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The Two Towers

2024-07-10T23:39:45Z

Eomund: Corrected name of Theoden starter

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|The Two Towers|[[Main Page]]|[[Realms of the Elf-lords]]|[[Battle of Helm's Deep]]}}
{{SetTabs}}
{{Set
|ID=4
|Name=The Two Towers
|Abbr=TTT
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2002-11-06
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN04S103.0_card.jpg|frame|right|{{Card|Treebeard, Earthborn}} interacted with the new [[Bouncing Hobbits]] archetype.|link=Treebeard, Earthborn (4R103)]]
'''The Two Towers''' (or '''TTT''') is the second base set of the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, the first set in [[Towers Block]], and the fourth set overall. It was released on November 6, 2002 (one month before the movie 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. Twelve rares, one common, and one premium card from the set had Tengwar versions produced.

The Two Towers introduced the Ents, the Riders of Rohan, Dunlendings, Southrons, and Easterlings, as well as a new site path. Overall, the set had little to no power creep, and was well-produced, making it easier to find sealed product than the [[Realms of the Elf-lords]] set that came immediately before it.

== Themes and Mechanics ==

Like [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] before it, New Line disallowed certain concepts from being represented on cards which were considered "spoilers" for the film. The most famous of these was [[Gollum]], who wouldn't premier until the next set of [[Battle of Helm's Deep]].

Rumor has it that Decipher originally tinkered with producing a brand new game rather than continue to extend the mechanics of the TCG, which which were tied closely to the events and structure of [[The Fellowship of the Ring]]. This would have been similar to what they did for Star Wars Episode 1, where its content was kept entirely within the [https://www.starwarsccg.org/young-jedi/ Young Jedi TCG] instead of the SWCCG (at first, anyway). Whether or not those rumors have any truth to them, the TTT set struggled to implement mechanics which represented the plot of the film and book as well as FOTR had done before it.

The most impactful new mechanic involves the split [[Ring-bound]] and [[Unbound]] labels for companions, which was an attempt to represent the story split between Frodo in Mordor and everyone else in Rohan. Ring-bound companions (Ithilien [[Ranger]]s, Frodo, Sam, and later {{Smeagol}}) were part of Frodo's storyline, while unbound companions were off fighting in Rohan. {{C|Raider}} cards would target and gain bonuses from fighting Ring-bound companions, while {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Dunland}} cards would target unbound companions.

This mechanic endured, if only because having a shorthand of "unbound" instead of "(except the Ring-bearer)" was convenient for game design. However, even with the number of culture-level designs around targeting specific subsets of individuals, you had the issue of a {{C|Rohan}} fellowship dragging Frodo with them as their [[Ring-bearer]], or a Ring-bound Ranger fellowship trekking through Rohan, which remained thematic issues that made TTT more ill-fitted to the game mechanics thematically than FOTR was.

Also related to the Ring-bound/unbound split was the treatment of the site path--the [[Towers Block]] site path in general follows the "unbound" plotline, but various "ring-bound" conditions were included that offered flavor relating to Frodo's journey at specific sites. These cards include:

* {{Card|Cliffs of Emyn Muil}}
* {{Card|Eastern Emyn Muil}}
* {{Card|Forests of Ithilien}}
* {{Card|Henneth Annun}}
* {{Card|Ruins of Osgiliath}}
* {{Card|Ithilien Wilderness}}

=== Cultures ===

This set introduced three new cultures:
* {{C|Raider}}, representing the evil nations of Men sworn to serve Sauron
* {{C|Dunland}}, a faction of evil Men influenced by Saruman (and only split off from Raider because Decipher thought that 2 [[Shadow]] cultures was too few)
* {{C|Rohan}}, the kingdom of horsemen led by {{Theoden}} and his heirs {{Eomer}} and {{Eowyn}}

It was also the first set to contain zero cards from already-established cultures {{C|Moria}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, and {{C|Sauron}}.

=== New [[loaded keywords]] ===

The Two Towers introduced four new loaded keywords:
* [[Ambush]], which appeared in the Southron subculture of the {{C|Raider}} culture
* [[Ring-bound]], which retroactively applied to all versions of [[Frodo]] and [[Sam]] and was used to create the Ring-bound [[Ranger]] subculture in {{C|Gondor}}
* [[Unbound]], which was never written as a keyword on any companions, but meant "not ring-bound"
* [[Unhasty]], which appeared in this set only on the two versions of [[Treebeard]]

=== New [[unloaded keywords]] ===

The Two Towers introduced seven new unloaded keywords:
* [[Battleground]], on sites
* [[Easterling]], on {{C|Raider}} minions
* [[Ent]], a new race in the {{C|Gandalf}} culture
* [[Machine]], on {{C|Isengard}} possessions
* [[Southron]], on {{C|Raider}} minions
* [[Valiant]], on {{C|Rohan}} companions
* [[Villager]], on {{C|Rohan}} allies

=== Other mechanics ===

The Two Towers introduced several other new mechanics:
* [[Site Control]] and liberation
* [[Culture Token]]s
* Subtitles on possessions, artifacts, and conditions (compare {{Card|Ranger's Sword, Blade of Aragorn}} with {{Card|Ranger's Sword}}
* Allies with multiple home sites, rather than just 1
* [[Mount]]s and the pseudo-keyword "[[Mounted]]"
* A new site path, which completely replaced the [[Fellowship Block]] site path

== Starter Decks ==

The starter decks in the Two Towers followed the pattern established by [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] for base set starters: two decks led by a starter-deck only premium companion (one of which was Aragorn), plus a deluxe starter that did not contain a premium companion, but did include a booster pack and some other gameplay and collectors items.

* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#TTT_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Dunland}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#TTT_Theoden_Starter_Deck|Theoden Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Isengard}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#TTT_Deluxe_Starter_Set|Deluxe Starter Set]]: {{C|Gandalf}} / {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Raider}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | The Three Hunters
| {{Card|Gimli, Lockbearer}}
| {{Card|Legolas, Dauntless Hunter}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Aragorn, Wingfoot}}
| N/A
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Companions that get stronger for each unbound Hobbit you can spot.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Wins a skirmish conditions
| {{Card|Stout and Strong}}
| {{Card|Strength of Arms}}
| {{Card|Behold the White Rider}}
| {{Card|Ithilien Trap}}
| {{Card|Fortress Never Fallen}}
| {{Card|Good Work}}
|-
|colspan="6" | Uncommon support area conditions that gain a culture token every time a companion of the appropriate culture wins a skirmish, then can be discarded for an effect that scales based on the number of tokens on the card.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dunland}}
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Raider}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Common one-drop minions
| {{Card|Dunlending Ravager}}
| {{Card|Uruk Foot Soldier}}
| {{Card|Southron Scout}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Common minions with a twilight cost of 1.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Skirmish token conditions
| {{Card|Secret Folk}}
| {{Card|Down to the Last Child}}
| {{Card|Arrow From the South}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Uncommon support area conditions that gain a culture token every time a minion of the appropriate culture wins a skirmish, then can be discarded for an effect that scales based on the number of tokens on the card.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Spot a site you control" conditions
| {{Card|Over the Isen}}
| {{Card|Race Across the Mark}}
| {{Card|Men of Harad}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Support area conditions with a repeatable ability that requires you to spot a site you control and remove (2) to use.
|}

== Reprinted cards ==

* {{Card|4C2}} (previously 1C2)
* {{Card|4U62}} (previously 1C41)
* {{Card|4C129}} (previously 1C110)
* {{Card|4C207}} (previously 1C158)
* {{Card|4C306}} (previously 1C299)

== Similar sites ==

Because The Two Towers introduced a completely new site path, the set included some sites very similar to sites previously released in [[Fellowship Block]] in order to enable the same strategies.

* {{Card|Eastemnet Downs}} (punishes large fellowships, similar to {{Card|East Road}})
* {{Card|The Riddermark}} (allows you to [[tutor]] [[Aragorn]] from your draw deck, similar to {{Card|The Prancing Pony}})
* {{Card|White Mountains}} (similar game text to {{Card|Dwarrowdelf Chamber}} and {{Card|Moria Lake}})
* {{Card|Hornburg Causeway}} (similar game text to {{Card|Anduin Banks}})
* {{Card|King's Room}} (similar game text to {{Card|Silverlode Banks}})

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Rabble-rouser}}
* {{Card|Legolas, Dauntless Hunter}}
* {{Card|Faramir, Son of Denethor}}
* {{Card|Grima, Wormtongue}}
* {{Card|Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark}}

----

{{Set Table}}

The Return of the King

2024-07-07T19:32:48Z

Eomund: Fixed typo

__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.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Initiative conditions
| N/A
| {{Card|Driven From the Plains}}
| {{Card|Endless Assault}}
| {{Card|Unimpeded}}
|-
|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}}

Mines of Moria

2024-07-07T19:31:20Z

Eomund:

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Mines of Moria|[[Main Page]]|[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]|[[Realms of the Elf-lords]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=2
|Name=Mines of Moria
|Abbr=MoM
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2002-03-06
|IsOfficial=Yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Number=2
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN02S051.0_card.jpg|frame|right|Every Fellowship block deck needs a Balrog Contingency Plan]]
'''Mines of Moria''' (often abbreviated as '''MOM''') is the the first expansion set in [[Fellowship Block]] and the second set overall. It was released on March 6, 2002 in some areas and on March 13, 2002 in others (which ones?). The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), which became the standard size for an expansion set throughout Movie block. All of the cards in the set could appear in foil versions, and three rares had Tengwar versions produced.

== Themes and Mechanics ==

Picking up where [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] left off, Mines of Moria has a greater focus on the {{C|Dwarven}} and {{C|Moria}} cultures, introducing several unique minions such as {{Card|Watcher in the Water, Keeper of Westgate}} and two powerful versions of the [[Balrog]], which was foreshadowed in the first set. Additionally, the game introduced [[Artifact]]s in the form of {{Card|Gandalf's Staff}}, {{Card|Mithril-coat}}, {{Card|The Balrog's Sword}}, and the {{Card|Whip of Many Thongs}}.

Mines of Moria introduced a number of cards to counter Nazgul, including: {{Card|Release the Angry Flood}}, {{Card|Flaming Brand}}, {{Card|Not Feared in Sunlight}}, and {{Card|O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!}} being a few examples. At the same time, Mines of Moria introduced a new Nazgul strategy: Twilight Nazgul such as {{Card|The Witch-king, Lord of the Nazgul}}.

=== Cultures ===

All of the cultures from [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] returned, although Mines of Moria had a noticeable focus on the {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Moria}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, and {{C|Shire}} cultures.

== Starter Decks ==

Mines of Moria is heralded as being one of the best entry points to new players of the game, as the two starter decks are quite balanced against each other and between the two feature every something from every [[Phase]]. {{Card|Gimli, Dwarf of the Mountain-race}} and {{Card|Gandalf, the Grey Pilgrim}} were both welcome additions to Fellowship strategies.

* [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#MoM_Gandalf_Starter_Deck|Gandalf Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gandalf}} / {{C|Moria}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#MoM_Gimli_Starter_Deck|Gimli Starter Deck]]: {{C|Dwarven}} / {{C|Sauron}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="6" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Preventable events
| {{Card|Tidings of Erebor}}
| {{Card|Dismay Our Enemies}}
| {{Card|Wielder of the Flame}}
| {{Card|Flee in Terror}}
| {{Card|Hobbit Sword-play}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Events whose effect can be prevented if the Shadow player removes 3 twilight.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Signet support
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Gandalf's Wisdom}}
| {{Card|No Mere Ranger}}
| {{Card|Dear Friends}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Cards that benefit the three [[signet]]s available in Fellowship block. Each set in the block had a cycle like this.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Moria}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Puts on the ring events
| {{Card|Too Much Attention}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Wraith-world}}
| {{Card|Southern Spies}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Events that are either played in response to the ring-bearer putting on The One Ring, or can only be played if the ring-bearer is already wearing The One Ring. Arguably, {{Card|The Twilight World}} from set 1 fits this cycle better than {{Card|Wraith-world}}.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Spot X burdens" events
| {{Card|Evil Afoot}}
| {{Card|Troubled Mountains}}
| {{Card|They Will Find the Ring}}
| {{Card|The Eye of Sauron}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Uncommon events that scale based on the number of burdens you can spot.
|}

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|Secret Sentinels}}
* {{Card|Gandalf's Staff}}
* {{Card|Flaming Brand}}
* {{Card|Uruk Captain}}
* {{Card|The Balrog, Durin's Bane}}
* {{Card|Tower Assassin}}
* {{Card|Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow}}
* {{Card|A Promise}}.

=== X-listed Cards ===

Mines of Moria features a few cards that were X-Listed in future formats:

* {{Card|Flaming Brand}}
* {{Card|Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal}}
* {{Card|O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!}}

Both Filibert and O Elbereth were removed from the X-List when a rule change in [[The Return of the King]] prevented all Ring-bearer skirmish cancellations.

== Print Runs ==

Mines of Moria was one of the most overproduced sets in Lord of the Rings TCG, and, as a result the cards were cheap and easy to come by long after its release (although this has become less true as of 2023).

----

{{Set Table}}

The Fellowship of the Ring

2024-07-07T19:27:00Z

Eomund: Added a missing cycle and corrected some typos

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Fellowship of the Ring Index| [[Main Page]]|[[Promotional|Promotional Set]]|[[Mines of Moria]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=1
|Name=The Fellowship of the Ring
|Abbr=FotR
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2001-11-06
|IsOfficial=Yes
|SubsetOrder=S,M
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN01S001.0_card.jpg|frame|right|The premier Ring that one presumably Lords over.]]
'''The Fellowship of the Ring''' (commonly abbreviated as '''FOTR''') is the first base set of the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, the first set in [[Fellowship Block]], and the first set overall. It was released on November 6, 2001, one month before the theatrical release of the movie by 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. Fourteen rares and one uncommon from the set had Tengwar versions produced. It began the pattern that would define the Movie block regular release schedule: for each movie, one base set to lay down the foundation followed by two expansions to fill in the gaps.

== Themes and Mechanics ==

FOTR took most of its direction cues from the dramatic combat conflicts of the first movie. {{C|Elven}} and {{C|Gondor}} cards used many scenes from the prologue battle with Sauron, while {{C|Moria}} and {{C|Isengard}} were spearheaded by the likes of {{Card|1R165}} and {{Card|1R127}}. Being a fresh new game, most strategies relied on simple interactions on one side or another, which worked well with the new player base.

Many of the core mechanics took cues from the story of FOTR, which persisted throughout the lifetime of the game even when later blocks did not line up with their inclusion quite so well. For instance, [[Sanctuary|Sanctuaries]] being at site 3 and 6 lines up with Rivendell and Lothlorien; the [[Rule of 9]] restricting the number of companions that can be played comes straight from the Fellowship's canonical size; and an emphasis on protecting the [[Ring-bearer]], [[Frodo]], at the expense of all other companions.

Because the cards were released a month before the movie itself did, New Line Cinema prevented Decipher from releasing images they considered "spoilers" until after the movie. As a result, FOTR included some "prophetic" cards that referenced other cards yet to be printed. {{Card|1C349}} was the only site 5 in the set, making it impossible to play without it, so you could imagine players' confusion as they looked down the spoiler sheet only to find that the Balrog was nowhere to be found! The first two versions of the Balrog were released in [[Mines of Moria]] four months later, but until then the site was a constant reminder of bigger and better things to come. Similarly, {{Card|Sam, Faithful Companion}} references {{Card|Bill the Pony}}, who was not released until [[Realms of the Elf-lords]]; and {{Card|Gandalf's Cart}} refers to [[Artifact]]s, which were not released until MOM and ROTEL.
{{clear}}
[[File:LOTR-EN00M001.0_card.jpg|frame|right|A card used to promote the release. Note the early differences compared to the finalized {{C|Gandalf}} culture template, such as the flat Twilight icon.]] [[File:LOTR-EN00M002.0_card.jpg|frame|right|The reverse side. Note the early differences compared to the finalized {{C|Moria}} culture template, such as the switched Culture icon / background watermark and brighter / more saturated colors.]]

=== Cultures ===

As the premier set, this was the debut for each of the following cultures. All of the [[Free Peoples]] cultures would remain relevant throughout the game's lifetime, but each of the [[Shadow (Alignment)|Shadow]] cultures would wax and wane at different times.

'''Free Peoples:'''
* {{C|Dwarven}}
* {{C|Elven}}
* {{C|Dwarven}}
* {{C|Gandalf}}
* {{C|Gondor}}
* {{C|Shire}}

'''Shadow:'''
* {{C|Isengard}}
* {{C|Moria}}
* {{C|Sauron}}
* {{C|Ringwraith}}

== Starter Decks ==
FOTR released with two standard starter decks, a pattern which would be followed by most following sets, and also included a Deluxe Starter Set. The Gandalf starter is a proto-[[Rainbow]] strategy paired with Moria, while Aragorn is a [[Ranger]] deck paired with Uruks. The two decks are not particularly well balanced, with the {{C|Gondor}} fellowship doing a much better job of surviving, due to the number of possessions which can be played on each companion, and the fact that the {{C|Moria}} deck suffers with only half of its usual combo, and interacting poorly with the starter-only discard shuffle rule. The Deluxe Starter Set pairs Hobbits with Nazgul.

<gallery widths=300px heights=350px mode="packed">
File:Starter-01-Aragorn.jpg|link=Starter Decks/Fellowship Block#FOTR Aragorn Starter Deck|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]
File:Starter-01-Gandalf.jpg|link=Starter Decks/Fellowship Block#FOTR Gandalf Starter Deck|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Gandalf_Starter_Deck|Gandalf Starter Deck]]
File:Starter-01-Deluxe.jpg|link=Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Deluxe_Starter_Set|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Deluxe_Starter_Set|Deluxe Starter Set]]

</gallery>

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="6" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Card recurring allies
| {{Card|Grimir, Dwarven Elder}}
| {{Card|Albert Dreary, Entertainer from Bree}}
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Bilbo, Retired Adventurer}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Allies that exert to return a card of the appropriate culture from your discard pile to your draw deck or hand.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Pipes
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Gandalf's Pipe}}
| {{Card|Aragorn's Pipe}}
| {{Card|Bilbo's Pipe}} and {{Card|The Gaffer's Pipe}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Pipe possessions with an ability starting with "'''Fellowship:''' Discard a pipeweed possession and spot X pipes to ..."
|-
|rowspan="2" | Rare hand weapons
| {{Card|Gimli's Battle Axe}}
| {{Card|Gwemegil}}
| {{Card|Glamdring}}
| {{Card|Blade of Gondor}}
| {{Card|Sting}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Rare (and unique) hand weapons that can only be borne by a named companion, and which grant +2 strength, damage +1 (with the exception of Sting) and one other ability.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Signet support
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Gandalf, the Grey Wizard}}
| {{Card|Aragorn, King in Exile}}
| {{Card|Frodo, Son of Drogo}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Companions that benefit the three signets available in [[Fellowship block]]. Each set in the block had a cycle like this, although this was the only set where the cycle contained companions.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Skirmish strength events
| {{Card|Their Halls of Stone}}
| {{Card|Border Defenses}} and {{Card|Defiance}}
| {{Card|Mysterious Wizard}}
| {{Card|Swordarm of the White Tower}} and {{Card|Swordsman of the Northern Kingdom}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="5" | Common skirmish events that make a companion strength +2 (or +4 if a certain condition is met). This cycle highlights the differences in costs for skirmish events in different cultures.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Moria}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Common hand weapons
| {{Card|Uruk-hai Sword}}
| {{Card|Goblin Scimitar}} and {{Card|Goblin Spear}}
| {{Card|Nazgul Sword}}
| {{Card|Orc Scimitar}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common or uncommon hand weapons that grant +2 strength and another ability.
|}

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|Elrond, Lord of Rivendell}}
* {{Card|The Last Alliance of Elves and Men}}
* {{Card|Legolas, Greenleaf}}
* {{Card|Shoulder to Shoulder}}
* {{Card|Servant of the Secret Fire}}
* {{Card|Sleep, Caradhras}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Ranger of the North}}
* {{Card|Aragorn's Bow}}
* {{Card|No Stranger to the Shadows}}
* {{Card|What Are They?}}
* {{Card|Greed}}
* {{Card|Savagery to Match Their Numbers}}
* {{Card|Goblin Armory}}
* {{Card|Goblin Runner}}
* {{Card|Goblin Scavengers}}
* {{Card|Goblin Scimitar}}
* {{Card|Blade Tip}}
* {{Card|Black Breath}}
* {{Card|The Pale Blade}}
* {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul}}
* {{Card|Hobbit Stealth}}
* {{Card|Sam, Son of Hamfast}}
* {{Card|The Prancing Pony}}
* {{Card|The Bridge of Khazad-dum}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Realms of the Elf-lords

2024-07-07T19:26:28Z

Eomund: Added a cycles section and made numerous smaller edits to text and formatting in other sections

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Realms of the Elf-lords|[[Main Page]]|[[Mines of Moria]]|[[The Two Towers]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=3
|Name=Realms of the Elf-lords
|Abbr=RotEL
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2002-06-19
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN03S122.0_card.jpg|frame|right|{{Card|Boromir, Defender of Minas Tirith}} was later reprinted in [[Black Rider]].]]
'''Realms of the Elf-lords''' (or '''ROTEL''') is the the second expansion set in Fellowship Block and the third set overall. It was released on June 19, 2002 in some areas and on July 3, 2002 in others (which ones?). The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Unlike the previous two sets, no cards had Tengwar versions produced.

== Themes and Mechanics ==

Reams of the Elf-lords added a number of powerful {{C|Elven}} allies to the game, as well as a new subculture of minions with the {{C|Isengard}} Orcs. The set largely expanded the {{C|Sauron}} discard strategy and introduced several cards to keep the Fellowship healed. It also introduced Saruman as a playable character and introduced the three Elven rings of power, {{Card|Narya}}, {{Card|Nenya}}, and {{Card|Vilya}}.

=== Cultures ===

All of the cultures from [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] returned, although Realms of the Elf-lords had a noticeable focus on the {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Isengard}}, and {{C|Sauron}} cultures.

== Starter Decks ==
The premium cards for the Realms of the Elf-lords starter decks were {{Card|Boromir, Defender of Minas Tirith}} and {{Card|Legolas, Son of Thranduil}}. With the release of these starters, each of the five non-hobbit nine companions that set out from Rivendell led at least one starter deck (Gandalf led two). The four hobbits were featured in the Deluxe Starter from [[The Fellowship of the Ring]], but would not get premium cards printed until [[Siege of Gondor]] and [[Mount Doom]].

* [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#RotEL_Boromir_Starter_Deck|Boromir Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Sauron}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#RotEL_Legolas_Starter_Deck|Legolas Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Isengard}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="6" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Reveal a card at random" events
| {{Card|Storm of Argument}}
| {{Card|Friends of Old}}
| {{Card|His First Serious Check}}
| {{Card|Might of Numenor}}
| {{Card|Meant to Be Alone}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Events that reveal a card at random from an opponent's hand, then have an effect that scales based on the twilight cost of the card revealed. This is a double cycle, containing cards in all Free Peoples and Shadow cultures.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Signet support
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Trust Me as You Once Did}}
| {{Card|Voice of Rauros}}
| {{Card|Frodo's Pipe}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Cards that benefit the three [[signet]]s available in Fellowship block. Each set in the block had a cycle like this.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Moria}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Alliance events
| {{Card|Hate and Anger}}
| {{Card|Malice}}
| {{Card|News of Mordor}}
| {{Card|Get Off the Road!}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Events that reward a player for having more than one Shadow culture. These cards rarely saw play because game mechanics (specifically, discarding minions at the end of each turn) and [[cultural enforcement]] so strongly encouraged players to stick to a single Shadow culture.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Location conditions
| {{Card|Tower of Orthanc}}
| {{Card|Depths of Moria}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Tower of Barad-dur}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Conditions themed after locations that punish the Free Peoples player each time they move. It could be argued that {{Card|The Ring Draws Them}} and {{Card|Our List of Allies Grows Thin}} also belong in this cycle, but those conditions are both unique (unlike the rest of the cycle) and not named after a location.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Reveal a card at random" events
| {{Card|Coming for the Ring}}
| {{Card|Dangerous Gamble}}
| {{Card|They Will Never Stop Hunting You}}
| {{Card|The Dark Lord Advances}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Events that reveal a card at random from an opponent's hand, then have an effect that scales based on the twilight cost of the card revealed. This is a double cycle, containing cards in all Free Peoples and Shadow cultures.
|}

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|Elrond, Herald to Gil-Galad}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Heir to the White City}}
* {{Card|Gondor Bowmen}}
* {{Card|Might of Numenor}}
* {{Card|Horn of Boromir}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Keeper of Isengard}}
* {{Card|Bill the Pony}}
* {{Card|Frying Pan}}
* {{Card|The Shire Countryside}}

=== X-listed Cards ===

Realms of the Elf Lords featured several cards that were subsequently X-Listed in future formats, including:

* {{Card|Bill the Pony}}
* {{Card|Horn of Boromir}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Heir to the White City}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Keeper of Isengard}}
* {{Card|The Palantir of Orthanc}}

Sharp-eyed readers will notice the overlap between this list and the Notable Cards from above.

