Editing Grond, Hammer of the Underworld (8R103)

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{{NavBar|8R103|[[Siege of Gondor Index]]|[[Great Hill Troll (8C102)|Great Hill Troll (8C102)]]|[[Morgai (8C104)|Morgai (8C104)]]}}
{{CardTabs|Sauron}}

[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Sauron}} [[Possession]] from the [[Siege of Gondor]] set.

{{CardInfobox|8R103}}

{{QueryCardCategories|8R103}}
= Strategy =
'''Grond, Hammer of the Underworld''' is an all-purpose [[Removal|removal]] skeleton key, crushing [[possession]]s, [[condition]]s, [[Ally|allies]], and even [[artifact]]s and [[follower]]s with ease. (It's one of very few cards that [[interact]]s with [[Free Peoples]] artifacts or followers at all.) It's very straightforward: use it to play {{C|Sauron}} [[minion]]s to stack [[culture token]]s on it, ideally keep those minions alive until your chance to take an action in the [[Regroup Phase]], then hammer any problematic card. Because Grond is a [[support area]] possession, there's only a few Free Peoples cards that can even do anything about it. Unlike the other [[Engine]]s which mostly only appear in [[Besieger]] decks, Grond is a staple of almost all {{C|Sauron}} decks in [[Movie Block]] and later.

All you need to play Grond is enough {{C|Sauron}} minions in your deck. He works in a variety of decks and works well against every Free Peoples deck that doesn't discard him first. Unlike most Engines, there's no need to play him with Besiegers, although he does make (the very annoying) {{Card|Gorgoroth Assassin}} more attractive even in a deck not chiefly focused on Besiegers.

Grond is chiefly played in Movie Block, since later blocks [[Culture#Post-Shadows_Shadow_cultures|reshuffle the Shadow cultures]]. There are relatively few cards in that format that can discard Grond, and all of them are popular specifically to deal with it (as well as some similar cards, like [[Boat]]s). {{Card|Blood Runs Chill}} is a powerful tool to clear the Shadow player's entire board. {{Card|Stand Against Darkness}} can toss it, and [[Telepathy]] and [[Elvents]] often run that card for that reason. {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}} is herself a skeleton key for Shadow support cards, and can appear in any deck with enough {{C|Elven}} [[event]]s. {{Card|Roll of Thunder}} is a staple in any deck with [[Gandalf]], and can be [[tutor]]ed with {{Card|Saved From The Fire}} and [[recur]]red with {{Card|Barliman Butterbur, Prancing Pony Proprietor}}. {{Card|Arrow-slits}} is one of the least popular of these due to its narrow applicability. {{Card|Derufin}} shows up in many {{C|Gondor}} decks in [[Movie Block]], in large part to protect artifact [[hand weapon|weapon]]s from Grond.

Grond has a bit of anti-synergy with other cards that require you to play {{C|Sauron}} minions as part of an ability action. You can't get a token for playing a minion at a discounted price with {{Card|Ithil Stone}}, or for using {{Card|Their Marching Companies}} to play a Besieger [[stack]]ed on [[Site Control|a site you control]]. You can't double-dip both Grond and {{Card|Great Siege-Towers}}. It also has anti-synergy with other cards that want to discard or stack {{C|Sauron}} minions, like {{Card|Troop Tower}}, {{Card|Army of Udun}}, or {{Card|Troll of Gorgoroth}}. Plus, you need to remember to use Grond to play your minions, rather than playing them on their own. These are relatively minor considerations, but they're important to keep in mind.

While Grond can't affect [[companion]]s directly, it can affect them indirectly by discarding the cards they're [[bear]]ing. If an [[exhausted]] companion is bearing a card that increases their [[vitality]], Grond can discard that card, causing the companion to drop to zero vitality and die. Keep an eye out for opportunities to hammer popular vitality boosters like {{Card|The Tale of Gil-Galad}}, {{Card|Aiglos}}, {{Card|Gandalf's Staff}} (and its many variations), {{Card|The Saga of Elendil}}, {{Card|Anduril, Flame of the West}}, {{Card|Narsil, Blade of the Faithful}}, {{Card|Escape}}, and the {{C|Elven}} [[ring]]s. Likewise, discarding [[resistance]] boosters like {{Card|Phial of Galadriel}}, {{Card|Scroll of Isildur}}, or a [[Damage|Damage +X]] [[hand weapon]] or [[ring]] on {{Card|Gimli, Bearer of Grudges}} can sometimes get a sneaky win.

Because Grond discards cards rather than killing them, any [[unique]] [[ally]] discarded by him can simply be replayed. Be careful that you're not helping your opponent out by discarding an exhausted ally that can't easily be healed. This is mainly a concern with {{Card|Barliman Butterbur, Prancing Pony Proprietor}}, who can simply be replayed with {{Card|A Wizard Is Never Late}}.

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

* While all you need to play Grond is any {{C|Sauron}} minions, {{Card|Gorgoroth Assassin}}, {{Card|Great Hill Troll}}, and {{Card|Troll of Gorgoroth}} appreciate [[spot]]ting Engines.
* {{Card|Gorgoroth Agitator}} can [[Recur|replay]] Grond

== Strong Versus... ==

* Since Grond works against every non-[[companion]], non-[[event]] Free Peoples card, there are always good targets for it
* Grond is one of the few cards that can remove [[Artifact]]s and [[Follower]]s
* Discarding cards that boost [[resistance]] or [[vitality]] can occasionally kill companions or [[corrupt]] the [[ring-bearer]] in an unexpected way

== Weak Versus... ==

* There are relatively few cards that can discard Shadow [[support area]] [[possession]]s. An exhaustive list for [[Movie Block]]: {{Card|Blood Runs Chill}}, {{Card|Stand Against Darkness}}, {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}, {{Card|Roll of Thunder}}, {{Card|Arrow-slits}}, and {{Card|Derufin}}.

= Alternate Versions =
{{AlternateVersionTable|8R103}}