Choke

Choke is an informal game term. Choking is a Free Peoples strategy, focusing on generating as little Twilight as possible by playing cheap cards or no cards at all, sometimes supplemented with cards that remove Twilight from the pool. Choke tends to clog the Shadow player's hand up with unplayable minions, slowing down both sides of the opponent's deck. Choke is most effective early in the game, when sites generate relatively little Twilight, and most effective against decks with expensive minions, like Uruk-hai or Nazguls. It naturally becomes less relevant as the game goes on.

While any Free Peoples deck can choke in the early turns simply by not playing any cards, choke is most relevant as a strategy in Fellowship Block, because of powerful choke cards like No Stranger to the Shadows (1U108) and A Talent for Not Being Seen (1U316) , as well as many powerful, relatively cheap Free Peoples cards. Choke cards are mostly errataed or banned in later formats.