In Defense Of: Citadel Guard

Beregond and the Citadel Guard stand alert!

Hey Reader!

Today we're continuing the In Defense Of series, and Tiberius asked me to jump in and chat about the Citadel Guard, as Minas Tirith is not lacking in quality infantry, and these guys tend to draw the short straw compared to the Warrior of Minas Tirith (who is about the same cost), the Ranger of Gondor (if you want archery support from your infantry), and the Tower Guard (who are just all-around better in most respects).

And I think this is a shame, because these models look awesome, and are awesome, and fill an often-needed (and much bemoaned) role in the Minas Tirith faction. We will start by looking at why people tell you not to take this model, then we'll discuss why you should take it, and then close out by discussing how to make it work effectively in your army list.

Why NOT To Take Citadel Guard

Citadel Guard are something of a poster child for, "jack of all trades, master of none" units in Middle Earth SBG: everything they offer you can get elsewhere (kind of) in the list, but other units can do it better. Citadel Guard are Fight 4, but so are Tower Guard and (potentially) Osgiliath Veterans and Warriors of Minas Tirith (if you take the right heroes next to them), so they are not an auto-include for high Fight Value armored infantry. They have the Bodyguard special rule, but with most Minas Tirith infantry starting at C3-4, and the army special rule bumping up the Courage value by 1, an army that is predominately C4-5 is basically getting the effects of Bodyguard without worrying about whether the army leader is alive or not. They have heavy armor, but most models in the Minas Tirith list have that, and their inability to take a shield makes them less resilient than most infantry in the list. 

And while they can take spears or longbows, Rangers of Gondor can take both a spear and a bow at the same time, and while their bows are not as powerful (S2 for the ranger, compared to S3 for the citadel guard), rangers sport a 3+ Shoot Value instead of a 4+ Shoot Value, so they are more likely to get a chance to roll said damage roll (which is arguably better for the law of averages).

In Defense Of: Uruk-Hai Scouts (and Uruk-Hai Scout Captains)

Good morning gamers,

When Centaur and I got started playing MESBG, the first armies Centaur collected were Isengard and Rohan (very thematic choices). While Eomer, Warriors of Rohan, and Rohan Royal Guards became the mainstays of Centaur's Rohan army (and still are today, actually), Isengard was always led by Ugluk and Vrasku and behind them were a host of Orc Warriors (cheap bodies with access to spears) and Uruk-Hai Scouts. While the Uruk-Hai Scouts play a central role in one of the most exciting combat sequences of the Lord of the Rings films, their use in MESBG is often relegated to the two Legendary Legions that rely on them for good Fight Value and Strength (Ugluk's Scouts and Lurtz's Scouts).

This is a shame, because Uruk-Hai Scouts are actually quite good in MESBG, but due to a variety of reasons, they just don't see as much play. Since both Centaur (hi guys!) and I love Uruk-Hai Scouts, I decided to do a tag-team with him in this article - but I'm going to limit my scope to the value that Uruk-Hai Scouts have in the generic Isengard faction (allied or pure), NOT these Legions (though I have some thoughts on the Ugluk's Scouts legion regarding how these guys pair with orcs, which we'll talk about below). Anyone who's played with Ugluk's Scouts or Lurtz's Scouts knows how invaluable these guys are to the line-up (they're either all you have or one of two warrior choices you have), but their utility in the general Isengard faction is questionable. So today, while discussions about these two Legions will certainly arise, we're going to focus our efforts on addressing the utility of Scouts in Isengard generally.

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community

We're also going to broaden the discussion a bit to Uruk-Hai Scout Captains, who often vie unsuccessfully for slots with Uruk-Hai Captains (aka, the "guys from Helm's Deep") - these guys have a good place in Isengard lists too, despite the dominance of their more armored cousins. Let's see what's so "bad" about these Scout models before we talk about what's so good about them . . .

Why NOT To Take Uruk-Hai Scouts

Our discussion of Uruk-Hai Scouts begins with a look at Uruk-Hai Warriors: when I got started collecting Isengard (about two months after Centaur because our good friend/fellow admin-on-hiatus Zorro bought a TON of Uruk-Hai Warriors used on eBay), I was like, "why would I invest in Uruk-Hai Scouts when I could pay +1 point/model to get +1 Defense with Uruk-Hai Warriors?" In most respects, Uruk-Hai Scouts and Uruk-Hai Warriors are the same, except that the Uruk-Hai Warriors pay +1 point to get heavy armor instead of standard armor and the equipment choices they can take. We'll get into war gear next, but the first reason most players avoid Uruk-Hai Scouts is because their armor gets increased.

