LOTR-TCG Wiki - User contributions [en]

I Am Here (5R84)

2025-05-28T06:05:00Z

103.53.117.42: /* Strategy */

<noinclude>__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|5R84|[[Battle of Helm's Deep Index]]|[[Household Guard (5C83)|Household Guard (5C83)]]|[[Let Us Be Swift (5C85)|Let Us Be Swift (5C85)]]}}
{{CardTabs|Rohan}}

[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Rohan}} [[Event]] from the [[Battle of Helm's Deep]] set.
{{CardInfobox|5R84}}
{{QueryCardCategories|5R84}}</noinclude>
= Strategy =
I Am Here! ... Sucks, right? Well since Theoden in the Two Towers Block kind of only has 2 vitality he cant really be exerted twice can he? Well with the help of [[Herugrim (4U280)]] and [[Hearken to Me (4R94)]] he can reach enough vitality to actualy use this card. Finding Herugrim can be hard but with the help of [[Simbelmyne (4R289)]] you can [[Tutor|tutor]] it from your Draw Deck. But if you don't manage to give him the right cards I am Here simply works as a dead card to be discarded.
== Gameplay Strategy ==
''In this section, describe:''

* ''General usage''
* ''Unorthodox or subtle usage''
* ''Common pitfalls of using this card''

== Deckbuilding Strategy ==
''In this section, describe:''

* ''Cards and strategies this card works well with''
* ''Cards and strategies this card works particularly well or poorly against''
* ''Alternate cards you might consider picking instead of this one, depending on the situation, including alternate version of characters''

= Strengths and Weaknesses =
== Synergizes With... ==

* ''List friendly cards that work well with this card''

== Strong Versus... ==

* ''List enemy cards this card does well against''

== Weak Versus... ==

* ''List enemy or friendly cards to avoid playing this card with''

= Rulings =
''In this section'':

* ''Put quotes from the CRDs and Comprehensive Rules here that reference this card specifically by name''
* ''Also put quotes if a particular rule commonly affects the outcome of a card in a subtle manner (such as quoting the [[Rule of 4]] for {{Card|8R20}})''
* ''Link to rules discussions on TLHH''

= See Also =
* ''Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card''
* ''Link to decks that use this card''
[[Category:Cards That Need Work]]

The Return of the King

2025-05-17T05:14:12Z

103.53.117.42: /* Cycles */

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Return of the King|[[Main Page]]|[[Ents of Fangorn]]|[[Siege of Gondor]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=7
|Name=Return of the King
|Abbr=RotK
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2003-11-05
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN07S079.0_card.jpg|frame|right|link=Anduril, Flame of the West (7R79)]]
Set 7, '''The Return of the King''' (or '''ROTK''') is the third base set of the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, and the seventh set overall. It was released on November 5, 2003, one month before the film of the same name. The set contained 365 cards (121 commons, 121 uncommons 121 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Seven rares from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

Like in previous base sets, certain movie concepts were considered spoilers and not permitted to be represented in this base set, most notably [[Shelob]] and the {{C|Gondor}} Army of the Dead.

At this point, the relationship between New Line and Decipher had begun to break down, and the first sign of this was that Decipher was not provided with the same level of high-quality image support that they had enjoyed in the past. According to a former Decipher employee, this resulted in the art team needing to pirate the DVD from torrents which existed based on the version of the film submitted for the Oscars to bridge the gap. ROTK didn't suffer too badly in the dearth of images, but the strain began to be felt and was keenly evident in certain blurry and out-of-focus shots by the time of [[Siege of Gondor]] and [[Mount Doom]].

== Themes and Mechanics ==

With the defeat of {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Dunland}} at Helm's Deep, the Free Peoples rally under {{C|Gondor}} at Minas Tirith to fend off the marching {{C|Sauron}} [[Besieger]] swarms, led by {{C|Ringwraith}} generals and vanguards. The main focus of the set are on the [[Besieger]]s vs the [[Knight]]s, but there are new tools all around, in particular the [[Morgul Orcs]], which are non-Nazgul minions under the {{C|Ringwraith}} banner.

As usual, the introduction of a new block comes paired with a new site path. The [[King Block]] site path suffers compared to the other two [[Movie Block]] site paths, particularly in feeling formulaic and samey from game to game.

