Throne of the Golden Hall (17R98)

For Death and Glory (17U97)

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Hama, Northman (17R99)

	Set:		Rise of Saruman
	Kind:		Free Peoples
	Culture:		Rohan
	Twilight:		2
	Card Type:		Artifact • Support Area
	Game Text:		To play, spot Theoden (or 2 [ROHAN] companions). Saruman and Grima cannot be assigned to skirmishes. Response: If a [ROHAN] Man is about to take a wound, exert another [ROHAN] Man and add (2) to prevent that.
	Rarity:		R
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General Strategy

At first glance, this Support Area Artifact, in the line of the rather powerful Rise of Saruman Thrones, is a very strong addition for any Rohan deck. Although that impression doesn't change when looking closer, there are some times when its first ability can be used against you, which is important to bear in mind when using the card.

The first ability prevents Saruman and Grima from being assigned to a skirmish. Against Saruman in particular, this is a very powerful effect. Since it does not specify culture, and it is very difficult for the shadow player to discard artifacts, it will be almost impossible for the shadow player to attack your Fellowship with either of these characters once the throne is out. This effect can be a double edged sword however, as many versions of Saruman and almost all versions of Grima don't want to fight and are more supporting minions of their culture, for example Saruman, Curunir or Grima, Witless Worm. On the other hand, there are many versions of Saruman who can't be assigned to a skirmish anyway, unless Saruman's Staff is used. The main versions of Saruman this will be effective against are Of Many Colours, Agent of the Dark Lord and Coldly Still. The only Grima this is truly effective against is Servant of Another Master, as it prevents his assignment ability from being effective, although some of the [men] versions of Grima can fight effectively with possession and event support. It is important to note that, by preventing Saruman and Grima from skirmishing, it can be quite difficult to kill them off, which means they could cause trouble in the Regroup phase or when you double move.

The second ability of this card is more versatile than the first, and is very similar to that of Eowyn, Lady of Rohan, requiring you to exert a [Rohan] Man and adding [2] to the pool to prevent a wound to another [Rohan] Man, while Eowyn prevents a wound to any unbound companion and adds [1]. Keeping that in mind, the Throne can also protect your [Rohan] allies since it only specifies the culture and also allows you to use [Rohan] allies to exert and prevent wounds to companions, which makes it quite powerful in a deck using lots of [Rohan] allies. All in all, this Response ability is very useful protection for any Rohan Deck, preferably one where the vast majority of companions are of the [rohan] culture.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Versus...

• Wounding shadows ([Gollum], [sauron] or [orc])
• Archery shadows (predominantly [men])
• Uruk-hai

Weak Versus...

* Grond
* Exerting effects (Particularly Rallying Orc decks)
* Support versions of Saruman or Grima

Rules and Clarifications

• The first effect of this card is absolute, and will prevent both Grima, SOAM's assignment ability and Saruman's Staff from being effective.