In Defense Of: Mattocks

Good morning gamers,

A surprising number of posts in the last two rounds of this "In Defense Of" series have centered around two-handed weapons - whether it's models who have to fight two-handed (like Bofur the Dwarf or Moria Blackshield Captains) or models that can fight two-handed even if they have other options (like Morannon Orc Captains - if you give them a two-handed weapon instead of a shield - or Mordor Trolls). I've even written an entire article talking about why two-handing can be okay (ignoring models who don't suffer the dueling penalty from the discussion). Today, we're going to continue looking at the topic of two-handed weapon options by looking at an equipment choice that I've come to appreciate having here and there in my Erebor Reclaimed lists: mattocks.

Photo Credit: Spikey Bits

For starters, there are a handful of models that have this rather specialized kind of weapon - most of them can be found in the Erebor Reclaimed/Iron Hills factions:

• Bofur the Dwarf (Thorin's Company)
• Iron Hills Captains (Erebor Reclaimed/Iron Hills)
• Iron Hills Dwarves (same)
• Iron Hills Goat Riders (same)
  

A mattock is described in Bofur's profile as being a "two-handed weapon, which can use either the Bash or Piercing Strike Special Strikes," which is neat since Bashing with a two-handed weapon makes your Bash more likely to work and getting +1 To Wound when you've raised your Strength value to improve your wounding roll is even better. There's nothing to dislike about this, right?

Well, actually no - most competitive players (including the Into The West podcast team) will tell you that the models look cool, but the mattock isn't worth taking. And on its face, I think they're right. However, there's more to this weapon than meets the eye - let's see why mattocks are critiqued so heavily and then we'll look at why (and more importantly how) they can be worth taking.

Why NOT To Take Mattocks

Our discussion of mattocks has to begin with a comparison between a mattock and a pick-hammer. If you look at the Grim Hammer profile from the Army of Thror, you'll see that a Pick-Hammer is a "hand-and-a-half weapon, which may use either the Bash or Piercing Strike Special Strikes." Wait a minute - did you say you can choose whether you want to use this thing one-handed or two-handed? Are you telling me that the Grim Hammers of Erebor knew how to wield things that look almost EXACTLY like the mattocks wielded by their Iron Hills brethren with one hand! Why yes, yes they could - and that's stop number one for many players (including our very own Rythbyrt): there's no reason why a mattock should have to be wielded two-handed when pick-hammers are a thing.

In Defense Of: Moria Blackshield Captains

Good morning gamers,

Last week I tried to give a passionate defense of Mordor Trolls (and who knows if I succeeded in making them look good), but today we're turning to yet another unloved model: the Moria Blackshield Captain. Moria has lots of great heroes, ranging from powerful monsters (like the Balrog and the Watcher in the Water) to puny-but-cheap/functional heroes, like Moria Blackshield Shamans and Durburz. Among the host of options available to Moria is a model that looks really cool but . . . well, just falls shy of the mark for most people - which is a shame, because he's actually really good. Join me today as we walk through what's so great about the Moria Blackshield Captain . . . but first, we gotta talk about the critiques this guy gets (in general, the comments are fair critiques) . . .

Why NOT To Take Moria Blackshield Captains

If the Moria Blackshield Captain were the only generic Captain option for Moria, that would be one thing, but Moria has two generic heroes who can lead 12 troops and have Heroic March: Moria Blackshield Captains and Moria Goblin Captains. Without any additional gear, the Blackshield Captain costs 10pts more and has +1 Defense (which is mitigated if the Moria Goblin Captain takes a shield - which not everyone does), has +1 Courage (bringing him up to C4 innately and C5 if there's a drum around), and gains the Hatred (Dwarf) special rule (+1 To Wound against Dwarves - which can be awesome, more on this later).

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community

One of these boosts is free - but the benefits of all of these boosts are highly situational. Being D6 is generally a good thing for a hero (many warriors will wound you on 6s - as will most shooting attacks), but it isn't very good if you're up against another hero, who probably wounds you on 5s (if not 4s if he gets +1 To Wound). Being C4 is also good - but only marginally better than being C3 (and if C4 is good enough, than a Moria Goblin Captain within range of a Moria Goblin Drum is going to be C4 as well). Furthermore, both of these hero options can automatically pass any Courage tests they need to take if they're within 6" of a Moria Goblin Shaman who has cast Fury or if they are within 12" of the Balrog . . . so the Courage thing might be moot.

