Hi, all. As a lot of members were not happy with the communal ratings for SBG as many of the ratings weren't balanced, I have now created this. List the troop type and/or hero you're MOST experienced with and give some tips and tactics on how to use them, what points' level they are effective etc. When the ratings start to die down in number, I will ask everyone for their SECOND most experienced troop type and/or hero and you do the same thing. This will probably not go beyond 4 or 5 ratings max, but it is only supposed to be very specialized so it can actually be of use to people.

I'll start:

High elf Warrior: these are very good troops imo. They can beat pretty much any other troop with their high fight value and are tough to kill if you give them a shield instead of an elven blade which I always do. Spearmen can be a problem as they only come in metal meaning they cost a lot of $ so you may want in games >500 points to ally in some spearmen from another army list like Minas Tirith who could always lend some cavalry if need be. Pure high elf armies can be very effective at <500 points as you can get a cheap hero in like Erestor or Arwen and cram your army full of guys and the enemy at that points' level will probably not have much to counter that.

Archers are very good. Hard to kill by evil archery and excellent shots themselves. Get them onto a hill to get a few good rounds of shooting. Always aim for the softer D5 or D3 if you can find it as its much much easier to kill than D6 and with shooting, you just want to reduce numbers as much as you can. As the game progresses, try to get the archers on the flanks where they can still shoot at supporting spearmen and lend an extra punch to combat if needed.

Tactics, your forests are your friends. Yes, elves like their forests so use them to your advantage. Sticking lots of forests together can be one of the best ways (if not the best) to counter cavalry.
Watch out for Morranon orcs and gundabads. These guys are the bane of elves as the FV difference isn't going to matter much and they'll wound you on 5s. Unless you outnumber them or the enemy's army is entirely made out of them, shield for all your worth. An elf not able to strike blows is better than a dead elf.
Again, shield often. FV 5 is going to bring you through in a lot of situations when shielding, do this as often as you can if you're outnumbered and you'll find your army is very tough to break down, if in doubt, shield.
Try and fight in enclosed spaces, like in between two forests as you'll very often be out-numbered so you want to get as many guys into combat whilst minimising the ammount your opponent gets in.

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"War does not determine who is right, only who is left."
- Bertrand Russel

The ring-wraiths are my personal favorite, and I use them in every game.
BEing some of the best spell casters when your taking budget wraiths, or having a great special rule when taking named wraiths, they are some of the best models in the game. Though not very strong in combat, they can still hold their own against basic troops, though this can be very draining.


I personally take them with high will in the possibility they get stuck in combat, if when they get out they will have enough will to continue using their great spells. If you plan on getting them in combat, Khamul and KoU are two good choices, KoU being less frequently seen as such. He has the Mimicry special rule which proves useful against hard hitters, so personally I team him up with a spearman and/or a pikeman. This makes it so he will most likely win combat and deal some wounds against the hard hitters like Boromir and Aragorn. IMO going into combat isn't a great idea for any other wraith, they simply lack the power to do much, unless mounted on a fellbeast which costs loads of points.

They are resistant against other spellcasters (due to their high will stocks) and are a prefect counter to any opposing sorcerer. They have some great powers to stop the other sorcerer by stopping them in their tracks, and sometimes moving them towards a powerful unit (troll, balrog, any hard hitter will do!) and at 1 attack, they don't stand a chance. Another note on Compel is with a ringbearer, if succesful the ringbearer may be compelled to put on the ring (dependeing on the version you play, this rule varies) and the wraith no longer loses will in combat against him! This means they become perfect ring hunters.

But the true gold in Nazgul lies in their effectiveness against troop moral. Their harbinger of evil can cause some serious issues when the other force breaks, and black dart is ideal for taking out flag bearers and other crucial troops. Even without this, no matter who you are up against, the wraith will seriously psych them out. They will have to commit a good portion of their force to stopping the wraith or it will wreak havoc among his/her troops.

