Cirith Ungol Themed List

"A bell clanged; and from the Watchers there went up a high and dreadful wail. Far above in the darkness it was answered. Out of the black sky there came droping like a bolt a winged shape, rending the clouds with a ghastly shriek." - The Return of the King

The Dark Tower - John Howe

Cirith Ungol is one of my favorite locations in Lord of the Rings books and movies and with the next Games Workshop Made to Order featuring the old metal Mordor Orcs, some of the best orc sculpts, I thought it high time to start on a Cirith Ungol themed list.

The list I am going for will be 650 Points to start which will give me a good starting point to go up or down in points depending on the games I play in. Based on the description from the novels, Cirith Ungol is home to at least one of the nine on a flying mount but at 650 points I don't think I will include that just yet. Potentially at higher point levels I will include a nameless wraith on fellbeast for theme, which I am going for over competitiveness with this list.

Made to Order Orcs:

The MTO orcs are going to be up for pre-order this weekend so I was originally going to use them exclusively in the list since they go well with the Mordor Uruk-Hai aesthetically but there is one thing the pack doesn't have a lot of and that's spear supports.

The pack contains:

9 Orcs with shields and variety of weapons

3 Orcs with 2 handed axes

2 Orcs with spears

Made to Order Mordor Orcs

I am hoping, depending on price, to pick up two packs of these guys, but that will only give me 4 spears which will not be enough for the list. I have bucket loads of plastic orcs that I will use to supplement into this list to bring it up to a more competitive state since 4 spear supports in an army is very low.

Heroes

The heroes are a pretty straight forward for this army. In the movies we get some great scenes with Shagrat and Gorbag so those are auto includes. In the last MTO we also got Kardush, a great shaman spellcaster with flameburst and fury so I will be including him as well, a Mordor Orc shaman on warg and lastly, we can't forget who lurks in the mountain passage above Cirith Ungol...Shelob! 

Now you might be wondering why I am including a orc shaman on a warg when I already have Kardush, who is a shaman himself. The answer is simple and can be found below:

The model is AMAZING! This is my favorite sculpt in the entire range so I had to include it. It also will free up will points to have Kardush cast flameburst and then if he runs out of will he can sacrifice an orc to replenish his own will to cast MORE flameburst. The shaman on warg will also give me maneuverability to bring him where he is needed to have Fury up where it's most useful. The 12" transfix is nice as well but on a 5+ I would need to roll 2 dice to get it off effectively which would cause me to lose my fury so I will use him mainly for fury.

Troops

For the troops I am of course using the metal orcs from the MTO this weekend but will include 2 other troops. Mordor Uruk-hai and Morgul Stalkers. I only have 3 Mordor Uruk-hai right now as they are OOP and am still on the hunt for more so 3 will do for now. I am putting those in with Shagrat, I will convert them to have shields as well for the added defense. Back them all up with spears with a banner close by and this warband should munch through enemies, Fight 4 backed by spears with a banner is nice and with Shagrat around to heroic combat in and break enemy lines this will be a scary warband to face.

I have also included 4 Morgul Stalkers in the list, which I picked up last MTO. I like the aesthetic of them which fits in with the Cirith Ungol list and gives a bit more variety in troop types. Their 2 attacks at strength 4 will also be nice, placing them on the flanks of the warbands or to go out on their own to grab objectives.

Final Lists:

I have made 2 lists here, one that contained metal only models for theme or with spear supports for a more competitive force. Once I get more Mordor Uruk-hai I can put a few more in with Shagrat and potentially remove the shaman on warg for a solid 600pt list. Each 650 point list is 41 models with 8 might. It has good numbers and some great heroes.

Shagrat will be the leader in both armies, Fight 5, 3/3/3 plus heroic strike, knock to the ground with the shield on charges and Blood and Glory special rule makes him a real threat on the tabletop.

We also have Shelob who can pressure flanks and traverse the terrain will also be good if you keep her out of bow range and go against the correct targets.

At higher points values, for theme, I would be tempted to drop the shaman and take a nameless wraith on fellbeast with 2/14/1 would be a good thematic addition (see opening quote) although I don't think it would be the most competitive choice.

I will keep the blog updated with hobby progress for this list as I get to painting it all up! Currently just waiting for the Made to Order to open up and then I will place the order for the Orcs. I have everything else for the list but will have to get some paint on those models!

Without further ado the lists:

650pt - Plastic/Metal Mix

Warband #1

Shagrat with heavy armor and shield

3 Mordor Uruk-Hai with Shields

1 Orc with Banner

2 Orcs with Shields

6 Orcs with Spear

Warband #2

Gorbag with Shield

5 Orcs with Shields

5 Orcs with Spears

2 Morgul Stalkers

Warband #3

Kardush the Firecaller

5 Orcs with Shields

5 Orcs with Spears

2 Morgul Stalkers

Warband #4

Mordor Orc Shaman on Warg

Warband #5

Shelob

650pt - Metal Only MTO

Warband #1
Shagrat with heavy armor and shield
3 Mordor Uruk-Hai with Shields
1 Orc with Banner
4 Orc w Spears
2 Orcs with Shield
2 Orcs with Axes

Warband #2
Gorbag with Shield
8 Orcs with Shields
2 Orcs with Axes
2 Morgul Stalkers

Warband #3
Kardush the Firecaller
8 Orcs with Shields
2 Orcs with Axes
2 Morgul Stalkers

Warband #4
Mordor Orc Shaman on Warg

Warband #5
Shelob