FOG OF WAR
Part 18: The Woodland Realms
Welcome back to Fog of War, the series where I am joined by some of the top players from around the world in discussing different factions of Middle-earth as a way of presenting them to new and experienced players looking for a new army to start. In part 18 of the series, joining me is Tommaso Zerbi, the Captain of Team Italy at Ardacon since 2018, Admin of Il Sito dell’Anello [and Italian League] forum and an overall excellent player whom I had the pleasure to meet and play against for the first time in November 2019 at the Scouring of Stirlingshire. Our memorable game between Mordor and Tommaso’s beautifully painted Thranduil’s Halls became an inspiration for this article and I decided to cover both Thranduil’s Halls and Lothlórien in this article.
HALLS OF THRANDUIL
Tommaso: The elegant and dangerous armies of the Woodland Realms are my favourite forces in the Strategy Battle Game and some of my go-to armies for as long as I have been playing. Some players still complain about my five Galadhrim Stormcallers — they call them ‘nasty’... When the Woodland Realms — once a single army — got separated into two different and characteristic armies, I asked myself: do I prefer Lothlórien or the Halls of Thranduil? I do not have an answer, but I have been playing Thranduil since its release at the time of the Fall of the Necromancer sourcebook (now that I check, my phone alone contains some 200 lists with the Elven King!). I did play (the Halls of) Thranduil at the Scouring of Stirlingshire (2019) in the great game I had with Mik — the almost mythological BlackMist of the Veni Vidi blog that I had been reading since ages past from Italy! Thank you for having me here, writing about the gems in the mountain that I too desir.... ehm about elks, circlets, shields, and (of course) Elf bows.
With three named heroes (Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm, Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, and Tauriel) and pricey warriors (the cheapest option being a 9-point Mirkwood Elf), The Halls of Thranduil do not have access to the variety of characters of Rivendell nor to the cheap and sneaky Wood Elf Warriors of Lothlórien. They do not have great casters such as Elrond, Master of Rivendell, and Galadriel, nor troops as versatile and effective as the Rivendell Knights. Yet, even if the glistening hosts of Mirkwood might have little interest in the world outside their borders, they are not less dangerous than the other Elven kingdoms, if used wisely. Three things I prefer about the Halls of Thranduil, I would say are (in no particular order): Thranduil, Thranduil, and more Thranduil!
I own more than 120 painted models of pure Mirkwood, but the Elven King is the one I always use in my Mirkwood lists and the model with which I have had the most competitive success over the years. His background as a proud and stubborn Elven lord — quite different from the always-perfect Elrond and Galadriel! — in The Hobbit and the development of his storyline in P. Jackson’s trilogy make him my favourite character in Middle-earth. His versatile profile makes him my go-to model in the Strategy Battle Game. I am against must-haves, but with a cost that goes from 100 to 190 points, there is no reason not to include Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm, in every Mirkwood list. After all, Lothlórien is not named the ‘Halls of Galadriel,’ whilst Mirkwood is ‘the ‘Halls of Thranduil.’ With six options of equipment that allow the Elven King to show off his true skills, Thranduil makes up for the lack of named heroes. Riding his elk into the fight, fully equipped with additional Elven-made sword, Circlet of Kings, heavy armour, and bow, Thranduil is not only one of the best fighting heroes of the game, but he can join his archers, and cast Aura of Dismay and Nature’s Wrath once per game — something that not even Galadriel can do...! Yet, every option is worth considering. Even at his cheapest form, the King of the Woodland Realm leads up to 18 warriors and, with an Elven cloak, 3 wounds, and 3 fate, he is usually a better general than Legolas and Tauriel. The best part of having Thranduil in a Mirkwood force concerns the army bonus, which gives to any Palace Guard Captains, Mirkwood Elf Captains, Palace Guard Mirkwood Cavalry, and Mirkwood Elves within 3” of Thranduil a +1 to Wound bonus when making Strikes. Although on a one-to-one comparison, the Mirkwood Cavalry and the Palace Guards might seem not to stand a chance against the Rivendell Knights and the Guards of the Galadhrim Court, while nearby to their King — where, respectively, they also count as being in range of a banner and receive a bonus of +1 to their Fight value! — they become the most dangerous Elven cavalry and elite of the game. In short, the army bonus, combined with the optional +1 to Wound given by the Elven-made swords or the pricey Elven-made glaives (when used as a two-handed weapon), and the one Nature’s Wrath, make the Elves of Mirkwood the most dangerous Elven kin of Middle-earth. With the one caveat — keep Thranduil alive! The lists I want to discuss, while focused on the Elven King, propose different options of wargear which mirror different game styles (but all suited to reclaim the white gems of Lasgalen!).
