Killing Field (4R72)
 Haldir, Emissary of the Galadhrim (4C71)
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Legolas, Dauntless Hunter (4R73) 
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Killing Field (4R72) is a 
Elven Condition from the The Two Towers set.
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Strategy[edit]
!Killing Field is part of a suite of Elven conditions affecting wounded minions, along with Blades Drawn and Lorien Is Most Welcome. Each of these cards seek to remedy a simple problem with archery decks: if a Shadow player can spread wounds evenly without sacrificing any minions, the wounds are largely inconsequential. Perhaps as a way for Elven Archery decks to remain competitive, Killing Field allows a player to manage the number of skirmish losses for a culture with often low skirmish potential, but solid healing.
In Fellowship block, fierce was usually associated with two things: Saruman, Keeper of Isengard and Nazgul. The introduction of the X-list soon after set 4's release made Saruman unplayable in tournaments, but since Flaming Brand and No Stranger to Shadows also made the list Nazgul effectively received a boost and became more difficult to handle. The prevalence of Plains sites along the Two Towers site path means that even a weaker Nazgul bearing Black Mount may overwhelm two companions in a single site. Additionally, new fierce strategies such as Warg-riders and [Isengard] trackers emerged, occasionally with damage bonuses. Because Elven archery decks rarely win skirmishes, these wounds stack up fast and can lead to a swift death. By forcing a Shadow player to either kill off minions or sacrifice minion potency, Killing Field aims to help weak companions armed with an Elven Bow stay in the game longer.
Of course, many decks have no fierce minions at all, making Killing Field highly situational. Further, since it is played before the Shadow phase there's little way of knowing when the best time to play it is without first using cards to reveal the opponent's hand such as Foul Creation or Curse Their Foul Feet!, which are often more potent cards by themselves. Even when successful, against top-tier decks simply managing losses may not be enough to stay competitive. For these reasons, Killing Field rarely sees play.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Strong Versus...[edit]
- Nazgul, [Isengard] trackers, and other strategies with a focus on fierce minions
Weak Versus...[edit]
- Non-fierce minions
- Wound prevention, such as Broad-bladed Sword
- Archery reduction, such as Wreathed in Shadow
- Skirmish phase healing, such as Wolf Voices or Scaling Ladder
Rulings[edit]
- Since Killing Field (and the other [Elven] conditions affecting wounded minions) is discarded during the regroup phase rather than at the start of the regroup phase, it will be discarded if brought back using Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor.
See Also[edit]
- Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card
- Link to decks that use this card
