Rallying Orc (12R100)
 Pitiless Orc (12U99)
|
 Back to Black Rider Index |
Retribution (12R101) 
|
Rallying Orc (12R100) is a 
Orc Minion from the Black Rider set.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Strategy
Rallying Orc is one of the most powerful Orc minions released, with an outstanding undirected wounding ability. He's often played in conjunction with Pitiless Orc (12U99)
, another minion that exert companions in the Shadow Phase. In addition to the damage he does on his own, exerting companions fuels a Demoralized (11U114)
engine, adding Twilight to swarm with Mountain-troll (15R112)
and Goblin Hordes (11R123)
. Oftentimes, the Free Peoples player will try to keep their characters exhausted when faced with such a deck, so he also works well with cards like Black Gate Sentry (15U98)
, Orkish Lackey (17C80)
, and Gothmog, Morgul Leader (18R80)
that land the last wound.
Orc culture has Unforgiving Depths (13C120)
, Watchful Orc (11R143)
, and Skulking Goblin (11S138)
to make sites Underground to activate his ability. You can also run Site Manipulation in your Free Peoples deck to set up Underground or Battleground sites.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Synergizes With...
- Site Manipulation or Skulking Goblin (11S138)
. His ability only works at an Underground or Battleground site. In-culture manipulation options include Unforgiving Depths (13C120)
and Watchful Orc (11R143)
.
- Demoralized (11U114)
. With multiple copies of Demoralized in play, exerting companions with Rallying Orc can generate more Twilight than he cost to play in the first place.
- Goblin Hordes (11R123)
and Mountain-troll (15R112)
can recur him repeatedly, and love the extra twilight he generates with Demoralized.
- Direct wounding or powerful undirected wounding, to help wear down or finish off exhausted companions. Pitiless Orc (12U99)
works alongside him, and Black Gate Sentry (15U98)
, Orkish Lackey (17C80)
, and Gothmog, Morgul Leader (18R80)
can land kills.
- He's a Lurker. Other Orc lurkers also appreciate being at Underground sites, and some of them can buff him.
- Any effect that wants to spot an exhausted companion, such as Dark Fell About Him (13R178)
.
Strong Versus...
- Free Peoples exertion abilities. The Shadow Phase is generally the earliest possible part of the turn that the Shadow player can put wounds on companions, so he can preempt companions from exerting to use Maneuver, Archery, Skirmish, and Regroup Phase abilities unless they are healed.
- Any Free Peoples strategy that relies on preventing minions from doing anything, since no card prevents minion abilities that trigger from coming into play. Perspective (18U25)
can't do anything about him. Ithilien Blade (15C62)
can't prevent him from exerting a companion, and that exertion might even prevent the Blade from being used at all. - He broadly counters Stewards’ Legacy (13U75)
and silencing him with it has no effect, but he has some odd interactions with it. If Rallying Orc exerts Denethor, Faramir, or Boromir, then they can trigger Stewards' Legacy. However, Free Peoples players using Stewards' Legacy are often counting on it to protect them from obnoxious minions, so you'll want to play Rallying Orc before you play any minions your opponent might want to silence or exert, if you can. If you exhaust Faramir or Boromir before your other minions come into play, then they can't later exert themselves to interfere with those new minions at all.
Weak Versus...
- Site Manipulation, as long as the opponent isn't also setting up an Underground site path. Forestguls, Smeagol decks, and
Gandalf decks are the main culprits. - Fellowships that are just fine not healing and staying exhausted. Rallying Orc can't do anything to exhausted characters, and once the whole Fellowship is exhausted, Demoralized (11U114)
doesn't do anything as long as they don't heal.
- Inherently strong skirmishers. Exhausting a companion doesn't prevent them from being effective in the skirmish phase as long as they win, especially if their last wound is protected with wound prevention like Dwarven Bracers (2U3)
or Sapling of the White Tree (9R35)
. - Response-speed direct wounding. If he's killed by some combination of cards or effects that can be played in response to him coming into play, he dies without accomplishing anything. Such effects are rare but popular: the main ones include Shadowplay (10U114)
, Unheeded (8R115)
, Gandalf, Powerful Guide (15R29)
, and Radagast's Herb Bag (18R26)
. - Enduring companions. These are rare, and most of them are very weak and unpopular in Expanded, like
Gondor wraiths.
