DECIPHER.com > The Lord of the Rings > Expansions > Shadows

Uruk-hai and Low

by Matt Clemans

Before Shadows, the biggest problem with building decks around cards like Legolas, Son of Thranduil, Till Durin Wakes Again, or Uruk Vanguard was that you couldn't always count on having the right card at the right type of site. The fact that most sites on the Adventure Path were not Battleground, Forest, or Underground made it difficult to build a deck around these cards. When you want every card in your deck to be useful at any time, it's difficult to include cards that are only useful a portion of the time. With the site path changes in Shadows, it becomes much easier to build a deck with cards that key off certain types of sites. This deck does just that!

Each of the sites in this deck benefits either the Free Peoples or the Shadow. With four Battlegrounds, you'll have no shortage of them for your Uruks. The sites that are not Battlegrounds either benefit your Free Peoples – allowing you to more easily bypass your opponent, or give an alternate benefit to your Uruks. If you go first, you'll want to start Stables – allowing you to play a mount first turn. Each other site should be used when you feel it would be appropriate. That's so obvious that I'm ashamed that I wrote it – but it needs to be said. When you are playing with the new Shadows site path, you need to match the sites you play against what your opponent is playing. If they are playing Hobbits, you can be fairly sure that Fortress of Orthanc isn't really going to be effective. If they are playing archery, save Rohan Uplands until you can do the most damage. Those players who played in the release events for Shadows online can attest to the added layer of strategy you get by picking your sites mid-game. It's not as easy as it seems!

The Free Peoples half of this deck is a standard Rohan deck, tweaked to take advantage of the new Adventure Path and the current meta. It starts with Gamling and Éomer. Éomer is the quintessential Rohirrim Tank and should require no explanation. This version of Gamling does not require spotting a Rohan man to play so he's excellent in addition to Éomer. Combine Gamling and Stables and you can have a fully loaded Éomer on the first turn! Gamling also allows you to filter the Free Peoples cards out of your deck. The Simbelmynes further allow you to thin your deck and draw into more Shadow cards when it matters.

Théoden gives a strength bonus at every site in your deck – if you are behind in the race, that advantage will come in very handy. Éowyn gives an additional strength bonus when she wins a skirmish which isn't hard if you have her sword, Théoden, and any of your strength pumps in play. If you need an extra boost for her, Rally Cry will almost ensure you win against a wounded minion. If you need it, Sword Rack and Merry, Swordthain will protect your possessions against the myriad of possession hate in the meta.

The Shadow half of this deck combines powerful new Uruk-hai culture cards with some stand-bys from the old Isengard culture. Remember that cards which specify 'Uruk-hai' work on any Uruk-hai, whether it's from Isengard, Sauron, or Uruk-hai cultures. This deck isn't designed to kill your opponent necessarily, though it has that potential, but instead stop them. The Uruk-hai, being Damage +1 and sometimes Fierce, are a great deterrent to the double move.

Depending on what you are facing, you can either attempt to out-power your opponent with the Uruk Assault Bands, Tyrannical Uruk, and Uruk Vanguard, or use the Captain, Regulars, and Watchmen to set up a serious swarm. When you are in need of a Battleground, the Lookout Uruk guarantees that you have one.

As a general rule, you want to spend the early game setting up your Fellowship so you can move quickly at the end of the game. If you get behind, throw everything you can at your opponent until you can double past them. If they push ahead too much, they will find themselves in a world of hurt. Have fun with it!

Ring-bearer
Frodo, Protected by Many
The One Ring, The Ring of Rings

Adventure Deck
Flats of Rohan
Fortress of Orthanc
Harrowdale
Heights of Isengard
Helm's Gate
Rohan Uplands
Slag Mounds
Stables
Trollshaw Forest

Free Peoples (34 cards)
1 Théoden, King of the Eorlingas
1 Gamling, Defender of the Hornburg
1 Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan
1 Hrethel, Rider of Rohan
1 Éomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark
1 Merry, Swordthain
1 Rohirrim Army
1 Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs
1 Éowyn's Sword, Dernhelm's Blade
1 Firefoot
1 Brego
1 Éomer's Spear
1 Herugrim
2 Rider's Spear
1 Rohirrim Helm
2 Sword Rack
2 Rally Cry
4 Simbelmynë
2 Border Patrol
1 We Left None Alive
2 Arrow-slits
1 The Tale of the Great Ring
1 There and Back Again
1 Riders of the Mark
1 Rohirrim Mount

Shadow (34 cards)
4 Feral Uruk
4 Furious Uruk
2 Invincible Uruk
2 Lookout Uruk
1 Tyrannical Uruk
4 Watchman Uruk
1 Uruk Vanguard
3 Uruk Regular
2 Uruk Assault Band
1 Uruk Captain
2 Isengard Sword
2 Broad-bladed Sword
3 Ferocity
1 Fortitude
2 Greed

October 22, 2004