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| {{NavBar|2U3|[[Mines of Moria Index]]|[[Disquiet of Our People (2C2)|Disquiet of Our People (2C2)]]|[[Endurance of Dwarves (2U4)|Endurance of Dwarves (2U4)]]}} | | {{NavBar|2U3|[[Mines of Moria Index]]|[[Disquiet of Our People (2C2)|Disquiet of Our People (2C2)]]|[[Endurance of Dwarves (2U4)|Endurance of Dwarves (2U4)]]}} |
| {{CardTabs|Dwarven}} | | {{CardTabs|Dwarven}} |
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| [[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Dwarven}} [[Possession]] from the [[Mines of Moria]] set. It is the sole member of the "bracers" item class, effectively acting as "limit one per bearer." | | [[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Dwarven}} [[Possession]] from the [[Mines of Moria]] set. It is the sole member of the "bracers" class. |
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| {{CardInfobox|2U3}} | | {{CardInfobox|2U3}} |
| {{QueryCardCategories|2U3}}</noinclude> | | |
| | {{QueryCardCategories|2U3}} |
| = Strategy = | | = Strategy = |
| '''Dwarven Bracers''' is a core card in [[possession]]-focused {{C|Dwarven}} decks because of its [[strength]] boost and life-saving Response ability. Even a relatively weak [[dwarf]] [[companion]] like {{Card|Farin, Dwarven Emissary}} reaches a respectable 9 strength with Dwarven Bracers, {{Card|Hand Axe}} and {{Card|Dwarven Axe}}, meaning a single {{Card|Flurry of Blows}} is often all it takes to win a skirmish with most minions. Should one of these beefed-up companions lose a skirmish, Dwarven Bracers gives the Free Peoples player an opportunity to trade strength for vitality in a pinch.
| | == Gameplay Strategy == |
| | | Dwarven Bracers, along with {{Card|Hand Axe}} and {{Card|Dwarven Axe}}, is at the core of Dwarven decks in Fellowship block. Even {{Card|Dwarf Guard}} reaches a respectable 8 strength with all 3, a single event often all it takes to overcome most minions. Should one of these beefed up companions lose a skirmish, Dwarven Bracers gives the Free Peoples player an opportunity to trade strength for vitality in a pinch. |
| Because the strength bonus of Dwarven Bracers can itself prevent wounds, it's best to keep the +1 strength from the Bracers on a main combatant as long as possible, rather than immediately sacrificing the Bracers as soon as the bearer takes a wound. Always sacrifice the Bracers if the bearer is on their last wound, of course; they'll get discarded anyway if the bearer dies! However, if you have a copy of Dwarven Bracers in your hand or on a Dwarf character that is less likely to take a wound, then you can sacrifice your main combatant's Bracers to prevent a wound much earlier, because you can replace them in the next [[Fellowship phase]], either from your hand or transferring them from a character in less danger. If you don't have another copy of Dwarven Bracers handy, expending them to prevent a wound is a calculated risk. Is it more useful to avoid a wound now, or will the strength bonus of Dwarven Bracers be necessary to prevent losing a skirmish before the next time you draw a copy or finish the game? There's no one right answer; it will always depend on the availability of healing, how desperate your position is, and how many copies of Dwarven Bracers you're playing. Bracers may be worth holding onto when there is healing around the corner, one point of strength is the difference between a win or a loss (for example, 10 strength defeats many of the [[Uruk-hai]] in [[Fellowship Block]]), another companion can take a wound without risk of dying, or an expendable companion is already nearing the end of their use. Otherwise, losing Bracers is often the least harmful outcome.
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| Its main weakness is that the benefit is split between two different effects. Wound prevention is a strong effect, and a small strength boost is always useful, but Dwarven Bracers will generally provide less healing than dedicated healing cards, and less strength than a weapon. It also makes your dwarfs more vulnerable to {{Card|Grima, Wormtongue}}, in formats where he is included. As a possession, it can be also discarded by cards that target possessions, but it generally won't be an opponent's first choice unless they're about to finish off a companion that Dwarven Bracers is protecting.
