Once again the IHL is going to war in Exploding Dice in Bangor. This time it's a 850 point Good vs Evil event which is again at the Covid restricted maximum attendance limit of 14 players. That means we have 28 army lists to get through so let's get cracking.
Looking at the breakdown of the armies we can see that Pure armies make up over half of the forces attending this weekend. One interesting point is the low amount of Legendary Legions, just one, when historically they have made up nearly a quarter of armies. Could this be the Gamling nerf showing an early impact by reducing the popularity of the Riders of Theoden?
David Murphy
Good – Erebor Reclaimed & Iron Hills: *Historical Alliance*
Warband One (Leader):
Thorin, King Under the Mountain on War Goat with Orcrist.
1 Iron Hills Goat Rider.
10 Iron Hills Dwarves: 3 with crossbow + spear and 7 with spear + shield.
Warband Two:
Dain Ironfoot on War Pig.
11 Iron Hills Dwarves: 4 with crossbow + spear, 6 with spear + shield and 1 with banner, shield + spear.
Warband Three:
Dwalin, Champion of Erebor on War Goat.
10 Iron Hills Dwarves: 3 with crossbow + spear and 7 with spear + shield.
Evil – Azog’s Legion & Azog’s Hunters
Warband One (Leader):
Azog on the White Warg with heavy armour + Stone Flail.
16 Gundabad Orc Warriors: 1 with banner, shield + spear, 8 with shield and 7 with spear + shield.
Warband Two:
Bolg on Fell Warg.
14 Gundabad Orc Warriors: 7 with shield and 7 with spear + shield.
Warband Three:
Fimbul on Fell Warg.
Warband Four:
Yazneg on Fell Warg with lance.
First up we have a pair of armies built around multiple big heroes. Thorin and Dain lead the shieldwall of Iron Hills Dwarves which will prove to be a tough one to break through. Meanwhile, their thematic opponents are the forces of Azog led by the Pale Orc himself and supported by his number 2 Bolg, who are certainly capable of doing a lot of killing between them.
Luke O’Reilly
Good – The Rangers
Warband One (Leader):
Aragorn, Strider on horse with armour, bow, Elven cloak and Anduril.
8 Dunedain; 3 with spears.
Warband Two:
Halbarad on horse with Banner of Arwen Evenstar.
8 Dunedain; 2 with spears.
Warband Three:
Dunedain.
Warband Four:
Dunedain.
Warband Five:
Dunedain.
Warband Six:
Dunedain.
Evil – Angmar:
Warband One (Leader):
The Witch-King on horse, with Morgul Crown, 3 Might, 3 Fate & 20 Will.
2 Angmar Warg Riders with shield.
8 Angmar Orc Warriors; 2 with two-handed weapons, 3 with shields and 3 with spears.
Warband Two:
The Tainted on horse.
8 Angmar Orc Warriors; 2 with two-handed weapons, 3 with shields and 3 with spears.
Warband Three:
Burdhur.
9 Angmar Orc Warriors; 1 with banner + shield, 2 with two-handed weapons, 3 with shields and 3 with spears.
Warband Four:
Barrow Wight.
1 Spectre.
8 Angmar Orc Warriors; 2 with two-handed weapons, 3 with shields and 3 with spears.
Warband Five:
Barrow Wight.
1 Spectre.
8 Angmar Orc Warriors; 2 with two-handed weapons, 3 with shields and 3 with spears.
Both the Rangers and Angmar have proven to be tournament winning factions over the last couple of seasons of the IHL. The Rangers have bucket loads of Might and an excellent leader in Aragorn. This Angmar army runs double Wraiths and double Barrow Wights, so enemy heroes will be rightly nervous against it.
Paddy McCormick
Good – Fiefdoms & Minas Tirith:
Warband One (Leader):
•Denethor.
•6 Fountain Court Guards: 3 with spears.
Warband Two:
•Imrahil on armoured horse with lance.
•2 Knights of Dol Amroth on armoured horses with lances.
•16 Dol Amroth Men at Arms.
Warband Three:
•Angbor the Fearless.
•9 Clansmen of Lamedon.
Warband Four:
•Duinhir.
•15 Blackroot Vale Archers: 5 with spears.
Warband Five:
•Forlong the Fat on horse.
Evil – Mordor:
Warband One (Leader):
•The Witch-King on armoured Fellbeast with 3 Might, 3 Fate, 19 Will, Morgul Crown and Morgul Blade.
Warband Two:
•Khamul the Easterling on Fellbeast.
Warband Three:
•The Undying on Fellbeast.
Warband Four:
•The Knight of Umbar on Fellbeast.
Warband Five:
•Shelob.
Continuing with the thematic pairings next there is a combined Gondor army and their historical enemies in Mordor. The overlapping buffs provided by the numerous Fiefdoms heroes make even the basic warriors a threat. And the Evil side sees the return of the Nazgul Flying Circus that proved highly competitive in the previous edition of the game, will it do so again?