== Print Runs ==

Realms of the Elf-lords is one of the most difficult sets to find sealed product for; presumably in response to the over-printed [[Mines of Moria]], Decipher cut down on the print runs for ROTEL and ran into the opposite problem: rather than overflowing warehouses, players literally could not get enough. Even in the later overprint distribution in [[Reflections]], ROTEL remained underrepresented.

----

{{Set Table}}

Mines of Moria

2024-07-07T18:53:04Z

Eomund: Added a cycles section and made numerous smaller edits to text and formatting in other sections

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Mines of Moria|[[Main Page]]|[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]|[[Realms of the Elf-lords]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=2
|Name=Mines of Moria
|Abbr=MoM
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2002-03-06
|IsOfficial=Yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Number=2
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN02S051.0_card.jpg|frame|right|Every Fellowship block deck needs a Balrog Contingency Plan]]
'''Mines of Moria''' (often abbreviated as '''MOM''') is the the first expansion set in [[Fellowship Block]] and the second set overall. It was released on March 6, 2002 in some areas and on March 13, 2002 in others (which ones?). The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), which became the standard size for an expansion set throughout Movie block. All of the cards in the set could appear in foil versions, and three rares had Tengwar versions produced.

== Themes and Mechanics ==

Picking up where [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] left off, Mines of Moria has a greater focus on the {{C|Dwarven}} and {{C|Moria}} cultures, introducing several unique minions such as {{Card|Watcher in the Water, Keeper of Westgate}} and two powerful versions of the [[Balrog]], which was foreshadowed in the first set. Additionally, the game introduced [[Artifact]]s in the form of {{Card|Gandalf's Staff}}, {{Card|Mithril-coat}}, {{Card|The Balrog's Sword}}, and the {{Card|Whip of Many Thongs}}.

Mines of Moria introduced a number of cards to counter Nazgul, including: {{Card|Release the Angry Flood}}, {{Card|Flaming Brand}}, {{Card|Not Feared in Sunlight}}, and {{Card|O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!}} being a few examples. At the same time, Mines of Moria introduced a new Nazgul strategy: Twilight Nazgul such as {{Card|The Witch-king, Lord of the Nazgul}}.

=== Cultures ===

All of the cultures from [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] returned, although Mines of Moria had a noticeable focus on the {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Moria}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, and {{C|Shire}} cultures.

== Starter Decks ==

Mines of Moria is heralded as being one of the best entry points to new players of the game, as the two starter decks are quite balanced against each other and between the two feature every something from every [[Phase]]. {{Card|Gimli, Dwarf of the Mountain-race}} and {{Card|Gandalf, the Grey Pilgrim}} were both welcome additions to Fellowship strategies.

* [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#MoM_Gandalf_Starter_Deck|Gandalf Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gandalf}} / {{C|Moria}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#MoM_Gimli_Starter_Deck|Gimli Starter Deck]]: {{C|Dwarven}} / {{C|Sauron}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="6" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Preventable events
| {{Card|Tidings of Erebor}}
| {{Card|Dismay Our Enemies}}
| {{Card|Wielder of the Flame}}
| {{Card|Flee in Terror}}
| {{Card|Hobbit Sword-play}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Events whose effect can be prevented if the Shadow player removes 3 twilight.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Signet benefits
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Gandalf's Wisdom}}
| {{Card|No Mere Ranger}}
| {{Card|Dear Friends}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Cards that benefit the three [[signet]]s available in Fellowship block.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Moria}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Puts on the ring events
| {{Card|Too Much Attention}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Wraith-world}}
| {{Card|Southern Spies}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Events that are either played in response to the ring-bearer putting on The One Ring, or can only be played if the ring-bearer is already wearing The One Ring. Arguably, {{Card|The Twilight World}} from set 1 fits this cycle better than {{Card|Wraith-world}}.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Spot X burdens" events
| {{Card|Evil Afoot}}
| {{Card|Troubled Mountains}}
| {{Card|They Will Find the Ring}}
| {{Card|The Eye of Sauron}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Uncommon events that scale based on the number of burdens you can spot.
|}

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|Secret Sentinels}}
* {{Card|Gandalf's Staff}}
* {{Card|Flaming Brand}}
* {{Card|Uruk Captain}}
* {{Card|The Balrog, Durin's Bane}}
* {{Card|Tower Assassin}}
* {{Card|Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow}}
* {{Card|A Promise}}.

== Later Bans==

Mines of Moria features a few cards that were X-Listed in future formats:

* {{Card|Flaming Brand}}
* {{Card|Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal}}
* {{Card|O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!}}

Both Filibert and O Elbereth were removed from the X-List when a rule change in [[The Return of the King]] prevented all Ring-bearer skirmish cancellations.

Mines of Moria was one of the most overproduced sets in Lord of the Rings TCG, and, as a result the cards were cheap and easy to come by long after its release (although this has become less true as of 2023).

----

{{Set Table}}

Treachery & Deceit

2024-07-06T22:26:20Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a single short paragraph

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Treachery & Deceit|[[Main Page]]|[[Rise of Saruman]]|[[Age's End]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=18
|Name=Treachery & Deceit
|Abbr=T&D
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2007-05-01
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Treachery & Deceit''' is the second expansion set in the [[Hunters Block]] and the eighteenth set overall. It was released on May 1, 2007, ten months later than originally planned.<ref>Based on the [[Oversized]] promotional card {{Card|4M1}}.</ref> The set was rushed to print before Decipher lost its licence for the game, leading to a lack of playtesting and a very high power level. Twelve cards from the set received official [[errata]], the highest number for a set of its size. Famously, the errata for {{Card|Frenzy of Arrows}} made it unplayable, since it now references {{C|Orc}} archers, none of which were ever printed.

The set contained 140 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, and 60 rares). Like in the previous two sets, none of the cards had [[Tengwar]] versions produced. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).

==Themes and Mechanics==

Treachery & Deceit continued many of the themes of the previous two sets, including the focus on the hunter keyword, site control, and pipeweed.

===Cultures===

Treachery & Deceit continued with the same set of cultures as [[The Hunters]] and [[Rise of Saruman]], with a focus on {{C|Gollum}} and relatively few cards in the {{C|Dwarven}} and {{C|Wraith}} cultures. It did not feature any cameos from the Movie-era shadow cultures.

{{Card|Ted Sandyman}} is the only [[Hobbit]] every printed outside of {{C|Shire}}. Most cards in the game were templated with the assumption that Hobbits were always Free Peoples cards, which means many cards interact strangely with {{Card|Ted Sandyman}}, including {{Card|Little Golden Flower}} and {{Card|Fool of a Took!}}.

The set printed more unique minions and possessions in different cultures than their original appearance, including:

* {{Card|Gothmog, Morgul Leader}} originally appeared in {{C|Sauron}}
* {{Card|Grond, Forged With Black Steel}} originally appeared in {{C|Sauron}}
* {{Card|Shagrat, Tower Captain}} originally appeared in {{C|Sauron}}

Like [[Bloodlines]], Treachery & Deceit also added some characters from the past, such as {{Card|Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor}} and {{Card|Isildur, Sword-bearer}}, and characters that did not appear in the movies, such as {{Card|Glorfindel, Eldarin Lord}} and {{Card|Fredegar Bolger, Fatty}}.

==Starter Decks==

No starter decks were released for Treachery & Deceit. It is the only expansion set without starters.

==Cycles==

Treachery & Deceit does not contain any cycles.

==Reprinted Cards==

Treachery & Deceit does not contain any reprinted cards, although two cards appear to be reprints:
* {{Card|18U58}} was included in the set list for [[Rise of Saruman]] as {{Card|17S35}}, although it was not actually printed.
* {{Card|18C124}} has the same name as the {{Card|17C120}}, but the cards have completely different game text.

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path in Shadows, Decipher began reprinting a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. Treachery & Deceit had one site of this type: {{Card|18U139}} (previously 10U119). If this version of the site was played at site 3 or 6, it would gain the sanctuary keyword, but its printed game text would prevent the sanctuary healing from actually happening. This made the new version much more powerful than the original, especially when combined with [[site manipulation]] to ensure the site was only active for one player.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Deceit}}
* {{Card|Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor}}
* {{Card|Beorning Axe}}
* {{Card|Shelob, Menace}}
* {{Card|Ted Sandyman}}
* {{Card|Treachery}}
* {{Card|Scouring of the Shire}}
* {{Card|Sirannon Ruins}}
* {{Card|18U139}}

===Cards with Official Errata===

* {{Card|Elven Armaments}}
* {{Card|Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor}}
* {{Card|Perspective}}
* {{Card|Sting of Shelob}}
* {{Card|Faramir, Captain of Ithilien}}
* {{Card|The Faithful Stone}}
* {{Card|Whisper in the Dark}}
* {{Card|Destroyers and Usurpers}}
* {{Card|Frenzy of Arrows}}
* {{Card|Gothmog, Morgul Leader}}
* {{Card|Cast From the Hall}}
* {{Card|Erkenbrand's Shield}}

----

{{Set Table}}

----

The Fellowship of the Ring

2024-07-06T22:13:30Z

Eomund: Added a cycles section and made numerous smaller edits to text and formatting in other sections

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Fellowship of the Ring Index| [[Main Page]]|[[Promotional|Promotional Set]]|[[Mines of Moria]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=1
|Name=The Fellowship of the Ring
|Abbr=FotR
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2001-11-06
|IsOfficial=Yes
|SubsetOrder=S,M
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN01S001.0_card.jpg|frame|right|The premier Ring that one presumably Lords over.]]
'''The Fellowship of the Ring''' (commonly abbreviated as '''FOTR''') is the first base set of the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, the first set in [[Fellowship Block]], and the first set overall. It was released on November 6, 2001, one month before the theatrical release of the movie by 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. Fourteen rares and one uncommon from the set had Tengwar versions produced. It began the pattern that would define the Movie block regular release schedule: for each movie, one base set to lay down the foundation followed by two expansions to fill in the gaps.

== Themes and Mechanics ==

FOTR took most of its direction cues from the dramatic combat conflicts of the first movie. {{C|Elven}} and {{C|Gondor}} cards used many scenes from the prologue battle with Sauron, while {{C|Moria}} and {{C|Isengard}} were spearheaded by the likes of {{Card|1R165}} and {{Card|1R127}}. Being a fresh new game, most strategies relied on simple interactions on one side or another, which worked well with the new player base.

Many of the core mechanics took cues from the story of FOTR, which persisted throughout the lifetime of the game even when later blocks did not line up with their inclusion quite so well. For instance, [[Sanctuary|Sanctuaries]] being at site 3 and 6 lines up with Rivendell and Lothlorien; the [[Rule of 9]] restricting the number of companions that can be played comes straight from the Fellowship's canonical size; and an emphasis on protecting the [[Ring-bearer]], [[Frodo]], at the expense of all other companions.

Because the cards were released a month before the movie itself did, New Line Cinema prevented Decipher from releasing images they considered "spoilers" until after the movie. As a result, FOTR included some "prophetic" cards that referenced other cards yet to be printed. {{Card|1C349}} was the only site 5 in the set, making it impossible to play without it, so you could imagine players' confusion as they looked down the spoiler sheet only to find that the Balrog was nowhere to be found! The first two versions of the Balrog were released in [[Mines of Moria]] four months later, but until then the site was a constant reminder of bigger and better things to come. Similarly, {{Card|Sam, Faithful Companion}} references {{Card|Bill the Pony}}, who was not released until [[Realms of the Elf-lords]]; and {{Card|Gandalf's Cart}} refers to [[Artifact]]s, which were not released until MOM and ROTEL.
{{clear}}
[[File:LOTR-EN00M001.0_card.jpg|frame|right|A card used to promote the release. Note the early differences compared to the finalized {{C|Gandalf}} culture template, such as the flat Twilight icon.]] [[File:LOTR-EN00M002.0_card.jpg|frame|right|The reverse side. Note the early differences compared to the finalized {{C|Moria}} culture template, such as the switched Culture icon / background watermark and brighter / more saturated colors.]]

=== Cultures ===

As the premier set, this was the debut for each of the following cultures. All of the [[Free Peoples]] cultures would remain relevant throughout the game's lifetime, but each of the [[Shadow (Alignment)|Shadow]] cultures would wax and wane at different times.

'''Free Peoples:'''
* {{C|Dwarven}}
* {{C|Elven}}
* {{C|Dwarven}}
* {{C|Gandalf}}
* {{C|Gondor}}
* {{C|Shire}}

'''Shadow:'''
* {{C|Isengard}}
* {{C|Moria}}
* {{C|Sauron}}
* {{C|Ringwraith}}

== Starter Decks ==
FOTR released with two standard starter decks, a pattern which would be followed by most following sets, and also included a Deluxe Starter Set. The Gandalf starter is a proto-[[Rainbow]] strategy paired with Moria, while Aragorn is a [[Ranger]] deck paired with Uruks. The two decks are not particularly well balanced, with the {{C|Gondor}} fellowship doing a much better job of surviving, due to the number of possessions which can be played on each companion, and the fact that the {{C|Moria}} deck suffers with only half of its usual combo, and interacting poorly with the starter-only discard shuffle rule. The Deluxe Starter Set pairs Hobbits with Nazgul.

<gallery widths=300px heights=350px mode="packed">
File:Starter-01-Aragorn.jpg|link=Starter Decks/Fellowship Block#FOTR Aragorn Starter Deck|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]
File:Starter-01-Gandalf.jpg|link=Starter Decks/Fellowship Block#FOTR Gandalf Starter Deck|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Gandalf_Starter_Deck|Gandalf Starter Deck]]
File:Starter-01-Deluxe.jpg|link=Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Deluxe_Starter_Set|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Deluxe_Starter_Set|Deluxe Starter Set]]

</gallery>

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="6" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Card recurring allies
| {{Card|Grimir, Dwarven Elder}}
| {{Card|Albert Dreary, Entertainer from Bree}}
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Bilbo, Retired Adventurer}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Allies that exert to return a card of the appropriate culture from your discard pile to your draw deck or hand.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Pipes
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Gandalf's Pipe}}
| {{Card|Aragorn's Pipe}}
| {{Card|Bilbo's Pipe}} and {{Card|The Gaffer's Pipe}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Pipe possessions with an ability starting with "'''Fellowship:''' Discard a pipeweed possession and spot X pipes to ..."
|-
|rowspan="2" | Rare hand weapons
| {{Card|Gimli's Battle Axe}}
| {{Card|Gwemegil}}
| {{Card|Glamdring}}
| {{Card|Blade of Gondor}}
| {{Card|Sting}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Rare (and unique) hand weapons that can only be borne by a named companion, and which grant +2 strength, damage +1 (with the exception of Sting) and one other ability.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Skirmish strength events
| {{Card|Their Halls of Stone}}
| {{Card|Border Defenses}} and {{Card|Defiance}}
| {{Card|Mysterious Wizard}}
| {{Card|Swordarm of the White Tower}} and {{Card|Swordsman of the Northern Kingdom}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="5" | Common skirmish events that make a companion strength +2 (or +4 if a certain condition is met). This cycle highlights the differences in costs for skirmish events in different cultures.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Moria}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Common hand weapons
| {{Card|Uruk-hai Sword}}
| {{Card|Goblin Scimitar}} and {{Card|Goblin Spear}}
| {{Card|Nazgul Sword}}
| {{Card|Orc Scimitar}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common or uncommon hand weapons that grant +2 strength and another ability.
|}

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|Elrond, Lord of Rivendell}}
* {{Card|The Last Alliance of Elves and Men}}
* {{Card|Legolas, Greenleaf}}
* {{Card|Shoulder to Shoulder}}
* {{Card|Servant of the Secret Fire}}
* {{Card|Sleep, Caradhras}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Ranger of the North}}
* {{Card|Aragorn's Bow}}
* {{Card|No Stranger to the Shadows}}
* {{Card|What Are They?}}
* {{Card|Greed}}
* {{Card|Savagery to Match Their Numbers}}
* {{Card|Goblin Armory}}
* {{Card|Goblin Runner}}
* {{Card|Goblin Scavengers}}
* {{Card|Goblin Scimitar}}
* {{Card|Blade Tip}}
* {{Card|Black Breath}}
* {{Card|The Pale Blade}}
* {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul}}
* {{Card|Hobbit Stealth}}
* {{Card|Sam, Son of Hamfast}}
* {{Card|The Prancing Pony}}
* {{Card|The Bridge of Khazad-dum}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Ents of Fangorn

2024-07-02T23:13:00Z

Eomund: Added a cycles section and made numerous smaller edits to text and formatting in other sections

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Ents of Fangorn|[[Main Page]]|[[Battle of Helm's Deep]]|[[The Return of the King]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=6
|Name=Ents of Fangorn
|Abbr=EoF
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2003-07-02
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN06S050.0_card.jpg|frame|right|link=Aragorn, Defender of Free Peoples (6R50)]]
'''Ents of Fangorn''' (or '''EOF''') is the second expansion of [[Towers Block]] and the sixth set overall. It was released on July 2, 2003. The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. One rare from the set had a Tengwar version produced and six rares from the set were printed in starter decks with alternate art (three per deck).

== Themes and Mechanics ==

Ents of Fangorn continued introducing cards to support the strategies and cultures from [[The Two Towers]] and [[Battle of Helm's Deep]], but also broke new ground in a number of small ways. [[Wraith]]s (not Ringwraiths) were introduced to the {{C|Sauron}} culture, as were [[Troll]]s. Neither of those first attempts ended up more than novelties, but later in [[King Block]] the {{C|Sauron}} [[Troll Swarm]] would being to be a thing of terror.

[[Ent]]s completed their arc, and for the first time had companions released that were not hampered by the [[Unhasty]] keyword.

{{C|Ringwraith}} makes their first showing in [[Towers Block]], including a very important cycling staple in the form of {{Card|Fell Beast}}.

The Balrog also makes his final [[Movie Block]] appearance, in a form that is no longer required to be played [[Underground]].

== Starter Decks ==

This set continues the experiment begun in [[Battle of Helm's Deep]], where the 3 random Rare cards that normally came in a [[Starter Deck]] are replaced with fixed Alternate Image "rares" which thematically suited the deck. This was the last set that followed this pattern, and with [[The Return of the King]] random rares would be restored to the starter decks once more.

The Witch-king Starter is notable for being the first starter deck themed around a [[Shadow]] premium card.

* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#EoF_Faramir_Starter_Deck|Faramir Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Isengard}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#EoF_The_Witch-king_Starter_Deck|The Witch-king Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gandalf}} / {{C|Ringwraith}} / {{C|Sauron}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Banners
| {{Card|Banner of Elbereth}}
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Banner of Westernesse}}
| {{Card|Banner of the Mark}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Hand weapons with an ability that triggers each time bearer wins a skirmish, as well as the ability "'''Response:''' If bearer wins a skirmish, discard this possession to liberate a site."
|-
|rowspan="2" | Two token conditions
| {{Card|Suspended Palaces}}
| {{Card|Agility}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Garrison of Osgiliath}}
| {{Card|We Left None Alive}}
| {{Card|Kept Safe}}
|-
|colspan="6" | Common support area conditions that enter with two culture tokens if you can spot a companion of the appropriate culture (except for Kept Safe, which assumes you have a {{C|Shire}} companion since at the time Frodo was the only ring-bearer). The conditions have an ability with a cost of removing a token or discarding the condition.
|}

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|Glamdring, Lightning Brand}}
* {{Card|Ent Horde}}
* {{Card|Host of Fangorn}}
* {{Card|Quickbeam, Bregalad}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Defender of Free Peoples}}
* {{Card|Banner of Westernesse}}
* {{Card|The Balrog, Terror of Flame and Shadow}}
* {{Card|Fell Beast}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Battle of Helm's Deep

2024-07-02T22:55:57Z

Eomund: Added a cycles section and made numerous smaller edits to text and formatting in other sections

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Battle of Helm's Deep|[[Main Page]]|[[The Two Towers]]|[[Ents of Fangorn]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=5
|Name=Battle of Helm's Deep
|Abbr=BoHD
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2003-03-12
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Battle of Helm's Deep''' (or '''BOHD''') is the first expansion of [[Towers Block]], and the fifth set overall. It was released on March 12, 2003. The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Four rares from the set had Tengwar versions produced and six rares from the set were printed in starter decks with alternate art (three per deck).

==Themes and Mechanics==

Similar to [[Mines of Moria]], Battle of Helm's Deep contained themes that referenced significant visual effects that Decipher wasn't able to release before The Two Towers movie came to theaters:
* The first [[Ent]]s other than Treebeard, including the first Ent companions;
* Mumakil and [[Warg]] mounts;
* [[Uruk-hai]] [[Berserker]]s, which prefer to be close to exhaustion and have ways of self-exerting to enable that;
* and most notably, the introduction of the {{C|Gollum}} culture.

The set also widely expanded the number of cards with or referencing the [[Machine]] and [[Valiant]] keywords.

===Cultures===

This set contained the debut of the {{C|Gollum}} culture, as Decipher was not licensed to spoil images of {{Smeagol}}/Gollum before The Two Towers released in theaters. This culture broke new ground by being the first (and so far, only) culture to have both [[Free Peoples]] ''and'' [[Shadow Alignment|Shadow]] cards, centrally the inclusion of both the [[Minion]] Gollum and the [[Companion]] {{Smeagol}}. Mechanically, this captured the internal struggle of the character perfectly; not only could {{Smeagol}} help the Fellowship while Gollum attacked it, but you could even assign {{Smeagol}} to skirmish Gollum, and watch his internal war play out on the table.

BOHD also marked the re-introduction of the {{C|Sauron}} culture, which had been absent in the base set. The new {{C|Sauron}} cards included [[tracker]]s that lowered site numbers rather than reducing roaming costs.

===New Loaded Keyword===

A character with [[Enduring]] get strength +2 for each wound on that character. Many cards with [[Enduring]] were given abilities which required healing the character as a cost, which led to a number of potential [[loop]]s that needed to be corrected with errata or x-listing cards.

===New Unloaded Keywords===

The set introduced three new unloaded keywords:
* [[Knight]], a new subculture for {{C|Gondor}} representing the soldiers of Minas Tirith.
* [[Fortification]], a type of condition representing defensive structures. While it is used a bit by {{C|Rohan}}, this is really a {{C|Gondor}} staple.
* [[Warg-rider]], a subculture of {{C|Isengard}} [[Orc]]s which can ride [[Warg]] [[Mount]]s.

== Starter Decks ==

For this set, Decipher decided to experiment with removing the 3 random Rare cards that normally came in a [[Starter Deck]], and replacing them with fixed Alternate Image "rares" which thematically suited the deck. While the power level of the decks as playable specimens increased, the perceived value of these decks took a nosedive as there was no longer any reason for collectors to buy more than one. Decipher tried once more with [[Ents of Fangorn]], and after that restored the random rares with [[The Return of the King]] and all following sets.

* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#BoHD_Eowyn_Starter_Deck|{{Eowyn}} Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Isengard}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#BoHD_Legolas_Starter_Deck|Legolas Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Raider}}

== Cycles ==

Battle of Helm's Deep does not contain any cycles.

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|Evil-smelling Fens}}
* {{Card|Gollum, Stinker}}
* {{Card|Citadel of the Stars}}
* {{Card|Grima, Chief Counselor}}
* {{Card|Dead Marshes}}
* {{Card|Sting, Baggins Heirloom}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Black Rider

2024-06-29T05:11:59Z

Eomund: Added mention of Saruman, Rabble-rouser in the cultures section

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Black Rider|[[Main Page]]|[[Shadows]]|[[Bloodlines]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=12
|Name=Black Rider
|Abbr=BR
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2005-03-18
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Black Rider''' is the first expansion set in the [[War of the Ring Block]] and the twelfth set overall. It was released on March 18, 2005. The set contained 194 cards (60 commons, 60 uncommons, 60 rares, and 14 starter deck-only cards); five rares and one starter deck-only card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

As with the previous set, [[Shadows]], only a small number of cards had a foil version printed. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF; these cards replaced the non-foil rare in one out of every nine packs. New in Black Rider, nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text). Legends Masterworks cards replaced the non-foil rare in one out of every 35 packs, meaning that some type of foil appeared at the same rate as in Shadows (approximately 1 in 7 packs).<ref>Decipher's Black Rider press release: [http://web.archive.org/web/20050205055957/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2005/01/011105lotrblackrider.html]</ref>

With the release of Black Rider, sets rotated out of the [[Standard]] format for the first time. In order to keep Standard to a manageable card pool, all three [[Fellowship Block]] sets were removed from standard. For this reason, Black Rider contained reprints of a number of Fellowship Block cards that Decipher wanted to remain available in the format.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Black Rider did not introduce any new themes or mechanics, but built on the material introduced in [[Shadows]]. That included the loaded keywords ([[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]]), the new companion attribute of [[resistance]], and the increased focus on [[site]] keywords and [[site manipulation]].