| | When there are multiple Dwarves bearing a copy, the Free Peoples player is able to put their main fighter in much riskier situations and simply transfer an extra copy next turn if need be to mitigate the long-term cost of losing the strength bonus. Without that luxury, choosing to put a companion in a situation where discarding Dwarven Bracers might be necessary can be a tough call -- particularly when keeping Bracers means allowing another companion to die. Bracers may be worth holding onto when there is healing around the corner, one point of strength is the difference between a win or a loss (for example, 10 strength defeats many of the Uruk-hai in Fellowship block), another companion can take a wound without risk of dying, or an expendable companion is already nearing the end of his or her usefulness. Otherwise, losing Bracers is often the least harmful outcome. |
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| The exact number of copies to include in your deck depends on how many Dwarfs you have and what the primary use is. The more bearers you have and the more need to protect Dwarfs from wounds, the more useful they are. A small deck that uses {{Card|Gimli, Son of Gloin}} as a throwaway defender might want only want one copy, while a deck focused on multiple Dwarf companions could go up to four without much trouble. It's generally considered more useful than the similar {{Card|Endurance of Dwarves}}. While Dwarven Bracers have a weaker effect than the {{C|Dwarven}} [[ring]]s from Reflections (particularly {{Card|Ring of Fury}} and {{Card|Ring of Retribution}}), there's generally little reason you can't play both, as long as you play only two cards per Dwarf to avoid Wormtongue or protect them with a strategy like {{Card|Slaked Thirsts}}/{{Card|Preparations}}. | | == Deckbuilding Strategy == |
| | The strength boost and life-saving response on Dwarven Bracers make it a shoe-in for almost any Dwarf deck. The exact number of copies depends on how many Dwarves you have and what the primary use for it is. A small deck with just Gimli may not benefit from more than a single copy, while a deck with several Dwarves could go up to 4 without much trouble. As with any card, be careful not to sacrifice deck space for extra Dwarven Bracers needlessly: those slots could instead be used for other strength boosts or healing, which in turn can keep a copy of Dwarven Bracers on the table longer and prevent needing a replacement at all. |
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| = Strengths and Weaknesses = | | = Strengths and Weaknesses = |
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| * {{Card|Gandalf's Cart}}, which can stow extra bracers away to be brought out when needed | | * {{Card|Gandalf's Cart}}, which can stow extra bracers away to be brought out when needed |
| * Recursion such as {{Card|Armor of Khazad}}, {{Card|Well-equipped}}, and {{Card|Honoring His Kinfolk}} | | * Recursion such as {{Card|Armor of Khazad}}, {{Card|Well-equipped}}, and {{Card|Honoring His Kinfolk}} |
| * {{Card|Slaked Thirsts}} and {{Card|Preparations}} to exhaust minions that exert to discard or otherwise remove possessions, particularly {{Card|Grima, Wormtongue}}
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| == Strong Versus... == | | == Strong Versus... == |
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| * Wound-oriented strategies which don't depend on skirmish wins, especially direct wounding such as {{Card|Hate}} or {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul}} that could otherwise take out a key companion. | | * Wound-oriented strategies which don't depend on skirmish wins, especially direct wounding such as {{Card|Hate}} or {{Card|Red Wrath}} that could otherwise take out a key companion |
| | * Fierce minions or minions with damage bonuses |
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| == Weak Versus... == | | == Weak Versus... == |
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| * Possession removal. All possessions are liable to be removed, but be careful of minions that can remove the possession when the bearer is exhausted then immediately kill the bearer, like {{Card|Ulaire Cantea, Faster Than Winds}}
| | * {{Card|Grima, Wormtongue}}, since in order to stay below 3 cards on a companion the Free Peoples player will typically have a hand weapon and then pick between {{Card|Hand Axe}} and access to {{Card|Flurry of Blows}} or Dwarven Bracers and wound prevention. |
| * {{Card|Grima, Wormtongue}}. Wormtongue places a soft limit of less than three cards [[bear|borne]] per [[unbound]] companion, and except for a [[ring-bearer|ring-bearing]] {{Card|Gimli, Bearer of Grudges}}, all Dwarf companions are unbound. In formats where the Shadow player could be playing Wormtongue, Dwarven Bracers compete with not just weapons but also supplemental cards like {{Card|Hand Axe}} (both for its own effects and to enable {{Card|Flurry of Blows}}), {{Card|Endurance of Dwarves}}, and {{Card|Ring of Fury}} and {{Card|Ring of Retribution}}, as well as character-specific items like {{Card|Gimli's Helm}}. | |
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| = Rulings = | | = Rulings = |
| The response action of this card will not "stack" with the passive text of {{Card|Gimli's Helm}} to prevent all wounds from a source dealing two or more wounds. Dwarven Bracers will prevent the first, meaning a wound was never taken for Gimli's Helm to prevent any subsequent wounds. | | The response action of this card will not "stack" with the passive text of {{Card|Gimli's Helm}} to prevent all wounds -- Dwarven Bracers will prevent the first, meaning a wound was never taken for Gimli's Helm to prevent any subsequent wounds. |
| {{RulesQuote
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| |source=preventing effects
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| |text=If something happens to prevent one effect which in turn would have prevented a second effect, the second effect is performed.</p>
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| <p>''Example: {{Card|Morgul Destroyer}} is played. ("When you play this minion, you may spot a Nazgûl to add 2 threats. The Free Peoples player may wound the Ring-bearer to prevent this.") The Free People player wounds the Ring-bearer to prevent the threats from being added. The Free Peoples player then discards {{Card|Sapling of the White Tree}}. (Response: If a {{C|Gondor}} Man is about to take a wound, discard this artifact to prevent that.) Because Sapling has prevented the effect (a wound) that would have prevented Morgul Destroyer's effect, the threats are now added.''}}
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| = Alternate Versions = | | = Alternate Versions = |
| {{AlternateVersionTable|2U3}} | | {{AlternateVersionTable|2U3}} |