Michael Bunting
Good – Rivendell & White Council:
Warband One (Leader):
•Elrond on horse with heavy armour.
•9 High Elf Warriors: 8 with shield and 1 with spear + Elf bow.
Warband Two:
•Gil-galad on horse with shield.
•2 Rivendell Knights.
•15 King’s Guards: 8 with shield + spear, 1 with banner, shield + spear and 6 with Elf bow + spear.
Warband Three:
•Galadriel, Lady of Light.
Evil – Barad-Dur:
Warband One (Leader):
•Dark Lord Sauron.
•9 Black Numenoreans: 1 with banner.
•9 Orc Warriors: 6 with spear + shield and 3 with bow, spear + shield.
•1 Orc Tracker on Warg.
Warband Two:
•Mordor Troll Chieftain.
•4 Black Numenoreans.
•4 Orc Warriors with spear + shield.
•1 Orc Tracker on Warg.
Warband Three:
•Mordor Siege Bow.
Again, two armies that have shown previous event winning potential. Micheal won the Battle on the Plains of Lisburn with a list very similar to with his Good force here comprising some of the toughest Elf Heroes around and Barad Dur has previously won at Good vs Evil events at Gaelcon and Cork.
Gerard Bunting
Good – Minas Tirith & Fiefdoms:
Warband One (Leader):
•Aragorn, King Elessar on armoured horse.
•18 Minas Tirith Warriors: 9 with shield and 9 with spear + shield.
Warband Two:
•Hurin on horse.
•12 Minas Tirith Warriors: 6 with shield and 6 with spear + shield.
Warband Three:
•Prince Imrahil on armoured horse with lance.
Warband Four:
•Avenger Bolt Thrower.
Warband Five:
•Avenger Bolt Thrower.
Evil – Moria & Dark Denizens of Mirkwood:
Warband One (Leader):
•Balrog.
•18 Moria Goblins: 9 with shield and 9 with spear + shield.
Warband Two:
•Druzhag.
•10 Moria Goblins: 5 with shield and 5 with spear + shield.
•1 Giant Bat Swarm.
Warband Three:
•Ashrak.
•9 Moria Goblins: 3 with shield and 6 with spear + shield.
Warband Four:
•Spider Queen.
With two Bolt Throwers then this Gondor force's opponent is going to want to close the distance quickly, only trouble is when they get there they'll be faced with some of Gondor's finest heroes in Elessar and Imrahil. Meanwhile, on the evil side, we find a Balrog backed up with a horde of Goblins and a Spider Queen who can be buffed up by the list's two Shamen.
Colleen McConnell
Good – Fangorn:
Warband One (Leader):
•Treebeard.
•1 Ent.
Warband Two:
•Beechbone.
•1 Ent.
Warband Three:
•Quickbeam.
•1 Ent.
Evil – Desolator of the North:
Warband One (Leader):
•Smaug.
I don't really know what to say about either other than to remind everyone to ' Never laugh at live dragons'.
Matt Hamill
Good – Radghast’s Alliance and Misty Mountains
Warband One (Leader):
•Radaghast on Great Eagle.
•2 Great Eagles.
Warband Two:
•Gwaihir.
•3 Great Eagles.
Evil – Angmar:
Warband One (Leader):
•The Witch-King of Angmar on horse with Morgul Crown, 3 Might, 3 Fate & 17 Will.
•2 Cave Trolls with hand and a half hammers.
•15 Angmar Orc Warriors: 7 with shields, 7 with spears and 1 with banner + shield.
Warband Two:
•Barrow Wight.
•1 Dead Marsh Spectre.
•1 Cave Troll with hand and a half hammer.
•10 Angmar Orc Warriors: 5 with shields and 5 with spears.
Warband Three:
•Barrow Wight.
•1 Dead Marsh Spectre.
•11 Angmar Orc Warriors: 6 with shields and 5 with spears.
Warband Four:
•Barrow Wight.
•3 Angmar Orc Warriors with Orc bows.
After his victory at the latest event Matt returns again with an Angmar army with multiple Barrow Wights. As I said previously, Paralyze is a great spell that challenges even the most powerful of Heroes. On the Good side we have an all Eagle force that should offer plenty of mobility and hitting power in combat.
Marty Metcalfe
Good – Rivendell:
•Elrond on horse with heavy armour.
•16 High Elf Warriors: 1 with banner, 7 with Elf bows and 3 with spears + shields.
Warband Two:
•Glorfindel on Asfaloth with the Armour of Gondolin.
•5 Rivendell Knights with shields.
•5 High Elf Warriors: 2 with spears + shields.
Warband Three:
•Cirdan.
•6 High Elf Warriors: 1 with Elf bow and 3 with spears + shields.
