Hey guys, I was thinking of entering a tournament in a few weeks. The points limit is 600 pts and I play Mordor. I was trying to decide if Sauron is worth including in a competitive Mordor force. What points limit is he ideal for? Is it wise to include him in an army of 600 pts? What about a 500pts army? Or a 700+ army? Should I give him the Ring or not? I'm thinking for 600pts maybe take Sauron and an Orc Captain and fill the rest of the points out with orcs so I get my numbers up. Thoughts?

Sauron with the Ring is pretty indestructible, and a serious yawner to play against or with. No tactics involved, just roll a lot of dice.

So that's the main reason he isn't used in competitive play? He's boring?

I wouldn't say boring, it's that your opponent immediately will start complaing about him being there. I would never take him without the ring. 5 wounds, even at Def 10, won't last too long.

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"Leave Sauron to me."
If you're in the Raleigh, NC area, let me know.

allied with 2 mordor trolls they become the ultimate army for contest of champions but not so good at domination

The reason why he's not used competitively is because he sucks. It's over 50% of your points spent on 1 model, effectively killing any sort of number or bow advantage you could ever dream of. In addition he can never pay back even half of those points if the enemy plays well and he only has a 6" Stand Fast, usually in a force with just him as a hero or a minor captain, that's a pretty big disadvantage.

He's not boring to play with or against at all if the players are good on both sides, he just requires people to think in different ways than they do in a standard game.

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Coordinator of the Great British Hobbit League

I would agree with BlackMist insofar as Sauron is indeed a points sink in smaller games- however, it is worth keeping in mind that any new player will completely lose their mental composure when he steps onto the board, while any old-hand will slaughter the regular orcs, as Sauron, much like a dragon or a Balrog, can be held in place very easily if you lose priority. And when Sauron is outnumbered by about 35 to 1, then, while he still has a fighting chance, as soon as he's out of might (or if you're saving it for the Ring), then he will lose fights and his life-expectancy will drop.

As for tactically, he works much like a super-Mordor Troll that you can (usually) walk forward in the front line and expect him to get to the enemy- not terribly deep playing, tactically speaking, but such is life.

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"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

Cool thanks Valamir thats what I was feeling. Like he looks big and scary to a noob like me but to an experienced player, there are probably lots of ways round him. It sounds like the best competitive armies (from reading around and not actually playing) are armies maxxed to the model cap, with a balanced combo of bow troops, meat shield, and elite troops, some magic, and a decent hero to carry the team forward. Better that than throwing all your points into a tank which can be easily out-manoeuvred.

They don't have to be model-capped. The winning good forces of the past 3 UKGTs in 700pts had 42, 45 and 45 models, with average for the good side for top 10 being under 50. Evil forces in those GT wins had around 60-65, which is the average for top 700pts lists.

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Coordinator of the Great British Hobbit League

In a larger game, Sauron is a beast. Just like the Balrog, he needs numbers to keep him from getting majorly outnumbered. To get the most out of him point wise, you need to target your enemies heros.

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"Leave Sauron to me."
If you're in the Raleigh, NC area, let me know.

I would agree with BlackMist, who has had more experience in competitive play than I, that armies most certainly don't have to be model-capped- particularly not if this is an army that can rely upon elites while being supported with a decent hero or two- the most obvious example that comes to mind would be in the Feifdoms.

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"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”