Editing Ring of Rancor (9R44)

<noinclude>__NOTOC__
{{NavBar|9R44|[[Reflections Index]]|[[Ring of Ire (9R+43)|Ring of Ire (9R+43)]]|[[Horn of the Mark (9R45)|Horn of the Mark (9R45)]]}}
{{CardTabs|Ringwraith}}

[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Ringwraith}} [[Artifact]] from the [[Reflections]] set.
{{CardInfobox|9R44}}
{{QueryCardCategories|9R44}}</noinclude>
= Strategy =
'''Ring of Rancor''' is one of several {{C|Ringwraith}} [[ring]]s, first introduced in [[Reflections]], and probably the most popular of them. Like those [[artifact]]s, it can return a [[Nazgul]] minion to your hand in the [[Regroup Phase]], allowing you to [[Recursion|replay]] that minion at a later site with all its wounds wiped, albeit at the cost of paying that minion's [[Twilight (Cost)|twilight cost]] again and having the card [[Hand Clog|sit in your hand]] until then. That's a pretty strong effect on its own! However, Ring of Rancor is, on its face, the weakest of the rings that can be played on any Nazgûl: vitality doesn't help you kill [[companion]]s, and healing Nazgûl with it is very expensive and a niche effect at best. {{Card|Ring of Asperity}} usually does a wound on its own, and helps its bearer do more wounds. So why is Ring of Rancor more popular? There are two answers, and they are both Ulaire Enquea.

The first, and most common use is putting Ring of Rancor on an [[Enduring]] Nazgûl. [[King Block]] has {{Card|The Witch-King, Black Captain}} and a "Thrall of the One" version of each Nazgûl, like {{Card|Ulaire Otsea, Thrall of the One}}. All of them have the [[Enduring]] keyword, giving them +2 [[strength]] for each wound on them. The Enduring Nazgûl deck is a [[beatdown]]/[[corruption]] deck that uses cards like {{Card|Between Nazgul and Prey}}, {{Card|Bent on Discovery}}, {{Card|Ithil Stone}}, {{Card|Black Marshal}}, etc. to [[exert]] these minions, strengthening them while also generating useful effects. One more vitality means one more wound you can safely stack on a minion, turning into +2 [[strength]]. Where corruption comes into the picture is {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Thrall of the One}}. If you stack wounds on Enquea TOTO, he can turn them into [[burden]]s during his skirmish. And those burdens can in turn turn into wounds on companions with {{Card|Gates of the Dead City}}. Ring of Rancor means you can stack up one more wound to convert to a burden, or that it takes one more wound on Enquea to kill him to prevent him from stacking those burdens. And since he heals himself, he probably survives to the end of the turn, so you can scoop him back into your hand with Ring of Rancor.

The other Enquea, and a bit more of a niche use, is {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul}}. Shotgun Enquea wants to come down and kill a [[companion]] stone dead all at once. Normally, he can't finish off four-[[vitality]] [[companion]]s like [[Aragorn]], [[Gandalf]], {{Card|Durin III}}, {{Card|Gil-Galad, Elven High King}}, or most [[ent]]s, unless they're already wounded. One more wound is likely the same result you'd get from {{Card|Ring of Asperity}}, which also lets you shotgun Aragorn or Gandalf all at once if they are unwounded and don't have any vitality boosters (which they often have). However, the rarely-useful healing on Ring of Rancor happens in the [[Maneuver Phase]], the same phase when Shotgun Enquea is handing out wounds. So if your opponent has excess burdens stacked, you can turn those excess burdens into even more wounds. Be careful that you cause as many wounds as possible before reducing the size of the [[Fellowship]] below six or the burden stack below five, bringing the shotgun rampage to an end. This [[combo]] needs a lot of different moving parts to come together, but when it does, it can win the game outright.

As long as you're playing Nazgûl, Ring of Rancor won't [[Hand Clog|clog up your hand]]. It's free, and it's a fine play on any Nazgûl you're likely to want to play multiple times, like {{Card|Ulaire Cantea, Faster than Winds}}, {{Card|Ulaire Nelya, Third of the Nine Riders}}, {{Card|Ulaire Toldea, Black Shadow}}, or {{Card|Ulaire Lemenya, Eternally Threatening}}. And, worst case, you can play it on any old ringwraith you want, just to [[Cycling|get it out of your hand]]. You don't have to use its ability in the Regroup Phase if you don't want that Nazgûl minion back in your hand, or if you'd rather leave that minion in play to intimidate your opponent from trying to [[double move]].

= Strengths and Weaknesses =
== Synergizes With... ==

* All [[Enduring]] [[Nazgul]] [[minion]]s, but especially {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Thrall of the One}}
* {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul}}, both to do one more wound and as a possible alternate [[win condition]] in a [[corruption]] deck

== Strong Versus... ==

* This is chiefly a [[combo]] piece that doubles as a [[Glue|glue]] card for relevant Nazgûl decks. It doesn't do much harm to most Free Peoples strategies on its own, but rather makes powerful minions even better.
* It does make minions very slightly more resistant to [[direct wounding]] and [[archery]].

== Weak Versus... ==

* If your opponent kills the minion [[bear]]ing this card, you won't get to return it to your hand.
* {{Card|Roll of Thunder}} is the only card that can discard Ring of Rancor. Playing Roll of Thunder after the Nazgûl bearing the ring is [[exhausted]] will kill it.