In Defense Of: Mordor Trolls (and sort of Isengard Trolls)

Good morning gamers,

First off, happy new year! Or, for you math-heads out there . . .

Golly, I love math . . . I know, I have a problem . . .

We're back in our In Defense Of series for the next few weeks and I wanted to start off with what has become one of my favorite Mordor units: the Mordor Troll. If you ask basically any competitive player, they will tell you that these models are just not worth taking - which is a real shame, because they have been available in both of the starter sets since the MESBG revamp and are highly customizable models (not to mention that Mordor/Isengard Trolls can be fielded in three army lists, as well as three Legendary Legions - yes, there are three of them, check my work if you like).

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community
Also, don't miss the weapon swaps on all the Orcs . . .

There are a wealth of reasons why these models are discouraged from competitive play and today, we begin the year with the impossible task of trying to provide a counter-perspective to . . . basically everyone in the community, including me from a year ago (though I don't know that this will be as hard of a sell as defending Osgiliath Veterans) . . . so in typical Tiberius style, let's get into it!

Why NOT To Take Mordor Trolls

Any discussion of Mordor Trolls has to begin with a discussion about Mordor Troll Chieftains - Mordor Trolls are warrior models, which means they don't have heroic stats (Might, Will, Fate) and since they're expensive warrior models, they will cost more than heroes who have heroic stats AND won't have heroic stats themselves. As great as the Mordor Troll's profile is (F7/S7/3 Attacks on offense, D7/3 Wounds on Defense - and Courage 4, which is pretty good for a monster), most Strike heroes can get above F7 reliably (or at least to F7), they can roll 3+ Attack dice (especially if there are multiple models that charged the Troll), and dealing 3 wounds to a trapped monster isn't that hard - and for some heroes, the trap isn't even necessary. It's in times like these, that you really want the 2-Might-and-Strike of the Troll Chieftain (who has all the same stats as a Mordor Troll, except that he has 2 Might, 1 Will, 1 Fate, Defense 8, and Heroic Strike/Strength - all of which are/can be incredibly useful).

In Defense of: Gondor Battlecry Trebuchets

Hey Reader!

Photo courtesy of GamesWorkshop

Today we're continuing the In Defense Of series, and Tiberius asked me to jump in and chat about the Gondor Battlecry Trebuchet, as I thought it was the best Forces of Good siege weapon (or "Big Honkin' Things," as we also included things like chariots in our consideration) in the game, and that was controversial among our gaming group. And to be honest, this is likely controversial for your gaming group as well: most people tend to not like trebuchets. 

And I don't understand why, because I think they fix the "Minas Tirith Problem" quite nicely.

We will start by looking at why people tell you not to take this model, then we'll discuss why you should take it, and then close out by discussing how to make it work effectively in your army list.

Why NOT To Take a Trebuchet

A lot of people on the internet (both trolls and well-intentioned souls) will tell you that there's literally no reason to take a trebuchet.

In Defense Of: Morannon Orc Captains

Good morning gamers,

When you think about the most developed lists in MESBG, Mordor is probably one of the first that you think of - and it definitely has more profiles in it than any other army list in the game. With a host of Orc, Spirit, Uruk-Hai, Men, and Monsters of various ilks in the mix, it's easy to get overwhelmed with your options for both heroes and warriors. Within the hero listing itself, you not only have a host of generic heroes to pick from, but you have TONS of named heroes to pick from. And within the list of generic heroes is a humble Orc profile that gets ignored by basically everyone: Morannon Orc Captains.

These guys show up in several scenarios within Gondor at War and War in Rohan (yes, it's true - check out Part 5 of the scenario participants post we did earlier this year for more info on this). If you don't play the scenarios much . . . you probably haven't looked too hard at these guys. Let's dig into some of the common objections as to why.

Why NOT To Take Morannon Orc Captains

For most generic heroes, their claim-to-fame in army lists is that they are the only heroes (or the only cheap heroes) with Heroic March. For some armies, you might have 1-2 named heroes (like Aragorn, Dain, or Balin) who have access to Heroic March, but in the main, if you want your infantry to race across the field, you probably need a generic hero.