Two new mechanics were introduced, the first being [[Initiative]]. At any given time, one side or the other is declared to "have initiative": the Free Peoples player has initiative while they have four or more cards in hand, and the Shadow has initiative otherwise. Certain cards in the set could grant the Shadow initiative regardless of the number of cards in the Free Peoples player's hand. The mechanic was designed to add tension to the Fellowship phase by punishing the Free Peoples player if they played too many cards at once. Every site two in the set granted a bonus to the Shadow if they had initiative, making this tension particularly strong on turn one.

The second mechanic is [[Threats]], which are essentially "deferred wounds". At any time, cards may add (or remove) threats, up to the current number of companions in the fellowship, and these threats take the form of wound tokens placed on the [[Dead Pile]]. If at any time a character enters the dead pile, those threat wounds are triggered, and the Free Peoples player must assign those wounds among companions before continuing. Threats were an effective counter to the (extremely common) treatment of "disposable" "speed bump" companions, which could now be very costly to utilize, if not game-ending on their own. Many shadow cards could also remove threats to get stronger immediately.

Return of the King is also the first set to utilize an adjusted wording template for [[Condition]]s and [[Event]]s. [[Support Area]] was added as a subtype for conditions, meaning that the words "Plays to your support area" are omitted from the card in lieu of a "Support Area" subtype on the card's type line. Gameplay is unaffected, but precious game text area is saved with this change. Events saw a similar transformation, with the phase action being moved to the type line instead of showing as a bold word in front of the game text.

Compare: {{Card|Golden Light on the Land}} (old support area condition) vs {{Card|Dark Ways}} (new support area condition), and {{Card|Flurry of Blows}} (old event) vs {{Card|Battle Tested}} (new event).

=== Cultures ===

This was the first base set to not introduce a new culture. Instead it focused on previously established cultures, especially {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Raider}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, and {{C|Sauron}}. Two prominent cultures from the previous block, {{C|Dunland}} and {{C|Isengard}}, do not appear in the set.

=== New unloaded keywords ===

Return of the King introduced two new unloaded keywords:
* [[Besieger]], the {{C|Sauron}} minions marching on Minas Tirith
* [[Engine]], the siege implements used on {{C|Sauron}} conditions

== Starter Decks ==

Starter decks in Return of the King returned to including 3 random rares, for the first time since [[The Two Towers]]. While the pattern of every base set including an Aragorn starter continued, this was the first base set to not have a [[Deluxe Starter Set]] alongside the two standard starter decks.

* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#ROTK_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Raider}}
* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#ROTK_Eomer_Starter_Deck|{{Eomer}} Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Sauron}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="8" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gollum}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Assignment conditions
| {{Card|Reckless Pride}}
| {{Card|Ancient Blade}}
| {{Card|Steadfast Champion}}
| {{Card|We Hates Them}}
| {{Card|Unexpected Visitor}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Slow-kindled Courage}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Uncommon conditions that play on a companion and grant each minion the ability "'''Assignment:''' Assign this minion to the bearer of CARDNAME". The conditions can be discarded in the regroup phase for a powerful reward, assuming their survives.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Initiative companions
| {{Card|Gimli, Faithful Companion}}
| {{Card|Legolas, Fearless Marksman}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Smeagol, Hurried Guide}}
| {{Card|Madril, Faramir's Aide}} and {{Card|Targon}}
| {{Card|Eomer, Valiant Warchief}}
| {{Card|Sam, Resolute Halfling}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Companions with an ability that is only active if the Free Peoples player has initiative.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Site 1
| {{Card|Dunharrow Plateau}}
| {{Card|Rohirrim Road}}
| {{Card|Isengard Ruined}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Steps of Edoras}}
| {{Card|Edoras Hall}}
| {{Card|Sleeping Quarters}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Each site 1 in Return of the King benefits a particular Free Peoples culture.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Site 6
| {{Card|Minas Tirith Second Circle}}
| {{Card|Minas Tirith Seventh Circle}}
| {{Card|Minas Tirith Fifth Circle}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Minas Tirith Sixth Circle}}
| {{Card|Minas Tirith Fourth Circle}}
| {{Card|Minas Tirith Third Circle}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Each site 6 in Return of the King (except {{Card|Minas Tirith First Circle}}) heals companions of a particular culture if the fellowship moves from that site during the regroup phase.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Threat conditions
| {{Card|Dark Ways}}
| {{Card|Leaving Forever}}
| {{Card|Stay This Madness}}
| {{Card|Scouting}}
| {{Card|Guarded}}
| {{Card|With Strength to Fight}}
| {{Card|Pressing On}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Rare support area conditions that add a threat each time the fellowship moves and have a regroup special action with a cost of discarding the condition.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Gollum}}
! {{C|Raider}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Common hand weapons
| N/A
| {{Card|Raider Halberd}}
| {{Card|Morgul Axe}}
| {{Card|Besieging Pike}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common hand weapons.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Discard events
| N/A
| {{Card|Hosts Still Unfought}}
| {{Card|Disposable Servants}}
| {{Card|Din of Arms}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Uncommon events that allow both players to discard any number of cards from hand and have a scaling effect based on how many more cards the Shadow player discarded than the Free Peoples player.
|-
|colspan="4" | Common support area conditions that can gain [[culture tokens]] and give the Shadow initiative while there are 3 or more tokens on the card, regardless of the Free Peoples player's hand.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Site 8
| {{Card|Northern Ithilien}}
| {{Card|Cross Roads}}
| {{Card|Morgulduin}}
| {{Card|Morgul Vale}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Each site 8 in Return of the King has a phase ability that benefits a particular Shadow culture.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Six-drop initiative minions
| N/A
| {{Card|Suzerain of Harad}}
| {{Card|Ulaire Toldea, Wraith on Wings}}
| {{Card|Orc Archer Troop}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Rare unique minions with twilight cost 6 that get stronger when the Shadow has initiative.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Temporary threat conditions
| {{Card|Plotting}}
| {{Card|Bold Men and Grim}}
| {{Card|Held Ground}}
| {{Card|Legions of Morgul}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Rare support area conditions that add threats when played and are discarded at the start of the regroup phase. Three of the four conditions have an ability that triggers each time a companion is about to be killed (all but Plotting) and three of the four conditions remove the threats they added when they are discarded (all but Bold Men and Grim).
|}

