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 Moria minion, and later as Sauron and Orc culture minions.

The first troll minion was Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit (1R165) , a 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 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 Moria swarm strategies), or simply to help keep the Free Peoples player honest.

For the next nine sets, all of the trolls were 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.) 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 Sauron deck that can afford its high Twilight cost.

Starting with the Shadows set, Shadow cultures were reorganized, and all subsequent trolls are 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 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

Portrait	Card Name	Culture	Card Type	Game Text
	Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit (1R165)	Moria	Minion • Troll	Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot a Orc. At an underground site, Cave Troll of Moria’s twilight cost is -3.
	Cave Troll of Moria, Menace of the Underdeeps (0W8)	Moria	Minion • Troll	Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot a Orc. Menace - When you play this minion you may draw 3 cards.
	Beastly Olog-hai (11R108)	Orc	Minion • Troll	Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot an 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)	Orc	Minion • Troll	Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot an 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)	Orc	Minion • Troll	Damage +1. Fierce. Toil 2. (For each character you exert when playing this, its twilight cost is –2.) Each time an 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)	Orc	Minion • Troll	Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot an minion. Shadow: Discard an condition from play to play this minion from your discard pile.
	Mountain-troll (15R112)	Orc	Minion • Troll	When you play this minion, you may discard 5 minions from play to make it twilight cost –10 and fierce. Shadow: Remove to play an Orc from your discard pile. Its twilight cost is –2.
	Tower Troll (15R117)	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)	Orc	Minion • Troll	Hunter 2. (While skirmishing a non-hunter character, this character is strength +2.) To play, spot an 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)	Orc	Minion • Troll	To play, spot an Orc. Skirmish: Remove a threat to make an minion strength +2.
	Gate Troll (6R103)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, Gate Troll’s twilight cost is –4. For each other minion you can spot, this minion is strength +1.
	Troll of Udûn (6R106)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, this minion’s twilight cost is –4. Skirmish: Discard a card from hand to make this minion strength +1.
	Gate Troll (6R128)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, Gate Troll’s twilight cost is –4. For each other minion you can spot, this minion is strength +1.
	Great Hill Troll (8C102)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Besieger. Fierce. The twilight cost of this minion is –1 for each engine you spot. When you play this minion at sites 5 to 9, you may discard a Free Peoples condition.
	Olog-hai of Mordor (8R105)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Besieger. Fierce. The twilight cost of this minion is –2 for each 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)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Besieger. Fierce. To play, spot a Orc. The twilight cost of this minion is –2 for each engine you spot. Regroup: Exert Troll of Gorgoroth to stack a besieger on a site you control.
	Troll of Cirith Gorgor (10R101)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot a minion. This minion is strength +1 for each possession you can spot.
	Demolition Troll (32S231)	Moria	Minion • Troll	Skirmish: exert this minion to make a [Moria] minion strength +2 (limit +2)
	Bert, Troll of Ettenmoors (31B156)	x20px Troll	Minion • Troll	Fierce. To play, discard an Orc. The twilight cost of each Troll is -2. Each time the Free Peoples player discards a condition, you may discard an ally.
	Tom, Troll of Ettenmoors (31B158)	x20px Troll	Minion • Troll	Fierce. To play, discard an Orc. The twilight cost of each Troll is -2. Each time a companion loses a skirmish, each Troll is strength +1 until the regroup phase.
	William, Troll of Ettenmoors (32B161)	x20px Troll	Minion • Troll	Fierce. To play, discard an Orc. The twilight cost of each Troll is -2. Each time the Free Peoples player transfers a follower, you may discard a hand weapon.​

List of Cards that Interact with the Troll Race

Portrait	Card Name	Culture	Card Type	Game Text
	Stone Trolls (1R314)	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 of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit (1R165)	Moria	Minion • Troll	Damage +1. Fierce. To play, spot a Orc. At an underground site, Cave Troll of Moria’s twilight cost is -3.
	Cave Troll's Hammer (1R166)	Moria	Possession • Hand Weapon	Bearer must be Cave Troll of Moria. Cave Troll of Moria is damage +1.
	Troll’s Keyward (1R199)	Moria	Minion • Orc	Cave Troll of Moria’s twilight cost is -2.
	Cave Troll's Chain (2R53)	Moria	Possession	Bearer must be Cave Troll of Moria. The Free Peoples player may choose for the archery phase to be skipped. Each time Cave Troll of Moria takes a wound during the archery phase, you may wound an archer companion.
	Cave Troll’s Hammer, Unwieldy Cudgel (12R86)	Orc	Possession • Hand Weapon	Bearer must be an 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)	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 for each  Troll revealed.
	Isengard Informant (13U110)	Orc	Minion • Orc	Regroup: Exert this minion to play an Troll from your discard pile.
	Pummeling Blow (15U115)	Orc	Condition • Site	To play, exert an 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)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, Gate Troll’s twilight cost is –4. For each other minion you can spot, this minion is strength +1.
	Troll of Udûn (6R106)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, this minion’s twilight cost is –4. Skirmish: Discard a card from hand to make this minion strength +1.
	Troll’s Chain (6U107)	Sauron	Possession • Hand Weapon	Bearer must be a Troll. When you play this possession, you may draw a card.
	Gate Troll (6R128)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Fierce. While you can spot a Troll, Gate Troll’s twilight cost is –4. For each other minion you can spot, this minion is strength +1.
	Troll of Gorgoroth, Abomination of Sauron (8R108)	Sauron	Minion • Troll	Besieger. Fierce. To play, spot a Orc. The twilight cost of this minion is –2 for each engine you spot. Regroup: Exert Troll of Gorgoroth to stack a besieger on a site you control.
	Dawn Take You All! (30S24)	Gandalf	Event • Skirmish	Spell. Exert Gandalf twice to wound a minion twice or to discard a Troll.
	Dawn Take You All! (30P24)	Gandalf	Event • Skirmish	Spell. Exert Gandalf twice to wound a minion twice or to discard a Troll.
	Bert, Troll of Ettenmoors (31B156)	x20px Troll	Minion • Troll	Fierce. To play, discard an Orc. The twilight cost of each Troll is -2. Each time the Free Peoples player discards a condition, you may discard an ally.
	Caught In A Sack (31HA57)	x20px Troll	Condition • Support Area	Discard this condition if Bilbo wins a skirmish. Regroup: Discard a minion (or exert a Troll) to transfer this condition to a [Dwarven] companion. Bearer cannot be a assigned to a skirmish by any player.
	Tom, Troll of Ettenmoors (31B158)	x20px Troll	Minion • Troll	Fierce. To play, discard an Orc. The twilight cost of each Troll is -2. Each time a companion loses a skirmish, each Troll is strength +1 until the regroup phase.
	Troll Campfire (31B159)	x20px Troll	Condition • Support Area	To play, spot a Troll. Shadow: Discard 2 cards from hand to play a minion from your discard pile.
	Troll Knife (31B160)	x20px Troll	Possession • Hand Weapon	Bearer must a Troll. Bearer is damage +1.
	William, Troll of Ettenmoors (32B161)	x20px Troll	Minion • Troll	Fierce. To play, discard an Orc. The twilight cost of each Troll is -2. Each time the Free Peoples player transfers a follower, you may discard a hand weapon.​

---