ARMY LISTS:
List 1: Tommaso’s 700 points of the Halls of Thranduil
‘They are less wise, and more dangerous’
Warband 1:
Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm (Circlet of Kings and Elf bow)
8 Mirkwood Rangers
2 Palace Guards (shield and spear)
6 Mirkwood Elves (Elven-made glaive and shield)
1 Mirkwood Elf (banner and shield)
1 Mirkwood Cavalry (shield)
Warband 2:
Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood (horse)
8 Mirkwood Rangers
6 Mirkwood Elves (Elf bow and Elven-made glaive)
1 Mirkwood Elf (Elven-made glaive)
Total: 700 points, 35 models, 6 Might, 22 bows + Thranduil and Legolas
With an impressive number of bows — which includes those of the Elven King himself (shooting on a 2+!) and that of his son (not by chance the greatest archer in Middle-earth) — on first sight, this list is based upon the first thing that is associated with the armies of the Elves: shooting. Thanks to the army bonus, Mirkwood Rangers from this force do not count towards the army’s Bow Limit. Yet, rather than maximising the number of Rangers (and bows), I prefer to support them with solid lines of armoured Elves. On a close look, this army is as dangerous in close combat as it is from the distance. Thranduil’s Aura of Dismay helps to prevent enemy charges, increase the Rangers’ chances of charging multiple enemies and, therefore, taking advantage of their ‘Knife Fighters’ special rule (they receive an additional Attack for each enemy model they are Engaged in combat with after the first). This, with Nature’s Wrath and the spear support of the Mirkwood Elves and Palace Guards (and their +1 to Wound within 3” of Thranduil) makes the army very deadly in close combat. Whilst within 3” of the Elven King, the 2 Guards increase their Fight Value to 6, which means that they are a valid counter to mighty heroes. Finally, I have included the Banner bearer and a Mirkwood Cavalry with scenario objectives in mind.
The downsides of the army are the lack of speed — deep inside I am still jealous that the ‘pig-rider Dwarf’ has Heroic March while Thrandy and Leggy don’t... — and the vulnerability. This is also why I tend to add shields to my Mirkwood Elves with Elven-made glaives, even if the glaive already gives them the Shielding rule. I can tell you from long experience that it is worth investing those few points to increase their Defence to 6. The first line of Defence-3 Rangers is as fragile as leaves, which means that they need to win the combat in order to survive — the re-roll of the Banner might help here. For the same reason, despite the pretty amazing number of arrows, this small, elite force fears the most the armies that might already overwhelm it from the distance, especially should they include Blinding Light/Pall of Darkness or deadly machines such as the Iron Hills Ballista.
