Into the West

Joining us this week is Alisher of An Unexpected Podcast. We break down and discuss the results of AdeptiCon 2026, including the first North American Masters tournament, as well as the top 20 lists of the Grand Tournament!

North American Masters Tournament: https://www.longshanks.org/event/30934

Grand Tournament: https://www.longshanks.org/event/30935

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:27 Masters Tournament

9:16 20th Place

12:50 19th Place

15:38 18th Place

18:30 17th Place

20:37 16th Place

23:30 15th Place

24:37 14th Place

28:15 13th Place

31:08 12th Place

33:59 11th Place

36:24 10th Place

39:53 9th Place

42:33 8th Place

48:01 7th Place

48:58 6th Place

51:28 5th Place

53:16 4th Place

01:00:27 1st-3rd Place

01:11:08 Men of the West Discussion

01:16:36 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_

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/

Andrew of Tabletop Admiral and Now For Wrath YouTube channel returns with all-new tournament stats. Our friend Rob also joins in, as we take a look at the numbers behind the highest performing armies, and the most popular armies.

Follow along to all of the stats here:
https://tournaments.tabletopadmiral.com/podiums/Middle-Earth%20Strategy%20Battle%20Game%20-%202024

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

01:37 Top Podium Armies

12:01 Bottom Podium Armies

16:50 Most Played Armies

19:17 Least Played Armies

22:10 Open Discussion

26:34 Post-FAQ Predictions

40:44 Stats we would like to see

44:48 Final Thoughts

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/

Another FAQ has been released, and we are here to discuss all the changes, clarifications, and the ways this FAQ may shift the MESBG meta in the coming months.

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

01:35 Armies of LotR

21:40 Armies of the Hobbit

23:59 Armies of Middle-earth

33:38 Matched Play Guide

39:34 Rules Manual

50:15 Final Thoughts

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/

Stephen is back in our latest list review episode, taking a look at lists submitted by our patrons over on Patreon. This time, the theme is lists with one or more monsters.

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

00:52 Shadows of Angmar (Owen)

07:39 Cirith Ungol (Eli)

13:40 Buhrdur's Horde (Orc Pilled)

16:45 The Black Gate (Alex)

22:56 Host of The Witch-King (Jonathan)

27:43 Legions of Mordor (Chris)

32:28 Minas Morgul (Brandon)

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/

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.

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

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