== Reprinted cards ==

* {{Card|7C1}} (previously 1C2 and 4C2)
* {{Card|7C20}} (previously 1C37)
* {{Card|7C40}} (previously 4C93)
* {{Card|7C41}} (previously 1C76)
* {{Card|7C52}} (previously 2C29)
* {{Card|7C84}} (previously 1C102)
* {{Card|7U136}} (previously 4C220)
* {{Card|7C137}} (previously 4C221)
* {{Card|7U207}} (previously 1U226)
* {{Card|7C225}} (previously 4C265)
* {{Card|7C297}} (previously 3C94)
* {{Card|7C319}} (previously 1C299 and 4C306)
* {{Card|7C322}} (previously 1C304)

Note: {{Card|7C303}} has the same name as {{Card|5C108}}, but is not a reprint. In formats where both cards are legal, a deck may contain up to four copies of each.

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|Preparations}}
* {{Card|Slaked Thirsts}}
* {{Card|Gandalf, Manager of Wizards}}
* {{Card|Terrible and Evil}}
* {{Card|Captured by the Ring}}
* {{Card|Gollum, Plotting Deceiver}}
* {{Card|Anduril, Flame of the West}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Captain of Gondor}}
* {{Card|Derufin}}
* {{Card|Noble Leaders}}
* {{Card|Red Wrath}}
* {{Card|Morgul Brute}}
* {{Card|Morgul Destroyer}}
* {{Card|Out of Sight and Shot}}
* {{Card|The Witch-king, Morgul King}}
* {{Card|Eowyn's Sword, Dernhelm's Blade}}
* {{Card|Great Siege-towers}}
* {{Card|Merry, Swordthain}}
* {{Card|Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Driven by Need}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Sapling of the White Tree (9R35)

2025-05-11T22:07:56Z

103.53.117.42: /* Strategy */

<noinclude>__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|9R35|[[Reflections Index]]|[[Narsil, Blade of the Faithful (9R+34)|Narsil, Blade of the Faithful (9R+34)]]|[[Scroll of Isildur (9R36)|Scroll of Isildur (9R36)]]}}
{{CardTabs|Gondor}}

[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Gondor}} [[Artifact]] from the [[Reflections]] set.
{{CardInfobox|9R35}}
{{QueryCardCategories|9R35}}</noinclude>
= Strategy =
An easy additon to any Gondor deck in the Movie Block Format. It's game text is simple yet very much effective. Can be used to power [[Scroll of Isildur (9R36)]] or [[Narsil, Blade of the Faithful (9R+34)]] also from the Reflections set. Another use is to use [[Elendil, The Tall (9R+32)]] for his powerful Regroup ability.
== Gameplay Strategy ==
''In this section, describe:''

