GBHL Masters List Preview and Predictions

This weekend sees 16 of the UK’s top players juke it out in a 500 point knockout tournament, in order to be crowned “The Master”. It will be hosted by 7th City Collectibles and run by Barney Menzies who has kindly posted the lists and first round matchups. Today we will have a look at them and give our not-particularly-expert predictions!

Stats:

Good: 8

Evil: 8

Pure: 7

Green: 0

Yellow: 3

Red: 0

LL: 6

Average Model Count: 28

Average Might: 7

Will Champion - (Goblin Town) (Pure) Goblin King  20 goblins Grinnah  15  goblins Gollum  Mercenary captain 2 goblin mercenaries Goblin Captain 15  goblins 57 Models, 11 Might Analysis: As we’ve seen before, the Goblin King plus Gollum is a very potent hero killer. 2 Generic captains, so 4 might for heroic marches, which is helpful for the 5” movement. Grinnah has Strike, can hassle weaker heroes if necessary. No Goblin Scribe is unusual , but at 500 points, makes sense as 52 generic Goblins + 5 Heroes is already a strong model count.	Barney Menzies - (Moria) (Pure) Groblog (Leader) 1 Bat Swarm 2 Prowler 3 Goblin Warrior (Shield) 5 Goblin Warrior (Spear Shield)  Druzhag 1 Bat Swarm 1 Giant Spider 1 Prowler 3 Goblin Warrior (Shield) 4 Goblin Warrior (Spear Shield) Blackshield Shaman  2 Goblin Warrior (Shield) 3 Goblin Warrior (Spear Shield) 1 Prowler Goblin Shaman  2 Goblin Warrior (Shield) 3 Goblin Warrior (Spear Shield) 1 Prowler 37 Models, 8 Might Analysis: Enrage Beasts + Bats and Spiders is the main threat here. BS Shaman knows tremor, which makes enemies prone. Goblins <3 prone models. He also has Shatter which is very scary, though lacking targets in this match. A handful of prowlers with +2 to wound trapped models are a big punch. Regular Shaman has Fury too. And of course Bats are amazing.
DC Prediction: Horde vs Horde, but it looks pretty even. Goblin King will struggle against Bats, since they’ll put him to F3, if the bat is hit with a channelled enrage, it has 5 S6 hits at f4. Goblin town has more models, but a lower defence overall. The real turning point will be if King or Gollum die before Shamans.
Callum Edens - (ranger of Ithilien LL) Faramir, Horse 12 x Rangers 4 with Spear Madril 12x Rangers,1 with Spear Captain Gondor, Shield, Lance, Horse 7x Minas Tirith, Shield,Spear 1 banner 34 Models, 8 Might Analysis: 26 Bows is horrible, but it is unusual to have WoMT in there. 4 out of 16 armies also have Blinding Light/Shadow Lord which could be a problem if he progresses. Not much else to say, Rangers have proved filthy at this points level in the past, it will be interesting to see if they continue to be.	Ryan Hinch (Misty Mountain & Erebor Reclaimed)(Yellow) Gwaihir Thorin, King Under the Mountain on War Goat 17x Iron Hills Dwarf with Shield & Spear 1 Iron Hills Goat Rider with War Spear 20 Models, 6 Might Analysis: Fast and Tough. Min F4, Min S4, Min D7 (except Goat). Free heroic combats from Thorin. A real Hammer and Anvil list.
DC Prediction: Feels like a bad matchup for Rangers as everything is high defence/fast. However the Rangers outnumber the Dwarves significantly so have an advantage in objective play. Scenario will play a large part in this.
Matthew Light - (Mordor & Dark Denizens of Mirkwood) (Yellow) Shadowlord on Fellbeast 4 black numenoreans 4 orc spear shield  2 orc trackers  Wraith 4 black numenoreans 3 orc spear  3 orc trackers  1 orc spear shield  Spider Queen 24 Models, 7 Might Analysis: 2 Monsters, shooting protection, plenty of magic, terror front line, decent amount of shooting. Lots of combos to watch out for, especially transfix and monstrous charge. A real bag of tricks this one. It will take a skilled player to bring the correct tricks at the right time, otherwise the whole could prove to be less than the sum of its parts.	