The 3 WORST MESBG Armies (And Why You Should Play Them)

Thumbnail Credit: Ruin In Arnor - Games Workshop

 

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One of the best things about MESBG is that it’s a game of skill. Good players can win with a weak list, and bad players can still lose even while chasing the meta.

Another strength of the game is that, while the system is internally well balanced, some lists are clearly less… optimal than others, and you rarely see them on the table.

There are plenty of reasons for that. Some lists are extremely restrictive in terms of unit options. Others reach their full potential at low points values. Some even rely on collecting blister packs full of frankly terrible units, making them expensive to build.

But just because a list isn’t competitive doesn’t mean it isn’t fun, or that you can’t learn something from playing it.

Here are my picks for the worst armies in MESBG, why they struggle, and what they can actually teach you as a player.

 

Source: Games Workshop - The Scouring of the Shire

1) Sharkey's Rogues

Who Are they?:

Sharkey's Rogues are the collection of thugs and malcontents Saruman manages to cobble together for his hostile takeover of the Shire. A petty, small-minded act by a wizard far past his prime. 

Why They're Bad:

In short: everything in this list is low power.

That’s not to say the army is poorly balanced. Points-wise it absolutely works. But describing anything in the list as above chaff would be extremely generous.

The core warrior is the Ruffian, who fights about as well as a goblin, is about as durable as a Wood Elf Warrior, and is about as brave as… well, goblins again. Let’s say Goblin Town this time, rather than Moria.

They do get bonuses against Hobbits, and they have a few equipment options, the best of which is probably the Whip. Though given its low Strength, it’s closer to a fly swatter than a battlefield weapon.

Hero options exist, including a discount Saruman, Grima Wormtongue, and a handful of Ruffian captains with some entertaining special rules. But nothing in the list comes close to a 100-point powerhouse, and you won’t see a Fight value of 6 anywhere.

Which means that if your opponent brings King Elessar or a Balrog to the table… Ilúvatar help you.

What You Can Learn From Them:

Despite all that, Ruffians do have one major strength: numbers.

This might be the most horde-heavy army in the entire game. At 500 points it’s perfectly possible to field 50+ models, which means plenty of bows and a frightening amount of bodies to throw into the fight.

Playing Sharkey’s Rogues forces you to learn the fundamentals of horde play:

- setting up traps

- Overwhelming enemies through weight of dice

- Using sheer numbers to control space on the board

They can even drag down powerful enemy heroes through concentrated bow fire and well-timed swarms.

And those are valuable lessons. Because once you understand them, you can take those same skills into other  (much stronger) horde armies.

How To Improve Them:

The list itself is actually a perfect representation of what it’s meant to be: a band of thugs and bullies preying on the helpless.

If I were king for a day, the only thing I might add is a mounted Ruffian option. They wouldn’t need to be particularly strong — just a handful of thugs on stolen horses (or even ponies) would make sense thematically.

After all, if Sharkey’s gang managed to take over the Shire, it seems unlikely they wouldn’t have helped themselves to a few mounts along the way.

2) Arathorn's Stand

Source: Sketch by Jan Pospisil - found on Tolkien Gateway

Who Are They?:

Arathorn’s Stand represents the Rangers of the North who fought alongside Arathorn when he was ambushed and killed by the forces of Angmar. In Games Workshop canon, the culprit was Buhrdûr, the Troll Chieftain.

It’s a very thematic list: a small band of hardened Rangers making a desperate stand against the darkness gathering in the north.

Why They're Bad:

At first glance, Arathorn’s Stand actually looks very strong.

Every model in the list comes with Might, Will, and Fate, which makes the army incredibly resource-rich. The characters are powerful, the lore is fantastic, and the list has always had a loyal following among players who like elite armies.

The problem is the Rangers themselves.

They're essentially 25pt Rangers of Gondor, making the entire list fragile, easily broken, and very low in number.

Their stats feel like something pulled from an older edition of the game, because they are. Fight values have changed, mechanics have progressed, and the poor Rangers of the North have not, leaving them totally outclassed in many situations.   

Source: Games Workshop

 

What You Can Learn From Them:

Arathorn’s Stand is a masterclass in board control and resource management.

With so few models on the table, every decision matters. Players are forced to pick their battles carefully, concentrate their shooting, and spend Might aggressively enough to thin enemy numbers before combat begins.

If you fail to do that, the army simply melts when the battlelines meet.

Playing Arathorn’s Stand teaches you how to:

- choose fights instead of drifting into them

- concentrate firepower where it matters

- spend heroic resources efficiently

How To Improve Them:

Unfortunately, this is one of those lists where the rules either fail to represent the force that was present… or they perfectly explain why Arathorn and his Rangers all died.

Either way, the list struggles.

If I were adjusting it, I would probably start by giving most of the Rangers +1 Fight. Their current profile feels like it belongs to an earlier era of the game, and they simply struggle too much against modern statlines.