For four factions, however, this is not true: Rohan, Isengard, Azog's Hunters, and Mordor. For Rohan, Azog's Hunters, and Isengard, there are a host of named heroes who have March - and as a result, unless you're running a Legendary Legion that limits your access to named heroes, you probably won't see a generic Captain in the mix (see my article defending Captains of Rohan for more information about this).

In Defense Of: Two-Handing!

Good morning gamers,

This series was intended to focus on models that are really good that most players seem to not like (be it opinions stated on Facebook, in podcasts, or in printed materials). Our goal with this series was to challenge assumptions - looking for new ways to approach models that get dismissed out of hand and find ways to make them work. Some of the models we covered are tournament staples that get critiqued commonly (like Galadriel or Azog), while others are obscure and almost never see the light (like Osgiliath Veterans and Harry Goatleaf).

Well today, we're shaking things up and we're NOT looking at a model - we're looking at a weapon class and something that almost every competitive player will tell you not to do: fight two-handed when you don't have a rule that removes your dueling penalty.

In MESBG, one of the best bonuses you can get is a +1 To Wound. Sometimes, models will get this because of a special rule (such as Hatred or Backstabbers) or from a piece of war gear (such as a lance). Models that have these bonuses (and actually trigger them) are commonly viewed to be really, really good - especially if they have rules like this that can stack (like Moria Goblin Prowlers in the Assault on Lothlorien Legendary Legion, who can pair Backstabbers with a Legion special rule that gives them +1 To Wound if there is at least one other friendly model engaged in the same fight - more on these guys later).

The most common way to get +1 To Wound, however, isn't with a special rule: it's with a two-handed weapon. As a brief review, there are three types of melee weapons in the game: one-handed weapons (or "hand weapons"), two-handed weapons, and hand-and-a-half weapons (which can be wielded either as hand weapons or two-handed weapons). Weapons that are wielded with one-hand "fight normally," while two-handed weapons apply a -1 penalty to the dueling roll of the model (all dice are affected) but apply a +1 bonus to the To Wound roll of the model (again, all dice are affected - and this bonus is applied to both die rolls if multiple rolls are required to wound).

Occasionally, a piece of war gear will have the "master-forged" keyword (like Narsil or Durin's Axe) that removes the -1 penalty from the dueling roll when using the weapon two-handed. A select number of profiles might have the Weapon Master or Burly special rule that ignores these penalties as well (each provides another niche benefit too, but the main event of these rules is the removal of the dueling penalty). Finally, there are some models that have situational ways of removing the dueling penalty if they get a natural 6 on their dueling roll (most notably Angbor the Fearless, Clansmen of Lamedon, and Hurin Knights of the White Tower). Yes, getting +1 To Wound when you have absolutely no downside is really good - especially if you can reliably Feint as well so you get +1 To Wound and you reroll 1s.

However, there are a TON of models that can elect to two-hand without avoiding the penalty and a select few models who HAVE to two-hand with the penalty in place. It's these models that we're going to focus on today - and we'll be looking at both sets today with the aim of examining why two-handing is valuable (and how to tailor your lists to reduce the risks of two-handing).

In Defense Of: Bofur the Dwarf

Good morning gamers,

Today's article returns to a series we did back in early 2022, where we look at models that get maligned by the community and look for why they're good and worth taking (and how to tailor a list to make them work at their best). The model we'll be covering today is one of the most popular Dwarves from Thorin's Company when you consider the actor who played him, but is often left at home when looking to field Thorin's Company (or the Champions of Erebor in either version of the Erebor Reclaimed army list): Bofur the Dwarf.

My son, Gorgoroth, just finished reading the Hobbit and watching the Hobbit films (extended versions for #1 and #2, theatrical version for #3). Your own views of the films aside, chances are that Bofur the Dwarf makes you smile if not outright laugh just as he delights me when I watch the films (excellent work, James Nesbitt - you snagged my "favorite Dwarf" award, but mostly for what you do in the extended editions of the films). I love this guy and really enjoyed painting him, but I gotta say, that profile just doesn't look appealing. So let's dig into why most people critique the profile . . . and then into why I've come around to like this guy so much!

