To kick off the new year, we break down some of the easiest and best armies for new players getting into MESBG! Friend of the channel, Stephen, joins in on the discussion and shares some of his own picks.

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More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:44 Stephen's Pick

07:54 Richard's Pick

11:15 Charles' Pick

15:57 Honourable Mentions

38:22 What about other Evil armies?

43:40 Outro

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music:

Redline Musician: EnjoyMusic Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

We come to the end of 2025 with some reflection on the first year of the current edition. Our guest Bazuso joins in as we all share some of our hopes and dreams for the coming year.

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

07:04 The Next Supplement

10:22 Balance Updates

19:32 Tournament Scene

23:44 Trophies

Our Sponsor:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Into the West is joined by friend of the channel, Bazuso, to discuss the most challenging armies to play in the game! We each share a few of our picks, and then go through a list of honourable mentions.

Thumbnail: Arwen by @stevelangelo

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

05:18 Ian's Pick

11:18 Charles' Pick

17:28 Richard's Pick

24:00 Baz's Pick

29:11 Ian's 2nd Pick

34:00 Honourable mentions

Our Sponsors:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode we are joined by the Hobby Hobbits to cover the top winning lists from Canada's largest tournament, Clash on the Coast 2025, one of the premier tournaments in North America hosted by MTM Printworks!

Longshanks Event: https://www.longshanks.org/event/25840/

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

03:13 Master's Winning List

04:17 Doubles

06:19 The Grand Tournament

07:20 10th Place

11:49 9th Place

18:15 8th Place

23:32 7th Place

30:58 6th Place

40:01 5th Place

48:47 4th Place

55:29 3rd Place

01:05:10 2nd Place

01:12:43 1st Place

01:19:51 Conclusion and Shoutouts

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_

Our Sponsors:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music: Redline

Musician: EnjoyMusic

Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

We're back with a tier list, and this time the topic is monsters! Join us as we discuss and rank all the monster profiles of the game!

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Treebeard

05:24 Beechbone

07:50 Birchseed

11:40 Ent

14:33 Gwaihir

16:40 Great Eagle

19:12 Fledgeling Eagle

21:16 Radagast on Eagle

24:36 Beorn

28:48 Grimbeorn

32:58 Bofur on Troll Brute

37:08 Troll Brute

41:32 Sauron

45:16 Mordor Troll Chieftain

47:55 Shelob

51:39 Mordor Troll

54:26 Mordor War Catapult Troll

55:53 Great Beast of Gorgoroth

58:25 Witch-King on Fellbeast

01:00:15 Ringwraith on Fellbeast

01:02:37 Smaug

01:05:44 Dragon

01:07:16 Isengard Troll

01:10:03 The Balrog

01:14:03 The Watcher in the Water

01:17:49 Cave Drake

01:20:03 Cave Troll

01:21:50 Dweller in the Dark

01:23:07 Buhrdur

01:25:38 Hill Troll

01:27:47 Gulavhar

01:31:35 Mumak War Leader

01:33:31 Mumak

01:34:40 The Spider Queen

01:38:39 The Snow Troll

01:41:52 Catapult Troll

01:45:24 Gundabad Ogre

01:48:14 Gundabad Troll

01:50:41 The Goblin King

01:53:42 The Three Trolls

More Ranking Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQH5qcVcOHkfDoCWI5d_oxST

Patreon Promotion:

We have a new Patreon promotion to announce! After a month of joining, all patrons will receive a set of our new custom Baron Into the West dice (while supplies last)!

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

Our Sponsors:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music: Redline Musician: EnjoyMusic Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

This episode we cover the top winning lists from the NOVA Open 2025, one of the premier tournaments in North America!

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

03:22 15th Place

06:54 14th Place

09:30 13th Place

12:40 12th Place

16:32 11th Place

19:40 10th Place

22:48 9th Place

26:35 8th Place

31:40 7th Place (+Frank's Batreps)

40:30 6th Place

45:21 5th Place

47:45 4th Place

52:32 3rd Place

55:34 2nd Place

58:24 1st Place

01:01:19 Conclusion and Shoutouts

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_

Our Sponsors:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music: Redline

Musician: EnjoyMusic

Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

Eliott from Gollum's Gamers joins the podcast this week to break down the top winning lists from the largest MESBG tournament in the world, ArdaCon!

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

07:01 ArdaCon Masters

11:30 10th Place

18:06 9th Place

23:33 8th Place

28:13 7th Place

31:59 6th Place

36:56 5th Place

40:57 4th Place

43:31 3rd Place

46:24 2nd Place

50:55 1st Place

55:31 Final Thoughts

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_

Our Sponsors:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music: Redline

Musician: EnjoyMusic

Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

Today we review and rate some army lists submitted by our patrons, armies they have yet to try out!

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_

Time Stamps:

00:00 Intro

00:53 Realms of Men

07:32 Buhrdur's Horde

13:30 Garrison of Ithilien

20:21 Moria

26:11 Lothlorien

35:15 Grand Army of the South

Our Sponsors:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It's FAQ season in MESBG, and as usual we are here to break down all of the rules clarifications and errata this time round.

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_

Time Stamps:

00:00 Intro

01:08 Matched Play Guide

01:22 Armies of the Hobbit

03:52 Armies of the Lord of the Rings

10:56 Armies of Middle-earth

14:49 Rules Manual

Our Sponsors:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Following our Good tier list, we now break down all the armies of Evil! Join us as we rank all 47 armies.

More Ranking Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQH5qcVcOHkfDoCWI5d_oxST

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:01 Barad-dur

03:10 The Black Riders

09:35 Wraiths on Wings

15:27 Army of Gothmog

18:33 Legions of Mordor

22:01 Minas Morgul

25:07 Cirith Ungol

27:31 The Black Gate

31:27 Army of the White Hand

33:00 Ugluk's Scouts

34:11 Wolves of Isengard

36:15 Lurtz's Scouts

38:23 Assault Upon Helm's Deep

42:11 Muster of Isengard

44:52 Usurpers of Edoras

47:49 Besiegers of the Hornburg

53:56 Depths of Moria

56:07 Harad

01:00:35 Corsair Fleets

01:03:52 Army of Gundabad

01:07:27 Goblin-Town

01:12:08 Pits of Dol Guldur

01:15:57 Rise of the Necromancer

01:18:15 Azog's Hunters

01:21:46 The Three Trolls

01:24:07 Moria

01:26:39 Desolator of the North

01:27:43 Army of the Great Eye

01:30:13 Sharkey's Rogues

01:34:39 Umbar

01:38:11 Host of the Witch-King

01:40:18 Shadows of Angmar

01:43:42 Buhrdur's Horde

01:47:50 Army of Carn Dum

01:49:14 Wolf Pack of Angmar

01:51:52 The Serpent Horde

01:56:13 The Easterlings

01:58:01 Dragons of the North

02:01:10 Host of the Dragon Emperor

02:05:35 Grand Army of the South

02:08:56 Fell Beings of Mirkwood

02:10:29 Far Harad

02:12:36 Variags of Khand

02:13:59 Army of Dunland

02:15:39 Ravagers of the Shire

02:17:37 Assault on Lothlorien

02:19:15 The Spider Queen's Brood

02:23:10 Final Thoughts & Adjustments

Patreon Promotion: We have a new Patreon promotion to announce! After a month of joining, all patrons will receive a set of our new custom Baron Into the West dice (while supplies last)!

Our Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/

Our Sponsors:

Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST

Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush

Credits:

Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music: Redline Musician: EnjoyMusic Site: https://enjoymusic.ai