The Stuff of Legends: The Breaking of the Fellowship

Good morning gamers,

Today we'll be looking at a Legion that has surprised me more than any other Legendary Legion to date (with the possible exception of the Men of the West LL): the Breaking of the Fellowship. With heroes that we know and love from the Amon Hen sequence of the Fellowship of the Ring, we've got all the power heroes that you follow throughout the Lord of the Rings and none of the nameless grunts that you are usually forced to bring in an army. But can this Legion fight down-handed in both models and points at high points levels? Is it even worth taking at low points levels? All of these questions will be answered today as we delve into this unique and beloved Legion. Also, I've been using this Legion for our upcoming Grand Tournament (and even painted up new copies of all eight heroes), so I'll be including images of my Breaking of the Fellowship LL models in this report - the Legion is a LOT of fun to use!

Part 1: What Do You Need?

Legion Tax: 160pts

You NEED to include Aragorn - Strider in your army and he costs a very manageable 160 points. You ACTUALLY need other stuff too, beginning with Frodo Baggins: Frodo not only gives everyone Fearless and can keep you from giving up victory points for being broken, but also gives you Blinding Light access AND a Ringbearer (in most games). All of this is really good - and that speaks for 240 points already.

Once you have Frodo and Aragorn, your next choices are determined by your points level: if the points level is in increments of 100 points, you need to take Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took if you don't want to waste points. If the points level is in increments of 50 points, you're picking just Merry or Pippin. This will take you to either 250 or 300 points.

Your next points (up to 300) will be spent on your other killer heroes: Legolas Greenleaf (100 points), Gimli, Son of Gloin (100 points), or Boromir of Gondor with shield (100 points). Of the three, I'm inclined to think that you need Legolas the most (as he'll be necessary for clearing sparsely guarded objectives or models that are racing to capture objectives). The big discussion is going to be whether your next inclusion is Gimli or Boromir . . . a discussion we had when we covered the Fellowship in the List Building series, actually.

Breaking of the Fellowship Bonuses

Gimli and Boromir are similar models in that they are both good at killing things in melee: F6/S4 with 3 Attacks (Gimli can choose to have either 3 Attacks or 2 Attacks with +1 To Wound) and nasty rules that help them do more damage (Boromir's Horn of Gondor is great for auto-winning fights against models that fail Courage tests, while Gimli can get bonus To Wound damage if Legolas has killed more models than him). Boromir has a slight edge on offense thanks to having 6 Might points (instead of Gimli's 3 Might points), so some players favor him for his offensive capabilities. Me, I rate Gimli's throwing axes as another great asset that helps push him over the edge (though the bonus To Wound rules that Gimli can take advantage of makes up for having less Might - Gimli usually kills what he faces).

On Defense, they're pretty different: Boromir has 3 Wounds (vs. Gimli's 2 Wounds) and can call Heroic Defense, but Gimli has Defense 8 (vs. Boromir's D5-6, depending on whether he has his shield or not) and 2 Fate points (Boromir doesn't have any Fate). If you don't mind his weaker Defense profile, Boromir is a great addition - and certainly makes Merry and Pippin more powerful. If you're bringing Legolas, though, it's pretty hard to argue with Gimli. And yet, for many of our readers . . .

I will say that I have used this Legion three times at 450 points - twice with Gimli and once with Boromir. Here's what I found out:

• Boromir's 3 extra Might points are really handy. In the games I played, he ran into Aragorn, King Elessar - and THAT's not a good match-up for him. It did work out better than if Gimli had run into Elessar, since Boromir of Gondor can call Heroic Defense up to six times (he called it every turn he fought and died in three rounds) and that's pretty much the best way to stop any version of Aragorn with Anduril from killing things (Gimli would not have lasted three rounds).
• Gimli's D8 is also really handy - his match-ups saw him fighting off Uruk-Hai heroes (everyone except the Uruk-Hai Scout Captain with two-handed weapon was wounding him on 6s). His 3 Might burned up in a flash, but his rerolls (thanks to his Lothlorien gift) made him MUCH more reliable at getting high rolls than Boromir got while still being able to deal damage (you can get lots of 6s by shielding with Boromir, but you really need to be killing guys in this list, so shielding is only used against REALLY big heroes that you're not sure you can beat).
• Legolas killed more than either of these guys. Period. He also made both enemies play differently than if he hadn't been on the board, since they had to worry about how to shield their troops from being killed from a distance.

