Troll

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They have a Cave Troll.

Trolls are massive, strong, and dim creatures, often found in caves, the armies of Sauron, or in poorly-moderated Internet discussions. In this game, they are a Shadow race, appearing first as a single Culture Moria.svg Moria minion, and later as Culture Sauron.svg Sauron and Culture Orc.svg Orc culture minions.

The first troll minion was Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit (1R165) , a Culture Moria.svg Moria minion which set the tone for most later troll cards. It's expensive but cheaper under certain conditions, both from its own Twilight cost reduction at Underground sites (sites 4 and 5 in Fellowship Block) as well as from Troll’s Keyward (1R199) . It's so strong that it threatens to overwhelm unprepared companions, especially when equipped with its exclusive possessions, Cave Troll's Hammer (1R166) and Cave Troll's Chain (2R53) , or the only possession it has in common with other Culture Moria.svg Moria minions, Goblin Spear (1C182) . And it's both Fierce and Damage +1, allowing to do four wounds if allowed to rampage unchecked. It wasn't always played, but it would occasionally appear in Moria Beatdown, a strategy on higher-strength minions supplemented with Moria Axe (1R190) (as opposed to the typical Culture Moria.svg Moria swarm strategies), or simply to help keep the Free Peoples player honest.

For the next nine sets, all of the trolls were Culture Sauron.svg Sauron culture, starting in Ents of Fangorn. That set introduced Gate Troll (6R103) and Troll of Udûn (6R106) . These saw only occasional play, owing to their high cost. Trolls weren't a common sight until Siege of Gondor's Besieger trolls: Great Hill Troll (8C102) and Troll of Gorgoroth, Abomination of Sauron (8R108) . Those trolls were key parts of the Besieger deck of King Block and Movie Block, which played many Engine conditions and possessions to set up to overrun the Fellowship with discount-price trolls. (This set also had Olog-hai of Mordor (8R105) , but its much-more-difficult discount condition meant that it's generally skipped.) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron besiegers is a common Shadow side in Movie Block to this day. Mount Doom later introduced Troll of Cirith Gorgor (10R101) , a strong minion similar to the Cave-Troll, and it can be played in any Culture Sauron.svg Sauron deck that can afford its high Twilight cost.

Starting with the Shadows set, Shadow cultures were reorganized, and all subsequent trolls are Culture Orc.svg Orc culture. In Expanded, there are two main strategies featuring trolls: Troll Swarm and Mountain Troll Swarm.

Troll Swarm is a beatdown strategy that centers on Troll’s Keyward, Keeper of the Beast (12R105) . By including many (often 20+) troll minions in your deck and using a Free Peoples side with strong filtering, you can reveal a whole hand full of trolls, generating enough Twilight to play those trolls. Typically this deck plays Fierce, Damage +1 trolls like Ordnance Grunt (13R117) , Cave Troll of Moria, Savage Menace (12R85) , Porter Troll (11R135) , and Beastly Olog-hai (11R108) , plus the very annoying Tower Troll (15R117) . It also runs Relentless Warg (17R89) to get extra uses out of the Keyward, and cards that can recur the Keyward and his warg like Goblin Hordes (11R123) and Orkish Warg-master (17R87) .

Mountain Troll Swarm is a swarm strategy, although not properly a deck of its own. It plays a swarm of cheap orcs, often with exertion abilities or abilities that activate when they come into play, then uses Mountain-troll (15R112) to discard and recur all of them. This strategy works with many other Culture Orc.svg Orc culture strategies. Warg Super Swarm plays many cheap orcs, especially ones that generate more Twilight like Orkish Runner (17C83) , Orkish Scout (17R84) , and Scurrying Goblin (11U137) , then supplements them with Warg possessions and cards that replay wargs. Mountain-Troll also works well with decks featuring Demoralized (11U114) , which play and replay minions that exhaust companions (chiefly Pitiless Orc (12U99) , Rallying Orc (12R100) , and Orc Hammer (11S130) with Scavenging Goblins (12C102) ) to either supplement a direct wounding strategy, an archery strategy, or simply to set up a huge unbeatable swarm. Mountain-Troll is also a common addition to Lurker orc decks, which plays efficient swarms of Lurker orcs that all buff each other.

Trolls are a separate race from Half-Trolls in this game. Cards that apply to "trolls" do not also apply to half-trolls.


List of Cards with the Troll Race[edit]

Portrait Card Name Culture Card Type Game Text
Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit (1R165) Culture Moria.svg Moria Minion • Troll Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot a Culture Moria.svg Orc.

At an underground site, Cave Troll of Moria’s twilight cost is -3.

Cave Troll of Moria, Menace of the Underdeeps (0W8) Culture Moria.svg Moria Minion • Troll Damage +1. Fierce.

To play, spot a Culture Moria.svg Orc.

Menace - When you play this minion you may draw 3 cards.

Beastly Olog-hai (11R108) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Troll Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot an Culture Orc.svg minion. Assignment: Exert this minion to assign it to a companion bearing an artifact. The Free Peoples player may discard an artifact from play to prevent this.
Porter Troll (11R135) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Troll Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot an Culture Orc.svg minion. When you play this minion, add a burden unless the Free Peoples player reveals a Free Peoples event from his or her hand.
Cave Troll of Moria, Savage Menace (12R85) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Troll Damage +1. Fierce. Toil 2. (For each Culture Orc.svg character you exert when playing this, its twilight cost is –2.)

