The Stuff of Legends: The Fell Beings of Mirkwood

Good morning gamers,

Legendary Legions are one of my favorite aspects of the most recent rendition of MESBG - they give those of us who like thematic game play a new way to use the existing armies (and sometimes make what would be convenient/impossible alliances actually playable and sometimes competitive). In each sourcebook, we've received 2-7 new Legions and with six books under our belts, there are a veritable host of Legions to use.

But in each supplement (well, most of them at any rate), there are certain Legions that . . . just don't excite me as much as others (and I think I speak for a lot of MESBG users when I say they're not exciting). In Gondor at War (the first supplement released), players rallied quickly to the Return of the King and Riders of Theoden Legendary Legions, but the Men of the West and Army of Gothmog just . . . didn't seem like worthy investments for most players. Similarly, War in Rohan gave us really amazing Legions like the Defenders of Helm's Deep, Ugluk's Scouts, and the Army of Dunland, but it also gave us the Wolves of Isengard and the Riders of Eomer who . . . well, just don't seem to stack up to the other Legions in the book.

Defence of the North contains six Legions and of the six Legions presented in the book, there is one Legion that stands out more than the others as unnecessary: the Army of Dale (especially after the August 2022 FAQs showed that the Windlance was supposed to be available in the Garrison of Dale list all along). While Jeremy Hunthor likes the addition of Sworn Protector in the Legion, adding Sworn Protector to the army bonus if Brand is in the list would make the Legion unnecessary - and no, I won't change my mind (#LegionForLorien). :-) A close second, however, is the Fell Beings of Mirkwood. Like I said in my review of the Army of Gothmog, this Legion has some nice buffs to it (though their actual impact is much less than originally meets the eye), you're probably better off just running a convenient alliance if you want this list instead of the Legion itself. Still, it's a Legion - and I've taken up the mantle to find out a way to make this army unique and cool and somehow relevant in competitive play. Let's dive in!

Part 1: What Do You Need?

Legion Tax: 110pts

The only required model in this list is Razgush, War Leader of the North. For just over 100pts, this means that, at any points level, you can get quite a few models in your force. Razgush boasts a pretty solid profile for being an Orc hero - F5/S4/3A with 3 Might on offense, D7 with 3 Wounds/1 Fate on defense. Against Elves in this Legion, he'll get +1 FV (great for fighting grunts, fine for fighting heroes) and has access to Heroic Strike to challenge someone big. His mace (Bone-breaker) negates the Elven-made dueling boost when Fight Values are tied, so if you do happen to tie the enemy Fight Value (F6 Elven troops/Elven-heroes-who-can't-Strike or a tied Strike-off/select non-Elf heroes carrying Elven blades), at least the enemy isn't getting an advantage. Of course, this is also a poor man's version of the Elven-made keyword, since it won't give you an Elven-made advantage against F6 heroes who have mundane weapons (like Boromir of Gondor or a large number of Dwarf heroes). But still, it's nice to have.

What you ACTUALLY need to take in this list are a BUNCH of Orcs Warriors (for your offensive soft-anvil - more on that in the tactics section) and Orc Trackers (mostly on foot, perhaps a few mounted). You also have access to both Fell Wargs and Bat Swarms, which not only serve as good fast Infantry to dig up objectives, but also provide tactical benefits to your team (halving Fight Value and charging things that are hiding out of sight). Don't underestimate the value of these things - they'll getcha!

The list also has Warg Riders, Giant Spiders, and Mirkwood Spiders - and while these are perfectly good units, they're also quite expensive. If you're taking Warg Riders, they're probably melee models (shields and possibly throwing spears), since you have access to mounted Orc Trackers in this list (and as cavalry archers, they're just better than Warg Riders with Orc bows). Giant Spiders and Mirkwood Spiders are good fast infantry (bringing the only F4 warrior option to the list for the former and the ability to Paralyze enemies with thowing-weapon-like shooting for the latter), but they're also really expensive, so I'm not sure that these guys are really that necessary in your list, but are nice for thematic boosts and tactical rules if you can afford them.

