Saruman's Staff, Wizard's Device (4R174)

Saruman, Black Traitor (4R173)

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Still They Came (4C175)

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Saruman's Staff, Wizard's Device (4R174) is a Isengard Artifact from the The Two Towers set.

EN Nonfoil First Edition EN Foil First Edition DE Nonfoil First Edition DE Foil First Edition FR Nonfoil First Edition FR Foil First Edition IT Nonfoil First Edition IT Foil First Edition ES Nonfoil First Edition ES Foil First Edition

Collection Info Title Saruman's Staff Subtitle Wizard's Device Unique Yes Collectible Yes Set 4 - The Two Towers Rarity R - Rare Card Number 174 Language EN - English Revision 0

Gameplay Info Playable Yes Culture Isengard Side Shadow Card Type Artifact Item Class Staff Twilight Cost 2 Strength +2 Game Text Plays on Saruman. He is fierce and damage +1. Maneuver: Make the first sentence of Saruman’s game text not apply until the regroup phase. Lore “His hand clutched his heavy black staff like a claw.”

Translations DE - German Card Name Sarumans Stab, Zauberers' Werkzeug Game Text Muss auf Saruman gespielt werden. Er ist Erbittert und erhält Schaden +1. Manöver: Der erste Satz von Sarumans Spieltext gilt bis zur Sammelphase nicht. Lore Seine Hand umklammerte den schweren schwarzen Stab wie eine Klaue. ES - Spanish Card Name La Vara De Saruman, Instrumento de Mago Game Text Se juega en Saruman. Él es fiero y daño +1. Maniobra: La primera frase del texto de juego de Saruman no se aplica hasta la fase de reagrupación. Lore “La mano que aferraba la pesada vara negra parecía una garra.” FR - French Card Name Le Bâton de Saroumane, Dispositif de Magicien Game Text Jouable sur Saroumane. Il est acharné et inflige des dégâts +1. Manœuvre : Ignorez la première phrase du descriptif de Saroumane jusqu’à la phase de ralliement. Lore « Sa main tenait son lourd bâton noir comme une serre. » IT - Italian Card Name Bastone di Saruman, Strumento da Stregone Game Text Giocalo su Saruman. E’ Feroce e ha Danno +1. Manovra: La prima frase del testo di gioco di Saruman non si applica fino alla fase di raccolta. Lore “‘La mano che stringeva il pesante bastone nero pareva un artiglio.'”

Technical Info Wiki Base Card ID LOTR-EN04S174.0 TLHH ID LOTR04174 GEMP ID 4_174 LOTRO Hex ID 6E 9A D0 03 LOTRO Image ID 04_174

Strategy

Saruman, Black Traitor. Saruman, Keeper of Isengard. Saruman, Rabble Rouser. Saruman, Servant of the Eye. Saruman, Master of Foul Folk. Each copy of Saruman offers great support ability at the expense of a fighting minion--until the release of Saruman's Staff, Wizard's Device.

Saruman's Staff, Wizard's Device is fairly versatile. Saruman, Servant of the Eye, can self-assign with his own text and Saruman, Black Traitor, who can retrieve the artifact from your discard pile. The other versions of Saruman do not necessarily benefit as much from the staff: for example, Saruman, Rabble-Rouser can use it but could possibly take wounds while skirmishing. It is worth noting that as an artifact, Saruman's Staff, Wizard's Device is not retrievable via Saruman, Master of Foul Folk's game text, which only tutors possessions.

The post-Shadows expansion minion versions of Saruman could access the Assignment and Skirmish phases without this Staff (besides Saruman, Instigator of Insurrection), and Staff of Saruman, Fallen Istar's Stave was introduced as an alternative, although Saruman's Staff still offers a damage bonus and Fierce boon.

Saruman has the potential to decimate fellowships with his staff, but only if he can win skirmishes. Men Will Fall is the only skirmish event that will benefit him in The Two Towers, but Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow is a strength pump of sorts, or Saruman's Snows to prevent an opponent from beating him with pumps.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Versus...

• Archery and Wounding decks
• Hobbits
• Fellowships that don't have a large "tank" companion
• Natural synergy with Saruman, Black Traitor and Saruman, Servant of the Eye

Weak Versus...

• Artifact discard (Roll of Thunder, Something Draws Near, Catapult, Fall Back, Disarmed)
• Effects that could discard Saruman from hand (Such as Foul Creation or A New Light)
• Companions strong enough to defeat Saruman if the Staff were used (Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark, Gandalf, Mithrandir, Treebeard)