Editing Boromir, Bearer of Council (9R+31)

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{{QueryCardCategories|9R+31}}

Boromir is one of the original alternate [[Ring-bearer]]s from [[Reflections]], allowing you to replace Frodo with one of the other characters that might've borne the One Ring. Like most of these alternate ring-bearers, he's generally only used if you're going to have him bear the One Ring, as he isn't particularly attractive compared to other versions of Boromir as a vanilla companion. This version of Boromir fits well in a {{C|Gondor}}-focused deck, both thematically and gameplay-wise, especially if that deck uses cards like {{Card|Noble Leaders}} and {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}} that benefit from spotting Boromir.

Bearer of Council has the significant advantage of base 7 strength. Unlike Frodo, he doesn't need a strength boost to avoid being wounded by weak minions, or overwhelmed by moderately strong ones. He can even win an occasional skirmish, both with his higher base strength and access to cards that apply to {{C|Gondor}} or Man companions. This comes at a high cost: every time he skirmishes, you need to expend more than half his base capacity for burdens or wounds. You're trading Frodo's weakness to instant death for Boromir's lingering weakness to repeated skirmishes. This drawback can be alleviated by increasing his vitality, boosting his resistance, or via wound and burden removal. {{Card|The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles}}, {{Card|The One Ring, The Ring of Doom}}, or {{Card|The One Ring, The Ring of Rings}} can help with his wound or burden pool. A {{C|Gondor}} artifact strategy, with cards like {{Card|Scroll of Isildur}} and {{Card|Sapling of the White Tree}}, can also help offset the cost of occasionally skirmishing with him. You can also supplement his vitality with {{Card|Narsil, Blade of the Faithful}} or {{Card|The Saga of Elendil}}, although this can be risky: if one of these cards is removed when he has only one wound left, he'll die and you'll lose the game!

He's also immune to cards that target Hobbits or {{C|Shire}} companions. Most of these cards are not popular in formats that include Reflections, but it's also one less culture to spot, making you less vulnerable to cards like {{Card|Grima, Chief Counselor}}. Remember that if he is the ring-bearer, he is also [[Ring-bound]], and immune to cards that target unbound companions. In particular, it's safe to stack conditions or possessions on him, without fear of {{Card|Grima, Wormtongue}}.

Boromir, Bearer of Council doesn't just compete with Frodo, however. He also competes with the other two {{C|Gondor}} alt ring-bearers: {{Card|Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms}} and, in formats that include [[Rise of Saruman]], {{Card|Faramir, Bearer of Quality}}. In a vacuum, he's the weakest of the three {{C|Gondor}} ring-bearers, as he has a harsher penalty for getting into a skirmish than either alternative, and a weaker ability (albeit one that is useful in all decks). If all you want is a {{C|Gondor}} ring-bearer and none of their abilities are important to your deck, the skirmish penalty makes Boromir the worst choice of the three by a small margin.

Boromir's main advantage over the other {{C|Gondor}} ring-bearers is his name: you can spot Boromir for cards like {{Card|Noble Leaders}} and {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}}, both of which are often used as the core of a deck. While Faramir, Bearer of Quality can also be spotted by those cards, it's easier to fit a starting slate of Boromir, Bearer of Council and a cost-reducing Faramir than vice versa. Such decks often start with Boromir, Bearer of Council, {{Card|Faramir, Captain of Gondor}}, and {{Card|Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith}}, with a plan to use Denethor to search your deck for several {{C|Gondor}} cards at site 3. If you switch to {{Card|Faramir, Prince of Ithilien}}, you can also fit in {{Card|Aragorn, Strider}} to start, although you may prefer to use Denethor to search for a stronger version of Aragorn like {{Card|Aragorn, King in Exile}} at site 3 instead.

If you can afford the wounds or burdens, Boromir can take advantage of the numerous strength-boosting cards that apply to {{C|Gondor}} companions or men (e.g. {{Card|Blade of Gondor}}, {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}, or {{Card|The Last Alliance of Elves and Men}}) to win skirmishes and discard the minions he is skirmishing, regardless of their remaining vitality. This can come in very handy to prevent Shadow cards like {{Card|Isengard Artisan}} or {{Card|Web}} from using their Regroup abilities, or simply to remove minions to set up a double move. Alternately, you can simply keep Boromir away from skirmishes as best you can and use his vitality pool for exertions. Many {{C|Gondor}} turn exertions into something useful, including {{CultureIcon|Gondor}} archery (e.g. {{Card|Gondor Bowmen}} and {{Card|Bow of Minas Tirith}}), [[Fortification]]s (e.g. like {{Card|Stone Tower}} and {{Card|Citadel of the Stars}}), and roaming minion hate (e.g. {{Card|Ranger's Cloak}}, Ithilien Blade, and {{Card|Soldier's Cache}}). All of these strategies work very well with {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}}, as the extra exertions help make the minions more vulnerable to being wounded and killed.

* In conjunction with {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}}, any card that exerts him to produce a useful effect, as long as that exertion isn't in the Fellowship or Regroup phase. This includes {{CultureIcon|Gondor}} archery (e.g. {{Card|Gondor Bowmen}} and {{Card|Bow of Minas Tirith}}), [[Fortification]]s (e.g. like {{Card|Stone Tower}} and {{Card|Citadel of the Stars}}), and roaming minion hate (e.g. {{Card|Ranger's Cloak}}, {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}, and {{Card|Soldier's Cache}}).

* {{C|Gondor}} companions that need to spot relatively many {{CultureIcon|Gondor}} Men, like {{Card|Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith}} and {{Card|Elendil, The Tall}}

* Versions of the One Ring that help with his vitality or resistance, like {{Card|The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles}}, {{Card|The One Ring, The Ring of Doom}}, or {{Card|The One Ring, The Ring of Rings}}

* The {{C|Gondor}} artifact substrategy, with {{Card|Scroll of Isildur}} to boost his resistance and {{Card|Sapling of the White Tree}} to prevent wounds

* Shadow strategies that rely on overwhelming the ring-bearer in a single skirmish, especially in the early-game

* The player cannot elect to wound Boromir twice if Boromir cannot take wounds or cannot take more than one wound, such as when he is bearing {{Card|1C92}}.