Editing User:Cease/Corruption

* 4 - {{Card|eregion hills}}

 

* 4 - {{Card|pelennor prairie}}

* 5 - {{Card|steward's tomb}}

* 7 - {{Card|pelennor flat}}

* 8 - {{Card|northern ithilien}}

* 9 - {{Card|slag mounds}}

* 0 - {{Card|Courtyard Parapet}} also weaker alts: <!--pelennor flat-->{{Card|11S254}} (1)

* 1 - <!--slag mounds-->{{Card|11S258}}

* 1 - <!--steward's tomb-->{{Card|18U139}}

* 3 - <!--caves of aglarond-->{{Card|13S186}}, also weaker {{Card|abandoned mine shaft}}. underground but game text is v limited

From early on, {{C|Sauron}} corruption had fairly strong synergy with [[Sauron Discard]]: not only does Desperate Defense of the Ring allow discards in lieu of burdens, but {{Card|The Irresistible Shadow}} is a way to turn [[mill]] and discard, combined with some corruption, into a victory condition. (The similar {{Card|Despair}} is largely useless.) Irresistible Shadow does have some downsides, however: firstly, if your opponent's deck is depleted, you've probably defanged their Shadow side, so your Free Peoples can just [[run]] down the site path unimpeded. Secondly, while [[Frodo]] can have 10 or more base [[resistance]], alternate [[ring-bearer]]s are usually almost corrupted at 5 burdens. This last obviously isn't a factor until [[Movie Block]] when alternate ring-bearers are introduced, however.

In later sets, {{Card|Grishnakh, Orc Captain}} is a solid, efficient minion, although it's rare that your opponent will eat the burdens. {{Card|Wisp of Pale Sheen}} is a weak minion that can add a burden if it survives a [[skirmish phase]]. {{Card|Sauron, the Lord of the Rings}} doesn't apply burdens himself, but does give you an alternate way of keeping up the pressure if you've piled them up.

initiative orcs: {{Card|Gorgoroth Stormer}} {{Card|Mordor Fighter}} {{Card|Orc Stalker}} {{Card|Besieging Pike}}. get init from fighter, {{Card|Some Secret Art of Flame}} {{Card|Tower of Barad-dur}} {{Card|Gothmog's Warg}}

When you do apply a burden, {{Card|The Ring is Mine!}} can add on even more. It's never a bad play to just use this opportunistically to score a burden here and there, but it's especially satisfying when your opponent takes a calculated risk to go down to low resistance, then gets blown away when it turns out you've got three copies of TRIM in your hand.

While the earliest {{C|Ringwraith}} corruption cards were, charitably, a big old mess, [[Nazgul]] have always been good at maximizing the damage once you pile on some burdens. {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul}} and {{Card|Ulaire Toldea, Messenger of Morgul}} can pick off companions if the burdens stack up, {{Card|Gates of the Dead City}} can grind down the [[Fellowship]] to open up a regular win through murder, {{Card|Ulaire Nelya, Ringwraith in Twilight}} is cheap and cheerful if you've got enough pressure on the Ring-bearer, {{Card|Blade Tip}} and {{Card|Black Breath}} can compound pressure and prevent some types of healing, and {{Card|Return To Its Master}} can score a surprise win if the Ring-bearer is in dire straits. The challenge, especially early on in the game, was applying the burdens in the first place.

 

In [[Fellowship Block]], this was difficult. {{Card|Drawn to its Power}} generally won't apply many burdens over the course of a game unless you're winning anyway, and {{Card|It Wants to be Found}} has a strong effect but requires using [[Twilight (Keyword)|Twilight]] Nazgûl, which are mostly lousy. Twilight Nazgûl have lots of tempting-looking tools to stack burdens, like {{Card|Resistance Becomes Unbearable}}, {{Card|Wraith-World}}, and {{Card|the twilight world}}, but they tend to [[Hand Clog|clog up your hand]] as you wait for a perfect setup that never happens. The Twilight Nazgûl minions themselves are generally too expensive and too bad at actually winning skirmishes to ever really get going. A couple strong skirmishers (often armed with {{Card|Flaming Brand}}) could them off nearly indefinitely, and strong splashable Free Peoples burden removal (particularly {{Card|Sam, Son of Hamfast}}) could deal with the overflow.

