Oh boy, we've got a new FAQ and its a big shake up for some competitive pieces.
Firstly, the elephant in the room, Vanquishers. Whilst these haven't been quite the meta terror everyone feared, they are certainly not fun to play against. Well with a few quick changes they have been nerfed down to "fun tier" along with the rest of the all hero armies. Now you must include Gandalf (by far the weakest of the pieces) and you can't cast some key spells into combat (Sorcerous Blast, Wrath of Bruinen, Nature's Wrath). This means that there is now a 470 point spend just to write the word "Vanquishers" at the top of your army list which is crazy. Gandalf also adds the least to this list, and takes up one of the slots, of which you were generally only getting 4. So either no more combat prowess from Elrond or no more healing from Raddy. Added to this, you now have to actually fight your enemies fairly (i.e. when they are on their feet) since you can't yeet them out of a combat with spells. So long Vanquishers, you will not be missed.
Next, Dragon Cult Acolytes may now be taken by Dragon Knights. This one really shouldn’t surprise anyone – we all saw it coming, and a lot of people were already house ruling it. As Acolytes are the mid-point in a Black Dragon’s training to become a Dragon Knight, it only made sense that they’d be eligible in their warband. This really does help them to find a home on the table, though. List building for Easterlings can get tricky, especially at small points values, and Dragon Knights have always been tough to include due to their restrictions – they can only take 6 models, and only models with the ‘black dragon’ upgrade. The trouble is, Black Dragons really wanted to be in with the rest of your pike block – so taking one or two Dragon Knights resulted in an awkward shuffle to try to get your models in place at the start of the game, particularly for scenarios with maelstrom deployment. Thankfully, this change will mean that both Acolytes and Dragon Knights can deploy where they want to be, which is generally on the flanks. This should help Acolytes, which have been tricky to slot into an Easterling list, to find a more natural home. A good change which will presumably just tide us over until the ‘Defense of the North’ supplement arrives.
Lastly, the Lord of Rivendell himself got a slight adjustment in the wording of his 'Foresight' ability. Not the biggest change but makes a little sense when it comes to the ebb and flow of a battle. That being that he actually needs to be present to make a difference and not waiting to arrive on the board. I hadn't personally seen this come in to effect pre-FAQ, with Elrond using his Foresight points in a maelstrom/reinforcements scenario. Again, not the biggest change but pays to have it clarified!
What did you make of the new changes? Were the nerfs to Galadriel and the Vanquishers too heavy, not enough or even handed? Let us know in the comments!
I think the change of Galadriel to Fortitude is good - I was a bit surprised when she was improved to Valor in the new edition (and it grew worse when the alliance restrictions came into play). The changes to the Vanquishers may make a difference in games below 650pts, but I'm not sure how much the Legion was liked at that points level before (it still only had 3 models - it just had Elrond instead of Gandalf).
ReplyDeleteI actually think that two different changes would have been better (especially to help the list at points levels below 650): first, Gandalf could have had his cost reduced by 50pts and lost his Staff of Power (Radagast gets a 100pt Eagle for 50pts at the cost of his Staff). This would be accurate to the films, would give the Legion someone below 150pts to fit into a list, and since Gandalf is F5/S5/3A while he keeps his wounds up, he'd be a cheap combat piece.
The second boost that would secure him usage (or at least bring him into the discussion of who to take) would be to trade his bonus to allow him to "blink" with another model to a space within 3" of his starting position. This kind of tactical maneuver has distinguished the Lingering Shadow among his wraith competitors and coupled with a cheaper cost, could make him better.
Overall, I'm not sure that the changes to the Vanquishers Legion will make them unplayable at 650+ (Radagast, yes, but the rest not so much). Healing will be harder, but you still have Elrond and you have Strengthen Will (required) to keep that going.
I expect Lady of Light's nerf will be Gandalf the Grey's gain (not in the Vanquisher's legion, because you have to take them both now; but as an ally to other competitive lists). He returns to being the most attractive ally with Blinding Light for good armies (being a hero of Valor) who also offers some magic protection (albeit only on a single model each turn, unless you channel Protection of the Valar).
ReplyDeleteThat's not new--he was a popular addition before, and also has a decent number of green ally options since he's native to at least five lists (Fellowship, Shire, White Council, and Survivors of Lake-Town, and Thorin's Company). His horse option is also a better fit with all-cav armies, too. I think it much more likely that lists will include him than Lady of Light plus another White Council member.
Do you think Lorien Galadriel will be getting a look, as a cheap blinding-light transfixing convenient ally?
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