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Card Cycling in Shadow Cultures |
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 Below are a set of card cycling ideas for each of the cultures in the game. I do not discuss the sub-culture of the Isengaard Orcs here, because I have not played with them enought to really have much experience in how to work with them.
Uruk-HaiThe Uruk-Hai, prior to the advent of the Realms of the Elf-Lords expansion, have had a significant amount of trouble in succeeding in both cycling cards and utilizing their powerful minions. In addition, after the cards Mithril Coat and Armor got popular, the Uruk-Hai lost much of their ability to seriously damage Fellowships, leading to problems using the culture effectively. This was aided in part by the site Hollin in Mines of Moria, but that still didn't do enough. High cost minions and roaming penalties until well after the Fellowship should be set up caused problems for the culture. However, four cards in Elf-Lords helped a great deal: The Palantír of Orthanc, Tower of Orthanc, Uruk Raider, and Abandoning Reason for Madness. The latter three all help with the direct cycling of card. The Tower provides more Shadow- always a boost for the Shadow-hungry Uruk-Hai. Second, the Uruk Raider provides a cost 2 exertable Uruk, a cheap minion who can also be used with Bred for Battle, Saruman's Power, or a number of other Isengaard events. Finally, Abandoning Reason, especially when used with Saruman's Ambition, provides a method for cycling Shadow out of your hand, or for enahncing an assault that is already strong. Best of all, unlike some cycling methods like Gwemegil or They Are Coming, Abandoning Reason has some built in flexibility; and can even be used to discard 0 cards just to get it out of your hand. The Palantír of Orthanc is a little different. It doesn't directly aid cycling, but it can prevent an opponent from cycling as well, thereby putting him or her on a more even level with any Isengaard deck with high cost minions, or putting you at an advantage with a light cost Isengaard deck. In my opinion, for single-player play, an Isengaard deck with a mix of strong and medium Uruk-Hai with some boosters and a few weapons is probably the way to go, especially with the Palantír and Abandoning Reasons to help out. For multiplayer, it may be too difficult to play the larger minions consistently, and I tend to prefer low-cost minions with boosters, but still using the cards mentioned above. << Back to Lord of the Rings
Sauron OrcsThe Sauron Orcs have a similar problem to the Uruk-Hai in that they are roaming for a large portion of the game. Their key advantage, however, is that they have a significant number of low cost trackers to aid in the deployment of their Conditions, on which the culture is heavily dependant, and to make their larger minions somewhat cheaper. In addition, the average Sauron minion is more powerful as far as raw strength goes than their Uruk-Hai relatives. They also have good weaponry that can make minions difficult to defeat, and may place Companions at great risk of being overwhelmed. The chief Sauron culture cards that have a strong degree of value in the card cycling engine are the following:
Forces of Mordor The Ambusher and the Forces of Mordor both allow more minions to be played, or allow minions to be played with Shadow left for the Sauron conditions. Both are very important to cycling a Sauron Shadow side. The Spies of Mordor is also very useful, as it provides a regroup phase drawing engine that can allow faster deck cycling, but only if there is a tracker out, or it is used in multiples. Otherwise, it is of limited value. Still, if one can keep two or three of these in play as well as trackers on the table, shifting 4+ extra cards through your hand each Shadow phase that the Fellowship moves can, although not the equivalent of a Moria Cycling deck, can still provide an excellent platform for the Free Peoples to work from. << Back to Lord of the Rings
NazgûlCard cycling in the Nazgûl culture is far more difficult in multi-player play than in match play. The primary reason for this is the difficulty in getting the 1 or 2 extra Shadow they need to play their strength boosters while in a multiplayer game, where the Shadow is usually used up. Still, there are a few other ways to cycle Nazgûl cards, although it is probably the most difficult culture to do this with. Conditions are important to the Nazgûl, and unlike Sauron's Conditions, they usually do not require a Nazgûl to play. Therefore Black Breaths, Blade Tips, and Nine Servants of Sauron are very useful to a Nazgûl deck beyond even their game text. In addition, the few free skirmish events that are available to the Nazgûl, such as Dark Whispers, are good if the burdens can be piled up. They also help to combat the tendency of the Ringwraiths to not win skirmishes anymore due to Flaming Brand syndrome. The lifetime of these cards can also be extended by packing a few Morgul Skulkers from ths Sauron culture, who provide a Ringwraith friendly cheap minion who can be used to get some of these back should they be lost without doing their job. Finally, there is a direct cycling card for the Nazgûl: The Master's Will. While difficult to use to any great effect, it does allow cycling in a Shadow focused deck, but should not be used in a deck that is keyed to supporting Free Peoples, as there is too much chance of discarding critical cards without a choice. All in all, cheap conditions and boosters, a few cheap Sauron minions, and cheap Ringwraith effect cards such as Bill Ferny, Too Great and Terrible, and Helpless all provide a limited set of methods to cycle a Nazgûl dek. As a result, these decks should be paired with smaller Free Peoples sides, such as Ranger/Weapons decks or similar things. << Back to Lord of the Rings
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