Orc Bowmen (1R264)

Orc Banner (1R263)

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Orc Butchery (1R265)

	Set:		Fellowship of the Ring
	Kind:		Shadow
	Culture:		Sauron
	Twilight:		3
	Card Type:		Condition
	Game Text:		Plays to your support area. While you can spot a [SAURON] Orc, add 1 to the minion archery total.
	Lore:		Where volleys of Orcish arrows fly, the defenders of the West fall.
	Rarity:		R
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General Strategy

A key cog in the [Sauron] grind strategy, Orc Bowmen is a support area constant that adds 1 to the minion archery total with a spotted [Sauron] Orc. The cost of the condition is steep at [3] twilight, the benefit is outstanding as even the smallest Orc Ambusher adds a useful wound. A support area filled with Under the Watching Eye and Orc Bowmen can dish out eight wound tokens via four exertions and four wounds each move, making the threat of Sauron nothing to scoff at. Another grind linchpin, Hate can finish off exhausted companions.

Before the release of alternate Ring-Bearers, Frodo served as the only ring-bearer and absorbed a lot of these tokens; I'd Make You Squeak can generate additional twilight in a [Sauron] grind deck. Additionally, the Battle of Helm's Deep expansion released Grishnakh, Orc Captain, Orc Cutthroat, and Orc Patrol which largely reduced the site number of [Sauron] minions. Fires Raged Unchecked is another option in a deck that generates threats.

Like the Dark Lord himself, the [Sauron] grind deck benefits from other cultures. Desert Lord and other [Raider] wounding cards fit well in the grind theme, and Gollum's threat generation (Captured By the Ring, Fat One Wants It) in Movie Block also increase the damage done to the fellowship.

Sauron Grind is incredibly susceptible to condition discarding. Grown Suddenly Tall and Sleep, Caradhras largely dissolve the strategy, though Dead Marshes can play discarded [Sauron] conditions. Gandalf becomes a quick target for the direct wounding capabilities of the grind deck, and Tower Assassin is always helpful against an Elrond with Secret Sentinels.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Versus...

• Decks that lack healing
• Decks that lack vitality
• Decks with few companions
• With Under the Watching Eye, Orc Bowmen represent the keystones of a [Sauron] grind deck
• Works well with Desert Lord for further wounding, and with Haradhrim Marksman in a multicultural Shadow
• Can be boosted by threat support in the later sets, particularly from the [Gollum] culture

Weak Versus...

• Archery total reduction cards (Such as Hosts of the Last Alliance, Mithril Coat and Shield of Boromir)
• Vilya - Orc Bowmen has a borderline prohibitive twilight cost, particularly when being replayed
• Condition discard, particularly in the maneuver phase like Secret Sentinels or Deep in Thought
• Choke Free Peoples, although grind decks tend to favor smaller Fellowships
• Mass healing cards, such as Till Durin Wakes Again or Citadel of Minas Tirith
• The One Ring, Isildur's Bane and The One Ring, Such a Weight to Carry can absorb archery wounds as burdens, although this is not a terrible effect either

Example Decks

Fellowship Block Grind Shadow by ringbearer

Shadow Draw Deck: 3x Morgul Hunter 4x Orc Ambusher 4x Orc Assassin 4x Orc Scouting Band 2x Tower Assassin 2x Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul 4x Hate 2x Memory of Many Things 4x Orc Bowmen 4x Under the Watching Eye 2x You Bring Great Evil

Movie Block Grind Shadow by ket_the_jet

Shadow Draw Deck: 1x Gollum, Dark as Darkness 1x Desert Lord 3x Grishnakh, Orc Captain 2x Orc Assassin 2x Orc Cutthroat 2x Orc Patrol 2x Orc Seeker 1x Tower Assassin 2x Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul 3x Captured by the Ring 4x Hate 1x Terrible as the Dawn 2x Orc Bowmen 2x They Stole It 4x Under the Watching Eye