Top 10 highest skill ceiling models in the game

This is not a list of the best and undercosted models in the game, but a list
whereby player skill has the biggest impact. Here is the top 10 in reserve order.
10) Necromancer
A difficult choice in choosing a number 10, but it goes to the Necromancer mostly due to
the high points value and the need to get a return on those points. Defence 8 and
effectively 25 fate points means he is unlikely to be killed with one bad move. The
difficulty comes from the uniqueness of the profile and often the type of armies he is
played in. Firstly, he has an extensive range of magical powers at his disposal. Previously
it was a simple 3 Channelled Chill Souls, but with the change to the Channelled version it
is now more difficult to determine which spell to go for. Drain Courage is probably the
best and easiest to understand. It can be used to both bait out Will points, as well as
being a victory condition. (If using a sole Nazgul of Dol Guldur army you can render
enemy heroes useless and use the full terror causing Nazgul to control the game and
whittle the enemy down). The next most simple is Chill Soul and this can be incredibly
useful for removing key targets such as banners, or models holding objectives. On a 5+
risk versus reward is needed to be considered as his Will points will start to be depleted,
but mostly because of the ‘time’ in that it would be the only action carried out during the
turn. The most important part of playing the Necromancer is positioning. It is very
important to ensure that he is not being charged in order to keep casting spells. This can
be a challenge if playing the Nazgul of Dol Guldur or if he needs to be close to use Instill
Fear or his Heroic Strike with Fight Value 7.
8) Tom Bombadil
A previously very banned model, the first thing to note is the lack of experience
that many people have playing with or against him. If you play to the minutiae of
the game then you can do plays that are not normally possible. Using the fact that
a base is not exactly 1” you can manipulate the placement of models largely to
your choosing. He can stop models from attacking and this allows him to stall and
shut down the most powerful models. He now has a limited amount of Will, but
largely this should be plenty to last the game.
Knowing exactly where to put him and where
your army should go around him is critical to
making him work. He might not win you many
friends but a player that understands what he
brings to a game will really make the most of
him.

8) Radagast
In his simplest form Radagast probably does not deserve a place on this list. With
Heroic Defence, 3 wounds and fate and the special rules of Master of Birds and
One with Nature he can be played very safely. As with other expensive magical
power uses has a number of good options and choosing the right spell, and
especially when/if to Channel spells such as Aura of Dismay is very important. All
versions, including on foot, needs careful placement to make the most of Aura of
Dismay and when used in an eagle army needs further consideration to maximise
the buffs he gives to them. However, the real difficulty comes when you begin to
include his upgrades. Firstly, mounting him on an Eagle instantly changes his
playstyle from supportive to aggressive. He gains immediate combat power with
becoming a Monstrous Mount and with a now elite points cost needs to have an
impact on constantly threatening and killing targets. Whilst he is less fragile than
other Monstrous Mounts, skill level is by no means decreased as he has no Heroic
Strike and loses his Staff of Power meaning that he has limited Will yet still access
to important and powerful spells, especially Nature’s Wrath which will have a
bigger area of effect from the Eagle’s base. The other large cost option is the
Sleigh. Again, it is another way to turn Radagast into a combat threat and this does
not come with the negative of giving up his Staff. This is just as important though
as whilst he has the free Will per turn, he needs to be making the most of it.
Churning out Nature’s Wraths from the huge base size can have a significant effect
but misplacement and getting bogged down in combat can lead to many missed
opportunities. The huge base can be very difficulty to move and get in the right
position, although the ability to move freely through difficult terrain can be used to
catch out opponents. Finally, the biggest risk of the Sleigh is the strength. It can be
easy to be dismounted by being hurled or blasted in to, but more importantly can
be a catastrophe if thrown through your army with the huge base size being so
impactful.
7) Thranduil
When considering Thranduil for this list we are considering all of his available
options. A simple Thranduil with Crown can be very supportive and with a low cost
in points is unlikely to be too difficult to play or misplay with. The skill comes when
you consider both his many upgrades but also his role within the army, and the
army bonus focusing solely around him. With the Armour, Sword and Elk he is not
at huge risk of dying thanks to his F7, Elven Blade and Heroic Strike and Defence.
However, player skill will have a big impact on the battle as playing aggressively
with Thranduil will influence the battle far more than playing defensively. Firstly,
knowing how he plays with each of his mount options is very important. The Elk
gives him more safety, but the large base requires more careful movement. The
Horse gives him the most mobility and even the option for clever dismount plays
(as he is one of the few heroes that benefits from being on foot). Even on foot he
is incredibly powerful and can be used to bait large numbers of enemies with his
Bladelord special rule. On top of the mount options, you then have the positioning
on the battlefield. Firstly, you are going to want to maximise the +1 to wound he
gives much of his army also the Aura of Dismay bubble if he has the Crown.
Secondly, the one turn Nature’s Wrath automatically cast on a 6 can be game
changing and knowing when and where to use this is very skillful. Higher quality
play will not only see Thranduil alive and buffing his army, but also making those
game winning moves with charging the right targets and using all of his tricks.

