Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver (7R324)
 Pippin, Sworn to Service (7C323)
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Pressing On (7R325) 
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Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver (7R324) is a 
Shire Companion from the Return of the King set.
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Strategy[edit]
In first block, Pippin largely plays the role of speed bump, so he takes a backseat to Merry's more skirmish-capable abilities. In second block, he and Merry turn "speed bump" into an art form with their built-in disappearing acts. But then in third block, Wearer of Black and Silver shows up and starts hunting down orcs like he's got a bounty to collect.
The ability to wound a minion twice during the skirmish phase--and particularly, a minion involved in another companion's skirmish--is really good. It's Legolas, Greenleaf (1R50)
levels of good. Against minions with less than 3 vitality, this is an instant skirmish victory. And paired with free peoples archery, manuever and skirmish phase wounding, or vitality-reducing fortifications, bigger minions can be put within reach of Pippin's killing blow.
Naturally, this power has to be balanced by the right restrictions, so there are 3 strategic considerations to consider before signing Pippin up to be guard of the citadel. 1.) He must be returned to hand. This is a simple, accessible cost, and it has the hidden benefit of recycling Pippin's vitality if he has any wounds. All the same, if you choose to hold on to Pippin in your hand so you can play him again next turn, you will reduce your hand-cycling ability by at least two total cards--one as you reconcile at the end of your turn, and at least one more as you reconcile during your opponent's turn. This can be costly. 2.) The minion you choose to wound must be roaming. Without the proper free peoples support, this creates a time limit for the effectiveness of Pippin's ability, contingent on which minions your opponent chooses to use. 3.) Pippin needs to be done with any skirmishes of his own. Or, much more likely, Pippin needs to avoid skirmishes altogether, because his return-to-hand cost will tend to throw away support cards such as Hobbit Sword (1C299)
or Pippin's Armor (7R113)
. Since Pippin needs to avoid skirmishes, he is rather vulnerable to minion swarms, and he will also raise the number of companions you want to include in your fellowship, which will in turn place your fellowship in danger of speed-limit cards like Southron Commander (4U249)
, Greed (1R125)
and the ubiquitous Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul (1U231)
.
Where Pippin shines as a companion is in the role of honorary Ring-bound ranger. Paired with the minion-site-manipulation of Gondorian Ranger (4C122)
, or Ancient Roads (6R49)
, Pippin's ability can stay usable throughout the entirety of the game--and the potential to wound minions fits right in with the Ring-boung ranger's skirmish-wounding mechanics.
Alternatively, it is quite possible to use Pippin as either an unsupported splash companion for early-game minion removal--or to stock your deck with support cards anyways. Once time runs out on Pippin's ability, so do his costs and vulnerabilities. From that point on, you can place whichever cards you want to on him, at least without worrying about Pippin throwing them away, himself. On that note, this version of Pippin can actually trade himself out mid-game for another version of himself (or simply make space for another companion). Simply return Pippin to your hand during the skirmish phase, and then toss him into the Discard Pile as you reconcile. This could be an interesting way bring out Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith (8P122)
in a 
Gondor focused deckbuild.
Decklist[edit]
Marriage of Ithilien (3rd block)
- Éowyn, Daughter of Eomund (5P122)
- Faramir, Ithilien Ranger (6P121)
- Frodo, Tired Traveller (4C302)
- The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles (4R1)
- Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver (7R324)
(x2) - Horse of Rohan (4C283)
(x2) - Brego (4U263)
(x2) - Windfola (7R260)
- King's Mail (4R284)
- Rohirrim Bow (5C88)
- Éowyn's Sword, Dernhelm's Blade (7R230)
- Rohirrim Helm (5R89)
- Death They Cried (7R223)
- Doom Drove Them (8U86)
(x2) - Gondorian Ranger (4C122)
(x4)
- Mablung, Soldier of Gondor (4U127)
- Might of Númenor (3C43)
- Stone Tower (5R39)
(x2) - Sword of Gondor (4C134)
(x2) - Faramir's Bow (4R118)
- Ranger's Bow (4C131)
(x3) - War and Valor (4C135)
(x2)
Gameplay Strategy[edit]
In this section, describe:
- General usage
- Unorthodox or subtle usage
- Common pitfalls of using this card
Deckbuilding Strategy[edit]
In this section, describe:
- Cards and strategies this card works well with
- Cards and strategies this card works particularly well or poorly against
- Alternate cards you might consider picking instead of this one, depending on the situation, including alternate version of characters
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Synergizes With...[edit]
- List friendly cards that work well with this card
Strong Versus...[edit]
- List enemy cards this card does well against
Weak Versus...[edit]
- List enemy or friendly cards to avoid playing this card with
Rulings[edit]
In this section:
- Put quotes from the CRDs and Comprehensive Rules here that reference this card specifically by name
- Also put quotes if a particular rule commonly affects the outcome of a card in a subtle manner (such as quoting the Rule of 4 for Saved From the Fire (8R20)
) - Link to rules discussions on TLHH
Alternate Personas[edit]
| Portrait | Name | Game Text |
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Pippin, Friend to Frodo (1C306)
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Your opponent may not discard your tales from play.
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Pippin, Hobbit of Some Intelligence (1R307)
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When you play Pippin, remove a burden or wound from a companion. |
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Pippin, Mr. Took (2C110)
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Fellowship: Play Gandalf or Aragorn; his twilight cost is -2. |
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Pippin, Just a Nuisance (4R313)
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Skirmish: If Pippin is not assigned to a skirmish, discard him to remove an Uruk-hai from a skirmish involving an unbound companion. |
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Pippin, Woolly-footed Rascal (4C314)
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Skirmish: Add a burden to discard Pippin. Any Shadow player may remove  to prevent this.
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Pippin, Hastiest of All (6R114)
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Regroup: Discard Pippin to choose a Shadow player who must wound one of his or her minions. |
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Pippin, Sworn to Service (7C323)
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While you cannot spot 4 threats, Pippin is strength +1 for each threat you can spot. |
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Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith (8P122)
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To play, spot a Man.
Skirmish: Discard 4 cards from hand to wound a minion Pippin is skirmishing twice if that minion bears a fortification. |
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Pippin, Brave Decoy (11R170)
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Skirmish: If Pippin is not assigned to a skirmish, spot an unbound companion who has less resistance than Pippin to have Pippin replace him or her in a skirmish. |
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Pippin, Hobbit of Some Intelligence (12R127)
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When you play Pippin, remove a burden or heal a companion. |
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Pippin, The Short One (15C151)
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Each follower is twilight cost –1.
Skirmish: If Pippin is skirmishing a hunter minion, exert the Ring-bearer to make Pippin strength +2. |
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Pippin, In the Bloom of Health (17U109)
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Add 1 to the number of Ents you can spot.
Maneuver: Discard 2 pipeweed cards from play to remove a burden. |
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Pippin, Steadfast Friend (19P30)
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Fellowship.
Pippin is strength +1 for each tale you can spot. |
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Pippin, Of Tuckborough (V1_53)
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Skirmish: Exert Pippin to prevent a skirmishing companion from being overwhelmed unless their strength is tripled (and make them strength +1 if you can spot 3 companions with the Frodo signet).
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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