 

{{C|Ringwraith}} corruption slowly improved in later sets. Two Nazgûl in particular, {{Card|Ulaire Attea, Wraith on Wings}} and {{Card|Ulaire Toldea, Winged Sentry}} fit snugly into traditional [[Nazgul Beatdown]]. Attea's game text was a little unreliable unless you're using {{Card|Streaming to the Field}}, but unlike the Twilight Nazgûl, you aren't paying too much for a minion that wasn't particularly fearsome in a skirmish.

{{C|Wraith}} corruption decks finally fully came together in [[Movie Block]], first with [[Morgul Orcs]]. {{Card|Morgul Brute}} (often in conjunction with {{Card|Morgul Destroyer}}) forces the ring-bearer to eat a wound or a burden, and the latter is an attractive prospect when faced with the threat of minions like {{Card|Morgul Whelp}} or {{Card|Morgul Hound}}. While feeding the burdens to the Brute obviously won't get you any closer to corrupting the ring-bearer, the mere threat of doing so makes it difficult for your opponent to make optimal [[Assignment Phase|assignments]], and gives you the option to close out the game with violence instead of corruption. The Morgul Orcs deck is also a [[swarm]] deck, and alternate [[ring-bearer]]s (like {{Card|Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms}}) will corrupt themselves if you keep forcing them into skirmishes.

Those alternate ring-bearers were another boon to {{C|Wraith}} culture. While {{Card|Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow}} was nothing new, but previously he was little threat to the ring-bearer as soon as [[Frodo]] had a [[hand weapon]]. However, many of the most popular alternate ring-bearers stack burdens or wounds on themselves every time they get into a skirmish, so now Bill showing up to frown at them actually does some significant damage. Much later, in [[Expanded (Format)|Expanded]], {{Card|Ulaire Nertea, Dark Horseman}} can often do the same, although most multicultural Free Peoples decks, even with just a [[splash]] of another culture, can keep him from simply homing in on the ring-bearer.

Nazgûl got their day in the, uh, shadows as well. {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Thrall of the One}}, can stack as many as three burdens every time he comes out, as long as you get some wounds on him. Your opponent's archers can help with that, but mainly you'll want cards that exert him, such as {{Card|Bent on Discovery}}, {{Card|The Ring Draws Them}}, {{Card|Between Nazgul and Prey}}, and {{Card|Ithil Stone}}. This block also introduced many ways to [[recur]] a key Nazgûl, like {{Card|Out of Sight and Shot}}, {{Card|Flung Into The Fray}}, {{Card|Morgul Squealer}}, {{Card|Ring of Asperity}}, {{Card|Ring of Rancor}}, and {{Card|The Witch-king, Morgul King}}. If you're running a whole deck of [[Enduring]] Nazgûl, {{Card|Dark Swooping Shadows}} is a one-shot option to turn their wounds into more burdens. This deck stays competitive in [[Expanded Format|Expanded]], and even picks up some new tools like {{Card|Keening Wail}} and {{Card|The Witch-king, Captain of the Nine Riders}}.

[[Expanded (Format)|Expanded]] added a bunch of different strong corruption tools, which can be used on their own or in conjunction with Enquea TOTO decks. {{Card|Woody-end}} eats a burden, but it's both an alternate [[Win Condition|win condition]] and burden-positive  

* gates of the dead city + dark fell about him + lingering shadow (+ dark temptation) + duplicitous lieutenant

{{Card|retribution}} (usually with {{Card|Orc Spear}} or {{Card|mordor scimitar}}), {{Card|porter troll}}, {{Card|mocking goblin}}

 

BTTF in hand, isengard to recur, recurred BTTF, then porter last where possible

{{Card|Heavy Burden}}, {{Card|Not Yet Vanquished}}, {{Card|Nasty, Foul Hobbitses}}, {{Card|Trap is Sprung}}

 

{{Card|Gollum, Dark as Darkness}}

{{Card|Orthanc Berserker}}? {{Card|Traitor's Voice}}? {{Card|Worry}}?