On the hero side of the house, nine times out of ten, you'll probably want to take the Spider Queen (there's one exception to this rule which we'll talk about later). Not only is she your only other Heroic Strike power piece (and pairs that with Heroic Defense if that's more your need), but the ability to spawn Broodlings to race over to an objective, get off a board, or extend the number of models required to quarter your army can be huge. She's also basically four fast Infantry models on her own and at just over the cost of two Orc Captains on wargs with shields, she's a bargain for what you get.

You should also look into an Orc Drummer and an Orc Shaman (if your points level allows). The Orcs in this army are likely to be mostly on foot, so the Drum helps them get where they're going without the need to spend Might (and from experience, Drummers boosting Warg Riders/Orc Trackers on wargs to have 15" movement is crazy good too, so don't rule out the benefits of having a few mounted models), but the Orcs in this list also have pretty bad Courage (something Fury helps a lot with). If you can afford both of these guys, take them - if you can't, then just take the Drummer (getting places is more important than charging Terror models most of the time).

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

I don't know that I've had a harder job of explaining why you would take a Legion over a normal alliance than with this liy - and considering we've already covered the Men of the West and the Army of Gothmog, that's saying a lot. Still, let's see what this Legion gives us (and what we're giving up).

Weakness #1: Limited Profile Selection

This list can be formed via a Convenient Alliance between the Dark Denizens of Mirkwood from the Armies of the Hobbit supplement and Mordor from the Armies of the Lord of the Rings. These armies aren't an Impossible alliance and so if you bring Razgush (required in the Legion) and the Spider Queen (basically required in the Legion), you can bring all of the models from the Dark Denizens of Mirkwood and a handful of the models from Mordor. Some of Mordor's best units (Ringwraiths, Morannon Orcs, Black Numenoreans, and Shagrat among others) are excluded from this list and you're forced to lean hard into some of the most basic hero and warrior choices Mordor has to offer. Yes, you have access to all of the creatures from the Dark Denizens of Mirkwood, but D6 warriors are unattainable in this Legion and that can be a real problem.

Pseudo-Strength #1: Anti-Elf Bonuses (That Might Apply Against Other Factions)

This Legion is all about Orcs and creatures crushing Elves - so why not give everyone Hatred (Elf) and Woodland Creature to all the Infantry models in this list! Since the most resilient of Elves are D6-7, Orcs normally wound these monstrocities on 6s, but in this Legion, they'll be wounded on at least 5s thanks to Hatred (Elf) - which is awesome because it will cause your opponent to have to burn Might to win fights when they get poor rolls. Many non-shield-carrying Elves are D4-5, which will be wounded on 4s instead of 5s here - which is really awesome. Finally, if you happen to run across D3 Wood Elf Warriors or Mirkwood Rangers, you'll wound these guys on 3s.

The unfortunate thing is that you already get Hatred (Elf) on most of these models just by including Razgush in your army. Yes, you'll pick up the Hatred bonus on Taskmasters, Shamans, Trackers, and all the creatures in this list, but it should be understood that this isn't "new". While the practice rules for Razgush included two rules that set the army composition restrictions for his warband, the increased unit choices for Orc Captains in the same army list, and Hatred (Elf) across the army, I kind of wish the Hatred (Elf) rule was removed from his base profile (make him cost a few points less if you want) and make that a Legion-specific thing. There are some people benefitting from it though.

Now lest you think that the Hatred bonus will only work against three factions (Rivendell, Lothlorien, and the Halls of Thranduil), think again: Elves make for great allied contingents, whether it's bringing Legolas from the Halls of Thranduil and a small body of Elves into any kind of Forces of Good army (most notably the two Lake-town variants and apparently Rohan), bringing in Galadriel/Haldir to protect a low-Fight infantry horde from getting overwhelmed, or a Last Alliance army, you could see a bunch of Elves on the board mixed in with other units - and you'll get bonuses there too. Similarly, if you face the Return of the King LL, the Breaking of the Fellowship LL, the Vanquishers of the Necromancer LL, or any list that "just adds Legolas/Galadriel Lady of Light" (now with a friend if it's not a Rivendell list since she was downgraded to a Hero of Fortitude), there'll probably be somebody who you can get bonuses against. Yes, it might not be as pervasive as you hoped, but it's certainly welcome.

