Pro's Perspective: Rivendell

Dan Slob: In this new series we will be inviting a number of seasoned players to talk about a faction close to their hearts. To start us off we have Rebel Base Gaming's very own Jonny Wright! Take it away Jonny!

Jonny: I’ve played The Lord of the Rings since 2001 with the release of the Fellowship of the Ring boxed game and in the years since, have participated in countless tournaments, (even winning a few!) the majority of which I have used a pure Rivendell army. Here I talk about the heroes and warriors of this noble force, their role on the battlefield, and how to get the best out of the various options in unison. I’m not going to be completely unbiased as my opinion has been formed over many hours of gaming, but I will try to look at each unit for its personal strength, and highlight any inherent weaknesses.

Gil Galad, High King of the Elves

There’s no more obvious place to start than the High King’s insane Fight Value of 9; making fluffing your Heroic Strike rolls a thing of the past with an auto 10 (!). Combine this with his Lord of the West reroll and his +1 to wound with Aiglos he is a beast! Mounted he will mince through heroes and warriors alike and remember, when besting the former in combat, he will regain a point of Might due to his Blood and Glory special rule! That’s assuming his foe have mustered the courage to charge this Terror causing King. As is often the way with expensive Good heroes, his greatest weakness is how many points he sinks should your opponent be able to Transfix or Immobilise him. Shatter will also cause a headache, particularly in combination with the aforementioned spells as, without Aiglos, he loses a large part of his punch. A measly 1 Fate could potentially put you off fielding this legendary High King, but when coupled with a Defence of 8 and the unlikely chance of him actually losing a combat, even a single Fate should be enough, particularly as he has 3 Wounds.

Despite all the above, the main reason I field Gil-Galad so frequently is his unlocking of F6 King’s Guard. The ability to take 18 models with F6 should not be overlooked. Enemy heroes will cower at the sight of the King’s protectors, particularly those committed to The Dark Lord.

Rounding out my assessment of Gil-Galad’s plethora of strengths is his 12” Stand Fast, though not easily do the elves turn to run so this is a minor benefit in a pure Rivendell force.

Elrond, Master of Rivendell

The Lord of Rivendell is one of the most versatile Good heroes in the game. With a superbly rounded stat-line, he has become an auto-include in any of my Rivendell tournament armies since the release of the new edition. Foresight is oft and equally ill forgotten. The late game ability to dictate the battlefield by impacting upon who has priority should not be overlooked. Having Elrond safely tucked away and forcing your opponent into taking priority and charging leaves them wide open to Nature’s Wrath, allowing you to further control the battle lines and potentially inflict mortal wounds to those now prone models. A bearer of one of the three elven rings, allowing him to re-roll failed Fate tests, Elrond’s survivability makes him an exceptional general- starving your opponent of those all important wound/kill the general Victory Points.

Elrond also unlocks the ability to field an army of Rivendell Knights. Truly a sight to behold on the battlefield and terrifying in the Shooting Phase when remaining still to take advantage of the Army special rule to re-roll failed To Hit rolls when within 6” of the army General if the knight has not moved during the Movement Phase.

In the current tournament meta, where Angmar and Ringwraiths are a mainstay; Hadhafang’s +1 to wound becomes an added bonus.

Glorfindel, Lord of the West

Often overlooked in favour of the previous two Legendary Tier heroes; Glorfindel is another well rounded Terror causing hero. Being a Horse Lord all but ensures he will remain mounted by the time he hits the enemy line, allowing for maximum damage output due to knockdowns. The Armour of Gondolin bestows him with the equivalent increase in Defence to Heavy Armour, with the added bonus of making him immune to Brutal Power Attacks. His Fortify Spirit special rule ensures he stands a better chance of not being Transfixed/Immobilised, and Lord of the West makes him a great combat piece. Glorfindel fills a utility spot in a Rivendell list but I’m not sure I’d ever find myself taking him over Elrond or Gil-Galad, certainly not below 1000 points.

Erestor

Unless wanting a mounted hero, or requiring Heroic March, there is little reason not to take Erestor over a High Elf Captain. His Defence of 7 crucially puts S4 models on 6s to wound instead of 5s, but for 5 points more (assuming the Captain takes a shield) he causes Terror and his Noldorin daggers provide him with a throwing weapon AND re-rolls to failed wounds in both combat and when throwing his daggers. Erestor is particularly useful in lower point games where taking one of the “big three” is out of the question, and with 2 Fate, he has a decent amount of survivability.

