The Two Towers: Difference between revisions

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{{CardSet
__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|The Two Towers|[[Main Page]]|[[Realms of the Elf-lords]]|[[Battle of Helm's Deep]]}}
{{SetTabs}}
{{Set
|ID=4
|ID=4
|Name=The Two Towers
|Name=The Two Towers
|Abbr=TTT
|Creator=Decipher
|Creator=Decipher
|ReleaseDate=2002-11-06
|ReleaseDate=2002-11-06
|IsOfficial=yes
|IsOfficial=yes
|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
|Notes=
|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.


= Set Details =
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.


The Two Towers is the second base set of the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, and the fourth expansion overall. It was released on November 6, 2002. The table below describes the distribution of cards in booster packs; it does not include the two starter-only companions.
== Themes and Mechanics ==


| ^ Common ^ Uncommon ^ Rare ^ Total ^
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]].
^ The One Ring | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
^ Dunland [Dunland] | 15 | 11 | 12 | 38
^ Dwarven [Dwarven] | 6 | 4 | 7 | 17
^ Elven [Elven] | 11 | 10 | 9 | 30
^ Gandalf [Gandalf] | 7 | 5 | 9 | 21
^ Gondor [Gondor] | 12 | 6 | 9 | 27
^ Isengard [Isengard] | 30 | 17 | 33 | 80
^ Raider [Raider] | 15 | 12 | 19 | 46
^ Rohan [Rohan] | 14 | 10 | 12 | 36
^ Shire [Shire] | 10 | 5 | 10 | 25
^ Sites | 0 | 41 | 0 | 41
^ Total | 121 | 121 | 121 | 363


= Themes and mechanics =
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.


== New cultures ==
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 set introduced three new cultures: Dunland [Dunland], Raider [Raider], and Rohan [Rohan]. It was also the first set to contain zero cards from already-established cultures: Moria [Moria], Ringwraith [Ringwraith], and Sauron [Sauron].
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.


== New loaded keywords ==
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:


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


== New unloaded keywords ==
=== Cultures ===


The Two Towers introduced seven new unloaded keywords:
This set introduced three new cultures:
* Battleground, on sites
* {{C|Raider}}, representing the evil nations of Men sworn to serve Sauron
* Easterling, on Raider minions
* {{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)
* Ent, a new race in the Gandalf culture
* {{C|Rohan}}, the kingdom of horsemen led by {{Theoden}} and his heirs {{Eomer}} and {{Eowyn}}
* Machine, on Isengard possessions
* Southron, on Raider minions
* Valiant, on Rohan companions
* Villager, on Rohan allies


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


The Two Towers introduced several other new mechanics:
=== New [[loaded keywords]] ===
* Site control and liberation
* Culture tokens
* Subtitles on possessions, artifacts, and conditions
* Mounts and the term "mounted"
* A new site path, which completely replaced the Fellowship of the Ring sitepath


= Card Comparisons =
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]]


== Reprinted cards ==
=== New [[Unloaded Keywords]] ===


* The One Ring, The Ruling Ring'''* (previously 1C2)
The Two Towers introduced seven new unloaded keywords:
* Elven Bow* (previously 1C41)
* [[Battleground]], on sites
* Pathfinder (previously 1C110)
* [[Easterling]], on {{C|Raider}} minions
* Others?
* [[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


== Functional reprints ==
=== Other mechanics ===


== Strictly better ==
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


== Strictly worse ==
== Starter Decks ==


== Similar sites ==
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.


Because the Two Towers introduced a completely new site path, the set included some sites very similar to sites previously released in the Fellowship of the Ring block in order to enable the same strategies.
* [[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}}


* Eastemnet Downs (punishes large fellowships, similar to East Road)
==Cycles==
* The Riddermark (allows you to play Aragorn from your draw deck, similar to The Prancing Pony)
* White Mountains (similar game text to Dwarrowdelf Chamber)
* Hornburg Causeway (similar game text to Anduin Banks)
* King's Room (similar game text to Silverlode Banks)


= Notable Cards =
{| class="wikitable"
|-
* The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles
!colspan="7" | Free Peoples Cycles
* Aragorn, Wingfoot
|-
* Theoden, Lord of the Mark
!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.
|}


= Starter decks =
{| 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.
|}


===Aragorn Starter Deck===
== Reprinted cards ==
Gondor [Gondor] / Dunland [Dunland]