The more universal benefit you get is Woodland Creature - which is board-dependent, but since woods are a very commonly-viewed terrain feature in most competitive settings. Being able to race through woods is good for your infantry who need to flush out archers (and allows models to race from wood to wood better to get cover bonuses), good for your archers who can slink through woods at 3-6" each turn depending on what movement boosts are active, and good for your Fell Wargs who don't need line of sight to charge things.

What it doesn't help, though, is your cavalry and your spiders: the Legion grants Woodland Creature to your infantry models and you would need Fleetfoot for your Warg Riders/mounted Trackers to benefit from it. The spiders in this list technically get Woodland Creature, but they already have Swift Movement which treats all terrain as open ground (so unless Floi is on the other side of the board and takes Swift Movement away, it's redundant and not helpful).

I know this section is usually larger, but honestly, that's it - you're trading warrior and hero choices for increased bonuses against Elves (Woodland Creature can have bigger impacts, but it's best used for chasing other Woodland Creatures out of forests) and the ability to take Orcs in the Spider Queen's warband. As it happens, this CAN actually be an improvement over your normal alliance options, but we'll cover that in Parts 4-5 below.

Part 3: Legendary Legion Improvements

Like the Army of Gothmog, I think the boosts you get in this list are pretty niche - if you're fighting Elves, you'll be thankful for the buffs. But as has already been mentioned, most of the models in this list would have these boosts anyway . What would have been nice to have (and would set this Legion apart from a convenient alliance) is if you have mixed warbands, where Orcs are running alongside the feral animals from Mirkwood - and if certain pairings granted benefits to the army. Since we have access to three kinds of creatures and three types of Orc units, it would make sense if a 1:1 pairing did something - so I would make the following three changes.

First, friendly Orc models mounted on wargs that are in the same warband as at least one Fell Warg are "Warg-kin" and gain the Fell Sight special rule while mounted. We have Fell Wargs that can charge models they can't see - and this special rule can give them huge tactical advantages over Warg Riders (cheaper, able to dig up objectives without having to dismount, and able to fully hide from view and still charge). If Warg Riders were able to ride on Fell Wargs (effectively), there'd be more compelling reasons to take them.

Second, friendly Orc models with Orc bows that are in the same warband as at least one Spider model are "Spider-kin" and gain the Poisoned Arrows special rule. Poison on bows is really good - they make your arrows slightly more likely to do damage (and for factions like Harad, this is incredibly useful because you have cheap archers who you can spam in your army). There is currently no way for Orc Trackers to get poison on their weapons, but they seem like the kind of guys who wouldn't mind collecting poison and dipping their arrow tips in it before battle.

Third and lastly, friendly Orc models that are in the same warband as at least one Bat model are "Bat-kin" and gain the Cave Dweller special rule. It would be VERY imbalanced to grant a rule like Blinding Swarm to every Orc, but with recent rules helping out Cave Dwellers, this would be a cool rule for the Orcs in this list to gain (especially if they're playing Clash by Moonlight, where they can advance across the shorter field of fire and NOT give the Elves bonuses to tearing them to pieces on their approach). The creatures in this army aren't protected with Cave Dweller (only the Orcs get it), but this would fit in with the models in the list gaining some kind of buff by getting your warbands constructed a certain way.

Now lest you think that this will make distinguishing which guys have what bonuses into a full-on nightmare, consider this: if you have a Bat Swarm in Razgush's warband (and maybe a second Bat Swarm with the Spider Queen), you can have 1-2 dozen Orcs that have rocky bases or "bat paraphernalia" on them to make them distinct from their other brothers. Similarly, you can have 1-2 spiders with your archers so they all benefit from the Poison rule (or have spider webs/"spider paraphernalia" on the archers that get the boost). The Warg-riding boosts should be pretty self-explanatory, but you could get some Space Wolf pelts/talismans to spice up your guys if you like.