While this may not look like a good sampling size, I've also played against this Legion twice at 450 points (both times Gimli was chosen) with the army I'm bringing to our upcoming tournament (more on that next week) and in both games, Boromir would not have been as helpful to his team as Gimli. So I feel pretty confident in the samples we've taken that Gimli over Boromir is at least a reasonable choice (if not the better choice).

The good news about this Legion is that so long as you're playing at 550 or above, you can get Aragorn, Frodo, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir - so unlike the normal Fellowship lists, the argument about who to bring does become a non-issue much faster. We'll discuss this more momentarily.

One last thing I want cover before we compare this Legion to the normal Fellowship list is the Gifts of Galadriel that each hero gets. When they were first announced, many of the gifts looked really good - and after playing MANY games both with and against this Legion, I feel like this is the rankings I'll stick by for those Gifts (best to worst):

1. Frodo's Light of Earendil - You NEED (at most points levels) the archery protection that it provides. Sure, you've got Elven Cloaks, but on boards where there are large gaps between terrain pieces, you need to keep as many wounds (and Fate points) on your models as possible.
2. Legolas's Bow of the Galahdrim - Do you know what's better than having a 67% chance of hitting three targets while standing still? Having an 89% chance of hitting three targets while standing still! Even if you move half of your distance, you're hitting 75% of the time on each of your three shots - which is crazy. Legolas's single shot that always hits on a 2+ will hit 97% of the time . . . yeah, you're not missing with that shot. Based on the killing that Legolas NEEDS to bring to this team, getting each arrow to almost always hit is a good start to keeping his kill count high (which means Gimli will be that much more effective).
3. Aragorn's Elven Dagger - You'd think it was Gimli's Locks of Hair, but no. Aragorn in this list isn't THAT dangerous (no Anduril, no armor, no bow) but he DOES have an Elven-made weapon, which means if he does get into a Strike-off against an enemy hero, he has a chance for a better than 50/50 proposition against most heroes (and a 50/50 proposition against heroes who have Elven-made weapons themselves). He also does extra damage to Uruk-Hai heroes, which means heroes like Shagrat and Lurtz need to beware tangoing with this guy.
4. Gimli's Galadriel's Locks - The most recent FAQ clarified that this only allows Gimli to reroll his dice (which is expected, I guess, but wasn't what was originally written). Glad they clarified - getting effectively 4 or 6 dice to win the fight is huge when you roll badly, but you need to be careful when to use these. Remember that if a friendly model is within 3" of Gimli, he counts as being in range of a banner - so he's already rerolling one die as it is. Using a Lock of Hair also means that you reroll everything that hasn't already been rerolled, so there will be times where you "just use Might" to boost a 5 to a 6 in order to win a fight instead of risking a reroll on the 5 and NOT being able to win the fight. It's pretty situational, but a very welcome addition to Gimli's profile (and encourages you in many cases to use your two-handed axe and rely on the +2 To Wound with potentially 4 dice to win the fight).
5. Merry and Pippin's Daggers of the Noldorin - Do you know how hard it is to wound with S2 and no Might (except what Boromir lets you have)? It's hard. Do you know how much better it is to reroll all failed To Wound rolls when you're S2? Oh, it's awesome. S2 wounds D3-4 models on a 5+, which gives you a 55% chance of killing a D3-4 model. D5-6 models are pretty resilient against S2 models (wound on 6s), but you have a 30% chance of killing one (which is pretty good). These guys are your cheapest models and will often struggle to kill anyone - but if they can siphon off a Might point from Boromir (or two), you can keep the kill counts coming without Boromir having to do the wounds.
6. Boromir's Golden Belt - Is it good for Boromir to have Woodland Creature? Yes - when there are woods on the board. Woods mean trees and bushes, which paired with the Elven Cloak means you're probably avoiding damage from a distance. That's a good thing. Being able to retreat into a wooded terrain feature is a helpful thing - but not THAT helpful in this army, since only Boromir and Legolas have Woodland Creature. I think this gift would have been better if all friendly models within a certain distance of Boromir (say 3") also got Woodland Creature, because the models you NEED to move through woods are heroes like Merry and Pippin - and they DON'T want to be moving through woods!
7. Sam's Elven Rope - Getting a 6 on all Climb, Jump, and Leap tests is good - it's really good - when you actually have stuff you need to jump, climb, or leap over. Since Sam is short, this will be a surprising number of things. However, unless you're taking up a position near an obstacle, you may not ever use this ability. Sure, it's cool - and yes, when you use it, it will make a difference. But honestly, I have yet to use it . . .