Tactics:
Take them with a "retinue" of cheap troops with spears/pikes (having spears and pikes being the most effective) and bows, this creates a force that is lethal at a range, and can protect the wraith from combat, or, alternatively they can provide support to a combat wraith. An extra attack is always helpful! Keep pelting the enemy with arrows (if you've taken the SL, then take even more archers as he sheilds them quite well) and magic powers until the other force is close to breaking. Make sure you haven't expended too much will and save at the least 5 will for when the other force is really close to breaking. At this point get into the thick of it! the extra bodies will add an extra few casualties with the spear/pikes backing up the wraith this should be very difficult to beat, and with the KoU or Khamul it will be neigh on unstoppable (if you use transfix before combat, your almost guaranteed to win). This will make the other force break quickly and with the Harbingers of evil rule, this means much of the other force will be taken as a casualty or retreat (again depending on which version you are playing).
Alternatively you can create a hero killer group. Spears and pikes again, but less archers. I recommend the KoU for this one, but depending on your playing style you may also want Khamul or a different wraith. The reason that I would take KoU is because of his Mimicry ability, which means when supported by spears and pikes, he will always have more attacks. Use your bows to get rid of the units surrounding the hero (this stops any support coming to the hero) and charge right in there. Use Transfix to lower the stats of the other model, while stealing them if your using KoU. Make sure not to use too many other magical powers as being in combat will drain you quickly. Doing this should allow you to kill any hero, no matter how powerful.

And finally the magician. This tactic is used for "swarm' armies when the opponent outnumbers you or your playing with high point cost troops (such as uruk-hai or monster heavy armies) Get your wraith on a horse. This is essential for avoiding combat, and be sure to stay as far away from archers (especially elves) as possible. Go around casting transfixes, compels and the occasional black dart at troops to make life very difficult for them. Also use the Drain Will and Sap courage powers against heroes, as they will have to resist this using up their will stocks, meaning eventually it will work. Also Use Drain Will on troops away from heroes. This means that when their force breaks, and the heroes stand fast doesn't reach them, they are almost guaranteed to flee/be removed. Also stay close enough for the Harbinger of evil rule to be maximized. Hug terrain to stay away from archers and troops, and when someone gets to close to your wraith throw a transfix at them and then send a cheap soldier at them and flee on your horse! This increases survivability of your wraiths and chances of killing an enemy!

Using any of these methods allows for a destructive unit that is very difficult to kill, and increases your chances of victory, which is why i find wraiths so effective.

I was quite fond of the Easterling/Haradrim pikeblock led by an Easterling Captain with Easterling/Haradrim archers led by a Haradrim Chieftain in support when I played as the Evil Kingdoms of Men.

Heroes:
The Easterling Captain with shield is a nice cheap hero at 55 points and with a Def 7, not exactly a easy kill. Meanwhile the Haradrim Chieftain with bow, at 50 points, is another relatively cheap hero which I typically fielded with the archers.

Troops:
The pikeblock is formed of three ranks of seven and was a tough nut to crack. Easterlings with shields made the front row, Haradrim with spears the second and Easterling Spearmen at the rear. With the Captain taking up the center of the front row, it costed me roughly 210 points and was a must in any army over 200 points.

The 'archer division' was comprised of as many archers (Haradrim or Easterling) I could buy without breaking the 33% rule and were led by the Chieftain. This 'division' was at least 104 points, and could reach up to 150 points in a larger game.

Tactics:
Put the pikeblock between two pieces of difficult terrain so the enemy is forced to fight through them or go the long way around. The archers are best focused on one flank and used to feint so your opponent divides his forces away from the pikeblock.
This works better than one might think because a dozen shots into the sides of a shield wall every turn is very irritating. Let the pikeblock initiate a fighting retreat, angling themselves to face towards the archers. This lures the enemy into the well-set trap. When your opponent continues to press the assault on the pikeblock, have the archers stop messing with the troops sent to drive them off and outflank the troops attacking the pikeblock.
Unless the enemy is using Orcs of Goblins(or Rohan militia), you have the advantage of numbers and their attack force will be badly maulled by the rear-attack. Which is good because you only have a turn to finish them off before their allies (who were out-smarted by the feint) catch up to your archers.

Note: if your opponent has ANY calvary whatsoever, focus all your arrows on them. Horses tend to die in arrow storms and riders being thrown helps slow down their advance.

Note: if an enemy shieldwall catches up to your archers, SCATTER! Your opponent will want to stay in formation which gives you quick and easy outflanking to rip him apart.

With the Heroes (particularly the Easterling Captain), refrain from using Might outside of Heroic Moves and Heroic Fights unless it is absolutely critical you kill whatever it is immediately. This allows the pikeblock/archers to get the upperhand in their battles. This is particularly true if you use a Heroic Move or Heroic Fight just as a shieldwall begins to buckle, allowing you to rip it to shreds.

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