This is a work in progress and I will update it as I am able to.

McGarnacle's Guide to the Serpent Horde




Welcome back! A little while ago, I did McGarnacle’s Guide to the Fallen Realms, and a lot of stuff has changed in the new edition. Here is my breakdown of the Serpent Horde in the new edition. We will start by looking at the heroes and troops, then the list as a whole and how to use these guys effectively on the tabletop. I'll be putting a competitiveness rating next to everyone, 5 being average: not all that competitive, but you could get away with it. Next to the score for each unit, I’ve put how much it’s changed in this edition. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All of this is purely my opinions and does not reflect bla bla bla. I DO NOT play competitively (though I hope this will change) I do play a lot, however, especially with this list.

The Betrayer (9.5/10) +4.5
Wow. The new edition saw the humble Betrayer catapulted from a bottom-two Nazgul to IMO one of the best in the game. His Master of Poisons ability, coupled with the Army’s Scorpion Sting means that at the cost of a Will point, all Haradrim warriors and raiders can re-roll ALL wound rolls. For this reason, the Betrayer is a must-have for all Haradrim lists, and since he is mainly there for the buffs he gives your troops, he really doesn’t need a horse or fellbeast.

Suladan the Serpent Lord (8/10) +2
Suladan remains very much the hero he was before, with the addition of excellent Heroic Actions and a 6” banner, which is huge for the horde of troops you will be fielding. His status as a Hero of Legend is both a blessing and a curse: he can lead more troops, but can also be challenged by all the heroes in Middle Earth, and he is still rather squishy at 3 wounds, 1 Fate and defense 5. The 12” Standfast! Is nice, and he is likely to stay on the board late game, provided he hasn’t been killed. Overall a very solid choice for the army, being both affordable and nicely complementing the strengths of his list.

Haradrim King (6/10) 0
Eh. The Haradrim King was pretty bland in the old edition, and is basically the same. The list doesn’t lack killing power, and you are better off either paying more for Suladan or less for a chieftain. He works at certain point costs, but you really can do better then this guy.

The Golden King of Abrakhan (8/10) -1
The Golden King is in a rather strange place. He costs a bit more, his rule is slightly nerfed and his Heroic actions suck. However, he is still great at what he does, which is killing low Fight troops and making heroes run away. Also, with big heroes being very much in style, Golden Promises is even more useful then it was previously. A very solid choice, the only reason he is down a point is because Suladan got better.

Hasharin (7/10) +1
The Hasharin is basically the same as he was previously, except a bit cheaper, which is excellent. While he still has only 1 Might, Heroic Strike and Defence are both terrific, meaning he can either help kill a hero or be a road block for a turn. You probably shouldn’t take him before any of the named heroes, but he is a bit cheaper then all of them, and makes a solid troop killer.

Haradrim Chieftain (6/10) 0
Nothing new here. Compared to the Haradrim King, he costs less and is a bit less beefy. A good option to lead cavalry, but with so many great named heroes, the opportunity cost is a bit high. He has pretty good killing power for his cost on a horse.

Haradrim Taskmaster (7/10) -1
The taskmaster received a rather inevitable nerf. He now has only 1 Might, and is ability only works for Heroic Shoot, Move and March. Overall still a good option, just not as great as before. He now costs as much as a chieftain, so you have the interesting choice of either killing power or a support hero. IMO the Taskmaster is a bit better, because your list can already kill things easily, and regaining might for board control is really important.

Reserved.

I'm toying with the idea of basing my scores on a community poll. What do you all think?

A poll would be interesting but it would alter the scores based on perception more than the opinion of people who have a lot of experience with the list. I personally like your evaluations as they stand.

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"Draw your sword with a heavy heart, but swing it with a heavy hand"

Thanks for doing this, very informative.

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Nice read so far, I look forward to the rest of it.

I bought many models for a Haradrim army a few years ago, when I was considering returning to the hobby. Now I have started playing again, but my Haradrim are all in boxes still. If I ever do decide that I want a Haradrim army again, then I guess that I may need to also get the Betrayer.

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"There are few left in Middle Earth like Aragorn, son of Arathorn." - Gandalf, Many Meetings

Updated with the rest of the heroes. Again, I'm skipping the Mumak, because I've never used one. If someone with experience wants to hit me up with what they think about it, I would be happy to add it to the guide.