In Defense Of: Mordor Uruk-Hai

Good morning gamers,

There is no faction with more unit choices (warrior or hero) than Mordor - even in previous editions, while the Kingdoms of Men, the non-Men Free Peoples, the Fallen Realms, and the northern Orc/Goblin Kingdoms all got rolled into books together, Mordor got a book all its own - because it just didn't have room to share with anyone else! The natural result of having lots of profiles is that slight differences between units tends to make some models look really good and others look less useful. And one of the units that tends to be snubbed by competitive players is Mordor Uruk-Hai.

With a resurgence of popularity surrounding the Cirith Ungol Legendary Legion (a list that thematically-minded players ran before it was cool), Mordor Uruk-Hai are back on the market and are seeing success at lower points levels. But what do these guys bring to a NORMAL Mordor army? I've been playing with the Legion some over the past few months and have taken what I've learned while playing with a far more restrictive list and have started applying it to my normal Mordor play. And I've been loving it. So let's look at what makes Mordor Uruk-Hai look bad and what they bring to the table!

Six Mordor Uruk-Hai - each with an Orc bow (these have been scavenged from Goblins and half of an Elf bow) and/or quiver of dark-feathered arrows

Why NOT To Take Mordor Uruk-Hai

Mordor is the most developed faction in the game - period. It has more NAMED hero profiles than most factions have TOTAL profiles. Within its warrior selection, you have options for infantry (both light and heavy), cavalry (both light and heavy), siege weapons (both cheap and expensive), a war beast (which is surprisingly cheap), and monsters. When you add in the hero profiles, you have expensive heroes who have incredibly dangerous profiles, mid-cost heroes who pack a punch, and cheap heroes with lots of Might. Add to that a wide variety of heroes with Heroic Strike, Heroic March, and/or Heroic Defense (and one with Master of Battle) and you have everything you really need for an army. Oh, and you can ally historically with Easterlings and the Serpent Horde (both of which have proven to be dangerous combinations both here at TMAT and in the international community).

Mordor Uruk-Hai are one of many warrior profiles available to Mordor - and as I discussed when I reviewed Mordor in our Bare Necessities series, Mordor has four infantry warrior choices that meet at least two of the prized criteria for infantry (F4/S4/D6): Morannon Orcs (S4/D6), Mordor Uruk-Hai (F4/S4), Black Numenoreans (F4/D6), and Black Guard of Barad-Dur (F4/S5/D6). Besides these infantry, you also have warriors like Orc Trackers (4+ Shoot value for 5pts/model), Mordor Orcs (average profile with standard weapon options for 6-7pts/model), and Morgul Stalkers (S4 with 2 Attacks for 10pts/model) who all have at least one advantage over Mordor Uruk-Hai.

Given the choices between all of these models, having a 9-10pt model that's capped at D5 just doesn't seem that valuable - you can get a Morannon Orc with D6 for 1pt cheaper, a Black Numenorean with +1 Defense and Terror for the same price, or a Mordor Orc with the same Defense value and -1 Fight/Strength for 3pts less - there's just not much of a reason to take these guys as your forefront models. Similarly, if you're looking for archers, you can either get Orc Warriors with Orc bows and spears for 2pts less (who have -1 Fight/Strength and -1 Shoot value, but they can spear-support for fewer points) or Orc Trackers with the same Shoot value and ranged weapon for almost half the price (-4pts for worse combat stats but the same shooting capabilities).

While most of these alternatives are omitted from the Cirith Ungol Legendary Legion (which I really like), there's certainly a place for Mordor Uruk-Hai in that Legion, but for normal Mordor, there just doesn't seem to be much of a point to taking them. Or is there? I think there is - and I love these guys in both the Legion and normal Mordor lists. Let's see why.

Why TO Take Mordor Uruk-Hai

As we've already covered, the combat stats of Mordor Uruk-Hai (F4/S4) can be gained through other units (usually a pair of units working together) - but the wargear on Mordor Uruk-Hai is quite unique for Mordor. You can get Black Numenoreans supported by Morannon Orcs with spears (and optionally shields) to get F4/S4/D6, but Mordor Uruk-Hai are the only S4 Mordor units (besides Orc Warriors with two-handed picks/axes) to be able to take two-handed weapons. Two-handed weapons get a bad wrap in the international competitive community, but let me emphasize something: 

Two-handing with a two-handed mace at S4 has huge benefits.

