Saruman's Snows (1C138) is a 
Isengard Condition from the Fellowship of the Ring set.
 EN Revision 2 (PC)  EN Nonfoil Revision 1 (Decipher)  EN Nonfoil First Edition  EN Foil First Edition  DE Nonfoil First Edition  DE Foil First Edition  FR Nonfoil First Edition  FR Foil First Edition  IT Nonfoil First Edition  IT Foil First Edition  ES Nonfoil First Edition  ES Foil First Edition  PL Nonfoil First Edition  PL Foil First Edition  PT Nonfoil First Edition  PT Foil First Edition  ZH Nonfoil First Edition  ZH Foil First Edition
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Revision 2 · Player's Council · 2021-03-28
| Collection Info
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| Title
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Saruman's Snows
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| Unique
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No
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| Collectible
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No
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| Set
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1 - The Fellowship of the Ring
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| Rarity
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C - Common
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| Card Number
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138
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| Language
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EN - English
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| Revision
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2 (Player's Council)
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| Release Date
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2021-03-28
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| Notes
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Lists: EXL. Game text is a clarification.
Decipher Notes:
This card had perhaps a slower rise to power than some, but before long players knew this was one of the most effective conditions in the game. Its impact was so deep, more than one top-level tournament deck has been seen stocking multiple copies of Boromir's Cloak (1U98) exclusively to deal with it. For a “swarm” style of Shadow strategy, quite potent enough on its own, Saruman's Snows ensures the Ring-bearer will be overwhelmed.
Saruman's Snows does not necessarily interact directly with any of the new rules in Shadows. We have witnessed over the years, however, that it is a figurative mallet where a scalpel is called for. Denying an opponent a resource or opportunity he was counting on is of course what the game is all about. A missed chance to heal here, a lost special ability there; in the right quantities, these are the things meant to decide games. But Saruman's Snows is a card able to cut off an entire phase of the game – neither skirmish special abilities nor events can slip by it. Consequently, it’s a constant impediment to new card design. In a way, it doesn’t matter how interesting or impactful a new card we release is – if it happens in the skirmish phase, there’s a frequently used card out there that can shut it off. You may well see aspects of this card reappearing in the future, but not all together in a gift-wrapped single package like this.
Snows is a card that sits at the center of a small cluster of instant-kill strategies: put down Isengard Warrior (3U61) and another Isenorc, play Snows, and then 4-5 other minions: boom, instant overwhelmed Frodo. No archery abilities can be used to thin the herd of minions, and all the ways you might keep Frodo alive (Power According to His Stature (1R308), Hobbit Stealth (1C298), Boromir, Son of Denethor (1U97), Merry, Friend to Sam (1R302)) can’t be used. The only defenses available are cards that trigger during the Maneuver phase, because all other phases have been systematically denied you.
Snows is also powerful within more general strategies that aren’t attempting a Stupid Swarm insta-kill, but it’s the straightforward power of the insta-kill that really needs addressed.
Thus, our errata addresses that specific use case without touching any others. Stupid Swarm relies on having a variety of cheap minions (mostly Moria), with a limited number of Isengard Orcs in the mix. By making Snows only apply to those Isenorcs, it should be possible for the Free Peoples player to assign those few that remain away from the Ring-bearer, leaving Frodo available to use any of the tools in his toolbox to avoid a gristly death.
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| Technical Info
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| Wiki Base Card ID
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LOTR-EN01S138.0
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| Wiki Release ID
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LOTR-EN01S138.2
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| TLHH ID
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LOTR01138
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| GEMP ID
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1_138
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| LOTRO Hex ID
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4A 2C F4
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| LOTRO Image ID
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01_138
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Revision 1 · Decipher · 2002-01-11
| Gameplay Info
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| Playable
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Yes
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| Culture
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Isengard
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| Side
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Shadow
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| Card Type
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Condition
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| Twilight Cost
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2
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| Game Text
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Spell. Weather. To play, exert a minion. Plays on a site.
No player may play skirmish events or use skirmish special abilities during skirmishes at this site. Discard this condition at the end of the turn.
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| Lore
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Saruman's spells can hinder even the wary.
