Editing Data:Saruman's Snows (1C138)/Data

From LOTR-TCG Wiki
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.

Latest revision Your text
Line 71: Line 71:
|Revision=1
|Revision=1
|ReleaseDate=
|ReleaseDate=
|ReleaseNotes=
|ReleaseNotes=Snows is a card that sits at the center of a small cluster of instant-kill strategies: put down {{Card|Isengard Warrior}} and another Isenorc, play Snows, and then 4-5 other minions: boom, instant overwhelmed Frodo. No archery abilities can be used to thin the herd of minions, and all the ways you might keep Frodo alive ({{Card|Power According To His Stature}}, {{Card|Hobbit Stealth}}, {{Card|Boromir, Son of Denethor}}, {{Card|Friend to Sam}}) can’t be used. The only defenses available are cards that trigger during the Maneuver phase, because all other phases have been systematically denied you.
 
Snows is also powerful within more general strategies that aren’t attempting a Stupid Swarm insta-kill, but it’s the straightforward power of the insta-kill that really needs addressed.
 
Thus, our errata addresses that specific use case without touching any others. Stupid Swarm relies on having a variety of cheap minions (mostly Moria), with a limited number of Isengard Orcs in the mix. By making Snows only apply to those Isenorcs, it should be possible for the Free Peoples player to assign those few that remain away from the Ring-bearer, leaving Frodo available to use any of the tools in his toolbox to avoid a gristly death.
|ImageFilename=LOTR-EN01S138.1_card.jpg
|ImageFilename=LOTR-EN01S138.1_card.jpg
|IsPhysical=no
|IsPhysical=no
Line 80: Line 84:


No player may play skirmish events or use skirmish special abilities during skirmishes at this site.  Discard this condition at the end of the turn.
No player may play skirmish events or use skirmish special abilities during skirmishes at this site.  Discard this condition at the end of the turn.
|Notes=
|Notes='''Decipher Notes''':
 
This card had perhaps a slower rise to power than some, but before long players knew this was one of the most effective conditions in the game. Its impact was so deep, more than one top-level tournament deck has been seen stocking multiple copies of {{Card|Boromir's Cloak}} exclusively to deal with it. For a “swarm” style of Shadow strategy, quite potent enough on its own, Saruman's Snows ensures the Ring-bearer will be overwhelmed.
 
Saruman's Snows does not necessarily interact directly with any of the new rules in Shadows. We have witnessed over the years, however, that it is a figurative mallet where a scalpel is called for. Denying an opponent a resource or opportunity he was counting on is of course what the game is all about. A missed chance to heal here, a lost special ability there; in the right quantities, these are the things meant to decide games. But Saruman's Snows is a card able to cut off an entire phase of the game – neither skirmish special abilities nor events can slip by it. Consequently, it’s a constant impediment to new card design. In a way, it doesn’t matter how interesting or impactful a new card we release is – if it happens in the skirmish phase, there’s a frequently used card out there that can shut it off.  You may well see aspects of this card reappearing in the future, but not all together in a gift-wrapped single package like this.
}}
}}


Line 89: Line 97:
|Revision=2
|Revision=2
|ReleaseDate=2021-03-28
|ReleaseDate=2021-03-28
|ReleaseNotes=Snows is a card that sits at the center of a small cluster of instant-kill strategies: put down {{Card|Isengard Warrior}} and another Isenorc, play Snows, and then 4-5 other minions: boom, instant overwhelmed Frodo. No archery abilities can be used to thin the herd of minions, and all the ways you might keep Frodo alive ({{Card|Power According To His Stature}}, {{Card|Hobbit Stealth}}, {{Card|Boromir, Son of Denethor}}, {{Card|Friend to Sam}}) can’t be used. The only defenses available are cards that trigger during the Maneuver phase, because all other phases have been systematically denied you.
|ReleaseNotes=
 
Snows is also powerful within more general strategies that aren’t attempting a Stupid Swarm insta-kill, but it’s the straightforward power of the insta-kill that really needs addressed.
 
Thus, our errata addresses that specific use case without touching any others. Stupid Swarm relies on having a variety of cheap minions (mostly Moria), with a limited number of Isengard Orcs in the mix. By making Snows only apply to those Isenorcs, it should be possible for the Free Peoples player to assign those few that remain away from the Ring-bearer, leaving Frodo available to use any of the tools in his toolbox to avoid a gristly death.
|ImageFilename=LOTR-EN01E138.2_card.jpg
|ImageFilename=LOTR-EN01E138.2_card.jpg
|IsPhysical=no
|IsPhysical=no
Line 102: Line 106:


No player may play skirmish events or use skirmish special abilities during skirmishes involving an {{CI|isengard}} minion at this site.  Discard this condition at the end of the turn.
No player may play skirmish events or use skirmish special abilities during skirmishes involving an {{CI|isengard}} minion at this site.  Discard this condition at the end of the turn.
|Notes='''Decipher Notes''':
|Notes=
 
This card had perhaps a slower rise to power than some, but before long players knew this was one of the most effective conditions in the game. Its impact was so deep, more than one top-level tournament deck has been seen stocking multiple copies of {{Card|Boromir's Cloak}} exclusively to deal with it. For a “swarm” style of Shadow strategy, quite potent enough on its own, Saruman's Snows ensures the Ring-bearer will be overwhelmed.
 
Saruman's Snows does not necessarily interact directly with any of the new rules in Shadows. We have witnessed over the years, however, that it is a figurative mallet where a scalpel is called for. Denying an opponent a resource or opportunity he was counting on is of course what the game is all about. A missed chance to heal here, a lost special ability there; in the right quantities, these are the things meant to decide games. But Saruman's Snows is a card able to cut off an entire phase of the game – neither skirmish special abilities nor events can slip by it. Consequently, it’s a constant impediment to new card design. In a way, it doesn’t matter how interesting or impactful a new card we release is – if it happens in the skirmish phase, there’s a frequently used card out there that can shut it off.  You may well see aspects of this card reappearing in the future, but not all together in a gift-wrapped single package like this.
}}
}}


Please note that all contributions to the LOTR-TCG Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. Your writing is liable to be edited mercilessly, so be sure to back up any major claims with links if possible.

To edit this page, please answer the question that appears below (more info):

Cancel Editing help (opens in new window)

Templates used on this page:

Retrieved from "https://wiki.lotrtcgpc.net/wiki/Data:Saruman%27s_Snows_(1C138)/Data"