Evil – Isengard: Single Faction
Warband One (Leader):
•Saruman on horse.
•12 Uruk-Hai Scouts: 1 with banner + shield, 5 with Uruk-Hai bows and 6 with shields.
•Grima Wormtongue on horse.
Warband Two:
•Lurtz with shield
•8 Uruk-Hai Scouts: 5 with shields and 3 Uruk-Hai bows.
Warband Three:
•Mauhur.
•8 Mauhur’s Marauders with shields.
Warband Four:
•Ugluk.
•6 Uruk-Hai Scouts: 2 with shields and 2 with Uruk-Hai bows.
Warband Five:
•Gorulf Ironskin.
Another Rivendell army led by a pair of the great Elf Lords who really provide plenty of punch in combat. This is paired with an Isengard army led by Saruman to offer magical support and a mass of Uruk Hai Scouts to provide combat punch.
Dave Coleman
Good – Rohan & Lothlorien:
Warband One (Leader):
•Galadriel with the Mirror of Galadriel.
•Mirkwood Sentinel.
Warband Two:
•Theoden on armoured horse with heavy armour and shield.
•8 Rohan Royal Guards on horse with throwing spears.
•2 Rohan Outriders on horse.
•2 Warriors of Rohan: 1 with bow.
Warband Three:
•Eomer on armoured horse with shield.
Warband Four:
•Gamling on horse with Rohan Royal Standard.
Warband Five:
•Dernhelm.
Warband Six:
•Deorwine on horse.
Evil – Barad-Dur:
Warband One (Leader):
•Sauron.
•20 Orc Warriors: 10 with shields, 9 with spear and 1 with spear + banner.
•2 Orc Trackers
Warband Two:
•Witch-King of Angmar on Fellbeast with Morgul Crown, 3 Might, 3 Fate & 16 Will.
Warband Three:
•Shelob.
Dave has shown previously that both his Rohan and Bard Dur armies can thrive in a Good vs Evil environment after victories at Gaelcon and Cork. This time, however, Gamling's effectiveness has taken a hit from the latest FAQ and Galadriel has been added to the forces of the Horse Lord's. Will these changes make the difference or will Dave continue his good form?
Dave Chambers
Good – Minas Tirith & Fiefdoms:
Warband One (Leader):
•Forlong the Fat on horse.
•5 Knights of Dol Amroth on armoured horse with lance.
Warband Two:
•Boromir, Captain of the White Tower on horse with shield + Banner of Minas Tirith.
•2 Guards of the Fountain Court with shield.
•7 Osgiliath Veterans: 1 with shield and 6 with spear + shield.
Warband Three:
•Madril.
•2 Guards of the Fountain Court with shield.
•9 Rangers of Gondor with spears.
Warband Four:
•Hurin on horse.
•4 Knights of Minas Tirith with shield.
Warband Five:
•Avenger Bolt Thrower.
Evil – Isengard:
Warband One (Leader):
•Saruman on horse.
•Grima Wormtongue.
•1 Uruk-Hai Scout with shield.
Warband Two:
•Lurtz with shield.
•1 Uruk-Hai Scout with banner.
•14 Uruk-Hai Scouts with shields.
Warband Three:
•Vrasku.
•12 Uruk-Hai Warriors with crossbows
Warband Four:
•Mauhur.
•12 Mauhur’s Marauders with shields.
Another Isengard army with a similar composition to the previous one, having Saruman and Uruk Hai Scouts. And another combined Gondorian army although this time with Boromir carrying the Banner to boost the fight value of his Swan Knights, Osgiliath Veterans and Fountain Guard to F5, giving them an edge against most Evil troops.
Stephen Devlin
Good – Kingdom of Moria:
Warband One (Leader):
•Balin, King of Moria.
•5 Iron Guards.
•8 Khazad Guards.
•5 Dwarf Warriors: 3 with shield and 2 with two-handed weapon.
Warband Two:
•King’s Champion.
•5 Iron Guards.
•5 Khazad Guards.
Warband Three:
•Floi.
•9 Dwarf Warriors: 2 with shield and 7 with Dwarf bow.
•1 Iron Guard.
•2 Khazad Guards.
Warband Four:
•Dwarf Ballista with 1 extra crew.
Evil – The Serpent Horde & Mordor:
Warband One (Leader):
•The Witch-King on horse with Morgul Crown, 2 Might, 2 Fate & 13 Will.
Warband Two:
•Suludan on armoured horse.
•7 Serpent Riders.
•2 Watchers of Karna with twin blades.
•2 Abrakhan Merchant Guards.
Warband Three:
•The Betrayer on Fellbeast.
•12 Harad Warriors with spears + bows with poisoned arrows.
Warband Four:
•Raza, Fang of the Serpent.
•5 Watchers of Karna with twin blades.
