There has been a lot of discussion recently about how the Galadriel nerf (going from Valour to Fortitude and therefore not being able to ally in to other armies easily) will make some armies like Angmar too good as she was a key piece that kept them in check. This has been compounded by The Gates of Gondolin, an 844 point GBHL 100 event in which Angmar took 1st and 2nd. We decided to get the scoop on the tournament and Angmar in general from the winner, Harry Moore:
Congrats on your win! What was your list and how did you choose it?
The Witchking of Angmar with Crown and Horse4 Orcs with shield
5 Orcs with spear
1 Orc with shield and banner
Gulavhar
5 Orcs with shield
5 Orcs with spear
1 Spectre
Barrow Wight
5 Orcs with shield
5 Orcs with spear
Barrow Wight
5 Orcs with shield
5 Orcs with spear
Orc Captain on Warg
2 Warg Riders with shield
2 Wild Wargs
This was built around the Witchking and Gully via past experiences as I've been running Angmar competitively since the start of the new edition. I felt I needed a balance of numbers and key components to maximise board control and objective play. And of course to get the best out of Gully!
Who was your MVP and why? And did any units not perform as expected?
Across the weekend it has to be Gully for MVP however it is definitely a team event. The Barrow Wights and Witchking are crucial to Gully's success. The army compliments itself so well, I love the synergy between everything. The army bonus, Harbinger and having 4 Spirits works great. The Captain was also great for the March and additional charging trickery. The Spectre is always a nuisance and the Warg Riders offer manoeuvrability. I can't really think of anything didn't perform as hoped.
What was your biggest game winning/ game losing moment of the tournament?
There were a few crucial moments in a bunch of games. I lost to the War Leader in game 2 at Heirlooms. I lost priority and so the Mumak came on and squashed the Witchking turn 2 for my opponent to then pick up the relic turn 3. The Mumak then won a roll off and trampled 2 warbands of orcs, a Wight, the Captain and then Gully in one go. So that was that 🤣
In game 3 I played the storm the camp against the new Mirkwood Rangers LL. Running across the board against 42 elf bows was grim. I used a cunning 17" March then the Witchking used compel to get Gully across the board and subsequently hurl through the bow line. Without that I'm sure Gully would not have got to combat!
In game 5 I won a crucial roll off where my opponent's Gully charged my own. We both rolled a 6 but the roll off went my way and killed him in 1. That essentially decided the game.
In game 6, Seize the Prize, my Spectre forced an elf with the prize into open ground where he got munched by Gully and that decided the game.
A lot of big moments went my way. They say you need luck on your side to win a tournament and I definitely had that!
When playing as Angmar, what matchup or scenario scares you the most?
As an Angmar player I think shooting heavy armies where I have to get across the board scare me the most. Terror and def 6 are also a pain, as well as any mirror matches. F7+ big heroes and monsters which are hard to shut down are also a problem! And of course the Vanquishers. So plenty to fear, Angmar definitely aren't the whole package.
With regards to scenarios, I don't mind so much, the army is versatile enough to do well at most. What I think decides it is which army you plan on certain scenarios and you can't really plan for that so you've just got to give it your best and have fun!
Angmar seem strong at the moment, what is it that makes them so good?
Angmar are strong and have lots of powerful, game changing heroes however they also have a lot of vulnerability. Low Fight, Def and particularly low courage. Same with Gully, as strong as he is, one mistake and he can die. I definitely feel you need to be experienced at the game to run them well. Personally I love the challenge with them.
I think this event is an anomaly, Angmar have always been around but I don't think there is anything to be concerned about presently. I think they get better at higher points. This event was 844 points which means you can take all the big hitters and still get a lot of troops. Typically tournaments run at a lower points level so you can't take the same builds.
Has the Galadriel nerf helped them?
Personally, Galadriel never truly bothered me as an Angmar player, there are enough components in the list to tackle her. Admittedly the Vanquishers were a bit intimidating but I've never played them competitively with Angmar so can't really comment.
I think it's easy to look for the correlation between the Galadriel nerf and an Angmar win, long term I don't think it will be an issue but I suppose time will tell.
Do you think Angmar needs toning down and if so how would you do it?
I don't think Angmar need any changes, people have been running them for a long time and lots of armies can undo them. Angmar have always had a particular way of playing similar to other factions and to change that would be a shame. I remember Jamie G took no might Angmar to a GT many years ago, it is a unique component to Angmar.
I suppose if I would change one thing it would be the Shade. I would make the rule Active as opposed to Passive. I say this as even with all the tricks in my army; Transfixes and Paralyzes and I still couldn't turn the bloody thing off!
What are your thoughts on the state of magic in the game at the moment?
Compared to previous editions magic is now certainly more balanced and for a long time in the new addition you didn't really see it. I think the LLs have a lot to do with that! In the previous edition if you wanted to be competitive, magic was a must, I don't think that's the case at all now. There are many competitive, tournament winning armies that don't need magic. Like I mentioned earlier, this tourney was 844 points which make it a lot easier to include a caster.
I've always been a big fan as magic gives such good game control but equally I run a few armies without magic and do well and still enjoy using them.
What other armies do you rate at the moment?
In the past couple of years I've really enjoyed using Halls of Thranduil as I think it can be a challenging army to use right. I also really like using my Far Harad and Mumak Warleader. My next challenge is to run an all hero Mordor army using just the low to mid tier heroes.
What’s next on the agenda for you?
I've got a bit of a gap now as I get married in the summer and so real life gets in the way of hobby life! In going to a 1 day-er in July and then nothing until the Autumn where I will have to pick and choose what I can attend. The years of going to 10+ events have long gone!
You also won best sports which is pretty amazing, how do you make sure both you and your opponent have a fun but competitive game?
My number one priority is to always have an enjoyable game, whether I win or lose. I think it's important to be gracious in victory as well as in defeat. At the end of the day we are all here to play toys and that should always be fun! I like helping my opponents whether newbies or veterans, I feel it enhances my own game.
As an Angmar player I'm conscious that I don't want to create a negative playing experiences so making the game as fun as possible is really important, especially when my strategy is to shut down and kill heroes 1 at a time! 🤣
Thanks for your time, Harry, and congrats again!