!Ring-bearer (2 cards)
* {{Card|4C2}} (previously 1C2)
* Frodo, Tired Traveller
* {{Card|4U62}} (previously 1C41)
* The One Ring, The Ruling Ring
* {{Card|4C129}} (previously 1C110)
* {{Card|4C207}} (previously 1C158)
* {{Card|4C306}} (previously 1C299)


Adventure Deck (9 cards)
== Similar sites ==
* [!1T] The Riddermark
* [!2T] Rohirrim Village
* [!3T] Westemnet Plains
* [!4T] White Rocks
* [!5T] Hornburg Courtyard
* [!6T] Hornburg Armory
* [!7T] Hornburg Causeway
* [!8T] Ring of Isengard
* [!9T] Orthanc Library
 
Free Peoples (24 cards)
* Aragorn, Wingfoot x2
* Gimli, Unbidden Guest x2 (starting)
* Legolas, Elven Comrade x2 (starting)
* Merry, Learned Guide x3
* Pippin, Woolly-footed Rascal x3
* Hobbit Sword x2
* Ranger's Sword, Blade of Aragorn x2
* Best Company x2
* Severed His Bonds x2
* Swiftly and Softly x2
* Valor x2
 
Shadow (25 cards)
* Band of Wild Men x3
* Dunlending Brigand x3
* Dunlending Madman x3
* Dunlending Pillager x3
* Dunlending Robber x3
* Dunlending Savage x3
* Iron Axe x3
* Dark Fury x2
* Death to the Strawheads x2
 
===Theoden Starter Deck===
Rohan [Rohan] / Isengard [Isengard]
 
!Ring-bearer (2 cards)
* Frodo, Tired Traveller
* The One Ring, The Ruling Ring
 
Adventure Deck (9 cards)
* [1T] Horse-country
* [2T] Uruk Camp
* [3T] Throne Room
* [4T] Westemnet Hills
* [5T] Deep of Helm
* [6T] Hornburg Armory
* [7T] King's Room
* [8T] Wizard's Vale
* [9T] Palantir Chamber


Free Peoples (24 cards)
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.
* Eomer, Sister Son of Theoden (starting)
* Eowyn, Lady of Rohan (starting)
* Rider of Rohan x3
* Theoden, Lord of the Mark x2
* Brego
* Heavy Chain x 3
* Herugrim x2
* Hobbit Sword x2
* Horse of Rohan x3
* An Honorable Charge x3
* Work for the Sword x3


Shadow (25 cards)
* {{Card|Eastemnet Downs}} (punishes large fellowships, similar to {{Card|East Road}})
* Uruk Defender x2
* {{Card|The Riddermark}} (allows you to [[tutor]] [[Aragorn]] from your draw deck, similar to {{Card|The Prancing Pony}})
* Uruk Fanatic x3
* {{Card|White Mountains}} (similar game text to {{Card|Dwarrowdelf Chamber}} and {{Card|Moria Lake}})
* Uruk Rear Guard x2
* {{Card|Hornburg Causeway}} (similar game text to {{Card|Anduin Banks}})
* Uruk Regular x2
* {{Card|King's Room}} (similar game text to {{Card|Silverlode Banks}})
* Uruk Stalker x3
* Uruk-hai Raiding Party x3
* Orthanc Warrior x3
* Broad-Bladed Sword x3
* Ferocity x2
* Still They Came x2


===Gandalf Deluxe Starter Set===
== Notable Cards ==
Gandalf [Gandalf] / Shire [Shire] / Raider [Raider]


!Ring-bearer (2 cards)
* {{Card|The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles}}
* Frodo, Tired Traveller
* {{Card|Saruman, Rabble-rouser}}
* The One Ring, The Ruling Ring
* {{Card|Legolas, Dauntless Hunter}}
* {{Card|Faramir, Son of Denethor}}
* {{Card|Grima, Wormtongue}}
* {{Card|Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark}}


Adventure Deck (9 cards)
* [1T] Western Emyn Muil
* [2T] Wold of Rohan
* [3T] Streets of Edoras
* [4T] White Rocks
* [5T] Hornburg Parapet
* [6T] Hornburg Armory
* [7T] King's Room
* [8T] Wizard's Vale
* [9T] Palantir Chamber