‘I came to reclaim something of mine’
Warband 1:
Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm (additional Elven-made sword, Circlet of Kings, elk, heavy armour, Elf bow)
9 Mirkwood Cavalry (shield)
1 Palace Guard (shield)
3 Mirkwood Elves (shield)
2 Palace Guards (shield and spear)
2 Mirkwood Elves (Elven-made glaive and shield)
1 Mirkwood Elf (banner and shield)
Warband 2:
Tauriel (Elf bow)
1 Mirkwood Elf (shield)
4 Mirkwood Elves (Elf bow)
6 Mirkwood Elves (Elf bow and Elven-made glaive)
Warband 3:
Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood (horse)
Total: 800 points, 32 models, 9 Might, 10 bows + Thranduil, Tauriel, and Legolas
First thing first. The reason why I propose this list is because it recreates one of the most epic moments of The Hobbit trilogy. Thranduil does not journey to Dale in aid of the people of Lake-Town; he moves his armies to Erebor to reclaim the white gems of Lasgalen. It also gives me a good excuse to play the beautiful sculpt of the Elven King on the elk — with whom I won the category of Hero of Legend at the GT (2019) and various best armies. Due to the low numbers, lack of Blinding Light, Heroic March, and any protection from casters, I do not consider this a very competitive Elven force — the three heroes might easily be countered, and the troops might as easily lose the scenarios. And yet, even though I wouldn’t use it for the ETC and I wouldn’t have high expectations of winning a tournament, I managed to get some great results with it.
[Thranduil preparing to smash Mik’s forces]
Having only 32 models at 800 points may seem daunting, but this list offers a solid wall of Mirkwood Elves and Palace Guards, supported by 9 models of Mirkwood Cavalry defending the flanks, a Banner, Aura of Dismay, Nature’s Wrath, and what is arguably the best army bonus available to the Elven kingdoms. It also has three of the best heroes in the game, all armed with bows and deadly in combat. I have three rules when I play this. First, if the force cannot outshoot the enemy, it should not shoot at all — with the one exception of Legolas. It cannot afford to lose much before getting into close combat. Second, sooner or later in the game, the Prince of Mirkwood has to fight. His father and his girlfri... ehm female friend are two fighting beasts thanks to, respectively, the elk, the additional Elven-made sword, and the Blade Mistress special rule, but they are also fragile and easy targets of casters. Do not be afraid to throw Legolas into the fight on his white horse! There’s just one thing better than two combat heroes, and that’s three combat heroes! Last but not least, Thranduil must survive. If the ruler of the Woodland Realm should fall, his army shall fall with him. The skill of the Elven King with a blade is unmatched, but he should not be overly exposed. A Thranduil behind the ranks is better than a dead Thranduil on the front line (which is also why in competitive lists I tend to avoid the elk)! Aura of Dismay, Nature’s Wrath, and the bonuses (Fight Value and banner re-roll to, respectively, the Palace Guards and the Mirkwood Cavalry; +1 to Wound to all the warriors of the army) are the key to victory. After all, there is no point in fighting and reclaiming the gems, if you cannot give them back to the Elven King because he is dead...
ALLIES:
List 3: Tommaso’s 800 points of the Halls of Thranduil and Survivors of Lake-Town
The Darkest Hour
Warband 1:
Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm (additional Elven-made sword, Circlet of Kings, and heavy armour)
2 Palace Guards (shield)
6 Mirkwood Elves (shield)
6 Mirkwood Elves (Elf bow and Elven-made glaive)
2 Palace Guards (shield and spear)
1 Mirkwood Elf (banner and shield)
1 Mirkwood Cavalry (shield)
Warband 2:
Lake-Town Militia Captain
6 Lake-Town Militia (bow)
6 Lake-Town Militia (bow and spear)
Warband 3:
Lake-Town Militia Captain
2 Lake-Town Militia (bow)
4 Lake-Town Militia
6 Lake-Town Militia (spear)
Warband 4:
Lake-Town Militia Captain
6 Lake-Town Militia
6 Lake-Town Militia (spear)
Warband 5:
Hilda-Bianca
1 Lake-Town Militia
1 Lake-Town Militia (shield)
3 Lake-Town Militia (spear)
Total: 800 points, 64 models, 10 Might, 20 bows
Ironically enough for a(n apparently) selfish ruler like the Elven King, The Halls of Thranduil unleash their full potential when they join/are joined by other forces. They have been blessed with three pretty valid Historical Allies (Erebor Reclaimed, The Iron Hills, and the Survivors of Lake-Town) and a long series of Convenient Allies. One of my go-to allies is Gandalf the Grey (and his Blinding Light). However, Dáin Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills, and an Iron Hills Ballista, or Thorin Oakenshiled, Kind under the Mountain, are also viable options. I considered some lists with Thranduil and Galadriel, Lady of Light, but my suggestion here would be to stick to Historical Allies. Convenient Allies can hardly bring more to the force than the army bonus. The list I propose represents the moment in which Thranduil changes his mind, charges to the rescue of the people of Lake-Town in Dale, and loses his mighty (and pricey) elk. This force, which is the most competitive out of the three, is quite formidable.
