Denethor, Wizened Steward (7C86)
Denethor, Steward of the City (7R85) | Back to Return of the King Index |
Derufin (7R87) |
Denethor, Wizened Steward (7C86) is a Gondor Companion from the Return of the King set.
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Strategy[edit]
An marginal card, negligible in most formats. Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith (10R28) , from the same block, has 8 strength for only 2 twilight. To exceed that, you'd need to spot four other Men; that's a lot of work for only 1 more strength, and there are many other, better, dedicated Gondor skirmishers. Plus, Lord of Minas Tirith's ability to search your deck is much stronger than +1 strength. As a result, in most formats Denethor, Wizened Steward is only useful in a deck that wants to spot Denethor for some reason, but isn't starting with two other Gondor men.
In a format that includes Return of the King but not any of the other sets in that block, Wizened Steward may be marginally useful as a disposable tank that usually has about 6-7 base strength and benefits from both Noble Leaders (7R112) and Aragorn, King in Exile (1P365) . That's situationally useful, as this compares favorably to both 2 cost, 6 strength companions like Derufin (7R87) , and 3 cost, 7 strength companions like most versions of Boromir and Faramir. Alternately, you could use Denethor, Steward of the City (7R85) , which is 8 strength all the time, but that comes at the cost of generating extra burdens and threats.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Synergizes With...[edit]
- Noble Leaders (7R112)
- Aragorn, King in Exile (1P365)
- Gondorian Sword (7U98) or Knight's Spear (7C108) are his best hand weapons in the only formats where you'd play him.
Strong Versus...[edit]
- This is a vanilla companion with no particular strengths to speak of.
Weak Versus...[edit]
- He's best in a fairly large fellowship, which may be vulnerable to Rule of 6 cards like Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul (1U231) or Greed (1R125) .
Alternate Personas[edit]
Portrait | Name | Game Text |
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Denethor, Steward of the City (7R85) | Fellowship: Play a knight. That knight’s twilight cost is –2.
Each time a Shadow card adds a threat, add a burden. Each time a Shadow card adds a burden, add a threat. | |
Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith (10R28) | To play, spot 2 Men.
Fellowship: If at a sanctuary, exert Denethor to take a card into hand from your draw deck, then reshuffle. Choose an opponent who may draw 2 cards. | |
Denethor, Last Ruling Steward (13R64) | Denethor is resistance +1 for each possession in your discard pile.
Maneuver: Spot a possession borne by a companion and remove that posssession from the game to exert a minion twice. | |
Denethor, On the Edge of Madness (18R42) | Each time the fellowship moves from a site, add a burden.
Skirmish: Exert another Man to make him or her strength +1 and damage +1. |