* ''General usage''
* ''Unorthodox or subtle usage''
* ''Common pitfalls of using this card''

== Deckbuilding Strategy ==
''In this section, describe:''

* ''Cards and strategies this card works well with''
* ''Cards and strategies this card works particularly well or poorly against''
* ''Alternate cards you might consider picking instead of this one, depending on the situation, including alternate version of characters''

= Strengths and Weaknesses =
== Synergizes With... ==

* ''List friendly cards that work well with this card''

== Strong Versus... ==

* ''List enemy cards this card does well against''

== Weak Versus... ==

* ''List enemy or friendly cards to avoid playing this card with''

= Rulings =
''In this section'':

* ''Put quotes from the CRDs and Comprehensive Rules here that reference this card specifically by name''
* ''Also put quotes if a particular rule commonly affects the outcome of a card in a subtle manner (such as quoting the [[Rule of 4]] for {{Card|8R20}})''
* ''Link to rules discussions on TLHH''

= See Also =
* ''Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card''
* ''Link to decks that use this card''
[[Category:Cards That Need Work]]

Courtesy of My Hall (4C44)

2025-04-24T04:27:17Z

103.53.117.42: /* Strategy */

<noinclude>__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|4C44|[[The Two Towers Index]]|[[Come Here Lad (4U43)|Come Here Lad (4U43)]]|[[Dwarven Foresight (4R45)|Dwarven Foresight (4R45)]]}}
{{CardTabs|Dwarven}}

[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Dwarven}} [[Condition]] from the [[The Two Towers]] set.
{{CardInfobox|4C44}}
{{QueryCardCategories|4C44}}</noinclude>
= Strategy =

Unlike other [Dwarven] card-stacking conditions released in The Two Towers, Courtesy of My Hall is only ever capable of stacking one card by itself. A player can combine this with cards such as Suspended Palaces and Come Here Lad to extend the usefulness of Courtesy of My Hall's healing, but very much like the other conditions there are only benefits for Free Peoples cards stacked. Cards such as Toss Me and Halls of My Home can be used to manipulate the top of the draw deck, as well as many [Elven] or [Gandalf] foresight cards such as Forewarned, Gift of Foresight, Strands of Elven Hair or On Your Doorstep. Since Courtesy of My Hall heals any Dwarf, it may be used to heal not only a [Dwarven] companion but also the allies [[Thrarin, Dwarven Smith (1U27)|Thrarin, Dwarven Smith]] and [[Grimir, Dwarven Elder (1U17)|Grimir, Dwarven Elder]]. However, if it is discarded with extra cards stacked, not only does a player lose Courtesy of My Hall and all cards stacked on it, but the cards used to stack cards onto Courtesy of My Hall are also effectively wasted (Set 7's Gimli Feared Axeman can protect your effort from such risk).

When combined with Dwarven Foresight, Courtesy of My Hall's real value is enabling a player to put any Free Peoples card from discard into hand during the fellowship phase, as long as he or she [[rule_of_4|has not yet drawn 4 cards]]. Although it is unique, the Free Peoples player can discard Courtesy of My Hall with Axe of Erebor (or shuffling it back into the deck through Rest by Blind Night and Restless Axe) and play another copy from hand or use Defending the Keep to replay a copy from discard during the next fellowship phase. Dwarven Foresight and Defending the Keep can be recycled through cards like [[Grimir, Dwarven Elder (1U17)|Grimir]], Great Works Begun There or Storm of Argument, allowing for reliable on-demand card retrieval.

= Strengths and Weaknesses =
== Strong Versus... ==

* Wounding decks, when combined with card-stacking effects such as Suspended Palaces and Come Here Lad
* Discard decks, when combined with Dwarven Foresight (or, to a lesser extend, Rest by Blind Night/Restless Axe)
* Anything, when combined with Dwarven Foresight and with the right card in the discard pile
* Condition discard, if Courtesy of My Hall no longer has a card stacked on it
* Useful with Axe of Erebor to provide an extra boost

== Weak Versus... ==

* Condition discard, when stacking cards onto Courtesy of My Hall to provide long-term healing

= Rulings =
''In this section'':

* ''Put quotes from the CRDs and Comprehensive Rules here that reference this card specifically by name''
* ''Also put quotes if a particular rule commonly affects the outcome of a card in a subtle manner (such as quoting the [[Rule of 4]] for {{Card|8R20}})''
* ''Link to rules discussions on TLHH''

