The Balrog, Terror of Flame and Shadow (6R76)

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The Balrog, Terror of Flame and Shadow (6R76) is a Moria Minion from the Ents of Fangorn set. A departure from the The Balrog's iconic text in Fellowship Block, this and all subsequent versions can be played at any site. It is the only version of The Balrog with no affinity for underground sites and no innate way of gaining fierce. It is also the first minion to have an unconditional damage bonus of 2, with only Sauron, The Lord of the Rings (9R+48) and The Balrog, Demon of Might (19P18) sharing the distinction.

  • EN Nonfoil First Edition

    EN Nonfoil First Edition

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  • DE Nonfoil First Edition

    DE Nonfoil First Edition

  • DE Foil First Edition

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  • FR Nonfoil First Edition

    FR Nonfoil First Edition

  • FR Foil First Edition

    FR Foil First Edition

  • IT Nonfoil First Edition

    IT Nonfoil First Edition

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  • ES Nonfoil First Edition

    ES Nonfoil First Edition

  • ES Foil First Edition

    ES Foil First Edition

Collection Info
Title The Balrog
Subtitle Terror of Flame and Shadow
Unique Yes
Collectible Yes
Set 6 - Ents of Fangorn
Rarity R - Rare
Card Number 76
Language EN - English
Revision 0
Gameplay Info
Playable Yes
Culture Moria
Side Shadow
Card Type Minion
Race Balrog
Twilight Cost 14
Strength 17
Vitality 5
Site Number 4
Game Text Damage +2. The twilight cost of The Balrog is –3 if you can spot a minion. The Balrog cannot be assigned to skirmish companions or allies of strength less than 6.
Lore “‘...he burst into new flame.'”
Translations
DE - German
Card Name Der Balrog, Schrecken aus Feuer und Schatten
Game Text Schaden +2. Die Kosten des Balrog reduzieren sich um 3, wenn du einen anderen Diener entdecken kannst. Der Balrog kann keinem Gefährten oder Verbündeten mit geringerer Stärke als 6 zugewiesen werden.
Lore “... ging er von neuem in Flammen auf.”
ES - Spanish
FR - French
IT - Italian


Technical Info
Wiki Base Card ID LOTR-EN06S076.0
TLHH ID LOTR06076
GEMP ID 6_76
LOTRO Hex ID 6C DC B8 05
LOTRO Image ID 06_076


Strategy[edit]

Gameplay Strategy[edit]

Its imposing twilight cost makes it difficult for the Shadow player to afford more than The Balrog and a smattering of minor Orcs, so playing The Balrog may only allow the Shadow player to get through 2 or 3 cards in a culture known for playing a dozen minions at once. Under ordinary circumstances this is an inexcusable downside, but when the Shadow player has an extraordinarily weak hand or needs to stall for just one more site, The Balrog can be a minion big enough to hide behind. Its high vitality and strength makes it difficult (though not impossible) to kill, and having it on the table in the regroup phase is sure to weigh heavily on the Free Peoples player's mind. If they had hoped to move again, the prospect of dealing with The Balrog in addition to what may be full turn's worth of the usual dangers will make them think twice.

The assignment restriction is based on what the companions strength is during the assignment phase, which makes it impossible for the Free Peoples player to waste The Balrog's one skirmish killing a splashed Hobbit or Thrarin, Dwarven Smith (1U27) , and much harder to use Hobbit tricks such as Severed His Bonds (4C319) or Swiftly and Softly (4C321) to dodge the skirmish altogether. Still, it doesn't necessarily mean that The Balrog will skirmish someone important since most other companions have a base strength of 6 anyway. On rare occasion the restriction can even be used to the Free Peoples player's advantage: if Frodo has less than 6 strength, the Shadow player cannot assign The Balrog to him either.

It goes without saying that Terror of Flame and Shadow's damage bonus is its most important feature. If the Free Peoples can mitigate that, they turn a somewhat expensive kill into a very expensive wound. This makes the ability of Whip of Many Thongs (2R74) to strip a companion of many different wound-blocking possessions particularly useful. The extra point of strength makes 9-strength companions vulnerable to being overwhelmed, crucial against Faramir, Son of Denethor (4C117) bearing Armor (1C92) and Sword of Gondor (4C134) and, fittingly, Gandalf's 4 vitality (with just Glamdring (1R75) or Shadowfax (4R100) , many versions are 9 strength). The Balrog's Sword (2R50) and Final Cry (2R57) are typically redundant with the innate damage bonus and retain limited value.

Of course, no caliber of damage bonus matters when skirmishes are not won. Durin III, Dwarven Lord (9R+3) , Círdan, The Shipwright (10R8) , and Éomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark (4R267) have some of the highest natural skirmish potential in the game. There are no skirmish events for The Balrog, which puts the Shadow player at a distinct disadvantage: the Free Peoples player is always aware of the maximum strength necessary to overcome it, while the Shadow player will not usually know whether the Free Peoples player actually can and may be goaded into wasting Durin’s Tower (6R77) when it won't be enough (or saving it when it would be). Even if The Balrog cannot be bested by strength, the Free Peoples may still be able to kill it with archery or direct wounding in conjunction with effects which exhaust minions. Fill With Fear (2U56) helps alleviate this concern against a wide variety of Free Peoples strategies by both skipping the archery phase and allowing the Shadow player to remove possessions like Gondor Bow (7U94) which may be needed to deliver the final wound from Fourth Level (8C35) . Stripping companions of swarm-culling weapons such as Aragorn’s Bow (1R90) and Bow of the Galadhrim (1R33) could be a long-term boon to a deck including The Balrog as well.

