Boromir, Bearer of Council (9R+31): Difference between revisions

From LOTR-TCG Wiki
(Filled in the gameplay strategy and deckbuilding strategy sections)
(total rewrite. a lot of the advice about putting armor/shields on boromir was kinda bad; when on earth would you want him dealing with a fierce skirmish when you could put that armor on someone else?)
Line 9: Line 9:
{{QueryCardCategories|9R+31}}
{{QueryCardCategories|9R+31}}
= Strategy =
= Strategy =
== Gameplay Strategy ==


This version of Boromir fits well within a Gondor-heavy deck, both thematically and gameplay-wise.
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.


Coming from the [[Gondor Culture]] means that Boromir can take advantage of the numerous Strength-boosting cards to win skirmishes and discard the minions he is skirmishing, regardless of their remaining vitality. This can come in very handy in-game, especially if the Free Peoples player is looking to "manage" the battlefield before moving in the regroup phase.
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!


Like all alternate ring-bearers, Boromir comes with significant drawbacks. His requirement to either add 3 burdens or 2 wounds in order to participate in skirmishes can wear down heavily on the Free Peoples, especially in the late game. Fortunately, this drawback can be alleviated by increasing his vitality, boosting his resistance, or via wound and burden removal.
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}}.


On the whole, ring-bearing Boromir can go a long way when played alongside cards that complement his abilities. He can easily dispatch minions, soak up damage if needed, and thus serves as an excellent ring-bearer overall.
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.


== Deckbuilding Strategy ==
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.


A {{Card|Noble Leaders}} deck is where this ring-bearing version of Boromir is commonly found, alongside {{Card|Faramir, Prince of Ithilien}}, {{Card|Aragorn, Strider}}, and {{Card|Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith}} as starting companions.
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 cards like {{Card|Gondor Bowmen}}, {{Card|Soldier's Cache}}, {{Card|Ranger's Cloak}}, and Ithilien Blade. This works very well with {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}} as well, to wear down minions.
 
Boromir's [[Strength]] value (and ability to discard minions) can be boosted via various cards available specifically to Boromir and the wider [[Gondor Culture]]. These cards include {{Card|Blade of Gondor}}, {{Card|Bow of Minas Tirith}}, or {{Card|Swordarm of the White Tower}}, to name a few.
 
[[Armor]] or [[Shield]] cards also work well with Boromir. Cards such as {{Card|Armor of the Citadel}} allow him to take on more than 1 minion, while {{Card|Armor}} or {{Card|Coat of Mail}} permits him to face-off against high-strength creatures such as the {{Card|Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit}} without dying. {{Card|Shield of Boromir}} also places Boromir in a good position to win a skirmish against a minion bearing weapons (e.g., {{Card|Uruk-hai Sword}} as it completely negates the weapon's strength bonus.
 
Various other conditions, events, or artifacts can also support ringbearer Boromir. Cards such as {{Card|Athelas}} or {{Card|Swordarm of the White Tower}} provide healing, shadow condition removal, or temporary increases to Boromir's stats.
 
The choice of [[The One Ring]] can also help out with Boromir's requirement of either adding 3 burdens or 2 wounds to participate in skirmishes. {{Card|The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles}} increases Boromir's vitality by 2 which lets him to safely take 2 wounds and even allows for the increasing of Boromir's strength value if needed. {{Card|The One Ring, The Ring of Rings}} is also a good ring choice as it can be used alongside other Gondor cards such as {{Card|Scroll of Isildur}} or {{Card|Elendil, High-King of Gondor }} to bolster Boromir's resistance and help with burden-taking.
 
