Leowyn (7R239)
 Knights of His House (7U238)
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Long Spear (7C240) 
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Leowyn (7R239) is a 
Rohan Ally from the Return of the King set.
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Strategy[edit]
Gameplay Strategy[edit]
Leowyn - along with Déor (7C222)
- is a major jump up from all Towers villagers and a useful card for any Rohan deck, usable throughout the game without further investment. Simbelmynë (4R289)
can play her at the first sign of need and she in turn helps to cycle through the deck for any other important cards.
The Free Peoples player should plan to use Leowyn's ability first thing if she's going to be used at all, lest initiative be lost before all unwanted cards are discarded. Whenever the Free Peoples player discards from hand during their turn the primary targets are often unwanted Shadow cards or Free Peoples duplicates, sometimes turning her cost into a benefit. Against a wounding strategy, however, discarding additional Free Peoples cards with Leowyn tends to be more fruitful than playing them. In addition to keeping a Fellowship healthy, this prevents opponents from using the twilight those cards would have added.
Leowyn has no use for her vitality, but that doesn't mean her vitality is useless. In addition to being a little harder to kill, she is an excellent bearer of Rohirrim Bow (5C88)
to snipe exhausted minions in a pinch. Weapon Store (4R294)
is a good way to recur Merry's Sword (7R242)
after Merry, Swordthain (7R321)
bounces back to hand. And in Standard or Expanded, Stables (11S259)
and Throne of the Golden Hall (17R98)
always benefit from having spare vitality around.
Deckbuilding Strategy[edit]
Leowyn's primary competition for deck space is Déor (7C222)
: both use the same resource to do things that tend to keep a Fellowship healthy (heal wounds or win skirmishes). There's no reason a deck can't have both, there's just no real way to use both on the same turn. Some people optimize one or the other out of a deck as a result. If you're trying to cover yourself against wounding strategies specifically, Rohirrim Shield (5C91)
is among the most efficient counters in the game. Playing it just once usually won't be enough though, so compared to Leowyn it requires more investment in either multiple copies or Ecglaf, Courageous Farmer (5C81)
to replay it and some way to heal him -- potentially Leowyn!
Since her cost will most likely be paid with some Shadow cards, a deck that relies on her alone to cover all of its healing needs won't pair well with a Shadow dependent on gathering several key cards in hand. It's still not a bad idea to put her in for the occasional use or as a way to pivot to the Free Peoples when your Shadow doesn't have a chance. However, when whether you need to win with your Free Peoples or your Shadow depends on what happens this turn, whether she is used or not will determine the outcome with nearly no way to know what the right choice is.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Synergizes With...[edit]
- Any of the Towers allies, especially Aldor, Soldier of Edoras (4R262)
who is not a villager and can't be healed by Well Stored (4U296)
- Cards which exert any Rohan Man, such as Rohirrim Bow (5C88)
- Ceorl, Weary Horseman (4U264)
, who needs a villager with vitality to spare and a way to heal himself - Hand extension such as Gandalf, The Grey Pilgrim (2P122)
Strong Versus...[edit]
- A generally useful effect (and sometimes cost), worthwhile against any opponent. But especially...
- Shadow sides focused on wounding, where Rohan's skirmish-oriented cards may accomplish little more than adding twilight if played
- An opponent with a choking Free Peoples, which might cause hand clog and prevent you from getting the cards you need most
Weak Versus...[edit]
- Shadow conditions which prevent the Free Peoples player from ever having initiative, such as Harsh Tongues (7C150)
