Top 5 list for me before hearing everything you guys had: 5) Thrydan Wolfsbane - under 100pts, surprisingly big punch, can be paired with a massive horde or a powerful spellcaster. Live the guy, have used him a bunch. 4) Theodred - another 100pt hero who can obliterate models that he can beat in combat. F5 and average Wounds/Fate 3) The Balrog - in his Legion, your opponent needs to throw a lot of resources at him to stop him from chewing through things (and if you run out of Might before he died, you're in trouble). 2) Elessar - at low points levels especially, getting a 6" banner, Heroic March/Strike/Defense with Mighty Hero, and access to a mount in most cases means you're ticking off a bunch of boxes for only 225-240pts, he's great at killing stuff. 1) Uruk-Hai Warriors - because when moved by a Captain and buffed by a Shaman, they kill everything.

List review: My local area is doing an Escalation League of 400/600/800 points. The stipulation is that 50% of the next points level needs to be made up of the previous level. I’d love to here your thoughts! Isengard- 400 points (24 models): Warband 1- Lurtz w/ shield, 1 warrior with pike and banner, 7 warriors with shield, 7 warriors with pike Warband 2- Mauhur, 6 marauders with bow, 1 berserker 600 points (37 models): Warband 1- Lurtz w/ bow, 1 warrior with pike and banner, 7 warriors with shield, 7 warriors with pike Warband 2- Mauhur, 6 marauders with bow, 2 berserkers, 1 crebain Warband 3- Ugluk, 5 warriors with shield, 5 warriors with pike 800 points (42 models): Warband 1- Lurtz w/ bow, 1 warrior with pike and banner, 7 warriors with shield, 7 warriors with pike Warband 2- Mauhur, 8 marauders with bow, 2 berserkers Warband 3- Saruman on horse, Grima, 5 warriors with shield, 6 warriors with pike, 2 crebain

Interesting choices, happy to see Shagrat get some credit for being a solid killer for his cost. Really fun to use too, just bashing people to the ground. Here's my top 5 5. Shelob. Really unique model and is one of the most thematic imo. She feels like an opportunistic hunter and plays like one, and she looks terrifying on the board. Excellent value for points too. 4. Cave Troll. It's a simple little monster, but he fits so easily into my Moria armies and feels great to smash into spear walls and bully small heroes. I almost always take multiple in large games and have them as hole punchers. Have a soft spot for monsters so getting to use one that's pretty tough and strong on the regular is great. 3. Gimli. He's got the flexibility to crack armor or get some extra attacks, a throwing weapon, and he's tough as nails. He's a simple character, but I enjoy having that option in combat and have faith that when I throw him into a heavy fight he can get the job done and not be in too much danger. 2. Witch-King of Angmar. My favorite spellcaster in the game. I love his look and how he's a spellcaster that can also kick some ass if you really need him to. Great in pretty much any of the factions he's in, but I tend to use him most in Mordor as my big general. 1. Boromir, Captain of the White Tower. All time favorite hero in the game. I always have fun using him, and he feels absolutely epic in any game he's in. He boosts your troops, has an enormous might pool to work with, can take on hordes or big models equally well, and doesn't break the bank for what he brings. Also Sean Bean.

Hi guys, big fan of the podcast - keep up the great work! Would love to get your feedback on this list that I am planning to run in a 600 points tournament this spring. It's a six game event where every pool will be played once with a kind of veto system. Here is the list: Druzhag (Leader) 3 Giant Spiders 6 Goblins with bow (3 also with spear) 2 Goblins with shield 4 Goblin Prowlers Muzgur Orc with banner, spear and shield 6 Orcs with spear 2 Wild Wargs 1 Bat Swarm Goblin Shaman 5 Goblins with bow (3 also with spear) 2 Goblins with shield 4 Goblin Prowlers Goblin Captain with shield 5 Goblins with bow (3 also with spear) 3 Goblins with shield 4 Goblin Prowlers 600 points, 52 Models, 7 Might, 16 Bows and 12 Throwing Daggers What do you think? Is it too many Prowlers? Would you add more spears? Replace the captain with Ashrak? Would you add any Warg riders or marauders? Thanks a lot!

Love the podcast, guys - quick note though: Lurtz from his Legion can actually Challenge any tier hero - so Shagrat has the second largest pool. :-)

Hey guys! Love the podcast and was hoping to get some input on a list I'm trying to run at an event next month. My goal in all of this is "run treebeard" and this is, I think, the best way I have at my disposal. I tried an alternate list with pure Gondor but it seems like magic may be a key ingredient in optimizing treebeard, since he lacks Gwaihir's mobility. Thanks in advance! Galadriel - 4x galadrim warriors with shield -1x galadrim warrior with shield and spear -1x galadrim warrior with shield, spear, and banner -4x wood elf warriors with spear and bow -2x guards of the galadrim court Hurin the Tall with horse -10x warriors of minas tirith with shield -5x rangers of the minas tirith with spear Treebeard with Merry and Pippin 32 bodies, 700 points, 9 bows.

Do you guys think that fighting D7-8 heroes would blunt Rutabi's effectiveness - especially those that are F6+? I get that with Bladewrath, she can wound them on 5s rerolling failures if there's a trap, but if there's a Dwarf hero that's at about her cost level, is she good enough to crack that? And is the commitment of her and Brorgir for at least one turn worth it? I'm playing with the Defenders of Erebor LL a lot and playing with multiple Dwarf heroes, curious what you think (mostly to see if a spam of Dwarf heroes is worth doing).