Why NOT To Take Bofur the Dwarf

The first critique of Bofur that everyone seems to make is that he has to fight two-handed. While every other Dwarf (and Hobbit and Wizard) in Thorin's Company has a hand weapon or a hand-and-a-half weapon (aka, doesn't NEED to suffer the -1 penalty to their dueling roll), Bofur has a "mattock," which is a "two-handed weapon, which can use either the Bash or Piercing Strike Special Strikes." Interestingly enough, this is different from the Grim Hammer "Pick-Hammers," which are hand-and-a-half hammers . . . not sure why that is, to be honest. Anyway, Bofur will always suffer than -1 penalty to his dueling roll, so if he's fighting alone (quite likely), his Might has pretty much one purpose: boosting his dueling rolls so he doesn't die.

In Defense Of: Osgiliath Veterans

Good morning gamers,

Today is the last of the "In Defense Of" posts that I'm writing for now - we'll pop back into this series at some point to cover some other profiles that I, Centaur, and Rythbyrt have bumping around, but we've got some Legendary Legions and factions that need reviewing, so we've got to move on. :-) Today we have probably the hardest sell I've tackled yet (well, some of those Ruffian posts were pretty hard sells too): Osgiliath Veterans. This is one of those profiles that's "cool" but not viewed as particularly competitive - mostly because Minas Tirith is one of the most fleshed out lists in the game (and certainly one of the most fleshed out factions for Good) and with so many "heavy infantry" competing for a spot in your list, these guys just appear to be "bleh" relative to the rest. So today, we'll look at the counts that stand against these guys . . . and then walk through how to rethink your Minas Tirith priorities with these guys in mind.

Why NOT To Take Osgiliath Veterans

Osgiliath Veterans - such a loved-and-yet-unloved lot . . .

In this series, we've compared the profiles that need viewing against their comparable alternatives - and sometimes that list is rather long. Minas Tirith has several Infantry models available to it - each of which is supposed to do something slightly different (note that in this post I'll be assuming we're looking at vanilla Minas Tirith and that their army bonus of +1 Courage is active):

• Warriors of Minas Tirith (hereafter "Warriors") - cheapest D7 troops with access to both banners and spears;
• Rangers of Gondor (hereafter "Rangers") - cheap 3+ shoot value S2 bows;
• Citadel Guard (hereafter "CitGuard") - 4+ shoot value Longbows, potentially mounted on horses;
• Guards of the Fountain (hereafter "CourtGuard") - F4/D7 with Bodyguard; and
• Osgiliath Veterans (hereafter "OsVets") - C5
  

For most competitive players, having C5 just isn't enough to warrant the existence of OsVets - especially when you have Bodyguard on not one but TWO infantry options (CitGuard and CourtGuard). A CourtGuard model might be more expensive than an OsVet, but while the army leader is still alive, their auto-passing Courage tests is a huge boost - and even if the army leader dies, C4 is almost as good as C5.

In Defense Of: Grim Hammer Captains

Good morning gamers,

Today we travel to the mountain of Erebor to view one of the most underrated generic heroes in the game: Grim Hammer Captains. Once a profile with an out-of-production model (they came out recently as made-to-order), Grim Hammer Captains exist in an army list with a very limited set of profiles. Unfortunately, most players ignore these guys, choosing instead to go with one of the five named heroes from the Army of Thror or the other generic hero option, Captains of Erebor (who also got a model back in production). So today, we'll be looking at what's missing from this model that gives it the bad wrap that it gets - and why they're perfectly good heroes to take.

Why NOT To Take Grim Hammer Captains

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community

Grim Hammer Captains have a great profile - most Dwarf heroes do - but when compared to the other generic hero option in the list (Captains of Erebor), they just don't look as good:

Grim Hammer Captains cost +5pts and have, as you can see, an identical stat line to Captains of Erebor with shields, though they have throwing axes and the ability to fight two-handed instead of being able to shield. For most players, shielding (getting 4 dice to win the Duel and foregoing the wounding roll) looks a lot better on a F5 hero that can't Strike than going two-handed (where you'd get a -1 penalty to your 2 Attack dice to win the Duel and getting +1 To Wound if you win the Duel roll). Shields save lives - and the cheaper guy has one.

In Defense Of: Azog

Good morning gamers,

Today we come to a TMAT crowd favorite who seems to be absent from much of the competitive circles: Azog. Despite being a member of the of "6-Might-club," Azog has several limitations that make many players look the other way towards his cheaper son, Bolg. For me, Centaur, and my son Gorgoroth, though, taking Azog is a no-brainer and he's head-and-shoulders better than his competitors (especially his cheaper son, Bolg). Want to find out why? Well, let's have a look - Centaur, get us started!

