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| {{QueryCardCategories|4C26}}</noinclude> | | {{QueryCardCategories|4C26}}</noinclude> |
| = Strategy = | | = Strategy = |
| == Gameplay Strategy ==
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| Though Iron Axe isn't necessarily a bad weapon, it is eclipsed by {{Card|War Club}} in almost every way. The advantage Iron Axe has over War Club is one extra strength, and the Shadow player must pay for it not only in {{Twilight|1}} but also in missing out on War Club's powerful ability. Even the extra strength is rarely in its favor most of the time since minions bearing War Club are as strong or stronger than minions costing 1 less bearing Iron Axe.
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| Iron Axe would only be preferable to War Club in very specific circumstances where the only thing that matters is a certain minion wins its skirmish (for example, {{Card|Hillman Tribe}}) ''and'' the twilight isn't enough to play a different card while saving some for {{Card|Hides}} ''and'' the Free Peoples player has either very strong (hard to beat) or very weak (prone to being overwhelmed) companions. But if any of those things aren't true -- if the minion could be replaced by another one that costs 1 more, or the twilight cost means not being able to afford another minion / giving up a copy of Hides to protect minions from archery, or the single point of strength doesn't change the outcome of the skirmish -- having Iron Axe tends to be much worse for the Shadow player than War Club or a skirmish event. | | Iron Axe isn't necessarily a bad weapon, but it is eclipsed by War Club in almost every way. The only advantage Iron Axe has over War Club is one extra strength (Which comes at one extra twilight). If you then consider War Club's powerful ability, then there's really no contest. If however you don't have any/enough physical copies of War Club, or you need more than 4 [dunland] weapons in your deck, then Iron Axe isn't a bad card - its 3 extra strength can help a lot of dunlendings win skirmishes, which is important for the [dunland] culture to trigger their various effects (Dunlending Pillager, Hillman Mob, Too Long Have These Peasants Stood, Ravage the Defeated). It also helps the fierce dunlendings (Dunlending Madman, Dunlending Robber, Band of Wild Men, Wulf) even more, as it'll apply in both skirmishes. It can also help overwhelm companions, particularly in the early game: A Dunlending Robber with an Iron Axe and Dark Fury at site 3 can get up to 18 strength for just four twilight. |
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| == Deckbuilding Strategy ==
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| The main reason to use Iron Axe is if you don't have enough copies of {{Card|War Club}} available. Between War Club, {{Card|Burn Every Village}}, and {{Card|Dark Fury}} the Shadow player has access to plenty of no-cost strength pumps that are often better than War Club anyway. While it will stick around for more than one skirmish, only a handful of minions are fierce to benefit from this and you won't be able to surprise the Free Peoples the way an event could. It's not that 3 more strength on a Dunland minion isn't scary, it's that everything else you could do with the card slot and twilight is just as scary or scarier.
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| = Strengths and Weaknesses = | | = Strengths and Weaknesses = |
| == Synergizes With... ==
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| * {{Card|Dunlending Robber}}, who will get twice as much use from the extra point of strength than the average Dunlending and doesn't have a strictly better alternative for {{Twilight|4}} since {{Card|Wulf, Dunlending Chieftain}} will have 1 less strength in the fierce skirmish
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| * {{Card|Hill Clan}}, which doesn't have any higher-cost minions as an alternative and can overwhelm 10 strength companions with the +3 strength
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| == Strong Versus... == | | == Strong Versus... == |
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| * Unprepared Fellowships that haven't had a chance to get their possessions out yet | | * Weak companions |
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| == Weak Versus... == | | == Weak Versus... == |
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| * Comparatively worse than {{Card|War Club}} in spite of its better strength bonus | | * Archery |
| | * Direct Wounding |
| | * Skirmish Cancelling |
