Sam, Nice Sensible Hobbit (5U115)
 Rare Good Ballast (5U114)
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Sting, Baggins Heirloom (5R116) 
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Sam, Nice Sensible Hobbit (5U115) is a 
Shire Companion from the Battle of Helm's Deep set.
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Strategy[edit]
Gameplay Strategy[edit]
This version of Sam is intended to roll with the Shadow player's punches, simply shrugging off whatever they have. The built-in overwhelm protection allows his high vitality to shine while any number of healing techniques (a Shire specialty) can put him back where he started and ready for more. Rosie Cotton, Hobbiton Lass (1U309)
is a natural partner, either on her own for the strength boost and to remove a single wound in a pinch or with the rest of the Hobbit Hospital to constantly push wounds away.
At site 9, Frodo, Sam, and Smeagol are often completely unassailable. Swarm strategies need to be able to at least double Frodo's strength (and often triple it, thanks to Bounder (1C286)
or Severed His Bonds (4C319)
) and triple Sam's. Armed just with their swords, Frodo is 6 or 7 strength depending on The One Ring and Sam is 5, requiring 3 minions with 5 strength on each of them to overcome. Smeagol takes another, meaning the Shadow player has to put forth at least 7 minions to have a chance -- and that's when there are only 3 companions. With A Promise (2R112)
or a pump, would normally be a full swarm's worth of minions would be required to kill just one of the Hobbits. A solid showing of fierce minions may have a shot if they can kill one of the characters in a first skirmishes, although doing so almost always requires more than the 12 twilight guaranteed by the move.
All the Free Peoples player has to do, then, is make it that far. Moving just once per turn keeps the trio armed and ready, an incredibly tough nut for the Shadow player to crack. However, if an opponent is ahead on the adventure path there may be no need to try. Double moves are always riskier for smaller Fellowships but may be necessary to have a shot at winning, and when one of the three has to die it can be tough to decide which.
Losing Frodo or Sam means half of Sam's survivability fizzles out as well, so choosing to send Sam home would be the obvious choice if not for his response action. The ability to carry on when your Ring-bearer dies can rarely be overvalued, and with A Promise (2R112)
even a Smeagol-oriented deck may get rid of the treacherous little toad to keep Frodo and Sam together. If there are no copies of A Promise around, however, Sting, Baggins Heirloom (5R116)
is such a potent tool when combined with some of Smeagol's other tricks that Sam might need to be the one to go home. When Frodo is laden with many burdens and there's no relief in sight, granting him eternal rest can be the best option regardless of other considerations.
Deckbuilding Strategy[edit]
This is perhaps the least flexible version of Sam. Since using this card means Smeagol is a key part of the deck, you typically choose him because of how most of your deck already looks rather than choose much of your deck because of him. Sam, Great Elf Warrior (10P122)
in Movie block has the strength to not just fend off being overwhelmed but win skirmishes, which further confines him to either Towers or a deck with no Hobbit companions other than Frodo and Sam.
Even when he does fit into a deck nicely, he is a deckbuilding blessing and curse: he doesn't need (and can't use) the overwhelm protection from Bounder (1C286)
or Severed His Bonds (4C319)
, but any other Hobbits still do. These effects provide somewhat less benefit as a result, creating tension between including enough to keep Frodo alive and not including so much that Sam's text is redundant. When Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir (1R289)
is your ring-bearer, for example, you're able to use Bounder reliably enough already and may get more out of Sam, Samwise the Brave (4C316)
or Sam, Son of Hamfast (1C311)
instead. However, if one copy of Bounder or Severed His Bonds is all you have, Nice Sensible Hobbit goes a long way to help you get by without it until site 8 or 9 -- hopefully you'll draw it by then!
