{7th Edition} Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Mordor in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game

Photo Credit: nerdist.com

Updated: Seventh Edition (June 2025)

In the Seventh Edition of MESBG, Mordor remains perhaps the most robust faction in the game, with access to a few massive combo lists (especially at the Legacies level) and a host (no pun intended) of smaller, specialized lists. With the exception of the Barad-Dur list, these armies feature Sauron in a supporting role (as an off-screen, disembodied puppet-master, with an occasional wandering eye), so his beefy combat profile is absent. But literally every other profile in Barad-Dur finds its way over to the Mordor army list, along with a ton of named Orc heroes (some from the books, some GW creations), upgraded orcs, genetically modified Uruks, and even a War Beast. So if you still love slaughter and fire, and detest all things green and beautiful (at least some of the time), but prefer to direct the fate of the world from the shadows, Mordor may just be your cup of tea (or at least it's way better than maggoty bread). 

So let's see where things stand, shall we?

Army Quick(ish) Hits 

• Strength: Troop, Hero, and List Options. The Mordor list has always been incredibly versatile and diverse (it used to have its own source book, after all), and that trend largely remains in the Seventh Edition. While a handful of Mordor lists are focused on a narrow theme, most lists still afford you some meaningful troop choices. And if your events allow Legacy models, virtually all the old archtypes are available in one form or another (standard orc-swarm, elite Morannons, Uruks, Super-Uruks, Black Numenorean Terror walls, and even Morgul Stalkers). There are also options that focus more on ringwraiths (including the named wraiths if you use Legacies), monsters (Trolls and Troll Chieftains), warg riders or heavy cavalry, two siege engines (both of which are pretty good now), and even a war beast. Plus Mordor still has perhaps the best evil hero suite in the game (although Easterlings are up there now), including several variations of mounted heroes (Gothmog, Numenorean Marshalls, Wraiths, and even Orc Shamans), which is pretty rare for evil.
• Strength: Magic (Selectively). Mordor doesn't have Sauron (any time you lose a magical monster with free Will each turn, 18" spells, and Resistant to Magic, it's a loss), but it's still on any short-list of armies with the highest magical ceiling (even though it's harder to field multiple casters now that "budget wraiths" appear to have been eliminated from the game). The Witch-King remains phenomenal, although he's definitely received more love to his combat abilities than his magical powers. Mordor is also the only faction that retains access to all nine Legacy named Wraiths. They're not all created equal, but they give evil access to magic buffs (like bad Blinding Light) that can give you a major advantage against certain opponents, or make life really painful for an opposing hero. And that's before you get to the Mouth of Sauron, or Legacy models like Muzgur and Kardush the Fire Caller.
• Strength: Monster Heroes. Monsters got a noticeable buff in the Seventh Edition (between some adjustments to their rules/brutal power attacks, the addition of Dominance, and the general nerfing of Heroic Strike). Mordor remains one of the few factions that allows you to field monster heroes, of several different varieties, in the form of Shelob and the Mordor Troll Chieftain, plus wraiths on Fell Beast. Shelob's gotten much better at fighting on her own (especially in good vs. evil formats), and the Mordor Troll Chieftain remains one of the more terrifying generic heroes in the game (Fight 7, 3 Attacks, Strength 7, and Defense 8 with 2/1/1 heroic stats, plus an additional fourth wound and access to all the monstrous brutal power attacks).
• Strength: Terror. It took a while, but with the release of Armies of Middle-Earth, Mordor can once again field terror walls, albeit only in certain lists. What’s better than a row of Fight 4, Defense 6 Black Numenoreans backed up by Orc Warriors with spears? Fight 4, Defense 6 Black Numenoreans backed up by Strength 4 Morannons. What’s better than Fight 4, Defense 6 Morgul Knights on the Charge led by a Nazgul? Fight 4, Defense 6 Morgul Knights led by the Dark Marshall on horse (with his 6” banner bonus), or a screeching Nazgul on Fell Beast (just kidding... you can't take Black Nums in the Screech list, but you know what I meant).
• Strength: Hard-Hitting Cavalry. You don't get them in every list, but Mordor remains one of just a handful of factions with both cheap and heavy cavalry options. Warg Riders are brutally efficient for what they do: Fight 3, Strength 4, with two attacks on the charge (and double dice to wound if they win against infantry). If you find orc cavalry a little light for your taste, you have the option for Morgul Knights Black Numenorean Knights ("Morgul" was cooler), who are Defense 6 (Defense 5 mounts) with Strength 3 lances on the charge for some good damage. Plus they can be difficult to counter-charge, due to Terror, which makes them ideal for capturing and holding objectives (especially if they have a Nazgul in-tow).
• Strength: Cheap core troops. We’ve talked a lot about their elite warrior upgrades (and for good reason--they’re very attractive), but you can still horde out most Mordor lists using cheap Orc Warriors, who have picked up a ton of buffs in this edition. Depending on the list you field, they might get conditional Fight Value buffs, auto-pass their Courage tests, and probably have some way to get a +1 to-wound (seriously... there's so many +1 to-wound buffs for orcs now, it's legitimately scary). Yes, you have options for more elite units (most of the time) if you want them. But there's just something thematic and solid about having a core of orcs form your battle line... or at least supporting your Terror wall. ;-)
• Strength: Upgraded troop defense. This is only for more elite builds, but Mordor boasts two Defense 6 front-line options: Black Numenoreans and Morannons. They offer different things—Morannons get Strength 4 and spears at Fight 3 (although they can now get to F4 if their opponents are Men), while Black Numenoreans offer Fight 4 and Terror but no spears. And if you're playing with Legacies, you still have access to a third: the might Black Guard of Barad Dur, who are still a tad overcosted but remain super cool.
• Strength/Weakness: Courage. This comes down to two things: how many orcs (Orc Warriors, Morannons, Trackers) vs. non-orcs (Numenoreans, Mordor Uruk-Hai, Black Guard of Barad-Dur) do you field? And if you field a lot of orcs, do you have Kardush the Fire Caller? Mordor Uruks and Black Guard are base Courage 7+, which becomes Courage 6+ if you can ally in a War Horn (on a Morgul Knight... sorry, the old name was just better). Black Numenoreans are base Courage 6+ (so Courage 5+ with war horn), which is phenomenally good for evil troops. And of course, Nazgul, along with Spectres (in Minas Morgul), are a very reliable Courage 4+. So if you'd prefer above-average courage, you can still get that with Mordor builds if you lean heavily into those troop options. If you instead go the orc route, you can take an Orc Shaman in virtually every list that features Mordor Orcs (seriously, the dude is in or got added to at least ten different lists...), and two lists give you access to Kardush, as well.
• Strength/Weakness: Cost. This comes down to how heavily you decide to lean into Orcs vs. Elites. If the former, you basically need 2-3 sprues of Orc Warriors, 2-3 sprues of Morannons, and a few ringwraiths, and you're mostly set to play to 1,000. The number of lists that lean into just orcs (and reward you accordingly with powerful army bonuses) is pretty frightening, and while I'm not a fan of getting rid of customizable stats for Nazgul, I am glad to see them return to so many of the themed lists. From there, the cost depends on what elite troops you like, and how open you are to converting GW models. If you go Uruk-Hai heavy, and can find a way to manufacture Uruk arms without shields, the plastic Uruk-Hai Scouts make pretty good proxies for Shagrat and his boys. If you go with Black Numenoreans, there's plenty of excellent conversions using plastic Dead of Dunharrow and the helms/shields from Morgul Knights (there, I did it again...). But if you're partial to black guard, Stalkers, the official Black Nums, or the distinctive named heroes, it can add up quick. Let's just say that while Mordor has a pretty low entry cost, fleshing out the faction (because of the breadth of profiles it contains) is a pretty hefty investment.

But enough with the pleasantries--you came her for profiles, right? Well, strap in, because I have a ton of them for you...

(Forty-eight of them, to be precise... and yes, I wish I was kidding...)

Hero Profiles: Nine for Mortal Men Doomed to Die

Photo Credit: tapatalk.com

The Black Riders are perhaps the most iconic villains in all of Tolkien’s writings. They are beings of unspeakable terror, bent to the Will of Sauron, and the bane of the free peoples of Middle Earth. 

The Seventh Edition changed the Nazgul in several significant ways. Although you can take Nazgul in several evil army lists (Barad-Dur, Angmar, the Serpent Horde, the Corsairs of Umbar, the Easterlings, and Dol-Guldur), Mordor is the only list where you have access to all of the named Nazgul and their full spell-caster profiles. The Nazgul are a personal favorite of TMAT’s Tiberius, so check out his Top 10 Wraiths, Revisited for more about each of them (as the named wraiths are mostly-unchanged from the previous edition). Here are some of the highlights.

