Editing Shelob, Eater of Light (8R25)

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{{CardTabs|Gollum}}

[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] is a {{C|Gollum}} [[Minion]] from the [[Siege of Gondor]] set.
{{CardInfobox|8R25}}
{{QueryCardCategories|8R25}}</noinclude>
= Strategy =
'''Shelob, Eater of Light''' is the second-most popular version of [[Shelob]], even if it is a distant second behind {{Card|Shelob, Her Ladyship}}. She's best used in one of two ways. Eater of Light can be useful as a one-of to [[download]] {{Card|Web}} for deck focused more on [[Gollum]] and Her Ladyship, such as [[Ninja Gollum]]. Alternately, she can serve as the centerpiece of her own deck, where you play Eater of Light, multiple copies of Web, a copy or two of {{Card|Larder}}, and [[orc]] [[minion]]s that you can [[stack]] up on the Webs to increase her strength. In both cases, she's mainly used in [[Movie Block]]/[[King Block]] play, since she's left behind by a combination of other cards that serve her main purpose or simple [[power creep]] in later sets.

Eater of Light just isn't very impressive on base rate. While eight [[vitality]] is exceptionally high and great for soaking [[archery]] or [[direct wounding]], it's usually overkill for most cases. If you're not taking advantage of her game text, her base strength is just not high enough for the 6-8 twilight she costs. Any strong combatant with a [[hand weapon]] can win skirmishes against her, and some, like {{Card|Aragorn, Elessar Telcontar}}, {{Card|Gil-Galad, Elven High King}}, and many [[ent]]s like {{Card|Ent Horde}}, don't even need that. She doesn't even have the impact of a minion like {{Card|Lurtz, Servant of Isengard}} or {{Card|Ulaire Attea, Keeper of Dol Guldur}} let alone King Block juggernauts like {{Card|The Witch-King, Morgul King}}, {{Card|Orc Archer Troop}}, or {{Card|Castamir of Umbar}}. Plus, because those other, more-dangerous juggernaut minions exist in the [[meta]], good Free Peoples decks have a gameplan to deal with single dangerous minions played over and over. So how do you get [[Value|value]] from her?

You can use her as a one-off in [[Ninja Gollum]], or any deck that uses Gollum and/or a different Shelob. You include one copy of Eater of Light to grab Web, so that Gollum and your other Shelob can use it to [[Recursion|be played over and over again]]. One copy of Web is very useful in those decks, but subsequent copies are much less so unless your opponent can remove them. Eater of Light is one less card you need to have in your deck to reduce your [[dead draw]]s. Even if she's not a great minion, she is still a minion, and with two cards stacked on a Web (uncommon but doable) she gets up to a respectable 14 strength. You can grab her with {{Card|Evil-smelling Fens}} if she's in your discard and you need to download a Web. She's not the only choice to [[tutor]] Web, though. In [[Movie Block]], there are mostly Free Peoples options, like {{Card|On Your Doorstep}} or {{Card|Saved From The Fire}}, which both require you to be playing both [[Gandalf]] and [[Smeagol]]. In later sets, there are many other options, like {{Card|Incited}}, {{Card|Sudden Strike}}, and {{Card|Not Easily Avoided}}, and consequently she's rarely played in Ninja Gollum in formats like [[Expanded]].

Alternately, you can use her as the centerpiece for her own deck. Play her from your hand, and she downloads {{Card|Web}}. If your opponent doesn't kill her at that site{{--}}and most [[Fellowship]]s will struggle to do so!{{--}}she goes back to the Web. Play her again at the next site, [[Twilight (Cost)|twilight]] permitting, and she can download another Web, or a copy of {{Card|Larder}}. Play [[orc]] minions to fill up her Webs and discard the ones you can't afford to Larder, and before long she gets to be an unstoppable high-strength juggernaut that can [[overwhelm]] almost any [[companion]]. Most decks are not prepared to survive a skirmish with a minion that gets up to 35+ strength.

