Orc Scouting Band (1U270)

Orc Scimitar (1C269)

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Orc Soldier (1C271)

	Set:		Fellowship of the Ring
	Kind:		Shadow
	Culture:		Sauron
	Twilight:		3
	Card Type:		Minion • Orc
	Strength:		8
	Vitality:		2
	Site Number:		6
	Game Text:		Tracker. The roaming penalty for each [SAURON] minion you play is -1. Skirmish: Exert this minion to wound a character it is skirmishing.
	Lore:		The cunning Ambushes of the Orc armies rely upon scouts first finding the enemy.
	Rarity:		U
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General Strategy

Generic wounding Orc minion, the Orc Scouting Band, like Orc Soldier, Orc Hunters, and Orc War Band, contains the exert-to-wound skirmish special ability. These minions play best in the "Sauron Grind" Shadow, with support area conditions like Under the Watching Eye and Orc Bowmen causing uncomfortable assignment match-ups. The skirmish special ability allows for the Shadow player to place a wound on a free peoples character even when matched against a much stronger companion, and saves the Shadow player deck space, as the game text is effectively a built-in Mordor's Strength.

As with most Sauron minions, the high site number and roaming penalty can be cost-restrictive, although Orc Scouting Band, along with other [sauron] trackers, reduces the roaming penalty for further Sauron Orcs played. Orc Scouting Band can be recovered from the discard pile via Tol Brandir.

With skirmish phase game text, Orc Soldier, Orc Scouting Band, and Orc War Band can be countered by pre-skirmish wounding such as Quick As May Be or Legolas, Greenleaf; however, [Sauron] grind support offers powerful pre-skirmish wounding cards such as Hate.

In the Movie Block format, Gothmog's Warg can increase the vitality of these exert-to-wound minions, making assignment match-ups even more difficult for the Free Peoples player.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Versus...

• Natural fit in [Sauron] Grind deck
• Best played with site-reducing Battle of Helms Deep Expansion Orcs, such as Grishnakh, Orc Captain and Orc Patrol
• Exhausted companions, even those with higher base strengths

Weak Versus...

• Armor or wound prevention
• [Rohan] Mounts and Shadowfax
• Pre-skirmish wounding
• Roaming punishments

Example Decks

!Fellowship Block Sauron Grind deck by ket_the_jet

Shadow Draw Deck: 1x The Balrog, Durin's Bane 4x Orc Ambusher 4x Orc Assassin 4x Orc Scouting Band 4x Orc Soldier 2x Tower Assassin 2x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul 1x Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur 4x Hate 4x Orc Bowmen 1x Our List of Allies Grows Thin 2x Spies of Mordor 4x Under the Watching Eye 3x You Bring Great Evil