• The Witch-King of Angmar {AoLotR}: The Witch-King remains one of the more ubiquitous heroes in the game, although in this edition he has lost a good deal of the versatility he once had. Gone are the days of a fully customizable stat-line (0-3 Might, 10-20 Will, 0-3 Fate). Instead, the Witch-King theoretically has three different pre-built stat lines (1 Attack, 1/10/1 for 80 points; 2 Attacks, 2/14/2 for 120 points; and 3 Attacks, 3/18/3 for 150 points), although the actual stat-line he gets depends on the list in which you take him (and I don't know that the 1 attack variant has actually made it into any lists as of the release of Legacies). His casting power has already taken a hit, as the Crown of Morgul no longer allows him to reroll 1 die when casting or resisting spells. His spell suite (like those of all ringwraiths) has also been reworked significantly, with the biggest changes coming to Drain Courage (a 5+ to cast instead of a 2+), Your Staff is Broken (a 5+ instead of a 4+), and Compel (now a 3+ to cast instead of a 4+, but it no longer confers the Transfix effect), plus the elimination of Sap Will. On the plus side, however, his combat profile has gotten a major rework. He's gotten a global boost to F6 (allowing him to keep pace with/exceed most combat models in the game), while retaining the option to Strike (while also getting Heroic Resolve, Strength, Channel, and Challenge). While the Crown of Morgul no longer grants him 3 Attacks, he's got at least 2 attacks in every list that currently fields him (plus a mount option in all of those lists), and the Crown allows him to set his sword ablaze once per game (allowing him to inflict Set Ablaze on models he wounds but does not kill), while also preventing enemy models from using auto-pass courage rules (except Heroic Resolve) when trying to charge him (or any model that causes Terror within 6" of him). Finally, he's still a Hero of Legend in most of the lists where you can field him with warriors, and while his D8 single wound and 2-3 Fate aren't Legolas-proof (what is, really?), he's tanky (or mobile) enough against most armies to be a serviceable leader (unless you take him in Barad-Dur, the only army where he doesn't need to be your leader).
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur (Valour): 2 Attacks, 2/14/2 (horse/morgul blade options). No other bonuses.
• [AoLotR] The Black Riders (Valour): 2 Attacks, 2/14/2 on horse (morgul blade option). Once per game, one Nazgul may cast Transfix on a target within 12" as if cast on a "6" (Screech of the Nazgul); does not lose a Will Point for being engaged in Combat (The Will of Sauron); once per Fight Phase, one Nazgul may declare a Heroic Combat for free if he can charge a Ringbearer (Hunt the Ringbearer).
• [AoLotR] Wraiths on Wings (Valour): 2 Attacks, 2/14/2 on Fell Beast (Armored Fell Beast, Crown of Morgul, and Morgul Blade options). The first time a friendly Monster charges during its activation, it may deal a S5 hit to each model it charges; if all those models are slain, it may continue its activation (charging again, if it wishes, but without this effect) (Full Force Charge). At the end of a friendly Monster's move, if it is unengaged in combat, draw a direct path between where it began and ended its move, and choose a model on that line; that model suffers a S5 hit, and will be knocked prone if it survives.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Legend): 3 Attacks, 3/18/3 on armored fell beast (morgul blade and 2H flail options). May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes. 
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul (Legend): 3 Attacks, 3/18/3 (fell beast, armored fell beast, Crown of Morgul, horse, Morgul blade, and 2H flail options). Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Legend): 3 Attacks, 3/18/3 ((\fell beast, armored fell beast, Crown of Morgul, horse, Morgul blade, and 2H flail options). No other bonuses.
• Also featured in: Host of the Witch-King (AoME--Angmar)

• Unnamed Ringwraiths {AoLotR}: As with the Witch-King, the generic wraiths got some boosts to their combat ability, but at a significant hit to their versatility. They are still F5, with three pre-built options (1 attack with 0/7/0, 2 attacks with 1/10/1, or 2 attacks with 2/14/2), although as with the Witch-King I don't know that there's any actual list where you can field them with an 0/7/0 stat-line (not that you would ever want to...). On the plus side, though, you can potentially equip them all with Morgul Blades. They also took some major hits to their spell suite (they cast the new Compel on a 3+, but cast Drain Courage on a 4+ instead of a 2+, lost access to Sap Will, and their difficulty to cast Instill Fear has been boosted all the way to a "6"). In addition, they lost access to Heroic March, which made them a unique alternative to orc captains in the previous edition (although they still have access to Heroic Channel). Since they’re only Heroes of Fortitude, it's not clear that they offer a ton of upside over other captain-level heroes, unless you either really need multiple fell beasts, or you need more Spirit bubbles in a niche list like Minas Morgul.
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur (Fortitude): 2 Attacks, 1/10/1 (horse and Morgul blade options). No other bonuses.
• [AoLotR] The Black Riders (Fortitude): 2 Attacks, 1/10/1 on horse (Morgul blade option). Once per game, one Nazgul may cast Transfix on a target within 12" as if cast on a "6" (Screech of the Nazgul); does not lose a Will Point for being engaged in Combat (The Will of Sauron); once per Fight Phase, one Nazgul may declare a Heroic Combat for free if he can charge a Ringbearer (Hunt the Ringbearer).
• [AoLotR] Wraiths on Wings (Fortitude): 2 Attacks, 2/14/2 on Fell Beast (Armored Fell Beast and Morgul Blade options). The first time a friendly Monster charges during its activation, it may deal a S5 hit to each model it charges; if all those models are slain, it may continue its activation (charging again, if it wishes, but without this effect) (Full Force Charge). At the end of a friendly Monster's move, if it is unengaged in combat, draw a direct path between where it began and ended its move, and choose a model on that line; that model suffers a S5 hit, and will be knocked prone if it survives.
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul (Legend): 3 Attacks, 3/18/3 (fell beast, armored fell beast, Crown of Morgul, horse, Morgul blade, and 2H flail options). Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoLotR] The Black Gate (Fortitude): 2 Attacks, 2/14/2 on fell beast (Morgul blade option). No other bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Legend): 2 Attacks, 2/14/2 (fell beast, armored fell beast, and Morgul blade options). No other bonuses.

• Khamul the Easterling {Legacies}: As one of the three combat-oriented named wraiths (with the Knight of Umbar and the Dark Marshall), Khamul has really suffered this edition. While he still retains access to Heroic Channel, Strike, and Challenge, his Essence Leech remains one of the more underpowered wraith special rules in the game, allowing him to boost just one of his Fight (5), Strength (5), or Attacks (1) stats by 1 for the remainder of the Fight Phase, at the cost of 1 Will point. While he can still regain those Will points through Essence Leech (again, at the cost of 1 Will per Fight Phase), he now needs to "slay" enemy models (instead of just "wound" them) for the ability to trigger. That, combined with the loss of his Fell Beast option (just a normal horse) and a "crooked" spell suite (+1 difficulty to cast most spells) means he's definitely better suited to killing enemy warriors instead of heroes. At 150 points mounted, that's a lot of points to pay, especially since you can only Legacy him into lists where you can find much better killing power at the same or fewer points (Ringwraiths on fell beast in Legions of Mordor, Shagrat or Shelob in Army of the Great Eye, Amdur in Easterlings, or Suladan / Dalamyr / Mahud Kings / Khandish Kings in Grand Army of the South). Having access to Bladewrath (4+) is intriguing in theory, although given that Legions of Mordor, Easterlings, and Grand Army of the South all have access to the much more affordable Easterling War Priest, it's not all that unique--or additive--in practice. I'm skeptical that he'll see much play (even at events which allow Legacy models), but if you find a place for Khamul in the new meta, let us know in the comments.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.
• [AoME] The Easterlings (Valour): +1 to any Courage Tests; Ancient Enemies (Gondor); while the enemy army is broken, Easterling Heroes gain Fearless.
• [AoME] Grand Army of the South (Valour): +1 to any Courage Tests.

• The Tainted {Legacies}: A standard spell-caster with 14 Will and a nasty special rule, Miasmic Presence: at the start of the Move Phase, before Heroic Actions are declared, he can spend a point of Will to prevent enemy warriors within 6” of him from benefiting from a hero’s heroic actions or Stand Fasts. If you win priority in the mid-game, you can pop this to it all but guarantee that your army will get to move first. And if you’re fighting low-courage opponents in the late game, it’s a great way to make sure they run. His other special rule is Seeping Decay: at the start of the Fight Phase, every non-Spirit model in base contact with the Tainted rolls a D6 and takes a wound on the roll of a 6 (the wound is automatic—there’s no additional to-wound roll required). It’s not very likely to fire, but it does offer some incentive against an opponent just throwing plebs into him to tie up his magic. Like all the named wraiths he’s lost the option to take a fell beast, so with just one Attack (and 150 points if you choose to mount him), be sure you properly support him to keep him safe. Like all the other named wraiths, he is a Hero of Valor. He can also be fielded in both Mordor and Angmar lists (though unfortunately not in Minas Morgul…).
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.
• Also featured in: Host of the Witch-King (AoME--Angmar)

• The Dwimmerlaik {Legacies}: Another standard spell caster with 16 Will, but no Might (even though he has access to Heroic Channel). He’ll need every point of Will if you plan to use his Sap Fortitude special rule much, which has changed pretty significantly. Instead of spending Will and rolling a d6 (4+) to force enemy heroes to spend an extra point of Might, Will or Fate, you can now force an enemy Hero within 6” to take an Intelligence Test, and if the test is failed you can cancel a Heroic Action called by that hero. Since most heroes pass intelligence tests on a 5+ or 6+ (and most big heroes will pass on a 4+), I suspect this will end up being a pretty big nerf (even though, in theory, you can get dividends from Turn 1 (which was unlikely under the old rules, when most heroes worth sapping started with at least 2 Might). On the plus side, two-handed weapons are less punishing this edition than they were last time, and he has picked up sneaky access to Curse on a 4+ to strip off Fate points. To be honest, that’s probably the better use of the Will Point now…
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.
• Also featured in: Host of the Witch-King (AoME--Angmar)

• The Dark Marshall {Legacies}: My favorite wraith last edition (outside of the Witch-King, of course) is largely unchanged (except that you can no longer mount him on a Fell Beast), and in that respect he’s one of the big winners here. He somehow kept his Fight 6, which isn’t quite as good as it was last edition but is still strong. His 14 Will is still too low for you to do everything with him every turn, but he still offers a ton of flexibility. He still casts spells without any penalties (Compel/Transfix (3+), Drain Courage (4+), Black Dart (5+)), although his Instill Fear has gone up from a 4+ to the wraith-standard 6+. But like the Dwimmerlaik, he’s also picked up a sneaky sixth spell: Aura of Command on a 3+, which is really interesting if you plan to run armies with lots of orcs. Lastly, he still has his special rule, Rule through Fear, is still allows friendly Warrior models to treat him as a 6” banner (that’s all Warrior models, though—there’s no faction restriction, which is pretty awesome). He can only be taken in two lists, but both are probably going to be warrior-heavy. So if you’re looking for some versatility, he’s still a good (albeit, more expensive) option that can flex into a few different roles.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.