Okay, with all that behind us, let's delve into the differences between this Legion and the normal Fellowship army list.

Part 2: Why Take This Legion Over "Normal" Allied Forces?

When I covered the Fellowship in the List Building series, I mentioned that the biggest problem you had was determining who you were leaving at home (they have so many good options!). This list doesn't suffer from that (if you're playing at/above 600 points), but that also means is loses a lot of customizability. Functionally, I think most Fellowship players go the economical route and run the Fellowship on foot (I talked about this in my post for what you need to buy to play all of the missions from Quest of the Ringbearer), so if you're going to do that, you might as well try out this Legion. Let's look at what you lose and what you get - and how that translates into Strengths and Weaknesses for this Legion . . .

Weakness #1: No Magic

The first glaring omission from this list compared to the normal Fellowship list is Gandalf the Grey. Gandalf isn't great in combat (F5/S5 with 1 Attack and mount options isn't bad, but isn't great compared to cheaper members of the Fellowship), but his ability to Immobilize enemy monsters/heroes, Strengthen Will on friendly models, and protect them from archery with Blinding Light is really handy. If/when you run Aragorn, you can also run Arwen in your army (thanks to an errata that allows you to take her in the list if Aragorn is also in your list). This second utility caster (who really likes being the target of Strengthen Will) can be a cheap cavalry model who can sail in and keep enemy warriors from swarming your heroes effectively. Without these heroes, you're going to have to rely on killing things the old-fashioned way: up close with swords, daggers, or axes (though you will/should get quite a few kills with that Elf bow).

Strength #1: Good Magic and Archery Resilience

Magic resilience in the normal Fellowship list is mostly tied to Gandalf the Grey: can he protect a bubble of heroes by channelling Protection of the Valar as they March across the board? This isn't sustainable - and it probably isn't going to be available at all at lower points levels because you need the killing heroes more than you need the caster. This Legion bypasses the need for Gandalf and instead gives all of the members of this Legion the benefits of the Fortify Spirit magical power (2 free dice to resist any magical power that targets them). This stacks with Resistant to Magic (available on all four Hobbit models) and any Will they choose to spend (1-3 Will, depending on who you have). An army that normally struggles to stop sustained magical barrages is suddenly quite good at stopping most magical armies.

Similarly, while Gandalf the Grey can protect your army with Blinding Light from enemy archery, Frodo has a 67% chance of getting Blinding Light with the Light of Earendil off each turn he isn't wearing the Ring. While this is less effective than a channelled Blinding Light from Gandalf the Grey, Frodo can still provide the same anti-archery bubble (and if you move him first, you'll know if you have it BEFORE you move everyone else so they can find cover if he fails).

Finally, everyone has free Elven Cloaks, so even if you don't get Blinding Light for a turn, you can be ineligible targets to archery (and magical attacks) that are beyond 6" of you - so long as there is a piece of terrain obscuring you from the shooters. Horizontal terrain (fences, fallen trees, or A SHRUBBERY) are your best friends, as they can deny long sections of the board from being used by your opponent's archers or casters

Weakness #2: Low Model Count (and Low Point Ceiling)

Having a low model count is nothing new for the Fellowship, though you can run the three cheap hobbits and Bill the Pony for 100 points if all three Hobbits have Elven Cloaks. In most cases - even at really high points levels - you're looking at just barely getting to double-digits with your army (which means you'll be outnumbered 3:1 or worse against most factions - and 10:1 against some factions). This Legion . . . maxes out at eight models. Considering that half of your models have 1 Attack, you're in for a pretty rough go as far as killing enemy models goes.