6) Helm Hammerhand
An absolutely insane profile (counting the LL) with free Heroic Combats and Mighty
Hero special rule he is a model that can have huge impact. With Strength 5, Burly,
3 attacks and a mount he is formidable in battle and with the Heroic Combats and
free following Heroic Moves he can punch through battlelines and create lots of
opportunities. The difficulty comes with not overextending. He is only F5 and with
no other named heroes in the list, it is critical that he does not die, especially with
the 6” bonus to Fight Value. A good player will ensure the risks are low and he can
continue to output the damage needed to make up for his points sink within the
army. If he ever dies early then it will almost certainly be a loss, and whilst he does
have a lot of Might and Heroic Defence you need to be playing offensively and
killing models rather than just calling Heroic Defence.
5) Bard
One of the cheaper heroes to feature highly on the list, Bard deserves his place for a
number of reasons. Again, as with other featured models he is very important to his
army, providing buffs to Courage, Fight Value and a banner effect. With the need to
survive to affect his army his next trick is the Great Bow. Choosing key targets and
often the 6 might that he has at his disposal he can be one of the deadliest archers.
One of the most important parts to the skill is the positioning of his daughters. With a
Fight Value increase and free Heroic Combats (one of the most valuable abilities in the
game) it is very important that they are in the right place to affect Bard, but also
ensure they can come to no harm with a death having the potential to remove Bard
from the correct area of the battlefield as he chases the offending target. The final
reason for his placement in 5th is that he only has a defence of 5 and no Heroic
Defence.

4) Spider Queen
A lot of players say she is the most undercosted models in the game. This is perhaps
true to some extent. Not only does she have insane killing power with Re Rolls to
Wound, she also has the ability to play the objective game thanks to the uniqueness of
her Broodlings and a 12” move. With 3 might and Heroic Strike, the Spider Queen can
match most heroes and providing she charges will kill most targets (especially true if
backed up by Druzhag). The reason why she is skill dependant is the defensive
qualities. With a Defence of 4 and 0 Fate, shooting can be a huge problem and
placement is key to getting her to where she needs to be. This can be almost
impossible if facing a Legolas, who is more than happy to burn his Might to remove the
threat. The lack of Fate also has a rather amusing weakness against her own kind; the
Mirkwood spiders can paralyse her with their webs and she cannot resist! When
played well and aggressively she can be one of the best models in the game, and the
only reason that she does not feature higher is the relatively low cost. Misplaying with
the Spider Queen is far less punishing than a model like Gandalf that costs double the
points and makes up a larger part of the army.
3) Witch King

The Witch King can have huge combat potential if he takes a Fellbeast, and is always a
threat with magical powers providing he takes the auto include of the Crown. In fact,
choosing and selecting the correct Witch King to bring to the army and battle is
incredibly skillful with not only mount options and upgrades, but also the ability to
freely select Might, Will and Fate. A typical near fully kitted Witch King is going to cost
over 200 points and it is imperative that he makes these points back and with the
potential to be a Hero of Legend will often be the leader of the army. The Fellbeast
turns him into a Monstrous Mount and gives him access to the monster Special Strikes
as well as the fast and flexible movement. With Heroic Strike, 4 Attacks on the charge
and the ability to Fly on his Fellbeast he has a huge threat range, which is only
increased further thanks to Compel. On top of the potential to hit the backline and
have huge killing power he has very powerful casting powers with Re Rolls provided by
the Crown. A good Black Dart (on a Mount) or Compel (especially as it prevents Heroic
Strikes and Defence) can be game changing and set up for hugely important Heroic
Combats. Whilst having plenty of Might and Heroic Strike he is limited and vulnerable
with his relatively low Fight Value of 5 and just a single Wound. Furthermore, he has
the limited resource of Will that makes all powers and combats have even more
important to maximise the potential. Another interesting variation comes with the
new Black Riders LL and his role within the difficult to use list is very important and the
ability to successfully use the Channelled Transfix on a 6 being very powerful if used
correctly.
2) Gandalf the White

Where do you even start? He has the widest range of spells and is also strong in
Combat. First and foremost, his abilities. Many of these are explanatory and are not
difficult to use on their own. Blinding Light, Banishment and Fortify Spirit are very
powerful and useful and are very simple to understand. Command and Sorcerous blast
are more difficult and getting the right angles and movement are key to getting the
most out of the spells. Whilst these Magical Powers are not unique to Gandalf it is the
sheer range of options he has that makes him difficult to use. When do you Blast? Do
you Fortify? Do you Command? Choosing the right spell at the right time is key to
making the most of Gandalf the White’s ability. Aside from being one of the best
casters in the game, Gandalf poses more than capable Combat power. With 2 Attacks
(3 on the charge), Strength 5, Heroic Strike and even an Elven blade he can not only
chop through troops but take down Heroes and Monsters. Whilst having solid combat
potential, he can is not the best and does not have Heroic Defence. The most
important part of putting Gandalf into Combat, is making sure to do it in a way where
he can cast a Magical Power the next turn. Killing two D7 warriors can be nice, but not
being able to cast that important Command next turn could be critical. At over 200
points (more with Shadowfax) he is a huge points sink and making sure to maximise his
Magical Powers with his Combat ability to key to making those points back. Player skill
will have a huge impact on how Gandalf affects the game.
1) Gulavhar
The killing power of Gulavhar is absolutely insane. He can easily one shot most models
in the game thanks to his Strength 8, Monstrous Charge and starting Attacks of 4.
Combine this with his ability to Fly and Barge he can reach any target left slightly
vulnerable. The real skill comes from his fragility. With only Defence 5 and Attacks
equal to his wounds he can be quickly taken down or made easier to deal with. By far
his biggest weakness though is his lack of Heroic Strike and overextending without
back up or escape plan can see him getting taken down with a good surround and
Heroic Strike, even from a mid tier hero. Typically, Gulavhar is played in pure Angmar
and that only increases the skill level as the rest of the Angmar heroes provide a lot of
utility that can support him. A good Paralyse can easily see him safely find his target,
kill and move on.