•5 Abrakhan Merchant Guards.
•1 Harad Warrior with war horn.
The traditional Lord of the Rings era Dwarves have not tended to be hugely common in the IHL events recently so seeing them represented here is great. This Moria list has a plentiful supply of elite infantry and a couple of solid Heroes. The Evil army here is a predominantly Harad force led by the Witchking from Mordor, providing a double magic threat.
Mike Bradford
Good – Rivendell, Numenor, White Council & Thranduil's Halls
Warband One (Leader):
•Gil-galad on horse with shield.
•1 Rivendell Knight with shield + banner.
•1 High Elf Warrior with banner + shield.
•12 King’s Guards: 6 with shield, 4 with spear + shield and 2 with spear, shield + Elf bow.
Warband Two:
•Isildur on horse with shield and the One Ring.
Warband Three:
•Galadriel, Lady of Light.
Warband Four:
•Thranduil on horse with heavy armour, extra Elven made sword and Circlet of Kings.
Evil – Azog’s Legion, Azog’s Hunters & Dol Guldur:
Warband One (Leader):
•Azog on the White Warg with heavy armour + the stone flail.
•1 War Bat.
Warband Two:
•The Necromancer.
•Abysmal Knight.
Warband Three:
•Abysmal Knight.
Warband Four:
•Bolg on Fell Warg with Orc bow with Morgul arrows.
Here we have 2 armies bringing some big Heroes to the field. On the Good side there's the great Elven Lord's (and Lady) backed up by F6 Warriors while on the Evil side there's Azog and Bolg providing the punch. Low numbers could be an issue for both these armies but their big heroes will hopefully cause some damage to the enemy.
Dan Ahern
Good – Return of the King:
Warband One (Leader):
•Aragorn, Strider with Anduril and Elven cloak.
•1 Rider of the Dead.
•11 Warriors of the Dead: 3 with shield and 8 with spear + shield.
Warband Two:
•King of the Dead.
•2 Riders of the Dead.
•13 Warriors of the Dead: 1 with banner, shield + spear, 2 with shield and 10 with spear + shield.
Warband Three:
•Legolas with armour and Elven cloak.
Evil – Angmar:
Warband One (Leader):
•The Witch-King of Angmar on Fellbeast with Morgul Crown, Morgul blade, 3 Might, 3 Fate and 20 Will.
•1 Cave Troll with hand and a half hammer.
•1 Dead Marsh Spectre.
•2 Angmar Warg Riders with shield.
•10 Angmar Orc Warriors: 1 with banner, 4 with shield, 3 with spear and 2 with two-handed weapon.
•1 Wild Warg.
Warband Two:
•The Tainted on horse.
•1 Dead Marsh Spectre.
•1 Wild Warg.
•12 Angmar Orc Warriors: 5 with shield, 5 with spear and 2 with two-handed weapon.
Warband Three:
•Barrow Wight.
•1 Dead Marsh Spectre.
•6 Angmar Orc Warriors: 3 with shield and 3 with spear.
Warband Four:
•Barrow Wight
•5 Angmar Orc Warriors: 3 with shield and 2 with spear.
The penultimate pair of lists sees the only Legendary Legion in Return of the King and another Angmar army. Aragorn makes an excellent leader thanks to Mighty Hero and Anduril while the Dead provide some of the toughest Warriors in the game. And as has been seen already, Angmar is experiencing a surge of popularity at the moment with several armies here.
Ivan Sheehan
Good – The Rangers & the Shire:
Warband One (Leader):
•Aragorn, Strider on horse with armour + Anduril.
•8 Dunedain.
Warband Two:
•Halbarad on horse with Banner of Arwen Evenstar.
•6 Dunedain.
Warband Three:
•1 Dunedain.
Warband Four:
•1 Dunedain.
Warband Five:
•Farmer Maggot.
Warband Six:
•Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.
Warband Seven:
•Bilbo Baggins with Mithril Shirt.
Evil – Serpent Horde:
Warband One (Leader):
•Suludan on armoured horse.
•18 Haradrim Warriors with spears.
Warband Two:
•The Betrayer on Fellbeast.
•15 Watchers of Karna with bows with poisoned arrows.
Warband Three:
•Harad Taskmaster.
•3 Haradrim Warriors with spears.
•3 Watchers of Karna with bows with poisoned arrows.
•2 Serpent Riders.
Warband Four:
•Raza.
•3 Haradrim Warriors with spears.
•9 Watchers of Karna with bows with poisoned arrows.
And finally we have the current IHL champion, who is bringing back the army he's probably best known for with the Rangers. These bring tons of Might while his Hobbit allies each add unique special abilities. And on the Evil side there's a Harad force with loads of poisoned bowshots, which will be buffed by the Betrayer.
So there's all the lists, we'll see who stands victorious on Sunday evening.
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