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May 9, 20237 min read

GBHL MASTERS: TOP MESBG PLAYERS CROWNED

JUST over a fortnight ago, 16 of the Great British Hobbit League's best players descended on Warhammer World for one of the GBHL's most prestigious and hotly contested tournaments.


The GBHL Masters invites the players who performed best in the previous year's league for the ultimate test of their skill at the tabletop. A World Cup Style knock-out contest, with each win pushing a player ever closer to having their name permanently engraved on the GBHL Masters Trophy. The 16 were seeded into groups to avoid big name clashes too early on.... But in reality, all were titans of the tabletop:

So it begins...

Pod 1: Will Champion (Fell Beinga of Mirkwood), Jake Rawson (Arnor), Jay Acharya (Angmar), Sam Gratton (Laketown/Erebor)


Pod 2: Dave Clubley (Host of the Dragon Emperor), Michael Bradford (Asssault on Lothlorien), Jake Bankes ( (Host of the Dragon Emperor) Ashley Woolger (Mordor/Harad)


Pod 3: Dave Farmer (Mordor/Harad), Alastair King (Thror/IronHills) ,Tom Wagg (Assault on Lothlorien) , James Goble (Rivendell/Numenor)


Pod 4: Jay Clare (Lothlorien) ,Jamie Wiggans (Host of the Dragon Emperor), Ed Ball (Black Riders), David Nixon (Wolves of Isengard!)



The 700pt event started (appropriately) with Contest of Champions, and worked its way through the six Matched Play Guide pools over the course of the two day event. By the end of day one, 8 were selected to progress through to the Knockout contest (with the remaining 8 left to fight over the Plate Trophy), they were as follows:


JAKE RAWSON (Arnor)

ASHLEY WOOLGER (Mordor/Harad)

JAY CLARE (Lothlorien)

ALASTAIR KING (Thror/Iron HIlls)

DAVID FARMER (Mordor/Harad)

JAMIE WIGGANS (Host of the Dragon Emperor)

JAKE BANKES ( Host of the Dragon Emperor)

WILL CHAMPION (Fell Beings of Mirkwood)


The board was set for some final epic clashes before culminating in one final epic showdown to crown a winner.


The game was Destroy the Supplies, and Final Game was Alastair King and His Thror & Iron Hills Alliance (list here) against Dave Farmer's Mordor/Serpent Horde force (list here).


Before we find out the result there, we also had a final match to crown the third place finisher, which saw Ashley Woolger & Will Champion go head to head in the final round. Will's Fell Beings vs Ashley's Mordor Serpent Horde alliance.


The match ended in a resounding 12-0 victory for Ashley giving him the honour of the third place finish in such an incredibly competitive field.


I asked Ashley for a little bit of a summary of why he thinks his army came together so well to take him to such a high final position and for some tips he may have for newer players:


Ashley: "My Mordor/ Harad combo is centred around Black Numenoreans being an amazing core troop, their terror shieldwall synergises so well with the Witch-King’s Harbinger of Evil to hinder the opponent’s ability to charge. Adding Suladân for his 6 inch banner gives me a battle line that can match most in the game, and provides access to cheap lance carrying cavalry for objectives and a killing punch.


"My MVP at the masters however, was Kardûsh the Firecaller. His ability to flameburst, in combination with the WK’s spells, allows for some devious plays to catch out opponents. Furthermore, sacrificing him to give the WK extra will late game is always helpful.


"In terms of tactics, when I look at my opponents army I try and work out what areas to attack. An absolute favourite of mine is the WK Black Dart spell against enemy heroes' horses. If you kill the horse at a key moment, and that hero doesn’t roll a 6 on the thrown rider, it can do nothing else that turn, or potentially force them to spend resources - timing is key on this one. Another trick I look for is how to utilise the WK and Kardûsh together. For example, the Witchking can compel a banner bearer away models it is in base contact with, only to then take a Fireball to the face from Kardûsh! My advice for new players would be, make sure you know how to use and play against magic! It is such a powerful tool."


Well done to Ashley for a terriffic performance, and against such seasoned pros - he's clearly one to watch out for in the community!


But, with the greatest respect, that was the third place playoff... On the neighbouring table Ali and Dave were duking it out to take home that coveted trophy...




After the dust settled, it was Evil which came out on top, with Dave Farmer's Mordor/Serpent Horde alliance beating the Dwarves to a 7-3 loss. It's worth noting that Ali's second place finish is no mean feat, the players at this event were far from a walk over (even the Wooden Spoon winner didn't lose all their games - more on that in a bit...) so to find himself in the final proves his worth once again (just a couple of years after winning the league.