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| Technical Info
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| Wiki Base Card ID
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LOTR-EN01S138.0
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| Wiki Release ID
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LOTR-EN01S138.1
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| TLHH ID
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LOTR01138
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| GEMP ID
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1_138
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| LOTRO Hex ID
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4A 2C F4
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| LOTRO Image ID
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01_138
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First edition · Decipher
| Gameplay Info
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| Playable
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Yes
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| Culture
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Isengard
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| Side
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Shadow
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| Card Type
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Condition
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| Twilight Cost
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2
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| Game Text
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Spell. Weather. To play, exert a minion. Plays on a site.
No player may play skirmish events or use skirmish special abilities at this site. Discard this condition at the end of the turn.
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| Lore
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Saruman's spells can hinder even the wary.
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| Technical Info
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| Wiki Base Card ID
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LOTR-EN01S138.0
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| TLHH ID
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LOTR01138
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| GEMP ID
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1_138
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| LOTRO Hex ID
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4A 2C F4
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| LOTRO Image ID
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01_138
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| Translations
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| DE - German
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| Card Name
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Sarumans Schnee
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| Game Text
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Zauberspruch. Wetter.
Strenge einen Diener an, um diese Karte an einen Ort zu spielen. Kein Spieler darf Kampfereignisse oder spezielle Kampffähig-keiten an diesem Ort benutzen. Dieser Effekt wird am Ende des Spielzuges abgelegt.
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| Lore
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Sarumans Zauberkraft kann selbst den Vorsichtigsten behindern.
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| FR - French
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| Card Name
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Les Neiges de Saroumane
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| Game Text
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Sort. Climat.
Pour jouer, affaiblissez un séide . Jouable sur un site. Aucun joueur ne peut jouer des événements de combat ou utiliser des capacités spéciales de combat durant les combats à ce site. Défaussez cette situation à la fin du tour.
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| Lore
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Les sorts de Saroumane peuvent même faire obstacle à celui qui en est avisé.
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| IT - Italian
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| Card Name
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Nevi di Saruman
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| Game Text
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Magia. Atmosferica.
Per giocare, sforza un servitore . Giocala su un sito. Nessun giocatore può giocare eventi Schermaglia o usare abilità speciali Schermaglia durante le schermaglie in questo sito. Scarta questa condizione alla fine del turno.
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| Lore
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Gli incantesimi di Saruman possono ostacolare anche chi è cauto.
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| ES - Spanish
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| Card Name
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Las Nieves de Saruman
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| Game Text
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Hechizo. Clima. Para jugarlo, esfuerza un siervo . Se juega en un sitio. Ningún jugador puede jugar eventos de escaramuza o usar habilidades especiales de escaramuza en este sitio. Descarta esta condición al final del turno.
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| Lore
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Los conjuros de Saruman pueden entorpecer incluso a los cautos.
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| PL - Polish
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| PT - Portuguese
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| ZH - Chinese
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Strategy[edit]
Saruman's Snows is part of the powerful Weather spell set from Fellowship block. It's ability to be played on a site give you as the Shadow player two different strategies to potentially use: first, to be played on the current site, or else, playing it on the Fellowship's next site to force a stop.
With the first option, this card will all but guarantee a successful skirmish run for you, as Uruk-hai are normally a high enough strength to win skirmishes outright without pumps. Remember that Archery special abilities can still whittle down your army to insignificance, cards such as Armor and Gimli's Helm will still limit your damage+1 modifiers, and Response abilities such as Intimidate can still prevent deaths. It is best to either pack four copies of this card and drop it every chance you get and thus slowly beat down your opponent over several ability-less skirmishes, or save a single copy for just the right drop when brute force will suffice.
The second maneuver is less usable but can still be a viable tactic. By placing the spell on the site ahead on the adventure path, you can force your opponent to seriously consider whether or not he can survive without using abilities. This can be used as a bluff but is of course improved by having even a single minion on the table.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Strong Versus...[edit]
- Any skirmish-heavy fellowship tactics
Weak Versus...[edit]
- Targeted (or regular) Archery
- Condition removal (especially Boromir's Cloak and Make Light of Burdens)
Rulings[edit]
This card is on the Expanded X-List, meaning it can not be used in any deck in that format.
From the Current Rulings Document - March 2004:
Spell. Weather. To play, exert a [Isengard] minion. Plays on a site. No player may play skirmish events or use skirmish special abilities during skirmishes at this site. Discard this condition at the end of the turn.= See Also =
- Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card
- Link to decks that use this card
Saruman's Reach (1R137)
