The Witch-king of Angmar is Sauron's most powerful and deadly lieutenant, and has commanded a host of forces of Evil since becoming a Ringwraith in the Dark Lord’s service. With the release of the sinister new Witch-king model on the horizon, the Middle-earth team’s Dan Entwisle gathered together a team of expert matched play enthusiasts to create some thematic army lists that complement the dread lord of the Nazgûl.
Dan: The imminent arrival of the Witch-king is a fitting occasion to present a few army lists that show some of the ways the Lord of the Nazgûl can play on the battlefield. So, we lit the beacons and called upon some matched play specialists from the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game tournament circuit for aid.
David Whitaker, Ed Ball, and Lewis Collins answered the call, and we set each of them the challenge of writing a 700-point army list featuring the new Witch-king model.
Let's take a look at what they came up with.
The Black Riders™ Legendary Legion – David Whitaker
David: I love army lists that look as if they’ve come right out of the books or films. So when Dan asked me to write one featuring the new Witch-king model, I looked no further than the Black Riders Legendary Legion from Quest of the Ringbearer.
Where the Witch-king is concerned, it doesn’t get much more thematic than the Lord of the Nazgûl leading his fellow Ringwraiths in search of the Ringbearer.
The Witch-king brings a number of Heroic Actions that the other Ringwraiths don't have access to – in particular Heroic Strike. This is handy if the Lord of the Nazgûl finds himself battling against the likes of Aragorn, Glorfindel, or Prince Imrahil.
You’ll need to be careful with the Witch-king as he only has a single Fate point in this list, but at Defence 8, your opponent will be lucky to cause any Wounds to Sauron’s top commander.
The Morgul Blade is not something you want to leave in Mordor. It’s the perfect weapon for dealing with multi-Wound models – such as Great Eagles or Ents – and Hero models with limited or no Fate – including Théoden, Durin, or Elendil – because a single unsaved Wound from this ancient blade will kill the target outright.
Angmar™ – Ed Ball
Ed: As the name suggests, the Witch-king of Angmar is the ideal commander for an Angmar force.
I’ve used the Lord of the Nazgûl in many different battles over the years, usually atop a terrifying Fell Beast. This time, I thought it would be fun to explore a new army list that I hadn’t tried before.
Not only is the Witch-king a Spirit, which makes all Angmar Orc models within 3" of him cause Terror, but he also has the Harbinger of Evil special rule. This combination can make it difficult for your opponent's models to charge into your Orcs, giving you an opportunity to gang up on those who are brave enough to actually get into combat.
Having the Crown of Morgul boosts the Witch-king's Attacks to 3 which, combined with the extra Attack and Knock to the Ground from a Cavalry charge, turns him into a real heavy hitter.
As the core of the army is made up of Angmar Orc Warriors, you need to rely on the Witch-king to get stuck into combat regularly. By giving him the maximum 20 points of Will, he can cast plenty of Magical Powers – aided by the Crown of Morgul re-roll – without needing to worry too much about losing a Will point each turn for being in Combat as a result of the Will of Evil special rule.
The onslaught of Magical Powers from the Witch-king, The Tainted, and a Barrow-wight should be enough to neutralise any powerful Heroes through the combination of Sap Will, Transfix, and Paralyse. Once the Hero has been suitably stopped in their tracks, the Witch-king can draw his Morgul Blade and move in for an easy kill.
Mordor™ – Lewis Collins
Lewis: As soon as I set eyes on the new plastic Witch-king model, I knew I needed to get my hands on one. The mounted version is very dynamic, and it’s now one of my favourite Cavalry models in the range.
When Dan asked me to write up an army list for this article, I immediately started scanning through the different models available for Mordor and came across the Morgul Knights. I was certain that the Witch-king would be a fantastic figurehead for a force of Terror-causing horsemen.
I gave the Witch-king 3 Might points in this army list. It’s important that he can declare as many Heroic Moves as possible, as the whole force is made up of models who want to Charge into combat to deal maximum damage.
The Witch-king also has the Harbinger of Evil special rule. This makes it even more difficult for your opponent’s models to Charge into combat with your Terror-causing army, leaving them open for a counter-Charge.
As the force is filled with hard-hitting models such as Shelob and the lance-wielding Morgul Knights, the Witch-king won’t need to be in the fight for you to cut down your opponents.
By keeping him out of combat, he won’t lose Will each turn due to the Will of Evil special rule. As a result, you can save some points by reducing the amount of Will he has, while still leaving enough for him to bombard his opponents with Magical Powers.
Thanks, everyone! It's clear that the Witch-king has plenty of options when it comes to the kinds of armies he can lead. Who will follow your Witch-king into battle? Let us know over on the Warhammer Official Facebook page.