Iain McGregor - (Urukhai scout LL) Ugluk (leader)  8 uruk hai scouts with shields 4 uruk hai scouts with bow      (All scouts have the mahur upgrade) Mahur    8 uruk hai scouts with shields     4 uruk hai scouts with bow   (All scouts have the mahur upgrade) Grishnak    9 orcs with spear  1 orc with banner and shield  37 Models, 8 Might Analysis: 16 Uruks for fighting, 8 for shooting. Plus 10 Orcs supporting. All the Orcs have spears, giving an extra attack in a fight, plus granting +1 to wound from the Animosity rule. This is a very fast list, 8” move on the scouts, combined with F4 and S4 could be powerful, especially when the Orcs catch up and grant +1 to wound. The Uruks will have to be careful not to outpace the Orcs too much.
DC Prediction: The Magic could be potent here but I think the fact that the Uruks outnumber the Numenorians will end up being the telling factor. They don’t need to charge the Terror wall if they play the objectives as they already have the numbers advantage, meaning the BN’s are likely to have to do the charging. Overall I think the Model and Might advantage will win it for the Scouts. (Scouts will wound D6 on 4’s with Orcs also in the fight, whereas the S3 Numenorians will need 5s)
Jakub Krochmal - (Mordor & Dark Denizens of Mikrwood) (Yellow) Shadowlord on Fell Beast (Leader) 2x Warg Rider (shield) 5x Black Numenorians 5x Orc Warrior (Spear & Shield Orc Captain  4x Black Numenorians 5x Orc Warrior (Spear & Shield The Spider Queen 24 Models, 7 Might Analysis: As above but swapping extra magic for extra punch. Also swapping shooting for movement (Trackers for Wargs). Tactics will be very similar.	Christopher Murfitt - (Grand Army of the South LL) The Mumak War Leader 6 Haradrim Warriors 8 Haradrim Warriors: Bow with poisoned arrows 1 Serpent Guard 16 Models, 3 Might Analysis: The ultimate question of “how do I make my opponent deal with a Mumak at 500”. This list has already won my heart, even if it doesn’t win any games. It got a boost recently with the FAQ stating that Sigils of Defence affecting the Mumak too. Shooting and Trample are the names of the game here.
DC Prediction: Tricky one. The Mumak doesn’t care about Terror as it doesn’t count as charging, but the Shadow Lord laughs at your shooting, which neuters the Poison advantage. Magic is going to be huge in this game. If it goes off then the Mumak is screwed, but if the Resistance To Magic pays off then there might be a lot of squished Numenorians littering the field.
Jay Clare - (Army of Lake-Town) - (Pure) The Master 6 Guard 6 Guard with Spear Alfrid the Councilor Braga 3 Guard 8 Guard with Spear Bard with Armour and Horse Sigrid and Tilda 11 Guard with Bow 40 Models, 8 Might Analysis: Lots of models and lots of Might shenanigans. Bard is in his SuperHero form with the addition of Alfrid and the girls. Braga and The Master both buff the troops too making them fairly potent.	Dave Farmer - (Helm Hammerhand LL) Helm hammerhand/horse 6 Royal guard 5 warriors/throwing spear/shield  1 warrior/throwing spear/shield/banner 5 outriders Captain /shield 3 warriors/throwing spear/shield 2 warriors/shield 5 outriders 1 Royal guard/horse 30 Models, 5 Might Analysis: What you have here is Helm Hammerhand and a 29 model Helm Hammerhand Delivery System. Helm will smash most things in front of him. It is really weird to see a Rohan list with only 2 horses, but with a front line of Royal Guard being buffed to F5 by Helm and supported by spears behind you actually have quite a scary fighting block.
DC Prediction: Bard v Helm is really interesting. Bard will be F6 from the girls whereas Helm is only 5. However Helm can Strike for ‘free’ each turn because of Mighty Hero. Bard can have a lot of Might thanks to Alfrid though. It’s really hard to separate them. Either will wreck the other troops with their free Heroic Combat each turn but if they meet then I think I would have to give the advantage to Helm because of their Strength and Defence values. Helm just hurts Bard so much easier than Bard hurts Helm. I also think the Rohan troops have the advantage as they become F4 within 6” of Helm. The Master can do this too but has to spend Might to do it.
