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

Whutaa! Ninja Sméagol?

by Patrick Sullivan

You know, it's taken me some time to realize this, but I'm really starting to believe that the Gollum culture isn't half bad. And I'm not just saying this because Emir Delic got Ninja Gollum to win Worlds. I'm really starting to believe that both the Free Peoples and Shadow sides can take advantage of many wonderful tricks that little Stinker has up his sleeves.

Let's start things out with the Shadow side of the Gollum culture. This has certainly been the more widely-played half of the Gollum cards. I remember back in Towers Block when Gollum, Stinker was being used as a splash card along with a few copies of Evil-Smelling Fens to get back key minions at critical moments. Now the popular Ninja Gollum Shadow build which features Shelob, Her Ladyship has been seeing excessive amounts of play around the globe both online and offline since it's not only easy to play, but can also devastate many fellowships.

If there's one theme I can see in the Gollum minions of past, it would be how versatile the various versions are. You have one who can add burdens, one who cycles cards, one who directly attacks the Ring-bearer and many others that fit well in a variety of decks. The brand new Gollum, Skulker presents us with a bit of a poser. Which Shadow build will this little fellow fit best into? What ramifications will Lurker have? The best ability of this Gollum is that it is basically a +2 strength pump that can be used in any skirmish (except his). Since his skirmish resolves last, there is a very strong chance that he will be able to exert twice whenever the moment seems right. The most obvious Shadow build I see for this Gollum would be in a swarming Shadow deck. Richard Peiper said it best when he mentioned how annoying it was to have your Guard Commander killed before he got to use his game text for the other skirmishing Moria orcs. Well, this Gollum does not have that problem, thanks to Lurker.

My favourite Gollum Shadow card from the new Shadows set has to be Horribly Strong. Given that all pre-Shadows companions (Greenleaf, Ranger of the North, Glorfindel, etc.) have a resistance 6 (unless they say otherwise), this Shadow event will almost always have a legal target. If a fellowship goes to six companions, this card can have a nice small combo with Hidden Even From Her. Two hits on the same companion in the Shadow phase! This event is the most lethal version of Hate I have yet to see. The Free Peoples player will be powerless to react in the Shadow phase. Most Ninja Gollum decks I know have many ways of replaying Gollum, so you're sure to see him again after he pulls off his hit and run using Horribly Strong. Great card – and a strong favourite of mine as far as the new Shadows Gollum cards are concerned.

Now what about poor ol' Sméagol? Unfortunately, here's a character that really doesn't see much play. I was able to use him at Origins last year to help my Dwarves cycle better and set up a better Morgul Orc Shadow hand, but that would be the only time I ever used him. The good news is that the Free Peoples' Gollum cards in Shadows look even more interesting than some of the Sméagol cards we've seen in the past.

The new condition, Safe Passage, is a terrific card to help you choke your opponent's Shadow hand. We all know that the less twilight you give in your moves, the less options you are giving the Shadow player and hence, the greater the chances your Ring-bearer will have to survive. Exerting Sméagol is really not an expensive cost at all considering he clears the pool before moving. Making Sméagol the new version of Heir to the White City brings warm feelings to my heart. Did you happen to notice the real kicker on this card, though? If Gollum is still in play, you may exert your OPPONENT's Gollum to help clear away the pool before leaving. However, don't forget that this is not a response, so you cannot exert Gollum or Sméagol more than once. Still, it's a fantastic card if you can get your sites into play (or at least guess as to what your opponent's site theme is based around after looking at his/her fellowship and Shadow).

One clear thing I do remember about the Sméagol of old, was how annoying he could be for a Shadow player since he has SO many tricks and ways to get out of a mess. Well, the new Sméagol, Scout and Guide is no exception. Using all those wonderful cards from previous sets that get him to wound minions he is skirmishing directly, this little bugger usually has few problems winning skirmishes (especially against Ringwraiths). So, using this companion along with the previously mentioned Safe Passage will assure you clear sailing all the way to Mount Doom (giving up as little twilight as possible along the way). However, it is his skirmish ability that will surely annoy the biggest minions the most. You simply have to be at a marsh and then, for one little exertion, Sauron's ten-fold overwhelming of Sméagol is cancelled! Luckily there are lots of marsh sites available with the new sites so you'll have plenty of opportunities to use this new companion. Or perhaps your opponent is using Evil-Smelling Fens in which case this companion can use his game text at each and every site!

As a parting shot, since we were just talking about Marshes, I'd love to share with you my favourite of the Marsh sites. Expanding Marshland, at first glance, may strike you as the next Mordor Fiend, but I assure you, this card is balanced. One of the negative play experiences a player can have is being choked so badly that they can't play any of their cards. This card is a fantastic, if not THE BEST, tool for playing a ton of extra Shadow conditions and possessions while getting your minions down last (where you can conceivably play up to FOUR free 3-cost minions!). GOOD GRAVY! All you have to do is get the twilight pool down to 3 or fewer after playing a bunch of Shadow cards and then you can slam down up to four cheap minions! That's 12 twilight extra! Wizard's Vale, eat your heart out.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our little discussion today regarding the new Gollum culture cards. I'm sure many talented deck-builders will be dreaming up some really wicked ideas using everything that this new set has to offer.

October 25, 2004