Add to this that your army caps out at 600 points, and you've got another layer of difficulty: you might do just fine at lower points levels, but eventually your army isn't growing and your opponent's army is growing (or getting more elite). That's . . . not good. I should note that this Legion is one of three Legions that has a point ceiling - a point at which you can't grow the army any more. The other two Legions are the Black Riders Legendary Legion (which caps out at 1125 points) and the Defenders of the Shire, which caps out at ~1400 points (assuming you don't spam war horns). Both of these are higher than most games you'll ever play.

Strength #2: LOTS of Might Points

This is something you rarely struggle with in a Fellowship army, but it bears repeating here: you get a LOT of Might in this army. Might is one of those resources that's not just important to manage well, but it's a fun element of the game for new players. Even when you're learning the game and "just use it to boost a roll," Might has incredible value - and between Aragorn (3 Might + a free Might each turn), Boromir (6 Might), Gimli (3 Might), and Legolas (3 Might), you've already got twice as much Might as some armies will have against you - no matter what the points level is. With Frodo and Sam's Might added (2 Might each), you've got a crazy amount of Might to go around. Oh, and after your opponent has spent himself trying to counter all of your Might, you've still got the free Might point from Aragorn every turn . . .

Strength #3: Synergies and "Bubbles"

You know how I said that we've been looking at the Breaking of the Fellowship Legendary Legion a lot here at TMAT because of our impending spring tournament? Well, it turns out that this army can play above 600 points and do just fine - if the commander of them is careful with their bubble benefits. Let's look at a few of them:

• Merry and Pippin are the worst heroes in this list, but either one can play "wingman" to Legolas to give him not only a banner reroll in close combat, but also a reroll to any failed To Hits he makes while shooting;
• The other Hobbit (or perhaps both) can play "wingman" to Boromir, granting him a banner reroll in close combat (should he not "just win" with the Horn of Gondor), while also being able to do more in combat if the brave Hobbit borrows some of Boromir's Might;
• Legolas and Gimli have their kill-count thing, per the usual - a great way to power up Gimli before he gets into combat and possibly help Legolas have an even lower margin for missing with his archery (though in this Legion, Legolas gets to reroll failed To Hits so long as a friendly model is nearby and Gimli gets to reroll as many of his attack dice as he wants);
• Sam can call a free Heroic Combat if Frodo is nearby and Engaged in a fight (best if he's paired with someone else in his fight to actually kill the guy);
• Frodo provides the Blinding Light buff on a 3+ to protect friendly models within 6" of him from being shot to death - in addition to the team-wide Fearless rule he provides and denying your opponent the ability to score victory points for breaking you if Frodo is still alive; 
• Frodo can also put on the Ring to save friendly models from having to call a Strike against a big nasty; and
• Aragorn provides a free Might point each turn that can be used early in the game to call Heroic March to push your army up the field quickly.

If you can manage these synergies and engage only part of your opponent's force at a time, you're in good shape to do well in MANY different missions. You might struggle a bit on objective-based missions if Legolas can't shoot people off of objectives, but with Frodo able to sneak over and contest an objective, Legolas shooting (with a Hobbit nearby), and Aragorn/Gimli/Boromir/Sam/another Hobbit clearing objectives, I'm not too worried.

Part 3: Legendary Legion Improvements

When I made my predictions for the Quest of the Ringbearer Legions, I was happy to see that most of what I asked for we got. Sometimes they were better than I thought (I figured Elven Cloaks would be required, but they turned out to be free). Other times, they were . . . fine (Boromir getting JUST Woodland Creature!?!?!?!?!). Here are some changes that I would make: first and foremost, Merry and Pippin's Elven Daggers should be Elven-made daggers that give them rerolls To Wound. As the lowest damage output characters in this list (unless they're siphoning off Might from Boromir - more on that later), it's nice that these guys reroll failed To Wound rolls in close combat. However, they are clearly given daggers that are "Elven-made," but don't have the Elven-made keyword tacked onto it. Maybe having 5 models with Elven-made weapons would be broken, but I don't think two 10-point models with 1 Fate and 1 Wound each are THAT broken . . .

