Saruman, Servant of Sauron (17R38)
 Saruman, Instigator of Insurrection (17R37)
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Throne of Isengard (17R39) 
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Saruman, Servant of Sauron (17R38) is a 
Isengard Follower from the Rise of Saruman set.
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Strategy[edit]
The first thing to note about Saruman, Servant of Sauron is that he remains in play. This means that cards that have to spot him (Their Arrows Enrage, Uruk Ravager etc.) are much easier to play. It also means that other copies of him cannot be played while he is out, so he cannot coexist with minion versions of himself. Consequently Servant of Sauron does not actually fit very well with the [Isengard] and [Uruk-hai] cultures.
Since Servant of Sauron provides extra strength and helps deal damage to opposing fellowships, he naturally complements beatdown decks such as various Nazgul and Troll builds and can be splashed into the vast majority of decks.
!Servant of Sauron also has a natural synergy with Whisper in the Dark and therefore fits well into [Man] wounding decks. He works well with Isengard Ruined as this site can trigger off of him being transferred, although he is hindered by Streets of Bree. Servant of Sauron is vulnerable to follower discard (Erkenbrand's Horn, Gamling's Horn etc.) as the Free Peoples player will not only be able to discard him from play but also received an additional benefit depending on what card they used.
!Servant of Sauron is relatively cheap. He costs one twilight to transfer but is able to use twilight provided by Free Peoples followers.
Skirmish order can sometimes be important while Servant of Sauron is active as his ability to exert companions can target those who are assigned to skirmishes, causing them to die if they then lose that skirmish. This can be particularly significant when there are Lurkers on the table or when combined with effects such as Orkish Skirmisher or Following Uruk.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Strong Versus...[edit]
- Fellowships that lack damage bonuses or archery, making him harder to get rid of.
- Free Peoples followers, as he can use their twilight from transfer to transfer himself.
Weak Versus...[edit]
- Follower discard (Erkenbrand's Horn; Gamling's Horn; Horn of Boromir, The Great Horn; Librarian)
- Minion discard cards (Leaves play along with bearer) such as Ithilien Blade, Dain Ironfoot etc.
- Events that can kill minions (Since the shadow player doesn't know when these are in the Free Peoples player's hand). Examples include Inspiration (Sudden overwhelm), Where Shall We Go? (Sudden wounds) or Diversion.
- Follower disabling (Streets of Bree, Demon of Might)
Rulings[edit]
- This version of Saruman, despite being a follower, can still be spotted by name, via cards such as Their Arrows Enrage or Uruk Ravager. See http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,244.0.html for discussion.
- Current Rulings Document (08/13/07): Shadow followers - During the regroup phase, each follower is returned to its owner’s support area only after the Free Peoples player has reconciled, but before the Shadow player discards all minions in play.
Alternate Personas[edit]
| Portrait | Name | Game Text |
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Saruman, Keeper of Isengard (3R68)
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Saruman may not take wounds during the archery phase and may not be assigned to a skirmish.
Uruk-hai are fierce. Response: If an Uruk-hai is about to take a wound, exert Saruman to prevent that wound. |
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Saruman, Servant of the Eye (3C69)
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Saruman may not take wounds during the archery phase and may not be assigned to a skirmish.
Assignment: Exert Saruman to assign an |
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Saruman, Rabble-rouser (4R33)
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Saruman may not be assigned to a skirmish.
Each time the fellowship moves, the Free Peoples player must exert a companion for each |
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Saruman, Black Traitor (4R173)
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Saruman may not take wounds during the archery phase and may not be assigned to a skirmish.
When you play Saruman, you may discard a condition. Shadow: Exert Saruman to play Saruman’s Staff from your discard pile. |
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Saruman, Master of Foul Folk (5R56)
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Saruman may not take wounds during the archery phase and may not be assigned to a skirmish.
Each time the fellowship moves, you may heal each Shadow: Exert Saruman to play an |
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Saruman, Of Many Colours (12R54)
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Damage +1. Fierce. Lurker. (Skirmishes involving lurker minions must be resolved after any others.) When you play Saruman, name a culture. Each companion of the named culture is strength –1. |
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Saruman, Agent of the Dark Lord (12S144)
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Lurker. (Skirmishes involving lurker minions must be resolved after any others.)
Skirmish: Exert Saruman to make an Each time a companion is killed, you may heal Saruman. |
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Saruman, Instigator of Insurrection (17R37)
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Saruman cannot be assigned to a skirmish.
While you can spot 6 companions, each minion gains hunter 2. Response: If a hunter minion is about to take a wound, exert Saruman to prevent that. |
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Saruman, Coldly Still (17S48)
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Each  minion bearing a possession is strength +2.
Skirmish: Exert Saruman to play a |
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Saruman, Curunir (17S115)
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Each time an  hunter wins a skirmish, heal a different minion.
Skirmish: Exert Saruman twice to make a companion lose the hunter keyword until the start of the regroup phase. |
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Saruman, Master of the White Hand (17R116)
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Each companion is resistance -1.
Skirmish: Exert Saruman to discard a condition borne by a companion skirmishing an |
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Saruman, Fell Voice (V1_30)
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While you cannot spot a weather, Saruman may not take wounds in the archery phase and may not be assigned to a skirmish.
While at a site bearing a weather, each Response: If the fellowship moves from a site bearing a weather, discard this minion to exert each companion. |
See Also[edit]
Decks[edit]
- Splashed in most non-[isengard], non-[uruk-hai] beatdown decks. Used in [man] wounding decks with Whisper in the Dark.
