DECIPHER.com > The Lord of the Rings > Expansions > Battle of Helm's Deep

Wicked Swarm from the South

by Geoff Snider
Decipher Playtester

When doing 'free word association' if someone were to say "Southron" to me, the word "Pool" immediately pops into my head. Why? Because they make a ton of it. What am I talking about? All the new 'pool-producers' in the Battle of Helm's Deep expansion. The Southrons are the masters of using extraneous Twilight Pool, and you'll see exactly why when you take a closer look at some of their new cards.

If you remember the Southron Scout and Southron Soldier, then you'll remember how Southrons are potentially able to make more Twilight Pool than what they initially cost to play. New minions like the Southron Runner, Southron Marcher, and Southron Traveler all assist the original Two Towers expansion Ambush Southrons by making as much Twilight Pool, if not more, than they cost. Their swarm capabilities skyrocket, especially when backed up by Strength in Numbers. During the maneuver phase, this card is capable of producing an almost unlimited amount of Twilight Pool... and it's non-unique. This, however, is just the beginning!

The next step in this chain of massive Twilight Pool production and spending is the Mumak. This mount (along with the War Mumak) not only makes its rider much larger and fierce, but also adds more Twilight Pool after winning a skirmish. Perfect for putting on the Southron Assassin (or any minion with the "Remove 3 to wound" text), the Mumak will be the second important addition to Southron corruption decks. It also combines well with Southron Archers; the increased strength and fierce trait make for extra wounds on the fellowship that may previously have been avoided due to the archers' low strength.

Large minions like the Company of Haradrim and Army of Haradrim are perhaps the best candidates for including in a Strength in Numbers deck. If the Company of Haradrim and at least one other Southron survive the skirmish phase (which is relatively easy when using Mumaks), there will definitely be nine Twilight Pool remaining to stop your opponent's fellowship from moving again. You don't have enough Twilight Pool to play a Mumak during the fellowship phase? Use the Army of Haradrim and every minion in your swarm will have one by the time the regroup phase rolls around.

January 29, 2003