Second, Boromir should have a rule (not tied to his Gift) that makes him more competitive compared to Gimli. As we've mentioned earlier, Gimli gets rerolls from his gift and has (as he always has) a bonus To Wound if Legolas is outkilling him (which he probably is most of the time). Thematically, Boromir should have some kind of benefit when near Merry and/or Pippin, kind of like Bard and Bain do around Sigrid and Tilda. Free Heroic Combats to fight someone near them (ala Sam), a control zone that isn't removed when he's charged (so he can keep tanking for them), or rerolling failed To Wound rolls after he's suffered one or more wounds would be nice (possibly without the being-near-Merry-and-or-Pippin requirement). But alas, all he gets is Woodland Creature . . .

Third, I think splitting up the army into separate warbands would have been cool - if you had warbands the way I laid them out in my predictions post (Frodo can be in Aragorn's warband, Legolas and Gimli form a second warband, Boromir with Merry and Pippin, and Sam by his lonesome - or maybe with Aragorn and Frodo), you'd see a bigger reason for taking Boromir (to protect Merry and Pippin - thematic), the potential in a maelstrom fight of having your army split up and having to get to each other (again, thematic), and better knowledge of your opponent in games when you deploy on your side of the board (which would be helpful).

I would also have given Aragorn the option for a bow. Boromir has the ability to take a shield, but that was left by the boats. You know what else was left by the boats? Aragorn's bow. You know what the Aragorn model from the Breaking of the Fellowship set has on his back? His bow. So why can't he get his bow in this Legion? No idea . . .

Finally (and this is not just an update for this Legion, but for the game generally): I would change Aragorn's sword to a hand-and-a-half sword. Not only does Aragorn almost always use his sword two-handed, but he does so virtually the entire fight at Amon Hen! The advantage of taking Anduril (an Elven hand-and-a-half sword that never wounds on harder than a 4+ unless Heroic Defense is in play) isn't mitigated in most cases, so it's still worth the investment - but come on, he should be able to wield the sword two-handed! I could also cite numerous models that wield it two-handed (to include the Aragorn in the current Fellowship of the Ring set, the one in the current Three Hunters set, and the one running at Helm's Deep).

Part 4: Army Strategies

Frodo Baggins - Your Most Strategic Piece

While you might think that your strategy begins with Aragorn, it actually begins with Frodo (who you will almost always take). Frodo needs to make the decision each turn as to whether or not he's going to wear the One Ring or attempt to use the Light of Earendil to protect his team from archery. With D6, I think it's fine if he doesn't have the Ring on - he'll be okay. It's important to remember that you can choose to put on the Ring at any point in your Move, so you can roll to see if you successfully get the Light of Earendil on first and THEN choose to put on the Ring if you want to. 

Aragorn/Strider - Your Most Important Piece

Once you know what Frodo is doing and BEFORE moving him, decide what you're doing with Aragorn. With a free Might point during the first turns of the game, you've got the ability to March your army forward quickly towards objectives or towards armies that rely on archery. With up to eight models in your army, make sure you pre-measure where your other heroes want to end their movement (and whether they can benefit from Aragorn's March) so that he knows how far he can go.

Of course, Aragorn isn't just needed to move your army around quickly - he's also great in combat. While he can call a free Heroic Move, this limits him in the Fight phase pretty dramatically, so it's better if you've got someone like Frodo (assuming he isn't wearing the Ring), Sam (who might have a free Heroic Combat in the Fight phase and so not need his Might as much), or Boromir (because Boromir) to call your Heroic Moves. If you're in range to charge enemy models, Aragorn has LOTS of options (especially this version of Aragorn). Against something big you can declare a Heroic Strike (with F6 and an Elven-made dagger), against really big things you can declare a Heroic Defense (which will keep your D5 from seeing you get chopped up quickly), against a few small models you can declare a Heroic Combat, and against a Hero of Valor/Legend that you want to tie up, you can declare a Heroic Challenge (which, as we covered last December, might actually be accepted). Against really high Defense heroes who have a Fight Value ceiling (or if you're charging with Frodo - much more likely to happen), you can also call Heroic Strength (which helps you more than you'd think, since you don't have Anduril). Like I said, Aragorn has a lot of options in combat.