Part 4: Army Strategies

The primary difference between this list and an allied list is the ability to mix Orcs and creatures into your warbands - so let's start there. Razgush already allows Orc Captains to take the creatures from Mirkwood in their warbands, but each warband (even if led by the Spider Queen, a Taskmaster, or a Shaman) can now feature Orcs and creatures in it. Each of the creatures you get access to are useful in their own right - Fell Wargs are cheap, fast Infantry who can charge models without having to see them, Giant Spiders are your only F4 warriors in the list and are S5/2A models (with some resiliency with 2 Wounds, even though they're only D3), Mirkwood Spiders are some of the nastiest skirmishers in the game with the ability to throw Paralyze attacks out at models that are 8" away on a 6+ (5+ if they charge - they should never stand still), and Bat Swarms make enemy Strike heroes inert (not to mention are hard to shoot off objectives with their 4 Wounds).

Every warband can take advantage of the Orcs too - in a normal allied force, the Spider Queen (if taken) would be limited to just taking creatures, which means getting a battle line to stand in front of her and absorb archery is a big deal for her. Orc Warriors make for good meat-shields and are good front-line troops (D5 will make most heroes wound them on 5s unless they get wounding bonuses), Warg Riders are a bit expensive in this army compared to Fell Wargs but are still some of the cheaper cavalry in the game (and can be used in this list to take away cavalry bonuses), and Orc Trackers can be run on foot or on wargs and are good, cheap archers.

To field these warriors, you need to begin with Razgush and the Spider Queen. Razgush is required in this list and is a pretty good sail-in-late-to-the-party hero - he has 3 Might and can declare a Heroic Strike from F5 (F6 against an Elf), which isn't great, but works really well if your opponent has already burned through most of their resources. Paired with a Bat Swarm, Razgush doesn't really need to Strike (his F5 will tie the highest enemy Fight Value possible and since his weapon removes the Elven-made bonuses, you'll never be worse than a 50/50 chance of winning a duel) and can save his Might for either calling Heroic Moves to get the charges he wants or boost his dueling roll. He's still about as fragile as most evil Army Leaders (3 Wounds/1 Fate with "only" D7), but he doesn't need to lead from the front.

The Spider Queen gives you both an additional combat hitter to run interference for Razgush, but also gives you the tactical benefits of the three Broodlings that she can spawn (assuming you have Will to spend). Being able to spawn three models ahead of her and they can race forward to continue towards a board edge, take a camp, or claim an objective. The Spider Queen can be crazy good and it's hard NOT to want to take her. She does have one big vulnerability: enemy magic. She's got 3 Will points, but any Will points she spends to resist magic that don't get a natural 6 are Broodlings you can't summon and if she summons three Broodlings, she's dead-in-the-water if a caster shows up. She packs a punch on offense, but you gotta be REALLY careful with her if there's a caster on the other side of the board.

When it comes to warriors, I'd recommend having 33% bows with Orc Trackers - some on wargs to remove enemy cavalry bonuses and move quickly while still shooting, most on foot to hold ground and boost your numbers. Orc Tracker shooting isn't great (4+ Shoot Value with 18"/S2 Orc bows), but for 5pts/model, you can spam out a LOT of archers (especially if you have a lot of 6-7pt Orcs to form your shieldwall).

At points levels higher than 500pts (and possibly at 500 as well), you're going to need to look into a third, fourth, or fifth hero to include - and it all begins with an Orc Drummer. Drummers in SBG don't look like much - in most cases, they have a bare-bones warrior profile (and in the case of Easterling Kataphrakts, they ARE a bare-bones warrior profile) but are Independent heroes with 1 Fate point. Even at 500pts, I'd recommend taking one of these guys - for 30pts, you're getting essentially an Uruk-Hai Warrior (9pt value) who has 1 Fate point, and a War Drum that affects Mordor Orc models. Fate points are usually valued at 5pts/Fate point, so the Drum "only" costs you 16pts - and if each Might point you get is worth ~5pts, you only need to beat the drum three times to get your worth out of it.

War Drums also provide some interesting options for moving your troops - I discussed this a little in my post on Heroic March nearly two years ago, but some of it bears mentioning here: Heroic March doesn't trigger the you-can't-charge rule until the March hero actually goes (allowing some models who would be in range of the March to charge while others get extra movement) but does limit where the faster models need to end up, while War Drums activate at the start of the move and prevent all models within range from charging, but they also can go wherever they want (they don't need to end within 6" of the Marching hero). Since this army has a mix of Mordor Orc models and non-Mordor-Orc models (the creatures), it means that your Orcs can move 9" each turn if they're on foot (or 4.5" while shooting if on foot - or 7.5-15" if they're cavalry and need to/don't need to shoot) and they can go wherever they want! Paired with the fact that creatures within range can still charge thanks to keywords not lining up, I think this is better for this kind of army than March and you should always get it.

