Hobbit Stealth (1C298)

Hobbit Party Guest (1C297)

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Hobbit Sword (1C299)

	Set:		Fellowship of the Ring
	Kind:		Free Peoples
	Culture:		Shire
	Twilight:		1
	Card Type:		Event
	Game Text:		Stealth. Skirmish: At sites 1 to 5, cancel a skirmish involving a Hobbit. At any other site, make a Hobbit strength +2.
	Lore:		“They possessed from the first the art of disappearing swiftly and silently, when large folk whom they do not wish to meet come blundering by....”
	Rarity:		C
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General Strategy

One of the more potent commons in The Fellowship of the Ring, Hobbit Stealth is a skirmish event with one of two possible outcomes. At sites 1 through 5, the skirmish between the Hobbit and the minion assigned is cancelled, without an assigned winner or loser. At sites 6 through 9, Hobbit Stealth retains value by applying a strength +2 bonus. At the early sites, when the Free Peoples player is still building his or her companions and support area, the ability to dodge an unexpected skirmish can be crucial.

The major difference between this card and Hobbit Intuition is that its skirmish cancelling ability lasts through the Bridge of Khazad-Dum where the Balrog, Durin's Bane is a fixture in many Fellowship Block decks. Two copies of Hobbit Stealth render the Balrog entirely useless, and the Balrog's own underground limitations potentially allow the Free Peoples player to make a dangerous double move to a sanctuary. While not every shadow uses the Balrog, this card can nevertheless be useful at site 5 because of the site's high shadow number (It is also the site where uruks stop roaming). Hobbit Intuition might be better in general, but being able to cancel skirmishes at site 5 can make all the difference. Some Shadow players circumvent Hobbit Stealth by splashing a cheap [Isengard] minion and Saruman's Snows for site 5 to allow the Balrog unadulterated access to the Free Peoples player, although this strategy is a bit draw dependant and not always worthwhile.

In Fellowship of the Ring block, because every deck must use Frodo, at least two copies can be seen in many decks. That said, Hobbit Stealth cannot be totally relied on, as Wariness, Relentless, and Seeking It Always all cancel the effects of stealth events, and Breeland Forest prevents stealth cards from being played.

The skirmish cancelling ability of Hobbit Stealth does not work on other site paths, such as Towers Block or King Block sites. In formats beyond Fellowship of the Ring, Hobbit Stealth serves as a simple strength +2 bonus, making it inferior to Hobbit Intuition. The Two Towers equivalent of this card is Swiftly and Softly.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Versus...

• The Balrog, Durin's Bane
• Ford of Bruinen
• Large minions

Weak Versus...

• Stealth cancellation/prevention cards, such as Breeland Forest, Wariness, Relentless, and/or Seeking It Always
• Event prevention cards, such as Saruman's Snows and Cavern Entrance*
• Fierce minions, or effects that make minions fierce, such as Weathertop and Saruman, Keeper of Isengard