===Cultures===

Black Rider continued the same cultures as Shadows, although it included four cameo cards from the Movie-era shadow cultures: one card from {{C|Isengard}}, two from {{C|Moria}}, and one from {{C|Sauron}}.

Black Rider marked the second time that a character appeared in a different culture than its original printing (the first was {{Card|Saruman, Rabble-rouser}} in [[The Two Towers]]). Five unique minions appeared in new cultures:

* {{Card|Castamir of Umbar, Corsair Vandal}} originally appeared in {{C|Raider}}
* {{Card|Grima, Betrayer of Rohan}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Cave Troll of Moria, Savage Menace}} originally appeared in {{C|Moria}}
* {{Card|Troll's Keyward, Keeper of the Beast}} originally appeared in {{C|Moria}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}

Adding to the flexibility of cultures, two characters appeared in multiple cultures within Black Rider itself: Saruman appeared in both {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}}, while the Mouth of Sauron appeared in both {{C|Men}} and {{C|Sauron}}. Interestingly, these characters were also the face cards of the two starter decks.

As the set name suggests, Black Rider had a slight focus on the {{C|Wraith}} culture, with all nine [[Nazgul]] getting a version. In addition, the first non-unique [[Nazgul]] minion was printed, {{Card|Black Rider}}. This is the only card in the game to share a name with a set.

==Starter Decks==

Black Rider was the only set where the face card for both starter decks were minions: {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Messenger of Mordor}} and {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}}. Only one previous starter deck had a shadow card as a face card ({{Card|The Witch-King, Deathless Lord}} in [[Ents of Fangorn]]), and it would only happen once more in a future set ({{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}} in [[The Hunters]]). The starter decks in [[Rise of Saruman]] were both named after their shadow side, but were not named after a particular face card.

Continuing the pattern from [[Shadows]], many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S.

* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BR_The_Mouth_of_Sauron_Starter_Deck|The Mouth of Sauron Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Men}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BR_Saruman_Starter_Deck|Saruman Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Each of the following" conditions
| {{Card|His Father's Charge}}
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Tireless}}
| {{Card|Cleaving a Path}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that discard to increase a characters strength by "+1 for each of the following that is true:"
|-
|rowspan="2" | Location-punishing cards
| {{Card|Stalwart Support}}
| {{Card|Taking the High Ground}}
| {{Card|Gandalf's Hat}}
| {{Card|Gondorian Steed}}
| {{Card|Coif}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions and possessions that have a penalty if the followship moves from a site with a keyword that is not aligned with the culture.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
! {{C|Wraith}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | 6-companion conditions
| {{Card|Hemmed In}}
| {{Card|Great Cost}}
| {{Card|Shingle in a Storm}}
| {{Card|Unending Life}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Conditions with one ability that spots 6 companions, and a second ability with "discard this condition" as a cost.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Common hand weapon
| {{Card|War Trident}}
| {{Card|Orc Spear}}
| {{Card|Weapon of Opportunity}}
| {{Card|Nazgul Blade}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common hand weapons with a cost of 1 twilight.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Location-locked minions
| {{Card|Wrathful Hillman}}
| {{Card|Orc Dreg}}
| {{Card|Uruk Common}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="4" | Minions that are discarded when assigned to skirmish unless they are at a site with a keyword their culture likes, or unless the shadow player pays 2.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Uncommon toil event
| {{Card|Gathering Strength}}
| {{Card|Storming the Ramparts}}
| {{Card|Broken Heirloom}}
| {{Card|Minas Morgul Answers}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Uncommons event with the [[toil]] keyword.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|12U5}} (previously 2U3)
* {{Card|12U11}} (previously 1R23)
* {{Card|12R19}} (previously 3R21)
* {{Card|12U25}} (previously 3R29)
* {{Card|12C31}} (previously 1C78)
* {{Card|12U43}} (previously 3P122)
* {{Card|12C46}} (previously 1C103)
* {{Card|12R127}} (previously 1R307)
* {{Card|12R128}} (previously 2R112)
* {{Card|12U165}} (previously 1R214)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path in [[Shadows]], Decipher began reprinting a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|12U186}} (previously 1C349) - Added the battleground keyword, removed the search ability, and adjusted the cost reduction to -3 instead of -6.
* {{Card|12S187}} (previously 1U360) - Added the mountain keyword, and gave the maneuver ability a cost of 2 and a restriction to only affect minions that are not already fierce (presumably to prevent players from repeatedly exerting an [[Enduring]] minion).
* {{Card|12U191}} (previously 1U359) - Restricted the ability to only spot {{C|Orc}} Orcs instead of Orcs from any culture.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Saruman, Of Many Colours}}
* {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Messenger of Mordor}}
* {{Card|The Balrog, The Terror of Khazad-dum}}
* {{Card|Whip of Many Thongs, Weapon of Flame and Shadow}}
* {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Lieutenant of Barad-dur}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}}
* {{Card|Black Rider}}
* {{Card|The Witch-King, Black Lord}}
* {{Card|The Witch-King's Beast, Fell Creature}}

----

{{Set Table}}

----

The Two Towers

2024-06-29T05:11:03Z

Eomund: Added a cycles section and made numerous smaller edits to text and formatting in other sections

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|The Two Towers|[[Main Page]]|[[Realms of the Elf-lords]]|[[Battle of Helm's Deep]]}}
{{SetTabs}}
{{Set
|ID=4
|Name=The Two Towers
|Abbr=TTT
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2002-11-06
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
[[File:LOTR-EN04S103.0_card.jpg|frame|right|{{Card|Treebeard, Earthborn}} interacted with the new [[Bouncing Hobbits]] archetype.|link=Treebeard, Earthborn (4R103)]]
'''The Two Towers''' (or '''TTT''') is the second base set of the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, the first set in [[Towers Block]], and the fourth set overall. It was released on November 6, 2002 (one month before the movie 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. Twelve rares, one common, and one premium card from the set had Tengwar versions produced.

The Two Towers introduced the Ents, the Riders of Rohan, Dunlendings, Southrons, and Easterlings, as well as a new site path. Overall, the set had little to no power creep, and was well-produced, making it easier to find sealed product than the [[Realms of the Elf-lords]] set that came immediately before it.

== Themes and Mechanics ==

Like [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] before it, New Line disallowed certain concepts from being represented on cards which were considered "spoilers" for the film. The most famous of these was [[Gollum]], who wouldn't premier until the next set of [[Battle of Helm's Deep]].

Rumor has it that Decipher originally tinkered with producing a brand new game rather than continue to extend the mechanics of the TCG, which which were tied closely to the events and structure of [[The Fellowship of the Ring]]. This would have been similar to what they did for Star Wars Episode 1, where its content was kept entirely within the [https://www.starwarsccg.org/young-jedi/ Young Jedi TCG] instead of the SWCCG (at first, anyway). Whether or not those rumors have any truth to them, the TTT set struggled to implement mechanics which represented the plot of the film and book as well as FOTR had done before it.

The most impactful new mechanic involves the split [[Ring-bound]] and [[Unbound]] labels for companions, which was an attempt to represent the story split between Frodo in Mordor and everyone else in Rohan. Ring-bound companions (Ithilien [[Ranger]]s, Frodo, Sam, and later {{Smeagol}}) were part of Frodo's storyline, while unbound companions were off fighting in Rohan. {{C|Raider}} cards would target and gain bonuses from fighting Ring-bound companions, while {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Dunland}} cards would target unbound companions.

This mechanic endured, if only because having a shorthand of "unbound" instead of "(except the Ring-bearer)" was convenient for game design. However, even with the number of culture-level designs around targeting specific subsets of individuals, you had the issue of a {{C|Rohan}} fellowship dragging Frodo with them as their [[Ring-bearer]], or a Ring-bound Ranger fellowship trekking through Rohan, which remained thematic issues that made TTT more ill-fitted to the game mechanics thematically than FOTR was.

Also related to the Ring-bound/unbound split was the treatment of the site path--the [[Towers Block]] site path in general follows the "unbound" plotline, but various "ring-bound" conditions were included that offered flavor relating to Frodo's journey at specific sites. These cards include:

* {{Card|Cliffs of Emyn Muil}}
* {{Card|Eastern Emyn Muil}}
* {{Card|Forests of Ithilien}}
* {{Card|Henneth Annun}}
* {{Card|Ruins of Osgiliath}}
* {{Card|Ithilien Wilderness}}

=== Cultures ===

This set introduced three new cultures:
* {{C|Raider}}, representing the evil nations of Men sworn to serve Sauron
* {{C|Dunland}}, a faction of evil Men influenced by Saruman (and only split off from Raider because Decipher thought that 2 [[Shadow]] cultures was too few)
* {{C|Rohan}}, the kingdom of horsemen led by {{Theoden}} and his heirs {{Eomer}} and {{Eowyn}}

It was also the first set to contain zero cards from already-established cultures {{C|Moria}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, and {{C|Sauron}}.

=== New [[loaded keywords]] ===

The Two Towers introduced four new loaded keywords:
* [[Ambush]], which appeared in the Southron subculture of the {{C|Raider}} culture
* [[Ring-bound]], which retroactively applied to all versions of [[Frodo]] and [[Sam]] and was used to create the Ring-bound [[Ranger]] subculture in {{C|Gondor}}
* [[Unbound]], which was never written as a keyword on any companions, but meant "not ring-bound"
* [[Unhasty]], which appeared in this set only on the two versions of [[Treebeard]]

=== New [[unloaded keywords]] ===

The Two Towers introduced seven new unloaded keywords:
* [[Battleground]], on sites
* [[Easterling]], on {{C|Raider}} minions
* [[Ent]], a new race in the {{C|Gandalf}} culture
* [[Machine]], on {{C|Isengard}} possessions
* [[Southron]], on {{C|Raider}} minions
* [[Valiant]], on {{C|Rohan}} companions
* [[Villager]], on {{C|Rohan}} allies

=== Other mechanics ===

The Two Towers introduced several other new mechanics:
* [[Site Control]] and liberation
* [[Culture Token]]s
* Subtitles on possessions, artifacts, and conditions (compare {{Card|Ranger's Sword, Blade of Aragorn}} with {{Card|Ranger's Sword}}
* Allies with multiple home sites, rather than just 1
* [[Mount]]s and the pseudo-keyword "[[Mounted]]"
* A new site path, which completely replaced the [[Fellowship Block]] site path

== Starter Decks ==

The starter decks in the Two Towers followed the pattern established by [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] for base set starters: two decks led by a starter-deck only premium companion (one of which was Aragorn), plus a deluxe starter that did not contain a premium companion, but did include a booster pack and some other gameplay and collectors items.

* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#TTT_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Dunland}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#TTT_Theoden_Starter_Deck|Rohan Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Isengard}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Towers_Block#TTT_Deluxe_Starter_Set|Deluxe Starter Set]]: {{C|Gandalf}} / {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Raider}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | The Three Hunters
| {{Card|Gimli, Lockbearer}}
| {{Card|Legolas, Dauntless Hunter}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Aragorn, Wingfoot}}
| N/A
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Companions that get stronger for each unbound Hobbit you can spot.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Wins a skirmish conditions
| {{Card|Stout and Strong}}
| {{Card|Strength of Arms}}
| {{Card|Behold the White Rider}}
| {{Card|Ithilien Trap}}
| {{Card|Fortress Never Fallen}}
| {{Card|Good Work}}
|-
|colspan="6" | Uncommon support area conditions that gain a culture token every time a companion of the appropriate culture wins a skirmish, then can be discarded for an effect that scales based on the number of tokens on the card.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dunland}}
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Raider}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Common one-drop minions
| {{Card|Dunlending Ravager}}
| {{Card|Uruk Foot Soldier}}
| {{Card|Southron Scout}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Common minions with a twilight cost of 1.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Skirmish token conditions
| {{Card|Secret Folk}}
| {{Card|Down to the Last Child}}
| {{Card|Arrow From the South}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Uncommon support area conditions that gain a culture token every time a minion of the appropriate culture wins a skirmish, then can be discarded for an effect that scales based on the number of tokens on the card.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Spot a site you control" conditions
| {{Card|Over the Isen}}
| {{Card|Race Across the Mark}}
| {{Card|Men of Harad}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Support area conditions with a repeatable ability that requires you to spot a site you control and remove (2) to use.
|}

== Reprinted cards ==

* {{Card|4C2}} (previously 1C2)
* {{Card|4U62}} (previously 1C41)
* {{Card|4C129}} (previously 1C110)
* {{Card|4C207}} (previously 1C158)
* {{Card|4C306}} (previously 1C299)

== Similar sites ==

Because The Two Towers introduced a completely new site path, the set included some sites very similar to sites previously released in [[Fellowship Block]] in order to enable the same strategies.

* {{Card|Eastemnet Downs}} (punishes large fellowships, similar to {{Card|East Road}})
* {{Card|The Riddermark}} (allows you to [[tutor]] [[Aragorn]] from your draw deck, similar to {{Card|The Prancing Pony}})
* {{Card|White Mountains}} (similar game text to {{Card|Dwarrowdelf Chamber}} and {{Card|Moria Lake}})
* {{Card|Hornburg Causeway}} (similar game text to {{Card|Anduin Banks}})
* {{Card|King's Room}} (similar game text to {{Card|Silverlode Banks}})

== Notable Cards ==

* {{Card|The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Rabble-rouser}}
* {{Card|Legolas, Dauntless Hunter}}
* {{Card|Faramir, Son of Denethor}}
* {{Card|Grima, Wormtongue}}
* {{Card|Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Mount Doom

2024-06-28T04:42:50Z

Eomund: Fixed typo

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Mount Doom|[[Main_Page]]|[[Reflections]]|[[Shadows]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=10
|Name=Mount Doom
|Abbr=MD
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-07-14
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}

'''Mount Doom''' is the second and final expansion set in [[King Block]] and the tenth set overall. It was released on July 14, 2004. The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Four rares and one premium card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Mount Doom did not have a significant mechanical identity; rather, it added to the strategies already established by the first two [[King Block]] sets, including {{C|Gondor}} [[Wraith]]s, [[Corsair]]s, [[Morgul Orcs]], [[Enduring]] [[Nazgul|Nazgûl]], and [[Besieger]]s.

===Cultures===

For the most part, Mount Doom used the same cultures as the rest of [[King Block]]: all of the Free Peoples (with a focus on {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}, and {{C|Shire}}), along with {{C|Gollum}}, {{C|Raider}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, {{C|Sauron}}. The one exception is the card {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}}, which is the only {{C|Isengard}} card printed in King Block.

Because of the changes to Shadow cultures made in set 11, Mount Doom is the last set to feature any cards of the {{C|Raider}} culture. The {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Sauron}} cultures would also be discontinued as primary cultures, although they would feature on individual cards in future sets.

===New Keywords===

Mount Doom did not introduce any new keywords, loaded or unloaded, however it does feature the only appearance of [[Uruk-hai]] outside of the {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}} cultures.

==Starter Decks==

The premium cards for the Mount Doom starter decks were {{Card|Frodo, Resolute Hobbit}} and {{Card|Sam, Great Elf Warrior}}, continuing the trend from [[Siege of Gondor]] of having hobbits appear as the face cards of the starter decks. With the release of Mount Doom, each of the nine companions that set out from Rivendell led at least one starter deck; the five non-hobbit companions all had starter decks in [[Fellowship block]] (Gandalf had two).

* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#MD_Frodo_Starter_Deck|Frodo Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Ringwraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#MD_Sam_Starter_Deck|Sam Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Sauron}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Lose initiative conditions
| {{Card|Memories of Darkness}}
| {{Card|Glimpse of Fate}}
| {{Card|Brooding on Tomorrow}}
| {{Card|Hardy Garrison}}
| {{Card|Fell Deeds Awake}}
| {{Card|A Light in His Mind}}
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that trigger each time the Free Peoples player loses initiative (sometimes with the restriction "except during the Fellowship phase").
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Gollum}}
! {{C|Raider}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Anti-possession events
| {{Card|A Dark Shape Sprang}}
| {{Card|Stampeded}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Ruinous Hail}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Response events that can be played if a Free Peoples possession is played. Curiously, while the trigger is nearly the same for all three events, it is worded slightly differently on each one.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Initiative conditions
| {{Card|Unabated in Malice}}
| {{Card|Under Foot}}
| {{Card|Stooping to the Kill}}
| {{Card|Flames Within}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common conditions with two abilities: one that is only active when the Shadow has initiative, and the other that discards the condition to give a minion a strength bonus during a skirmish. It could be argued that {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}} is also a member of the cycle, but unlike the other abilities it is an uncommon and doesn't have an ability to discard it during a skirmish.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Mount Doom did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Elessar Telcontar}}
* {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}}
* {{Card|Frodo, Resolute Hobbit}}
* {{Card|Sam, Great Elf Warrior}}

===X-listed Cards===

Unbeknownst at the time, Mount Doom was a glimpse into the tumultuous ara ahead for the game. Along with {{Card|Aggression}} from [[Siege of Gondor]], 4 cards were added to the [[X-list]] in the week before and month after its release directly because of interactions it caused -- the most during the time of any expansion set. {{Card|Treebeard, Keeper of the Watchwood}} and {{Card|Base of Mindolluin}} were the first cards to cause ''pre-emptive'' bans, adding {{Card|Steadfast Champion}} and {{Card|Gondorian Captain}} respectively to the X-list due to loops that could occur in [[Movie Block]]. {{Card|Mordor Fiend}} holds the distinction of the fastest ban in the game's history (one day after the set was released) for yet another loop while {{Card|Memories of Darkness}} clocked in less than a month later as the second-fastest ban for enabling various abuses including loops. While not banned during the time of Mount Doom, the set's infamous {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}} did not trail far behind and was banned shortly after [[Shadows]].

----

{{Set Table}}

Mount Doom

2024-06-28T04:42:17Z

Eomund: Added a second shadow cycle

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Mount Doom|[[Main_Page]]|[[Reflections]]|[[Shadows]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=10
|Name=Mount Doom
|Abbr=MD
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-07-14
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}

'''Mount Doom''' is the second and final expansion set in [[King Block]] and the tenth set overall. It was released on July 14, 2004. The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Four rares and one premium card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Mount Doom did not have a significant mechanical identity; rather, it added to the strategies already established by the first two [[King Block]] sets, including {{C|Gondor}} [[Wraith]]s, [[Corsair]]s, [[Morgul Orcs]], [[Enduring]] [[Nazgul|Nazgûl]], and [[Besieger]]s.

===Cultures===

For the most part, Mount Doom used the same cultures as the rest of [[King Block]]: all of the Free Peoples (with a focus on {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}, and {{C|Shire}}), along with {{C|Gollum}}, {{C|Raider}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, {{C|Sauron}}. The one exception is the card {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}}, which is the only {{C|Isengard}} card printed in King Block.

Because of the changes to Shadow cultures made in set 11, Mount Doom is the last set to feature any cards of the {{C|Raider}} culture. The {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Sauron}} cultures would also be discontinued as primary cultures, although they would feature on individual cards in future sets.

===New Keywords===

Mount Doom did not introduce any new keywords, loaded or unloaded, however it does feature the only appearance of [[Uruk-hai]] outside of the {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}} cultures.

==Starter Decks==

The premium cards for the Mount Doom starter decks were {{Card|Frodo, Resolute Hobbit}} and {{Card|Sam, Great Elf Warrior}}, continuing the trend from [[Siege of Gondor]] of having hobbits appear as the face cards of the starter decks. With the release of Mount Doom, each of the nine companions that set out from Rivendell led at least one starter deck; the five non-hobbit companions all had starter decks in [[Fellowship block]] (Gandalf had two).

* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#MD_Frodo_Starter_Deck|Frodo Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Ringwraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#MD_Sam_Starter_Deck|Sam Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Sauron}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Lose initiative conditions
| {{Card|Memories of Darkness}}
| {{Card|Glimpse of Fate}}
| {{Card|Brooding on Tomorrow}}
| {{Card|Hardy Garrison}}
| {{Card|Fell Deeds Awake}}
| {{Card|A Light in His Mind}}
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that trigger each time the Free Peoples player loses initiative (sometimes with the restriction "except during the Fellowship phase").
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Gollum}}
! {{C|Raider}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Anti-possession events
| {{Card|A Dark Shape Sprang}}
| {{Card|Stampeded}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Ruinous Hall}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Response events that can be played if a Free Peoples possession is played. Curiously, while the trigger is nearly the same for all three events, it is worded slightly differently on each one.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Initiative conditions
| {{Card|Unabated in Malice}}
| {{Card|Under Foot}}
| {{Card|Stooping to the Kill}}
| {{Card|Flames Within}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common conditions with two abilities: one that is only active when the Shadow has initiative, and the other that discards the condition to give a minion a strength bonus during a skirmish. It could be argued that {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}} is also a member of the cycle, but unlike the other abilities it is an uncommon and doesn't have an ability to discard it during a skirmish.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Mount Doom did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Elessar Telcontar}}
* {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}}
* {{Card|Frodo, Resolute Hobbit}}
* {{Card|Sam, Great Elf Warrior}}

===X-listed Cards===

Unbeknownst at the time, Mount Doom was a glimpse into the tumultuous ara ahead for the game. Along with {{Card|Aggression}} from [[Siege of Gondor]], 4 cards were added to the [[X-list]] in the week before and month after its release directly because of interactions it caused -- the most during the time of any expansion set. {{Card|Treebeard, Keeper of the Watchwood}} and {{Card|Base of Mindolluin}} were the first cards to cause ''pre-emptive'' bans, adding {{Card|Steadfast Champion}} and {{Card|Gondorian Captain}} respectively to the X-list due to loops that could occur in [[Movie Block]]. {{Card|Mordor Fiend}} holds the distinction of the fastest ban in the game's history (one day after the set was released) for yet another loop while {{Card|Memories of Darkness}} clocked in less than a month later as the second-fastest ban for enabling various abuses including loops. While not banned during the time of Mount Doom, the set's infamous {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}} did not trail far behind and was banned shortly after [[Shadows]].

----

{{Set Table}}

The Return of the King

2024-06-28T04:35:18Z

Eomund: Added a cycles section and made numerous smaller edits to text and formatting in other sections

__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 1
| {{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.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Initiative conditions
| N/A
| {{Card|Driven From the Plains}}
| {{Card|Endless Assault}}
| {{Card|Unimpeded}}
|-
|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}}

Rise of Saruman

2024-06-25T22:57:19Z

Eomund: Fixed starter deck links

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Rise of Saruman|[[Main Page]]|[[The Wraith Collection]]|[[Treachery & Deceit]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=17
|Name=Rise of Saruman
|Abbr=RoS
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2007-03-01
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Rise of Saruman''' is the first expansion set in the [[Hunters Block]] and the seventeenth set overall. It was released on March 1, 2007, one year later than originally planned.<ref>Based on the [[Oversized]] promotional card {{Card|4M1}}.</ref> The set is notable for containing a large number of errors and typos, due in large part to financial issues at Decipher.

The set contained 148 cards (38 commons, 42 uncommons, 60 rares, and 8 starter deck-only cards). Like in [[The Hunters]] none of the cards had [[Tengwar]] versions produced. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).

==Themes and Mechanics==

Rise of Saruman continued many of the themes of the previous set, including the focus on the hunter keyword, Ents, and site control. Rohan gained a curious theme of getting stronger while the Ringbearer was assigned to skirmish; some of the cards specifically call out Frodo, which is especially strange since none of the Rohirrim characters met Frodo until after the ring was destroyed. [[Pipeweed]] returned for the first time since [[Fellowship Block]], although it functioned differently in Rise of Saruman: the pipeweed cards were conditions (rather than possessions) and didn't need pipes to function.

The set contained {{Card|Faramir, Bearer of Quality}}, the final alternate ring-bearer printed in the game. It also included {{Card|Saruman, Servant of Sauron}}, the only [[Shadow]] [[follower]] ever produced.

===Cultures===

Rise of Saruman continued with the same set of cultures as [[The Hunters]], with the exception of {{C|Gollum}}. It featured cameos from the Movie-era shadow cultures: two cards from {{C|Isengard}} and one from {{C|Sauron}}.

The set included the only companion to ever be printed outside of its primary culture: {{Card|Aragorn, Defender of Rohan}} in {{C|Rohan}}.

In keeping with its name, Rise of Saruman contained five versions of Saruman: one in {{C|Men}}, two in {{C|Isengard}} (one minion and one follower), and two in {{C|Uruk-hai}}.

The set also printed {{Card|Grishnakh, Treacherous Captain}}, a unique minion whose character had previously appeared in {{C|Sauron}}.

==Starter Decks==

Continuing the pattern from Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. As in [[The Hunters]] starter decks, both decks contained sites from [[War of the Ring Block]]; with the release of Rise of Saruman, there were now 12 sites in [[Hunters Block]].

