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| {{CardTabs|Rohan}} | | {{CardTabs|Rohan}} |
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| [[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Rohan}} [[Possession]] from the [[The Two Towers]] set. It is arguably the most culture-defining card in the game, the basis for Rohan as they exist in LotR TCG. While a variety of other mounts are available within the culture, all but two of them are really just Rider's Mount made unique or more expensive and given additional text. The exceptions are part of the token mounts [[cycle]] in [[Bloodlines]], {{Card|Firefoot, Mearas of the Mark}} and {{Card|Snowmane, Noble Mearas}}. Its text is available to select companions of other cultures through {{Card|Horse of Rohan}} and to Gandalf specifically through {{Card|Shadowfax}} and {{Card|Shadowfax, Greatheart}}. | | [[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Rohan}} [[Possession]] from the [[The Two Towers]] set. |
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| Rohan has access at least one non-unique mount with the text of Rider's Mount in every block, making it legal in spirit for every format after [[Fellowship Block]] -- only {{Card|Hobbit Sword}} and {{Card|The Ruling Ring}} are more accessible. Rider's Mount itself was reprinted in [[Hunters Block]], one of the few cards to remain legal in [[Standard]] after its originally printed set rotated out.
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| {{CardInfobox|4C287}} | | {{CardInfobox|4C287}} |
| {{QueryCardCategories|4C287}}</noinclude> | | {{QueryCardCategories|4C287}}</noinclude> |
| = Strategy = | | = Strategy = |
| == Gameplay Strategy == | | == Gameplay Strategy == |
| The humble Rider's Mount brings a quite a bit of [[power creep]] compared to Fellowship block. Before [[The Two Towers]], the only ways for a Free Peoples player to exert a minion were {{Card|A Ranger's Versatility}} and {{Card|Blood of Numenor}}, very conditional cards which actually [[exhaust]] minions. All other ways to place wound tokens on minions were through wounding. As the Free Peoples cultures gained access to more and more wounding effects, Shadow cultures gained access to wound prevention effects in turn. Yet for all the expansion of Free Peoples cards with exerting effects that began in The Two Towers, there are only two Shadow cards capable of preventing exertions: {{Card|The Balrog, The Terror of Khazad-dum}} and {{Card|Lurtz, Resilient Captain}}, which only do so themselves. Rohan mounts may not be the only cards to exert minions introduced in set 4, but they are by far the most effective and their inevitable exertions have to be taken into account for every Shadow side from that point on.
| | ''In this section, describe:'' |
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| Placing what is essentially an unavoidable wound on minions would be impactful enough. A permanent card effect that does this without cost only makes the prospect more attractive, providing the bearer with something better than a damage bonus. That it happens at the very start of a skirmish renders many abilities that exert minions in the skirmish or regroup phases completely useless against Rohan. Even losing a skirmish can accomplish about the same thing as winning in some cases (the minion comes away from the skirmish wounded), especially when the Free Peoples player really just wants to deprive a minion such as {{Card|Ulaire Cantea, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur}} or {{Card|Wulf}} of its vitality. Fierce minions which win their first skirmish are then primed to be exerted in the second skirmish, usually to the point of exhaustion, and killed thanks to {{Card|Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark}} or {{Card|We Left None Alive}}
| | * ''General usage'' |
| | | * ''Unorthodox or subtle usage'' |
| {{Card|Rider's Spear}} grants a damage bonus for mounted characters, meaning anyone with both is effectively damage +2 and able to kill all but a handful of minions in every culture. This, combined with high strength companions and numerous non-event strength [[Pump|pumps]], makes Rohan the standout skirmishing culture in [[Towers Standard]].
| | * ''Common pitfalls of using this card'' |
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| == Deckbuilding Strategy == | | == Deckbuilding Strategy == |
| {{Card|Simbelmyne}} allows players to get exactly the possessions they need as they are needed, leaving little reason to have more mounts than you have eligible bearers in your fellowship. Any potential replacement copies could instead be more general [[Recursion|possession retrieval]] such as {{Card|Mustering for Battle}}. Even among the characters who could bear a mount, however, only those which will be skirmishing with some regularity will actually benefit from being mounted most of the time. The rest of the time you want to take advantage of specific card text for mounted companions and already know how many mounts you'll need to accomplish this.