Ali King (Khazad Dum)(Pure) Balin X4 vault warden teams X2 dwarf warriors, shields X1 dwarf warrior, shield, Banner Dwarf warrior, bow Dwarf ranger, bow Gimli X3 vault warden teams X3 dwarf warriors, shields Dwarf warrior, bow Dwarf ranger, bow 26 Models, 6 Might Analysis: A fairly typical Dwarf list. Relatively cheap and nasty heroes and a big chunk of F4 troops with high Defence. The vault warden teams can really stall an attacking force but they need to be careful not to be overwhelmed.	Jasmine Tetely (Uruk Hai Legendary Legion) Uruk Captain with Shield Demolition Team with 2x Flaming Brands 6 Uruk Warriors with pikes 3 Uruk Warriors with Crossbow 1 Uruk Warrior with Shield Pike Banner Uruk Captain with Crossbow 6 Uruk Warriors with pikes 3 Uruk Warriors with Crossbow 1x Uruk Hai Ballista 27 Models, 5 Might Analysis: I honestly have no idea with anything in this wacky list. It certainly has some high firepower tools backed up by good troops, but if the Demo charge and Ballista don’t pay off then it could struggle to deal with big heroes. It’s lacking in both numbers and Might too. I’m rooting for it though because it’s fun and unusual!
DC Prediction: The Isengard list seems quite difficult for the dwarves to deal with. The ballista will be able to punch through their high defence and the demolition team can select a section of the dwarf shieldwall and blow it to bits (D9 doesn’t mean much when you don’t need to roll to wound against it) so very careful positioning will be required. The dwarves will have an advantage in a protracted melee due to their superior heroes (Gimz always winz) but if the Uruk tricks don’t pay off they could be in trouble.
Kalman Steel-Wright - (Iron Hills) (Pure) Dain on Boar IH Captain on Chariot IH Captain on Goat 3 Models, 7 Might Analysis: This is either insane or brilliant and I can’t tell which. I mean, I absolutely love it but I think it will lose immediately. I desperately hope to be proved wrong and for the final to be this vs the Mumak War Leader.	Thomas Wagg - (Ugluks Scouts LL) Ugluk (Leader) 6 Uruk-Hai scouts with shields 4 Uruk-Hai scouts with Uruk-Hai Bows 1 Uruk-Hai scout with banner 1 Uruk-Hai Drummer Mauhur 6 Uruk-Hai scouts with shields 4 Uruk-Hai scouts with Uruk-Hai Bows Grishnakh with shield 9 orc warriors with spears 3 orc warriors with shields  37 Models, 8 Might Analysis: See above, pretty much the same
DC Prediction: My heart says the Dwarves but my head says they can’t possibly win. Keep your fingers crossed for Lords of Battle or Contest of Champions as the scenario (no offence to Thomas, but I can’t not cheer for a 3 Model list).
Edward Ball - (Rivendell) (Pure) Elrond. Armour. Horse.  9 knights. Shields. A banner Cirdan 11 Models, 4 Might Analysis: Really not much to say about this. It's brutally efficient and Ed has a proven record with it. Cirdan being the only model on foot is interesting, he’ll need to be careful not to get isolated.	Matthew Wielding - (Survivors of Lake-Town) (Pure) Bard on horse Alfrid - 8 Militia with shields  - 7 Militia with spears Gandalf  - 7 Militia with bows and spears - 1 Militia with bow 26 Models, 6 Might Analysis: Bard and Gandalf are the two biggest heroes you can bring for Laketown, but at what point do you not have the numbers to back them up? I’m a little worried about the relatively poor troops just getting steamrolled and Bard doesn’t have the girls to give him free heroics and F6. I’m not sure Gandalf is worth that sacrifice but I could be wrong!
DC Prediction: Blinding Light vs Blinding Light. What fun. I can’t imagine the Knights not winning here though, they outmatch the Militia in every way and Ed is practiced enough with them that he won’t let them get swamped. That being said, it’ll be harder to keep the Knights in the BL range, and Gandalf’s spells can be hard to deal with.

