Rule of 9

From LOTR-TCG Wiki

The Rule of 9[edit]

From the Comprehensive Rulebook:

Play companion cards in a row, near the other members of your fellowship already in play. You cannot have more than nine total companions in play and in your dead pile at any time. (Each copy of a companion in play or in your dead pile counts as a separate companion, whether it is unique or non-unique.) This is referred to as The Rule of 9.

A nod to the nine members of The Fellowship of The Ring, a player is prevented from having more than 9 companions between the fellowship and the dead pile (companions in the discard pile are not counted). This keeps a player from constantly playing companions to replace those killed and allows the Shadow Player to make measurable progress with each member of the fellowship slain, whether a key companion or throwaway like Dwarf Guard. Further, the Comprehensive Rulebook clarifies that if a card like Sent Back is used to play another copy of a card already in the dead pile, those cards with the same name do contribute towards the fellowship total of 9 companions. Thus, if 4 copies of the same companion are in the dead pile, the fellowship is restricted to at most 5 companions rather than 8.


Game Concepts
Play Area
Piles Draw Deck Adventure Deck Discard Pile Dead Pile
Other Fellowship Support Area Twilight Pool Adventure Path
The Turn Sequence
Fellowship Phase Shadow Phase Maneuver Phase Archery Phase Assignment Phase Skirmish Phase
Gameplay
Game Setup Starting FellowshipBiddingMulligan
Deck Building Considerations UniquenessX-ListR-ListErrataFormatMultipath
General Strategies BeatdownBombCorruptionHand ExtensionRun/StopSkirmish CancellationSwarmWin ConditionWound PreventionWounding
Deck Archetypes Auto-Corruption BombBeasterlingsBerserkersBouncing HobbitsElventsForestgulsHobbit HospitalFruit LoopsGondor KnightsGondor RangersGondor WraithsMoria ArcheryMoria BeatdownMoria NavyMoria SwarmMoria TentaclesNazgul BeatdownNinja GollumOrc CorruptionRainbow WoundingSauron GrindSauron InitiativeSauron RoamingSauron ThreatsSolo SmeagolSouthron ArcherySouthron InitiativeStupid SwarmSuper FriendsTelepathyThreatgulsToken TanksTroll SwarmUruk ArcheryUruk MachinesUruk TrackersWarg Super Swarm
Rules Rule of 4Rule of 9
Mechanics BearDiscardDraw DeckExertExhaustedFellowshipInitiativeIn Play/Leave PlayMove LimitReconcileRoamingSite ControlSpotStackSupport AreaThreats
Gameplay Terms BoatBodyBroken/NPE/OPBuff/NerfChokeComboCultural EnforcementCyclingDead DrawFetchFilterFloodGrindHand ClogHateInteractionItemLoopMatchupMetaMillNewbie TrapPilePower CreepPumpRainbowRecursionRemovalResourceRogueRule of 6SideSite ManipulationSpeed BumpSplashSubcultureTankOther Terms