Each time an Culture Orc.svg lurker wins a skirmish, you may make the Free Peoples player discard the top 2 cards of his or her draw deck.

Ordnance Grunt (13R117) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Troll Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot an Culture Orc.svg minion.

Shadow: Discard an Culture Orc.svg condition from play to play this minion from your discard pile.

Mountain-troll (15R112) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Troll When you play this minion, you may discard 5 Culture Orc.svg minions from play to make it twilight cost –10 and fierce.

Shadow: Remove Twilight 3.svg to play an Culture Orc.svg Orc from your discard pile. Its twilight cost is –2.

Tower Troll (15R117) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Troll For each companion over 5, this minion is damage +1.

Assignment: Exert this minion twice to assign it to a companion (except the Ring-bearer). If you cannot spot 6 companions, the Free Peoples player may exert a companion to prevent this.

Pit Troll (19P22) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Troll Hunter 2. (While skirmishing a non-hunter character, this character is strength +2.)

To play, spot an Culture Orc.svg Orc.

When you play this minion, add 2 threats. The Free Peoples player may exert the Ring-bearer to prevent this.

Troll of the Deep, Cave Troll (19P23) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Troll To play, spot an Culture Orc.svg Orc.

Skirmish: Remove a threat to make an Culture Orc.svg minion strength +2.

Gate Troll (6R103) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, Gate Troll’s twilight cost is –4. For each other Culture Sauron.svg minion you can spot, this minion is strength +1.
Troll of Udûn (6R106) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, this minion’s twilight cost is –4. Skirmish: Discard a Culture Sauron.svg card from hand to make this minion strength +1.
Gate Troll (6R128) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, Gate Troll’s twilight cost is –4. For each other Culture Sauron.svg minion you can spot, this minion is strength +1.
Great Hill Troll (8C102) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Besieger. Fierce.

The twilight cost of this minion is –1 for each Culture Sauron.svg engine you spot.

When you play this minion at sites 5King block.svg to 9King block.svg, you may discard a Free Peoples condition.

Olog-hai of Mordor (8R105) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Besieger. Fierce.

The twilight cost of this minion is –2 for each Culture Sauron.svg minion stacked on a site.

Each time this minion wins a skirmish, you may play a besieger stacked on a site you control. That besieger is fierce and damage +1 until the regroup phase.

Troll of Gorgoroth, Abomination of Sauron (8R108) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Besieger. Fierce.

To play, spot a Culture Sauron.svg Orc.

The twilight cost of this minion is –2 for each Culture Sauron.svg engine you spot.

Regroup: Exert Troll of Gorgoroth to stack a besieger on a site you control.

Troll of Cirith Gorgor (10R101) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot a Culture Sauron.svg minion.

This minion is strength +1 for each possession you can spot.​


List of Cards that Interact with the Troll Race[edit]

Portrait Card Name Culture Card Type Game Text
Stone Trolls (1R314) Culture Shire.svg Shire Condition Tale. To play, spot Bilbo. Plays on any character. Limit 1 per character.

Each time bearer skirmishes a Troll or Uruk-hai, bearer is strength +3.

Cave Troll’s Hammer, Unwieldy Cudgel (12R86) Culture Orc.svg Orc Possession • Hand Weapon Bearer must be an Culture Orc.svg Troll.

When you play this possession, the Free Peoples player must exert a companion for each lurker you spot.

Troll’s Keyward, Keeper of the Beast (12R105) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Orc Lurker. (Skirmishes involving lurker minions must be resolved after any others.)

Shadow: Exert Troll’s Keyward and reveal your hand to add Twilight 1.svg for each Culture Orc.svg Troll revealed.

Isengard Informant (13U110) Culture Orc.svg Orc Minion • Orc Regroup: Exert this minion to play an Culture Orc.svg Troll from your discard pile.
Pummeling Blow (15U115) Culture Orc.svg Orc Condition • Site To play, exert an Culture Orc.svg minion. Plays on the fellowship’s current site.

This site cannot be replaced. While the fellowship is at this site, each Troll is strength +1.

Gate Troll (6R103) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, Gate Troll’s twilight cost is –4. For each other Culture Sauron.svg minion you can spot, this minion is strength +1.
Troll of Udûn (6R106) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, this minion’s twilight cost is –4. Skirmish: Discard a Culture Sauron.svg card from hand to make this minion strength +1.
Troll’s Chain (6U107) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Possession • Hand Weapon Bearer must be a Culture Sauron.svg Troll. When you play this possession, you may draw a card.
Gate Troll (6R128) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, Gate Troll’s twilight cost is –4. For each other Culture Sauron.svg minion you can spot, this minion is strength +1.
Troll of Gorgoroth, Abomination of Sauron (8R108) Culture Sauron.svg Sauron Minion • Troll Besieger. Fierce.

To play, spot a Culture Sauron.svg Orc.

The twilight cost of this minion is –2 for each Culture Sauron.svg engine you spot.

Regroup: Exert Troll of Gorgoroth to stack a besieger on a site you control.​




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