Why NOT To Take Azog

Photo Credit: Games Workshop

Centaur: Okay, so to start off, I think Azog is only worth taking if you take him with the White Warg. This means, full stop, he's expensive for what you get. At 225+ points you're looking at a model that is only at par for wounding D6+ warriors (5s or worse, same as you get on a 100pt Theoden, Faramir, etc.), whereas an evil monster hero for the same cost or cheaper is ripping those warriors apart on 4s or better. He's got a good offensive profile and he's very good at killing heroes (one of the best against heroes generally), but when compared to Bolg he's not dramatically better and is a good 50ish points more expensive.

Add onto this that Bolg gives all of your archers Morgul Arrows (a niche benefit when fighting multi-wound models, but hey, it's a boon against those high Defense multi-wound models that you don't want to have to wound more than once with S2 archery) and potentially access to free Might Points if he can kill enough stuff, and it begs the question whether you need Azog over and against his younger counterpart.

In Defense Of: Bert the Troll

Good morning gamers,

We've covered a lot of different models in this series - from heroes who make bad army leaders to warriors that no one thinks are valuable. Today, we look at a monster hero (one of the first we've done) who most people forget about - and who, if you face him on the tabletop, you'll probably never forget: Bert the Troll. No, this isn't the guy who chops your big hero to bits (that's Bill). No, this isn't the guy who sneezes on you to half your Fight Value (that's Tom). Nope, this is "the other guy" - and if you don't remember what he does, then you've stumbled across the reason we're covering him today. :-) 

In fact, he's SO unmemorable, that while both Tom (the sneezy guy) and Bill (the choppy-choppy guy) get close-ups photos on the GW website, Bert gets absolutely ZERO close-ups, ZERO screen-time, and is quite literally third-wheeling their gang . . . it's absurd. But let's not let that get us down - let's understand where the critiques are coming from and then view how great Bert actually is!

Why NOT To Take Bert The Troll

Photo Credit: Games Workshop - seriously, there's no solo shot of Bert . . . see for yourself!

In Defense Of: Orophin

Good morning gamers,

With a new sourcebook in hand, we delve into a profile that generated a lot of excitement when his model was first seen in the Defence of the North supplement . . . and by almost all reviewers (Sharbie excluded), we see heavy critique for the ONLY Lorien model released in Defense of the North: Orophin. The long-lost brother of Haldir and Rumil (both of whom have been in the range for ages), Orophin was a welcome inclusion in a book that features Lothlorien as one of the three campaigns (that can be linked into one big campaign) in the Defence of the North supplement. But what is it that holds this guy back? Why is it that people don't seem to like him? Well, let's dive in and see what the critics have to say . . . and why I think this guy has a welcome place in Lothlorien lists.

Why NOT To Take Orophin

Photo Credit: Centaur's copy of Defence of the North - photos of this guy are sparse!

On behalf of all Lothlorien fans, let me begin by saying that the first critique of this guy is that he doesn't have a mount option. This isn't new for named Lothlorien heroes - apparently none of them get horses. If you're used to playing with the Halls of Thranduil (two of the three named heroes can take mounts) or Rivendell (five named combat-heavy heroes can take mounts), you probably know that high-Fight heroes who are capped at S3-4 REALLY get more mileage out of having a mount (not only for speed, but also in killing power). It's a known problem for Lorien players that named Lothlorien heroes don't get mounts - and I tell you what, it would have been nice to have Orophin be "the mounted named hero guy" - it just would have been nice.

I'm also going to note in passing that Orophin as printed in the book doesn't have Woodland Creature - but I fully expect that to be erratad in the upcoming August FAQ. I'm writing it up - you should write them too. Moving on . . .

In Defense Of: Dragons

 Hey Reader!

Today we're continuing the In Defense Of series, and Tiberius asked me to jump in and chat about the Dragon from Moria, as it's often passed over for other hero choices - both monstrous and goblin - for various reasons. We will start by looking at why people tell you not to take this model, then we'll discuss why you should take it, and then close out by discussing how to make it work effectively in your army list.

Why NOT To Take Dragons

I have not bought the GW dragon, because I don't think it's that cool looking.
This is Argamentum from Loot Studios.

