MESBG Christmas Lists, List #7: The Army of Dunland Legendary Legion

Good morning gamers,

Tiberius: This week, we've seen Christmas lists from Mitchell and Markus Hammond from the Durin Show - what better way to wrap up the week than to have Matt Hammond, the third member of the Durin Show, send in a list he enjoyed using this year! What do you have for us today, Matt?

Matt: I like lists that center around heroes. Special abilities and rules that accompany most of these characters add flavor, and the potential to enjoy strategic ploys that make the army unique to your playstyle. As a result, most of my MESBG games take on a “Warriors hold the line while the big fellas do the work” kind of approach. Let’s talk about a new army that I have been playing with that completely changes that dynamic.

Vikings... uh, I mean the Army of Dunland.

I picked up this army on an impulse (I am prone to those). On the surface, low fight, low defense, high strength, and high numbers make it look not too dissimilar to playing other trending toward horde lists. However, it is the heroes and the elite troops that make this army so much fun to play and make it very different than most Middle-Earth armies. 

Starting with the heroes. If you try the “Warriors hold the line while the big fellas do the work” kind of approach you will find that your game quickly ends with every hero you own being relegated to the dead pile. Dunland heroes are intended to be used in an opportunistic fashion. Use your warrior numbers to your advantage and leave your heroes in a position to either be able to take advantage of your opponent’s mistakes, or cheat them out of a power move. Frida is a great example of this. Moving her into a spear support position and taking away the charge bonus of a hero can make it much riskier for an opponent to call a heroic combat. Almost all the heroes have some gimmick like this that can really put a stop to a well laid enemy plan. All the Dunland hero profiles can be fantastic when used properly, but the fact they every single one of them can easily be “one shotted” by a mid-tier enemy hero under the right circumstance makes you use them in a very cautious fashion. 

The warrior options. The other thing that I love about this army is the selection of warrior models that can make every build of the army unique. You don’t just horde out Wildman and Dunlending warriors. Your decision on how many crebain, huscarls, horseman, and banners to bring has big implications as to how this army will play. Personally, getting the benefit of six inch banners, and having spear supports (and potential F4) where you need them makes me drift to a higher banner/Huscarl count than most.

The armies in this game that I dislike the most are the ones that play and look the same no matter who is piloting them, or what part of the world they are playing in. I like variety. Dunland certainly provides this kind of variety as well as adding painful decisions when deciding what heroes or warriors to not include in your list. While Dunland is certainly not a typical A-tier army, when piloted correctly, it can still be effective. Most importantly, it is always a fun play experience for both the general and the opponent.

Here is a copy of the list I ran at the latest Texas GT. The list went undefeated day one, but then had a disappointing two losses on day two to finish the event 4-2. Even though the result was not what I wanted it was a blast to play with. If you are looking to find a new army, and have a love for Vikings… here is the list for you.

• Thrydan Wolfsbane on horse [ARMY LEADER]
• 1 Crebain
• 1 Dunlending Horseman
• 6 Dunlending Huscarls
• 6 Dunlending Warriors with shields
• 1 Dunlending Warrior with banner
• Gorulf Ironskin
• 1 Crebain
• 1 Dunlending Horseman
• 4 Dunlending Huscarls
• 4 Dunlending Warriors with shields
• Frida Tallspear
• 2 Dunlending Huscarls
• 1 Dunlending Warrior with shield
• 1 Dunlending Warrior
• 1 Dunlending Warrior with banner
• Wild Man Oathmaker
• 12 Wildmen of Dunland

Tiberius: Thanks Matt for the list - more Dunland models are on my radar, but that'll be after the Quest of the Ringbearer stuff is over. We'll have another list on Sunday, so be sure to check back then - and in the meantime, have a Merry Christmas and happy hobbying!