I would also consider giving Arathorn the Mighty Hero rule, which would better reflect the legendary warrior he is supposed to be.

And finally, if we’re feeling generous, perhaps the Rangers of the North could all carry longbows. If the army is going to be tiny, it might as well lean harder into its identity as a band of elite northern marksmen.

 

Source: New Line Cinema - The Two Towers

3) Ride Out

Who Are they?:

Ride Out represents the desperate charge from Helm’s Deep, when Théoden and the survivors of the siege choose to meet death in the open rather than wait for it inside the Hornburg.

It’s one of the most iconic moments in Tolkien’s work and in the films alike:

“Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn!”

It’s heroic, cinematic… and, in game terms, a little reckless.

Why They're Bad: 

This is probably the most divisive entry on this list, because the army itself is actually quite strong.

You have all the heroes you’d expect, powerful bonuses, and a fully mounted force that hits hard and moves quickly across the table.

The problem is the army’s defining rule: while mounted, the models must charge if they are able to do so.

At first glance that sounds thematic and aggressive. In practice, it hands a surprising amount of control to your opponent.

A clever player can bait charges by placing disposable models (like a single Orc Warrior) in just the right position, and suddenly half your army is charging targets you never wanted to fight. This leaves you open to counter-charges, and can even pull you away from critical objectives.

And in a game where scenarios are often decided by position and objective control, that can be a very serious problem.

What You Can Learn From Them:

Ride Out teaches players to think very carefully about spacing, positioning, and commitment.

You need to monitor charge distances constantly and ensure that when your cavalry goes in, it does so where you want it to go, not where your opponent has lured you.

Fortunately the list contains plenty of Might, giving you opportunities to call Heroic Combats and carve a path through enemy lines — provided you choose your moment correctly.

It’s also one of the rare armies where voluntarily dismounting can sometimes be the smarter play. Doing so removes the compulsory charge rule and gives you back control of your movement.

That alone makes Ride Out a fascinating list to experiment with.

How To Improve Them:

To be honest, I would leave Ride Out exactly as it is. Sure, it's not the most beginner friendly of armies to work with, but the rules are thematic, pretty well balanced, and perfectly captures the moment it's supposed to.

No notes.

Credit: Games Workshop - Armies of The Lord of the Rings

Note: Wraiths on Wings

I'm giving these guys no more time than they deserve.

Who Are they?: They're Ringwraiths on Fell Beasts, like the ones we see over the Dead Marshes in the movies.

That's it, that's the whole list.

Why They're Bad: 

The army consists entirely of Ringwraiths on Fell Beasts. No Orcs. No spiders. No Wargs. No supporting troops of any kind.

At a minimum cost of around 170 points per model, that creates an immediate problem: you simply can’t spend your points efficiently.

Take a 500 point game as an example. Two Wraiths cost roughly 340 points, leaving you with an awkward 160 points remaining. You can spend it on upgrades, of course; but usually not because you actually want to.

The same issue shows up again at 650 points, and even 750 points can feel slightly awkward.

It’s not that Fell Beast Wraiths are bad models individually. Far from it.

But as an entire army list? The maths simply doesn’t work very well.

What You Can Learn From Them: 

Wraiths on Wings teaches us that we all make mistakes. 

Seriously though, if anyone has won a tournament with this list, please do let me know. I'd love to hear how that happened!

How To Improve Them:

The list is simply too narrow.

If it leaned further into its theme, it could become much more interesting. Adding Dead Marsh Spectres, or even Morgul Stalkers (should they ever escape Legends jail), would give the army some much-needed flexibility.

Alternatively, if the roster had to remain exactly as it is, the simplest solution would be to reduce the cost of Fell Beast Wraiths slightly so they fit more comfortably into common points levels.

Right now the list feels less like a functional army and more like something designed purely for narrative scenarios.

 

Source: New Line Cinema - The Return of the King (Just don't quote me on the conversation!)

A Final Thought

Not every MESBG army is built for tournaments. But playing weaker lists can teach you lessons that stronger armies hide.

Whether it’s learning to swarm with Sharkey’s Rogues, manage resources with Arathorn’s Rangers, or control your positioning with Ride Out, struggling armies often force players to understand the fundamentals of the game much more clearly. They also introduce unique themes and models that you simply won’t find anywhere else in the game, making them a treat to play as or against.

A Question

So now that you know my top 3 worst lists in MESBG, I'd like to know yours! Drop a comment below

 

 

Forge Hobby Spotlight: A Marocian Man-at-Arms from Halgrad: The Tabletop Skirmish Game. Painted in-house, and designed by Khurzluk Minis

Like this content? Support Ironclad Forge by checking out our store, or take a look at Halgrad, our tabletop skirmish game.You can also follow Ironclad Forge on Facebook and Instagram for more MESBG articles, hobby content, and tabletop projects.