Seeing Stone of Orthanc (9R38)
 Seeing Stone of Minas Anor (9R37)
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Library of Orthanc (9R+39) 
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Seeing Stone of Orthanc (9R38) is a 
Gondor Artifact from the Reflections set.
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Strategy[edit]
Seeing Stone of Orthanc is paradoxically a very weak, situational card, but also a staple of Gondor decks in Movie Block. It's chiefly played as part of a whole package of Gondor artifacts, to strengthen Narsil, Blade of the Faithful (9R+34)
and Scroll of Isildur (9R36)
.
The Stone isn't very strong on its own. Drawing cards in the Regroup Phase is only useful if you're about to make a double move, since otherwise you reconcile and refill your hand anyway. Even in those circumstances, it's weak: Gondor culture generally does not play a great many cards after the Fellowship Phase in Movie Block (or later formats) as it is. Removing twilight in preparation for a double move is generally more useful, but a threat is a very high price to pay. Regaining initiative against a Shadow deck that wants initiative but doesn't run a card that grants initiative regardless of your hand size—most common with 
Sauron decks running Tower of Barad-dûr (3R104)
and minions like Orc Archer Troop (7U294)
and Orc Stalker (7U307)
—can be useful but is very situational. The Seeing Stone can also fix your hand size to activate the game text on Derufin (7R87)
. When it does get used, it's usually discarding the Seeing Stone to remove two twilight on a do-or-die double move.
What makes the Seeing Stone actually useful is the fact that it's a Gondor artifact that is almost always free. (It's almost never worth playing at the cost of two threats.) It increases the strength of Elendil, The Tall (9R+32)
or Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms (9R+33)
while bearing Narsil, Blade of the Faithful (9R+34)
, and increases the resistance of the ring-bearer when Scroll of Isildur (9R36)
is in play. (Later formats add two new noteworthy Narsil bearers: Elendil, High-king of Gondor (13R65)
and Isildur, Sword-bearer (18R54)
.) Elendil, the Tall can also discard it to liberate a site. Narsil and Scroll of Isildur are useful cards on their own that benefit from other useful cards like The Shards of Narsil (3R44)
, Ring of Barahir (6R55)
, Andúril, Flame of the West (7R79)
, Sapling of the White Tree (9R35)
, and Throne of Minas Tirith (17R36)
, so it's easy to include the Seeing Stone and possibly its counterpart Seeing Stone of Minas Anor (9R37)
. In Movie Block, this Gondor artifact package is common in Noble Leaders (7R112)
and Elfman decks, and sometimes appears in Gondor Knights. In later formats like Expanded and Standard, it sometimes appears in Token Tanks or other Stewards’ Legacy (13U75)
decks.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Synergizes With...[edit]
- It can be spotted by Narsil, Blade of the Faithful (9R+34)
and Scroll of Isildur (9R36)
.
- And discarded by Elendil, The Tall (9R+32)
to liberate sites (which helps play Last Throw (10C34)
). - It's often a part of a whole package of Gondor artifacts, often played in Movie Block. They include Andúril, Flame of the West (7R79)
, multiple copies of Sapling of the White Tree (9R35)
, Narsil, Scroll of Isildur, and occasionally The Shards of Narsil (3R44)
, Ring of Barahir (6R55)
, and/or Seeing Stone of Minas Anor (9R37)
.
- It can refill your hand to the right size to use Derufin (7R87)
.
Strong Versus...[edit]
- It's occasionally useful to regain initiative against Shadow decks that want initiative but don't run a card that grants initiative regardless of your hand size. This is most common with Sauron decks running Tower of Barad-dûr (3R104)
and minions like Orc Archer Troop (7U294)
and Orc Stalker (7U307)
.
Weak Versus...[edit]
- The only Shadow card of note that can even interact with it is Grond, Hammer of the Underworld (8R103)
, but Grond will almost always have better targets. - Black Land Chieftain (15R99)
and Deathly Roar (17C113)
punish overuse of artifacts. So does Destructive Orc (15C108)
, but it has zero effect unless you are also running fortifications.