The built-in discount can make this the cheapest version of The Balrog at 11 twilight, though with the cost of the Moria minion only Goblin Runner (1U178) or Moria Scout (1C191) spotting an Elf make it cheaper in practice than the 12-cost versions The Balrog, Durin's Bane (2C51) and The Balrog, The Terror of Khazad-dum (12R79) . This also makes it somewhat more awkward to use with Power and Terror (2U70) , since the first Orc revealed would probably have made The Balrog cheaper by being played instead. Host of Thousands (1C187) and They Are Coming (1C196) can be used to put a minion in play without using a minion from hand to mitigate this concern.

Deckbuilding Strategy[edit]

Playing The Balrog leaves the Shadow player hard pressed to put forth any other minions of note, which puts it at odds with swarm and archery strategies whose might depends on the number of minions in play. Since those are the most popular ways of playing Moria, Terror of Flame and Shadow is not usually considered. A single copy thrown into the deck can have some utility, however: its high vitality and strength makes it hard for the Free Peoples player to get rid of it, and may potentially stop the Free Peoples from moving in the regroup phase with an otherwise weak hand and give the Shadow player time to build up something that would have more of an impact.

Since this is the same role Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit (1R165) has in those decks, the competition is Fierce. The Cave Troll may be preferred when underground sites are already part of the Shadow player's adventure deck -- 7 twilight is still a lot for a deck determined to play a high number of minions, yet Moria's signature twilight generation may be able to cover most or all of it without sacrificing how many minions appear. Otherwise, the difference between 10 and 11 is minor and The Balrog is more likely to win skirmishes (usually getting kills) or at least stay on the table if back-to-back defeats would be feasible.

Because its high strength and damage bonus is its entire appeal, there is nothing more disappointing than having it bested by a companion. Shadow players can invest in Dark Places (2C55) and Durin’s Tower (6R77) to keep its strength insurmountable, but doing so is sometimes a lose-lose for the Shadow player: If there's still not enough strength, the Free Peoples player will not only win but waste all the cards that were spent trying to buff up The Balrog. If it is enough, the Free Peoples player will simply kill off their least important companion the same as they would if they didn't have such high skirmish potential anyway, which means the card spots might have been better spent elsewhere. As with the Cave Troll, a single copy of Dark Places in play will allow it to overwhelm companions it may not have. Investing too much in The Balrog's strength may come at the expense of the rest of the deck without producing worthwhile gains.

Unlike the versions of The Balrog from Fellowship block, this copy of The Balrog isn't effectively limited to The Bridge of Khazad-dûm (1C349) . The Balrog-dependent cards from the block are more appealing as a result, since the Shadow player is not in a crunch to draw them by site 5 or sift through any unplayed (and now useless) cards afterwards. This cuts both ways; the Shadow player is also not guaranteed an opportunity to play The Balrog either, requiring one more card in hand to get anything out of those dependent cards (the Balrog himself). Must Do Without Hope (2U68) is often less reliable not only because of The Balrog's increased cost, but also because by holding them in hand the Shadow player is less likely to draw The Balrog and unable to play him from the deck. More copies of The Balrog mitigate this, though its high twilight cost usually makes playing it several times difficult and means The Balrog is more likely to be a useless or redundant draw himself.

As with all versions of The Balrog, it is outclassed by The Balrog, Demon of Might (19P18) in Expanded with no comparative upside. Because there are no other Moria minions to enable the discount in Towers Block, and because nearly every Free Peoples in Movie Block has a way to deal with single-minion dangers, Terror of Flame and Shadow is mostly limited to Towers Standard (where underground sites at 6 and 7 may make The Cave Troll more appealing) or King Standard.

Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]

Synergizes With...[edit]

Strong Versus...[edit]

Weak Versus...[edit]

Alternate Personas[edit]

Portrait Name Game Text
The Balrog, Durin's Bane (2C51) Damage +1. Fierce.

While you can spot The Balrog, discard all other minions. Skip the archery phase. Discard The Balrog if not underground.

The Balrog, Flame of Udun (2R52) Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot a Orc.

Discard The Balrog if not underground.

Shadow: Exert The Balrog and remove to play a Orc from your discard pile.

The Balrog, The Terror of Khazad-dum (12R79) Damage +1.

While The Balrog is at an underground site, it is fierce and cannot take wounds or be exerted.

The Balrog, Demon of Might (19P18) Damage +2. Fierce.

While at an underground site, skip the archery phase, the maneuver phase, and The Balrog cannot be assigned to skirmish companions of strength 6 or less. ​


Rulings[edit]

The assignment restriction is based on what the companions strength is during the assignment phase rather than the printed strength. This means that an unarmed Gandalf bearing Dark Fire (2U54) may not be eligible to skirmish (having only 5 strength) while Sam buffed by three copies of A Promise (2R112) would be (having 6 strength).

See Also[edit]

Decks[edit]

Places to Hide (2003 Worlds top 16 deck)

Format: Towers Standard

Author: Mitch Kimmes

Adventure deck:

Free Peoples Draw Deck:

Shadow Draw Deck:

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