• The Shadow Lord {Legacies}: Going from the most versatile named wraith last edition to the most annoying (and one of the most ubiquitous), the Shadow Lord still has his signature Pall of Darkness special rule (at the cost of a Will Point, shooting attacks against the Shadow Lord or any friendly model within 6” of him only hit on a 6). Blinding Light is harder to field now (and nowhere near as easy to keep up as it was last edition). You can no longer ally him into the cadre of lists that you could last edition (where Mordor had a ton of Green and Yellow allies). But he’s a solid choice in the two lists you can take him in, which are basically Mordor or alliance soup lists. So if you still want to stick it to enemy archer armies (especially of the good elf-bow variety), you can. Last, like the Dwimmerlaik and Dark Marshall, he’s picked up a unique spell: Fog of Disarray (3+), which imposes a -1 penalty on all enemy Intelligence Tests taken within 6”. I’m not sure that has a whole lot of applications, but it’s something, I guess. Also, he’s still a sneaky (bad) 5+ Courage, so bear that in mind if you’re getting close to breaking…
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.

• The Undying {Legacies}: He still has a whopping 18 Will, Eternal Willpower still allows him to spend his Will Points as Fate Points (which is good, because he doesn’t have any Fate Points), and Arcana Leech, which at the cost of 1 Will per turn allows him to regain one Will point for every Magical Power successfully cast by another model within 6” of him. Because of the 1 Will tax, you only pull even or ahead if you have at least 2 more casters who succeed on spells; and because there are no longer options for cheaper “budget wraiths,” it’s going to be much harder to get bang for your buck than it was last edition. But Kardush is still a thing (in Legacies), so… maybe?
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.

• The Betrayer {Legacies}: He takes the cake for the weirdest wraith spell suite: at first, it looks like he still can’t cast straight (Compel/Transfix on a 4+ instead of the wraith-standard 3+). But then, he casts Drain Courage on the same 4+ as every other wraith. And he casts Black Dart on a 4+ (which is… kind of crazy). And he picked up Panic Steed on a 5+ (in addition to Instill Fear on a 6). All told… that’s not too bad for a 2/14/2 wraith. Having said that, you still want to spend his Will primarily on Master of Poisons, allowing you to reroll all failed to-wound rolls with poisoned weapons within 6” of him. It still won’t do a ton in a Mordor list, but in Harad, Army of the Great Eye, Serpent Horde, and Grand Army of the South, it’s still pretty lethal. Finally, the loss of a fell beast hurts his combat potential, but he still has Bane of Kings to reroll all failed to-wound rolls, should you decide to throw him into combat (although the horse looks like a poor buy now, unless you’re going to have him run point in an all-mounted poison army).
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoLotR] Harad (Valour): No bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.
• [AoME] The Serpent Horde (Valour): No bonuses.
• [AoME] Grand Army of the South (Valour): +1 to any Courage Tests.

• The Knight of Umbar {Legacies}: Last, and probably least, is the poor Knight of Umbar. He’s basically unchanged from the previous edition: still just F5 with 1 Attack and 2/12/2 stats, only he’s lost his ability to take a fell beast. He still has Combat Mimicry  (he can copy his opponent’s Fight, Strength, and/or Attack values for the duration of the Fight Phase at the cost of 1 Will) and Armor of the Sundered Land (he only loses Will from the Will of Evil special rule if he loses a combat during the Fight Phase). But 150 points mounted is a lot for a model that has to charge a big, scary enemy model to be better in combat than a generic captain. He’s a source of Harbinger of Evil in an Umbar list if you’re investing heavily into Black Numenoreans. And his 5+ Enchant Blades is  technically new (although it’s not super useful in Umbar, where Dalamyr and Hasharii come with Bane of Kings already). But unfortunately his best days are probably behind him.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.
• [AoME] Umbar (Valour): Hatred (Gondor); Stalk Unseen; could become your general… (Seize Command)
• [AoME] Grand Army of the South (Valour): +1 to any Courage Tests.

Other Named Heroes

Photo Credit: meme-arsenal.com

Nazgul are cool and all, but when they're not around you can always resort to the sword and the spear and the iron fist of the orc (even though Saruman was talking about Uruk-Hai when he said that). Unfortunately, while Sauron's orc warriors have gotten some nice upgrades this edition, his orc heroes are... well, kind of hit and miss.

• Gothmog, Lieutenant of Sauron {AoLotR}: Given his physical... limitations... in the film, Gothmog's combat profile may have been a little inflated last edition. He's been brought down to earth this time, keeping his Fight 5, 3 Wounds, and 3/3/1 heroic stats, but dropping to 2 Attacks and losing access to Strike (while retaining Heroic Defense and Heroic March). You can still boost him to D7 with a shield, and mount him on a warg. But as in the last edition, you're best value for the points is probably going to be from his special rules. His Master of Battle (great for contesting Heroic Moves or Heroic Strikes without depleting his own Might store) got a slight nerf (it now only fires on a 2+), but his other two special rules are unchanged. The Age of Men is Over gives all Mordor Orc models (warriors and heroes) the Hatred (Man) special rule within 3" of Gothmog, which is a +1 to-wound bonus (very nasty). If you pair that with The Time of the Orc Has Come, all Mordor Orc models within 12” of Gothmog can reroll all failed to wound rolls when making Strikes during a single Fight Phase. Again, nasty. At 145 on warg, he's a bit pricey. But at just 125 on foot (with shield)... he's intriguing.
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog (Legend): Warg and shield options. Friendly Orc Heroes benefit from Gothmog's Stand Fast! All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. The range of The Age of Men is Over extends to 12", and The Time of the Orc Has Come is now battlefield-wide.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Valour): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.

• Guritz, Master of Reserves {AoLotR}: Like most of his Morannon compatriots, he has pretty good hitting stats (Strength 5, two-handed weapon), and is situationally a better duelist against Men (+1 Fight Value). But his base Fight and attack metrics mean he'll struggle to win fights against elite warriors (Fight 4, 2 Attacks), and with just 2 Wounds and 1 Fate at Defense 6, he's a bit squishy. His special rule is Master of Reserves, which allows him to modify his own reinforcement and maelstrom rolls by +1 or -1, and then once he is deployed, all other warbands in the army also get that +1/-1 modifier. He also has access to Heroic March, so he can get his warband where you need to if you deploy split-up, or so he can move a sizeable chunk of the army forward if you deploy together. Finally, his heroic stats have been adjusted to a rather unremarkable 2/2/1... which, if you're curious, is kind of a trend...
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog (Fortitude): All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. Benefits from Gothmog's The Age of Men is Over (Hatred (Men)) and The Time of the Orc Has Come (reroll all failed to-wound rolls) rules, if in range.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Fortitude): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Gothmog’s Enforcer {AoLotR}: If he's just an Orc, his combat profile is pretty meh (Fight 4, Strength 4, 2 Attacks), but compared to most of the other Orc heroes that tag along with Gothmog, it's kind of underwhelming. He does have Heroic Defense, which is good because he's pretty fragile (Defense 6, 2 Wounds, 1 Fate). If you're bringing him along, it's probably because of his special ability (Gothmog's Right Hand), which allows Gothmog to spend the Enforcer’s 3 Will points as if they were Might points to call Heroic Moves or Marches, so long as Gothmog is within 3”. This, combined with Gothmog’s Master of Battle, can really reduce the Might Strain on Gothmog (plus you can choose to measure the range of the On the Double! from the Enforcer instead of Gothmog, if you so choose).
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog (Fortitude): All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. Benefits from Gothmog's The Age of Men is Over (Hatred (Men)) and The Time of the Orc Has Come (reroll all failed to-wound rolls) rules, if in range.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Fortitude): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• The Mouth of Sauron {AoLotR}: He remains a pretty cheap toolbox hero who can fill a number of roles (although he no longer serves as Mordor's primary alliance hub). He still has that all-important Heroic March (which generic Ringwraiths lost) to get your army where it needs to go if it deploys together, or help get it back together if you have an unfavorable Maelstrom deployment. He also has the tools to be a supporting combat hero, with Fight 5, 2 Attacks, Strength 4, Defense 6, and a hand-and-a-half sword, who can be mounted on an armored horse. He doesn’t have Heroic Strike, but does have 2 Might points to boost his duel rolls, still causes Terror, and has picked up a 6" Harbinger of Evil bubble (which is nifty). As such, he’s still right at home mounted with a contingent of Morgul Knights Black Numenorean Knights, and can be difficult to charge or pin down if the enemy's courage is suspect. Finally, he can tap in if you need a secondary caster in a pinch. He can somehow cast Drain Courage on an uncharacteristically easy 3+, still has access to Transfix on a 4+, and has also picked up Curse on a 4+ (which could pair nicely with a Morgul Blade on a generic wraith... or to scare enemy heroes away from engaging your uber-Troll Chieftain). Finally, his 2/4/1 heroic stats (with no Will of Evil) means he can be a credible threat to unique troops and some low-tier heroes, and a credible "bait" target for much larger, nastier heroes.
• [AoLotR] The Black Gate (Valour): Required; no bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.

• Shelob {AoLotR}: At first glance, Shelob looks essentially unchanged from last edition, with the exception of her Intelligence Stat (a sneaky 5+) and a 10 point price increase. But dig a little deeper, and she's actually improved quite a lot in two respects (and inherited one pretty big downgrade). First, she's benefited quite a bit from the general monster glow-up this edition (like pin-point hurls with that 5+ intelligence stat), including picking up Dominant (4), while keeping Monstrous Charge, Terror, and Swift Movement (along with a 10" move--some other monsters, like Gulavhar, may be jealous). Second, two buffs that last edition were Legion-Specific have been added to her base profile: she gets +1 attack whenever fighting a Man, Elf, Dwarf, or Hobbit (She hungers for sweeter meats), and she can kill a friendly model within 1" at the start of her activation, to allow her to reroll a duel die in combat (She is always hungry). Unfortunately, her Lone Hunter special rule prevents her from taking part in heroic actions called by other models, so if you're not careful her 60mm base can get charged (or frozen out of combat). But if you take her in the new Cirith Ungol list, she can get a free Heroic Move (just for herself) out of slaying that model within 1" of her... so that's nifty (or creepy... your choice). With 1-3 attacks (depending on what she's fighting, and whether she charges) at Fight 7/Strength 7, plus plus Venom to reroll failed wounds, she's pretty reliable at killing things. Her Survival Instinct give her a chance to run before she’s slain, but with Defense 7, Courage 4+, and 6 Will she tends to hang around. Don’t forget that if she wins a duel after being charged, she has a chance to paralyze her attacker (Caught in a Web)--a nasty surprise, that. She is very, very good value for her points. Keep a banner near her (or keep her near a banner) for maximum effectiveness... just don't let her eat it. ;-)
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol (Independent Hero): At the start of the Move Phase, she can slay a friendly model within 1" to call a free Heroic Move (but she cannot call With Me!)
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Independent Hero): No bonuses.