Alternate ring-bearers from the [[Gondor Culture]] include {{Card|Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms}} and {{Card|Faramir, Bearer of Quality}}


= Strengths and Weaknesses =
= Strengths and Weaknesses =
== Synergizes With... ==
== Synergizes With... ==


* ''List friendly cards that work well with this card''
* Conditions that spot Boromir in particular, especially {{Card|Noble Leaders}} and {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}}
* In conjunction with {{Card|Stewards' Legacy}}, any card that exerts him to produce a useful effect, such as {{Card|Gondor Bowmen}}, {{Card|Soldier's Cache}}, {{Card|Ranger's Cloak}}, {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}, or {{Card|Bow of Minas Tirith}}
* {{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


== Strong Versus... ==
== Strong Versus... ==


* ''List enemy cards this card does well against''
* Shadow strategies that rely on overwhelming the ring-bearer in a single skirmish, especially in the early-game
* Shadow cards that spot {{C|Shire}} companions or Hobbits, on the assumption that the ring-bearer is one
* Cards that spot many Free Peoples cultures, such as {{Card|Grima, Chief Counselor}}
* Shadow minions or conditions that rely on minions surviving to the Regroup phase, as long as you can afford to skirmish with Boromir. This includes {{Card|Web}} and {{C|Isengard}} orcs like {{Card|Isengard Artisan}}


== Weak Versus... ==
== Weak Versus... ==


* ''List enemy or friendly cards to avoid playing this card with''
* Corruption. He's especially vulnerable to {{Card|Thin and Stretched}}, or corruption bomb strategies that apply many burdens at once, such as {{Card|Lost to the Goblins}}
* {{Card|Such a Little Thing}}
* Repeated skirmishes, particularly from minions that are difficult or impossible to assign to another companion, such as {{Card|Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow}}, {{Card|Gollum, Mad Thing}}, and {{Card|Ulaire Nertea, Dark Horseman}}


= Rulings =
= Rulings =


* The player cannot elect to wound Boromir twice if Boromir cannot take wounds or cannot take more than one wound.
* 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}}.


= Alternate Personas =
= Alternate Personas =

Revision as of 15:57, 18 December 2021

Smeagol, Bearer of Great Secrets (9R+30)
Back to Reflections Index 		Elendil, The Tall (9R+32)
Strategy
Collection
History
Data

Boromir, Bearer of Council (9R+31) is a Gondor Companion from the Reflections set.


  • EN Nonfoil First Edition

    EN Nonfoil First Edition

  • EN Foil First Edition

    EN Foil First Edition

  • DE Nonfoil First Edition

    DE Nonfoil First Edition

  • FR Nonfoil First Edition

    FR Nonfoil First Edition

  • IT Nonfoil First Edition

    IT Nonfoil First Edition

Collection Info
Title Boromir
Subtitle Bearer of Council
Unique Yes
Collectible No
Set 9 - Reflections
Rarity R+ - Rare Plus
Card Number 31
Language EN - English
Revision 0
Gameplay Info
Playable Yes
Culture Gondor
Side Free Peoples
Card Type Companion
Race Man
Twilight Cost 3
Strength 7
Vitality 3
Resistance 6
Game Text While Boromir is the Ring-bearer, at the start of each skirmish involving him, add 3 burdens or wound him twice.

Each time Boromir wins a skirmish, discard each minion he is skirmishing.

Lore “‘yes-hearted Men, they will not be corrupted. We of Minas Tirith have been staunch....'”
Translations
DE - German


Game Text Solange Boromir der Ringträger ist, lege zu Beginn jedes Kampfes, an dem er beteiligt ist, 3 Lastmarken auf ihn oder verwunde ihn zweimal. Jedes Mal, wenn Boromir einen Kampf gewinnt, lege alle Diener, die gegen ihn gekämpft haben, ab.
Lore "Aufrechte Menschen lassen sich nicht verführen. Wir in Minas Tirith sind in langen Jahren der Prüfung standhaft geblieben."
FR - French
IT - Italian


Technical Info
Wiki Base Card ID LOTR-EN09S031.0
TLHH ID LOTR09031
GEMP ID 9_31
LOTRO Hex ID 6F 45 95 08
LOTRO Image ID 09_031


Strategy

Boromir is one of the original alternate Ring-bearers 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 Gondor-focused deck, both thematically and gameplay-wise, especially if that deck uses cards like Noble Leaders (7R112) and Stewards’ Legacy (13U75) 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 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. The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles (4R1) , The One Ring, The Ring of Doom (15R1) , or The One Ring, The Ring of Rings (11R1) can help with his wound or burden pool. A Gondor artifact strategy, with cards like Scroll of Isildur (9R36) and Sapling of the White Tree (9R35) , can also help offset the cost of occasionally skirmishing with him. You can also supplement his vitality with Narsil, Blade of the Faithful (9R+34) or The Saga of Elendil (1R114) , 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 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 Gríma, Chief Counselor (5R51) . 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 Gríma, Wormtongue (4R154) .