A Promise (2R112)
is absolutely essential for Sam, with each additional point of strength he has requiring three more for the Shadow Player to overwhelm him. A Talent for Not Being Seen (1U316)
negates the twilight Sam adds each move, and a deck of just Frodo, Sam, and Smeagol (especially Sméagol, Slinker (5R29)
) is a powerful choke deck in any format. This is made even stronger with Bill the Pony (3U106)
in Towers. Without the twilight to make a real impact there is little to fear when moving once per turn, though several Free Peoples events may be needed to move in the regroup phase if there are minions on the table or twilight left in the pool. When possible, going from 3-5 is safest since site 4 can be chosen to give the Shadow player nothing to work with -- the move to Ered Nimrais (4U343)
can be reduced to provide just 3 twilight. 5-7 may also be feasible if you already have sustainable healing set up.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Synergizes With...[edit]
Strong Versus...[edit]
- Fierce minions with high strength such as Nazgul and
Isengard trackers, which will let Sam get twice as much use out of his overwhelm protection - Beatdown decks, which rely on breaking down the Fellowship's strongest fighters over two or three sites
- Swarm decks, which will have to try to overwhelm Frodo before Sam and overcome the strength bonus of The One Ring twice
Weak Versus...[edit]
- Isengard Orcs, which are at their strongest against a Fellowship built to merely survive
Dunland decks, which only need to win skirmishes to inflict long-term damage to the Fellowship
Alternate Personas[edit]
| Portrait | Name | Game Text |
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Sam, Faithful Companion (1R310)
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Fellowship: Play Bill the Pony from your draw deck.
Response: If Frodo dies, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
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Sam, Son of Hamfast (1C311)
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Fellowship: Exert Sam to remove a burden.
Response: If Frodo dies, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
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Sam, Proper Poet (2C114)
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Maneuver: Exert Sam twice to make him defender +1 until the regroup phase.
Response: If Frodo dies, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
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Sam, Frodo's Gardener (4R315)
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Ring-bound.
Fellowship: Play Sam’s Pack from your draw deck. Response: If Frodo is killed, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
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Sam, Samwise the Brave (4C316)
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Ring-bound.
Response: If a Shadow card is about to add any number of burdens, spot Frodo and exert Sam to prevent this. Response: If Frodo is killed, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
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Sam, Needer of Vittles (7C326)
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Ring-bound.
Fellowship: Play a Hobbit companion to remove a burden. Response: If Frodo is killed, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
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Sam, Resolute Halfling (7R327)
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Ring-bound.
Fellowship: If you have initiative, discard a card from hand to heal Sam. Response: If Frodo is killed, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
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Sam, Great Elf Warrior (10P122)
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Ring-bound.
Sam is strength +1 for each Response: If Frodo dies, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
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Sam, Steadfast Friend (11U172)
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Ring-bound. Each other companion is resistance +1. |
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Sam, Bearer of Great Need (13R156)
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Ring-bound.
Sam is resistance +1 for each Hobbit you can spot. Regroup: Exert Sam and transfer a follower he is bearing to your support area to discard a minion from play. |
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Sam, Innocent Traveler (15U153)
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Ring-bound. While Sam bears the One Ring, he is resistance –4.
Maneuver: If Sam is bearing a follower, exert him to heal another Hobbit. Response: If Frodo is killed, make Sam the Ring-bearer. |
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Sam, Loyal Friend (19P32)
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Fellowship. Ring-bound.
While Sam bears The One Ring, he is resistance -4. While you can spot 3 Response: If Frodo dies, make Sam the Ring-bearer. |
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Sam, Of Bagshot Row (V1_54)
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Each time a companion with the Frodo signet wins a skirmish, you may exert Sam or add a burden to heal that companion.
Response: If Frodo is killed, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5). |
See Also[edit]
Sample Deck[edit]
Format: Towers Standard
- Ring-bearer: Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer (2C102)
- Ring: The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles (4R1)
Free Peoples Draw Deck (35 cards):
- 1x Sméagol, Slinker (5R29)
- 1x Merry, Friend to Sam (1R302)
- 1x Pippin, Hobbit of Some Intelligence (1R307)
- 1x Sam, Nice Sensible Hobbit (5U115)
- 1x Bounder (1C286)
- 1x Rosie Cotton, Hobbiton Lass (1U309)
- 2x Brace of Coneys (4C298)
- 2x Frodo's Cloak (4R303)
- 2x Hobbit Sword (1C299)
- 2x Sting, Baggins Heirloom (5R116)
- 4x Don’t Follow the Lights (6C38)
- 3x Not Listening (6C43)
- 3x Hobbit Intuition (1C296)
- 2x Don’t Look at Them (6R39)
- 1x Follow Sméagol (5U23)
- 4x A Promise (2R112)
- 1x A Talent for Not Being Seen (1U316)
- 4x The Shire Countryside (3R113)