We've heard it all before: for the same cost as a fully upgraded dragon you can get The Balrog, who gets Fight 10 (instead of F7), Strength 9 (instead of S7), free heroic combats, and the ability to pull people into base contact with him (thereby making it harder to keep him from fighting, as you effectively have to stay more than 14-17" away from him if he hasn't moved yet, which is really hard to do on any sized board). Tack onto this 10 wounds, turning auto-death abilities into 5 wounds instead, and being available in a legendary legion that makes him even more dangerous (and less susceptible to shooting, which is a huge boon when you only move 6"), and it's easy to see why people take the Balrog over a dragon.

In Defense Of: Dunlending Chieftains

Good morning gamers,

War in Rohan is one of the best supplements that has been released for the game - it not only provided a host of really great scenarios featuring iconic moments from the Two Towers film and historical battles that weren't really featured in the film (like the two battles for the Fords of Isen and the defense of Edoras), but it also released a TON of models. While Rohan and Fangorn got some neat drops, the biggest winner was Isengard - and most of those models fleshed out the Dunland sub-faction of the larger Isengard army.

With new heroes and warriors to use, Dunland surged in popularity among long-time Dunland players (who played with Dunland for thematic reasons, not for competitive ones) and new players alike - and while heroes like Thrydan kept their stock, there was one hero profile who seemed to get snubbed pretty hard by the arrivals of Frida Tallspear, Gorulf Ironskin and the Wild Man Oathmaker: the generic Dunlending Chieftain.

Theoretically, the Chieftain still has a place (eventually you'll max out the four named heroes' warbands), but time and again the Dunlending Chieftain seems to be passed over for the other named heroes. While Thrydan is a required model in the Army of Dunland Legendary Legion, it seems like everyone wants the named heroes before the unnamed guys. Is that fair? Well, let's look at some of the criticisms of the profile before we make the case for this underrated profile.

Why NOT To Take Dunlending Chieftains

Photo Credit: Games Workshop

The biggest reason to not take the Chieftains is because of the four named Dunland heroes: Thrydan is the most expensive of the bunch (85-95pts), but packs such a punch on offense (as the only mounted Dunland hero and with Mighty Blow with either his one-handed sword or his two-handed axe) that most players view his inclusion as a given regardless of the Dunland force you're trying to marshal. The usual second-place choice is Gorulf Ironskin (and in Isengard "soup" lists, he's usually the first Dunland hero taken), who for 70pts gives you F5/S5/3A with 3-Might-and-Strike (if you don't take the free Heroic Defense against heroes/monsters). Like most Isengard named Uruk heroes, Gorulf isn't that incredible on defense (D5 with 2 Wounds/1 Fate), but with the potential for Heroic Defense blunting your worst opponents, Gorulf is about as tough as they come for Dunland.

In Defense Of: Sons of Eorl

Good morning gamers,

We've looked at Rohan recently with regard to Erkenbrand (read that article if you haven't already) and before then with Captains of Rohan, but today we turn to probably the least used Rohan warrior profile in the game: Sons of Eorl. This profile, which has had a cavalry model for a long time and no infantry model ever, is a staple for a very select subset of Rohan army builds and absent from most Rohan lists at high points levels as well as all of the Rohan Legendary Legions. Depending on how you build your lists, these guys may show up in small numbers or not at all. And that's a shame, because these guys are great - even in normal Rohan lists that don't have Eorl the Young. Think I'm crazy? Well, let's dig into the critiques of the model before we delve into this hidden gem.

Why NOT To Take Sons of Eorl

Let's settle this right from the get-go: if you run Sons of Eorl with Eorl the Young, everyone agrees they can be lethal. If they are within 6" of "Dad", these guys become (besides the Warg Marauder edge case) the only true 2 Attack mounted warriors in the game (and on the charge, they become 3 Attack warriors - which is usually reserved for monster models). With F4/S4 (potentially S5 with the army bonus when charging) and axes standard (S6 on the charge), with D6 riders on D5 mounts, these guys pack a punch and are hard to snipe with archery by most things. If they ram into you, they can crack through just about anything.

The photo is GW, but the reference article was written by Centaur wrote ages ago . . .

In Defense of: Castellans of Dol Guldur

This is a sweet paint job (not mine...)