• Shagrat, Captain of Cirith Ungol {AoLotR}: Shagrat is... well, he's very different from how he was in the previous edition. On the one hand, he's received some nice buffs to his combat abilities (F6 instead of F5, and keeps his 3 Attacks, S5, and 3 Might with access to Heroic Strike, Strength, and Challenge). But without access to Heavy Armor or his Shield, he's stuck at Defense 5 (albeit with 3 wounds and 3 fate), and the loss of the shield reduces his combat potential quite a bit. The three new special rules he's inherited clearly seem to suggest that he's meant to be a hero hunter now: he's traded in Blood and Glory for General Hunter (if he slays the enemy General in combat, he regains a Might spent earlier in the fight), Cleaving Blow allows him to do 2 wounds when making strikes on a natural 6 (instead of just one), and he even has a special rule for stealing objectives from enemy models (on a 5+ Intelligence Test) and carrying more than one objective at a time (Hands off the shiny shirt; that's mine!). He's still a decent value for the points, but the drop from D7 to D5 really makes him feel squishier. As a third- or maybe even second-beater in an army, he'll probably function fine; but I doubt he can go toe-to-toe with your opponent's alpha in most lists anymore (at least not for more than a round). Like Shelob and Gorbag, you can take him in a Mordor soup list (Army of the Great Eye), but you definitely get the most bang for your buck in Cirith Ungol (where he gets +1 to-wound bonuses and rerolls, based on who he's fighting with and how Gorbag is doing).
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol (Valour): Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight; Shagrat rerolls a d6 during the duel if Gorbag has more kills than Shagrat does.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Gorbag, Orc Captain {AoLotR}: Like Shagrat, Gorbag has picked up a static +1 to his Fight Value (F5 now), although his Orcish Brawler now only gives him +1 Attack instead of a boost to his Fight Value, too (3 Attacks when outnumbered, instead of his base 2 attacks). He's also lost access to his shield (so he's also capped at D5), in exchange for an extra Will point (3/2/1 stats), and an option to choose the direction in which a single opponent backs away (which can include knocking them off an edge and causing them to take falling damage... if, you know, your opponent decides to charge Gorbag on the edge of a cliff). He still has Heroic Strike and has picked up Heroic Challenge. But with just Defense 5, with 2 wounds and 1 Fate, I don't know that you'll want to take many chances with him against anything really big.
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol (Valour): Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight; Gorbag rerolls a d6 during the duel if Shagrat has more kills than Gorbag does.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Goroth, Captain of the Morannon {Legacies}: Despite being sent to Legacies, Goroth got a couple of qulity of life improvements in this edition. For some reason, he's traded a Might point for an extra Will and Fate (2/2/2), kept his Fight 5 and Burly (with a two-handed weapon) with Heroic Strike, and has picked up Dominant (2). With 2 Attacks, he’ll have a pretty good go at even Defense 7 captains (wounding on 4s, and two wounds means they’ll need to pass their Fate to survive). If he has a supporting spearman and banner nearby (3 Attacks with rerolls), he can be very difficult to beat in combat. If he is beaten, his signature special rule Come Here Maggot makes him an exceptional tank: each time he suffers a wound that would cause him to be slain (after spending his Fate point) he can roll a D6, and on a 2+, another Mordor Orc model within 1” of Goroth takes the wound instead. Note as well that the model only suffers a wound (instead of being slain), so if you have multi-wound orc heroes standing around Goroth (like generic Orc Captains), you have the option to siphon a wound or two on to the Captain before you start depleting your troops. The 1” limitation for grunts isn’t very big, but if you keep a spearman tied to Goroth you’ll always have an eligible maggot. Tricky, right? Plus, as a Mordor Orc Hero, he picks up a few tricks in both the Army of Gothmog and Legions of Mordor.
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog (Fortitude): All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. Benefits from Gothmog's The Age of Men is Over (Hatred (Men)) and The Time of the Orc Has Come (reroll all failed to-wound rolls) rules, if in range.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Fortitude): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Zagdush, Orc Captain {Legacies}: Zagdush's combat profile is pretty much the same this edition: he’s got most of the standard orc captain combat stats (Fight 4, Strength 4), but trades 1 Defense (Defense 5, which isn’t great) for an extra Attack (3 Attacks, which is phenomenal). Unfortunately he lost a Might point (2/1/1), but still has access to Heroic Strike and Strength. And his Reckless Fighter rule still allows him to reduce his Defense by 1 (Defense 4) to increase his Strength by 1 (Strength 5). At just Fight 4 with only 2 wounds and a Fate point, it’s risky to do all the time. But if you have superior dice numbers, a trapped enemy model, and higher fight value or a way to Heroic Strike, it can be devastating (especially if he’s within 3” of Gothmog, where The Age of Men is Over will give him 4 to-wound dice at Strength 5 with +1 to wound). He also has above-average Courage 6+, which isn't amazing, is pretty good for just an orc. He also remains one of Mordor's cheapest combat heroes (at a very affordable 60 points).
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog (Fortitude): All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. Benefits from Gothmog's The Age of Men is Over (Hatred (Men)) and The Time of the Orc Has Come (reroll all failed to-wound rolls) rules, if in range.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Fortitude): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Kardush the Firecaller {Legacies}: My very first tournament army for MESBG (back when the Fifth Edition first debuted) included Kardush the Firecaller, and he's remained a personal favorite of mine. He's gotten 5 points more expensive, and has been consigned to Legacies. But if your events allow Legacy models, he'll still do all sorts of really neat things for you. He's still a Hero of Fortitude (pretty rare for Shamans), and has access to Fury (Mordor Orc) on a 3+, which can be a pretty big deal depending on what your army list is composed of and what you're fighting. In addition, his Flameburst spell (also cast on a 3+) allows him to deal S6 hits, which can be a nasty surprise (and I believe since it still affects the "model," it will affect both mounts and riders if cast on cavalry?). Kardush also manages to avoid the primary issue with shamans: they have a limited Will store, so they can only cast their spells 2-3 times (or just once, with a single die, if you don’t want to exhaust Fury) before they become glorified warriors. Kardush is one of  a handful of shamans who can replenish his Will thanks to Heart of Darkness, which allows him to recover D3 Will points during the Priority Phase (before dice are rolled, and before the Move Phase) by draining the life force of any friendly Orc within 6” (a pretty significant range). That extra Will means Kardush can cast secondary spells or keep his fury up far longer than other Shamans, despite his standard heroic stats (1/3/1). Oh--and if you’ve bored of Kardush--or run out of cavalry models to flambé, or if he’s in a position where he’s about to be slain--you can invoke Shadow Pawn to remove Kardush as a casualty at the start of any Priority Phase. If you do, a friendly Ringwraith (that’s named and unnamed) within 6” of Kardush can consume his life force and recover D6 Will points. Which means as long as Kardush is alive and on the table, he’s a potential 4-7 Will Black Dart waiting to happen (potentially more if The Undying is nearby, generating extra Will from Kardush’s flambés (and any other spell-casters you have nearby). So yeah. If you’re taking the Army of the Great Eye and leaning heavily into Mordor Orcs, strongly consider Kardush. And if you’re taking Minas Morgul (with or without many orcs), still strongly consider Kardush--sure, his Fury is a lot less necessary when Orcs auto-pass courage tests within 3" of a Spirit Hero, but you can still throw 2-3 dice Flamebursts each turn if you don’t have to worry about exhausting Fury), and then have the option to recharge your Witch-King or a ringwraith towards the late game. Just make sure you fit 4-6 orc grunts along to serve as Kardush’s personal bodyguards / Will batteries, and you're golden.
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul (Fortitude): Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror. 
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Razgush, War Leader of the North [Legacies]: Razgush had a short but glorious run as an intended centerpiece Orc hero. And he looks the part on paper, with some nice improvements in this edition: Fight 6, Strength 4, Defense 7, with 3 Attacks, 3 Wounds, and 3/3/1 Heroic Stats (plus Courage and Intelligence stats of 5+) are all pretty beefy. He retained Strike, a shield, and Bone-Breakers, his hand-weapon (it's a mace) that deprives elven-made weapons of their elven-made buffs. Sadly, he's been relegated to Legacies. But if those profiles are allowed at your events, his beefy stats combined with Elfbane, Hatred (Elf), a 12" Stand Fast!, and the ability to take Bat Swarms, Mirkwood Giant and Hunting Spiders, and Fell Wargs in his warband make him an intriguing centerpiece hero option once again (and he brings even more customization options, in the form of his beasts, to the Army of the Great Eye soup list). 
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Valour): No bonuses.
• [Legacies] Fell Beings of Mirkwood (Valour): Woodland Creature; +1 Fight Value while fighting enemy Elf models.

• Muzger, Orc Shaman [Legacies]: Yes, Muzger--and his Assault on Lothlorien list--are back to plague Legacy events. Thankfully the list has been toned down (you can't take more Goblins than you have Orcs, and there's no rerolls to casts anymore). And you still want him in combat (as he can regenerate his 4 Will points if he slays enemy models, thanks to Power from Death), but definitely in a controlled fashion (as his Fight 4, Strength 4, Defense 5, 2 Attacks, 2 Wounds, and single Fate point are... well, not super strong). He also has access to three spells (Wither and Drain Courage on a 3+, and Transfix on a 4+), a spear to do damage from a safe(r) position, and Heroic Defense (along with Channel) if you get into a really tight spot.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.
• [Legacies] Assault on Lothlorien (Valour): Required--General. Friendly Orc and Goblin models gain +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents.