Uniquely among the game's starter decks, the decks named after the shadow culture in the deck rather than a specific character. Also uniquely, the Uruk Rampage deck only contained eight sites (it mistakenly included a fifth copy of {{Card|White Hand Guard}} instead); this mistake is fixed in all digital versions of the deck.

* [[Starter_Decks/Hunters_Block#RoS_Uruk_Rampage_Starter_Deck|Uruk Rampage Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Hunters_Block#RoS_Evil_Man_Starter_Deck|Evil Man Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Men}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Mixed Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Throne artifacts
| {{Card|Throne of Minas Tirith}}
| {{Card|Throne of Isengard}}
| {{Card|Throne of the Golden Hall}}
| {{Card|Throne of the Dark Lord}}
|-
|colspan="4" | The only cycle in the game to contain both free peoples and shadow cards (citation needed), the cards did not have many similarities beyond their names and types.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Rise of Saruman did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Faramir, Bearer of Quality}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Defender of Rohan}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Servant of Sauron}}
* {{Card|Merry, In the Bloom of Health}}
* {{Card|Pippin, In the Bloom of Health}}

----

{{Set Table}}

----

The Hunters

2024-06-25T22:57:05Z

Eomund: Fixed starter deck links

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|The Hunters|[[Main Page]]|[[Expanded Middle-earth]]|[[The Wraith Collection]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=15
|Name=The Hunters
|Abbr=TH
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2006-06-09
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''The Hunters''' is the first set in the [[Hunters Block]], and the fifteenth set overall. It was released on June 9, 2006, seven months later than originally planned.<ref>Based on the [[Oversized]] promotional card {{Card|4M1}}.</ref> While the set began a new block, it was much smaller than previous base sets (containing the same number of cards as the previous two expansion sets), and only contained eight sites, meaning that a player could not build a legal deck using only cards from The Hunters.

The set contained 194 cards (60 commons, 64 uncommons, 60 rares, and 10 starter deck-only cards). Unlike past sets, The Hunters did not contain any cards with [[Tengwar]] versions. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).

The Hunters is generally regarded as one of the most egregious examples of power creep, as it contained cards whose effectiveness far surpassed many before them. Some of these egregious examples of power creep are {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}}, {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}, {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}}, and {{Card|Mountain-Troll}}.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Most of the mechanics of The Hunters were focused around either the hunter keyword or the trio of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, named the three hunters in the books and movies. Ents were included in the set for the first time since [[Towers Block]] (appearing again in {{C|Gandalf}} with support from {{C|Shire}}), and site control returned after being absent in [[War of the Ring Block]] (appearing in {{C|Men}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}}).

===Cultures===

The Hunters continued with the same set of cultures as the previous [[War of the Ring Block]]. It did not feature any cameos from movie-era shadow cultures.

One card, {{Card|Forth the Three Hunters!}} appeared in three versions with identical rules text, but different cultures: {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Elven}}, and {{C|Gondor}}. Because deck construction was based on the name of a card, decks could include four copies of the card in total, in any combination of cultures.

The Hunters continued the trend from [[Black Rider]] of printing unique minions in different cultures than their original appearance, including:

* {{Card|Bill Ferny, Agent of Saruman}} originally appeared in {{C|Wraith}}
* {{Card|Mumak Commander, Giant Among the Swertings}} originally appeared in {{C|Raider}}
* {{Card|Gorbag, Filthy Rebel}} originally appeared in {{C|Wraith}}
* {{Card|Lurtz, Now Perfected}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Ugluk, Ugly Fellow}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}

In addition, The Hunters marked the first time that unique possessions were printed in new cultures. Both {{Card|Lurtz's Sword, Mighty Longsword}} and {{Card|Ugluk's Sword, Weapon of Command}} had original versions (without subtitles) printed in {{C|Isengard}}.

===New Loaded Keyword===

The Hunters introduced one new loaded keyword, [[Hunter]], a numeric keyword. Characters with "Hunter X" had +X strength when skirmishing a character without the hunter keyword. The keyword was very controversial, in large part because of the self-referential nature of the keyword; there were no cards printed before The Hunters with the hunter keyword, which meant that newer cards had a blatant advantage over older cards.

Some characters had the hunter keyword in place of other abilities that similar cards would have; for instance, {{Card|Gimli, Eager Hunter}} follows the pattern of most Gimli cards, having damage +1 and another ability, in this case hunter 3. However, many characters had hunter in addition to a normal set of rules text, adding to the sense of power creep in the set. As an example, {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}} has the ranger keyword, a strong maneuver ability, plus hunter 2.

===Unloaded Keywords===

The Hunters did not introduced any new unloaded keywords.

==Starter Decks==

Continuing the pattern from Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. Both decks contained sites from [[War of the Ring Block]], in part because The Hunters only had eight sites included in the set; this is the first time a starter deck had contained any cards from a previous block.

The face cards for the starter decks were {{Card|Aragorn, Swift Hunter}} and {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}}. Each deck contained contained four copies of its face card, rather than the usual two. The Aragorn deck is the second time that a face card companion was not intended to be played as part of the starting fellowship; instead, Aragorn was meant to be tutored using {{Card|15S189}}. The first time this happened was in the [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#TTT_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]] from the [[Two Towers]], which used the similar site {{Card|The Riddermark}} to tutor for Aragorn.

* [[Starter_Decks/Hunters_Block#TH_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Orc}}
* [[Starter_Decks/Hunters_Block#TH_Mauhur_Starter_Deck|Mauhur Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Three Hunters conditions
| {{Card|Whatever End}}
| {{Card|Focus}}
| {{Card|No Quicker Path}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Conditions with one ability that triggers each time one of the three hunters (Aragorn, Gimli, or Legolas) wins a skirmish, and another ability to discard the condition to make a companion strength +2.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Anti-large companion minions
| {{Card|Primitive Savage}}
| {{Card|Black Land Commander}}
| {{Card|Uruk Village Stormer}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Minions that increase in strength when you can spot a companion with strength 12 or more.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Anti-site replacement conditions
| {{Card|Rapid Reload}}
| {{Card|Orkish Camp}}
| {{Card|Defensive Rush}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Conditions that prevent the Free Peoples player from replacing certain sites.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|15S2}} (previously 1C2, 4C2, 7C1, and 11S2)
* {{Card|15C13}} (previously 4U62)
* {{Card|15C28}} (previously 6C27)
* {{Card|15C133}} (previously 4C287)
* {{Card|15C145}} (previously 1C299, 4C306, 7C319, and 11S166)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path in Shadows, Decipher began reprinting a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|15S189}} (previously 7U344) - Now adds one or two threats depending on whether you can spot a hunter minion, and does not remove threats when the fellowship moves.
* {{Card|15S190}} (previously 4U323) - Despite having the same name and art as the original site, the abilities are unrelated. The new site is more similar to the cycle of {{Card|Eastemnet Gullies}}, {{Card|Plains of Rohan}}, and {{Card|The Riddermark}}.
* {{Card|15U192}} (previously 7U331) - Despite having the same name and art as the original site, the abilities are unrelated.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|The One Ring, The Ring of Doom}}
* {{Card|15C60}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Swift Hunter}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}}
* {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}
* {{Card|Mountain-Troll}}
* {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}}

===X-Listed Cards===

* {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}} - X-listed in Standard on January 29, 2007

----

{{Set Table}}

----

The Hunters

2024-06-25T04:27:40Z

Eomund: Added site control as a returning theme

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|The Hunters|[[Main Page]]|[[Expanded Middle-earth]]|[[The Wraith Collection]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=15
|Name=The Hunters
|Abbr=TH
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2006-06-09
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''The Hunters''' is the first set in the [[Hunters Block]], and the fifteenth set overall. It was released on June 9, 2006, seven months later than originally planned.<ref>Based on the [[Oversized]] promotional card {{Card|4M1}}.</ref> While the set began a new block, it was much smaller than previous base sets (containing the same number of cards as the previous two expansion sets), and only contained eight sites, meaning that a player could not build a legal deck using only cards from The Hunters.

The set contained 194 cards (60 commons, 64 uncommons, 60 rares, and 10 starter deck-only cards). Unlike past sets, The Hunters did not contain any cards with [[Tengwar]] versions. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).

The Hunters is generally regarded as one of the most egregious examples of power creep, as it contained cards whose effectiveness far surpassed many before them. Some of these egregious examples of power creep are {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}}, {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}, {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}}, and {{Card|Mountain-Troll}}.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Most of the mechanics of The Hunters were focused around either the hunter keyword or the trio of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, named the three hunters in the books and movies. Ents were included in the set for the first time since [[Towers Block]] (appearing again in {{C|Gandalf}} with support from {{C|Shire}}), and site control returned after being absent in [[War of the Ring Block]] (appearing in {{C|Men}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}}).

===Cultures===

The Hunters continued with the same set of cultures as the previous [[War of the Ring Block]]. It did not feature any cameos from movie-era shadow cultures.

One card, {{Card|Forth the Three Hunters!}} appeared in three versions with identical rules text, but different cultures: {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Elven}}, and {{C|Gondor}}. Because deck construction was based on the name of a card, decks could include four copies of the card in total, in any combination of cultures.

The Hunters continued the trend from [[Black Rider]] of printing unique minions in different cultures than their original appearance, including:

* {{Card|Bill Ferny, Agent of Saruman}} originally appeared in {{C|Wraith}}
* {{Card|Mumak Commander, Giant Among the Swertings}} originally appeared in {{C|Raider}}
* {{Card|Gorbag, Filthy Rebel}} originally appeared in {{C|Wraith}}
* {{Card|Lurtz, Now Perfected}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Ugluk, Ugly Fellow}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}

In addition, The Hunters marked the first time that unique possessions were printed in new cultures. Both {{Card|Lurtz's Sword, Mighty Longsword}} and {{Card|Ugluk's Sword, Weapon of Command}} had original versions (without subtitles) printed in {{C|Isengard}}.

===New Loaded Keyword===

The Hunters introduced one new loaded keyword, [[Hunter]], a numeric keyword. Characters with "Hunter X" had +X strength when skirmishing a character without the hunter keyword. The keyword was very controversial, in large part because of the self-referential nature of the keyword; there were no cards printed before The Hunters with the hunter keyword, which meant that newer cards had a blatant advantage over older cards.

Some characters had the hunter keyword in place of other abilities that similar cards would have; for instance, {{Card|Gimli, Eager Hunter}} follows the pattern of most Gimli cards, having damage +1 and another ability, in this case hunter 3. However, many characters had hunter in addition to a normal set of rules text, adding to the sense of power creep in the set. As an example, {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}} has the ranger keyword, a strong maneuver ability, plus hunter 2.

===Unloaded Keywords===

The Hunters did not introduced any new unloaded keywords.

==Starter Decks==

Continuing the pattern from Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. Both decks contained sites from [[War of the Ring Block]], in part because The Hunters only had eight sites included in the set; this is the first time a starter deck had contained any cards from a previous block.

The face cards for the starter decks were {{Card|Aragorn, Swift Hunter}} and {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}}. Each deck contained contained four copies of its face card, rather than the usual two. The Aragorn deck is the second time that a face card companion was not intended to be played as part of the starting fellowship; instead, Aragorn was meant to be tutored using {{Card|15S189}}. The first time this happened was in the [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#TTT_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]] from the [[Two Towers]], which used the similar site {{Card|The Riddermark}} to tutor for Aragorn.

* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#TH_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Orc}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#TH_Mauhur_Starter_Deck|Mauhur Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Three Hunters conditions
| {{Card|Whatever End}}
| {{Card|Focus}}
| {{Card|No Quicker Path}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Conditions with one ability that triggers each time one of the three hunters (Aragorn, Gimli, or Legolas) wins a skirmish, and another ability to discard the condition to make a companion strength +2.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Anti-large companion minions
| {{Card|Primitive Savage}}
| {{Card|Black Land Commander}}
| {{Card|Uruk Village Stormer}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Minions that increase in strength when you can spot a companion with strength 12 or more.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Anti-site replacement conditions
| {{Card|Rapid Reload}}
| {{Card|Orkish Camp}}
| {{Card|Defensive Rush}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Conditions that prevent the Free Peoples player from replacing certain sites.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|15S2}} (previously 1C2, 4C2, 7C1, and 11S2)
* {{Card|15C13}} (previously 4U62)
* {{Card|15C28}} (previously 6C27)
* {{Card|15C133}} (previously 4C287)
* {{Card|15C145}} (previously 1C299, 4C306, 7C319, and 11S166)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path in Shadows, Decipher began reprinting a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|15S189}} (previously 7U344) - Now adds one or two threats depending on whether you can spot a hunter minion, and does not remove threats when the fellowship moves.
* {{Card|15S190}} (previously 4U323) - Despite having the same name and art as the original site, the abilities are unrelated. The new site is more similar to the cycle of {{Card|Eastemnet Gullies}}, {{Card|Plains of Rohan}}, and {{Card|The Riddermark}}.
* {{Card|15U192}} (previously 7U331) - Despite having the same name and art as the original site, the abilities are unrelated.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|The One Ring, The Ring of Doom}}
* {{Card|15C60}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Swift Hunter}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}}
* {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}
* {{Card|Mountain-Troll}}
* {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}}

===X-Listed Cards===

* {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}} - X-listed in Standard on January 29, 2007

----

{{Set Table}}

----

Rise of Saruman

2024-06-25T04:27:14Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a stub to a real set page!

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Rise of Saruman|[[Main Page]]|[[The Wraith Collection]]|[[Treachery & Deceit]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=17
|Name=Rise of Saruman
|Abbr=RoS
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2007-03-01
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Rise of Saruman''' is the first expansion set in the [[Hunters Block]] and the seventeenth set overall. It was released on March 1, 2007, one year later than originally planned.<ref>Based on the [[Oversized]] promotional card {{Card|4M1}}.</ref> The set is notable for containing a large number of errors and typos, due in large part to financial issues at Decipher.

The set contained 148 cards (38 commons, 42 uncommons, 60 rares, and 8 starter deck-only cards). Like in [[The Hunters]] none of the cards had [[Tengwar]] versions produced. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).

==Themes and Mechanics==

Rise of Saruman continued many of the themes of the previous set, including the focus on the hunter keyword, Ents, and site control. Rohan gained a curious theme of getting stronger while the Ringbearer was assigned to skirmish; some of the cards specifically call out Frodo, which is especially strange since none of the Rohirrim characters met Frodo until after the ring was destroyed. [[Pipeweed]] returned for the first time since [[Fellowship Block]], although it functioned differently in Rise of Saruman: the pipeweed cards were conditions (rather than possessions) and didn't need pipes to function.

The set contained {{Card|Faramir, Bearer of Quality}}, the final alternate ring-bearer printed in the game. It also included {{Card|Saruman, Servant of Sauron}}, the only [[Shadow]] [[follower]] ever produced.

===Cultures===

Rise of Saruman continued with the same set of cultures as [[The Hunters]], with the exception of {{C|Gollum}}. It featured cameos from the Movie-era shadow cultures: two cards from {{C|Isengard}} and one from {{C|Sauron}}.

The set included the only companion to ever be printed outside of its primary culture: {{Card|Aragorn, Defender of Rohan}} in {{C|Rohan}}.

In keeping with its name, Rise of Saruman contained five versions of Saruman: one in {{C|Men}}, two in {{C|Isengard}} (one minion and one follower), and two in {{C|Uruk-hai}}.

The set also printed {{Card|Grishnakh, Treacherous Captain}}, a unique minion whose character had previously appeared in {{C|Sauron}}.

==Starter Decks==

Continuing the pattern from Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. As in [[The Hunters]] starter decks, both decks contained sites from [[War of the Ring Block]]; with the release of Rise of Saruman, there were now 12 sites in [[Hunters Block]].

Uniquely among the game's starter decks, the decks named after the shadow culture in the deck rather than a specific character. Also uniquely, the Uruk Rampage deck only contained eight sites (it mistakenly included a fifth copy of {{Card|White Hand Guard}} instead); this mistake is fixed in all digital versions of the deck.

* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#RoS_Uruk_Rampage_Starter_Deck|Uruk Rampage Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#RoS_Evil_Man_Starter_Deck|Evil Man Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Men}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Mixed Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Isengard}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Throne artifacts
| {{Card|Throne of Minas Tirith}}
| {{Card|Throne of Isengard}}
| {{Card|Throne of the Golden Hall}}
| {{Card|Throne of the Dark Lord}}
|-
|colspan="4" | The only cycle in the game to contain both free peoples and shadow cards (citation needed), the cards did not have many similarities beyond their names and types.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Rise of Saruman did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Faramir, Bearer of Quality}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Defender of Rohan}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Servant of Sauron}}
* {{Card|Merry, In the Bloom of Health}}
* {{Card|Pippin, In the Bloom of Health}}

----

{{Set Table}}

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Unloaded Keywords

2024-06-23T22:37:43Z

Eomund: Added a link to a Boromir card that actually has the Aragorn signet

[[File:LOTR-EN00S065.0_card.jpg|frame|right|This version of Boromir has 4 unloaded keywords: [[Knight]], [[Ranger]], [[Ring-bound]], and [[Man]]. Until another card interacts with one of those keywords, this Boromir is a walking stat block and nothing else.|link=Boromir, Steward's Heir (0P65)]]

'''Unloaded Keywords''' are bold one-word labels included in the game text of many cards. They do not confer any special meaning in and of themselves, but merely further describe what the card is and represents. For instance, a card with the keyword [[Ranger]] (such as {{Card|Boromir, Steward's Heir}}, shown to the right) has no inherent advantage over another character. However, another card (such as {{Card|Pathfinder}}) may have a cost or effect that can only be satisfied by a Ranger – in the case of Pathfinder, you cannot use it unless you can spot a Ranger on the table. Unloaded Keywords therefore are usually used to define sub-Cultures, such as [[Ranger]]s and [[Knight]]s within {{C|Gondor}}, or [[Easterling]]s, [[Southron]]s, and [[Corsair]]s within {{C|Raider}}. Many specific strategies boost a particular Unloaded Keyword ({{Card|Swordsman of the Northern Kingdom}}), or weaken it ({{Card|Uruk Scout}}).

Almost all Character cards – that is to say, [[Companion]], [[Ally]], and [[Minion]] cards – come with at least one built-in Unloaded keyword: their [[Race]]. Boromir, shown to the right, has his Race listed just below his portrait: [[Man]].

Most Companion cards in [[Movie Block]] (with the exception of non-unique Companions and many of the less-important Unique ones) have a [[Signet]] that can for all intents and purposes be treated as an Unloaded Keyword. {{Card|Boromir, Lord of Gondor}} has the Aragorn signet, and it's just as if had "'''Aragorn-Friendly'''" printed on the card as a keyword.

In addition, all companions (but not allies or minions) that are not explicitly stated to be [[Ring-bound]] have the hidden [[Unbound]] keyword.

See the pages for the keywords below for in-depth discussion as to an individual keyword's influence, or see [[loaded_keyword|Loaded Keywords]] for an explanation for all other bolded keywords.

{{Unloaded Keyword Table}}

Black Rider

2024-06-23T22:29:43Z

Eomund: Added note about standard rotation

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Black Rider|[[Main Page]]|[[Shadows]]|[[Bloodlines]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=12
|Name=Black Rider
|Abbr=BR
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2005-03-18
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Black Rider''' is the first expansion set in the [[War of the Ring Block]] and the twelfth set overall. It was released on March 18, 2005. The set contained 194 cards (60 commons, 60 uncommons, 60 rares, and 14 starter deck-only cards); five rares and one starter deck-only card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

As with the previous set, [[Shadows]], only a small number of cards had a foil version printed. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF; these cards replaced the non-foil rare in one out of every nine packs. New in Black Rider, nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text). Legends Masterworks cards replaced the non-foil rare in one out of every 35 packs, meaning that some type of foil appeared at the same rate as in Shadows (approximately 1 in 7 packs).<ref>Decipher's Black Rider press release: [http://web.archive.org/web/20050205055957/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2005/01/011105lotrblackrider.html]</ref>

With the release of Black Rider, sets rotated out of the [[Standard]] format for the first time. In order to keep Standard to a manageable card pool, all three [[Fellowship Block]] sets were removed from standard. For this reason, Black Rider contained reprints of a number of Fellowship Block cards that Decipher wanted to remain available in the format.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Black Rider did not introduce any new themes or mechanics, but built on the material introduced in [[Shadows]]. That included the loaded keywords ([[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]]), the new companion attribute of [[resistance]], and the increased focus on [[site]] keywords and [[site manipulation]].

===Cultures===

Black Rider continued the same cultures as Shadows, although it included four cameo cards from the Movie-era shadow cultures: one card from {{C|Isengard}}, two from {{C|Moria}}, and one from {{C|Sauron}}.

Black Rider marked the first time that a character appeared in a different culture than its original printing. Five unique minions appeared in new cultures:

* {{Card|Castamir of Umbar, Corsair Vandal}} originally appeared in {{C|Raider}}
* {{Card|Grima, Betrayer of Rohan}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Cave Troll of Moria, Savage Menace}} originally appeared in {{C|Moria}}
* {{Card|Troll's Keyward, Keeper of the Beast}} originally appeared in {{C|Moria}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}

Adding to the flexibility of cultures, two characters appeared in multiple cultures within Black Rider itself: Saruman appeared in both {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}}, while the Mouth of Sauron appeared in both {{C|Men}} and {{C|Sauron}}. Interestingly, these characters were also the face cards of the two starter decks.

As the set name suggests, Black Rider had a slight focus on the {{C|Wraith}} culture, with all nine [[Nazgul]] getting a version. In addition, the first non-unique [[Nazgul]] minion was printed, {{Card|Black Rider}}. This is the only card in the game to share a name with a set.

==Starter Decks==

Black Rider was the only set where the face card for both starter decks were minions: {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Messenger of Mordor}} and {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}}. Only one previous starter deck had a shadow card as a face card ({{Card|The Witch-King, Deathless Lord}} in [[Ents of Fangorn]]), and it would only happen once more in a future set ({{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}} in [[The Hunters]]). The starter decks in [[Rise of Saruman]] were both named after their shadow side, but were not named after a particular face card.

Continuing the pattern from [[Shadows]], many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S.

* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BR_The_Mouth_of_Sauron_Starter_Deck|The Mouth of Sauron Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Men}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BR_Saruman_Starter_Deck|Saruman Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Each of the following" conditions
| {{Card|His Father's Charge}}
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Tireless}}
| {{Card|Cleaving a Path}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that discard to increase a characters strength by "+1 for each of the following that is true:"
|-
|rowspan="2" | Location-punishing cards
| {{Card|Stalwart Support}}
| {{Card|Taking the High Ground}}
| {{Card|Gandalf's Hat}}
| {{Card|Gondorian Steed}}
| {{Card|Coif}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions and possessions that have a penalty if the followship moves from a site with a keyword that is not aligned with the culture.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
! {{C|Wraith}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | 6-companion conditions
| {{Card|Hemmed In}}
| {{Card|Great Cost}}
| {{Card|Shingle in a Storm}}
| {{Card|Unending Life}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Conditions with one ability that spots 6 companions, and a second ability with "discard this condition" as a cost.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Common hand weapon
| {{Card|War Trident}}
| {{Card|Orc Spear}}
| {{Card|Weapon of Opportunity}}
| {{Card|Nazgul Blade}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common hand weapons with a cost of 1 twilight.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Location-locked minions
| {{Card|Wrathful Hillman}}
| {{Card|Orc Dreg}}
| {{Card|Uruk Common}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="4" | Minions that are discarded when assigned to skirmish unless they are at a site with a keyword their culture likes, or unless the shadow player pays 2.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Uncommon toil event
| {{Card|Gathering Strength}}
| {{Card|Storming the Ramparts}}
| {{Card|Broken Heirloom}}
| {{Card|Minas Morgul Answers}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Uncommons event with the [[toil]] keyword.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|12U5}} (previously 2U3)
* {{Card|12U11}} (previously 1R23)
* {{Card|12R19}} (previously 3R21)
* {{Card|12U25}} (previously 3R29)
* {{Card|12C31}} (previously 1C78)
* {{Card|12U43}} (previously 3P122)
* {{Card|12C46}} (previously 1C103)
* {{Card|12R127}} (previously 1R307)
* {{Card|12R128}} (previously 2R112)
* {{Card|12U165}} (previously 1R214)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path in [[Shadows]], Decipher began reprinting a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|12U186}} (previously 1C349) - Added the battleground keyword, removed the search ability, and adjusted the cost reduction to -3 instead of -6.
* {{Card|12I187}} (previously 1U360) - Added the mountain keyword, and gave the maneuver ability a cost of 2 and a restriction to only affect minions that are not already fierce (presumably to prevent players from repeatedly exerting an [[enduring]] minion).
* {{Card|12U191}} (previously 1U359) - Restricted the ability to only spot {{C|Orc}} Orcs instead of Orcs from any culture.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Saruman, Of Many Colours}}
* {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Messenger of Mordor}}
* {{Card|The Balrog, The Terror of Khazad-dum}}
* {{Card|Whip of Many Thongs, Weapon of Flame and Shadow}}
* {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Lieutenant of Barad-dur}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}}
* {{Card|Black Rider}}
* {{Card|The Witch-King, Black Lord}}
* {{Card|The Witch-King's Beast, Fell Creature}}

----

{{Set Table}}

----

Bloodlines

2024-06-23T22:25:47Z

Eomund: Fixed a typo and added X-list section

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Bloodlines|[[Main Page]]|[[Black Rider]]|[[Expanded Middle-earth]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=13
|Name=Bloodlines
|Abbr=BL
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2005-08-12
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Bloodlines''' is the second expansion set in the [[War of the Ring Block]] and the thirteenth set overall. It was released on August 12, 2005. The set contained 194 cards (60 commons, 60 uncommons, 60 rares, and 14 starter deck-only cards); five rares and one starter deck-only card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).