Boromir, Bearer of Council doesn't just compete with Frodo, however. He also competes with the other two Gondor alt ring-bearers: Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms (9R+33) and, in formats that include Rise of Saruman, Faramir, Bearer of Quality (17R28) . In a vacuum, he's the weakest of the three 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 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 Gondor ring-bearers is his name: you can spot Boromir for cards like Noble Leaders (7R112) and Stewards’ Legacy (13U75) , 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, Faramir, Captain of Gondor (4R116) , and Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith (10R28) , with a plan to use Denethor to search your deck for several Gondor cards at site 3. If you switch to Faramir, Prince of Ithilien (13C66) , you can also fit in Aragorn, Strider (11R54) to start, although you may prefer to use Denethor to search for a stronger version of Aragorn like Aragorn, King in Exile (1P365) 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 Gondor companions or men (e.g. Blade of Gondor (1R95) , Ithilien Blade (15C62) , or The Last Alliance of Elves and Men (1R49) ) 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 Isengard Artisan (6C65) or Web (8C30) 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 cards like Gondor Bowmen (3R41) , Soldier's Cache (18U58) , Ranger’s Cloak (15C68) , and Ithilien Blade. This works very well with Stewards’ Legacy (13U75) as well, to wear down minions.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Synergizes With...

Strong Versus...

  • Shadow strategies that rely on overwhelming the ring-bearer in a single skirmish, especially in the early-game
  • Shadow cards that spot Shire companions or Hobbits, on the assumption that the ring-bearer is one
  • Cards that spot many Free Peoples cultures, such as Gríma, Chief Counselor (5R51)
  • Shadow minions or conditions that rely on minions surviving to the Regroup phase, as long as you can afford to skirmish with Boromir. This includes Web (8C30) and Isengard orcs like Isengard Artisan (6C65)

Weak Versus...

Rulings

  • 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 Armor (1C92) .

Alternate Personas

Portrait Name Game Text
Boromir, Lord of Gondor (1R96) Ranger.

Boromir is not overwhelmed unless his strength is tripled.

Boromir, Son of Denethor (1U97) Skirmish: Exert Boromir to make a Hobbit strength +3.
Boromir, Defender of Minas Tirith (3P122) Ranger.

Fellowship: Add to heal Boromir.

Boromir, Hero of Osgiliath (11R57) Knight. Each time Boromir wins a skirmish, you may heal a companion.
Boromir, Defender of Minas Tirith (12U43) Ranger.

Fellowship: Add to heal Boromir.

Boromir, Doomed Heir (13S62) Boromir is resistance –1 for each lurker minion you can spot.

Skirmish: Exert Boromir to make him strength +1 for each possession he bears.

Boromir, Proud and Noble Man (18R40) Ranger.

When you play Boromir (except in your starting fellowship), you may play a possession with a twilight cost of 1 or less on him from your draw deck.

Boromir, Destined Guide (19P13) Fellowship. Ranger.

While you can spot two unbound Hobbits, Boromir’s twilight cost is –1.

Each time Boromir wins a skirmish, you may exert an unbound Hobbit to discard each minion he is skirmishing from play.

Boromir, Steward's Heir (0P65) Knight. Ranger. Ring-bound.
Boromir, Steward's Heir (0W19)
Boromir, Redeemed (V1_20) Boromir is strength +2 for each minion he is skirmishing.

At the start of each assignment phase, you may exert another companion with the Aragorn signet to make Boromir defender +1 until the regroup phase. ​


See Also

  • Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card
  • Link to decks that use this card
Retrieved from "https://wiki.lotrtcgpc.net/index.php?title=Boromir,_Bearer_of_Council_(9R%2B31)&oldid=99101"