| | ''In this section, describe:'' |
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| {{Card|Brego}} is basically a unique Rider's Mount with free healing, always worth taking over the first copy of Rider's Mount. Eomer being such a standout companion for any Rohan deck tends to put {{Card|Firefoot}} and its defender bonus above Rider's Mount as well despite being more expensive. {{Card|Windfola}} and {{Card|Snowmane}} are much more situational, with the value of the extra cost depending on how important those companions and effects are to your deck. Other than those, the competition Rider's Mount faces for deck space comes from the costlier versions of it released in every block with additional text. In one sense, these upgrades only really cost {{Twilight|1}} since you would have played Rider's Mount instead of them anyway. In another, {{Twilight|2}} is a fairly expensive Free Peoples card and will often allow opponents to make the most of their Shadow hand, especially when played the same turn as a companion or other mounts.
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| Which mounts you choose for your deck, then, depends on your tolerance for risk and how much benefit you expect to get out of them. Along the [[King Block]] site path, for example, the plentiful plains can make {{Card|Swift Steed}} an attractive alternative. An [[Expanded]] or [[Standard]] adventure deck with many plains could likewise benefit from it or {{Card|Rohirrim Mount}}. But without many plains available to you, or when your opponent is playing their sites all game long, they may not provide any benefit for the extra twilight. {{Card|Horse of Great Stature}} turns bearer vitality into strength for your Rohan companions at any site, though the extra twilight may occasionally require you to use its text the turn it is played to offset a more potent Shadow turn.
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| Even when these alternatives are great fits for your deck, it's rare that every mounted companion will be able to make use of their added benefits. Rider's Mount remains a great choice for filling in the gaps.
| | * ''Cards and strategies this card works well with'' |
| | * ''Cards and strategies this card works particularly well or poorly against'' |
| | * ''Alternate cards you might consider picking instead of this one, depending on the situation, including alternate version of characters'' |
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| = Strengths and Weaknesses = | | = Strengths and Weaknesses = |
| == Synergizes With... == | | == Synergizes With... == |
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| * Many Rohan cards which require or benefit from having mounted companions, such as {{Card|Thundering Host}} or {{Card|Rider's Spear}} | | * ''List friendly cards that work well with this card'' |
| * Many Rohan cards which require or benefit from skirmishing a wounded minion, such as {{Card|Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark}} or {{Card|Fey He Seemed}}
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| == Strong Versus... == | | == Strong Versus... == |
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| * Shadow cards which exert minions to some effect, especially those in cultures with easy access to wound prevention such as {{Card|Wulf}} | | * ''List enemy cards this card does well against'' |
| * Minions with 3 or more vitality, which are otherwise difficult for most companions to kill
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| == Weak Versus... == | | == Weak Versus... == |
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| * Minions which gain strength for being wounded, namely [[Enduring]] minions and those in the {{Card|Uruk-hai Berserker}} line | | * ''List enemy or friendly cards to avoid playing this card with'' |
| * Nazgul such as {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Thrall of the One}}, which want to heal as many wounds as possible in a skirmish
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| * Minions with only one vitality
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| | = Rulings = |
| | ''In this section'': |
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| | * ''Put quotes from the CRDs and Comprehensive Rules here that reference this card specifically by name'' |
| | * ''Also put quotes if a particular rule commonly affects the outcome of a card in a subtle manner (such as quoting the [[Rule of 4]] for {{Card|8R20}})'' |
| | * ''Link to rules discussions on TLHH'' |
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| = Alternate Versions = | | = Alternate Versions = |
| {{AlternateVersionTable|4C287}} | | {{AlternateVersionTable|4C287}} |
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| | = See Also = |
| | * ''Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card'' |
| | * ''Link to decks that use this card'' |
| | [[Category:Cards That Need Work]] |
