After a bit of a break the Irish Hobbit League swings back into action this weekend with the Sacking of Dublin event. This is a two day, 850 point tournament held at the new Underworld Gaming venue in Dublin.
At 15 players this will be the largest event within the IHL since the pre-covid era. In terms of the overall breakdown Good only slightly edges out Evil by 8-7. On the alliance tally more than half the armies are pure, single faction armies.
Alex Neaves
Return of the King
Warband 1
Aragorn
rider of the dead
5 warriors with shield and spear
5 warriors with shield
Warband 2
King of the dead
Rider of the dead
5 warriors Shield and spear
5 warriors with shield
Warband 3
Herald with shield
7 warriors shield and spear
3 warriors with shield
We start off with the ever popular Return of the King Legendary Legion. A very solid defensive line of Warriors of the Dead make it a tough list to crack, while Aragorn does what Aragorn does, chop up the enemy with Anduril and Mighty Hero.
Luke Cunningham
Moria and Isengard
Warband 1
Lurtz : Armour, Shield, Sword, Uruk-hai bow
8 urukhai warriors with shield
6 urukhai Warriors with pike
1 urukhai berserker
Warband 2
Mauhúr
8 urukhai scouts marauders with bow
3 urukhai Scout marauders with shield
1 urukhai Scout marauder with banner
Warband 3
The Balrog, Leader
Batswarm
4 goblin Warriors
Well this is an unexpected combination, a Balrog backed up by Uruk Hai instead of the usual horde of Goblins. The Uruk Hai provide more killing power than Goblins could have offered at the expense of numbers and the Balrog is a frightening Leader to contend with.
Gary Doyle
Thorins Company and Army of Lake-Town
Warband 1
Thorins Company
Thorin Oakenshield with Orcrist and The Oakenshield - General
Dwalin the Dwarf
Bifur the Dwarf
Gloin the Dwarf
Army of Lake-Town
Warband 2
Bard the Bowman with Horse and Armour
Sigrid and Tilda
12 Lake-Town Guard with bows
Warband 3
Master of Lake-Town
6 Lake-Town Guard
6 Lake-Town Guard with Spears
Warband 4
Braga, Captain of the Guard
5 Lake-Town Guard
7 Lake-Town Guard with Spears
Warband 5
Alfrid
It's Thorin's Company, what's not to love? This list combines the punching power of the Dwarven Heroes with the numbers of the men of Lake Town for a very strong list.
Mike Bradford
Depths of Moria LL
Warband 1:
(Leader) Balrog
9x Goblin with shield
9x Goblin with spear
Warband 2:
Goblin Captain with shield
3x Goblin with shield
4x Goblin with spear
5x Goblin with bow
Warband 3:
Goblin Captain with shield
Blackshield Drum
2x Blackshield Goblins
3x Goblin with spear
1x Goblin
Warband 4:
Blackshield Shaman
6x Goblin with bow
Warband 5:
Blackshield Shaman
6x Goblin with bow
We've had one yes, what about second Balrog? This time though he comes with his more traditional Goblin supporting cast. That pair of Blackshield Shamans will be making sure enemy heroes are worried that they're favourite sword might just shatter into a thousand pieces.
David Murphy
Minas Tirith and White Council
Warband One (Leader)
Boromir, Captain of the White Tower on horse with shield + Banner of Minas Tirith
1 Knight of Minas Tirith with shield.
9 Fountain Court Guards with shields and axes.
5 Rangers of Gondor with spears.
Warband Two
Hurin on horse.
1 Knight of Minas Tirith with shield.
9 Fountain Court Guards with shields and axes.
5 Rangers of Gondor with spears.
Warband Three
Madril.
2 Fountain Court Guards with shields and axes.
Warband Four
Galadriel, Lady of Light
This Minas Tirith list brings a lot of Defense 7 to the board with all those Fountain Court Guard although considering they all have axes I wonder how often they'll be Piercing Striking and hence not getting the full benefit of their high defense, it's an interesting option that I've not seen before.