500 Under 50: Kingdom of Moria

I sat down to write this knowing not a great deal about our stubby legged friends. I knew they were high defence, I knew they only moved 5”, and I knew they lacked spears on their basic warriors.

From the lists I've seen people take to tournaments, there seems to be a running theme of Kings Champion and Vault Warden teams... But sadly, adding those to our army in this case will bump the cost up too much, since a single Warden Team will set you back a tenner!

These are some pricey boys

So, anyway, what have we got as a list?

Balin the Dwarf, King of Moria

4x Dwarf Warriors with Shields

4x Dwarf Warriors with Two-Handed Axes

1x Dwarf Warrior with Banner and Shield

Floi Stonehand

8x Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf Bows

Dwarf Captain with Shield

4x Dwarf Warriors with Shields

4x Dwarf Warriors with Two-Handed Axes

Points: 499

To buy this list and get it on the table you will need:

1 box of Dwarf Warriors: £26 for 24 models.

Dwarf Commanders Pack: £24 for 4 models (Banner, Captain, Shieldbearer, Warhorn)

Balin, King of Moria and Floi Stonehand: £15 for the pair.

Cost: £65

Okay, so lets have a look at the nonsense my “knows nothing about dwarves” head put together.

Balin is your leader, and he's boasting a solid stat line, F6 with Heroic Strike, he can swing with the best of them, but having Durin's Axe, he won't suffer a -1 for fighting two-handed, and to top it off, he gets to reroll a die when making the duel roll! S4 with +1 to wound, and a further +1 if you piercing strike and 2 rerolls if the banner is knocking about? Next you'll be telling me he gets to reroll 1's to wound for his army bonus! Oh, he does?!?! Yes please!! Being a Dwarf, you'll have to get used to a 5” movement, but Balin can spend Will to reroll priority, so this should help offset that a little.

Floi Stonehand is our other named hero, whilst not much of a fighter, he has a fantastic rule allowing him to shut off an enemy model's Active or Passive rules, or the effects of a piece of Wargear at the cost of 1 Will point, as long as he has line of sight to them. Things like “This hero counts as a banner...” or even more obscure rules, like a Chariot Charge can all be shut off with this, so it's worth having a read through the Army books to get a scope of what you can do with it (also check the FAQs as about 90% of them are about him!)

Your final hero here is a simple Dwarf Captain, he has access to Heroic March, like pretty much every generic captain, so you'll be able to use his Might to let your dwarves cover distance quickly, rather than using Balin’s. He's no slouch in combat though, and he'll be able to stand his own against any lower level hero, especially since he's sitting pretty at Defence 8 with his shield!

Onto the more mundane, yet still good aspect of the list, the Warriors.

In the interest of cost, like all of the 500 under 50 articles, we've just used one box of Dwarf Warriors, you get 8 Warriors with Shields, 8 with Two Handed Axes and 8 with bows.

They're solid all rounders, an above average Fight Value for their cost, sitting at F4, they also have Dwarf Armour, so D6, with the option of a shield. Whilst they only have a Strength of 3, having access to the Two Handed axes will let you get past it a bit, just don't forget that you're not burly, so you'll be eating a -1 to your duel with the Two-Handers.

I'll be honest, the bows aren't the best. But, no point in wasting them, since they come in the box, so they're in the list. You're hitting on 4's, providing you don't move, and even then you're at less range than a regular bow. Still, you have models you can sit on objectives and you won't have to sacrifice your main fighters to do so, or you can just stick them into the fight, since they still have their axes.

You'll want to keep as much stuff near your banner, like always, to let you really throw about your F4 against lesser infantry, and if your opponent has a Banner, be sure to use Floi to shut it off. You're going to want to get in to the fight, and win anything you can, break them down, and get your archers on objectives... Just have to get used to the stubby legs!