==Themes and Mechanics==

Bloodlines had a mechanical focus on culture tokens, and introduced a new game action: culture counters could now be [[Culture Tokens|reinforced]], meaning a player could add a token to a card that already had at least one. Previously, tokens could only be added by the card that used them, which meant that a powerful token-based card could be balanced by making the tokens difficult to obtain. By allowing tokens to be added by separate cards (which may have less stringent requirements), certain combinations became very powerful.

The set continued to use the loaded keywords introduced in [[Shadows]] ([[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]]), but at much lower rates. Similarly, the set had a reduced focus on [[site]] keywords and [[resistance]] (the latter of which was focused almost entirely in the {{C|Gondor}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}} cultures).

Bloodlines also added some cards that played into the themes of [[Reflections]], with new alternate ring-bearers ({{Card|Gandalf, Bearer of Obligation}} and {{Card|Sam, Bearer of Great Need}}), characters from the past ({{Card|Elendil, High-King of Gondor}}, {{Card|Isildur, Heir of Elendil}}, and {{Card|Sauron, Dark Lord of Mordor}}), and the first (and only) version of Frodo that was not a ring-bearer ({{Card|Frodo, Frenzied Fighter}}).

Appropriate to the name, there was a small theme of referencing specific unique companions in family groups, such as on {{Card|Faramir, Prince of Ithilien}} and {{Card|King's Board}}.

===Cultures===

Bloodlines continued the same cultures as Shadows and Black Rider, although there were far fewer {{C|Wraith}} cards and more {{C|Gollum}} cards. Bloodlines again included cameo cards from the Movie-era shadow cultures: four cards from {{C|Isengard}} and two from {{C|Sauron}}.

{{Card|Brego, Loyal Steed}} was the first time a unique Free Peoples card appeared in a different culture than it was originally printed (moving from {{C|Rohan}} to {{C|Gondor}}). The previous set, [[Black Rider]] had printed similar culture-shifted characters, but only for Shadow cultures.

===New Card Type===

For the first time since the game began, Bloodlines introduced a new card type: [[Follower]]. Followers were meant to replace [[Ally|allies]], but functioned quite differently. Followers played to your support area and could be attached to a companion by paying a cost (called an "aid" cost) during the maneuver phase. When the Free Peoples player reconciled in the regroup phase, all followers returned the support area, and could be re-attached on future turns.

While followers were named and concepted as characters, they did not count as characters mechanically, and would be placed in the discard pile (not the dead pile) if they were removed from play. However, some unique followers shared a name with unique companions (such as {{Card|Radagast, the Brown}} and {{Card|Radagast, Tender of Beasts}}); following the uniqueness rule, if either of these cards is in play or the dead pile, the other cannot be played.

==Starter Decks==

Continuing the pattern from [[Shadows]], many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. The face cards for the starter decks were {{Card|Arwen, Reflection of Luthien}} and {{Card|Boromir, Doomed Heir}}.

* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BL_Arwen_Starter_Deck|Arwen Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Orc}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BL_Boromir_Starter_Deck|Boromir Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Men}}

==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" | "Each of the following" conditions
| {{Card|His Father's Charge}}
| {{Card|Standing Tall}}
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Tireless}}
| {{Card|Cleaving a Path}}
| {{Card|Don't Let Go}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Conditions that discard to increase a characters strength by "+1 for each of the following that is true." This cycle contains cards from both [[Black Rider]] and Bloodlines.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Free" events
| {{Card|Dwarf-lords}}
| {{Card|Kindreds Estranged}}
| {{Card|Look to My Coming}}
| {{Card|Naked Waste}}
| {{Card|Banners Blowing}}
| {{Card|Hurried Barrows}}
| {{Card|Everything but My Bones}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Events that can be played for zero twilight by removing 4 cards of the matching culture from your discard pile.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Homestead Conditions
| {{Card|Subterranean Homestead}}
| {{Card|Secluded Homestead}}
| {{Card|Traveler's Homestead}}
| {{Card|Gladden Homestead}}
| {{Card|Storied Homestead}}
| {{Card|Wind-swept Homestead}}
| {{Card|Humble Homestead}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Conditions that enter with a variable number of culture tokens, and have an ability that can be played by removing two tokens or discarding the condition. Four of the conditions add the initial culture tokens based on the number of sites on the adventure path with particular keywords.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Unique Mounts
| {{Card|Arod, Rohirrim Steed}}
| {{Card|Asfaloth, Swift Blossom}}
| {{Card|Shadowfax, Roaring Wind}}
| {{Card|Fishing Boat}}
| {{Card|Brego, Loyal Steed}}
| {{Card|Snowmane, Noble Mearas}}
| {{Card|Bill the Pony, Dearly-loved}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Mounts (with the exception of Fishing Boat) that reinforce a culture token when played, and have a single special ability with a cost of two tokens. {{Card|Firefoot, Mearas of The Mark}} is very similar to the cards in this cycle, but doesn't match the others as closely as Snowmane.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="6" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Gollum}}
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
! {{C|Wraith}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Each of the following" conditions
| N/A
| {{Card|Driven From the Plains}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Endless Assault}}
| {{Card|Unimpeded}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Conditions that discard to increase a characters strength by "+1 for each of the following that is true." This cycle contains cards from both [[Black Rider]] and Bloodlines.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Free" events
| {{Card|Cunningly Hidden}}
| {{Card|Fires Brightly Burning}}
| {{Card|Defiled}}
| {{Card|New Enemy}}
| {{Card|From Hideous Eyrie}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Events that can be played for zero twilight by removing 4 cards of the matching culture from your discard pile.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Region-based cards
| {{Card|Little Snuffler}}
| {{Card|Voice of the Desert, Southron Troop}}
| {{Card|Chamber Patrol}}
| {{Card|Uruk Blitz}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="5" | Cards with different abilities depending on the current region.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "When you play this, add a token for each" conditions
| N/A
| {{Card|Howdah}}
| {{Card|Always Threatening}}
| {{Card|Weapons of Control}}
| {{Card|They Came From Mordor}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Conditions that enter the support area with a culture token for each (something) you spot.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Bloodlines did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Similar Sites==

Unlike [[Shadows]] and [[Black Rider]], Decipher did not reprint any sites with modifications to fit the new site path. One site, {{Card|13S186}}, shares a name with a previously printed site ({{Card|4U352}}), but the cards have no similarities beyond the name and the fact that both have the underground keyword.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Arod, Rohirrim Steed}}
* {{Card|Arwen, Reflection of Luthien}}
* {{Card|Gandalf, Bearer of Obligation}}
* {{Card|The Palantir of Orthanc, Recovered Seeing Stone}}
* {{Card|Elendil, High-King of Gondor}}
* {{Card|Faramir, Prince of Ithilien}}
* {{Card|Isildur, Heir of Elendil}}
* {{Card|Kings' Legacy}}
* {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}}
* {{Card|King's Board}}
* {{Card|Sauron, Dark Lord of Mordor}}
* {{Card|Sceptre of the Dark Lord}}
* {{Card|Frodo, Frenzied Fighter}}
* {{Card|Sam, Bearer of Great Need}}

===X-Listed Cards===

* {{Card|Courtyard Parapet}} - X-listed in Standard on January 29, 2007

----

{{Set Table}}

The Hunters

2024-06-23T22:22:04Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a single short paragraph

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|The Hunters|[[Main Page]]|[[Expanded Middle-earth]]|[[The Wraith Collection]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=15
|Name=The Hunters
|Abbr=TH
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2006-06-09
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''The Hunters''' is the first set in the [[Hunters Block]], and the fifteenth set overall. It was released on June 9, 2006, seven months later than originally planned.<ref>Based on the [[Oversized]] promotional card {{Card|4M1}}.</ref> While the set began a new block, it was much smaller than previous base sets (containing the same number of cards as the previous two expansion sets), and only contained eight sites, meaning that a player could not build a legal deck using only cards from The Hunters.

The set contained 194 cards (60 commons, 64 uncommons, 60 rares, and 10 starter deck-only cards). Unlike past sets, The Hunters did not contain any cards with [[Tengwar]] versions. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).

The Hunters is generally regarded as one of the most egregious examples of power creep, as it contained cards whose effectiveness far surpassed many before them. Some of these egregious examples of power creep are {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}}, {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}, {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}}, and {{Card|Mountain-Troll}}.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Most of the mechanics of The Hunters were focused around either the hunter keyword or the trio of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, named the three hunters in the books and movies. Ents were included in the set for the first time since [[Towers Block]].

===Cultures===

The Hunters continued with the same set of cultures as the previous [[War of the Ring Block]]. It did not feature any cameos from movie-era shadow cultures.

One card, {{Card|Forth the Three Hunters!}} appeared in three versions with identical rules text, but different cultures: {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Elven}}, and {{C|Gondor}}. Because deck construction was based on the name of a card, decks could include four copies of the card in total, in any combination of cultures.

The Hunters continued the trend from [[Black Rider]] of printing unique minions in different cultures than their original appearance, including:

* {{Card|Bill Ferny, Agent of Saruman}} originally appeared in {{C|Wraith}}
* {{Card|Mumak Commander, Giant Among the Swertings}} originally appeared in {{C|Raider}}
* {{Card|Gorbag, Filthy Rebel}} originally appeared in {{C|Wraith}}
* {{Card|Lurtz, Now Perfected}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Ugluk, Ugly Fellow}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}

In addition, The Hunters marked the first time that unique possessions were printed in new cultures. Both {{Card|Lurtz's Sword, Mighty Longsword}} and {{Card|Ugluk's Sword, Weapon of Command}} had original versions (without subtitles) printed in {{C|Isengard}}.

===New Loaded Keyword===

The Hunters introduced one new loaded keyword, [[Hunter]], a numeric keyword. Characters with "Hunter X" had +X strength when skirmishing a character without the hunter keyword. The keyword was very controversial, in large part because of the self-referential nature of the keyword; there were no cards printed before The Hunters with the hunter keyword, which meant that newer cards had a blatant advantage over older cards.

Some characters had the hunter keyword in place of other abilities that similar cards would have; for instance, {{Card|Gimli, Eager Hunter}} follows the pattern of most Gimli cards, having damage +1 and another ability, in this case hunter 3. However, many characters had hunter in addition to a normal set of rules text, adding to the sense of power creep in the set. As an example, {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}} has the ranger keyword, a strong maneuver ability, plus hunter 2.

===Unloaded Keywords===

The Hunters did not introduced any new unloaded keywords.

==Starter Decks==

Continuing the pattern from Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. Uniquely among the game's starter decks, both decks contained cards (specifically, sites) from the previous [[War of the Ring Block]], in part because The Hunters only had eight sites included in the set.

The face cards for the starter decks were {{Card|Aragorn, Swift Hunter}} and {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}}. Each deck contained contained four copies of its face card, rather than the usual two. The Aragorn deck is the second time that a face card companion was not intended to be played as part of the starting fellowship; instead, Aragorn was meant to be tutored using {{Card|15S189}}. The first time this happened was in the [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#TTT_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]] from the [[Two Towers]], which used the similar site {{Card|The Riddermark}} to tutor for Aragorn.

* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#TH_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Orc}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#TH_Mauhur_Starter_Deck|Mauhur Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Three Hunters conditions
| {{Card|Whatever End}}
| {{Card|Focus}}
| {{Card|No Quicker Path}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Conditions with one ability that triggers each time one of the three hunters (Aragorn, Gimli, or Legolas) wins a skirmish, and another ability to discard the condition to make a companion strength +2.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Anti-large companion minions
| {{Card|Primitive Savage}}
| {{Card|Black Land Commander}}
| {{Card|Uruk Village Stormer}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Minions that increase in strength when you can spot a companion with strength 12 or more.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Anti-site replacement conditions
| {{Card|Rapid Reload}}
| {{Card|Orkish Camp}}
| {{Card|Defensive Rush}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Conditions that prevent the Free Peoples player from replacing certain sites.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|15S2}} (previously 1C2, 4C2, 7C1, and 11S2)
* {{Card|15C13}} (previously 4U62)
* {{Card|15C28}} (previously 6C27)
* {{Card|15C133}} (previously 4C287)
* {{Card|15C145}} (previously 1C299, 4C306, 7C319, and 11S166)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path in Shadows, Decipher began reprinting a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|15S189}} (previously 7U344) - Now adds one or two threats depending on whether you can spot a hunter minion, and does not remove threats when the fellowship moves.
* {{Card|15S190}} (previously 4U323) - Despite having the same name and art as the original site, the abilities are unrelated. The new site is more similar to the cycle of {{Card|Eastemnet Gullies}}, {{Card|Plains of Rohan}}, and {{Card|The Riddermark}}.
* {{Card|15U192}} (previously 7U331) - Despite having the same name and art as the original site, the abilities are unrelated.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|The One Ring, The Ring of Doom}}
* {{Card|15C60}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Swift Hunter}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Thorongil}}
* {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}
* {{Card|Mountain-Troll}}
* {{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}}

===X-Listed Cards===

* {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}} - X-listed in Standard on January 29, 2007

----

{{Set Table}}

----

Bloodlines

2024-06-22T20:09:56Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a stub to a real set page!

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Bloodlines|[[Main Page]]|[[Black Rider]]|[[Expanded Middle-earth]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=13
|Name=Bloodlines
|Abbr=BL
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2005-08-12
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Black Rider''' is the second expansion set in the [[War of the Ring Block]] and the thirteenth set overall. It was released on August 12, 2005. The set contained 194 cards (60 commons, 60 uncommons, 60 rares, and 14 starter deck-only cards); five rares and one starter deck-only card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).

==Themes and Mechanics==

Bloodlines had a mechanical focus on culture tokens, and introduced a new game action: culture counters could now be [[Culture Tokens|reinforced]], meaning a player could add a token to a card that already had at least one. Previously, tokens could only be added by the card that used them, which meant that a powerful token-based card could be balanced by making the tokens difficult to obtain. By allowing tokens to be added by separate cards (which may have less stringent requirements), certain combinations became very powerful.

The set continued to use the loaded keywords introduced in [[Shadows]] ([[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]]), but at much lower rates. Similarly, the set had a reduced focus on [[site]] keywords and [[resistance]] (the latter of which was focused almost entirely in the {{C|Gondor}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}} cultures).

Bloodlines also added some cards that played into the themes of [[Reflections]], with new alternate ring-bearers ({{Card|Gandalf, Bearer of Obligation}} and {{Card|Sam, Bearer of Great Need}}), characters from the past ({{Card|Elendil, High-King of Gondor}}, {{Card|Isildur, Heir of Elendil}}, and {{Card|Sauron, Dark Lord of Mordor}}), and the first (and only) version of Frodo that was not a ring-bearer ({{Card|Frodo, Frenzied Fighter}}).

Appropriate to the name, there was a small theme of referencing specific unique companions in family groups, such as on {{Card|Faramir, Prince of Ithilien}} and {{Card|King's Board}}.

===Cultures===

Bloodlines continued the same cultures as Shadows and Black Rider, although there were far fewer {{C|Wraith}} cards and more {{C|Gollum}} cards. Bloodlines again included cameo cards from the Movie-era shadow cultures: four cards from {{C|Isengard}} and two from {{C|Sauron}}.

{{Card|Brego, Loyal Steed}} was the first time a unique Free Peoples card appeared in a different culture than it was originally printed (moving from {{C|Rohan}} to {{C|Gondor}}). The previous set, [[Black Rider]] had printed similar culture-shifted characters, but only for Shadow cultures.

===New Card Type===

For the first time since the game began, Bloodlines introduced a new card type: [[Follower]]. Followers were meant to replace [[Ally|allies]], but functioned quite differently. Followers played to your support area and could be attached to a companion by paying a cost (called an "aid" cost) during the maneuver phase. When the Free Peoples player reconciled in the regroup phase, all followers returned the support area, and could be re-attached on future turns.

While followers were named and concepted as characters, they did not count as characters mechanically, and would be placed in the discard pile (not the dead pile) if they were removed from play. However, some unique followers shared a name with unique companions (such as {{Card|Radagast, the Brown}} and {{Card|Radagast, Tender of Beasts}}); following the uniqueness rule, if either of these cards is in play or the dead pile, the other cannot be played.

==Starter Decks==

Continuing the pattern from [[Shadows]], many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. The face cards for the starter decks were {{Card|Arwen, Reflection of Luthien}} and {{Card|Boromir, Doomed Heir}}.

* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BL_Arwen_Starter_Deck|Arwen Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Orc}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BL_Boromir_Starter_Deck|Boromir Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Men}}

==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" | "Each of the following" conditions
| {{Card|His Father's Charge}}
| {{Card|Standing Tall}}
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Tireless}}
| {{Card|Cleaving a Path}}
| {{Card|Don't Let Go}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Conditions that discard to increase a characters strength by "+1 for each of the following that is true." This cycle contains cards from both [[Black Rider]] and Bloodlines.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Free" events
| {{Card|Dwarf-lords}}
| {{Card|Kindreds Estranged}}
| {{Card|Look to My Coming}}
| {{Card|Naked Waste}}
| {{Card|Banners Blowing}}
| {{Card|Hurried Barrows}}
| {{Card|Everything but My Bones}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Events that can be played for zero twilight by removing 4 cards of the matching culture from your discard pile.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Homestead Conditions
| {{Card|Subterranean Homestead}}
| {{Card|Secluded Homestead}}
| {{Card|Traveler's Homestead}}
| {{Card|Gladden Homestead}}
| {{Card|Storied Homestead}}
| {{Card|Wind-swept Homestead}}
| {{Card|Humble Homestead}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Conditions that enter with a variable number of culture tokens, and have an ability that can be played by removing two tokens or discarding the condition. Four of the conditions add the initial culture tokens based on the number of sites on the adventure path with particular keywords.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Unique Mounts
| {{Card|Arod, Rohirrim Steed}}
| {{Card|Asfaloth, Swift Blossom}}
| {{Card|Shadowfax, Roaring Wind}
| {{Card|Fishing Boat}}
| {{Card|Brego, Loyal Steed}}
| {{Card|Snowmane, Noble Mearas}}
| {{Card|Bill the Pony, Dearly-loved}}
|-
|colspan="7" | Mounts (with the exception of Fishing Boat) that reinforce a culture token when played, and have a single special ability with a cost of two tokens. {{Card|Firefoot, Mearas of The Mark}} is very similar to the cards in this cycle, but doesn't match the others as closely as Snowmane.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="6" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Gollum}}
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
! {{C|Wraith}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Each of the following" conditions
| N/A
| {{Card|Driven From the Plains}}
| N/A
| {{Card|Endless Assault}}
| {{Card|Unimpeded}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Conditions that discard to increase a characters strength by "+1 for each of the following that is true." This cycle contains cards from both [[Black Rider]] and Bloodlines.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Free" events
| {{Card|Cunningly Hidden}}
| {{Card|Fires Brightly Burning}}
| {{Card|Defiled}}
| {{Card|New Enemy}}
| {{Card|From Hideous Eyrie}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Events that can be played for zero twilight by removing 4 cards of the matching culture from your discard pile.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Region-based cards
| {{Card|Little Snuffler}}
| {{Card|Voice of the Desert, Southron Troop}}
| {{Card|Chamber Patrol}}
| {{Card|Uruk Blitz}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="5" | Cards with different abilities depending on the current region.
|-
|rowspan="2" | "When you play this, add a token for each" conditions
| N/A
| {{Card|Howdah}}
| {{Card|Always Threatening}}
| {{Card|Weapons of Control}}
| {{Card|They Came From Mordor}}
|-
|colspan="5" | Conditions that enter the support area with a culture token for each (something) you spot.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Bloodlines did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Similar Sites==

Unlike [[Shadows]] and [[Black Rider]], Decipher did not reprint any sites with modifications to fit the new site path. One site, {{Card|13S186}}, shares a name with a previously printed site ({{Card|4U352}}), but the cards have no similarities beyond the name and the fact that both have the underground keyword.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Arod, Rohirrim Steed}}
* {{Card|Arwen, Reflection of Luthien}}
* {{Card|Gandalf, Bearer of Obligation}}
* {{Card|The Palantir of Orthanc, Recovered Seeing Stone}}
* {{Card|Elendil, High-King of Gondor}}
* {{Card|Faramir, Prince of Ithilien}}
* {{Card|Isildur, Heir of Elendil}}
* {{Card|Kings' Legacy}}
* {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}}
* {{Card|King's Board}}
* {{Card|Sauron, Dark Lord of Mordor}}
* {{Card|Sceptre of the Dark Lord}}
* {{Card|Frodo, Frenzied Fighter}}
* {{Card|Sam, Bearer of Great Need}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Black Rider

2024-06-22T18:36:07Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a stub to a real set page!

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Black Rider|[[Main Page]]|[[Shadows]]|[[Bloodlines]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=12
|Name=Black Rider
|Abbr=BR
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2005-03-18
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Black Rider''' is the first expansion set in the [[War of the Ring Block]] and the twelfth set overall. It was released on March 18, 2005. The set contained 194 cards (60 commons, 60 uncommons, 60 rares, and 14 starter deck-only cards); five rares and one starter deck-only card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

As with the previous set, [[Shadows]], only a small number of cards had a foil version printed. Eighteen rares had a foil [[Legends]] version with rarity symbol RF; these cards replaced the non-foil rare in one out of every nine packs. New in Black Rider, nine rares had an alternate-frame foil [[Legends Masterworks]] version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text). Legends Masterworks cards replaced the non-foil rare in one out of every 35 packs, meaning that some type of foil appeared at the same rate as in Shadows (approximately 1 in 7 packs).<ref>Decipher's Black Rider press release: [http://web.archive.org/web/20050205055957/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2005/01/011105lotrblackrider.html]</ref>

==Themes and Mechanics==

Black Rider did not introduce any new themes or mechanics, but built on the material introduced in [[Shadows]]. That included the loaded keywords ([[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]]), the new companion attribute of [[resistance]], and the increased focus on [[site]] keywords and [[site manipulation]].

===Cultures===

Black Rider continued the same cultures as Shadows, although it included four cameo cards from the Movie-era shadow cultures: one card from {{C|Isengard}}, two from {{C|Moria}}, and one from {{C|Sauron}}.

Black Rider marked the first time that a character appeared in a different culture than its original printing. Five unique minions appeared in new cultures:

* {{Card|Castamir of Umbar, Corsair Vandal}} originally appeared in {{C|Raider}}
* {{Card|Grima, Betrayer of Rohan}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}
* {{Card|Cave Troll of Moria, Savage Menace}} originally appeared in {{C|Moria}}
* {{Card|Troll's Keyward, Keeper of the Beast}} originally appeared in {{C|Moria}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}} originally appeared in {{C|Isengard}}

Adding to the flexibility of cultures, two characters appeared in multiple cultures within Black Rider itself: Saruman appeared in both {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}}, while the Mouth of Sauron appeared in both {{C|Men}} and {{C|Sauron}}. Interestingly, these characters were also the face cards of the two starter decks.

As the set name suggests, Black Rider had a slight focus on the {{C|Wraith}} culture, with all nine [[Nazgul]] getting a version. In addition, the first non-unique [[Nazgul]] minion was printed, {{Card|Black Rider}}. This is the only card in the game to share a name with a set.

==Starter Decks==

Black Rider was the only set where the face card for both starter decks were minions: {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Messenger of Mordor}} and {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}}. Only one previous starter deck had a shadow card as a face card ({{Card|The Witch-King, Deathless Lord}} in [[Ents of Fangorn]]), and it would only happen once more in a future set ({{Card|Mauhur, Relentless Hunter}} in [[The Hunters]]). The starter decks in [[Rise of Saruman]] were both named after their shadow side, but were not named after a particular face card.

Continuing the pattern from [[Shadows]], many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S.

* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BR_The_Mouth_of_Sauron_Starter_Deck|The Mouth of Sauron Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Men}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#BR_Saruman_Starter_Deck|Saruman Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | "Each of the following" conditions
| {{Card|His Father's Charge}}
| N/A
| N/A
| {{Card|Tireless}}
| {{Card|Cleaving a Path}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that discard to increase a characters strength by "+1 for each of the following that is true:"
|-
|rowspan="2" | Location-punishing cards
| {{Card|Stalwart Support}}
| {{Card|Taking the High Ground}}
| {{Card|Gandalf's Hat}}
| {{Card|Gondorian Steed}}
| {{Card|Coif}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions and possessions that have a penalty if the followship moves from a site with a keyword that is not aligned with the culture.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
! {{C|Wraith}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | 6-companion conditions
| {{Card|Hemmed In}}
| {{Card|Great Cost}}
| {{Card|Shingle in a Storm}}
| {{Card|Unending Life}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Conditions with one ability that spots 6 companions, and a second ability with "discard this condition" as a cost.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Common hand weapon
| {{Card|War Trident}}
| {{Card|Orc Spear}}
| {{Card|Weapon of Opportunity}}
| {{Card|Nazgul Blade}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common hand weapons with a cost of 1 twilight.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Location-locked minions
| {{Card|Wrathful Hillman}}
| {{Card|Orc Dreg}}
| {{Card|Uruk Common}}
| N/A
|-
|colspan="4" | Minions that are discarded when assigned to skirmish unless they are at a site with a keyword their culture likes, or unless the shadow player pays 2.
|-
|rowspan="2" | Uncommon toil event
| {{Card|Gathering Strength}}
| {{Card|Storming the Ramparts}}
| {{Card|Broken Heirloom}}
| {{Card|Minas Morgul Answers}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Uncommons event with the [[toil]] keyword.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|12U5}} (previously 2U3)
* {{Card|12U11}} (previously 1R23)
* {{Card|12R19}} (previously 3R21)
* {{Card|12U25}} (previously 3R29)
* {{Card|12C31}} (previously 1C78)
* {{Card|12U43}} (previously 3P122)
* {{Card|12C46}} (previously 1C103)
* {{Card|12R127}} (previously 1R307)
* {{Card|12R128}} (previously 2R112)
* {{Card|12U165}} (previously 1R214)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path in [[Shadows]], Decipher began reprinting a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|12U186}} (previously 1C349) - Added the battleground keyword, removed the search ability, and adjusted the cost reduction to -3 instead of -6.
* {{Card|12I187}} (previously 1U360) - Added the mountain keyword, and gave the maneuver ability a cost of 2 and a restriction to only affect minions that are not already fierce (presumably to prevent players from repeatedly exerting an [[enduring]] minion).
* {{Card|12U191}} (previously 1U359) - Restricted the ability to only spot {{C|Orc}} Orcs instead of Orcs from any culture.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Saruman, Of Many Colours}}
* {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Messenger of Mordor}}
* {{Card|The Balrog, The Terror of Khazad-dum}}
* {{Card|Whip of Many Thongs, Weapon of Flame and Shadow}}
* {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Lieutenant of Barad-dur}}
* {{Card|Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord}}
* {{Card|Black Rider}}
* {{Card|The Witch-King, Black Lord}}
* {{Card|The Witch-King's Beast, Fell Creature}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Shadows

2024-06-22T18:35:32Z

Eomund: Added two more reprints and more notable cards

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Shadows|[[Main Page]]|[[Mount Doom]]|[[Black Rider]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=11
|Name=Shadows
|Abbr=Sh
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-11-03
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}
'''Shadows''' is the fourth base set in the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, the first set in the [[War of the Ring Block]], and the eleventh set overall. It was released on November 3, 2004, and is the first base set whose release was not directly tied to a film. Instead, cards could represent characters or moments from any of the three Lord of the Rings films.

The set contained 266 cards (60 commons, 60 uncommons, 60 rares, and 86 starter deck-only cards). Five rares and one starter deck-only card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced. Starting with Shadows, Decipher no longer printed a foil version of every card; instead, a foil [[Legends]] card appeared in one out of every seven packs with the rarity symbol RF.<ref>Decipher's Shadows press release: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121021923/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2004/09/092704lotrshadows.html]</ref> This Legends series contained eighteen cards that also appeared as (non-foil) rares in the set.

Shadows introduced a number of significant changes, including new shadow cultures, a redesigned site path, and the introduction of resistance as an attribute for all companions, not just the ring-bearer. These changes are significant enough that most players view the game in two eras: pre-Shadows (or Movie) and post-Shadows.

==Themes and Mechanics==

As noted above, Shadows introduced several significant changes to the mechanics of the game.

The [[site]] path was completely redesigned. Sites no longer had [[site number]]s, so any site could be played at any position on the site path. This introduced a new decision point when a player moved to a new site and allowed for new strategic choices, but it came at the cost of reducing the flavour of moving from the shire towards Mount Doom.

In addition to the new rules for the site path, Shadows had a heavy theme of [[site manipulation]] and spotting keywords on sites. Site manipulation had previously appeared on individual cards (such as {{Card|Pathfinder}} and {{Card|Ulaire Nelya, Lieutenant of Morgul}}), and certain cultures had established affinity for site keywords (such as {{Card|Legolas, Son of Thranduil}} and {{Card|Uruk Assault Band}}), but not at the volume present in Shadows.

Companions no longer had [[signet]]s printed on them. Instead, every companion had a resistance value; companions printed prior to Shadows were retroactively assigned a resistance of 6. Burdens on the ring-bearer now reduced the resistance of every companion in the fellowship, and some cards would only affect companions with a sufficiently high or low resistance value.

After only appearing on only four cards in Return of the King Block and on two cards in Reflections, the ally type was officially retired in Shadows. Previously printed allies could still be played in formats where they were legal, but no new allies were printed, and only two future cards would even reference allies (although they were still affected by cards that referenced "all characters").

===Cultures===

In Shadows, Decipher replaced the majority of the [[Alignment#Shadow|shadow]] cultures. The new cultures were organized around [[race]] rather than location or allegiance; for example, all [[Orc]]s were now part of the {{C|Orc}} culture, regardless of whether they were from Isengard, Mordor, or Moria. The new cultures were {{C|Men}}, {{C|Orc}}, and {{C|Uruk-hai}}. The Ringwraith culture was renamed {{C|Wraith}}, but was still considered the same culture from a game perspective, and the {{C|Gollum}} culture continued without changing.

This change was particularly controversial, since cultural enforcement meant that the new shadow cards were not backwards compatible; shadow cards from the new set could not be played easily with shadow cards from sets 1-10.

Unlike the shadow cultures, free peoples cultures continued unchanged. Shadows had support for all of the previous cultures: {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gandalf}}, {{C|Gollum}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Rohan}}, and {{C|Shire}}.

After this set, no new cultures were introduced to the game, although some of the movie-era shadow cultures from sets 1-10 reappeared for individual cards in future sets.

===New Loaded Keywords===

Shadows introduced three new loaded keywords: [[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]].

[[Lurker]] appeared only on minions, and restricted the order in which the Free Peoples player resolved skirmishes. All non-lurker minions must have their skirmishes resolved before skirmishes involving lurkers may occur. Most Lurker minions have some sort of special ability that can be used to pump other minions up; this keyword thus ensures that they cannot be easily sniped in the first skirmish to prevent using such abilities.

[[Muster]] appeared on companions and minions. At the start of the regroup phase, each player may discard cards from hand up to the number of muster characters they own, and then draw the same number of cards. Because this ability was very powerful when repeated consistently for the entire game, companions never had muster unconditionally; muster would either be granted to a companion by an item or condition, or it would only be active in certain situations (for example, if the fellowship was at a certain type of site).

[[Toil]] was a numeric keyword that appeared on conditions, events, minions, and possessions. When you play a card with toil N, you could exert any number of characters of that card's culture; for each character you exerted, the card's cost was reduced by N. Most cards had toil 2, but a handful had toil 1 or toil 3.

===New Unloaded Keyword===

Shadows introduced one new unloaded keyword, [[Dwelling|dwelling]], which appeared on sites.

===Site Keywords===

While unloaded keywords on sites were not new, Shadow's focus on the site path brought increased mechanical attention to these site keywords. Each keyword benefited one or more cultures on multiple cards, as noted below. There were also a handful of individual cards that did not follow the general relationships.

* [[Battleground]] - All cultures, especially {{C|Uruk-hai}}
* [[Dwelling]] - {{C|Gandalf}}, {{C|Shire}}
* [[Forest]] - {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Shire}}}}, {{C|Wraith}}
* [[Marsh]] - {{C|Gollum}} (free peoples)
* [[Mountain]] - {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Gollum}} (shadow)
* [[Plains]] - {{C|Men}}, {{C|Rohan}}
* [[River]] - {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}
* [[Underground]] - {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Orc}}

==Starter Decks==

Starting in Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. This included the face cards of the starter packs, which had previously been given a rarity of premium (P), as well as the majority of the sites in the set.

Shadows had four starter decks (one for each shadow culture, except {{C|Gollum}}), the most of any set:
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Orc}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Eowyn_Starter_Deck|Eowyn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Gandalf_Starter_Deck|Gandalf Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gandalf}} / {{C|Wraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Legolas_Starter_Deck|Legolas Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Men}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Keyword-granting minions
| {{Card|Footman of Dunland}}
| {{Card|Skulking Goblin}}
| {{Card|Lookout Uruk}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Starter-deck minions that grant a relevant unloaded keyword to the current site of the adventure path.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|11S2}} (previously 1C2, 4C2, and 7C1)
* {{Card|11S153}} (previously 4C288)
* {{Card|11S166}} (previously 1C299, 4C306, and 7C319)
* {{Card|11S209}} (previously 1U211)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path in Shadows, Decipher began reprinting a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|11U227}} (previously 1C356)
* {{Card|11S228}} (previously 1U353)
* {{Card|11S231}} (previously 3U115)
* {{Card|11S232}} (previously 4U355) - Now only prevents skirmish special abilities; the original also prevented skirmish events.
* {{Card|11S236}} (previously 1U320) - Added the forest keyword.
* {{Card|11S237}} (previously 1C331) - Added an exception for enduring characters, which did not exist when the original was printed.
* {{Card|11S241}} (previously 4U360) - The original added 2 twilight for each companion over 4, while the new version adds twilight for each companion over 5.
* {{Card|11S242}} (previously 1U322) - This site changed significantly; it added the dwelling keyword, and allows you to play any hobbit from your draw deck instead of just Sam.
* {{Card|11S245}} (previously 4U349) - Because allies had been retired after set 9, the new version benefits all characters instead of specifying companions and minions only.
* {{Card|11S248}} (previously 1U347) - Because allies had been retired after set 9, the new version benefits all characters instead of specifying companions and minions only.
* {{Card|11S254}} (previously 7U345) - Both versions give the free peoples player a choice between adding burdens or discarding cards, but the new version is a less severe choice (1 burden or 3 cards) than the original (2 burdens or their entire hand).
* {{Card|11S256}} (previously 1U324) - This site changed significantly; it added the dwelling keyword, and allows you to play any ranger from your draw deck instead of just Aragorn.
* {{Card|11S258}} (previously 7U363) - Added the battleground keyword.
* {{Card|11S259}} (previously 4U339) - The search must now happen at the start of the fellowship phase, rather than as a fellowship special action.
* {{Card|11S260}} (previously 1U334) - The card draw is now optional.
* {{Card|11S261}} (previously 2U120) - Added the dwelling keyword.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|The One Ring, the Ring of Rings}}
* {{Card|Legolas, Companion of the Ring}}
* {{Card|Gandalf, Leader of the Company}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Guide and Protector}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Strider}}
* {{Card|Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan}}
* {{Card|Farmer Maggot, Hobbit of the Marish}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Shadows

2024-06-22T16:19:39Z

Eomund: Clarified the Legends series

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Shadows|[[Main Page]]|[[Mount Doom]]|[[Black Rider]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=11
|Name=Shadows
|Abbr=Sh
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-11-03
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}

'''Shadows''' is the fourth base set in the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, the first set in the [[War of the Ring Block]], and the eleventh set overall. It was released on November 3, 2004, and is the first base set whose release was not directly tied to a film. Instead, cards could represent characters or moments from any of the three Lord of the Rings films.

The set contained 266 cards (60 commons, 60 uncommons, 60 rares, and 86 starter deck-only cards). Five rares and one premium card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced. Starting with Shadows, Decipher no longer printed a foil version of every card; instead, a foil [[Legends]] card appeared in one out of every seven packs with the rarity symbol RF.<ref>Decipher's Shadows foil press release: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121021923/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2004/09/092704lotrshadows.html]</ref> This Legends series contained eighteen cards that also appeared as (non-foil) rares in the set.

Shadows introduced a number of significant changes, including new shadow cultures, a redesigned site path, and the introduction of resistance as an attribute for all companions, not just the ring-bearer. These changes are significant enough that most players view the game in two eras: pre-Shadows (or Movie) and post-Shadows.

==Themes and Mechanics==

As noted above, Shadows introduced several significant changes to the mechanics of the game.

The [[site]] path was completely redesigned. Sites no longer had [[site number]]s, so any site could be played at any position on the site path. This introduced a new decision point when a player moved to a new site and allowed for new strategic choices, but it came at the cost of reducing the flavour of moving from the shire towards Mount Doom.

In addition to the new rules for the site path, Shadows had a heavy theme of [[site manipulation]] and spotting keywords on sites. Site manipulation had previously appeared on individual cards (such as {{Card|Pathfinder}} and {{Card|Ulaire Nelya, Lieutenant of Morgul}}), and certain cultures had established affinity for site keywords (such as {{Card|Legolas, Son of Thranduil}} and {{Card|Uruk Assault Band}}), but not at the volume present in Shadows.

Companions no longer had [[signet]]s printed on them. Instead, every companion had a resistance value; companions printed prior to Shadows were retroactively assigned a resistance of 6. Burdens on the ring-bearer now reduced the resistance of every companion in the fellowship, and some cards would only affect companions with a sufficiently high or low resistance value.

After only appearing on only four cards in Return of the King Block and on two cards in Reflections, the ally type was officially retired in Shadows. Previously printed allies could still be played in formats where they were legal, but no new allies were printed, and only two future cards would even reference allies (although they were still affected by cards that referenced "all characters").

===Cultures===

In Shadows, Decipher replaced the majority of the [[Alignment#Shadow|shadow]] cultures. The new cultures were organized around [[race]] rather than location or allegiance; for example, all [[Orc]]s were now part of the {{C|Orc}} culture, regardless of whether they were from Isengard, Mordor, or Moria. The new cultures were {{C|Men}}, {{C|Orc}}, and {{C|Uruk-hai}}. The Ringwraith culture was renamed {{C|Wraith}}, but was still considered the same culture from a game perspective, and the {{C|Gollum}} culture continued without changing.

This change was particularly controversial, since cultural enforcement meant that the new shadow cards were not backwards compatible; shadow cards from the new set could not be played easily with shadow cards from sets 1-10.

Unlike the shadow cultures, free peoples cultures continued unchanged. Shadows had support for all of the previous cultures: {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gandalf}}, {{C|Gollum}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Rohan}}, and {{C|Shire}}.

After this set, no new cultures were introduced to the game, although some of the movie-era shadow cultures from sets 1-10 reappeared for individual cards in future sets.

===New Loaded Keywords===

Shadows introduced three new loaded keywords: [[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]].

[[Lurker]] appeared only on minions, and restricted the order in which the Free Peoples player resolved skirmishes. All non-lurker minions must have their skirmishes resolved before skirmishes involving lurkers may occur. Most Lurker minions have some sort of special ability that can be used to pump other minions up; this keyword thus ensures that they cannot be easily sniped in the first skirmish to prevent using such abilities.

[[Muster]] appeared on companions and minions. At the start of the regroup phase, each player may discard cards from hand up to the number of muster characters they own, and then draw the same number of cards. Because this ability was very powerful when repeated consistently for the entire game, companions never had muster unconditionally; muster would either be granted to a companion by an item or condition, or it would only be active in certain situations (for example, if the fellowship was at a certain type of site).

[[Toil]] was a numeric keyword that appeared on conditions, events, minions, and possessions. When you play a card with toil N, you could exert any number of characters of that card's culture; for each character you exerted, the card's cost was reduced by N. Most cards had toil 2, but a handful had toil 1 or toil 3.

===New Unloaded Keyword===

Shadows introduced one new unloaded keyword, [[Dwelling|dwelling]], which appeared on sites.

===Site Keywords===

While unloaded keywords on sites were not new, Shadow's focus on the site path brought increased mechanical attention to these site keywords. Each keyword benefited one or more cultures on multiple cards, as noted below. There were also a handful of individual cards that did not follow the general relationships.

* [[Battleground]] - All cultures, especially {{C|Uruk-hai}}
* [[Dwelling]] - {{C|Gandalf}}, {{C|Shire}}
* [[Forest]] - {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Shire}}}}, {{C|Wraith}}
* [[Marsh]] - {{C|Gollum}} (free peoples)
* [[Mountain]] - {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Gollum}} (shadow)
* [[Plains]] - {{C|Men}}, {{C|Rohan}}
* [[River]] - {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}
* [[Underground]] - {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Orc}}

==Starter Decks==

Starting in Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. This included the face cards of the starter packs, which had previously been given a rarity of premium (P), as well as the majority of the sites in the set.

Shadows had four starter decks (one for each shadow culture, except {{C|Gollum}}), the most of any set:
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Orc}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Eowyn_Starter_Deck|Eowyn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Gandalf_Starter_Deck|Gandalf Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gandalf}} / {{C|Wraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Legolas_Starter_Deck|Legolas Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Men}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Keyword-granting minions
| {{Card|Footman of Dunland}}
| {{Card|Skulking Goblin}}
| {{Card|Lookout Uruk}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Starter-deck minions that grant a relevant unloaded keyword to the current site of the adventure path.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|11S2}} (previously 1C2, 4C2, and 7C1)
* {{Card|11S166}} (previously 1C299, 4C306, and 7C319)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path, Decipher reprinted a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed in Shadows, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|11U227}} (previously 1C356)
* {{Card|11S228}} (previously 1U353)
* {{Card|11S231}} (previously 3U115)
* {{Card|11S232}} (previously 4U355) - Now only prevents skirmish special abilities; the original also prevented skirmish events.
* {{Card|11S236}} (previously 1U320) - Added the forest keyword.
* {{Card|11S237}} (previously 1C331) - Added an exception for enduring characters, which did not exist when the original was printed.
* {{Card|11S241}} (previously 4U360) - The original added 2 twilight for each companion over 4, while the new version adds twilight for each companion over 5.
* {{Card|11S242}} (previously 1U322) - This site changed significantly; it added the dwelling keyword, and allows you to play any hobbit from your draw deck instead of just Sam.
* {{Card|11S245}} (previously 4U349) - Because allies had been retired after set 9, the new version benefits all characters instead of specifying companions and minions only.
* {{Card|11S248}} (previously 1U347) - Because allies had been retired after set 9, the new version benefits all characters instead of specifying companions and minions only.
* {{Card|11S254}} (previously 7U345) - Both versions give the free peoples player a choice between adding burdens or discarding cards, but the new version is a less severe choice (1 burden or 3 cards) than the original (2 burdens or their entire hand).
* {{Card|11S256}} (previously 1U324) - This site changed significantly; it added the dwelling keyword, and allows you to play any ranger from your draw deck instead of just Aragorn.
* {{Card|11S258}} (previously 7U363) - Added the battleground keyword.
* {{Card|11S259}} (previously 4U339) - The search must now happen at the start of the fellowship phase, rather than as a fellowship special action.
* {{Card|11S260}} (previously 1U334) - The card draw is now optional.
* {{Card|11S261}} (previously 2U120) - Added the dwelling keyword.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|The One Ring, the Ring of Rings}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Strider}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Rarity

2024-06-20T21:42:05Z

Eomund: Corrected the meaning of the P rarity

{{Rarity
|Name=Common
|SortOrder=1
|Abbr=C
|Sets=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,15,17,18
|Notes=One third of a set's normal cards, released as 7 of a booster pack's 11 cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Uncommon
|SortOrder=2
|Abbr=U
|Sets=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,15,17,18
|Notes=One third of a set's normal cards, released as 3 of a booster pack's 11 cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Premium
|SortOrder=3
|Abbr=P
|Sets=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,19
|Notes=Sets 1-8 and 10 had two starter decks with 2 copies of a Premium card which were only distributed in those decks. The rarity was also used for promotional cards (set 0) and for every card in the final set 19, which could only be purchased as a collector's box with one copy of each card.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Starter-only
|SortOrder=4
|Abbr=S
|Sets=11,12,13,15,17,30,31,32
|Notes=Later sets used S for the rarity of cards that only appeared in starter decks.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Rare
|SortOrder=5
|Abbr=R
|Sets=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19
|Notes=One third of a set's normal cards, released as 1 of a booster pack's 11 cards. Special mini-sets (9, 14, and 16) used the R rarity for most/all of the cards in the set.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Rare Plus
|SortOrder=6
|Abbr=R+
|Sets=9
|Notes=Reflections was an all-foil all-Rare set released in 18 card booster packs, which were filled with overstock from previous sets. 2 cards would be Rares, and once every 2.5 packs one card would be randomly replaced with a Rare Plus.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Rare Foil (Legends)
|SortOrder=7
|Abbr=RF
|Sets=11,12,13,15,17,18
|Notes=Legends cards were inserted randomly into boosters and were foil versions of certain popular rares, and were only produced during a set's initial print run.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Legends Masterwork
|SortOrder=8
|Abbr=O
|Sets=12,13,15,17,18
|Notes=Actually a ring symbol rather than an O, these indicate a Legends foil that contain an alternate-color template for a more striking visual difference.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Promotional
|SortOrder=9
|Abbr=P
|Sets=0
|Notes=Everything from tournament prizes to DVD bonus pack-ins to Decipher store rewards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Megasized Promo
|SortOrder=9
|Abbr=M
|Sets=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,10
|Notes=Oversized cards used for promotional purposes.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=DGMA Tournament Prize
|SortOrder=10
|Abbr=D
|Sets=0
|Notes=Cards issued as prizes for DGMA-sanctioned events.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Tournament Foil
|SortOrder=11
|Abbr=TF
|Sets=0
|Notes=Overseas promos printed by international distributors as tournament prizes.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=World's Apart Digital
|SortOrder=12
|Abbr=W
|Sets=0
|Notes=Used for cards which originated on the Lord of the Rings Online platform ran by Worlds Apart for Decipher.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=April Fool's Day
|SortOrder=13
|Abbr=AFD
|Sets=0
|Notes=Used for a handful of joke cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Saint Patrick's Day
|SortOrder=14
|Abbr=SPD
|Sets=0
|Notes=Used for a handful of joke cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Free Peoples Pack
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=FP
|Sets=30
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: base mix-in Free Peoples Pack
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Beatdown Pack 1
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=B1
|Sets=30,31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow beat-down pack 1
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Beatdown Pack 2
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=B2
|Sets=30,31,32,331
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow beat-down pack 2
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Beatdown Pack 3
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=B3
|Sets=30,31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow beat-down pack 3
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Swarm Pack 1
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=S1
|Sets=31
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow swarm pack 1
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Swarm Pack 2
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=S2
|Sets=30,31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow swarm pack 2
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Swarm Pack 3
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=S3
|Sets=30,31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow swarm pack 3
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack A
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HA
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack A: Bilbo
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack B
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HB
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack B: Dain
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack C
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HC
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack C: Esgaroth
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack D
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HD
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack D: Mirkwood
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack E
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HE
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack E: Thorin
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack F
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HF
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack F: Bilbo
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack G
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HG
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack G: White Council
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack H
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HH
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack H: Wizard
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack I
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HI
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack I: Balin
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack J
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HJ
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack J: Blue Mountains
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack K
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HK
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack K: Rivendell
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack L
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HL
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack L: Travellers
}}

=Rarity=

The '''Rarity''' of a card represents how frequently it was distributed in booster packs and other means. This official rarity is printed in the [[Collector's Info]] in the lower-right hand corner, and is usually represented by a single letter, though other combinations are possible. Like in most trading card games, not all cards in the same rarity class are created equal, so determining a card's worth is more difficult than merely looking at the printed rarity.

A summary of each rarity and what it means is given below.

==Standard Rarities==
First, a word on how most cards were distributed (as this was the primary means of manipulating a card's rarity). Cards had two primary means of distribution for most of the game's run: booster packs and starter boxes.

Starter packs, 2 per set, were specifically designed for new players and came with a specially-designed deck centered around a particular companion. That companion was marked with a special rarity, premium (P) and always included two copies per box (in [[Fellowship of the Ring]], those two Premiums were {{Card|Gandalf, The Grey Wizard}}, and {{Card|Aragorn, King in Exile}}). This rarity was also used for promotional cards (set 0) and every card in the final set [[Age's End]], which could only be purchased as a box containing one of each card.