But let's not snub Captains too hard - an Orc Captain who calls a March while a Drummer is beating his drum can make his Orc comrades move 12" each turn at full speed (20" each turn when mounted), which means that a mounted Orc Captain can lead a pack of Warg Riders/mounted Trackers a FAR distance in one turn (which in games of Reconnoitre can be potentially devastating). It's important to note that you can do this in a normal Mordor list too (or a Convenient alliance with the Dark Denizens of Mirkwood), but with Ringwraiths, named Orc/Uruk heroes (Guritz is basically an infantry Orc Captain with 3 Might, but also killing heroes like Gorbag, Zagdush, Goroth, and the all-infamous Shagrat), and more elite warriors crowding in for a slot, mounted Orc Captains can sometimes get lost in the mix. So . . . while not exclusive to this Legion, you will certainly see it showing up more in this list as a strategy than in your typical Mordor list. The jury's out on whether you need a shield on these guys (I'm of the opinion that you can get it if you want to, but it isn't necessary).

While Orc Drummers and Orc Captains can boost your movement in one way or another, Orc Shamans shouldn't be ignored in this list. Your Orcs have terrible Courage (nothing new) and your creatures have terrible Courage (also nothing new) and since you don't have Druzhag to help your Spiders, Fell Wargs, and Bat Swarms pass their Courage tests with Fury, you probably want your Orcs to be able to hold down Terror targets - so bring a Shaman. Also, since your Orc heroes don't have great Courage (Razgush excepted), Fury can help them stay in the action longer - and if you have your Captains spread out just-barely-within-6" of the Shaman, you can cover a pretty wide area with your Stand Fasts and keep your army together.

The final generic hero we have to cover are Orc Taskmasters, who almost NEVER see the light of day in Mordor lists, but are actually quite useful if you know you're going to call Heroic Marches (valuable in some scenarios), Heroic Moves (valuable in virtually every game you play, regardless of the scenario), and Heroic Shoots (don't call this - ever). Once you've picked up Razgush, the Spider Queen, an Orc Drummer, and maybe an Orc Shaman, your additional heroes are going to be Orc Captains or Taskmasters - and having a Taskmaster around can mean that your Orc Captains have more Might to play with later in the game if their early-game Heroic March is free. This has increased value the more you use it, of course, but an Orc Taskmaster is basically an Orc Captain who has -1 Might, the potential for free Heroic Moves/Marches, and a mace/whip instead of a pick (and without the option for a shield, Warg, or Orc bow).

And since Razgush may need to call Heroic Moves late in the game for you (and might not need to call a Strike if he's fighting alongside a Bat Swarm), having the ability to call a Heroic Move that ends up being free is a HUGE late-game advantage. If you've already got 1 Orc Captain (and certainly if you have 2 Orc Captains) and you're looking for another hero to add, I'd strongly consider you try out one of these guys - it could help you a ton.

Okay, enough about Orcs, let's get into the creatures! Bat Swarms are a must - always include at least one of these guys in your list, though I have found that you probably want two of these if you're playing above 500pts. At/under 500pts, you're unlikely to see more than one hero that threatens you (some niche lists aside), so having 1 Bat Swarm to hang around either Razgush or the Spider Queen to scare off a big hero should be a sufficient deterrent. Bat Swarms are great for neutralizing high-Fight models, but they're also great for sitting on objectives, collecting Prizes/Heirlooms (that aren't in woods - they do get 3" Woodland Creature movement in woods in this Legion, though), getting off the board in Reconnoitre, or storming someone's camp (best done with Broodlings in tow, I feel). Yep, always have at least one of these guys (and as the points levels get higher, make sure you bag a second one - three of these is just mean).

You should also include at least a few Fell Wargs in your list - this is not only because they are also good at the same things that Bat Swarms are (picking up objects especially), but their Fell Sight can allow them to tag models that would otherwise be ineligible for your Orcs to hold down (models hiding behind terrain or with Stalk Unseen). Fell Wargs also take up a lot of space on the board (thanks to their 40mm bases), which means you can block a channel that a hero wants to run through with 1-2 of these guys (though the wargs will probably die - not that we care, of course).