Legolas Greenleaf - Your Best Chaff Clearer

After figuring out what you want to do with Aragorn, you want to turn your attention to Legolas. First and foremost, you need to determine if he's going to March with everyone else: if he needs to move 3" and can stay outside of the 6" distance of Aragorn, move him BEFORE you move Aragorn so he doesn't get rooted in place by moving afterwards. Legolas doesn't often want to move full - you need him to provide covering fire as much as possible. Early in a game where you need to get within 24" of the opposing army you'll see him moving full, but most of the time he'll be moving at half speed (or not moving at all). Find a nice wall or tree to hide behind and get that bow working for you!

Merry and Pippin - Those Cheeky Flankers

Next, you want to look at Merry and Pippin - both can play wingmen to Boromir to keep him from being overwhelmed, though I've found it's best to just have one near Legolas (Centaur taught me that one). Someone in your army needs to be with Legolas to get the most out of his bow (and later to give him a banner reroll) and these guys seem to be the best choices. For only 10 points each, you can fit at least one of them into any army at any points limit and they can make your power heroes have better match-ups. They also get three free dice to resist magical powers with Elven cloaks, which makes them great for "just sitting on an objective" - often with Legolas. Plan their movement out before you move Aragorn.

Sam - Your Free Heroics Battery

Next, you've got Sam. If you've already planned where Frodo is going to be, make sure Sam stays close to him. Free Heroic Combats are great for your power heroes to get more killing in and Sam is a resilient hero with 2 Wounds and 2 Fate (despite being only D3). Being able to auto-pass all jump/climb/leap tests on a 6 is also great, giving you incredible control over parts of the board with obstacles.

Boromir - Your Other Best Chaff Clearer

Finally, we've got Boromir and Gimli. Both should have friendly models near them (they both like banners), though both have ways to deal with problems if they happen to be alone (the Locks of Hair Gift for Gimli to reroll 2-3 of his dice and the Horn of Gondor for Boromir). Boromir is well suited to fight against big heroes (Strike/Defense) or mobs of warriors (Horn of Gondor or high Fight/Attacks), but has problems killing things. 

Gimli - Your Best Elite Unit Crusher

Gimli is less good at dealing with big heroes (Strike only) and mobs of warriors (high Fight/Attacks only), but is better at killing things (especially if Legolas has been killing stuff). Against high Defense models (D7+), he's really your only option, since he's the only model not capped at S4 (or less) and the only model who can get +1 To Wound (insert remarks about Aragorn having a hand-and-a-half sword).

Before you actually move people, here's how I recommend pairing your army up (though they should all be pretty close together if the scenario allows):

• Aragorn stays near Frodo (taking advantage of the One Ring and ensuring your army leader is protected from archery better);
• Gimli stays near Sam (Gimli is great at killing things to make those free Heroic Combats work);
• Boromir stays near Merry (Merry can borrow Boromir's Might if needed to kill a few models, while Boromir stops big heroes and kills warriors); and
• Legolas stays near Pippin (mostly so Pippin gives him the rerolls to Hit and banner bonus, throws stones at anyone who gets close, and becomes a decent fighter if you NEED to engage).

One last thing I'll say about strategies for this army: take your time figuring out where you want your army to be. Don't stall, obviously, but you've only got eight models to move - your movement time will STILL be less than your opponent's movement time if you take a minute to plan. This army requires you to make very few tactical mistakes because your list is small and has low-to-average Defense - so measure, measure, measure! Go in with a plan for how you want to play each scenario and just make sure that all of your pieces are executing the plan as well as you can. Oh, and get locked in with the big three as quickly as you can - ideally with a round of three Heroic Combats (two can be free from Aragorn and Sam/Gimli, while Boromir's might as well be free thanks to his huge stash of Might points). See what I did there with "might"? On a more serious note, Boromir may also automatically win his fight with his Horn, so there's that. Okay, moving on to the lists . . .

