed wound no longer has any effect. You can’t heal wounds on a model that has been slain.

MORTAL WOUNDS

Some attacks inflict mortal wounds. Do not make hit, wound or save rolls for a mortal wound – just allocate the wounds to models from the target unit as described above.

As far as allocating wounds goes Mortal Wounds and Normal Wounds are treated exactly the same. Since the save occurs at allocation to the model it would thus be universal. 

As an additional note if you have 20 wounds left in the unit but only 6 wounds on models with shields then when you take 12 wounds you should roll 6 saves on a 6++, if any are then saved you then roll that number of saves at 6++ again. If the models with shields die halfway through the rolling, because they failed to save, you don't roll anymore saves as they aren't being allocated to a model with a shield. So as a quick example.

 

20 Wounds in unit,

6 Wounds on model with shield,

9 Wounds to be allocated,

Roll 6, 6++ saves

2 Saves made, 4 wounds stick

2 Wounds on model with shield,

3 wounds to be allocated,

Roll 2, 6++ saves

Neither save made, 2 wounds stick

No models with shields,

1 Wound to be allocated,

No save possible, wound just taken. 

 

That's my interpretation of the various rules coming together, I hope it makes sense.

[Nico]

It doesn't work on mortal wounds. It's distinct from all other such abilities (Plaguebearers, Settra, Deathless Minions etc.) Nagash has an example of the opposite - a ward only vs Mortal wounds. He would be insane if that also worked against regular wounds.

[Malakree]

There's actually a distinction in how the two are worded.

 

Nagashs save "Morikhane" Specifically states

Quote

"Roll a dice each time Nagash suffers a mortal wound."

So in this case it's before the allocation and specifically states mortal wounds.

 

The wording for Mortal Wounds states 

Quote

Allocate the wounds to models from the target unit as described above

This implies that allocation of mortal wounds and allocation of wounds is the same in both cases.

 

On the other hand the Ardboyz "Orruk-forged Shields" reads

Quote

Roll a dice before allocating a wound to a model with an Orruk-forged Shield. On a roll of 6 the wound is ignored

Which refers specifically to the allocation step, at which point Mortal Wounds are allocated as Wounds.

 

I realise I'm getting very specific on the wording but again interpreting the way the rules interact is kinda vague in a way that Morikhane actually isn't. Do we have an official FAQ on it or is this something we need to ask of GW?

[BunkhouseBuster]

Just now, Malakree said:

Do we have an official FAQ on it or is this something we need to ask of GW?

I did way back when the previous discussion was going on, about 4 months ago.  I don't know if it got included in any new FAQs or anything yet.  This specific example needs clarification, one way or the other.

Also, is it saving against wounds before or after damage is calculated?

I'm in the camp that the Shield "saves" are rolled after damage is determined (d3, 2, etc) and after Mortal Wounds are "allocated", but before you start to remove casualties and put down Wound Markers.

[Malakree]

Quote

Q: When a model/unit has a special saving throw arising from an ability that can be used whenever they suffer a wound or mortal wound, is it taken after normal saves but before damage is determined (i.e. between steps 3 and 4 of the attack sequence)?

A: No, such special saving throws are taken after damage is determined and as each individual wound is allocated to a model that has such a save (see ‘Inflicting Damage’ on the rules sheet). For example, a unit of Phoenix Guard is attacked by a Cannon. The Cannon successfully makes its hit and wound rolls, and the Anointed fail their save roll. The Cannon therefore inflicts D6 wounds in step 4 of the attack sequence. The roll is a 4, inflicting 4 wounds on the Phoenix Guard. The attack sequence is now over, and the wounds are set to be inflicted on the Phoenix Guard. However, the Phoenix Guard’s Witness to Destiny ability means they ignore a wound or mortal wound on a roll of 4 or more, so as each wound is allocated, a dice is rolled, and on a 4 or more it is ignored

Just looking through the AoS Rules Errata right now. The underlined bit answers your question.

As to the specifics of it going from the Phoneix Guard Warscroll

Quote

Witness to Destiny: Whenever a Phoenix Guard suffers a wound or mortal wound, roll a dice. If the result is 4 or more, the wound or mortal wound is ignored.

Again this says suffering rather than allocating, however the FAQ seems to use the word interchangeably with the word allocating, and it specifically states both Wounds and Mortal Wounds.

This might be a terminology problem with regards to the fact Ardboyz can have some models with the shield and some without. 

Quote

Q: I’d like clarification on the Trolls/Sourbreath Troggoths’ ‘Too Dumb to Die’ rule. Do you start allocating wounds to one model in the unit, continuing until it fails the Too Dumb to Die roll (or there are no more wounds to allocate)?

A: Yes

This is the only other entry I could find even vaguely related.

 

My general stance at this point is that it could be either both or just normal "Wounds". Probably best to check with your opponent or tourney official then house rule it, that way it's clear and transparent for everybody involved.