David Coleman
Moria
Warband 1
Durburz, King of Moria (Army Leader)
1 Bat Swarm
3 Moria Goblin Prowlers
4 Moria Goblins with Shields
7 Moria Goblins with Spears & Bows
Warband 2
Groblog
1 Bat Swarm
3 Moria Goblins with Shield
3 Moria Goblin Prowlers
5 Moria Goblins with Spears & Bows
Warband 3
Moria Goblin Captain with Shield
1 Warg Marauder
1 Cave Troll with Hand & Half Hammer
5 Moria Goblins with Shields
3 Moria Goblins with Spears
1 Moria Goblin with Spear & Shield
Warband 4
Moria Goblin Shaman
3 Moria Goblins with Shields
3 Moria Goblins with Spears
Warband 5
Moria Goblin Captain with Shield
Warband 6
The Watcher in The Water
Another Moria army, although this time no Balrog. Instead there's The Watcher to provide the main threat with it's ability to appear anywhere and drag enemy models towards it with it's tentacles before slaughtering them in combat with it 6 Attacks.
Luke O Reilly
Serpent Horde and Mordor
Warband One (Leader)
Suladan on armoured horse.
1 Serpent Rider.
Warband Two
Witch-King on Fellbeast with Morgul Crown, 3 Might, 3 Fate & 16 Will.
Warband Three
Shagrat with heavy armour + Shield of Cirith Ungol.
1 Orc Warrior with spear.
5 Black Numenoreans.
5 Morannon Orcs with spears + shields.
Warband Four
Guritz.
5 Black Numenoreans.
5 Morannon Orcs with spears + shields.
Warband Five
Gorbag with shield.
1 Orc Warrior with spear.
5 Black Numenoreans.
5 Morannon Orcs with spears + shields.
The Black Numenorean and Morannon Orc combination has been a mainstay of the Mordor list for a long time, providing a Defense 6, Terror causing front rank with Strength 4 spear supports. The interesting addition to this is the use of Suladan as the army leader, allowing the Witch King to be used far more aggressively without the risk of sacrificing leader VPs.
Jack Scroope
Rivendell
Warband 1
Elrond, heavy armour, horse.
7 elves, bow.
8 elves shield.
1 elf, banner, shield, spear.
Warband 2
Elladan and Elrohir, horses, heavy armour, bows.
6 rivendell knights.
Warband 3
Cirdan.
5 elves, spear, shield.
Elves are always a popular choice in the IHL thanks in large part to their excellent heroes and superior troops. Here we have a Rivendell list that boasts an impressive amount of shooting thanks to Elrond's rule regarding the Rivendell Knights.
Matt Hamill
Mordor
Warband 1
Goroth Leader
5 Morannon Orcs shields
4 Morannon orcs shield & spear
Morannon Orc Banner shield Spear
Mordor orc shield
Warband 2
Gorbag shield
6 Morannon orcs shield
4 morannon orcs shield spear
Warband 3
Gurritz
5 Morannon orcs shields
3 warg riders shield throwing spear
Warband 4
Zagdush
5 morannon orcs shield
4 morannon orcs shield spear
Warband 5
Kardush the firecaller
4 orc trackers
Warband 6
Morannon Orc Captain shield
Warband 7
Ringwraith 2m 12w 2f
This Mordor list is interesting in that it is missing the big names that you usually see, such as any of the named Wraiths. This does mean that there isn't a large target for an opponent to target with magic or their own big Heroes and therefore it's harder to shutdown a key aspect of the list.
