D&D publishes its third and final miniatures set of 2009 in the new box format – Monster Manual: Savage Encounters.

Ben digs this Monster Manual theme as it reaps an absolute bountiful harvest of miniature goodness. Each booster mini count is still the same as its 2009 predecessors (5 per pack, 1 visible, 8 different packs in all).

So here’s our Savage top five: Sorrowsworn Reaper (put the “bad” in “bad ass”), Tiefling Necromancer (total package: great pose, paint job and detail), Zombie Hulk (green is in), Death Giant (an adventurer’s first instinct is to run away), and the Angel of Valor Legionnaire (perfect use of clear plastic).

And here’s our un-saveagely bottom five: Bloodspike Behemoth (dinosaurs are for dime stores), Bodak Skulk (looks like an alien sighting from the deep south), Githyanki Mindslicer (enough already on this lame race), Legion Devil Legionnaire (think a toy eraser from the school store), and the Skeletal Tiefling (a total leaner – too thin).

With no Players Handbook Heroes III set anywhere to be found (last released on July 2009) but rumored to be set for release in February 2010, it seems likely that a shuffle of the overall format might again occur in 2010. Still, it’s been a great year and let’s just hope miniatures stick around for another one.

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