• Golfimbul, Orc Captain [Legacies]: Technically, Golfimbul has the Angmar keyword. But for some reason, every other profile in his Legacy army (except Hill Trolls) is a Mordor model, so I'm coopting him here. :-P He's actually kind of a pain now, picking up Heroic Strike (along with his Fight 4, Strength 4, Defense 5, 2 Attacks, 2 Wounds, and 2/2/0 heroic stats). The 0 Fate isn't amazing, but it's balanced out by his Impressive Girth, which basically gives him a Mightable 5+ save on any wounds he takes (except wounds caused by magical powers). Intelligent he is not (8+), but he's got decent Courage (6+), and friendly Orcs (which might include... himself?) get a +1 Courage bonus while he's alive (along with a +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents, whether or not he's alive). In purely thematic matches (against Hobbits), I don't expect you'll see that bonus very much. But against traditional armies, you might (depending on how many Hill Trolls you choose to spam). Oh, and he gets to declare a free Heroic Combat each turn for free, so that's nifty!
• [Legacies] Ravagers of the Shire (Fortitude): Required--General. Free Heroic Combat each turn. Friendly Orc models gain +1  to wound against outnumbered opponents; while Golfimbul is alive and on the battlefield, friendly Orcs get a +1 bonus to any Courage Tests

Generic Heroes

Photo Credit: cbr.com

Most of these are a cut below the named heroes we just discussed (the Troll Chieftain and Great Beast of Gorgoroth being the notable exceptions), but like most everything else in the Mordor list, they have good profiles on their own, and most of them fill important roles for the army (or at least give you options for variety).

• Mordor Orc Captain {AoLotR}: Cheap and surprisingly stout (Defense 6 with a Shield, 2 Attacks, and 2 Wounds), they can pack a punch in combat if you’re not careful (Strength 4, 2 Attacks). Fight 4 is on the low end of the hero scale, but if they’re supported by a friendly Transfix (and you can pack a lot of those in a Mordor list), they can weather run-ins with far more expensive heroes. Your best bet if you want cheap Might around, and an ideal cheap bodyguard for a more expensive combat hero (like Shagrat, Goroth, the Mordor Troll Chieftain, or a Nazgul on Fell Beast) so those bigger heroes can save their own Might for Heroic Strikes, boosting their dice rolls, or casting critical spells. Unfortunately, they lost their option for wargs in this edition, so if you're looking for someone to provide Might to your supporting cavalry models, you'll need to look elsewhere. Finally, if your opponent does manage to break you, watch out for their courage: it isn’t good, and isn’t boosted by your army bonus, either (although they’ll auto-pass their courage tests if Kardush or another Fury shaman is around).
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur (Fortitude): Mordor Orcs get +1 on Courage Tests if Sauron is alive and on the battlefield
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul (Fortitude): Mordor Orc Captains and Mordor Orc Warriors gain Blades of the Dead; Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol (Fortitude): Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.
• [Legacies] Fell Beings of Mirkwood (Fortitude): Woodland Creature; Hatred (Elf)
• [Legacies] Assault on Lothlorien (Fortitude): Friendly Orc and Goblin models gain +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents.
• [Legacies] Ravagers of the Shire (Fortitude): Friendly Orc models gain +1  to wound against outnumbered opponents; while Golfimbul is alive and on the battlefield, friendly Orcs get a +1 bonus to any Courage Tests.

• Orc Taskmaster {AoLotR}: A Hero of Fortitude with 1 Might and the option to call Heroic March. His best trait is Whip of the Masters, where he and any friendly hero within 6” of him, has a 50/50 chance (4+) to recover Might spent to call a Heroic Move, Heroic March, or Heroic Shoot. Saving Might is always good, and if you can save it on someone like the Witch-King or a Ringwraith, it’s even better.
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul (Fortitude): Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol (Fortitude): Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight.
• [AoLotR] The Black Gate (Fortitude): Friendly Mordor Orcs get +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.
• [Legacies] Fell Beings of Mirkwood (Fortitude): Woodland Creature; Hatred (Elf)

• Mordor Orc Drummer {AoLotR}: An Independent Hero who can’t lead troops, but can be slotted into another warband. His War Drum works a little differently this edition, but still allows you to move your Mordor Orcs across the field faster without burning Might points (although it only affects models with the Mordor and Orc keyword, so be careful if you're running a list that leans heavily into Black Numenoreans, Morgul Knights, Trolls, Ringwraiths, Uruk-Hai, or Black Guard).
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur (Independent): Mordor Orcs get +1 on Courage Tests if Sauron is alive and on the battlefield.
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul (Independent): Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol (Independent): Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Independent): No bonuses.
• [Legacies] Fell Beings of Mirkwood (Independent): Woodland Creature; Hatred (Elf)

• Morannon Orc Captain {AoLotR}: An upgraded Orc Captain with Strength 5, and who gets the bump to Fight 5 when fighting against Men. You can take them with shields if you prefer a bruising tank (S5/D7), or with 2-handed weapons if you prefer raw beating power. Like all Captains, they have access to Heroic March, too, at a very affordable price.
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog (Fortitude): All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. Benefits from Gothmog's The Age of Men is Over (Hatred (Men)) and The Time of the Orc Has Come (reroll all failed to-wound rolls) rules, if in range.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Fortitude): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoLotR] The Black Gate (Fortitude): Friendly Mordor Orcs get +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Mordor Uruk-Hai Captain {AoLotR}: For the same cost as a Morannon Orc Captain, you get Fight 5 all the time at the cost of 1 Defense (Defense 5). Unlike Morannons, there's no tank option here: either take them as they come, or double-down on offense with a two-handed weapon. Either way, any to-wound rolls of a natural 6 inflict two wounds instead of just one (Cleaving Blow), which could get very scary if they manage to trap a hero. Like their warrior compatriots, they've lost the ability to take bows this edition (even crappy S2 Orc Bows), so unfortunately that beautiful 4+ Shoot is going to waste. I'm frankly not sure where these fit in the pecking order given the buffs to Morannon Captains, and cheap named alternatives like Guritz or Zagdush. But if you were looking to re-appropriate your already-painted Isengard army into a Mordor force and already have some scout captains done up, they’re nice thematic options (and by no means have bad stats).
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol (Fortitude): Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Mordor Troll Chieftain: Now we're cooking with gas. Like Shelob, the Troll Chieftain has benefited from the general buffs to monsters (including Dominant (4)), along with the depowering of Heroic Strike. He’s still a Fight 7, Strength 7, Defense 8 behemoth with 3 Attacks, Might, Terror, and the option to Heroic Strike. Even top-tier heroes will think twice about going near him. And don’t forget he can Barge if he gets pinned down by a grunt, pull off pin-point Hurls if he can pass a 6+ Intelligence Test, and can Rend high-defense targets. He's not exactly Gwaihir, but for the same points you still get a very sturdy Monster Hero, who can anchor a battle line against most foes. His weak spot remains enemy magic (1 Will point), but fortunately there's usually plenty of magic support options in his lists--he really benefits if enemy wizards and combat heroes are facing target over-saturation. Point him at the enemy, unleash him (or them), and watch the enemy quake in fear.
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur (Fortitude): No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] The Black Gate (Valour/Fortitude): At least one required--General (Valour). General gains +1 Might/Will/Fate and Fearless.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Mordor Orc Shaman {AoME}: A mainstay of Mordor lists in basically every edition, the Mordor Shaman is another answer to the low courage on your orcs. He definitely loses some of his luster in lists that have access to Kardush, but he was added to a ton of lists (seriously... look at the list below), plus he has the option to mount a warg for more speed and punch in combat, which is super rare for evil heroes. Note that he’s a minor hero (can lead only 6 warriors), so if you’re looking to horde out, he’s going to hurt those efforts a little bit. But if he helps your horde charge more effectively, and stick around a little longer, it's worth it, isn't it?
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur (Minor): Mordor Orcs get +1 on Courage Tests if Sauron is alive and on the battlefield.
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog (Minor): All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. Benefits from Gothmog's The Age of Men is Over (Hatred (Men)) and The Time of the Orc Has Come (reroll all failed to-wound rolls) rules, if in range.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Minor): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul (Minor): Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol (Minor): Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight.
• [AoLotR] The Black Gate (Minor): Friendly Mordor Orcs get +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Minor): No bonuses.
• [Legacies] Fell Beings of Mirkwood (Minor): Woodland Creature; Hatred (Elf)
• [Legacies] Assault on Lothlorien (Minor): Friendly Orc and Goblin models gain +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents.
• [Legacies] Ravagers of the Shire (Minor): Friendly Orcs gain +1  to wound against outnumbered opponents; while Golfimbul is alive and on the battlefield, friendly Orcs get a +1 bonus to any Courage Tests.

• Black Numenorean Marshall {AoME}: An armored captain who can tank most enemy heroes, especially on foot (Fight 5, Strength 4, Defense 7, 2 Attacks, 2 wounds, and a shield). Taking him mounted with a lance is pretty expensive now, but he's one of just a few mounted hero options that Mordor has (and Strength 4 with a +1 to-wound can be pretty devastating on the charge). In addition to his trademark Terror (which can make him difficult to charge/counter-charge), he's also picked up Visage of Terror, which immediately ends the activation of any model that fails to charge him, and prevents that model from shooting in the Shoot Phase or moving as part of a Heroic Combat in the Fight Phase. So that's pretty cool. Plus he'll benefit from their Harbinger of Evil special rule on a Nazgul (or the Mouth of Sauron, or even Sauron himself).
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur (Fortitude): No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Fortitude): May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.
• [AoME] Umbar (Fortitude): Stalk Unseen; Hatred (Gondor); can become your leader...

