Good morning gamers,
We're back with a how-to-counter-tough-models post today and since we covered the "big four" heroes of the Last Alliance, it seemed fitting that we'd also cover Sauron in the discussion - especially since he showed up on most of their countering lists. If you make a short list of models that are a) great in combat, b) hard to kill, and c) great at casting magic, Sauron is probably very, VERY high on the list. He's expensive, but he also does it all. So if you see him on the other side of the table, what on Middle-Earth are you supposed to do? Well, let's dig into what makes this guy good - and then we'll look at how to beat him.
What Makes The Dark Lord Sauron So Hated?
Any discussion about Sauron has to begin with his profile - he's got a beastly combat profile with F9, S8, 4 Attacks, and 3 Might with the option to call Heroic Strike (though when you start from F9, there's a real risk against F5-6 heroes that you don't need it). If his offense was great and his defense was poor (like Gulavhar), he probably wouldn't be worth his cost, but with Defense 10 (the only hero in the game with a Defense rating that high), 5 Wounds, and a 2+ mightable save against the final wound he suffers thanks to his modified One Ring rules, wounding Sauron is hard - and killing Sauron is all but impossible.
Photo Credit: Warhammer Community |
If you'd like to see a rather hilarious science experiment about how hard it is to kill Sauron, you should check out the Conquest Creations video that Jacob Lucas did earlier in the year - if you don't mind spoilers, Sauron managed to kill 532 Hobbit Militia over 157 turns and died after making 17 One Ring saves . . . no game is going to last that long, of course - and it's very rare that you'll see over 500 Hobbits on the board . . . or that all you'll be facing are Hobbit Militia with axes. :)
He's also got a great spell array - arguably the greatest in the game (I certainly think so). Most of his spells have an 18" range (6" longer than most other casters), and he can cast Drain Courage/Transfix on a 2+, Compel on a 3+, and Chill Soul/Sap Will on a 4+, giving him the ability to neutralize low-Will heroes while they're a long way off to slow their advance, weaken Ringwraiths with either of his 4+ spells from beyond a Fly-able charge range, and he can pluck wounds off army leaders or banner-bearers far before they get into combat with him. Oh, and he casts Instill Fear on a 3+, which can be great for clearing out objectives (especially when paired with his Ancient Evil special rule).