Counting 64 models and 20 bows, this army outnumbers and outshoots pretty much everybody. The idea here is to have Thranduil’s warband — with all its bonuses, the banner, and the spells — as the solid and deadly core of the force. Without Bard, the performance of the Lake-Town Militia might seem lacklustre. Yet, the Survivors of Lake-Town bring in cheap heroes (with Heroic March) and warriors that increase the chances of flanking the opponent and get to the precious objectives. Also, Hilda’s Stand by our Men! special rule, paired with a few axes, transforms this army of survivors into a dangerous horde of fierce warriors. The central piece is — surprise, surprise! — Thranduil. I will tell you my secret here. Rather than playing the King of the Woodland Realm as a combat hero, I tend to keep him and his precious Circlet at the back, with the Banner bearer. You might wonder why I have given him the additional Elven-made sword. First, it really makes the difference in Contest of Champions. Second, the rules of the additional Elven-made sword are simply a better addition than 5 more Lake-Town Militia. Here, the general is not supposed to risk his life (there are no casters nor combat heroes that might save him). Yet, on specific occasions, Thranduil might want to join the first line; some sneaky enemies might reach him in close combat. Trust me, if you have some spare points, do include the additional Elven-made sword!
Mik: Having never fully played with Thranduil’s Halls, I don’t feel qualified to say much more here than Tommaso has already done. However, there is one alliance option that shouldn’t be overlooked with Halls of Thranduil. It is simply the fact that Legolas, arguably one of the best Heroes in the game, is a Hero of Valour in this list and other than 3 Historical allies, the Halls are a Convenient ally with every other army on the good side. This makes this list pretty incredible as an alliance option to drop in to other lists. Legolas can be mounted and can bring up to 15 Fight 5 spearmen (with 5 bows) to any other force, so whether you want some extra firepower or to improve the combat capabilities of your Dwarves of Khazad-Dum, or Men of Minas Tirith, or perhaps you want to add some Fight 5 to your Army of the Dead led by Aragorn? You can do all that, whilst bringing one of the game’s most useful characters alongside. People often underestimate Legolas, as after all he ‘only’ has 2 attacks, but when mounted, he fights with 3 dice at Fight 6 with Heroic Strike, 3 Might and has that all important auto-hit which can easily dismount enemy heroes, randomly cause a wound on enemy leaders, take out an unattended Banner-bearer, kill a lone model guarding an objective that you might not have the time to walk over to and so many other things. Leggy and a bunch of elves are my first alliance consideration in virtually every good army I think of.
SUMMARY
Tommaso: In short, the key to victory for the Halls of Thranduil is the Elven King himself. With his incredibly versatile profile, going from a ridiculous cost of 100 points — which makes him the cheapest Hero of Legend available to the Elves — to 190, the King of the Woodland Realm makes a valid addition to any (Mirkwood) list. As a pure army, despite being one of the most shining and elite forces in the game — and with pretty amazing sculpts —, the Halls of Thranduil are not the most competitive of The Hobbit sourcebook nor of the Elven kingdoms. To unleash their full potential, it is vital for the Elven King to let go his proud and stubborn nature to set foot, instead, beyond his own realm and join a bigger cause [better should they offer some white gems in return...].
