Road to the Grand Tournament: Part Two – Forces of Evil

For those of you who missed Part One of my Road to the Grand Tournament [GT] series, you can find it here. In that article, I run through my Good List and breakdown each component of the Army. Well, in a highly predictable fashion, here is Part Two doing the exact same thing for my Evil Army.

What to Use?

At the last two GTs, I have used variations on an Azog’s Hunters and Azog’s Legion Green Alliance, led by Bolg, Fimbul, and Narzug. This is an Army that hits very hard, has good levels of Might, and some resilience with Gundabad Warriors to balance out the low Defence of the Hunter Orcs. However, there are some weaknesses to this Army; vulnerability from their low Courage Values being a main drawback, and also the Army’s only source of Heroic March stemming from Bolg isn’t ideal.

Nevertheless, the Army performed admirably across the two events finishing with 4 Wins, 1 Draw,

and 1 Loss. I am not sure there is much room to improve the List in its current form, so I have

decided to look elsewhere for my evil Army this time.

I have not been someone who has often used Evil Armies at event unless I have had to, and for a

long time I did not really own many. They haven’t had the same appeal to me that many Good

Armies have; nevertheless, during the last few years I have tried to expand my options in that

department. This has seen me build and paint both an Easterling force, and a Mordor force. With

Easterlings getting a sizable update in the future, I have leaned into using Mordor for the present.

Evil List

My Mordor Army is arguably a variation of the principles of the Evil List I have taken to the last two

GT’s. The idea is it maintains most of the strengths of that List, but it is able negate some of the

weaknesses. Therefore, without further ado, here is my planned List.

Like my Good List from last week, I have 40 models; at 700 Points, that isn’t that bad, although I

would ideally like a couple more to maximise the opportunities to get the full benefit of the Army

bonus. Having 9 Might is strong, especially as I maintain the Master of Battle Special Rule from my Hunter/Legion list. The main weakness of the List is that the troops are limited to Fight Value 3, but hopefully weight of dice should help swing things my way; this was something I had to deal with previously, yet I did not find it overly detrimental.

Worthy of Mordor

Unlike many Mordor Armies, I have opted not to use the Witch King or any of his Spirit brethren to

lead my force. In fact, as you look through it, you will notice the Army is almost completely

comprised of Orcs.

There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, everyone else has already done that kind of Army; I

(sometimes to my own detriment) like to use Armies that are more unique or different from the

norm. As one player described me, I am a bit of a ‘Hobby Hipster’.

The other (and more in-game) reason is because many benefits and effects of the Army only effect

Orc-Keyword models. Maximising the number of models who benefit from these Rules maximises

the value of the Rules.

Gothmog

With an Orc-centric List, it makes sense to have the most accomplished Orc commander of the 3 rd

Age to lead them. With 3 Wounds, Heroic Defence, and Defence 7, he is also one of the most

resilient Generals available to the forces of Evil.

He is not the biggest powerhouse in Combat (he is certainly no Bolg), but he has a respectable Fight Value of 5, with access to Heroic Strike. Additionally, 3 Attacks at Strength 4 is solid, if unspectacular, but is boosted by the Warg he is riding.

However, the real strength of Gothmog comes from his Special Rules. Master of Battle is a

phenomenal Special Rule. Not only does it save Might and allow you to counter Heroic Actions you may not have been able to call, but it can also discourage your opponent from calling some

themselves, as the ability to counter for free means that Heroic Actions they’ve spent Might on are

by no means guaranteed to be realised; additionally they’re potentially gifting you an advantage

(e.g. if you get a free Heroic Combat you can get an opportunity at more kills and better placement for Gothmog). It’s also a great counter to those pesky Might-generating Good Armies that make regular appearances at events.

Whilst I may have said Gothmog isn’t a top tier Combat Hero, this does change somewhat when he is facing an Army with the ‘Men’ Keyword. ‘Hatred [Men]’ enables Gothmog to cut through Men, and he also gives it to all Orc models with 3”. This turns Orcs into a significant threat to all but the hardiest of Men.

Gothmog’s last Special Rule is ‘Time of the Orc’. This can be used once per game, and allows you to re-roll all Wound rolls for Orc models within 12” of Gothmog; this will in all likelihood cover nearly all your models. Calling it early can give you just that little extra reliability and boost to reduce the enemy numbers. This can ensure that you benefit from your Army bonus and can continue to re-roll 1’s to Wound.

Gorbag

Whilst unspectacular, Gorbag is both a cheap and expendable 3 Might Hero. In my eyes, he betters the rest of the named Orc Heroes around his points due to a few features; he has Heroic Strike, has a Shield, and can get to Fight Value 5 with 3 Attacks. It’s important not to underestimate how useful being able to get to Fight Value 5 is for Heroes; it effectively means you can beat any non-Elven infantry on the roll of a 6, and he has the weight of dice to do that reliably.