The Eater of Light-focused deck generally uses four copies of Eater of Light (or three copies of her and one of Her Ladyship), four copies of Web, and 1-2 copies of Larder. It also generally runs at least one Gollum{{--}}{{Card|Gollum, Old Villain}} and {{Card|Gollum, Dark as Darkness}} are popular generic choices{{--}} with 3-4 copies of {{Card|Captured By The Ring}}, 2-4 copies of {{Card|Evil-smelling Fens}} to recur Shelob. With about 18-20 cards spoken for, the rest of the deck is some sort of efficient, straightforward strategy involving orcs. Any orc-based strategy can work well, as long as some orcs survive to the [[regroup phase]]. King Block {{C|Sauron}} strategies like [[Sauron Roaming]], [[Sauron Initiative]], and [[Sauron Threats]] are often half a deck looking for a second half anyway, and a deck in that culture can also use {{Card|Troll of Cirith Gorgor}}, who appreciates spotting Shelob's [[possession]]s. {{Card|Mordor Guard}}, in particular, is even better if you stack him on Web instead of discarding him normally, since you then get to keep the [[threat]]s. The main thing to keep in mind is that orcs stacked on a Web are not available to be discarded in the Regroup Phase by cards like {{Card|Isengard Plodder}} or {{Card|Grond, Hammer of the Underworld}}, are not available to be stacked on {{Card|Goblin Swarms}} or {{Card|Flung into the Fray}}, and do not go to the [[discard pile]] to be retrieved later with cards like {{Card|They Are Coming}} or {{Card|Goblin Hordes}}. It's a challenge to find the right balance: your minions need to be cheap so you can afford Shelob and numerous enough to fill the Webs, but not so cheap that they die before the Regroup Phase.

No matter what way you go, you probably don't end up with a top tier deck. The main problem is that, while Eater of Light decks are rare, they're countered by the same counters that people use to deal with popular Shadow strategies. These counters fall into one of three main categories.

First, [[direct wounding]]. Most direct wounding cards won't make a dent in Shelob's [[Fat|beefy]] eight vitality, and few decks can put up enough [[archery]] to kill her outright. However, direct wounding cards that [[exhaust]] minions, followed by a single wound, can clear her out. {{Card|Smeagol, Always Helps}} (followed by {{Card|Don't Look At Them}}, {{Card|Unheeded}}, or {{Card|Mind Your Own Affairs}}), {{Card|Fourth Level}} (followed by {{Card|Gondor Bow}} or {{Card|Citadel of the Stars}}), or the relatively-rarely played {{Card|Mablung, Soldier of Gondor}} ([[bear]]ing {{Card|Ranger's Bow}}) can all squish the spider. Similarly, {{Card|Eowyn, Lady of Ithilien}} can be a soft counter if you can clear out most of the other minions and stack up wounds on Shelob with [[mount]]s, {{Card|Rohirrim Helm}}, {{Card|Rohirrim Javelin}}, and/or {{Card|Aldor, Soldier of Edoras}}. These wounding strategies may not be cheap, but the decks that use them are oriented around using them over and over to solve problems. You can try to overwhelm these strategies by using other expensive, threatening minions like {{Card|Troll of Cirith Gorgor}} or {{Card|Siege Troop}}, but then it's often difficult to afford Shelob.

Second, Eater of Light relies on her Webs to get any work done. Luckily, there are only a few ways to [[Removal|remove]] Webs. Unluckily, because {{C|Raider}} [[boat]]s and {{Card|Grond, Hammer of the Underworld}} are common and powerful [[meta]] staples in [[Movie Block]], many Free Peoples decks are packing those [[Hate|counters]]. {{Card|Blood Runs Chill}}, {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}, {{Card|Roll of Thunder}}, {{Card|Arrow-slits}}, and {{Card|Derufin}} can all discard Webs, and almost every serious deck that can run these cards is running these cards. What's worse, there's almost nothing you can do about it.

Third, some decks can actually survive skirmishing with a 35+ strength juggernaut. {{C|Dwarven}} decks using {{Card|Durin III}} or [[Elfman]] decks with [[Aragorn]] or {{Card|Elendil, the Tall}}, {{Card|The Last Alliance of Elves and Men}}, and their matching artifact weapons can often get up to 14-15 strength, enough to survive much of the game, and make up the difference with [[pump]] [[event]]s and/or {{Card|Coat of Mail}}/{{Card|Dwarven Armor}}. Dwarven decks are the only ones that might stack enough [[Damage|Damage +X]] to kill her after winning one skirmish, to boot. {{Card|Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark}} can get up to 23 strength easily if she's fully exhausted, and will usually hover around 15-17 if she has 3-4 wounds from mounts, archery, {{Card|Rohirrim Helm}}, etc. {{C|Elven}} decks, particularly [[Telepathy]] and [[Elvents]], have powerful skirmish effects like {{Card|Forearmed}}, {{Card|Feathered}}, {{Card|Blades Drawn}}, {{Card|Vilya, Ring of Air}}, and {{Card|Glimpse of Fate}} that can bring Shelob down to a manageable strength, [[overwhelm]]ing her in the early game and managing with some struggle in the late game even if she gets her Webs fully stacked. There to pick up the slack in the late game is {{Card|Cirdan, the Shipwright}}, who can often give minions -15 or more per exertion late in the game. These are technically soft counters, but many elf decks have so many events and so many other good [[tank]]s ({{Card|Glorfindel, Revealed in Wrath}}, {{Card|Gil-Galad, Elven High King}}, various versions of [[Arwen]]) that they can get by.