If your Mordor battle line composed of Black Numenoreans supported by Morannon Orcs runs up against a D6-7 battle line, you're going to be wounding the front-line model on 6s (the Morannon might wound on 5s). Mordor Uruk-Hai with two-handed maces, supported by either Orc Warriors with spears or Morannon Orcs with spears, will wound on at least 5s if not 4s or 3s - and while you'll be wounded more easily than a D6 model, you'll also crack through the enemy more easily too (trades like this happen all the time). This, of course, gets even crazier in the Cirith Ungol Legendary Legion, where Animosity might get you an additional +1 To Wound if you have an Orc in base contact too . . .

But besides wounding normally, you can also Bash with the two-handed maces of Mordor Uruk-Hai. Bash is a very useful way to deal with both warriors and heroes - especially if there's at least one other friendly model in the fight (who can double their wounding dice when rolling to wound). Paired with a hero (thematically Shagrat or Gorbag, but also great with Guritz, Zagdush, Grishnakh, or Goroth), Bash is a nasty surprise and an easy way to get important units killed off. Heroes (especially mounted ones) don't really want to deal with this kind of pain - and warriors fear it above many things.

Access to two-handed weapons that can Bash is great, but Mordor Uruk-Hai are also the most dangerous archers that Mordor has (siege weapons excluded). Yes, these guys have Orc bows, but Mordor Uruk-Hai are the only archers that Mordor has that are also a feared threat in combat. Orc warriors? Not scary (despite their numbers). Orc Trackers? Trash in combat (so much so that they are often consumed in the sacrificial rites of Kardush). Warg Riders with Orc bows? Scary on the charge, but not dangerous if you charge them (or counter-charge with cavalry). Mordor Uruk-Hai though? You think twice before you charge a F4/S4 model.

From a shooting perspective, they may cost more than Orc Trackers, but with a 4+ Shoot Value (average, just fine) and a S2 ranged weapon (average, just fine), these guys make a potent shooting force because they don't APPEAR like they'd be all that dangerous. But as part of a battle line (perhaps starting behind a rank of Mordor Orcs/Morannon Orcs with spears and shields, then ready to swap positions when the enemy begins to close), these guys can force the enemy to come towards your main line instead of avoiding it. Yes, these aren't the best archers in the game - but with lots of ~60pt Heroes of Fortitude in Mordor, you can field a LOT of these guys if you want to.

Making It Work

So how do you get Mordor Uruk-Hai to work for you? Well, there are a few things you can do. First and foremost, have other things that are threatening in your list. Mordor has no shortage of scary units - Warg Riders and Morgul Knights are dangerous mounted models for very different reasons. Casters (usually in the form of Ringwraiths) can terrify (literally) heroes and make the enemy play more cautiously. Great Beasts of Gorgoroth and War Catapults can be devastating and are great for drawing fire. If you've got at least one of these elements in your army AND Mordor Uruk-Hai, I doubt the Uruks are going to draw that much attention from the enemy - much to your opponent's later chagrin.

Second, decide what kind of gear you want to give these guys. I've subtly been talking in this post about Mordor Uruk-Hai as archers - and I think that's really where they find their place. You can, however, run them with shields - and many competitive players prefer them this way (especially in the Legion). I, personally, think that other units outclass them as melee-only models (Morannons and Black Numenoreans specifically) due to the D5 limitation, but as archers, these guys are great. Mordor Uruk-Hai can be taken with both two-handed maces AND Orc bows (I usually take a few this way) for 10pts/model, which does make them expensive, but gives you the option of Bashing someone who gets close to them (and all their Uruk friends).

Finally, while you can give these guys Orc bows, don't underestimate the value of "just rushing". It isn't expensive to buy Orc bows for your models (you'll probably only lose 1-2 models for doing so), but if you know your archery won't be doing much, just March these guys towards the enemy. A horde of Orcs and Uruk-Hai is a scary prospect for any army - and in a Mordor army where the Mordor Uruk-Hai may not be the scariest thing on the board, these guys can be a nasty surprise when they get locked in. As such, be sure to bring a March hero or two (or a Mordor Troll with War Drum) to make sure the Uruks bring their F4/S4 to bear!

Conclusion

If you like running these guys (in or out of the Legion), let us know in the comments! The actual models are quite expensive, but converting up Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk-Hai bows into Mordor Uruk-Hai is actually quite easy and very affordable. I have a mix of converted Uruks and the real guys and they look great!

In our next post, we'll be looking at another Mordor model that gets critiqued: Shelob. There are some players out there (like the Green Dragons from Australia, Mik from the Unexpected Podcast, and fans of the Cirith Ungol Legendary Legion) who love Shelob - and some of those players loved her before she got a cool Legion. But how effective is she outside of her Legion (and is she reason enough to run the Legion over normal Mordor)? Find out next time as we dive into one of the most fiddly models in the range to construct - and one of the most surprising models in the range too. Until next time, happy hobbying!