Arwen Undomiel

Recently nerfed to be a lowly Minor Hero; Arwen has lost an element of her standing in my opinion. Taking heroes without the ability to take a warband of at least 12 warriors is a real issue when considering armies around 700 points (the standard tournament points limit). At 700 points one of the “big three” would normally feature, but you end up with 20/30 points spare and lacking in bodies. This is the issue which an Elven commander was often faced with in the previous edition of the rules when warband sizes were capped at 12 models. This has been assuaged with the introduction of different Tiers of heroes, but unfortunately, Arwen, and to a greater extent; Cirdan fall foul of the Errata.

Low defence, and only two “real” (no one throws 1 dice at a 4+ to cast spell do they?!) opportunities to cast Nature’s Wrath leaves Arwen bottom of the pile when selected heroes for my armies these days. Shame really as I always quite liked Liv Tyler!

Cirdan

The anguish I felt when learning of Arwen’s demotion was nothing in comparison to that felt when hearing the Shipwright suffered the same Fate!

The ultimate in buff characters (in abilities rather than physical prowess at least), Cirdan had been an auto-include in almost every army regardless of Allies Matrix colour prior to the Errata. Personally, I feel his becoming a Minor Hero in a pure green army was an oversight (damn you, Jay!). As discussed with Arwen above, at 700 points a Minor Hero causes selection headaches akin to any England manager trying to fit both Lampard and Gerrard in the same team.

In any case, being Resistant to Magic, Terror causing, and being able to cast Blinding Light, Aura of Courage, Aura of Dismay, AND Enchanted Blades (as if Gil-Galad and co needed any more help…) all with a free casting dice per turn, makes this feeble looking old elf a veritable force of nature on the battlefield. If you can fit him into your list, do so. He has won me countless games by buffing those around me- in particular his Blinding Light means your few elves are more survivable in a shooting match, and coupled with the army bonus – forces the enemy to come to your Terror causing bubble with haste. “Tangado haid, leithio I philinn” indeed!

Elladan & Elrohir

In the words of Super Hans “The twins. I bloody love the twins!”. The sons of Elrond have one glaring weakness, but it is by far made up for by how utterly dirt cheap they are to field as a pair. A mere 200 points for 6 Might and two bow wielding, mounted elven heroes is an absolute bargain! The pitfall? Well; when one dies, the other is filled with a hatred so great that he must spend every point of Might, every inch of movement, and shows the chinks in his armour in the pursuit of his brother’s slayer. That said, he does increase his strength…

When fighting on foot with their twin elven blades, the brothers can choose to fight with an additional attack, to parry, or with a single two-handed sword. This enables them to tailor their fighting style to the level and volume of foe they encounter.

Lindir

Although, I’m yet to use Elrond’s right-hand man, I certainly think he has a place alongside his Lord. Elrond’s only real downside as a caster is that he doesn’t have a staff which generates one free Will per turn. Lindir offers that perk as well as providing Resistance to Magic to all friendly Rivendell elves within 6” of him, which is certainly welcome and weakens the use of magic against you in tried and testing tricks such as drawing one lonely elf out to be charged then Heroic Combating into the elven line off it when you thought they were out of range. It also offers your big hitters some protection from Transfix/Immobilise, allowing them to do what they do best. Lindir’s only real weakness is his solitary attack; meaning you really have to get the most out of him to warrant his inclusion over a regular Captain. Arguably Lindir would struggle to be included outside of a list containing Elrond as much of his strength lies in his Wise Council.

High Elf Captain

No special rules to speak of other than those expected of elven heroes (Woodland Creature and Expert Rider), but High Elf Captains, like Captains in many armies, offer access to Heroic March. Perhaps their only call for inclusion above the named heroes. Perhaps the exception to that statement is a Rivendell Knight Captain but I would still question the inclusion over heroes with more clearly defined roles.

Gildor Inglorion

Ahh, the lesser spotted Gildor! Partly due to the scarcity of the miniature himself, but mostly because other than the super speedy Movement of 8”, Heroic March, and his Immobilise (which is quite handy to be fair as he has 4 Will), Gildor is a bit of a misfit inclusion in the list…quite fitting I guess! Gildor does also provide access to Noldorin Exiles – Wood Elves with Movement 8”. I suppose his warband could be used for objective grabbing, but I’m still unsure about his role in the army.

