Barliman Butterbur, Prancing Pony Proprietor (1U70)
 Albert Dreary, Entertainer From Bree (1R69)
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Durin's Secret (1R71) 
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Barliman Butterbur, Prancing Pony Proprietor (1U70) is a 
Gandalf Ally from the Fellowship of the Ring set.
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Strategy[edit]
Barliman is a key support piece in most Gandalf-based decks. With his ability to grab a Grown Suddenly Tall (4R92)
or Servant of the Secret Fire (1R83)
the exact turn it is needed, Barliman's usefulness is nearly universal, potentially allowing a player to discard a card drawn too early with hopes of retrieving it later.
This ally found even more cause for play with the introduction of Ent companions in the Battle of Helm's Deep set. With his ability to retrieve A Wizard Is Never Late (1R87)
, a Shadow player could conceivably work a much quicker set-up of his or her fellowship.
Barliman can only be drawn into assignment and skirmish phases via the Horn of Boromir (3R42)
or One Whom Men Would Follow (1U109)
. That said, Barliman is largely ineffective in skirmishes as, even with the Horn of Boromir's bonus, would only feature a strength of 4.
In Expanded format, Barliman benefits from both Mithlond (18U136)
and Beorning Axe (18R18)
, making him even more versatile and allowing him to repeatedly fetch discarded cards if Mithlond is played multiple times. Grimbeorn, Beorning Chieftain (14R6)
can help achieve this, as they can both fetch cards such as Speak “Friend” and Enter (2C26)
or Traveled Leader (12C34)
to switch Mithlond out and back in.
Barliman Butterbur (and Albert Dreary, Entertainer From Bree (1R69)
) is nearly the only Man ally with a home site of 1. Barliman is also something of an anomaly among allies and characters in general, as one of the few characters with a twilight cost of 0 (alongside most copies of Frodo and Smeagol, Galadriel, Sorceress of the Hidden Land (13R15)
, and White Hand Sieger (18C129)
).
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Strong Versus...[edit]
- A Mr. Fixit-type ally, Barliman Butterbur can retrieve a key Gandalf event at the right time
- Particularly powerful in concordance with A Wizard Is Never Late in Ent decks
Weak Versus...[edit]
- Ally-targeting cards, such as Tower Assassin (2R93)
or Fear (1R212)
- Barliman only has vitality of 2, so it may behoove a player to have several copies in a deck for healing
Alternate Personas[edit]
| Portrait | Name | Game Text |
|---|---|---|
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Barliman Butterbur, Red-faced Landlord (17U16)
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Barliman Butterbur is strength +1 for each attached follower.
Maneuver: Exert Barliman Butterbur to reveal the top 2 cards of your deck. Take any |