= See Also =
* ''Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card''
* ''Link to decks that use this card''
[[Category:Cards That Need Work]]

Dunlending Looter (4U11)

2025-04-24T04:25:07Z

103.53.117.42: /* Strategy */

<noinclude>__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|4U11|[[The Two Towers Index]]|[[Dunlending Brigand (4C10)|Dunlending Brigand (4C10)]]|[[Dunlending Madman (4C12)|Dunlending Madman (4C12)]]}}
{{CardTabs|Dunland}}

[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Dunland}} [[Minion]] from the [[The Two Towers]] set.
{{CardInfobox|4U11}}
{{QueryCardCategories|4U11}}</noinclude>
= Strategy =
After you have established some controled sites Dunlending Looter becomes stupidly good for swarms. With a cost of (1), played from a site you control, Nine Strength and one vitality he's quite a strong minion. Especially when combined with [[Dunland Culture|Dunlan]] Strength pumps. He is however pretty niche and isn't usually included in Dunland Site Control Decks, I don't play Dunland so I don't know why he isn't.
== Gameplay Strategy ==
''In this section, describe:''

* ''General usage''
* ''Unorthodox or subtle usage''
* ''Common pitfalls of using this card''

== Deckbuilding Strategy ==
''In this section, describe:''

* ''Cards and strategies this card works well with''
* ''Cards and strategies this card works particularly well or poorly against''
* ''Alternate cards you might consider picking instead of this one, depending on the situation, including alternate version of characters''

= Strengths and Weaknesses =
== Synergizes With... ==

* ''List friendly cards that work well with this card''

== Strong Versus... ==

* ''List enemy cards this card does well against''

== Weak Versus... ==

* ''List enemy or friendly cards to avoid playing this card with''

= Rulings =
''In this section'':

* ''Put quotes from the CRDs and Comprehensive Rules here that reference this card specifically by name''
* ''Also put quotes if a particular rule commonly affects the outcome of a card in a subtle manner (such as quoting the [[Rule of 4]] for {{Card|8R20}})''
* ''Link to rules discussions on TLHH''

= See Also =
* ''Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card''
* ''Link to decks that use this card''
[[Category:Cards That Need Work]]

Guma, Plains Farmer (4C277)

2025-04-24T03:24:12Z

103.53.117.42: /* Strategy */

<noinclude>__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|4C277|[[The Two Towers Index]]|[[Fortress Never Fallen (4U276)|Fortress Never Fallen (4U276)]]|[[Heavy Chain (4C278)|Heavy Chain (4C278)]]}}
{{CardTabs|Rohan}}

[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Rohan}} [[Ally]] from the [[The Two Towers]] set.
{{CardInfobox|4C277}}
{{QueryCardCategories|4C277}}</noinclude>
= Strategy =
Guma, Plains Farmer is a standard [[Rohan Culture|Rohan]] ally. Healing a (Rohan) man is actually quite good when combined with [[Well Stored (4U296)|Well Stored]] or [[Eomer, Sister-son of Theoden (4C266)|Eomer, Sister-son of Theoden]] for repeated healing at the start of your turn. If an opponent controls his Home site he goes away. That's not too bad as The Shadow player will very unlikely control site 4 (T). So a healed companion for one twilight, not to bad eh?
== Gameplay Strategy ==
''In this section, describe:''

* ''General usage''
* ''Unorthodox or subtle usage''
* ''Common pitfalls of using this card''

== Deckbuilding Strategy ==
''In this section, describe:''

* ''Cards and strategies this card works well with''
* ''Cards and strategies this card works particularly well or poorly against''
* ''Alternate cards you might consider picking instead of this one, depending on the situation, including alternate version of characters''

= Strengths and Weaknesses =
== Synergizes With... ==

* ''List friendly cards that work well with this card''

== Strong Versus... ==

* ''List enemy cards this card does well against''

== Weak Versus... ==

* ''List enemy or friendly cards to avoid playing this card with''

= Rulings =
''In this section'':

* ''Put quotes from the CRDs and Comprehensive Rules here that reference this card specifically by name''
* ''Also put quotes if a particular rule commonly affects the outcome of a card in a subtle manner (such as quoting the [[Rule of 4]] for {{Card|8R20}})''
* ''Link to rules discussions on TLHH''

= See Also =
* ''Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card''
* ''Link to decks that use this card''
[[Category:Cards That Need Work]]