Donal Carroll
Kingdom of Moria
Warband 1
Balin (leader)
1 x Vault Warden Team
2 x Khazad Guard
2 x Dwarf Warriors w Shield
2 x Dwarf Rangers w Dwarf Longbow & Throwing Weapons
1 x Iron Guard
Warband 2
Floi
1 x Vault Warden Team
2 x Khazad Guard
2 x Dwarf Warriors w Shield
2 x Dwarf Rangers w Dwarf Longbow & Throwing Weapons
1 x Iron Guard
Warband 3
King’s Champion
1 x Khazad Guard
2 x Dwarf Warriors w Shield
2 x Dwarf Rangers w Dwarf Longbow & Throwing Weapons
1 x Iron Guard
Warband 4
Gimli
1 x Vault Warden Team
2 x Khazad Guard
2 x Dwarf Warriors w Shield
2 x Dwarf Rangers w Dwarf Longbow & Throwing Weapons
1 x Iron Guard
Warband 5
Shieldbearer
These Dwarves bring plenty of high defense models to the table, including 3 Defense 9 Vault Wardens. These should prove hard to get rid of, allowing time for the heroes to provide the killing punch.
Ben Fitzpatrick
Barad Dur
Warband 1
Leader
The Dark Lord Sauron
10 Black Numenoreans
5 Orc Warriors With Shield And Spear
4 Orc Warriors With Bow And Spear
1 Orc Warrior With Shield, Spear And Banner
4 Warg Riders With Throwing Spear
Warband 2
Orc Captain With Shield
6 Orc Warriors With Picks And Shield
6 Orc Warriors With Spear
Warband 3
Orc Captain
5 Orc Warriors With Picks And Shield
5 Orc Warriors With Spear
The Dark Lord himself, not really much more to say. Success with this army will be dependent on the big man, while the rest of the army backs him up and plays the objective game.
Ian Hutchinson
Thranduil's Hall's and Survivors of Lake Town
Warband 1
Thranduil with additional sword, elf cloak and horse
1 Mirkwood Elf
8 Mirkwood Elves with shield
8 Palace Guard with shield and spear
Warband 2
Legolas with elf cloak
4 Mirkwood Cavalry with shield
4 Mirkwood Elves with bow
Warband 3
Gandalf the Grey with horse
9 Lake Town Militia with shield and spear
4 Lake Town Militia with shield
The alliance between the Mirkwood Elves and men of Lake Town helps to offset the weaknesses of either list. The Elves bring elite troops but suffer from a lack of numbers whereas the Men have cheap troops so can bring plenty of numbers but suffer from being of inferior quality.
Luke Revell
Minas Tirith
Warband 1
Boromir, shield
3 Guard of the Fountain Court, shields
5 WoMT bows
5 WoMT shield spear
1 WoMT shield
1 WoMT banner
Warband 2
Gandalf the White
3 Citadel Guard
5 WoMT bows
2 WoMT shield spear
5 WoMT shield
Warband 3
Faramir heavy armour, shield
3 WoMT bows
4 WoMT shield spear
4 WoMT shield
Another Minas Tirith army led by Boromir, although this time comprised mainly of Warriors of Minas Tirith with a smattering of elite troops. Personally I'd have swapped the Warriors with bow for Rangers for the Fight 4 and better shooting, but with plenty of bow shots and Blinding Light from Gandalf this list should win a shooting contest and hence force the opponent to move towards them.
David Chambers
Isengard
Warband 1
Saruman, Horse
Grima
Uruk-Hai Scout, Shield
Warband 2
Lurtz
14 Uruk -Hai Scouts, Shield
Uruk-Hai Scout, Banner
Warband 3
Mauhúr
12 Uruk-Hai marauders, with shield
Warband 4
Vraskú
12 Cross Bows
Uruk Hai are generally a very solid profile thanks to a good Fight and Strength values. Here there are a decent amount of them that will provide a solid battle line, while Saruman provides magical prowess and Vraskú and his crossbows deal a potent ranged threat.
Niall Woods
Erebor Reclaimed.
Warband 1:
Thorin Oakenshield with Orcist. Leader
Kili with Bow
Fili with bow
Dwalin
Bombur
Warband 2:
Dain Ironfoot with boar
Two iron hills dwarfs with banners and spears
13 iron hills dwarfs with spears
And finally, we have an Erebor Reclaimed list that brings a lot of Dwarven Heroes. This should allow it to hit hard while the natural high Defense of the Dwarves will make it hard to get rid of them.
So there's all the lists, which do you think will prevail and take top spot?
