5/14/2024 - Wolves of Isengard
Hey Everyone!
You can't see it, but I'm wearing nose plugs, because these wargs are smelly. Today we are covering the Wolves of Isengard Legendary Legion.
The Wolves of Isengard represent the Warg Riders under the command of Sharku that attack the Rohan convoy as they make their way to Helm's Deep.
The Legendary Legion can field the following profiles: Sharku on Warg, Orc Captains on Warg, Orc Shamans on Warg, Warg Riders and Wild Wargs.
As you would expect, all of these models are either mounted on a Warg, or a Warg themself, which means this is an all Cavalry list. Sharku gets upgraded to a Hero of Valour and must always be the leader of the army. Friendly models in the list gain the Isengard keyword (though notably, you do not have the normal Isengard army bonus here), and Orc Shamans change their Fury (Mordor Orc) to Fury (Isengard Orc), which lets Sharku be covered by the rule. Note that it still will not effect Wargs, as they are not Isengard Orcs.
Similar to Ugluk's Scouts, there are a couple profiles to cover that are not normally a part of Isengard.
Orc Shamans come in at 50 points, more expensive than an Orc Captain, and with worse stats, but give access to some magical powers. They are only Fight 3, Strength 3, Defense 5, 1 Attack, 2 Wounds, Courage 3, with 1 Might, 3 Will and 1 Fate, so little more than an Orc Warrior with an extra Wound and heroic stats. They have access to Heroic Channeling, and come with Heavy Armour, a Dagger, and a Spear. Normally they can pay 10 points for a Warg, but they must do so for Wolves of Isengard, and it is built into their 60 Point cost. Orc Shamans have Fury (Mordor Orc) (which as noted, changes to Fury (Isengard Orc) in the legion), which casts on a 3+, making nearby Orcs with the right keywords auto-pass courage tests, and ignore wounds on a 6+ if you channel. They also have Transfix at a 12" range on a 5+. Not a great casting requirement, but in matches where you don't need fury, it can definitely be useful.
Wild Wargs are 7 point models with spectacular stats. They have 10" movement, running as fast as Cavalry models, and are Fight 3, Strength 4, Defense 4, 1 Attack, 1 Wound and Courage 2. All respectable stats for such a cheap model. Not many lists can take Wild Wargs on their own, usually being reserved as mounts for heroes or Warg riding Orcs or Goblins, but in Wolves of Isengard, they are a good filler troop so that not everything is paying the premium for the Cavalry keyword, and it's associated benefits (and penalties in some cases).
Leader of the Pack lets Sharku declare a Heroic Combat each turn without expending might.
Unfortunately, Sharku still suffers from being Fight 4, meaning too many armies either tie or out-fight him in most combats, making these free Heroic Combats not all that useful, as he often will just lose fights. It can be very useful against Fight 3 or less armies, so it isn't the worst, and as I will talk about later, means more the lower points you go, something Wolves of Isengard likes to do.
Ambush is a long one. In Maelstrom of Battle, you can decide to win or lose the first priority of the game, and may even charge on the turn they enter the board even if they normally could not do so. If they fail a test to charge Terror, they do still move, but may not charge.
This is a big one for the list. Many Maelstrom games are decided by who wins or loses priority the first turn. Often this leans towards the priority loss having the edge, being able to see where opponents arrive, and attempt to "maelstrom" them by getting them stuck between your warbands. Now you do not even have to wait until the next turn, and can engage right away, taking advantage of any formation issues in the opposing force.
Scouts is an even longer bonus. This bonus allows you, at the start of the game, after deployment but before first Priority, moving and then shooting with D6 friendly Warrior models, though being unable to charge during this extra movement. In Scenarios with Maelstrom or Reinforcements, D6 models (notably, not just Warrior models) may roll to enter the board, re-rolling any results that would cause them to not enter until they do (notably overriding the only re-roll once rule), each arriving as if they were their own warband.
This is another good one, allowing you to get models up the board early and in position for objectives or just to try and take advantage of deployment mistakes. Opponents that did not hide a hero may face losing their horse the first turn. This can also slingshot models onto Maelstrom scenarios to take good shooting or charging positions for arriving opposing models.
Army Composition: Lots of Wargs. It is pretty straightforward on Wolves. Sharku a Shaman, some Orc Captains for might, and then just Warg Riders, typically maxing out the 1/3 bow limit, and a few Wild Wargs to push up numbers or even out points. You do not have a lot of choices to make here due to the light roster.
Example Lists:
300: At 300, you could opt for an Orc Captain over a Shaman, however Terror at 300 could be devastating, so I think a Shaman is pretty good. You have a few ranged options that can kite opponents, and Wild Wargs pumping up numbers a bit for melee engagements.
400: At 400, you gain access to a captain for March, adding a few to your numbers including a couple bows.
Past 500, I am not sure this list should really be ran. All it does is add more Warg Riders, who are good, but not that good to be the core of a higher point army. You will face battle lines that will shrug off your Fight 3, or be too defensive to be wounded by your S2 bows or S3 throwing spears.
Weaknesses are as normal for Isengard. Magic, higher fight heroes and models. Heavy shooting can be a problem here, as it is hard to hide your models, and each loss is expensive. Losing Priority or Move-offs can be a problem as well, as an all cavalry list needs to be charging every turn, otherwise you are just really expensive Orcs.
Wolves of Isengard is very good in Maelstrom heavy tourneys, being able to get a jump on opponents, and at lower points, where battle lines are a bit more scattered, and opponents have lower amounts of might to contest heroic moves. Non shooting armies can be kited pretty easily by Wolves, though that tends to make for a boring match.
Wolves is not typically seen as a competitive army, due to its major limitations, but it definitely is one of the more fun armies at lower points in casual events, and definitely fun in the Chaos in Arda ruleset, which utilizes Maelstrom and some Chaotic goals that the Wolves can compete in pretty well.
That is it for Wolves of Isengard. So far we have covered all the Isengard profiles, and all the Legions but one. You know what that means? DUNLAND TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
See you all next time where we break down the filthy and misunderstood hillman as they burn and pillage the Westfold!
-Scott
Comments
Post a Comment