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The Machina of Mithrandir

by Geoffrey Snider
Decipher Playtester

Gandalf, The White Wizard, Mithrandir, The Grey Pilgrim, Stormcrow, Gandalf the Grey... he roams the lands of Middle Earth – helping the helpless, bringing adventure to the tame of heart and hope to the hopeless – this quest to defeat the dark lord Sauron will be his greatest task. With him he brings the power of magic spells, allies with loyalty beyond question, and a few simple Hobbits.

Perhaps Gandalf's greatest hidden assets, the Ents of Fangorn slumber, waiting for the right moment to come to Middle-earth's aid. Along with Treebeard and others like himself, Lindenroot, Elder Shepherd slowly deliberates his course of action. Does he go to war against the evil Saruman and the forces of Isengard? The first of several new Ent companions, Lindenroot embodies the Ents' most basic strengths and weaknesses. They're great fighters, having high enough strength to defeat almost any minion. Their vitality is higher than average, allowing them to withstand more wounds than any companion, save Aragorn or Gandalf. They are, however, difficult to reason with, as well as slow moving. They only fight after receiving a bit of coaxing from an unbound Hobbit or two!

A new addition to Gandalf's arsenal of 'fighting spells,' Fury of the White Rider will put a crimp in quite a few Shadow strategies. Playing any other Gandalf-culture maneuver event like Roll of Thunder or Wizardry Indeed easily fulfills its cost of spotting three Twilight Pool. This event really shows its mettle in The Two Towers Block playing environment. Seldom will any minion have a vitality greater than two, making almost any minion a potential target for this event; most Uurk-hai, Easterlings, and every Dunlendings will feel the wrath of the White Wizard.

Possessions have, of late, been the key to most Free Peoples strategies. Since the release of The Two Towers, Shadow possessions have become increasingly more popular. Broad-bladed Sword, Southron Bow, Hides, War Club, Wargs, and especially the mighty Mumaks are all great examples of extremely powerful Shadow possessions that a Free Peoples player may not want to face... thus the inclusion of Turn of the Tide in Battle of Helm's Deep. Not only does an event like this give the Free Peoples player more options in their race to site nine, but it also forces the Shadow player to rethink their play styles and patterns. "Do I play all my Wargs this turn, even though I know my opponent is playing with Turn of the Tide? I know this will give me a great advantage in the long-term because I'll have more Twilight Pool if my opponent decides to move twice. Or do I wait to play my minions... taking the chance that he'll make a second move? This way I'll hammer his fellowship even harder."

February 12, 2003