Denethor, Wizened Steward (7C86)

Denethor, Steward of the City (7R85)

Back to Return of the King Index

Derufin (7R87)

Strategy

Collection

History

Data

Denethor, Wizened Steward (7C86) is a Gondor Companion from the Return of the King set.

EN Nonfoil First Edition EN Foil First Edition DE Nonfoil First Edition DE Foil First Edition FR Nonfoil First Edition FR Foil First Edition IT Nonfoil First Edition IT Foil First Edition

Collection Info Title Denethor Subtitle Wizened Steward Unique Yes Collectible Yes Set 7 - Return of the King Rarity C - Common Card Number 86 Language EN - English Revision 0

Gameplay Info Playable Yes Culture Gondor Side Free Peoples Card Type Companion Race Man Twilight Cost 2 Strength 5 Vitality 3 Signet Aragorn Game Text Denethor is strength +1 for each other Man you can spot (limit +4). Lore “‘...in desperate hours gentleness may be repaid with death.'”

Translations DE - German Game Text Denethor erhält Stärke +1 für jeden anderen Menschen, den du entdecken kannst (maximal +4). Lore "...in hoffnungslosen Stunden mag Güte mit dem Tode bezahlt werden." FR - French IT - Italian

Technical Info Wiki Base Card ID LOTR-EN07S086.0 TLHH ID LOTR07086 GEMP ID 7_86 LOTRO Hex ID 66 01 AD 06 LOTRO Image ID 07_086

Strategy

An marginal card, negligible in most formats. Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith (10R28) , from the same block, has 8 strength for only 2 twilight. To exceed that, you'd need to spot four other Men; that's a lot of work for only 1 more strength, and there are many other, better, dedicated Gondor skirmishers. Plus, Lord of Minas Tirith's ability to search your deck is much stronger than +1 strength. As a result, in most formats Denethor, Wizened Steward is only useful in a deck that wants to spot Denethor for some reason, but isn't starting with two other Gondor men.

In a format that includes Return of the King but not any of the other sets in that block, Wizened Steward may be marginally useful as a disposable tank that usually has about 6-7 base strength and benefits from both Noble Leaders (7R112) and Aragorn, King in Exile (1P365) . That's situationally useful, as this compares favorably to both 2 cost, 6 strength companions like Derufin (7R87) , and 3 cost, 7 strength companions like most versions of Boromir and Faramir. Alternately, you could use Denethor, Steward of the City (7R85) , which is 8 strength all the time, but that comes at the cost of generating extra burdens and threats.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Synergizes With...

• Noble Leaders (7R112)
• Aragorn, King in Exile (1P365)
• Gondorian Sword (7U98) or Knight's Spear (7C108) are his best hand weapons in the only formats where you'd play him.

Strong Versus...

• This is a vanilla companion with no particular strengths to speak of.

Weak Versus...

• He's best in a fairly large fellowship, which may be vulnerable to Rule of 6 cards like Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul (1U231) or Greed (1R125) .

Alternate Personas

Portrait	Name	Game Text
	Denethor, Steward of the City (7R85)	Fellowship: Play a knight. That knight’s twilight cost is –2. Each time a Shadow card adds a threat, add a burden. Each time a Shadow card adds a burden, add a threat.
	Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith (10R28)	To play, spot 2 Men. Fellowship: If at a sanctuary, exert Denethor to take a card into hand from your draw deck, then reshuffle. Choose an opponent who may draw 2 cards.
	Denethor, Last Ruling Steward (13R64)	Denethor is resistance +1 for each possession in your discard pile. Maneuver: Spot a possession borne by a companion and remove that posssession from the game to exert a minion twice.
	Denethor, On the Edge of Madness (18R42)	Each time the fellowship moves from a site, add a burden. Skirmish: Exert another Man to make him or her strength +1 and damage +1. ​