• Captain of the Black Guard {Legacies}: I've always loved the look and the concept of these guys: Fight 5, Strength 5, and Defense 7 with 2 Attacks and the option to Shield, and who get super-courageous if a friendly Ringwraith is nearby (Courage 4+ instead of their normal 6+). Unfortunately, the cost always seemed just a tad high (70 points for a 2/1/1 stat line and Heroic March), and that hasn't really changed in this edition. I'm glad you can still use them in Legacies; although given that the list their in (Army of the Great Eye) has a ton of amazing units in it, I suspect they'll still struggle to see play.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Black Guard Drummer {Legacies}: Another minor hero with a War Drum, and the only way outside of a Mordor Troll with drum to get that extra movement for Mordor Uruk-Hai (and Black Guard, of course). If you wanted to build an Army of the Great Eye that is mostly focused on Uruks, this is the drummer you want (or, you know, take Lurtz's or Ugluk's Scouts...). Unlike most drummers, he's also a lot to handle if he gets charged: Fight 4, Defense 5, Strength 5 hero with Fate means the enemy may need to devote some actual resources to assassinating him.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

• Great Beast of Gorgoroth {Legacies}: That’s right: in addition to all the other awesome stuff Mordor gets, they also get a War Beast. It’s still not as frightening as a Mumakil, but this edition has bridged the gap significantly. The Beast still has a beefy stat line (Fight 4, Strength 6, Defense 7, 3 Attacks, and 6 Wounds) and now does three S6 hits in Trample damage when it comes into contact with other models (which is way more reliable than the two hits it dealt last edition). The crew has also gone through a major redesign (which, frankly, is probably for the best). While it still has a 2-wound Orc Commander with 2/1/1 heroic stats (no access to Heroic March, though) who is still just Defense 5 with 2 Wounds, the changes to the Howdah rules have made it way harder to get rid of the commander. Instead, if the Orc Commander would take his last wound normally, you instead take the wound off of the Howdah (representing another Orc in the Howdah taking command), and the number of bow shots available to the Great Beast also depend on how many wounds the Howdah has taken (at full-strength, the Beast can launch nine orc bow shots (9 wounds), which then goes down as wounds are plucked off). Given that the Howdah is normally Defense 7 and 9 Wounds, this is a much quicker way to destroy the Howdah (and if the Great Beast is slain, the Orc Commander--and presumably any other "orcs" still represented by Howdah wounds--would also be slain). There's still some gaps in the rules that may need to be addressed by TOs or FAQs (if the Orc Commander's second wound is lost, and another orc takes over, does that mean any remaining Might/Will on the Commander is lost? I assume so, but it doesn't expressly say that, so...) The War Beast itself also has an 8” move, and also picks up Dominant (6) (along with Large Target) and Terror to complete its profile. As in previous editions, they don’t mind charging into mounted heroes (where their three S6 Trample hits will wound most horses and wargs on a 3+), but they do tend to get stuck against multi-wound, high-fight Heroes (and they can stampede easily if they take wounds). That said, a lot of multi-wound, high-fight heroes don't particularly like getting stuck into combat with them (especially when the Commander still has might left), as Six wounds with Defense 7 is a lot to chew through. They're not as efficient as they were last edition (the +25 points in cost is well-worth it, though), but they're still pretty fun. And the fact that you can take them in two army lists is a nice plus.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor (Fortitude): No bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye (Fortitude): No bonuses.

Warrior Profiles: Warriors

Ahhh… nostalgia... Photo Credit: HM Turnbull

• Orc Warriors {AoLotR}: The tried-and-true grunt orc. Fight 3, Strength 3, and Defense 4 are nothing to write home about, but they’re very cheap to field, even after you add one of the mandatory upgrades (banner, orc bow, shield, spear, or 2H weapon). You can no longer stack upgrade options (so now shields and spears, or spears and bows), but that's still quite a bit of upgrade choices for fleshing out your force. Nothing screams “evil” like hordes of orcs, and these are your best-bet to get something approximating a “horde.” Plus, a ton of their lists now give them some sort of damage boost (like +1 to-wound in a number of lists, or Blades of the Dead in Minas Morgul). So they can be surprisingly kill-y now, too.
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur: Mordor Orcs get +1 on Courage Tests if Sauron is alive and on the battlefield
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul: Mordor Orc Captains and Mordor Orc Warriors gain Blades of the Dead; Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol: Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.
• [Legacies] Fell Beings of Mirkwood: Woodland Creature; Hatred (Elf)
• [Legacies] Assault on Lothlorien: Friendly Orc and Goblin models gain +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents.
• [Legacies] Ravagers of the Shire: Friendly Orc models gain +1  to wound against outnumbered opponents; while Golfimbul is alive and on the battlefield, friendly Orcs get a +1 bonus to any Courage Tests.

• Mordor Warg Riders {AoLotR}: Hard-hitting, fast moving, and still plenty affordable at just 11 points each. Two attacks at Strength 4 on the charge (with double-dice to wound infantry) is nothing to sneeze at, and they present a conundrum if you lose fights. If the enemy goes for the warg, the orc is almost certainly staying around to cause trouble later; if the enemy goes for the rider, the warg may stay around anyway to cause havoc later. You still have a lot of upgrade options available (orc bow, shield, throwing spears, or shield and throwing spears), although they have lost the option for a banner. As with all orcs, their Courage is generally poor (8+), and their staying power isn't amazing. But they're perfectly serviceable at turning off enemy cavalry bonuses, and can deal a surprising amount of damage if you catch the enemy unawares. 
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur: Mordor Orcs get +1 on Courage Tests if Sauron is alive and on the battlefield
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.
• [Legacies] Fell Beings of Mirkwood: Woodland Creature; Hatred (Elf)
• [Legacies] Assault on Lothlorien: Friendly Orc and Goblin models gain +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents.
• [Legacies] Ravagers of the Shire: Friendly Orc models gain +1  to wound against outnumbered opponents; while Golfimbul is alive and on the battlefield, friendly Orcs get a +1 bonus to any Courage Tests.

• Morannon Orcs {AoLotR}: Their entry point is at least 2 points higher than regular orc warriors, but they give you the option for Defense 6 (with shields) and Strength 4 spears (or both shields and spears together), plus a banner for good measure (although you can't take a shield or spear with your banner anymore). Their chief weaknesses are Fight 3 (which is average, but not great), although if they're fighting Men they get a +1 bonus to their fight, which is situationally great (End the Race of Men). Their Courage 2 remains a problem, and if you field a full force of just Morannons, you won’t have any ranged options (as they can’t take bows). But they remain a rock-hard anvil for your Mordor armies, while being capable of dealing a lot of damage in a protracted fight.
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog: All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. Benefits from Gothmog's The Age of Men is Over (Hatred (Men)) and The Time of the Orc Has Come (reroll all failed to-wound rolls) rules, if in range.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor: May lead friendly Mordor Warrior models. Friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoLotR] The Black Gate: Friendly Mordor Orcs get +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.

• Mordor Uruk-Hai {AoLotR}: These are essentially Uruk-Hai Scouts, just without the gear options (no shields or Uruk-Hai bows--just two-handed weapons… boo…). Their main benefit is they give you another option for Fight 4 beyond Black Numenoreans, and a Fight 4/Strength 4 two-handed Mace has a pretty good chance at dealing damage (especially since their natural 6s deal 2 wounds instead of just one, thanks to Cleaving Blow). Unfortunately, the loss of the bow option means they don't take advantage of their 4+ shoot value, and at just Defense 4, they look a lot less appealing than Morannons (especially if you tend to fight a lot of Men). They're clearly going to be a staple in Cirith Ungol lists (where you need them to trigger Animosity), but I don't know that they're super-competitive outside of that legion.
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol: Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.

• Spectres {AoLotR}: At long last, Mordor once again has access to (what used to be) Dead Marsh Spectres (which, as far as I can tell, were nowhere near Angmar). They're kind of "meh" in a scrap (S3 with Blades of the Dead is good, F2 is not, although the sneaky bump to D6 is cool). They come with Terror and Spectral Walk which are situationally great, but their primary purpose (in addition to their sneaky Courage 4+, which is nice) is being able to leverage A fell light is in them, which allows a Spectre to choose a single enemy model within 12" at the end of the Spectre's move, force that model to take an Intelligence Test, and then move that model (if it fails) its full Move Value directly towards the Spectre (unless it would enter the control zone of an enemy model, into contact with another model, a piece of impassable terrain, or a cliff or other edge that would cause the model to take falling damage). You can't cause enemy models to charge something this way (and the fact that the enemy model has to move "directly towards" the spectre is less flexible/punishing than the "full move in any direction" that we had in the previous edition). But the ability to move enemy models around is still extremely powerful, plus any model moved in this way cannot use Active abilities for the rest of the turn (which can be super helpful, especially if you're activating first). You can only field them in one Mordor list (Minas Morgul), but at least a handful of them will add some nice tactical tools there.
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul: Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• Also available in: Host of the Witch-King (Angmar), Shadows of Angmar (Angmar)

• Black Numenoreans {AoME}: At 10 points each (+1 from last edition), Black Numenoreans retained their exceptional statline (Fight 4, Strength 3, Defense 6) and their bread-and-butter Terror buff, which can make them a nightmare to engage. In lists with Harbinger of Evil, they're valuable in small numbers as bodyguards for your heroes (such as 1-wound Ringwraiths), able to run interference to prevent your hero from being swarmed, surrounded, and trapped. Unfortunately, the foot profile has lost the ability to add both War Horns and Banners, so you may be more reliant on their Courage 6+ to charge enemy models if you choose to pair them with low-Courage Orcs. Finally, while they went up 1 point, they also picked up a new special rule, Visage of Terror, which immediately ends the activation of any model that fails to charge him, and prevents that model from shooting in the Shoot Phase or moving as part of a Heroic Combat in the Fight Phase. So that's pretty cool.
• AoLotR] Barad-Dur: No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor: No bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.
• [AoME] Umbar: Stalk Unseen; Hatred (Gondor)

• Black Numenorean Knights {AoME}: For the record, "Morgul Knights" was a much cooler name. But apart from the name change, and the addition of Visage of Terror), these guys are essentially the same as last edition: Fight 4 cavalry who fix the only “meh” thing about Black Numenoreans: their average Strength 3. With a lance, Morgul Knights pack a whallop on the charge, and their Defense 5 mounts offer a challenge to bring down before they’re upon you (5+ to wound for Strength 3 bows/crossbows, 6s to wound for standard bows, blowpipes, and stones). If you do dismount them, they revert back to Black Numenoreans (who are still good). Finally, the mounted knights did retain the option to swap their lances for banners and war horns as well--and I believe they may be the only War Horn option in Mordor (and one of only a handful for evil armies). Between their high Fight, Defense, and Terror, they're exceptional at capturing objectives (and they can potentially hold them as well, at least long enough for help to arrive). And if you can keep them in range of Harbinger of Evil, even Elves and Dwarves will fail courage tests sometimes when trying to charge them.
• AoLotR] Barad-Dur: No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor: No bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.

