Mordor Troops

So this blog started as a Mordor list building blog, until I realised the huge amount of choice you can be faced with, so I thought I’d break it down a bit and use this to help myself and others. I’ll start off with the infantry troop choices and the pro’s and cons of your options.

Mordor Orcs – These are essentially cheap filler. If you were running a horde style army and want to overrun your foe with sheer weight of numbers, then these are the troops for you. They have access to bows and two-handed weapons. Bows are lacking, hitting on 5’s as standard, they are merely pot luck shots at best to most forces. Orcs themselves at S3 D4 are not bad for 5 points but would be better in a back line with spears or as to enable you to get as cheap bodies as possible on the table.

Morannon Orcs- These are generally my go to troop choice at 2 pts above the warrior Orcs as they have an extra point of Strength and Def. At D5, or 6 with the shield, these stay around a lot longer in the frontline fight and can hold back an attack for a little longer. With a Heroic combat against them, they are more likely to stop a would-be hero catapulting through them. Alternatively, if you opt to go for a more elite force on the frontline, these work well in the back as once you can be happy in the knowledge you have more capable troops as backup to cope with the opposing force. The only down side I have found with these was the fact they are F3, losing out to a lot of troops on the mirror roll.

Mordor Uruk-Hai – At 1 point more than the Marannons you get the added access to bows, extra point of courage and an improved F4 stat, but at the deficit of -1 defence.  Offensively these troops are great in any frontline and are less likely to run away if/when your army breaks, which with their lessened def could happen more quickly. They are a solid troop choice and can’t be overlooked.

Morgul Stalkers – Depending on the scenario these models could maybe come into use, but to be honest at 10pts with no upgrade options, they seem like a very expensive troop choice for not a lot of advantage. Their USP is having Stalk Unseen and 2 attacks. However having F3 is a major downside, despite their S4, and also being D4 means they will die quickly. Overall they feel lacklustre considering the other options available.

 Orc Trackers- These are much like the Mordor orcs and are cheap filler. The only reason to take these troops would be to get a more accurate bow shot compared to the Warriors. 4+ shoot instead of 5+ is a big deal though, and at only 5 points they are very cheap. They could be used on wargs for a little bit of mobility but they do work out more expensive than a normal warg rider. At def 3 these will melt quickly if fired upon or attacked so use with care.

Black Numenorians- To me these are one of the best elite choices we have on offer. These are almost a perfect choice for the front of your battle line. 9pts for a F4, D6 and Terror. For me at 1pt more than an Uruk it’s a no brainer. Sit these at the front and with Morannons behind and you have a very scary battle formation. The only thing these troops seem to lack is the strength to really put hurt on some troops. S3 is a little too weak for my taste, but these guys are humans after all. At C4 though they still have a good chance of sticking around if the rest of the army breaks.

Black-Guard of Barad-Dur- At 12 points these are the most expensive of the warrior choices.  Now I have been struggling with these as to whether they are better or worse than the Numenorians. I have come to the conclusion that they both have their place and I’m probably going to run both. I think a small squad of these would be hard hitting, especially paired up with some of the possible commanders. Hitting at S5, these guys are hero killers and when faced with some armies with a lot of D7, these are still wounding on 5’s. I doubt I would put more than 4 in a list and would probably use them as an elite hero hunting squad.

So, with a lot of games lined up and more combos to try leading up to Desolation of Stockport, I have a lot of food for thought and money to spend on models and paint. What I thought was going to be a simple decision has created a vast exploration of new ideas.

Let me know your thoughts, am I right, am I wrong? Time will tell!