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LOTHLÓRIEN
Mik: Unlike Halls of Thranduil, Lothlórien is an army I have played with on many occasions and one that I have faced regularly over the years. Back in the day, some 10 or 12 years ago, the forces of Thranduil, Galadriel, Legolas, Haldir, Celeborn, all kind of melted into one pot people called "Wood Elves". Back then this army used to be an absolute powerhouse. In the year when I won the UKGT, there were 6 Wood Elf armies in the top 10 of the tournament, despite Shadow Lord present in virtually every evil list and a Good vs Evil format. The overwhelming firepower combined with high numbers and the incredible Legolas were unstoppable.
Just imagine trying to defeat this commonly used variant of a 700 points army from a decade ago:
Legolas
23 Wood Elves with Throwing Daggers
23 Wood Elves with Spears
12 Wood Elves with Bows & Spears
11 Wood Elves with Bows
In total you had 70 models with Fight 5, 26 bow shots and 23 Throwing Daggers. Nobody cared about lack of Might when playing this list... they just chose to go to Bugman's early.
As the rules changed to the last edition, Lothlórien were backed by the abundantly powerful Galadhrim Stormcallers, capable of not only casting Call Winds, which on 2+ knocked over and removed Fell Beasts, but also had access to the 6" range Nature’s Wrath on 4+, with the ability to regain all Will lost to cast a spell if a natural 6 was rolled. In the very first season of Great British Hobbit League, we limited the use of Galadhrim Stormcallers in tournaments, because of their insane power level.
As the years went by, many new armies were introduced and Lothlórien lost a lot of its strength and appeal. Now they are nowhere near as powerful as they used to be, but they can still be used as a competitive army with many unique features and characters available:
Throwing Daggers – The Wood Elf Warriors come automatically equipped with an Elven Cloak and an ability to buy Throwing Daggers, as well as spears that give them the ability to Parry (same effects as shielding). That combined with Woodland Creature and shooting skill of 3+ means that they can easily travel through otherwise difficult terrain and harass enemies at range. Even as a front line of Elves, having 10 or 15 Wood Elves walk up within 6” of your opponent and then charge the following turn gives you excessive number of shots that more often than not will hit. With S3 they have a good chance of wounding all lightly armoured enemies and just their sheer numbers can be a threat to heavier armoured troops. This is especially strong against Defence 3 to Defence 5 armies. In combination with large number of bows, the army can be quite versatile, quick and deadly before they even engage.
Celeborn – The Lord of the West always rolls 4 dice to win combat (3 plus the LotW re-roll), ensuring he will win more fights than he loses. His Fight 6, Elven made hand-and-a-half sword, Heroic Strike and a potential of Defence 7 make him a very good fighter. His Aura of Command cast on 2+ combined with a 12” Stand Fast! also make him a very potent leader and character you will often want to include in your forces. His downsides are the lack of option to have a Horse, as well as sadly only the status of Hero of Valour for a pretty steep price of 150 points.
Galadhrim Knights – These guys are I believe the only cavalry in the game with the Fleetfoot special rule, allowing them to ignore Woodland terrain whilst mounted. This improves the speed of the force significantly. Their lack of any bonuses to wound is disappointing, but Fleetfoot alone makes them interesting.
Wood Elf Sentinel – I normally only list 3 favourite things per army, but I couldn’t miss out on the Sentinel. These guys can feel a bit useless and overpriced at times, but Eldamar Madrigal can be one annoying trick, forcing an unsuspecting enemy to move in the wrong place and allow us to slingshot a Heroic Combat off them or to move a Shade, or an important hero out of range of their abilities or charging range. If you have spare points, you should think about including one of these models in your force.