Kardûsh

One of the weaknesses that my previous GT’s Evil Army suffered with was Courage. In Mordor, there is one easy way to solve that for your Orcs – get yourself an Orc Shaman. For me, there is no better option than Kardûsh.

With Fury to help pass all Courage Tests that your Heroes and troops have to take, problems with the Army of the Dead or taking tests once Broken are a thing of the past. Kardûsh also brings the Flameburst Spell; this is a powerful little Spell that can put Wounds on Heroes, kill Mounts, and take out other key targets. Kardûsh will undoubtedly have a use in every game.

An additional key feature that improves Kardûsh immensely is his ability to regain Will by sacrificing a friendly Orc. This means you can continue to apply magical pressure on your opponent, even in the latter stages of the game.

Muzgúr

As a bit of an experiment, I have chosen to include one of the latest Orc Heroes to come from Mordor. I recently discussed my thoughts on the Profile in another blog post, so I won’t re-hash what I wrote then, but you can find it here.

Muzgúr has been included in this Army to pair up with Kardûsh. Between the two of them, they should be able to handle most enemy threats, and apply that pressure throughout the game. With them both being Orc models, they also benefit from all the Rules that apply to Orcs, and are less vulnerable to the anti-Spirit models that I would expect to see in force at the GT.

I have yet to use Muzgúr, and will need to test him to see if he works out as planned; if not, he may find himself subbed out for another Hero; Mordor is a List teeming with competition, and it can be hard to keep your place if you underperform.

Orc Drummer

I have come to love my Orc Drummer. The ability to move my Army across the battlefield almost as fast as Cavalry is amazing. Additionally, being able to combine with Gothmog’s Heroic March, I should be able to avoid any serious casualties from Shooting.

One extra little thing with the Drummer is that he is a Hero. This gives an extra chance at a Standfast to hold Objectives (if required). He can also add options (for you and your opponent) in Scenarios like Fog of War, or Assassination, that is worth being aware of.

Morgul Stalkers

A rare sight on the table top for a couple of reasons, Morgul Stalkers are often seen by many as expensive Hunter Orcs. Throw in the fact that the models are currently out of production, this results in them often being overlooked.

Whilst they do fill the same role as my Hunter Orcs previously did, I am getting value from the extra 2 Points a model. Firstly, there is the extra Point of Courage. It may seem redundant in a List with Fury, but Kardûsh can’t be everywhere, and this gives me a back-up if he were to go up in smoke.

Secondly, the other main thing you pay for is the Stalk Unseen Special Rule. Usually, this Rule is hard to make the most of, but when combined with the Drum it is fairly likely you can jump from cover to cover, in order to make the most of this Rule.

In a similar fashion to my coverage (above) of the Orc Heroes, the main benefit the Morgul Stalkers have over Hunter Orcs are all the bonuses that you get for being an Orc in this Mordor List. Whether that’s the Army bonus making them Courage 4 and getting to re-roll 1’s to Wound, the Drummer’s provision of a movement bonus, Fury, or Gothmog’s buffs, they all effect and make the Morgul Stalkers just as effective (if not moreso) than Hunter Orcs.

Morannon Orcs

There is not much to say about Morannon Orcs that hasn’t been said before. A Strength 4, Defence 6 model with a Shield, their only weakness is Fight Value 3. They provide the resilience to my List that the Morgul Stalkers lack, whilst still benefiting from all the Rules the Morgul Stalkers do; therefore, I deem it a great combination that mirrors that of my previous successful partnership between Hunter Orcs and Gundabad Warriors.

Orc Trackers

Orc Trackers provide a cheap sacrificial model for Kardûsh to regenerate some will from. Even if that isn’t required, the Shoot Value of 4+ can be surprisingly effective, meaning they can be left on objectives and still have something to do. Evil Armies can also employ the trick of taking shots into Combat in order to unhorse a Hero, or stop a Heroic Combat (if you are lucky).

Morgul Knight

The only non-Orc representative in my Army, I really like Morgul Knights. Fight Value 4, Lance-wielding, Terror-causing Cavalry is a win in my book. They make excellent Objective grabbers with a solid Courage Value as well; they can go up to Elven levels of Courage with the Army bonus.

If I could, I would ideally have 2 or 3 in the List, but the Points don’t allow for it. With the Drum, my Army is also less dependent on Cavalry quickly move across the board and claim Objectives. For that reason, I have only made space for one in the List, but a more reliable Objective-holder doesn’t exist in the Mordor List as far as I’m concerned.

To War!

Now I have revealed my Lists to the world, everyone can tailor their Lists to beat me so that I have a solid excuse if things go wrong at this year’s GT. However, before the big event itself, I have an event to attend at 7th City Games where I can avail of some overdue practice for my Armies. Look out for how that goes alongside a more general tactical overview for my Armies in Part Three of my Road to the GT series.