Photo Credit: Azazel's Bitz Box

Tiberius: Today Rythbyrt is back with a defense of one of his favorite units: Castellans of Dol Guldur. I know what you're thinking: Castellans are horrible heroes who can't be defended - not even by the TMAT team. While I could attempt a defense of the units, my experience has been tied to fighting them, not running them. So, I leave you to Rythbyrt to learn how these guys work.

Rythbryt: I'll be honest: when Tiberius asked me to do this write-up, I had two instant thoughts:

1. Absolutely, 1000% YES!

2. Wait, people don't like Castellans?

Apparently, people don't like Castellans. And I'm not sure why. They're one of the most unique profiles in the game. They're incredibly flexible. They pack a surprising whallop. They're spooky. I think the models are dope (although I admit the one with two blades is a tad flat). And they even have their own fight song!* So why all the hate?

No idea. But if your local meta isn't a fan of Castellans, yet loves all sorts of stupid, popular list ideas (like pretty elves, slogged dwarves, a mounted horse king, massed rangers, or five magical wizards storming a spooky castle), have I got some a LOT of thoughts for you!

(Gosh, I've missed this...)

In Defense Of: Galadhrim Knights

Good morning gamers,

In this series, we've mostly looked at heroes who get heavily critiqued in the competitive community. Today, we're looking at a warrior selection that doesn't receive much respect: Galadhrim Knights. As one of two mounted profiles in the Lothlorien list (alongside Celeborn - I mean, Galadhrim Captains and NOT Celeborn!?!?!?!), you'd think that in a game that gives incredible bonuses to being mounted, any mounted model would be beloved and prized. Some of us (I am a fairly recent convert) have used them and grown to love them (probably with a high learning curve that made us hate them for a while) and others just don't see it. So today, we're looking at these guys in detail to learn all the tricks of the trade - let's get stuck in!

Why NOT To Take Galadhrim Knights

Whenever you hear someone complain about Galadhrim Knights, the words "Rivendell Knights" are often heard in the same breath. Rivendell, like Lothlorien and the Halls of Thranduil, are either historical allies or convenient allies with every Good faction in the game - so any Good faction CAN have cavalry if they are willing to give up their army bonus (unless they're one of those rare historical allies with the Elves, which are mostly factions of the hero/monster variety).

Rivendell Knights are similar in cost to Galadhrim Knights when both are given shields and bows (22pts for a Riv-Knight and 21pts for a Gal-Knight), but the wargear is different in three key ways: first, the Galadhrim Knight is astride an armored horse vs. the Rivendell Knight's "normal" horse (which makes the Lothlorien mounts less likely to die against S2/S4 archery, but makes no difference against S3 attacks). Second, the Rivendell Knight has a hand-and-a-half sword vs. the one-handed sword of the Galadhrim Knight (which, admittedly, most players don't use two-handed, so the difference here is academic). And third and more important of all, the Rivendell Knight has a lance (+1 To Wound on the charge) while the Galadhrim Knight does not have a lance (not even an option).

In Defense Of: Isildur

Good morning gamers,

Today we cover a model that is quite good - and some competitive players really love: Isildur. Isildur is one of the best slaying heroes in the game, but there are a LOT of people who don't like him. Today, I delve into a hero that I love to use at large points levels - and have been running a bunch recently. Let's dig in right away!

Why NOT To Take Isildur

The first limitation for Isildur is his dad: Elendil was commonly viewed in our evaluation of the Top 50 Slayer Heroes for the Forces of Good to be better than Isildur (I dissented) - F7 instead of F6, S5 with a Master-Forged hand-and-a-half sword that grants free Heroic Combats (vs. S5 with a mundane hand-and-a-half sword that doesn't get free Heroic Combats), 2 free dice to resist magical powers (vs. Resistant to Magic only), and all the same gear options (horse and shield), getting Elendil for the "low-low price" of 200pts seems like a really good deal.

While you can get both Elendil and Isildur in your army, Isildur takes a big hit: he loses the One Ring (since, you know, he didn't have it while his dad was alive). Isildur has a pretty great profile (F6/S5/3A with 3 Might on offense, D7-8 with 3 Wounds/2 Fate on Defense), but Striking from "only F6" isn't as great as "I will always have the higher Fight Value period." Similarly, 6" movement can really restrict your movement, but it's remarkably less restricted when you can walk through enemy ranks and provide traps to your men by attacking the spearmen in the formation from the rear. Yes, Isildur is great with the Ring and losing it is kind of a big deal.