There are also a handful of soft counters that aren't reusable (or are only reusable at great expense), and thus only buy the Free Peoples player a turn or two. {{Card|What Are They?}} is almost always active against Shelob, even without support cards like {{Card|Gondorian Ranger}}. She can be discarded with {{Card|Don't Follow The Lights}} if Sméagol beats up on a weaker minion, like Gollum or a random orc. {{Card|Theoden, Tall and Proud}} can heroically die to her then bring in {{Card|Rohirrim Army}} to discard her. You can just cancel her skirmishes, but the cards to do so are expensive ({{Card|Gandalf's Staff}}, {{Card|Tom Bombadil}}) or unreliable ({{Card|Escape}}, {{Card|Boromir's Gauntlets}}), you'll need to do it twice a site, and she'll just go back to the Web afterward. Similarly, {{Card|Phial of Galadriel, Star-Glass}} shuts her down for a site, but probably doesn't let you kill her. {{Card|Filibert Bolger}} and {{Card|Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs}} on [[Sam]] can discard her, assuming you can survive the first skirmish somehow (possibly with {{Card|Chance Observation}} or {{Card|The Tale of the Great Ring}}).

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

* Eater of Light can [[download]] {{Card|Web}}, {{Card|Larder}}, and the rarely-used, rarely-useful {{Card|Spider Poison}}. This is an exhaustive list.
* She isn't worth playing at all in a deck that isn't using {{Card|Web}}. Either you're playing her to download Web, or you're playing multiple copies of Web to boost her strength.
* She works well with any version of [[Gollum]] and other versions of [[Shelob]], who appreciate having Web in play.
* Alternately, she works well with [[orc]] [[minion]]s of almost any sort, as long as they survive the [[skirmish phase]] and don't discard themselves in the [[regroup phase]]. ({{Card|Mordor Guard}} deserves special mention, since he doesn't remove threats if he's placed on Web.) Bear in mind that the [[Moria#The Moria Swarm Engine|the Moria swarm engine]] and {{Card|Goblin Hordes}} don't work when the minions don't go to the [[discard pile]] normally.
* {{Card|Evil-smelling Fens}} can replay her, and Gollum works well with her anyway.
* {{Card|Unabated in Malice}} is her strongest pump, and benefits from being in a [[Rainbow|multicultural]] Shadow deck.
* {{Card|Troll of Cirith Gorgor}} likes to [[spot]] the [[possession]]s that Shelob downloads

== Strong Versus... ==

* [[Archery]] and many [[direct wounding]] strategies
* Any deck that can't handle a single big minion turn after turn

== Weak Versus... ==

* Very strong [[tank]]s, ideally supported with anti-overwhelm cards and/or skirmish [[pump]]s. {{Card|Durin III}}, {{Card|Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark}}, [[Aragorn]] or {{Card|Elendil, the Tall}} (especially with {{Card|The Last Alliance of Elves and Men}}), {{Card|Gil-Galad, Elven High King}}, and {{Card|Cirdan, the Shipwright}} are the usual suspects.
* {{C|Elven}} strength reduction effects that [[overwhelm]] her early in the game. {{Card|Arwen, Queen of Elves and Men}}, {{Card|Arwen, Echo of Luthien}},{{Card|Forearmed}}, {{Card|Feathered}}, {{Card|Blades Drawn}}, {{Card|Vilya, Ring of Air}}, and {{Card|Glimpse of Fate}} are notable.
* [[Direct wounding]] that can chew through her vitality. Notable examples: {{Card|Eowyn, Lady of Ithilien}} (with other wounding support) and cards that [[exhaust]] minions like {{Card|Smeagol, Always Helps}} and {{Card|Fourth Level}} combined with some way to finish them off, like {{Card|Don't Look At Them}} or {{Card|Gondor Bow}}.
* Cards that remove her {{Card|Web}}s. There are few of these but they are all common: {{Card|Blood Runs Chill}}, {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}, {{Card|Roll of Thunder}}, {{Card|Arrow-slits}}, and {{Card|Derufin}}. This is an exhaustive list for [[Movie Block]]; there are many other cards in later [[format]]s.

= Alternate Personas =
{{AlternateVersionTable|8R25}}

= Decks =
* [https://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php?topic=8379 Eater of Light Shadow - A First Attempt], by Anautikus on the Last Homely House forums. This [[Movie Block]] deck stacks up [[Isenorcs]] on her Webs.
* [https://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php?topic=3970.msg46505#msg46505 An entry in Troll of Cirith Gorgor Contest], by Not A Zombie on the Last Homely House forums. This [[Movie Block]] deck uses {{Card|Troll of Cirith Gorgor}} and various super-cheap {{C|Sauron}} minions.