Uruk-hai Berserker (5U63)

Uruk Sapper (5C62)

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War-warg (5U64)

	Set:		Battle of Helm's Deep
	Kind:		Shadow
	Culture:		Isengard
	Twilight:		4
	Card Type:		Minion • Uruk-hai
	Strength:		7
	Vitality:		3
	Site Number:		5
	Game Text:		Damage +1. This minion is strength +1 for each wound on a character in its skirmish.
	Lore:		Goatskins full of blood poured upon berserkers before battle instill their bloodlust.
	Rarity:		U
	Notes:		The strength bonus for this minion is increased for any wound on any minion, companion, or ally in its skirmish.
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General Strategy

!Uruk-hai Berserker is relatively expensive for its statistics; it can be directly contrasted with Uruk-hai Raiding Party, who has two extra base strength, but no text. However, Uruk-hai Berserker enjoys a lot more flexibility with his strength than most minions. If he has two wounds he can match the strength of Raiding Party (Or similar cost [4] uruks) and then gain one additional strength for each wound on the character he is skirmishing. In other words, Uruk-hai Berserker can reach a good strength quite quickly, but the shadow player must at the very least be prepared to exhaust him, making him vulnerable to being caught out by a surprise wound from the Free Peoples.

!Uruk-hai Berserker has strong synergy with exertion-based effects, as these effectively make him stronger. Classic cards like Worry and Bred for Battle are useful, as are later cards like Uruk Spear (Since its bearer can exert even when there are no Free Peoples mounts to spot) but the best cards for this purpose are the various types of [Isengard] Machine, many of which allow Uruk-hai to exert at will. The shadow player can then judge how many exertions to distribute based on whether or not there is any Free Peoples archery or similar wounding effects to consider.

!Uruk-hai Berserker also works well with wound prevention or negation, since he tends to be exhausted. Broad-bladed Sword is a good example of this.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Versus...

• Archery (Any Legolas, Gondor Bowmen)
• Mounts (Shadowfax, Brego, Firefoot)
• Damage + 1 characters
• High Vitality characters (Aragorn, Gandalf, Tom Bombadil)
• Free Peoples effects that exert companions (Son of Gloin, Trust Me as you Once Did)

Weak Versus...

• Minion healing (Hrethel)
• Companion healing (The Shire Countryside, Venerable Lord)
• Surprise wounds (Double Shot, New Errand) if exhausted prematurely
• Free Peoples wound bonuses (Third Marshal of Riddermark, Blades Drawn, Lorien Swordsman)
• Vitality Reduction (Citadel of the Stars, Stone Tower)

Example Decks

• Berserker Rohirrim - http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,7136.0.html

Rules and Clarifications

• From the Comprehensive Rules 4.0: The strength bonus for this minion is increased for any wound on any minion, companion, or ally in its skirmish.

Extra Information

• Part of a caste of uruk-hai berserkers featured in Battle of Helm's Deep and Ents of Fangorn, all of which gain strength bonuses for the number of wounds in their skirmish. The others are Berserk Rager, Berserk Savage, Berserk Slayer and Berserk Butcher. Uruk-hai Berserker is the only one of these which is not unique.