Hello,

So I was thinking of getting myself either of the two Spiders and purely from an esthetic point of view, I would go with Shelob however I wanted to ask the community on the opinion regarding gameplay and tactics. Which one would prefer in a fight against the good side and why?

Both have their strenghts and weaknesses and unique style of play, Shelob ( I think) being the more risky ( albeit more rewarding model.

Naturally in a friendly match one can proxy the other so that wouldn't be an issue.

Thank you and Kind Regards

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I am the Mouth of Sauron, here him speak'

This is one I've discussed a lot so I will keep it simple. I have good use with the spider queen since I've last discussed it.

So....overall I just dont trust shelob. I always imagine Im playing an above average player. Eventually youre gonna lose a priority or roll off and she will be trapped.

The one attack is terrible and a chance to run Ive seen happen on an early wound.

That being said the spider queen dies fast if hit the right way but I like her much more. Sure some people can make shelob wreck people....but overall I dont trust the 'dice luck' involved with her. Spider queen all the way. The special rules are crazy on it.

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BLACKHAWK 2010 2013 2015 DYNASTY

Let's also take it the the other way.

1. Which of the two would You be more challenged to face in the game?

and

2. I have read here on the forum repeatedly (although I cannot comment on this, purely speculation) that Shelob as opposed to the Spider Queen requiers a more specific set up to be successful and to be used in conjunction with other miniatures. Was that a refernce to a Nazgyl tpe magic or cavalary support or something else?

Ruleswise I agree taking them both at their face value Spider Queen seems to be more stable in performance as opposed to Shelob ( but again never played or faced Shelob)

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I am the Mouth of Sauron, here him speak'

take both, give them a test drive and decide

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http://grungehog.blogspot.co.uk/

Unfortunately question one is not so easy to answer. Depends on the situation.

I will say it is easier to swarm Shelob but just because it has less might so you could win a heroic move off much more easily.
And with the magic meta both their will can be sapped or their profiles abused. Suppose.shelob has a better resistance ability.

In my opinion yes Shelob takes more in conjunction. I hear a lot people say 'oh played the right way I've seen Shelob this and that' bla blah. Most of the time it's with ringwraiths or in a fell beast list. Anything is good with those for support.

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BLACKHAWK 2010 2013 2015 DYNASTY

I'm typing this from my phone, so I'll give you the short "you tell me" type answer. I've had great success with both, but it depends on what you need. Spider Queen will kill more things, but is a lot easier to get rid of. Shelob is incredibly tough and will either kill or neutralize your opponent's biggest threats, but generally speaking you want to keep her near a Captain at all times. They're both lots of fun to use, so it's a judgement call.

More in depth answer to follow

Double post, in depth answer coming:

The two questions I ask myself if I'm considering one of them for an army are: 1) How well can the army deal with opposing numbers? 2) Does it have a way to contain the opponent's heroes?

The Spider Queen is incredibly flexible, she can gulp through masses of troops like they're nothing, her Pooplings give you a massive field advantage, and she can make short work of most minor heroes. Plus, she has Might of her own, which is very valuable. Hide her against archers or else she will die before she smells combat.

Shelob is much more durable; you'll never see her leave the table. It always makes my day when archers target her, because that means they're not targeting my more vulnerable models, and I'm quite confident that they won't hurt Shelob. She can't deal with troops anywhere near as well as the SQ, and aside from the occasional hurl down the line, her job isn't to deal with troops. She's there to take down the heroes. Shelob+a plain Orc Captain will make quick work of anything short of an Imrahil. Shelob by herself will either outlast or at the very least hold up an opposing hero all game. I've had her tie up Glorfindel while the rest of my army ran rampant, I've had her fight a losing battle against Super Elrond with Roidmachine Lindir and Radagast backing him up (there may have been a Gwaihir in the equation as well), and that meant that my opponent's resources were spent there as opposed to the rest of my army, and she still lasted the entirety of the game.

I like to use Shelob as a specialized assassin, I like to use the Spider Queen as a general purpose killer. They both give you a lot to work with, see what you like better.

If you want even more of my thoughts on both, I would say about half my total posts on this site are about one or the other, browse through my posting history at your leisure.