Hello readers, It's been a long time since my last post (a global pandemic can really affect productivity!) but I'm back with a continuation of the 'Build Me an Army Worthy of...' series. If you look back through the blog, I've already covered Angmar, Numenor, Mordor and Rohan and today I will be presenting 2 Serpent Horde lists. As has been the inspiration for these posts, I have 2 lists, of 500pts and 800pts, that I would bring to an East Anglia Hobbit Community (EAHC) event. At the EAHC, we pride ourselves on holding friendly, relaxed tournaments with a competitive edge to test the skills of any general of Middle Earth and we can't wait to get some dice rolling going again when we safely can.
The Serpent Horde are an army I enjoy to play. With their interesting aesthetic, unit variety and access the Dumbo's murderous, angry cousins (not making an appearance today unfortunately), they are an army with the potential to cause an opponent a whole host of problems. Tactically, they are a diverse list that can be tailored to suit most players styles, whether you are looking for a cavalry force, range superiority or a choppy-choppy horde. For those of you looking for a defensive, impenetrable shield wall type army though, keep on walking. The one thing you can guarantee with a Serpent Horde army, regardless of style, is a battlefield massacre. They will die and die easily but they will often slaughter the opponent at a quicker rate. If you looking for an aggressive army that also means your games will finish quickly enough for you to avoid the queues for your coffees and teas, you've found your army. So, let's check out which Serpent Horde flavour I've gone with today!
The Fat Snake - 500pts
Suladan the Serpent Lord with armoured horse (Leader)
4 Abrakhan Guard
2 Watchers of Karna with twin blades
6 Harad Warriors with spear and bow
6 Serpent Riders
Harad King with horse and war spear
5 Abrakhan Guard
2 Watchers of Karna with twin blades
8 Harad Warriors with spear and bow
35 models, 14 bows
This list, for 500pts, does a bit of everything. It has mobility with the 8 mounted models and both heroes have March, although you won't ever want to use Suladan's Might to March. It has ranged strength thanks to the Serpent Horde's Army Bonus giving them a 50% bow limit and the fact they have poisoned arrows for rerolls of 1 to wound. It has combat power with 9 FV4, S4 burly troops and 4 2 Attack warriors, all supported by poisoned spears and 7 +1 to wound war spear armed cav models. Surely to cover all of that you would pay for it by having a smaller force? No chance! At 35 models, this force is almost certainly going to be outnumbering your opponent at 500pts. So what are the downsides? Well, 5 Might across the army is very average and each point has to be carefully considered before being spent. At D4/5 across your entire army, S4 troops are going to cut through you like a hobbit mashing potatoes and, if the opponent brings a big, killy hero, Suladan suddenly looks a little sheepish. Let's explore the army list in more detail.
Starting with the leader of the army, the Hero of Legend, Suladan. For the price you pay for him, Suladan may well be one of the most points efficient models in the game. For an incredibly affordable points cost, you are opening up 18 warrior slots, getting a FV5, 3A with poison weapon, 3M hero with a 12" Stand Fast! (which he will pass the first time if broken thanks to Hero of Legend). That's straight up value. However, just like Netflix, Bernie Sanders memes and the LOTR extended editions, Suladan is the gift that keeps on giving! Whilst his warriors fight and die around him, Suladan likes to wave his prized Serpent Horde banner like a kite in the wind. Not only is this an actual banner, not a fake, wannabe banner effect (looking at you Aragorn, Thror and Imrahil), so it counts for banner VPs, it is extended to a 6" range. Position him right and you've got a 12" front line under a banner affect for 3 (4 if it's a Watcher of Karna) dice to win a fight at what is usually FV4. Nasty! Now Suladan is only D5 with 3 Wounds and 1F so he is pretty squishy but he can hold his own against mid-level heroes and munches troops. Honestly though, use him as a mobile banner and reap the rewards.
In Suladan's warband, first up let's talk about the Serpent Riders. They bring mobility to the force and even more killing power. With FV4 to win the fight, 2 attacks on the charge and +1 to wound with a poisoned weapon, these guys on the charge will wreck your opponent's front line. As is standard procedure for the Serpent Horde, the D4 is a problem but it's a problem you just have to put up with as a Serpent Horde player. Next up we have the Abrakhan Guard, affectionately know as fatties, and these guys are awesome. For an almost criminal points cost, you get a FV4, S4 choppy boy with a 2 handed sword and the burly special rule. That's 4s to wound D6 troops and only 5s to wound the common D7 found on heroes. Suffering from the standard D4 draw back, they die quickly but if the fatties get going, they can be hard to stop. A couple of Watchers of Karna find their way into the list too as having a couple of 2A models can be very handy and their Steely Nerves rule can be clutch against Terror and Spirit models. Now at D3, they have arrived on the battlefield in their pyjamas but I find that opponents usually have other priority targets for bow fire so the Watchers can make it to combat and prove their worth. Besides, if the opponent does target them, that's 1 more fatty or Serpent Rider who has survived.