Ali has written a number of blogs here about his tactics for various armies, but most often the dwarves. I asked him if he had any tips or tricks he could share about how he runs his Iron Hills Thror alliance to such consistent success:


ALI: "The key to this army is neutralising your opponents’ strengths at the same time as giving them too many threats to deal with.


The 1st part of that philosophy is achieved quite easily with the natural D7 of my foot dwarfs being able to neuter most enemy offensive output. The dwarf battleline is also able to take on most in a straight-up fight, combining throwing weapons, S4, and a 6” banner. The Goat Riders are there to provide that little extra mobility, or if that is not needed, they can hit harder than any other cavalry in the game.


"Backing this up, though, are 3 capable heroes. Thror as the leader is as resilient as they come; rarely will you have to worry about him conceding leader points. Dain is the main threat and can go toe to toe with any hero in the game and is something that can neither be ignored nor taken down easily. Young Dwalin then rounds out the 3 with a surprising punch that catches many off guard. He can munch troops or threaten mid-level heroes while essentially being completely disposable.


"Even in the face of magic, 2 of the 3 heroes will be able to make their presence felt against the enemy battle line each round. Hit the enemy hard early and don’t be afraid to just use might to bump up to get an extra wound roll, as soon as an opponent is outnumbered by your dwarves the game becomes a lot easier. Just be aware of scenario end conditions and utilise your game management tools when you need them (Shielding and Bashing to avoid killing the enemy, and ending scenarios too quickly)."


Thanks Ali - some useful tips for any budding dwarf players (and don't forget to steal his army list here) but clearly it wasn't enough...


Because the Winner of the GBHL Masters event for 2022's league was David Farmer. He's no stranger to the top tables - having only recently won The Gates of Gondolin and come second at the Battle of Olympus - but to be crowned Master of the GBHL is surely close to his greatest MESBG performance yet. Is it too early to tip him as winner of the 2023 league? Mayybe... but he's in pole position at the moment!


Either way, his Mordor Serpent Horde alliance helped him to victory, and I asked him why his version worked so well for him:


Dave: "The army list is simple synergies. Black Numenoreans backed by Morannons are excellent value; you get terror, some F4, some S4, D6 everywhere, and with Suladan's 6" banner you're re-rolling more often than not.


"The Trackers harry the flanks, hold back objectives and provide some shooting, the Raiders and Watchers add utility, with their cavalry/lances and the ability to charge terror causing opponents, respectively.


"The key thing that makes the list tick is the double wraith - the Witch-king and Shadow Lord. This makes the Black Numenorean's terror more impactful via the Harbinger of Evil, protects from shooting (Pall of darkness), and nullifies enemy heroes through a barrage of magic. This means the Witch-King and Suladan can easily handle most heroes once they've been drained of resources, by simply being transfixed and run down."

David Nixon with his Wooden Cutlery and Apron for his Wooden Spoon winning performance! (also me showcasing the pomp and ceremony required of a GBHL TO)

Thanks Dave, you make it sound so simple! Though we all know that winning MESBG games isn't about turning up with a good list, it's about applying the right strategy against the right opponents in the right scenarios... A sprinkling of good fortune helps too of course!


Though I must shout out David Nixon who arrived at the Masters event with The Wolves of Isengard Legendary Legion, which it's fair to say was always a left-field choice! But as I mentioned earlier, even he can hold his head up high, because despite walking home with the Wooden Spoon, he did still manage to pull a win out of the bag against another all cav army (The Black Riders) - clearly it wasn't as foolish as some would have you believe! Finally, credit to Will Champion for his hobbying prowess (all players were asked to rate their opponenets hobbying out of ten, and Will came out top!) and Jay Clare to winning Most Sporting for the second Masters Event in a row!

Dave treating himself to a well earned rest after his victory!

So there it is - the GBHL Master crowned once again. Will Dave return next year to hold onto his crown? Will it return to last year's winner Ed Ball? Or will someone new be crowned the King of Kings. Find out next year!

 

CURRENT GBHL PODIUM:

  1. David Farmer

  2. Jake Rawson

  3. Edward Ball

Team Rankings:


  1. The Guardians From Distant Lands

  2. 7th City Crusaders

  3. The Guardians


And to get the latest results and pictures from events head over to "the insta" where we're regularly posting about the best MESBG players and Painters! Tap here to follow the official GBHL Account @gbhl_official .

UPCOMING EVENTS:


Until Next time, may this hobby be a light for you when all other lights go out.

BURARUM - HARRY - GBHL Marketing CoOrdinator




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