Elite Rider (4C265)

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Eomer, Sister-son of Theoden (4C266)

Elite Rider (4C265) is a Rohan Companion from the The Two Towers set.


Collection Info
Title Elite Rider
Unique No
Collectible Yes
Notes Version: *.
Set 4 - The Two Towers
Rarity C - Common
Card Number 265
Language EN - English
Revision 0
Gameplay Info
Playable Yes
Culture Rohan
Side Free Peoples
Card Type Companion
Race Man
Twilight Cost 3
Strength 6
Vitality 3
Game Text When this companion is in your starting fellowship, his twilight cost is -1.

While skirmishing a wounded minion, this companion is strength +2.

Lore “After him they rode: a long line of mail-clad men, swift, shining, fell and fair to look upon.”
Translations
DE - German
Card Name Elitereiter
Game Text Wenn dieser Gefährte Teil deiner Anfangs-gemeinschaft ist, reduzieren sich seine Zwielichtkosten um 1. Solange dieser Gefährte gegen einen verwundeten Diener kämpft, erhält er Stärke +2.
Lore Ihm ritten sie nach: eine große Schar von Männern in Panzerhemden, pfeilgeschwind, schimmernd, schrecklich und schön anzusehen.
ES - Spanish
Card Name Jinete De Élite
Game Text Cuando este compañero está en tu comunidad inicial, su coste de penumbra es -1. Mientras esté en una escaramuza contra un siervo herido, este compañero es fuerza +2.
Lore “Los otros lo siguieron: una larga fila de hombres en cota de malla, rápidos, resplandecientes, terribles y hermosos.”
FR - French
Card Name Cavalier d'Élite
Game Text Lorsque ce compagnon fait partie de votre compagnie de départ, son coût crépusculaire est de -1. Ce compagnon a +2 en force s’il combat un séide blessé.
Lore « Tous le suivirent: longue file d'homme en cotte de mailles, rapides, reluisants, terribles et beaux à voir. »
IT - Italian
Card Name Cavaliere d'Elite
Game Text Quando questo compagno è nella tua compagnia di partenza, sottrai -1 al suo costo Crepuscolo.

Mentre schermaglia con un servitore ferito, aggiungi +2 alla forza di questo compagno.

Lore “Dietro di lui in una lunga fila galoppavano Uomini abbigliati di cotte di maglia, veloci, brillanti, al tempo stesso belli e crudeli nell'aspetto.”


Technical Info
Wiki Base Card ID LOTR-EN04S265.0
TLHH ID LOTR04265
GEMP ID 4_265
LOTRO Hex ID 69 A0 D0 03
LOTRO Image ID 04_265


Strategy[edit]

Gameplay Strategy[edit]

Effectively a non-unique and milder version of Éomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark (4R267) , this companion is reliably 10 strength with Rider's Mount (4C287) and Rider's Spear (4C288) , on par with Aragorn equipped with a sword. The twilight discount makes him a popular starting companion, and a common tactic is to start him with Eomer to put two companions in the starting fellowship. Gearing this companion up before Eomer gives 1 less strength overall and no extra strength after the first wound on a minion, but will allow the Free Peoples to put a strong companion in danger early on without fear of losing any of the unique benefits that Eomer can access. It will also save the twilight of transferring the generic gear if Firefoot (4R274) or Éomer's Spear (4U268) are drawn afterward.

Because the twilight discount requires no cultural enforcement, he can start alongside Legolas to take advantage of the archer keyword and get to 8 strength even without any gear. This can be particularly helpful in a deck using Eastemnet Gullies (4U325) , allowing the deck to have just one copy of Legolas and still start with him after losing the bid. Because Elite Rider is not valiant and can't meet the criteria to play Simbelmynë (4R289) on his own, some players instead prefer to start Eowyn (especially Éowyn, Lady of Rohan (4C270) ) when they won't start two Rohan companions.

Mounts are often viewed as +2 strength for Elite Rider and therefore necessary equipment. However, remember that Mounts merely apply exertions which in turn grant the strength boost. Any deck with other ways to put wound tokens on minions will be able to tap into that strength boost without them. Archery is one avenue, as mentioned above. Return of the King introduces another with Rohan's strongest exerting effect: Merry's Sword (7R242) . It encourages a large fellowship to get the most out of the effect, and the effect nullifies the most popular large fellowship counter, Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul (1U231) . Merry's Sword also prevents Gríma, Wormtongue (4R154) from threatening to send borne cards back into hand, so while a mount is no longer necessary for the exertions there's little to fear from giving Elite Rider a mount, spear, and ranged weapon such as Rohirrim Bow (5C88) to bring him up to 11 strength. Elite Rider's expendible nature makes for the ideal bearer of Rohirrim Bow to either keep for strength or use it to take out a minion exhausted by Merry's Sword, as the exertion will not hurt the Free Peoples player very much.

Deckbuilding Strategy[edit]

Since this card is basically Éomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark (4R267) , it is a natural fit in any deck using him. This makes him a core companion in almost every Towers-era Rohan deck. If your deck has fewer than 9 potential companions, using Elite Rider to fill in any gaps is never a bad idea. Towers Block in particular is shaped not by Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul (1U231) but by Southron Commander (4U249) , making it possible to play more than 9 companions over the course of the game.

Hrethel, Rider of Rohan (6C95) is also something of a Third Marshal replacement, getting up to Third Marshal's 11 strength when fighting a wounded minion at the expense of healing that minion. However, his cultural enforcement means he can't be played in a starting fellowship with Third Marshal, so he can only compete with the first Elite Rider that would be played normally for deck space.

Elite Rider was reprinted in King Block, but unlike Towers there are enough attractive alternatives to replace him much of the time in it and Movie Block. Most notably is Éowyn, Lady of Ithilien (10R72) , a deck-defining powerhouse for Eomer to spot. Robbed of a place in the starting fellowship, this companion competes for deck space with not only Hrethel (who gains extra utility against Enduring minions), but also the post-Towers versions of Theoden, Rohirrim Army (8R91) , Merry, Swordthain (7R321) , and supporting characters of other cultures. Depending on the deck, he may also be supplanted by Elfhelm, Marshal of Rohan (7U224) (sometimes aided by Grimbold, Marshal of Rohan (7R233) ) or Veteran Horseman (7C257) . Nonetheless, he remains a great choice when filling up any remaining companion slots.

Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]

Synergizes With...[edit]

Strong Versus...[edit]

  • The supporting minions in most decks, as minions which cost or less often have at least 2 vitality and less than 10 strength
  • Beatdown decks, as this companion is difficult to overwhelm and easily replaced
  • Minions which exert themselves, alleviating the need for a mount on all Elite Riders

Weak Versus...[edit]

See Also[edit]

Decks[edit]

"Fear This" - Michael Dalton's Worlds 2003 Champion deck (Click here for the full decklist)