Part 5: Army Showcase

Our first army is a 500-point force that runs "without Frodo." This list is similar to what has been run in 2014 by Captain Glot (Intro/Round 1 are here, Rounds 2 & 3 are here). His list back then used Merry and Pippin instead of Sam because Aragorn and Boromir costed more (and the Elven cloaks weren't free). The idea behind this list is that you need to use terrain to shield you from archery (your cloaks are your only defense against archery - that and your Defense), but when your opponent finally tracks you down, you have three big heroes to fight them off instead of two. You also have a good archer to whittle down their numbers and take out enemy mounts and a Hobbit to act as a human shield to keep the big guys from being overwhelmed (or sitting back with Legolas). This list is fragile but powerful. By not running Frodo, you will be more susceptible to Terror armies, you won't have Blinding Light, and you'll count as broken normally (all of which I think are huge drawbacks), but you don't have to choose between Boromir and Gimli. Personally, I don't like this list, but it's an option.

• Aragorn - Strider with Elven Cloak [AL]
• Samwise Gamgee with Elven cloak
• Boromir of Gondor with shield and Elven cloak
• Legolas Greenleaf with Elven cloak
• Gimli, Son of Gloin with Elven cloak

The more common version of this list at 500 points would be the "without Boromir" approach (but you Boromir lovers can run the "without Gimli" approach instead). This is a more balanced list that drops one of the 100-point heroes in the list and adds the three missing Hobbits. I'm presenting the "without Boromir" army because a) I like Gimli's synergies with Legolas more than Boromir's synergies with Merry and Pippin, because b) Gimli is (at least potentially) more resilient, and because c) Gimli's gift from Galadriel is less circumstantial. Know that you can flip them at this points level more or less interchangeably though. We did a lot of testing at 450 with this Legion for our upcoming tournament (drop Sam and Pippin), and while Boromir did admirably, he didn't do as well as Gimli did:

• Aragorn - Strider with Elven cloak [AL]
• Frodo Baggins with Sting, Mithril Coat, and Elven cloak
• Samwise Gamgee with Elven cloak
• Meriadoc Brandybuck with Elven cloak
• Peregrin Took with Elven cloak
• Legolas Greenleaf with Elven cloak
• Gimli, Son of Gloin with Elven cloak

Once we're at 600 points, it really doesn't matter how high your points limit is - you're running the same list. Still, it's an all-hero army that (thanks to Aragorn and optionally Boromir) can move quite quickly when it needs to (March), it is fairly resilient against archery (Light of Earendil and Elven Cloaks), it's very resilient against magic (Fortify Spirit on everyone that is not tied to their Will stores), and has 3.5 great combat heroes in Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and Sam (kidding Legolas fans). With the ability to not cough up victory points for being broken, a Ringbearer to negate high enemy Fight values, a free Heroic Combat from Sam if Frodo is fighting nearby, a free Might point every turn with Aragorn (to be used on literally anything), and some decent archery (from Legolas, Gimli, and the Hobbits if they can stand still). Altogether, you've got a team that will give a good showing against any enemy army, assuming it doesn't have a ton of throwing spear cavalry.

• Aragorn - Strider with Elven cloak [AL]
• Frodo Baggins with Sting, Mithril Coat, and Elven cloak
• Samwise Gamgee with Elven cloak
• Meriadoc Brandybuck with Elven cloak
• Peregrin Took with Elven cloak
• Legolas Greenleaf with Elven cloak
• Gimli, Son of Gloin with Elven cloak
• Boromir of Gondor with shield and Elven cloak

Army Summary

Perhaps the most beloved Legendary Legion to date, the Breaking of the Fellowship is a great starter army ($50 from the GW store) and is lots of fun to play (though admittedly, it can be hard to win some scenarios with them). In our next post, we'll be looking at the other Legendary Legion with a points ceiling (one you'll probably never reach) that was also released in Quest of the Ringbearer sourcebook: the Black Riders. This was probably the Legion I was most excited about when the Quest of the Ringbearer sourcebook dropped and it surpassed my expectations! If you want to run an all-hero army that does well against other all-hero armies (except MAYBE the Breaking of the Fellowship LL), this is your list! So get your black robes, comb out the burrs out of the fur of your black steed, and meet us next time for a review of the Black Riders Legendary Legion! Until then, happy hobbying!