Rise of Saruman
 The Wraith Collection
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Treachery & Deceit 
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| Rise of Saruman | |
|---|---|
| ID | 17 |
| Name | Rise of Saruman |
| Creator | Decipher |
| Release Date | 2007-03-01 |
| Is Official | yes |
| Platforms | Paper • LotR-O • GEMP • mLOTRO • Tabletop Simulator • Lackey • gccg |
| Notes | |
Rise of Saruman is the first expansion set in the Hunters Block and the seventeenth set overall. It was released on March 1, 2007, one year later than originally planned.[1] The set is notable for containing a large number of errors and typos, due in large part to financial issues at Decipher.
The set contained 148 cards (38 commons, 42 uncommons, 60 rares, and 8 starter deck-only cards). Like in The Hunters none of the cards had Tengwar versions produced. Eighteen rares had a foil Legends version with rarity symbol RF and nine rares had an alternate-frame foil Legends Masterworks version printed with a ring used as the rarity symbol (usually represented by an O in text).
Themes and Mechanics[edit]
Rise of Saruman continued many of the themes of the previous set, including the focus on the hunter keyword, Ents, and site control. Rohan gained a curious theme of getting stronger while the Ringbearer was assigned to skirmish; some of the cards specifically call out Frodo, which is especially strange since none of the Rohirrim characters met Frodo until after the ring was destroyed. Pipeweed returned for the first time since Fellowship Block, although it functioned differently in Rise of Saruman: the pipeweed cards were conditions (rather than possessions) and didn't need pipes to function.
The set contained Faramir, Bearer of Quality (17R28)
, the final alternate ring-bearer printed in the game. It also included Saruman, Servant of Sauron (17R38)
, the only Shadow follower ever produced.
Cultures[edit]
Rise of Saruman continued with the same set of cultures as The Hunters, with the exception of 
Gollum. It featured cameos from the Movie-era shadow cultures: two cards from 
Isengard and one from 
Sauron.
The set included the only companion to ever be printed outside of its primary culture: Aragorn, Defender of Rohan (17R93)
in 
Rohan.
In keeping with its name, Rise of Saruman contained five versions of Saruman: one in 
Men, two in Isengard (one minion and one follower), and two in 
Uruk-hai.
The set also printed Grishnákh, Treacherous Captain (17R71)
, a unique minion whose character had previously appeared in Sauron.
Starter Decks[edit]
Continuing the pattern from Shadows, many of the cards in starter packs did not appear in boosters and could only be obtained by buying a starter pack; these cards were all given the rarity symbol S. As in The Hunters starter decks, both decks contained sites from War of the Ring Block; with the release of Rise of Saruman, there were now 12 sites in Hunters Block.
Uniquely among the game's starter decks, the decks named after the shadow culture in the deck rather than a specific character. Also uniquely, the Uruk Rampage deck only contained eight sites (it mistakenly included a fifth copy of White Hand Guard (17C126)
instead); this mistake is fixed in all digital versions of the deck.
Cycles[edit]
| Mixed Cycles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle Name |  Gondor
|
Isengard
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Rohan
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Sauron
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| Throne artifacts | Throne of Minas Tirith (17R36)
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Throne of Isengard (17R39)
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Throne of the Golden Hall (17R98)
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Throne of the Dark Lord (17R105)
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| The only cycle in the game to contain both free peoples and shadow cards (citation needed), the cards did not have many similarities beyond their names and types. | ||||
Reprinted Cards[edit]
Rise of Saruman did not contain any reprinted cards.
Notable Cards[edit]
- Faramir, Bearer of Quality (17R28)
- Aragorn, Defender of Rohan (17R93)
- Saruman, Servant of Sauron (17R38)
- Merry, In the Bloom of Health (17U107)
- Pippin, In the Bloom of Health (17U109)
- ↑ Based on the Oversized promotional card The One Ring (4M1)
.