Starting in [[Shadows]], many cards in starter decks did not appear in boosters, rather than just the premium starting companion. From this set forward, starter-only cards were given a rarity symbol of S.<ref>Decipher's Shadows press release: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121021923/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2004/09/092704lotrshadows.html]</ref> In [[Shadows]] and [[Black Rider]], almost every card in the starter decks had an S rarity symbol, but later sets reduced the number of S rarity cards to only a handful per deck.

Booster packs, on the other hand, were the primary way of getting cards (as it is with most TCG's), and the primary waterline by which rarity was judged. Each booster pack contained 11 cards, made up of 7 common (C), 3 uncommon (U), and 1 rare (R) card. There were the same number of each rarity in each set; base sets like ''[[Fellowship_of_the_Ring|Fellowship]]'' had 121 of each, while expansions had 40. This meant that, if you were to collect a complete collection of 121 rares from a base set entirely from booster backs, you would have about 363 uncommon cards, and 847 common cards. This assumes you never got any duplicate rares, and if you wanted a complete ''playset'' (4 of each card, which is the maximum you can have in a particular deck), your Common/Uncommon set would quickly approach quintuple-digits--and that's just for one set!

In addition, each booster pack had about a 1 in 6 chance of having one of the cards randomly replaced with a full-foil card of a random rarity. This meant that collecting full foil sets was ''significantly'' more unpredictable, and also could result in some interesting booster packs: for instance, this could result in a booster with two rares (one of them foil, replacing one of the common or uncommon cards). Due to the mechanics of inserting foils into early sets, it was possible - though very unusual - to open a pack with more than one foil card plus an ordinary rare.

In the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] set (and presumably for all movie-block sets), the odds of which card was inserted as a foil varied based on its rarity, which was as follows <ref>Information pulled from pre-release FOTR information on the Wayback: [http://web.archive.org/web/20020417203305/http://www.decipher.com:80/lordoftherings/articles/foilprogram.html]</ref>:

* 1 Common foil every 13 packs
* 1 Uncommon foil every 18 packs
* 1 Rare foil every 26 packs

Each of these chances was calculated independently, which results in each booster having a ~17% chance of having at least one foil, which is where Decipher's 1 in 6 chance calculation came from.

So, in summary, Common (C), Uncommon (U), Rare (R), and Premium (P) were the "standard" rarities that the vast majority of cards in the game were granted.

==Promotional Cards==
Promotional cards were given out to promote up-and-coming sets and were usually alternate-image versions of previously existing cards. For instance, Faramir, Son of Denethor (P), was packaged with Collector's Editions of ''The Two Towers'' movie. Promotional cards were almost always exact duplicates of other cards (except for the card image itself), and so were considered the same from a game judgement standard. There are several important exceptions, however, including 0P56 through 0P60 and 0P62 through 0P67. Most promotional cards have a P rarity, but towards the end of the game's lifespan a few promotional cards with D rarity were printed and handed out.

This meant that for players who focused on the game, Promotional cards were not particularly worth the effort getting, whereas for collectors it was practically a whole new set to collect. This was enshrined by the fact that all Promotional cards are part of set 0, and this is the only way to differentiate a Premium card from a Promotional card. The effective rarity of Promotional cards varied wildly; some were tournament prizes, some packaged with other products, some packed into every deluxe DVD set of Lord of the Rings sold. The most hard-to-find cards are generally considered to be 0P62 - 0P67, a set of cards released as a tie-in to the digital [[Customizable League Cards]] for [[Lord of the Rings Online TCG]]; since few people participated in the promotion (due in part to Decipher/World's Apart delaying the first few by several months), very few of these ever made it out into the wild.

Decipher also printed several oversized cards; these cards were given a rarity of M (and were of course not tournament-legal).

==Rare Plus==
Rare Plus (R+) was a rarity unique to the Reflections set, which was released between ''Siege of Gondor'' and ''Mount Doom''. Half of the all-foil 52-card set were Rare, while the other half were Rare Plus. These were distributed in 18-card booster packs composed of 2 random rares from ''Reflections'' and 16 random cards from all previous sets (this was a way for Decipher to dump some of their overstock). About once every two-and-a-half packs, a card would be replaced with one of the Rare Plus cards, in a manner similar to foil cards, and thus the name: not quite a rare, not quite a foil (though all ''Reflections'' cards were foil).

==Legends and Legends Masterwork==
Starting with the [[Shadows]] set, alternate versions of select cards were reprinted as the "Legends" series meant to represent particularly popular cards or concepts. This increased the total number of cards to collect while at the same time making these additions quite rare, as eventually during the set's lifetime these alternate cards would be discontinued. Legends-series cards were always foil, and marked with the RF rarity to differentiate them from their non-Legends counterpart. RF cards were inserted at an approximate rate of 1 every 7 packs, replacing the random rare <ref>Decipher's Shadows press release: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121021923/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2004/09/092704lotrshadows.html]</ref>.

With the release of [[Black Rider]], Legends were joined with the Legends Masterwork series, indicated by a ring O as the rarity. These cards were more than just foil, however; each card used a new card template with a completely redone color scheme and sometimes a card image that "popped" outside its frame. The visual difference is appropriately striking. Some uploaded images on Decipher's website for Black Rider show an * for a rarity symbol, but this was likely a placeholder image and was never printed this way. Legends Masterworks were inserted at an approximate rate of 1 every 35 packs (i.e about one per booster box), which when combined with the chance for a Legends RF meant that post-Black Rider sets had an approximate 1 in 7 chance for a foil of some flavor <ref>Decipher's Black Rider foil breakdown: [http://web.archive.org/web/20050205055957/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2005/01/011105lotrblackrider.html]</ref>.

==Tournament Foil==
Tournament Foil cards were distributed during the Shadows block as rewards for winning official tournaments, or in some cases as a reward for purchasing a certain amount of product (earlier, tournament winners received random foils.) There were 9 in total; all were foiled versions of cards from ''Black Rider'' and ''Bloodlines''. These cards are unique in that they were not distributed by Decipher, but by their partners in France, Germany, and Italy, and so were printed and handled entirely overseas. As might be imagined, these are among the rarest of cards due to the separation of markets.

* [http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,5817.0.html| See this thread for more information.]

==Virtual Cards==
There are a number of cards within the database for set 0 that were never actually printed. Some of these, such as Faramir, Captain of Ithilien (AFD), Goblet of the White City (SPD), Green Dragon Mug (SPD), and Rohirrim Stein (SPD), were jokes released on Decipher's website for April Fool's Day and Saint Patrick's Day, respectively.

There were also a number of cards made exclusively for the LotR-O system that may as well have been joke cards. Versions given as tournament rewards were given rarity D (a letter also used for printed promotional cards in 2005-2007), and cards that were a part of the "[[Triumph]] and [[Menace]]" mini-set were given a rarity of W (a rarity generally used for other virtual cards as well, but are not represented here in the wiki).

Rarity

2024-06-20T21:33:14Z

Eomund: Corrected the meaning of the S rarity, based on a Decipher press release

{{Rarity
|Name=Common
|SortOrder=1
|Abbr=C
|Sets=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,18
|Notes=One third of a set's normal cards, released as 7 of a booster pack's 11 cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Starter-only
|SortOrder=2
|Abbr=S
|Sets=11,12,13,15,17,30,31,32
|Notes=Later sets replaced the rarity for cards that only appeared in a starter box as S.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Uncommon
|SortOrder=3
|Abbr=U
|Sets=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,15,17,18
|Notes=One third of a set's normal cards, released as 3 of a booster pack's 11 cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Premium
|SortOrder=4
|Abbr=P
|Sets=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,15,17,18,19
|Notes=Every set had two starter boxes with 2 copies of a Premium card which were only distributed in those boxes.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Rare
|SortOrder=5
|Abbr=R
|Sets=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19
|Notes=One third of a set's normal cards, released as 1 of a booster pack's 11 cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Rare Plus
|SortOrder=6
|Abbr=R+
|Sets=9
|Notes=Reflections was an all-foil all-Rare set released in 18 card booster packs, which were filled with overstock from previous sets. 2 cards would be Rares, and once every 2.5 packs one card would be randomly replaced with a Rare Plus.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Rare Foil (Legends)
|SortOrder=7
|Abbr=RF
|Sets=11,12,13,15,17,18
|Notes=Legends cards were inserted randomly into boosters and were foil versions of certain popular rares, and were only produced during a set's initial print run.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Legends Masterwork
|SortOrder=8
|Abbr=O
|Sets=12,13,15,17,18
|Notes=Actually a ring symbol rather than an O, these indicate a Legends foil that contain an alternate-color template for a more striking visual difference.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Promotional
|SortOrder=9
|Abbr=P
|Sets=0
|Notes=Everything from tournament prizes to DVD bonus pack-ins to Decipher store rewards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Megasized Promo
|SortOrder=9
|Abbr=M
|Sets=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,10
|Notes=Oversized cards used for promotional purposes.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=DGMA Tournament Prize
|SortOrder=10
|Abbr=D
|Sets=0
|Notes=Cards issued as prizes for DGMA-sanctioned events.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Tournament Foil
|SortOrder=11
|Abbr=TF
|Sets=0
|Notes=Overseas promos printed by international distributors as tournament prizes.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=World's Apart Digital
|SortOrder=12
|Abbr=W
|Sets=0
|Notes=Used for cards which originated on the Lord of the Rings Online platform ran by Worlds Apart for Decipher.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=April Fool's Day
|SortOrder=13
|Abbr=AFD
|Sets=0
|Notes=Used for a handful of joke cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Saint Patrick's Day
|SortOrder=14
|Abbr=SPD
|Sets=0
|Notes=Used for a handful of joke cards.
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Free Peoples Pack
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=FP
|Sets=30
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: base mix-in Free Peoples Pack
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Beatdown Pack 1
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=B1
|Sets=30,31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow beat-down pack 1
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Beatdown Pack 2
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=B2
|Sets=30,31,32,331
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow beat-down pack 2
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Beatdown Pack 3
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=B3
|Sets=30,31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow beat-down pack 3
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Swarm Pack 1
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=S1
|Sets=31
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow swarm pack 1
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Swarm Pack 2
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=S2
|Sets=30,31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow swarm pack 2
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Swarm Pack 3
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=S3
|Sets=30,31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Shadow swarm pack 3
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack A
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HA
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack A: Bilbo
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack B
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HB
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack B: Dain
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack C
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HC
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack C: Esgaroth
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack D
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HD
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack D: Mirkwood
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack E
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HE
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack E: Thorin
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack F
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HF
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack F: Bilbo
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack G
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HG
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack G: White Council
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack H
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HH
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack H: Wizard
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack I
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HI
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack I: Balin
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack J
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HJ
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack J: Blue Mountains
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack K
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HK
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack K: Rivendell
}}{{Rarity
|Name=Pack L
|SortOrder=15
|Abbr=HL
|Sets=31,32,33
|Notes=Hobbit Draft Game: Supplementary Pack L: Travellers
}}

=Rarity=

The '''Rarity''' of a card represents how frequently it was distributed in booster packs and other means. This official rarity is printed in the [[Collector's Info]] in the lower-right hand corner, and is usually represented by a single letter, though other combinations are possible. Like in most trading card games, not all cards in the same rarity class are created equal, so determining a card's worth is more difficult than merely looking at the printed rarity.

A summary of each rarity and what it means is given below.

==Standard Rarities==
First, a word on how most cards were distributed (as this was the primary means of manipulating a card's rarity). Cards had two primary means of distribution for most of the game's run: booster packs and starter boxes.

Starter packs, 2 per set, were specifically designed for new players and came with a specially-designed deck centered around a particular companion. That companion was marked with a special rarity, Premium (P) and always included two copies per box (in ''Fellowship of the Ring'', those two Premiums were Gandalf, The Grey Wizard, and Aragorn, King in Exile). The other cards included varied, but were always the same for a particular box, except for 3 random Rare (R) cards to mix things up.

Starting in [[Shadows]], many cards in starter decks did not appear in boosters, rather than just the premium starting companion. From this set forward, starter-only cards were given a rarity symbol of S.<ref>Decipher's Shadows press release: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121021923/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2004/09/092704lotrshadows.html]</ref> In [[Shadows]] and [[Black Rider]], almost every card in the starter decks had an S rarity symbol, but later sets reduced the number of S rarity cards to only a handful per deck.

Booster packs, on the other hand, were the primary way of getting cards (as it is with most TCG's), and the primary waterline by which rarity was judged. Each booster pack contained 11 cards, made up of 7 Common (C), 3 Uncommon (U), and 1 Rare (R) card. There were the same number of each rarity in each set; base sets like ''[[Fellowship_of_the_Ring|Fellowship]]'' had 121 of each, while expansions had 40. This meant that, if you were to collect a complete collection of 121 rares from a base set entirely from booster backs, you would have about 363 uncommon cards, and 847 common cards. This assumes you never got any duplicate rares, and if you wanted a complete ''playset'' (4 of each card, which is the maximum you can have in a particular deck), your Common/Uncommon set would quickly approach quintuple-digits--and that's just for one set!

In addition, each booster pack had about a 1 in 6 chance of having one of the cards randomly replaced with a full-foil card of a random rarity. This meant that collecting full foil sets was ''significantly'' more unpredictable, and also could result in some interesting booster packs: for instance, this could result in a booster with two rares (one of them foil, replacing one of the common or uncommon cards). Due to the mechanics of inserting foils into early sets, it was possible - though very unusual - to open a pack with more than one foil card plus an ordinary rare.

In the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] set (and presumably for all movie-block sets), the odds of which card was inserted as a foil varied based on its rarity, which was as follows <ref>Information pulled from pre-release FOTR information on the Wayback: [http://web.archive.org/web/20020417203305/http://www.decipher.com:80/lordoftherings/articles/foilprogram.html]</ref>:

* 1 Common foil every 13 packs
* 1 Uncommon foil every 18 packs
* 1 Rare foil every 26 packs

Each of these chances was calculated independently, which results in each booster having a ~17% chance of having at least one foil, which is where Decipher's 1 in 6 chance calculation came from.

So, in summary, Common (C), Uncommon (U), Rare (R), and Premium (P) were the "standard" rarities that the vast majority of cards in the game were granted.

==Promotional Cards==
Promotional cards were given out to promote up-and-coming sets and were usually alternate-image versions of previously existing cards. For instance, Faramir, Son of Denethor (P), was packaged with Collector's Editions of ''The Two Towers'' movie. Promotional cards were almost always exact duplicates of other cards (except for the card image itself), and so were considered the same from a game judgement standard. There are several important exceptions, however, including 0P56 through 0P60 and 0P62 through 0P67. Most promotional cards have a P rarity, but towards the end of the game's lifespan a few promotional cards with D rarity were printed and handed out.

This meant that for players who focused on the game, Promotional cards were not particularly worth the effort getting, whereas for collectors it was practically a whole new set to collect. This was enshrined by the fact that all Promotional cards are part of set 0, and this is the only way to differentiate a Premium card from a Promotional card. The effective rarity of Promotional cards varied wildly; some were tournament prizes, some packaged with other products, some packed into every deluxe DVD set of Lord of the Rings sold. The most hard-to-find cards are generally considered to be 0P62 - 0P67, a set of cards released as a tie-in to the digital [[Customizable League Cards]] for [[Lord of the Rings Online TCG]]; since few people participated in the promotion (due in part to Decipher/World's Apart delaying the first few by several months), very few of these ever made it out into the wild.

Decipher also printed several oversized cards; these cards were given a rarity of M (and were of course not tournament-legal).

==Rare Plus==
Rare Plus (R+) was a rarity unique to the Reflections set, which was released between ''Siege of Gondor'' and ''Mount Doom''. Half of the all-foil 52-card set were Rare, while the other half were Rare Plus. These were distributed in 18-card booster packs composed of 2 random rares from ''Reflections'' and 16 random cards from all previous sets (this was a way for Decipher to dump some of their overstock). About once every two-and-a-half packs, a card would be replaced with one of the Rare Plus cards, in a manner similar to foil cards, and thus the name: not quite a rare, not quite a foil (though all ''Reflections'' cards were foil).

==Legends and Legends Masterwork==
Starting with the [[Shadows]] set, alternate versions of select cards were reprinted as the "Legends" series meant to represent particularly popular cards or concepts. This increased the total number of cards to collect while at the same time making these additions quite rare, as eventually during the set's lifetime these alternate cards would be discontinued. Legends-series cards were always foil, and marked with the RF rarity to differentiate them from their non-Legends counterpart. RF cards were inserted at an approximate rate of 1 every 7 packs, replacing the random rare <ref>Decipher's Shadows press release: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121021923/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2004/09/092704lotrshadows.html]</ref>.

With the release of [[Black Rider]], Legends were joined with the Legends Masterwork series, indicated by a ring O as the rarity. These cards were more than just foil, however; each card used a new card template with a completely redone color scheme and sometimes a card image that "popped" outside its frame. The visual difference is appropriately striking. Some uploaded images on Decipher's website for Black Rider show an * for a rarity symbol, but this was likely a placeholder image and was never printed this way. Legends Masterworks were inserted at an approximate rate of 1 every 35 packs (i.e about one per booster box), which when combined with the chance for a Legends RF meant that post-Black Rider sets had an approximate 1 in 7 chance for a foil of some flavor <ref>Decipher's Black Rider foil breakdown: [http://web.archive.org/web/20050205055957/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2005/01/011105lotrblackrider.html]</ref>.

==Tournament Foil==
Tournament Foil cards were distributed during the Shadows block as rewards for winning official tournaments, or in some cases as a reward for purchasing a certain amount of product (earlier, tournament winners received random foils.) There were 9 in total; all were foiled versions of cards from ''Black Rider'' and ''Bloodlines''. These cards are unique in that they were not distributed by Decipher, but by their partners in France, Germany, and Italy, and so were printed and handled entirely overseas. As might be imagined, these are among the rarest of cards due to the separation of markets.

* [http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,5817.0.html| See this thread for more information.]

==Virtual Cards==
There are a number of cards within the database for set 0 that were never actually printed. Some of these, such as Faramir, Captain of Ithilien (AFD), Goblet of the White City (SPD), Green Dragon Mug (SPD), and Rohirrim Stein (SPD), were jokes released on Decipher's website for April Fool's Day and Saint Patrick's Day, respectively.

There were also a number of cards made exclusively for the LotR-O system that may as well have been joke cards. Versions given as tournament rewards were given rarity D (a letter also used for printed promotional cards in 2005-2007), and cards that were a part of the "[[Triumph]] and [[Menace]]" mini-set were given a rarity of W (a rarity generally used for other virtual cards as well, but are not represented here in the wiki).

Shadows

2024-06-20T21:22:18Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a stub to a real set page!

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Shadows|[[Main Page]]|[[Mount Doom]]|[[Black Rider]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=11
|Name=Shadows
|Abbr=Sh
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-11-03
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}

'''Shadows''' is the fourth base set in the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, the first set in the [[War of the Ring Block]], and the eleventh set overall. It was released on November 3, 2004, and is the first base set whose release was not directly tied to a film. Instead, cards could represent characters or moments from any of the three Lord of the Rings films.

The set contained 266 cards (60 commons, 60 uncommons, 60 rares, and 86 starter deck-only cards). Five rares and one premium card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced. In addition, eighteen rares from the set had a foil version printed (with the rarity symbol RF); these foil versions appeared in the rare slot of approximately one in seven packs.<ref>Decipher's Shadows foil press release: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121021923/http://www.decipher.com:80/content/2004/09/092704lotrshadows.html]</ref>

The set introduced a number of significant changes, including new shadow cultures, a redesigned site path, and the introduction of resistance as an attribute for all companions, not just the ring-bearer. These changes are significant enough that most players view the game in two eras: pre-Shadows (or Movie) and post-Shadows.

==Themes and Mechanics==

As noted above, Shadows introduced several significant changes to the mechanics of the game.

The [[site]] path was completely redesigned. Sites no longer had [[site number]]s, so any site could be played at any position on the site path. This introduced a new decision point when a player moved to a new site and allowed for new strategic choices, but it came at the cost of reducing the flavour of moving from the shire towards Mount Doom.

In addition to the new rules for the site path, Shadows had a heavy theme of [[site manipulation]] and spotting keywords on sites. Site manipulation had previously appeared on individual cards (such as {{Card|Pathfinder}} and {{Card|Ulaire Nelya, Lieutenant of Morgul}}), and certain cultures had established affinity for site keywords (such as {{Card|Legolas, Son of Thranduil}} and {{Card|Uruk Assault Band}}), but not at the volume present in Shadows.

Companions no longer had [[signet]]s printed on them. Instead, every companion had a resistance value; companions printed prior to Shadows were retroactively assigned a resistance of 6. Burdens on the ring-bearer now reduced the resistance of every companion in the fellowship, and some cards would only affect companions with a sufficiently high or low resistance value.

After only appearing on only four cards in Return of the King Block and on two cards in Reflections, the ally type was officially retired in Shadows. Previously printed allies could still be played in formats where they were legal, but no new allies were printed, and only two future cards would even reference allies (although they were still affected by cards that referenced "all characters").

===Cultures===

In Shadows, Decipher replaced the majority of the [[Alignment#Shadow|shadow]] cultures. The new cultures were organized around [[race]] rather than location or allegiance; for example, all [[Orc]]s were now part of the {{C|Orc}} culture, regardless of whether they were from Isengard, Mordor, or Moria. The new cultures were {{C|Men}}, {{C|Orc}}, and {{C|Uruk-hai}}. The Ringwraith culture was renamed {{C|Wraith}}, but was still considered the same culture from a game perspective, and the {{C|Gollum}} culture continued without changing.

This change was particularly controversial, since cultural enforcement meant that the new shadow cards were not backwards compatible; shadow cards from the new set could not be played easily with shadow cards from sets 1-10.

Unlike the shadow cultures, free peoples cultures continued unchanged. Shadows had support for all of the previous cultures: {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gandalf}}, {{C|Gollum}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Rohan}}, and {{C|Shire}}.

After this set, no new cultures were introduced to the game, although some of the movie-era shadow cultures from sets 1-10 reappeared for individual cards in future sets.

===New Loaded Keywords===

Shadows introduced three new loaded keywords: [[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]].

[[Lurker]] appeared only on minions, and restricted the order in which the Free Peoples player resolved skirmishes. All non-lurker minions must have their skirmishes resolved before skirmishes involving lurkers may occur. Most Lurker minions have some sort of special ability that can be used to pump other minions up; this keyword thus ensures that they cannot be easily sniped in the first skirmish to prevent using such abilities.

[[Muster]] appeared on companions and minions. At the start of the regroup phase, each player may discard cards from hand up to the number of muster characters they own, and then draw the same number of cards. Because this ability was very powerful when repeated consistently for the entire game, companions never had muster unconditionally; muster would either be granted to a companion by an item or condition, or it would only be active in certain situations (for example, if the fellowship was at a certain type of site).

[[Toil]] was a numeric keyword that appeared on conditions, events, minions, and possessions. When you play a card with toil N, you could exert any number of characters of that card's culture; for each character you exerted, the card's cost was reduced by N. Most cards had toil 2, but a handful had toil 1 or toil 3.

===New Unloaded Keyword===

Shadows introduced one new unloaded keyword, [[Dwelling|dwelling]], which appeared on sites.

===Site Keywords===

While unloaded keywords on sites were not new, Shadow's focus on the site path brought increased mechanical attention to these site keywords. Each keyword benefited one or more cultures on multiple cards, as noted below. There were also a handful of individual cards that did not follow the general relationships.

* [[Battleground]] - All cultures, especially {{C|Uruk-hai}}
* [[Dwelling]] - {{C|Gandalf}}, {{C|Shire}}
* [[Forest]] - {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Shire}}}}, {{C|Wraith}}
* [[Marsh]] - {{C|Gollum}} (free peoples)
* [[Mountain]] - {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Gollum}} (shadow)
* [[Plains]] - {{C|Men}}, {{C|Rohan}}
* [[River]] - {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}
* [[Underground]] - {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Orc}}

==Starter Decks==

Starting in Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. This included the face cards of the starter packs, which had previously been given a rarity of premium (P), as well as the majority of the sites in the set.

Shadows had four starter decks (one for each shadow culture, except {{C|Gollum}}), the most of any set:
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Orc}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Eowyn_Starter_Deck|Eowyn Starter Deck]]: {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Uruk-hai}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Gandalf_Starter_Deck|Gandalf Starter Deck]]: {{C|Gandalf}} / {{C|Wraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/WOTR_Block#SH_Legolas_Starter_Deck|Legolas Starter Deck]]: {{C|Elven}} / {{C|Men}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Men}}
! {{C|Orc}}
! {{C|Uruk-hai}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Keyword-granting minions
| {{Card|Footman of Dunland}}
| {{Card|Skulking Goblin}}
| {{Card|Lookout Uruk}}
|-
|colspan="3" | Starter-deck minions that grant a relevant unloaded keyword to the current site of the adventure path.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

* {{Card|11S2}} (previously 1C2, 4C2, and 7C1)
* {{Card|11S166}} (previously 1C299, 4C306, and 7C319)

==Similar Sites==

With the introduction of the redesigned site path, Decipher reprinted a number of sites from previous sets with modifications to fit the new site path. They generally kept their original name and abilities, but no longer had a site number, and had a lower twilight cost to account for the twilight added by the [[region]]. If the site had been a [[sanctuary]], that keyword was removed in Shadows, since the sanctuary keyword was now granted automatically to any site played in position 3 or 6. Some sites had additional changes, which are noted below.