Galadriel – The mighty sorceress is someone who leaves me in two minds in this army. Her profile within the White Council armylist is one of most useful and most powerful models in the game currently. A constant Blinding Light effect, with 3 Attacks, 3 Might, Fortify Spirit, Banish, Heroic Strike and Heroic Defence make the Lady of Light insane. However, her Lothlórien profile is a bit lacklustre. Her biggest downside is the fact that Celeborn is not a Hero of Legend. Because of this, should you wish to take Galadriel, she must be your leader unless you ally in another Hero of Legend (Theoden, anyone?!). This is only possible at higher points. At lower points, this leaves you vulnerable in Contest of Champions, due to her being unarmed. She can be an interesting choice at lower points, since very few Heroes are capable of constantly resisting 2+ Immobilise, but she won't ever be your classic Army leader. Perhaps that uniqueness is one of the reasons to play Lothlórien?
The Army Bonus - is interesting, but I don't think it's a dealbreaker when choosing allies, as there are better options out there. It's nice against Ringwraiths, but so is just pure and simple Fight 5 :)
ARMY LISTS:
500 Points of ‘Wood Elves’:
Warband 1:
1 Celeborn in Full Kit //OR // Galadriel & a Banner Bearer
5 Wood Elf Warriors with Throwing Daggers
5 Wood Elf Warriors with Spears
3 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows
2 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows & Spears
Warband 2:
1 Haldir with Heavy Armour, Bow & Elven Cloak
4 Wood Elf Warriors with Throwing Daggers
4 Wood Elf Warriors with Spears
2 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows
2 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows & Spears
Total: 500 (505 with the banner bearer, so slight tweak needed) Points, 29 Models, 6 might & 11 Shots.
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500 Points of ‘Galadhrim’ Elves:
Warband 1:
1 Celeborn in full Kit
4 Galadhrim Warriors with Shields
4 Galadhrim Warriors with Spears & Shields
3 Galadhrim Warriors with Bows
2 Galadhrim Warriors with Bows & Spears
Warband 2:
1 Haldir with Heavy Armour, Bow
4 Galadhrim Warriors with Shields
4 Galadhrim Warriors with Spears & Shields
3 Galadhrim Warriors with Bows
1 Galadhrim Warriors with Bows & Spears
Total: 500 Points, 27 Models, 6 Might, 11 Shots.
I put the two lists together here, as they are the two basic archetypal ways of building a Lothlórien list. The ‘Wood Elves’ version has access to 9 daggers and 2 more models, whilst the Galadhrim have Defence 6 and essentially work similarly to a classic Rivendell force. Therefore, to me the primary appeal lies with the first list – the Wood Elf version with the Throwing Daggers. Whether you pick Galadriel or Celeborn is an interesting question. On one hand you get Blinding Light and Immobilise, but you lack the killing power of a big hero. On the other hand you get the big hero with a limited magical ability, but your army becomes very vulnerable to bowfire. Which force you pick is going to depend on how you prefer playing, as well as perhaps on the meta that you are expecting to face.
600 Points of the House of Flying Daggers:
Warband 1:
1 Haldir with an Elf Bow
4 Wood Elf Warriors with Throwing Daggers
4 Wood Elf Warriors with Spears
3 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows
1 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows & Spears
Warband 2:
1 Wood Elf Captain with a Bow
4 Wood Elf Warriors with Throwing Daggers
3 Wood Elf Warriors with Spears
3 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows
2 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows & Spears
1 Guard of the Galadhrim Court
Warband 3:
1 Wood Elf Captain with a Bow
4 Wood Elf Warriors with Throwing Daggers
2 Wood Elf Warriors with Spears
3 Wood Elf Warriors with Bows
1 Wood Elf Warrior with Bows & Spears
1 Guard of the Galadhrim Court
1 Wood Elf Warriors with Spear & Banner
Total: 600 Points, 39 Models, 6 Might, 16 Bow Shots, 12 Throwing Daggers
A common rule in SBG is for armies to average around 1 model per 20 points. In the case of 600 points lists that means you are expecting about 30 models in the army. More elite forces will be in their high 20s and horde-like armies will be in high 30s to 40s. This force has a staggering 39 at 600 points, which makes it a rather unique horde list - a horde of Fight 5 warriors, who are capable of outshooting most enemies and outrunning them through difficult terrain. The 12 potential throwing daggers offer constant harassment and constant need for your opponent to be winning Heroic Moves or you getting free hits on them – Every time 10 elves get to charge 10 Orcs, you’ll end up killing 2 or 3 orcs for free. The force allows you to wither down a significant number of enemies before the combat begins, whilst at the same time having very good numbers itself. Lack of big heroes could be an issue, but Haldir and 2 Captains provide a decent combat capability, all at Fight 6 basic, alongside Haldir’s Heroic Strike and Captains’ Heroic Marches. Heroic Accuracy can play a major role in the game too, so cannot be overlooked. I think at 600, the classic Wood Elf spam is a force to be reckoned with.
