Beginners Events - Podium Reviews

 

This last weekend was a very busy one within the IHL. Not only were several members of the league competing against the best in the world at Ardacon but there was also not one but two one day beginner events. So there's lots to cover as we dive into the an overview of the winning lists from those two events. 

Up first was an 800 point event run by Mike Bradford at Exploding Dice Games in Bangor, Northern Ireland on Saturday. 

3rd Place 

Ben Hanna

Moria 

Durburz 

Goblin drum 

Bat Swarm 

3 X goblin prowlers 

Cave troll with two handed hammer

3 X goblin with shield 

5 X goblin with spears 

Groblog 

Cave troll with two handed hammer 

3 X goblin prowlers 

2 X goblin with shield 

4 X goblin with spears 

1 X warg marauder 

Moria goblin captain 

3 X goblin prowlers 

8 X goblin with bows 

Warg marauder 

Moria goblin captain 

3 X goblin prowlers 

3 X goblin with shields 

4 X goblin warriors with spears  

1 X goblin warrior with spear and shield

Moria goblin shaman 

Up first, in 3rd place was this Moria Goblin horde. If there's one thing that Goblins do well it's bringing lots of models to the board, and this list does just that. However, as well as lots of Goblins this list also features several other useful features; a pair of Trolls bring some heavy hitting power, a Bat Swarm helps combat enemy heroes and some Warg Marauders offer some extra mobility. 

2nd place 

Nicky Forsythe

Defenders of Helms Deep LL

Theoden w/shield

3 Royal guard w/ throwing spear

3 Royal guard

4 Warriors of Rohan w/ Throwing spear and shield 

Gamling w/ royal standard

Aldor

Haleth

6 Warriors of Rohan w/ Throwing spear and shield 

Gimli

4 Warriors of Rohan w/ Throwing spear + shield

1 Warrior of Rohan w/ shield 1 Warrior of Rohan w/bow

4 Galadhirim warriors w/ bow and spear

Legolas w/ armour and elven cloak

8 Galadhirim warriors w/bow and spear

In 2nd place were these valiant Defenders of Helms Deep. Nearly every model in this list carries a ranged weapon, be it a Bow, Elf bow or Throwing Spears. This makes for a very potent threat at range, especially combined with the increased range of the various bows that the Legion bonus provides. This means that this army should be able to outshoot most opponents. 

1st place 

Peter McFetridge

Goblin Town and Azog's Hunters Alliance

Goblin King (Leader)

Gollum

16 Goblins

Grinnah

12 Goblins

Goblin Town Captain

12 Goblins

Mercenary Captain

12 Goblin Mercenaries 

Azog on White Warg

Hunter Orc with banner

2 Hunter Orcs with bow

3 Fell Wargs

Coming out on top was this alliance of Goblin Town and Azogs Hunters. Goblin Town bring high numbers, which are very useful in many of the missions as well as Gollum, who is a threat to any hero thanks to the Ring. The Goblin King makes for a great Leader who is difficult to take down due to his Blubbery Mass and also means that Azog is free to do what Azog does best (killing stuff) without fear of surrendering Leader VPs if things go south. 

And secondly was a 500 point event held at Underworld Gaming in Dublin on Sunday, run by Dave Murphy. 

3rd Place 

Stephen Fay 

The Fiefdoms

Warband One:

Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth on Armoured Horse with Lance (Leader) 

2 Axemen of Lossarnach

2 Knights of Dol Amroth on Armoured Horses with Lances

2 Knights of Dol Amroth

Warband Two:

Duinhir

5 Blackroot Vale Archers with Spears

Warband Three:

Forlong the Fat

1 Axeman of Lossarnach

2 Knights of Dol Amroth on Armoured Horses with Lances

2 Knights of Dol Amroth

In 3rd place were the Fiefdoms of Gondor commanded by Imrahil. One of the big bonuses for the Fiefdoms is the ability for their Heroes to stack overlapping buffs on their troops. Here, Imrahil and Forlong both buff the combat potential of the list with banner rerolls, Fight Value bonuses and bonuses to wound rolls. Meanwhile, Duinhir makes the Blackroot Vale Archers deadly at range with the possibility of rerolls on both to hit and to wound rolls.

2nd place 

Luke Revell

Kingdom of Khazad-Dum

Warband One:

Durin (Leader)

10 Hearthguards

1 Dwarf Warrior with banner and shield

Warband Two:

Dwarf Captain with two-handed axe

6 Dwarf Warriors with shields

6 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows

Taking 2nd place here was Durin and the Kingdom of Khazad Dum. Durin is a very sturdy leader with his incredibly high Defence making him difficult to kill and he also packs a punch with his Master-forged Axe. He also unlocks the Hearthguard upgrade for the Khazad Guard, massively increasing their damage output by making them Burly and hence allowing them to make full use of their 2-handed axes without penalty. 

1st place 

Samuel Fay 

Army of Gothmog

Gothmog on Warg with shield

6 Morannon Orcs with shields

3 Morannon Orcs with spears and shields

3 Morannon Orcs with spears

1 Mordor Troll

Gothmog's Enforcer

6 Morannon Orcs with shields

3 Morannon Orcs with spears and shields

2 Morannon Orcs with shields

1 Mordor Orc Warrior

And winning this event was an Army of Gothmog list. Morannon Orcs are a very efficient choice of Warriors due to them hitting both S4 and D6 making them both hard hitting and durable, a very good combination. Here we have a solid number of those Morannon ably supported by a Mordor Troll who offers a potent threat to both Warriors and the types of Hero expected at this points level. Speaking of Heroes, Gothmog makes a very capable leader at this level with Master of Battle and his Enforcer making the most of his Might points. 

So there we are. Congratulations to all the winners and I hope everyone had a fun time and will be back to more events in the near future. And thanks to Michael and Dave for organising these 2 events.