Finally, we have both Giant Spiders and Mirkwood Spiders in this list - and they're both really expensive options, since their mobility function can be fulfilled with Bat Swarms, Broodlings, and Fell Wargs (most of which you're probably already taking) and so it's really just the F4 on the Giant Spiders (which is good) and the Spider Webs on the Mirkwood Spiders (which are also good when they hit) that makes you want them. As such, if you have the points for them, add a few of these (you probably want to invest in 3+ of any one kind in order to actually see a benefit from taking them - honestly I can't justify the expense in this list very much).

I know this section has been long, but we have one other thing you can do with this list that I'd like to cover - you can pre-package your warbands. By this I mean that you can have pre-determined warbands that you like to use that fit neatly into either 200-point or 125-point groups and then based on your points level you add the blocks that you want to use. For example, since you have to take Razgush, you can use this 200-point warband in virtually any game (NOTE: it is unclear to me whether the Legion options overrides his ability to take Trackers, so I've put Trackers in his warband, but if you get asked about it, be ready to shuffle the Trackers into other warbands - or just do that from the start):

• Razgush, War Leader of the North
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields
• 2 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 1 Orc Warrior with shield, spear, and banner
• 4 Orc Trackers

Having a 200pt anvil (although this is a very short one) is a great start for any army - especially if you have a decent hero leading it. We can make a similar 200-point block for the Spider Queen:

• The Spider Queen
• 3 Orc Warriors with shields
• 2 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 2 Orc Trackers
• 1 Fell Warg
• 1 Bat Swarm

These two blocks together (400pts exactly) give you an 7-man frontage battle line with 5 spears behind them (two shield guys can hold down the flanks and Razgush can either enter the battle line or flex behind it to support either flank), there are 6 Orc Trackers for harassing the enemy on foot (they can be run in two skirmisher triangles if you like), and 1 Fell Warg/1 Bat Swarm to help the Spider Queen wrangle objectives and/or deal with big heroes.

With this as your core, you can then add however many of the following three 125-point blocks that will fit within the points level to your army (dropping some units if you need to fit under a given points level):

• Orc Captain on warg with shield
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 2 Orc Trackers (or 3 Orc Trackers if you skip the shield on the Captain)
• 1 Fell Warg
• Orc Shaman
• INDEPENDENT: Orc Drummer -  send to Razgush's warband
• 1 Orc Warrior with shield
• 3 Orc Trackers
• 2 Orc Trackers on Wargs (drop the warg mounts to get more Orcs with spears/shields in Razgush's warband if you want)
• Orc Taskmaster
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 3 Orc Trackers
• 1 Fell Warg

If you're playing at 500pts, you could start with the 200-point blocks for Razgush/the Spider Queen and then add in a 125pt block listed above, removing 25pts from the units included (roughly 4 models will be lost). If you're playing at 650pts, you can include two 125-point blocks to the existing 400-point base and you're good to go. 700 points? Take your 650-point list and drop the hero from a third block and a handful of guys and you're golden. You get the idea - the list has enough limitations on what it can take that you can pre-can a lot of your army list building. This isn't necessarily a limitation - though you CAN do this with Mordor generally (it can be quite difficult though given the spread of options you have in the list).

Part 5: Army Showcase

At 500pts, we can basically get Razgush, the Spider Queen, and the Orc Drummer - but frankly, that's a solid start to any Mordor/Dark Denizens list. As laid out in the previous section, we've packed in the Trackers and gotten to 32 models (the max we can take if we want the Drummer in someone's warband - which we do). Razgush and the Spider Queen are "just combat heroes," so we want to rely on the Drum to get us up the board (in lieu of Heroic March) and we want our Trackers to find nice firing lanes to support our rapid advance. Since we want our archers to be left behind eventually, taking the Drum is actually the better play than Heroic March, since the Drum has a more expansive range and doesn't require you to stay within a certain distance of the Drummer. While I'm not convinced this is the best 500-point list you'll ever face, I think it IS better than a convenient alliance as you're getting far more Orcs in your army that you would if the Spider Queen couldn't lead any. Adding in another Mordor hero (a Shaman or Captain perhaps) would undercut your numbers significantly, so I think there's actually a leg for this list to stand on. That said, I've really struggled with it (both not against Elves AND against Elves) . . . but maybe that's just me and how much I have to learn in fielding this list.

