The Battlehost provides a very solid foundation. Saruman is a powerful wizard, you have Grima to attach to an enemy warband (ideally one on foot) and mess up their Might spending, and 20 Uruk Hai and 24 Uruk Hai scouts. The boxed set doesn’t naturally lead into a Legendary Legion, as there are no Legendary Legions with both armoured and scout Uruk Hai and none containing Saruman, but the army rules from the Armies of the Lord of the Rings book are fine in any case.

Orcs are the foulest creatures to walk Middle-earth. They are evil-hearted monsters that rejoice in slaughter and destruction, while Wargs are gigantic, evil wolves – dangerous creatures with a cunning intelligence. Isengard ™ BattlehostThe first of our example army lists focuses on the Isengard Battlehost box, and makes for a great starting point for any Isengard army. Strength: Good, cheap heroes. Isengard has almost as many hero profiles as Mordor, which is the gold standard for evil armies. While Mordor has more with "oomph" (the Witch-King is a better all-around caster model, I think, than Saruman; Shagrat is a better combat model than Lurtz; Kardush is a better Fury shaman than an Isengard shaman, etc.; Isengard doesn't have any analogue for wraiths on fell beasts), the Isengard heroes run cheaper and, in many cases, look scarier, especially when you surround them with Fight 4, Strength 4, Defense 6 troops (which Mordor simply can't marshall) and cheap siege weapons (which Mordor can marshall with Siege Bows, though they're clearly a cut below the Isengard ballista). Lurtz, Thrydan, and Gorulf are very competitively costed for their mix of raw combat stats, heroic resources, and special rules, and as far as cheap Might batteries go, you could do far worse than Ugluk, Mahur, Vrasku, Mahur, Snaga, and Sharku.

Boromir looks good for fighting Uruks, but not for fighting Saruman - a Sorcerous Blast at an angle targeting a model standing next to Boromir will send him to the ground, rendering the banner useless. Though Boromir is affected, he wasn't the target and so cannot roll to resist. Interestingly, you do also get this fellow in the Elrond set. The High Elf Warrior With Banner could well be the start of a revamp for The Last Alliance range as a whole. Saddle up and follow Éomer, Marshal of the Riddermark into battle with the Rohan Battlehost. You’ll be joining the Riders of Rohan and the Warriors of Rohan in a force that’s great for taking on the forces of Evil. There are 32 miniatures in total in this Battlehost. Join the ranks of the fallen Istari Saruman, one of the most powerful wizards in Middle-earth, who leads the Isengard Battlehost of Uruk-hai Scouts and Uruk-hai Warriors – followed by his faithful minion Gríma Wormtongue.

Thrydan Wolfsbane. Another darling of Tiberius's, so I won't wax long on him. Suffice it to say, Strength 5 with a two-handed axe and Mighty Blow is dangerous, especially if he's mounted, and if he was also Burly he'd be an amazing evil hero (instead of just a very, very good one). The one glaring issue with his profile is that, despite being the unquestioned leader of Dunland, he's only a Hero of Fortitude in a conventional Isengard force; given that Angbor, Duinhir and Lurtz are heroes of Valor, and Suladan and Dalamyr are Heroes of Legend, Hero of Valor status for Thrydan seems fair to me. Oh, and he's also got a 12" Stand Fast!, which means if you ever take both he and Saruman in the same force, it's theoretically possible to cover more than 90% of the game board in Stand Fasts! at the same time. Add more to your gaming experience with the Ruins of Middle-earth™ – a great addition to the Battle of Osgiliath boxed set or the perfect basis for a themed gaming table or diorama. Rivendell™ Dice Set Lurtz’s Scouts, a Legendary Legion from the Quest of the Ringbearer book, built around the 24 Uruk Hai Scouts. Strength: Strong, durable combat troops. There's a reason why many consider Uruk-Hai the gold-standard when it comes to infantry in the Middle-Earth SBG (not me, I prefer porcupine dwarves, but still...). Fight 4, Strength 4, and Defense 5-6 is a fantastic stat-line that more often than not will give you an advantage over your opponent's troops in at least one category (again, aforementioned porcupine dwarves excepted). Whether it's winning ties in duels or wounding on 5s instead of 6s, Uruk-Hai can almost always deal out the punishment, and almost always take it, too.

Commanding a host of daemons conjured from the empyrean is no small task, but Datacards: Chaos Daemons lets you focus on the bigger picture by providing 88 cards with Stratagems, Psychic Powers and Warp Storm effects.Sally forth from the White City alongside Gandalf the White and Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took as they command the forces of Minas Tirith. This epic box contains 33 plastic Citadel miniatures with two versions of Gandalf the White (mounted and on foot), Peregrin Took, 24 Warriors of Minas Tirith, and six Knights of Minas Tirith. Isengard have a number of Legendary Legions that play well at 5/600 points, with Ugluk’s Scouts being a prime example. The Uruk Hai Scouts in the Battle Host can form a solid core for this. Again, these are all plastic so they should be great for newcomers. You get more of those classic plastic miniatures alongside the new heroes and villains that have been introduced into the range by Games Workshop over the last few years. For dealing with the Uruks themselves, one thing you might try is Boromir with his banner. A F7 Boromir with a reroll is a serious threat to any Uruk leader, and you can get Fight 5 in any combat where you have a Fountain Court Guard or Ranger of Ithilien present as long as they’re within 6” of Boromir. That F5 will win ties with Berserkers, and force heroes like Lurtz and Ugluk to at least think about striking early (otherwise they may have to settle for a 50-50 roll-off).

Reclaim the One Ring for the Dark Lord with the Mordor Battlehost, led by the powerful Witch-king of Angmar, supported by hordes of Orcs, and the fast and deadly Warg Riders. This threatening boxed set contains 32 plastic Citadel miniatures including the Witch-king of Angmar (mounted and on foot), 24 Mordor Orcs and six Warg Riders. This set contains 48 plastic miniatures which come with all required bases. Miniatures are supplied unassembled and unpainted – we recommend Citadel Plastic Glue and Citadel Colour paints. Gandalf is an incredibly expensive hero in a 500 point game, but he brings a lot to the table. This is a cheap expansion again, as it is the Command blister again and it still leaves you with the Knight of the White Tower and Hornblower, which with the remaining infantry would take you over 700 points.

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This battleforce contains 48 plastic Citadel miniatures for use in games of Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game and is an ideal way for existing players to bolster their forces, or for new collectors to get into the game. The Isengard Battlehost is led by Saruman the White, also mounted and on foot, and features Gríma Wormtongue, and a Palantír on a plinth. A horde of 24 Uruk-hai Scouts, and 20 Uruk-hai Warriors defend their lord while he casts spells to turn the tide of battle. This product has been slightly delayed in the USA and Canada. Minas Tirith™ Battlehost Orc Captain.Another stat drop, to Fight 4, Strength 4, Defense 5/6, and Courage 3. There's not a lot of reasons to take these apart from building a more thematic force. If you are looking at this option, you may just want to fully commit to an allied contingent which will allow you to bring more powerful orcs (Morannons from Mordor, for example), as your army bonus won't affect them. Their low courage may be an issue, too, as they don't share the necessary keywords with any of the shamans in your army list. Speaking of which...