Although not entirely themed to the Wood Elf concept, the 2 Guards of the Galadhrim Court add a little bit of extra protection against Fight 6 heroes, forcing them to use Might on Heroic Strikes when facing just basic elves, as well as ensuring that Fell beasts think twice before flying behind our ranks. Naturally, they give you a slight edge in the mirror match too.
800 Points of Galadriel’s Alliance with Rivendell:
Warband 1:
1 Galadriel with the Mirror
6 Galadhrim Warriors with Shields
6 Galadhrim Warriors with Spears & Shields
5 Galadhrim Warriors with Bows & Spears
1 Wood Elf Sentinel
Warband 2:
1 Elrond, Master of Rivendell on a Horse with H.Armour (Army Leader)
2 Rivendell Knights with Shields
5 Rivendell Warriors with Shields
6 Rivendell Warriors with Shields & Spears
4 Rivendell Warriors with Bows & Spears
1 Rivendell Warrior with Shield, Spear & Banner
Total: 800 Points, 38 Models, 6 Might, 13 Bows
This list is not made for competitive reasons, but rather because of a cool rules interaction between Elrond and Galadriel. It only includes 2 heroes, so at first sight might look relatively weak. However, Elrond has a very nice trick with Galadriel in this situation: Vilya, his Elven Ring, allows him to re-roll his Fate rolls. Mirror of Galadriel allows a Hero within 6” to regain all Fate points. As such, Elrond, with his Defence 7, Fight 6, Heroic Strike, Heroic Defence and the Mirror nearby becomes virtually unkillable, unless someone manages to cause 6 wounds at one time against him. Galadriel provides a good amount of bow protection with the Blinding Light and regular Immobilise, and the force has generally solid numbers, some mobility with 3 cavalry models, banner and a Sentinel for some distraction.
800 Points of Halls of Thranduil, White Council & Lothlórien:
SUMMARY:
Just like Thranduil's Halls, the Lothlórien list does not have any Impossible Allies. As such it can be used as an easy ally with anyone else, simply to add some Fight 5 or Fight 6 Galadhrim Guards into any other force. Whereas the Halls would bring Legolas and some Elves, Lothlórien allows us to bring a support caster like Galadriel or a combat beast like Celeborn alongside. That gives both armies a lot of options when allying. On their own, both factions are able to create solid lists. Whether it's an army of shooting Mirkwood Rangers, or a house of flying daggers type force, both factions allow you to bring and play something different than your regular rank and file troops that you see in most other armies.
Final thing worth mentioning is the Legendary Legion combining elves of Lothlórien led by Haldir to defend Helm's Deep from the Isengard Siege. Alongside Aragorn and a host of Rohan heroes, as well as increased bowfire range to 30", the Legion is possibly a better option than a pure Elven list at certain points levels. However, since it's a Legion, it might get its own article in due course :) For now, that's all!
Good Luck!
BlackMist & Tomgalad
Great article man - justice for Galadriel! :) I am curious whether Galadhrim Captains on armored horses ever make it into Lothlorien lists for you? With most of your units being infantry, it seems like March might be helpful? I see lots of Wood Elf Captains being used (and I think they're great too), just curious if the mounted captains ever make it in (or if they're too expensive).
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