Free Peoples (24 cards)
----
* Eomer, Sister-son of Theoden x2
* Eowyn, Lady of Rohan x2
* Gandalf, The White Wizard (starting)
* Gimli, Unbidden Guest
* Legolas, Elven Comrade
* Sam, Samwise the Brave
* Hobbit Sword x2
* Sword of Rohan x2
* Have Patience x2
* Long I Fell x3
* Severed His Bonds x2
* Swiftly and Softly x2
* Under the Living Earth x3


Shadow (25 cards)
* Desert Soldier x3
* Desert Spearman x3
* Easterling Axeman x3
* Easterling Guard x2
* Easterling Infantry x2
* Easterling Lieutenant x3
* Southron Scout x3
* Gathering to the Summons x2
* Men of Rhun x2
* On the March x2


{{:set_table}}
{{Set Table}}

Latest revision as of 14:58, 13 November 2024

Realms of the Elf-lords
Back to Main Page 		Battle of Helm's Deep
Set Info
Index
Thumbs
Product
The Two Towers
ID4
NameThe Two Towers
CreatorDecipher
Release Date2002-11-06
Is Officialyes
PlatformsPaper • LotR-O • GEMP • mLOTRO • Tabletop Simulator • Lackey • gccg
Notes


Treebeard, Earthborn (4R103) interacted with the new Bouncing Hobbits archetype.

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[edit]

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 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 Rangers, Frodo, Sam, and later Sméagol) were part of Frodo's storyline, while unbound companions were off fighting in Rohan. Raider cards would target and gain bonuses from fighting Ring-bound companions, while Isengard and 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 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:

Cultures[edit]

This set introduced three new cultures:

  • Raider, representing the evil nations of Men sworn to serve Sauron
  • 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)
  • Rohan, the kingdom of horsemen led by Théoden and his heirs Éomer and Éowyn

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

New loaded keywords[edit]

The Two Towers introduced four new loaded keywords:

  • Ambush, which appeared in the Southron subculture of the 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 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[edit]

The Two Towers introduced seven new unloaded keywords:

Other mechanics[edit]

The Two Towers introduced several other new mechanics:

Starter Decks[edit]

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.

Cycles[edit]

Free Peoples Cycles
Cycle Name Dwarven Elven Gandalf Gondor Rohan Shire
The Three Hunters Gimli, Lockbearer (4R48) Legolas, Dauntless Hunter (4R73) N/A Aragorn, Wingfoot (4P364) N/A N/A
Companions that get stronger for each unbound Hobbit you can spot.
Wins a skirmish conditions Stout and Strong (4U57) Strength of Arms (4U82) Behold the White Rider (4U88) Ithilien Trap (4U126) Fortress Never Fallen (4U276) Good Work (4U305)
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.
Shadow Cycles
Cycle Name Dunland Isengard Raider
Common one-drop minions Dunlending Ravager (4C15) Uruk Foot Soldier (4C187) Southron Scout (4C252)
Common minions with a twilight cost of 1.
Skirmish token conditions Secret Folk (4U34) Down to the Last Child (4U148) Arrow From the South (4U216)
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.
"Spot a site you control" conditions Over the Isen (4U31) Race Across the Mark (4R168) Men of Harad (4R238)
Support area conditions with a repeatable ability that requires you to spot a site you control and remove (2) to use.

Reprinted cards[edit]

Similar sites[edit]

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.

Notable Cards[edit]



Sets
Official Decipher Sets Promotional Promotional
Fellowship Block The Fellowship of the Ring • Mines of Moria • Realms of the Elf-lords
Towers Block The Two Towers • Battle of Helm's Deep • Ents of Fangorn
King Block The Return of the King • Siege of Gondor • Mount Doom
War of the Ring Block Shadows • Black Rider • Bloodlines
Hunters Block The Hunters • Rise of Saruman • Treachery & Deceit
Non-Block Sets Reflections • Expanded Middle-earth • The Wraith Collection • Age's End
Unreleased Sets The Great Eye • Shelob's Lair
Unofficial Fan Sets Player's Council PC Kitchen Sink (V0) • Shadow of the Past (V1) • King of the Golden Hall (V2) • The Pelennor Fields (V3)
Hobbit Draft Game Main Deck • Shadow Packs • Supplementary Packs
mLOTRO MLOTRO Promo Cards • MLOTRO Reflections II
The Journey Continues The Journey Begins
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