Stormcaller

Another rare, if ever seen, sight. For a designated caster, their spells are weak other than buffing another hero's Will (and regaining their own Will with a natural cast roll of a 6), which is done better by someone like Lindir; Stormcallers don’t offer much to the army. Defence 4 is particularly weak too in an army where numbers are already scarce. 

High Elf Warrior

The backbone of the army. With a shield/bow and spear the warrior comes in at 11 or 12 points respectively. NOT. CHEAP. And that’s before upgrading to King’s Guard (F6) for an extra point. However, F5 D6 is pretty good going. What elves generally lack is multiple dice in a combat. Even in ranks, 2 dice feels low… and that’s on the assumption that you’re going toe to toe and not being outnumbered. A banner is a must to add that pseudo 3^rd dice when rolling low. This is why your choice of elven heroes are so important, and why Cirdan in particular is invaluable. Reducing the number of models with the courage to charge evens the fight and keeps your noble warriors alive for long enough to tip the balance and win the day.

Rivendell Knight

For 22 points with a shield, Rivendell knights are great. They have a lance; causing a deadly charge, and a bow; allowing you to sit back and whittle the opposing force down and even the scales of battle. Movement 10” means its always worth dropping at least a couple in for counter charging when the enemy line meets your ranks, or for grabbing objectives late on. As previously mentioned, with Elrond leading the force, and the inclusion of one or more of the Istarii, it’s possible to legitimately field an entire army of Rivendell Knights. Again, numbers will be low; but you’re elves so this is to be expected.

Noldorin Exile

Very situational given they can only be unlocked via Gildor and only Defence 3 which is sickeningly low in an already streamlined force. With a bow and spear they are the same points as the equivalent High Elf Warrior and I can’t see a valid reason to include an Exile over the Warrior.

Some example lists:

500 points army list (498 points)

Elladan & Elrohir w/ heavy armour, horse, bow

4 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

6 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

1 High Elf Warrior w/ banner, spear, and shield

Cirdan

2 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

4 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

20 models, 7 Might, 6 bows.

Being able to cast Blinding Light and use your 6 bows with rerolls to hit (when standing still) will cause your enemy issues at this points level. That’s before the twins engage in combat! Getting both in on an unsuspecting warriors and then catapulting them both into more models with a Heroic Combat will hurt. Cirdan gives your core the necessary buffs and makes them harder to charge with Aura of Dismay and the banner gives the additional dice in combat to help your ranks. Quite the formidable force.

700 points army list (697points)

Elrond w/ horse and heavy armour

4 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

5 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

1 High Elf Warrior w/ banner, spear, and shield

2 Rivendell Knights w/ shield

Cirdan

2 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

4 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

Erestor

3 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

5 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

29 models, 6 Might (plus Elrond’s Foresight points), 11 bows.

And here in lies the issue with elves at 700 (well, now that Cirdan has been nerfed at least). It’s rather difficult to find a sweet spot when including Cirdan due to needing the third hero slot for the extra warriors. Elrond’s warband is not full, but the other two heroes require protection for Maelstrom deployment scenarios. Not taking Erestor and maxing on Knights/Warriors means you’re light on Might and Elrond risks being overrun by multiple lower tier heroes/shamans.

A possible inclusion instead of Erestor is Galadriel Lady of Light for 130 points, meaning a few more warriors in Elrond’s warband. This would be the way I would go with this particular list.

800 points army list (800 points)

Elrond w/ horse and heavy armour

6 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

8 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

1 High Elf Warrior w/ banner, spear, and shield

Cirdan

2 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

4 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

Elladan & Elrohir w/ heavy armour, horse, bow

3 Rivendell Knights w/ shield

28 models, 10 Might (plus Elrond’s Foresight points), 13 bows.

I’ve incorporated the best elements of the first two lists into this 800 point list. This list has answers to a lot of questions. The twins can run riot in the knowledge that they are not the General and do not risk giving away Victory Points for the majority of scenarios. Although slightly low on numbers (the knights could be swapped for almost double the number of warriors), the list will pack a punch and can counter charge with aplomb due to Elrond and Cirdan’s combined battlefield control. It also has the ability to grab and sit on a number of objectives if needed.

Dan Slob: Thanks Jonny! Hopefully that has provided some expert insight into Rivendell! We'll have more of these in the future, so if you think you can provide a Pro's Perspective then please get in touch at DrawnCombat@gmail.com!