* {{Card|11U227}} (previously 1C356)
* {{Card|11S228}} (previously 1U353)
* {{Card|11S231}} (previously 3U115)
* {{Card|11S232}} (previously 4U355) - Now only prevents skirmish special abilities; the original also prevented skirmish events.
* {{Card|11S236}} (previously 1U320) - Added the forest keyword.
* {{Card|11S237}} (previously 1C331) - Added an exception for enduring characters, which did not exist when the original was printed.
* {{Card|11S241}} (previously 4U360) - The original added 2 twilight for each companion over 4, while the new version adds twilight for each companion over 5.
* {{Card|11S242}} (previously 1U322) - This site changed significantly; it added the dwelling keyword, and allows you to play any hobbit from your draw deck instead of just Sam.
* {{Card|11S245}} (previously 4U349) - Because allies had been retired after set 9, the new version benefits all characters instead of specifying companions and minions only.
* {{Card|11S248}} (previously 1U347) - Because allies had been retired after set 9, the new version benefits all characters instead of specifying companions and minions only.
* {{Card|11S254}} (previously 7U345) - Both versions give the free peoples player a choice between adding burdens or discarding cards, but the new version is a less severe choice (1 burden or 3 cards) than the original (2 burdens or their entire hand).
* {{Card|11S256}} (previously 1U324) - This site changed significantly; it added the dwelling keyword, and allows you to play any ranger from your draw deck instead of just Aragorn.
* {{Card|11S258}} (previously 7U363) - Added the battleground keyword.
* {{Card|11S259}} (previously 4U339) - The search must now happen at the start of the fellowship phase, rather than as a fellowship special action.
* {{Card|11S260}} (previously 1U334) - The card draw is now optional.
* {{Card|11S261}} (previously 2U120) - Added the dwelling keyword.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|The One Ring, the Ring of Rings}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Strider}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Siege of Gondor

2024-06-17T17:26:21Z

Eomund: Added card link to Tolman Cotton

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

{{Set
|ID=8
|Name=Siege of Gondor
|Abbr=SoG
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-03-10
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}

'''Siege of Gondor''' (or '''SoG''') is the first expansion set in [[King Block]] and the eighth expansion overall. It was released on March 10, 2004. The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Six rares from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Following the pattern set by the first expansion of each of the previous two blocks, Siege of Gondor contained themes that centred around significant visual effects from the Return of the King: the {{C|Gondor}} [[Wraith]] subculture, and the giant spider [[Shelob]], which appeared as the second minion in the {{C|Gollum}} culture.

===Cultures===

Siege of Gondor continued the same cultures as [[Return of the King]], with a focus on {{C|Gollum}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Raider}}, {{C|Ringwraith}} and {{C|Sauron}}.

===New Loaded Keyword===

A character with [[Enduring]] get strength +2 for each wound on that character. Many cards with [[Enduring]] were given abilities which required healing the character as a cost, which led to a number of potential [[loop]]s that needed to be corrected with errata or x-listing cards.

===New Unloaded Keywords===

Siege of Gondor introduced three new unloaded keywords
* [[Corsair]], a subculture of {{C|Raider}} representing the pirates of Umbar
* [[Spider]], a new race in the {{C|Gollum}} culture used for [[Shelob]]

While not a new keyword, [[Wraith]] appeared for the first time on Free Peoples cards as a subculture of {{C|Gondor}}, after previously appearing on three {{C|Sauron}} cards in [[Ents of Fangorn]].

==Starter Decks==

The premium cards for the Siege of Gondor starter decks were {{Card|Merry, Noble Warrior}} and {{Card|Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith}}. These two cards are notable as the first hobbits to appear as the face cards of a starter deck and the only hobbits ever printed with a base strength of 5 or more; the only other hobbit with a base strength greater than 3 is {{Card|Tolman Cotton}}, who wouldn't be printed until [[Black Rider|set 12]].

* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#SOG_Merry_Starter_Deck|Merry Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Ringwraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#SOG_Pippin_Starter_Deck|Pippin Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Raider}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Allied culture token conditions
| {{Card|Wish For Our Kinfolk}}
| {{Card|Shake Off the Shadow}}
| {{Card|Not the First Halfling}}
| {{Card|A Path Appointed}}
| {{Card|Doom Drove Them}}
| {{Card|Song of the Shire}}
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that with a cost of "Exert a [Culture 1] companion and either a [Culture 2] or a [Culture 3] companion to add a [Culture 1] token here."
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Siege of Gondor did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Saved from the Fire}}
* {{Card|Shelob, Eater of Light}}
* {{Card|Shelob, Last Child of Ungoliant}}
* {{Card|King of the Dead, Oathbreaker}}
* {{Card|Merry, Noble Warrior}}
* {{Card|Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Fierce

2024-01-21T05:33:58Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a single incorrectly formatted rule entry

[[File:LOTR-EN01S237.0_card.jpg|frame|right|{{Card|The Witch-king, Lord of Angmar}} is one of many Nazgûl that have fierce.]]
'''Fierce''' is a non-numeric [[loaded keyword]] that was in the game from the beginning. Fierce allows minions to participate in skirmishes twice at the same site; it does not appear on Free Peoples characters. Fierce appears on at least one card in every expansion except [[The Wraith Collection]], and appears on minions from every culture. It is used most frequently on [[Nazgul|Nazgûl]], but is also used to make large minions like [[troll]]s or the [[Balrog]] more challenging for the Fellowship to deal with.

==Rules Entries==

{{RulesQuote
|source=fierce
|text=During a turn, after all normal skirmishes are resolved, surviving minions with the keyword fierce must be defended against a second time.

Players perform another {{SL|assignment phase}} and then complete a separate {{SL|skirmish phase}} for each fierce skirmish.

Players may again perform assignment actions (special abilities on cards in play with "Assignment:" and events with that keyword) using the {{SL|action procedure}}.

The Free Peoples player then assigns defenders just as during the regular assignment phase, and then Shadow players assign any fierce minions that remain unassigned. (See {{SL|ally}}.)

Then each defending companion fights in a separate skirmish phase, just as during the regular skirmish phases, in an order decided by the Free Peoples player.

''Aragorn is assigned to defend against a fierce Uruk-hai. In the normal skirmish phase, Aragorn wins and the Uruk-hai takes one wound. During the following fierce skirmish phase, the Free Peoples player may once more assign a companion to defend against the Uruk-hai. This companion may be Aragorn or may be a different companion.''

A minion must be in play and fierce at the start of the fierce assignment phase to participate in a fierce skirmish. During the fierce assignment phase, ignore any effect that results in assignment
with a minion that is not fierce.

Once a minion is assigned in the fierce assignment phase, that minion's fierce skirmish must be resolved, even if that minion somehow becomes no longer fierce.}}

==Cards with Fierce==

This includes cards like {{Card|Hidden Even From Her}} that grant a minion fierce.

{{ThumbnailTable
|filter= CR.GameText LIKE '%Fierce.%' AND {{PromoFilter}}
|sort= {{CultureSort}}
}}

----

{{Loaded Keyword Table}}

Category:Loaded Keywords

2024-01-21T05:17:37Z

Eomund: Created page with one line description, analogously to how Wikipedia uses category pages

This category is for [[loaded keyword]]s, including [[item class]]es.

Category:Unloaded Keywords

2024-01-21T05:16:11Z

Eomund: Created page with one line description, analogously to how Wikipedia uses category pages

This category is for [[unloaded keywords]], including [[race]]s.

Category:Keywords

2024-01-21T05:14:48Z

Eomund: Created page with one line description, analogously to how Wikipedia uses category pages

This category is for [[keyword]]s, including both [[loaded keyword]]s and [[unloaded keyword]]s.

Enduring

2024-01-21T00:40:09Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a single incorrectly formatted rule entry

[[File:LOTR-EN10S067.0_card.jpg|frame|right|{{Card|Ulaire Cantea, Thrall of the One}} is one of several Nazgûl from set 10 with skirmish special abilities that use healing the minion as a cost.]]
'''Enduring''' is a non-numeric [[loaded keyword]] introduced in set 8, [[Siege of Gondor]]. It also appeared on cards in [[Reflections]], [[Mount Doom]], and [[The Wraith Collection]], and is mentioned on two sites in [[War of the Ring Block]].

==Rules Entries==

{{RulesQuote
|source=enduring
|text=For each wound on a character with the enduring keyword, that character is strength +2.}}

==Cards with Enduring==

This includes {{Card|Seasoned Leader}}, the one card that grants a minion Enduring.

{{ThumbnailTable
|filter= CR.GameText LIKE '%Enduring.%' AND {{PromoFilter}}
|sort= {{CultureSort}}
}}

==Cards that interact with Enduring==

This includes cards that interact with Enduring without granting it, as well as the two sites from [[War of the Ring]] block with abilities that cannot be used by Enduring characters.

{{ThumbnailTable
|filter= CR.GameText LIKE '%Enduring %' OR CR.GameText LIKE '%Enduring)%' AND {{PromoFilter}}
|sort= {{CultureSort}}
}}

----

{{Loaded Keyword Table}}

Mount Doom

2024-01-20T18:02:27Z

Eomund: Expanded the article from a stub

__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|Mount Doom|[[Main_Page]]|[[Reflections]]|[[Shadows]]}}
{{SetTabs}}

{{Set
|ID=10
|Name=Mount Doom
|Abbr=MD
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-07-14
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}

'''Mount Doom''' is the second and final expansion set in [[King Block]] and the tenth set overall. It was released on July 14, 2004. The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Four rares and one premium card from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Mount Doom did not have a significant mechanical identity; rather, it added to the strategies already established by the first two [[King Block]] sets, including {{C|Gondor}} [[Wraith]]s, [[Corsair]]s, [[Morgul Orcs]], [[Enduring]] [[Nazgul|Nazgûl]], and [[Besieger]]s.

===Cultures===

For the most part, Mount Doom used the same cultures as the rest of [[King Block]]: all of the Free Peoples (with a focus on {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gondor}}, and {{C|Shire}}), along with {{C|Gollum}}, {{C|Raider}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, {{C|Sauron}}. The one exception is the card {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}}, which is the only {{C|Isengard}} card printed in King Block.

Because of the changes to Shadow cultures made in set 11, Mount Doom is the last set to feature any cards of the {{C|Raider}} culture. The {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Sauron}} cultures would also be discontinued as primary cultures, although they would feature on individual cards in future sets.

===New Keywords===

Mount Doom did not introduce any new keywords, loaded or unloaded, however it does feature the only appearance of [[Uruk-hai]] outside of the {{C|Isengard}} and {{C|Uruk-hai}} cultures.

==Starter Decks==

The premium cards for the Mount Doom starter decks were {{Card|Frodo, Resolute Hobbit}} and {{Card|Sam, Great Elf Warrior}}, continuing the trend from [[Siege of Gondor]] of having hobbits appear as the face cards of the starter decks. With the release of Mount Doom, each of the nine companions that set out from Rivendell led at least one starter deck; the five non-hobbit companions all had starter decks in [[Fellowship block]] (Gandalf had two).

* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#MD_Frodo_Starter_Deck|Frodo Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Ringwraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#MD_Sam_Starter_Deck|Sam Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Sauron}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Lose initiative conditions
| {{Card|Memories of Darkness}}
| {{Card|Glimpse of Fate}}
| {{Card|Brooding on Tomorrow}}
| {{Card|Hardy Garrison}}
| {{Card|Fell Deeds Awake}}
| {{Card|A Light in His Mind}}
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that trigger each time the Free Peoples player loses initiative (sometimes with the restriction "except during the Fellowship phase").
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="5" | Shadow Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Gollum}}
! {{C|Raider}}
! {{C|Ringwraith}}
! {{C|Sauron}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Initiative conditions
| {{Card|Unabated in Malice}}
| {{Card|Under Foot}}
| {{Card|Stooping to the Kill}}
| {{Card|Flames Within}}
|-
|colspan="4" | Common conditions with two abilities: one that is only active when the Shadow has initiative, and the other that discards the condition to give a minion a strength bonus during a skirmish. It could be argued that {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}} is also a member of the cycle, but unlike the other abilities it is an uncommon and doesn't have an ability to discard it during a skirmish.
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Mount Doom did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}
* {{Card|Aragorn, Elessar Telcontar}}
* {{Card|Suffered Much Loss}}
* {{Card|Frodo, Resolute Hobbit}}
* {{Card|Sam, Great Elf Warrior}}

===X-listed Cards===

Unbeknownst at the time, Mount Doom was a glimpse into the tumultuous ara ahead for the game. Along with {{Card|Aggression}} from [[Siege of Gondor]], 4 cards were added to the [[X-list]] in the week before and month after its release directly because of interactions it caused -- the most during the time of any expansion set. {{Card|Treebeard, Keeper of the Watchwood}} and {{Card|Base of Mindolluin}} were the first cards to cause ''pre-emptive'' bans, adding {{Card|Steadfast Champion}} and {{Card|Gondorian Captain}} respectively to the X-list due to loops that could occur in [[Movie Block]]. {{Card|Mordor Fiend}} holds the distinction of the fastest ban in the game's history (one day after the set was released) for yet another loop while {{Card|Memories of Darkness}} clocked in less than a month later as the second-fastest ban for enabling various abuses including loops. While not banned during the time of Mount Doom, the set's infamous {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}} did not trail far behind and was banned shortly after [[Shadows]].

----

{{Set Table}}

Siege of Gondor

2024-01-20T18:02:10Z

Eomund: Fixed some typos and added a cultures section

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

{{Set
|ID=8
|Name=Siege of Gondor
|Abbr=SoG
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-03-10
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}

'''Siege of Gondor''' (or '''SoG''') is the first expansion set in [[King Block]] and the eighth expansion overall. It was released on March 10, 2004. The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and 2 premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Six rares from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Following the pattern set by the first expansion of each of the previous two blocks, Siege of Gondor contained themes that centred around significant visual effects from the Return of the King: the {{C|Gondor}} [[Wraith]] subculture, and the giant spider [[Shelob]], which appeared as the second minion in the {{C|Gollum}} culture.

===Cultures===

Siege of Gondor continued the same cultures as [[Return of the King]], with a focus on {{C|Gollum}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Raider}}, {{C|Ringwraith}} and {{C|Sauron}}.

===New Loaded Keyword===

A character with [[Enduring]] get strength +2 for each wound on that character. Many cards with [[Enduring]] were given abilities which required healing the character as a cost, which led to a number of potential [[loop]]s that needed to be corrected with errata or x-listing cards.

===New Unloaded Keywords===

Siege of Gondor introduced three new unloaded keywords
* [[Corsair]], a subculture of {{C|Raider}} representing the pirates of Umbar
* [[Spider]], a new race in the {{C|Gollum}} culture used for [[Shelob]]

While not a new keyword, [[Wraith]] appeared for the first time on Free Peoples cards as a subculture of {{C|Gondor}}, after previously appearing on three {{C|Sauron}} cards in [[Ents of Fangorn]].

==Starter Decks==

The premium cards for the Siege of Gondor starter decks were {{Card|Merry, Noble Warrior}} and {{Card|Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith}}. These two cards are notable as the first hobbits to appear as the face cards of a starter deck and the only hobbits ever printed with a base strength of 5 or more; the only other hobbit with a base strength greater than 3 is Tolman Cotton, who wouldn't be printed until [[Black Rider|set 12]].

* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#SOG_Merry_Starter_Deck|Merry Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Ringwraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#SOG_Pippin_Starter_Deck|Pippin Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Raider}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Allied culture token conditions
| {{Card|Wish For Our Kinfolk}}
| {{Card|Shake Off the Shadow}}
| {{Card|Not the First Halfling}}
| {{Card|A Path Appointed}}
| {{Card|Doom Drove Them}}
| {{Card|Song of the Shire}}
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that with a cost of "Exert a [Culture 1] companion and either a [Culture 2] or a [Culture 3] companion to add a [Culture 1] token here."
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Siege of Gondor did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Saved from the Fire}}
* {{Card|Shelob, Eater of Light}}
* {{Card|Shelob, Last Child of Ungoliant}}
* {{Card|King of the Dead, Oathbreaker}}
* {{Card|Merry, Noble Warrior}}
* {{Card|Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith}}

----

{{Set Table}}

Ring-bearer

2024-01-19T00:37:58Z

Eomund: Added information about costs for Alternate Ring-bearers

Your Ring-bearer is a [[companion]] who you place on the table before your starting fellowship, bearing the [[One Ring]]. He or she is the key component of your deck, as all strategies rely on killing or corrupting the Ring-bearer, and you only win if your Ring bearer is alive at the regroup phase at site 9.

== Alternate Ring-bearers ==
At the game's initial release with [[Fellowship of the Ring]], the only playable Ring-bearer was Frodo, and if Sam was in play when he died, [[the One Ring]] would pass to Sam and you would continue on with Sam as your Ring-bearer. This remained true until the release of [[Reflections]], when 6 new '''Alternate Ring-bearers''' (or '''ARBs''') became available. Alternate Ring-Bearers represented what would happen if Frodo had given or had the [[One Ring]] taken by someone else. These ARBs typically have lower [[resistance]] than Frodo, but compensated by having higher strength or powerful effects.

The primary impact this has was to permit true monoculture decks to exist; {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Dwarven}}, and {{C|Gollum}} could all dispense with any {{C|Shire}} cards used to keep Frodo alive. Once [[Bloodlines]] was released, two new alternate Ring-bearers were made of Sam and Gandalf, allowing every [[Free Peoples]] culture except {{C|Rohan}} to have a Ring-bearer.

While Alternate Ring-bearers have twilight costs, the ring-bearer is "placed" on the table, not played, so the twilight cost does not need to paid. Similarly, when using {{Card|Smeagol, Bearer of Great Secrets}}, you do not need to add a burden to play him.

==Rules Entries==
{{RulesQuote
|source=Ring-bearer and The One Ring
|text=You may choose any character with the ringed resistance icon, or any version of Frodo, to be your Ring-bearer. You may choose any version of The One Ring. These two cards are not part of your draw deck (they do not count against your total of Free Peoples cards).}}
{{RulesQuote
|source=Ring-bearer
|text=One Free Peoples character always begins the game as your Ring-bearer. (See building your deck.) He bears The One Ring for you, much as when Frodo carried the Ring in his pocket or on a chain around his neck.

If a character other than Frodo is your Ring-bearer, you cannot play any version of Frodo with the Ring-bearer keyword during the game.

While wearing The One Ring, your Ring-bearer can perform all normal actions such as moving and skirmishing. He may defend against attacking minions as usual.

The Ring-bearer cannot be discarded or returned to your hand, and skirmishes involving the Ring-bearer cannot be cancelled.}}
{{RulesQuote
|source=Starting Fellowship
|text=Your fellowship begins with a character bearing The One Ring. This can be any character with the ringed resistance icon, or any version of Frodo. That character gains the keywords Ring-bearer and Ring-bound, if he does not already have them.

Place your Ring-bearer face up on the table. Place The One Ring under your Ring-bearer (so the title is showing) and place on him the burdens that you bid.

You may then play other companions (not allies, possessions, artifacts, or conditions) one at a time from your draw deck, as long as the total twilight cost of these companions is 4 or less. The twilight cost of your Ring-bearer is not included in this total.}}

==List of Ring-Bearers==
{{ThumbnailTable
|filter= CR.CanBearRing='1' AND {{PromoFilter}}
|sort={{StandardSort}}
}}

==Cards That Interact With the Ring-Bearer==

===Free Peoples===
{{ThumbnailTable
|filter= C.Side = 'Free Peoples' AND CR.GameText RLIKE 'Ring-bearer' AND CR.GameText NOT RLIKE '(?<!\\w )Ring-bearer \\(' AND CR.GameText NOT RLIKE '(?<!\\w )Ring-bearer\\.' AND {{PromoFilter}}
|sort={{StandardSort}}
}}

===Shadow===
{{ThumbnailTable
|filter= C.Side = 'Shadow' AND CR.GameText RLIKE 'Ring-bearer' AND CR.GameText NOT RLIKE '(?<!\\w )Ring-bearer \\(' AND CR.GameText NOT RLIKE '(?<!\\w )Ring-bearer\\.' AND {{PromoFilter}}
|sort={{StandardSort}}
}}

===Sites===
{{ThumbnailTable
|filter= C.CardType = 'Site' AND CR.GameText RLIKE 'Ring-bearer' AND CR.GameText NOT RLIKE '(?<!\\w )Ring-bearer \\(' AND CR.GameText NOT RLIKE '(?<!\\w )Ring-bearer\\.' AND {{PromoFilter}}
|sort={{StandardSort}}
}}

===The One Ring===
{{ThumbnailTable
|filter= C.CardType = 'The One Ring' AND CR.GameText RLIKE 'Ring-bearer' AND CR.GameText NOT RLIKE '(?<!\\w )Ring-bearer \\(' AND CR.GameText NOT RLIKE '(?<!\\w )Ring-bearer\\.' AND {{PromoFilter}} AND {{RingFilter}}
|sort={{StandardSort}}
}}

Siege of Gondor

2024-01-19T00:11:22Z

Eomund: Upgraded the page from a stub to a real set page!

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

{{Set
|ID=8
|Name=Siege of Gondor
|Abbr=SoG
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2004-03-10
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
}}

'''Siege of Gondor''' (or '''SoG''') is the first expansion set in [[King Block]] and the eighth expansion overall. It was released on March 10, 2004. The set contained 122 cards (40 commons, 40 uncommons, 40 rares, and two premium cards that only appeared in starter decks), all of which could appear in foil versions. Six rares from the set had [[Tengwar]] versions produced.

==Themes and Mechanics==

Following the pattern set by the first expansion of each of the previous two blocks, Siege of Gondor contained themes that centred around significant visual effects from the Return of the King: the {{C|Gondor}} [[Wraith]] subculture, and the giant spider [[Shelob]], which appeared as the second minion in the {{C|Gollum}} culture.

===New Loaded Keyword===

A character with [[Enduring]] get strength +2 for each wound on that character. Many cards with [[Enduring]] were given abilities which required healing the character as a cost, which led to a number of potential [[loop]]s that needed to be corrected with errata or x-listing cards.

===New Unloaded Keywords===

Siege of Gondor introduced three new unloaded keywords
* [[Corsair]], a subculture of {{C|Raider}} representing the pirates of Umbar
* [[Spider]], a new race in the {{C|Gollum}} culture used for [[Shelob]]

While not a new keyword, [[Wraith]] appeared for the first time on Free Peoples cards as a subculture of {{C|Gondor}}, after previously appearing on three {{C|Sauron}} cards in [[Ents of Fangorn]].

==Starter Decks==

The premium cards for the Siege of Gondor starter decks were {{Card|Merry, Noble Warrior}} and {{Card|Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith}}. These two cards are notable as the first hobbits to appear as the face cards of a starter deck and the only hobbits ever printed with a base strength of 5 or more; the only other hobbit with a base strength greater than 3 is Tolman Cotton, who wouldn't be printed until [[Black Rider|set 12]].

* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#SOG_Merry_Starter_Deck|Merry Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Rohan}} / {{C|Ringwraith}}
* [[Starter_Decks/King_Block#SOG_Pippin_Starter_Deck|Pippin Starter Deck]]: {{C|Shire}} / {{C|Gondor}} / {{C|Raider}}

==Cycles==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
|-
!Cycle Name
! {{C|Dwarven}}
! {{C|Elven}}
! {{C|Gandalf}}
! {{C|Gondor}}
! {{C|Rohan}}
! {{C|Shire}}
|-
|rowspan="2" | Allied culture token conditions
| {{Card|Wish For Our Kinfolk}}
| {{Card|Shake Off the Shadow}}
| {{Card|Not the First Halfling}}
| {{Card|A Path Appointed}}
| {{Card|Doom Drove Them}}
| {{Card|Song of the Shire}}
|
|-
|colspan="6" | Conditions that with a cost of "Exert a [Culture 1] companion and either a [Culture 2] or a [Culture 3] companion to add a [Culture 1] token here."
|}

==Reprinted Cards==

Siege of Gondor did not contain any reprinted cards.

==Notable Cards==

* {{Card|Saved from the Fire}}
* {{Card|Shelob, Eater of Light}}
* {{Card|Shelob, Last Child of Ungoliant}}
* {{Card|King of the Dead, Oathbreaker}}
* {{Card|Merry, Noble Warrior}}
* {{Card|Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith}}

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{{Set Table}}