Finally, Suladan's warband is rounded off by 6 Harad warriors with bow and spear. Having both a bow and spear gives you the flexibility to tailor your tactics. Happy the sit back with the 14 poison bow shots you have? Sit them in the second rank and ping away at the enemy. Need to grab objectives? Leave a few behind to shoot but move up to support with the rest. Against a the filth that is Rangers of Ithilien? Follow the front line, look to engage in combat and pray you make it there!
The second warband in the list is essentially a repeat of above without the Serpent Riders and a different leader. The warriors form a battleline and engage or sit back and shoot as appropriate. This time however, it is a Harad King leading the way. At FV5, it is always worth taking the King over a Chieftain and he also provides 3 extra warrior slots. With 2A mounted and a war spear, the King can hack through troops but also provides 2M to call Moves or Marches with in order to preserve Suladan's Might pool. At C5, he is also more likely to deal with Terror or stick around when broken when compared to a Chieftain. Don't expect him to set the world alight but he can certainly do a job.
Tactically, this army is looking to achieve victory through a 2-step tactic. Step 1: Thin the enemy ranks with overwhelming bow fire. 14 poison bow shots is enough to whittle down enemy ranks nicely at 500pts after you have dealt with opposing cavalry and mounted heroes. Step 2: Chop, slash and poison your way to victory with you 12" banner coverage. What is left of your opponent's front line should find themselves outnumbered and out-muscled by your troops and heroes. You will take casualties and lots of them but bodies are cheap, and yours are much cheaper than you opponent's 9 times out of 10, so chuck your guys in. As long as you are matching your opponent's kill tally - which with your FV4, burly, poison-weapon, 3 dice to win batleline you easily should be - you will come out victorious.
The Fat Snake Makes it Rain - 800pts
Suladan the Serpent Lord with armoured horse (Leader)
4 Abrakhan Guard
2 Watchers of Karna with twin blades
6 Harad Warriors with spear and bow
6 Serpent Riders
Harad King with horse, bow and war spear
5 Abrakhan Guard
2 Watchers of Karna with twin blades
8 Harad Warriors with spear and bow
The Betrayer on Fell Beast
5 Abrakhan Guard
2 Watchers of Karna with twin blades
8 Harad Warriors with spear and bow
51 models, 22 bows
Scaling up to 800pts, we take the 500pts list in its entirety, adding a bow to the King due to left over points, and add Harad's signature spooky boy, The Betrayer. The Betrayer's warband is a carbon copy of the King's and, as such, is looking to build upon the strengths mentioned in the 500pts list. But The Betrayer himself adds a lot of new things to the list. First, a small upside is the access to magic he provides. The Betrayer is one of the weaker wraith casters but an important transfix here or there can change the course of a battle. Honestly though, you are not taking him for his casting, or Harbinger of Evil, you take him for his Master of Poisons rule. Granting a 6" bubble of full rerolls to wound for poison weapons, suddenly your 22 bows become much scarier, as do all of your poisoned spears thanks to your army bonus. This rule means you can make it rain poison arrows on your opponent for a couple of turns, making it even easier for your large 51 model force to overpower them in combat. I would take him purely for Master of Poisons but I also enjoy putting The Betrayer on a fell beast. This gives him mobility, the chance to fly over troops to get into the back line heroes with his 3A on the charge and Bane of Kings for to wound re-rolls and the chance to line up some juicy hurls. The fell beast is also a wonderful deterrent for the opponent. Even if you never fully utilise it, the fell beast changes the way your opponent plays so drastically, it is well worth it. Now you could drop the flappy boy for more numbers but, with maxed warbands, you would have to invest in a pricey hero first so becomes too much of an investment.
This army essentially looks to achieve the same as the 500pts list but more effectively with the Master of Poisons rule, added combat punch and a continuation of high numbers. Might is a big issue with 7 across the army but, if you can, you just sit back and thin the enemy ranks early so when it comes to combat, you only need to spend Might on a few key Moves. You will die quickly with this army but, often, your opponent will die quicker. For Suladan and the South!
That's my 500pts and 800pts lists for the Serpent Horde. A fun, unique army. Let me know your thoughts and how you create your hordes from Harad.
Kieran
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