Durin III, Dwarven Lord (9R+3)

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Freca, Hungry Savage (9R+2)
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Set: Reflections
Kind: Free Peoples
Culture: Dwarven
Twilight: 4
Card Type: Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Game Text: Damage +1. While you can spot 2 Dwarves, Durin III is twilight cost -2. Durin III is strength +1 for each artifact and each possession he bears.
Lore: “Durin is the name that the Dwarves used for the eldest of the Seven Fathers of their race....”
Rarity: R+


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General Strategy

Descendant of Durin the Deathless, Durin III, Dwarven Lord is the mightiest of the dwarves depicted in the LOTR TCG. Because of the discount in his first line of text, he can be squeezed into Starting Fellowships, despite his twilight cost of 4, through the use of Gimli, Bearer of Grudges and another dwarf, or by using the further discount of Dain Ironfoot, King Under the Mountain. Because Durin III gains 1 extra strength for every possession or artifact he is bearing, he can quickly become unmatched in single combat. With Dwarven Axe, Dwarven Bracers, Hand Axe, Dwarven Armor and Ring of Fury, Durin III becomes a strength 17 tank, capable of besting even the Balrog with a skirmish event or two. Throw in Elven Cloak, Book of Mazarbul and Elven Brooch to bring him up to a staggering strength of 20.

Despite his towering strength, overly relying on Durin III does have some disadvantages. He is very vulnerable to Grima, Wormtongue (often countered with Slaked Thirsts) and Lying Counsel, as well as general possession discard. Even more importantly, heavily depending on a single companion can often have adverse effects on a fellowship. For example, swarm decks can be effective against Durin III (particularly with the Dwarves' scarceness of Defender bonuses) either by attacking Durin with multiple minions, or simply by attacking the Ring-bearer instead. Additionally, assignment actions and restrictions can counter Durin III, as he can either be prevented from skirmishing altogether, or the shadow player can assign a weak minion to him, in order to force stronger minions into skirmishing other companions.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Versus...

  • With enough possessions, Durin III can best any minion in a contest of strength, with the possible exception of Sauron.
  • Works well with Disquiet of Our People (given his high strength and vitality).

Weak Versus...

  • Archery, Wounding or Corruption decks
  • Possession discard (Ulaire Cantea, Faster than Winds; Corsair Marauder)
  • Effects that punish companions for bearing too many cards (Grima, Wormtongue or Lying Counsel)
  • Assignment abilities or restrictions (Shelob, Her Ladyship; The Mouth of Sauron, Lieutenant of Barad-Dur; Gorgoroth Assassin; Grima, Servant of Another Master)

Example Decks

  • Almost any Dwarf deck from Movie Block or onwards uses Durin III (If possible), as he simply cannot be matched by any other dwarf.
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