• Orc Trackers {Legacies}: If you're looking for some cheap honesty bows and your event allows Legacy models, Orc Trackers have a lot to recommend them. They are a point more expensive this edition than they were previously (6 points), but they retain their 4+ shoot value, in exchange for a weaker Defense stat (Defense 3 instead of 4). Their bows are only Strength 2 with a range of 18,” so they’re not prolific marksmen and they will go down to sustained enemy fire pretty rapidly (especially Strength 3+ archery, which wounds them on 4s). But hey, they’re expendable archers. What more do you want? (Kardush likes having a few of these around as well.) Oh--and they picked up Mountain Dweller, too... which is situationally useful. And they're in a surprising number of lists (including a sneaky buff to Fight 4 if they charge as part of the Army of Carn Dum)!
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur: Mordor Orcs get +1 on Courage Tests if Sauron is alive and on the battlefield
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul: Mordor Orc Captains and Mordor Orc Warriors gain Blades of the Dead; Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoLotR] Cirith Ungol: Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of Carn Dum): Friendly Warrior models gain +1 Fight on a turn in which they charge.

• Black Gurad of Barad-Dur: If you thought Saruman perfected the Fighting Uruk-Hai, he’s got nothing on disembodied Third Age Sauron: Fight 4, Defense 6, and a whopping Strength 5 that can wound defense 7 models (or heroes) on a 5+. They’re still 12 points each (which is a lot for armies that can field orcs), and you can no longer get them to Strength 6 with a weapon swap (like you could last edition with an axe or pick). But they remain cool models, and like all heavily-armored Uruks, they're a very solid core for a battle line.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.

• Morgul Stalkers {Legacies}: Morgul Stalkers occupy some unique design space: they’re still Fight 3 (fine), Strength 4 (good), Defense 4 (not so good), 2 Attacks (wait, what?!), and Courage 7+ (meh in general, but pretty good for orcs, for 10 points each. That's a pretty good price point for a two-attack Strength 4 warrior (for comparison, Watchers of Karna cost the same points for a S3 two-attack model, and Easterling Acolytes pay 11 points for two S3 attacks), and the addition of Stalk Unseen helps mitigate the risk of their D4 a little bit. If you had your choice, you’d prefer Fight 4 of course and more defensive stats, but if you’re looking for cheap, efficient, brutal killing power they’ll fill that role for you pretty admirably, especially if you have other models with Fight 4 (Black Numenoreans, Mordor Uruk-Hai) elsewhere in your force. They unfortunately don't pick up Blades of the Dead in a Minas Morgul list, but as Orcs they will benefit from the Fearless bubbles created by friendly Spirit models, so that's pretty sweet. And if you pair them (in Army of the Great Eye) with some Fight 4 spearmen and give them banner support, they become very dangerous to Fight 3 armies.
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul: Friendly Orc models within 3" of friendly Spirit models auto-pass Courage tests when attempting to charge a model with Terror.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.

Warrior Profiles: Monsters and Siege Weapons

• Mordor Trolls {AoLotR}: They’re still not as impressive as they used to be before Gundabad Trolls came along, but the new edition has definitely been favorable to big monsters like Mordor Trolls. While their low Intelligence stat (8+) will make it more difficult to pull of that timely Hurl, Fight 7 with 3 Attacks, paired with Strength 7, Defense 7, and the general nerfs to Heroic Strike, means that they're much less susceptible to being stalled by a Captain-level hero. Against bigger heroes, the addition of that fourth Wound to their Defense 7 makes them tougher to one-shot. Finally, they pick up Dominant (3) to help with objective scenarios, and still have access to a War Drum with just the generic Mordor keyword (so it will affect basically everything you've read about in this write-up). As with any 3 Attack, high-Fight model, they really benefit from having a friendly banner around, and some friendly troops to protect their flanks (or peel off bigger heroes). Just watch out for Fight 6+ beat-stick heroes with Heroic Strike—they’ll need some help (or a friendly Transfix) to deal with those.
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur: No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog: No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor: No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] Minas Morgul: No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] The Black Gate: No bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.

• Mordor Siege Bow: The siege bow itself has received a slight downgrade this edition (from a S9 missile to a S8 missile), but te crew has gotten a major update: its orcs now have a Shoot Value of 4+ instead of 5+, while retaining its Accurate special rule (3” instead of 6” scatter), as well as the Piercing Shot special rule (the model that is hit by the siege bow is flung d6" directly away from the siege bow if it is S5 or below, and any model passed over by the flung model suffers a S5 hit and is knocked Prone). They’re also dirt cheap for a siege weapon, plus you get 3 orcs to fire it, one of whom is a Siege Veteran with a point of Might, Will, and Fate. And since you’re evil, you can use it to shoot into a big hero’s combat; if the hero is fighting a fairly isolated fight (and you manage to hit) you have a pretty good chance of knocking the hero prone (and maybe chipping in a cheeky wound, or killing the hero altogether if it fails its Fate roll or is out of Fate) due to the reduced scatter. Last edition you didn't see that many of these, due to the reduced hit value. This edition, you can only field them in a handful of lists... but you may see them a lot in those lists...
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur: No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog: No bonuses.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor: No bonuses.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.

• Mordor War Catapult: Last is the War Catapult, which remains an expensive large siege weapon, even though it's had a 10-point cost reduction (the buffs to the Siege Bow, at 1/3 of the points cost, probably doesn't help). You're still getting pretty good value for 150 points (three orcs, one of who is a Siege Veteran, plus a Mordor Troll), especially since this model has the Arcing Shot special rule (so a smaller chance of taking friendly in-the-ways). Its Strength 10 projectile can still auto-kill the target it hits, and while it scatters the full 6,” it will do Strength 5 hits to any models within 2” of whatever target is chosen (which makes it phenomenal at breaking-up clustered enemy formations like shieldwalls). The crew and troll both hit on a 4+ which is great, and the troll lets you re-roll to-hit rolls for free (although not scatter and to-wound rolls anymore). And, of course, a Fight 7 troll is also a very good deterrent to enemies who would usually try to rush your catapult to disable it (although this troll has been downgraded to D6, probably because he has no armor). Finally, you have a couple of upgrade options, including Flaming Ammunition (allowing you to situationally reroll to-wound rolls) and Severed Heads (instead of doing damage normally, the target and all enemy models within 3" of the target must take a Courage test, and are removed as casualties if they fail that test).
• [AoLotR] Barad-Dur: Mordor Orcs get +1 on Courage Tests if Sauron is alive and on the battlefield
• [AoLotR] Army of Gothmog: All friendly Orc models reroll 1s to wound when making strikes. Orc crew will benefit from Gothmog's The Age of Men is Over (Hatred (Men)) and The Time of the Orc Has Come (reroll all failed to-wound rolls) rules, if in range.
• [AoLotR] Legions of Mordor: Friendly Heroes (Siege Veteran) reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes.
• [AoME] Army of the Great Eye: No bonuses.

On those Army Lists…

Just to be clear--this is not a detailed write-up on all the army lists that can field Mordor units (and let's face it: neither you nor I have the stomach for much more of this). But I did want to include a brief summary of what sort of lists lean primarily on Mordor units, and why you might want to consider looking at each in more depth. So here's a very brief summary, which hopefully whets your appetite for some deeper dives:

1. Barad-Dur [Armies of the Lord of the Rings]: There's some cool stuff in this list (Black Nums, trolls, siege weapons, nazgul on fell beasts, etc.), but this list is all about Sauron, Sauron, Sauron. He's super expensive, so finding the right points level for this army is probably going to remain tricky (like it was last edition). The only legion buff to Mordor units is to your Mordor Orcs, who get +1 on Courage Tests if Sauron is alive and on the battlefield. Oh, and your force can't break until Sauron's reduced to at least half wounds (again--Sauron, Sauron, Sauron.
2. The Black Riders [Armies of the Lord of the Rings]: Pretty straightforward--the Witch-King on horse with up to eight additional generic Nazgul (also on horses). These are slightly de-powered (2 Attacks, 1/10/1 stats), but pick up some nice defensive tricks (like a -2 Courage debuff to enemies that are within Harbinger of Evil range of 2+ wraiths, and of course the deadly Screech of the Nazgul--a once per game/round Transfix that is auto-cast on a "6"). With an exception from the Will of Evil Will-point penalty, this variant is probably the better choice if you like magic casting. Just watch out for enemy archers shooting out your horses. With a max of 9 models, this one tops out at 1,110 points (if you take all the upgrades on everything)... which is an oddly specific number.
3. Wraiths on Wings [Armies of the Lord of the Rings]: Also pretty straightforward--the Witch-King on fell beast, with up to eight additional generic Nazgul (also on fell beasts). The wraiths are beefier this time (2 Attacks, 2/14/2 stats), and their cost (170-200 per) reflects it. You can still cast magic with these guys (no Screech, though), but the special rules are all geared towards devastating charges with your Nazgul (or the option to do some damage/knock enemies prone, while playing "keep-away"). You need a minimum of 1,530 points to field all nine (with no upgrades)... but given the actual money it would cost to secure nine fell beasts, that's probably a good thing.
4. Army of Gothmog [Armies of the Lord of the Rings]: This is exactly what you think it is: an army built around Gothmog and his Morannon orcs. Sure, there's trolls and siege weapons in this list, too, but you'll generally want to pack as many Morannons in as possible (as they, along with any friendly Orc heroes, reroll 1s to wound when making strikes, pick up Hatred (Men) within 12" of Gothmog, and can reroll all failed to-wound rolls across the whole battlefield once per game). This army loves fighting Men in particular (as the Morannons all pick up a +1 Fight Value buff, in addition to all their other goodies). 
5. Legions of Mordor [Armies of the Lord of the Rings]: This is the first of several "soup" lists that allow you to recreate some of the old alliances from last edition. You don't actually have to take any Mordor models in this version if you don't want to. But you have access to the Witch-King and wraiths on fell beasts, Gothmog and his boys, Morannons, Black Nums and Morgul Knights, plus the Mordor Troll and the two siege weapons (Bow and Catapult)--and if your event allows Legacy models, you can also add in any of the named ringwraiths, Goroth and Zagdush, and Great Beasts, which ends up being a pretty robust version of old Mordor (minus its Uruks, standard orcs/orc heroes, and Shelob). You also have the option to pair them with your choice of Easterlings (Amdur, Dragon Knights, Black Dragons, War Priests, Kataphracts/Warriors, and their Captains) and Haradrim (The Mumak War Leader, Haradrim Chieftains and Warriors, Suladan, Raza, Hasarin, the Task Master, Haradrim Raiders, Haradrim Kings, the Golden King, Abrakhan Guard, and Watchers of Karna), to recreate at least some of the cooler allied pairings from last edition. Also, all your friendly Heroes reroll 1s to wound when making strikes against other Heroes... so that's kind of cool.
6. Minas Morgul [Armies of the Lord of the Rings]: The last of the lists built around the wraiths, and probably the list that gives you the most customization options for them. You get the chunky Witch King (3 Attacks, 3/18/3) and the slimmer nazgul (2 Attacks, 1/10/1), but you can take them on either horses or fell beasts, and the Witch King gets his entire upgrade suite (crown, Morgul blade, 2H weapon). Once you slot or Nazgul in, you'll primarily focus on Mordor Orc Warriors and Captains (who gain Blades of the Dead) and Spectres (because your orcs auto-pass Terror tests if they're within 3" of a friendly Spirit model). You also have access to Morannon Orcs and Captains, too, if you like (although they don't get Blades of the Dead), as well as Mordor Trolls, the Taskmaster, a Shaman, and the Drummer if you're so inclined. If you're playing with Legacies, you also get access to Kardush, Orc Trackers, and Morgul Stalkers... which actually makes the list pretty expansive.
7. Cirith Ungol [Armies of the Lord of the Rings]: This is Shagrat and Gorbag, leading Uruks and Mordor Orc Warriors (and their associated captains) in a not-so-friendly rivalry that results in them murdering enemy models (Uruk-Hai and Orcs get +1 to-wound if a friendly model of the other race is engaged in the same fight, plus Shagrat or Gorbag gets to reroll a duel die if his rival has notched more kills). Oh, and Shelob's in the list too (and is probably at her most dangerous--to both sides). Plus the Taskmaster and Orc drummer... you know, if any of them appeal to you for some reason.
8. The Black Gate [Armies of the Lord of the Rings]: We get a new suite of heroes, centered around the Mouth of Sauron and a Troll Chieftain (who has to be your leader, and becomes really powerful). The rest of the hero suite consists of Wriaths on fell beasts (2 Attacks, 2/14/2), Morannon Captains, that sneaky Taskmaster again, and Troll Chieftains. The warrior suite is pretty simple: Mordor Trolls and Morannon Orc Warriors, who pick up a +1 to wound against outnumbered opponents (given that they're S4 to start with, that's pretty terrifying). Also, disembodied Sauron tempts enemy models with low Intelligence in this army... exactly what you want when you're potentially fighting some wraiths on wings or some angry trolls.
9. Army of the Great Eye [Armies of Middle-Earth]: The second of the Mordor "soup" lists, which consists of almost everything in Old Mordor once you add the Legacy models. The only rule/restriction on list building is that you must take a Ringwraith who is your general (and the generic wraiths don't have a horse option). Beyond that, the world is your oyster: every wraith, every named hero (Mouth, Gothmog, Shagrat, Shelob, Goroth, Kardush, etc.), every Orc- and near-orc-variant (Mordor Orcs, Morannons, Uruks, Black Guard, Morgul Stalkers, Black Numenoreans, Orc Trackers), all the monsters and siege weapons, even the Great Beast. As someone who was a fan of old Mordor, I'm glad some version of that list has survived into this edition with its cool synergies intact.
10. Assault on Lothlorien [Legacies]: One of the more controversial legendary legions from last edition makes its return here, and yes--this legion still forces your opponent to fight at night. It's been toned down some (you can't take more goblins than you have orcs, and there's no casting rerolls), but you still get Muzger, Druzhag, Ashrak, Spiders, Bats, goblins, orcs, prowlers, and Warg Marauders to play with.  
11. Fell Beings of Mirkwood [Legacies]: This force is built around Razgush, his Orc warriors (of the standard Mordor Orc variety), and the Spider Queen and her beasts, all of whom gain Woodland Creature and hate elves (+1 to wound). Outside of Razgush and the Spider Queen (both of whom are quite good), the hero suite is a little light (just Mordor Orc Captains, Shamans, the Drummer, and that sneaky Taskmaster again). But Bat Swarms cure a multitude of ailments, and with access to Spiders and Warg Riders, too, this list can be surprisingly fast and hard-hitting.
12. Ravagers of the Shire [Legacies]: Last but not least, we have Golfimbul's merry band of Mordor Orcs with the random wandering Hill Troll. Mordor Orc Captains and Shamans fill out your (very light) hero rotation, but they gain +1  to wound against outnumbered opponents (as do any other friendly Orc models in your army). Additionally, while Golfimbul is alive and on the battlefield, friendly Orcs get a +1 bonus to any Courage Tests they have to take (and Golfimbul himself gets a free Heroic Combat each turn). It's not an amazing list, but with the addition of Angmar's Hill Trolls, it's intriguing, especially at lower points levels.

 

For Further Reading

And... that's it. If you made it all the way to the end (or if you re-read the entire thing a second time once we added the Seventh Edition updates), congratulations! As always, we've included some additional resources from the TMAT team and other members of the Middle Earth SBG Community below (which we'll update as new edition resources become available). And if you think we've over/understated a case, you've got tips from running Mordor to share, or there are other army lists that would be fun or helpful to go through, do let us know in the comments!

More from the TMAT Team:

• First Impressions: Mordor, Part II (April 2025)
• First Impressions: Mordor, Part I (March 2025)
• Top 5 Profile Changes - Mordor Edition (6th Edition, October 2024)
• Nemesis: How to Fight Against Mordor Troll Chieftains (6th Edition, July 2024)
• Nemesis: How to Fight Against the Witch-King of Angmar (6th Edition, July 2024)
• Tournament Time: Rythbryt's Army Thoughts (6th Edition, May 2024)
• In Defense Of: Mordor Trolls (and sort of Isengard Trolls) (6th Edition, January 2024)
• MESBG Christmas Lists, List #5: The Fell Beings of Mirkwood (6th Edition, December 2023)
• Nemesis: How to Fight Against Ringwraiths (6th Edition, November 2023)
• Nemesis: How to Fight the Assault on Lothlorien Legendary Legion (6th Edition, October 2023)
• In Defense Of: Morannon Orc Captains (6th Edition, July 2023)
• Defense of the North Inspired Lists: Assault on Lothlorien Legendary Legion Revisited (6th Edition, May 2023)
• Workbench Update: What do you do with 60 Morannons? (6th Edition, March 2023)
• The Battle of Osgiliath Box Set: Brief Review and Quick Starter Armies! (6th Edition, January 2023)
• Gondor at War Inspired Lists: Mordor Revisited (6th Edition, October 2022)
• The Stuff of Legends: Fell Beings of Mirkwood (6th Edition, September 2022)
• The Stuff of Legends: Assault on Lothlorien (6th Edition, September 2022)
• In Defense Of: Shelob (6th Edition, April 2022)
• In Defense Of: Mordor Uruk-Hai (6th Edition, April 2022)
• Quest of the Ringbearer Inspired Lists: Cirith Ungol Legendary Legion (6th Edition, December 2021)
• The Stuff of Legends: The Black Gate Opens (6th Edition, May 2021)
• The Stuff of Legends: The Black Riders (6th Edition, July 2021)
• The Stuff of Legends: Cirith Ungol (6th Edition, March 2021)
• The Stuff of Legends: Army of Gothmog (6th Edition, February 2021)
• The Bare Necessities, Part IX: Mordor (6th Edition, March 2020)
• Workbench Update: Mordor (6th Edition, September 2019)
• Top 10 Wraiths, Revisited (6th Edition, May 2019)
• Revisiting Magic: Magic in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game (6th Edition, February 2019)
• New Rules - Part II: Mordor (6th Edition, October 2018)
• Revisiting Magic: Ringwraiths in LOTR SBG (4th Edition, October 2013)
• Riders in Black: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 (4th Edition, February 2013)

Audio/Video Resources:

• PODCAST: Episode 79: Mordor (The Green Dragon Podcast)
• IN PRINT: Is Mordor the Best Army in the Game? (Against All Odds)
• VIDEO: Battle Report - Mordor vs. Kingdom of Moria (Gollum's Gamers)
• VIDEO: Battle Report - Mordor vs. Rohan (Conquest Creations)
• VIDEO: Battle Report - Mordor vs. Rivendell (Mountain Goat Gaming)
• VIDEO: Battle Report - Legions of Mordor vs. Army of the Dead (War Hammered)
• IN PRINT: Build be an Army Worth of... Mordor; Part One-The Battle Host (Sprues & Brews)
• IN PRINT: Are you a budding megalomaniac? Here's why Mordor is the faction for you (Warhammer Community)
• IN PRINT: Fog of War Part 12: Mordor & Barad-Dur (Veni Vidi Double)
• IN PRINT: Playing with Mordor Part 1 and Part 2, The Black Gate Opens (Barad-Druin)
• HOBBYING: How to Paint Mordor Orcs (3d Games)
• HOBBYING: Speed Painting Mordor Orcs (Mediocre Hobbies)
• PODCAST: Episode 54: Barad-Dur (The Green Dragon Podcast) [Covers cross-over models from Barad-Dur]
• VIDEO: Armies of the Lord of the Rings: Mordor Review (STF Wargaming)
• VIDEO: Das 3. Zeitalter: Barad Dur / Mordor (Der Wurfelorden)
• VIDEO: Battle Report – Mordor vs. Gondor / Rohan (The D6 Fix)
• VIDEO: Battle Report – Fiefdoms vs. Mordor (Blackfyre Productions)
• PODCAST: Know Thine Enemy: Witch-King, Ringwraiths, Shelob, Mordor Troll Chieftain  (The Green Dragon Podcast, *Pre-MESBG)