• Razgush, War Leader of the North [ARMY LEADER]
• INDEPENDENT: Orc Drummer
• 5 Orc Warriors with shields
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 1 Orc Warrior with shield, spear, and banner
• 2 Orc Trackers
• 2 Orc Trackers on Wargs
• The Spider Queen
• 3 Orc Warriors with shields
• 2 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 6 Orc Trackers
• 3 Fell Wargs
• 1 Bat Swarm

When we bump the points level up to 700pts, we don't have the model constraints we had before, so we're going to dismount/trade our ridden Wargs and make the Trackers walk so we can bulk out our numbers! With 5 Fell Wargs, a Bat Swarm, and of course the Spider Queen/Broodlings, this list has a lot of fast models. But wait, there's more! With our Orc Drummer still beating away, an Orc Captain for Heroic March, the Orcs in this list can be flying at 12" a turn towards the enemy - it's a good day to die! We also have a Shaman for Fury so our Orcs can get engaged no matter what the enemy throws at us. With 51 models, this list has a VERY healthy model count - something it's going to need if it runs into mass shooting or elite troops (like Elves)!

• Razgush, War Leader of the North [ARMY LEADER]
• INDEPENDENT: Orc Drummer
• 5 Orc Warriors with shields
• 5 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 1 Orc Warrior with shield, spear, and banner
• 3 Orc Trackers
• The Spider Queen
• 1 Orc Warrior with spear and shield 
• 8 Orc Trackers
• 4 Fell Wargs
• 1 Bat Swarm
• Orc Captain on warg with shield
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 3 Orc Trackers
• 1 Fell Warg
• Orc Shaman 
• 3 Orc Warriors with shields
• 3 Orc Warriors with shields and spears

Our last list is an odd one - it runs this idea of a 200pt base warband for Razgush and leaning hard into the Orcs and less into the creatures. As was mentioned earlier, Fell Wargs make for great fast troops, but we've looked for 125pt warband drops and this is how it came out (56 models but no Spider Queen, 2 cavalry + 2 fast infantry for speed, 13 Orc bows, and a BIG wall of Orcs):

• Razgush, War Leader of the North [ARMY LEADER]
• INDEPENDENT: Orc Drummer
• 5 Orc Warriors with shields
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 1 Orc Warrior with shield, spear, and banner
• 1 Bat Swarm 
• Orc Captain on warg
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 4 Orc Trackers
• Orc Captain on warg
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 4 Orc Trackers
• Orc Taskmaster
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields
• 2 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 3 Orc Trackers
• 1 Fell Warg 
• Orc Shaman
• 6 Orc Trackers

I'm not sure if the +5 models we get are better value than "just taking the Spider Queen" (who can potentially get +3 models), but we do have +1 Captain and +1 Taskmaster, so this list will be better at passing Courage tests (whether it's sticking around after breaking or charging Terror models). Besides the Woodland Creature on the entire army and the Hatred (Elf) special rule on the Fell Wargs, Orc Taskmaster, and Orc Shaman, you can STILL run this entire list in a pure Mordor list (the Taskmaster would need to give his Fell Warg to Razgush, but otherwise it's uncharged) - so once again, you're left with the decision of whether this Legion has any benefits over generic Mordor. But hey, I tried. :-)

Army Summary

This may be more than anyone ever writes about this Legion, but considering it did well in the Ardacon doubles tournament, I feel like the list has something to offer at low points levels (when you're probably getting a better list than if you'd just allied normally) and possibly at higher ones (though I'm inclined to just go with the normal armies). If you've run the list or if any of this has piqued your interest, let us know in the comments!

Next time, our attention turns to one of the last Legion from Defence of the North: the Beornings. This Legion was a surprise to me and apparently has been a hit in the competitive scene. But what is it about this Legion that makes it appealing? And how do you deal with having low numbers? Find out the answers next time - until then, happy hobbying!