 

 

 

The biggest problem in {{C|Shire}} culture is [[Sam]]. The most notorious version of him, albeit one banned in [[Expanded (Format)|Expanded]], is {{Card|Sam, Son of Hamfast}}, with his ability to remove up to 3 burdens immediately after being played. Then, he can linger in play and turn any excess [[heal]]ing into more burden removal, or just die to the largest minion. Even when it's not Son of Hamfast, most versions of [[Sam]] can take over as [[ring-bearer]] if Frodo dies. While Sam's [[resistance]] is much lower, all of the existing burdens get wiped when Frodo dies. {{Card|Helpless}} can help {{C|Wraith}} decks be a little less vulnerable to Sam shenanigans, but it can't stop Son of Hamfast from coming down and wiping three burdens immediately.

Sam isn't the only strong {{C|Shire}} burden removal tool. Hobbits have many one-shot cards that remove burdens, too many to list. There are also a few standout reusable tools that remove burdens, like {{Card|A Light In His Mind}}, {{Card|Bilbo, Aged Ring-bearer}}, {{Card|Sting, Weapon of Heritage}}, and {{Card|Golden Perch Ale}}. All this burden removal would be excessive in most cases, if it weren't for {{Card|The Shire Countryside}}. Multiple copies of the Countryside can turn any burdens and burden removal into quite a lot of healing, which can make a corruption deck's gameplan counterproductive. Countryside engines are fringe in [[Movie Block]], but more common in [[Expanded (Format)|Expanded]], where they can be protected with {{Card|Scouring of the Shire}}. This is just a tough matchup! {{Card|Buckland Homestead}} helps somewhat, since it can bypass Scouring to remove conditions, and it can be [[recur]]red with {{Card|Ulaire Nelya, Third of the Nine Riders}}. No matter what, it's going to be hard to remove Sting or Golden Perch Ale, because it can be protected by Scouring. It's almost always a tough [[Matchup|matchup]].

{{C|Gandalf}} culture also has some very strong burden removal tools. {{Card|Narya}} will slowly erode any burdens you've stacked, albeit at high cost. {{Card|Gandalf's Pipe}} can remove quite a few burdens repeatedly, but only appears in [[Pipeweed]] decks, which are rare and not especially strong. After [[Shadows]], in [[Expanded (Format)|Expanded]], {{C|Gandalf}} gets one of the strongest reusable burden removal tools in the game: {{Card|Shadowfax, Greatest of the Mearas}} (usually combined with {{Card|Citadel to Gate}} and/or {{Card|Sting, Elven Long Knife}} to wipe the [[threat]]s). {{Card|Too Great and Terrible}} is one option to remove him, and [[possession]] [[hate]] like {{Card|Ulaire Cantea, Faster Than Winds}} or {{Card|Grond, Hammer of the Underworld}} can deal with the horse. Those aren't the only problem cards: {{Card|Watch and Wait}} is popular in any deck with strong skirmishers (notably [[Ent]]s), and {{Card|Jarnsmid, Barding Emissary}} is strong, reusable burden removal as well. Just be ready to focus down problematic companions when facing a {{C|Gandalf}} deck in Expanded.

Most other cultures only have one-shot cards to remove burdens, like {{Card|Not Listening}} or {{Card|Elf-song}}. {{Card|Songs of the Blessed Realm}} is technically reusable, but few {{C|Elven}} decks run many copies of [[tale]]s. {{Card|Dwarven}}, {{Card|Gondor}}, and {{Card|Rohan}} cultures have no burden-removal tools at all.