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The Exhaustive Efforts of Isengard
by Geoff Snider
"What news from Mordor, my lord? What does the eye command?" inquired
the stunted cur slouched before Saruman.
"We have work to do," replied Saruman. And work they did. Uprooting the
mighty trees of Fangorn to fuel massive furnaces, forging armor and blades
with which to fight, and even providing a quick meal for Saruman's newly
birthed warriors fell among the numerous tasks assigned to the Isengard
Orcs. How exactly are all these things represented in The Lord of the
Rings™ Trading Card Game?
Still a fledgling in the fantastic world of card gaming, LotR TCG has
deep chasms of opportunity open to it. Decipher's game designers have explored
these depths exhaustively, bringing the unique culture of the Isengard Orcs
to your card table. These new orcs combine several classic LotR philosophies
into a single conglomerate, making them not only a formidable deck type
to play against, but a challenging strategy to master.
 Isengard
orcs don't concentrate fully on swarming or direct damage tactics. They
rank somewhere between the orcs of Moria and Sauron, possessing qualities
of each. Not lacking any amount of versatility, they have several small,
cheap minions as well as a few powerhouses with serious stopping capability.
Their real focus, however, is in their roles as Saruman's laborers and henchman.
They constantly work to exhaust the fellowship, each with their own specific
part to play.
 While
other cultures tend to have minions with higher strength, Damage +1, or
the Fierce trait, the Isengard orcs' uniqueness lies in their high vitality.
The Isengard
Retainer and Isengard Servant provide the mainstay of the orcs forces,
and their ability to wound the fellowship in the regroup phase by expending
their own energy is the embodiment of their 'cultural' theme. Other more
imposing minions like the Orc
Overseer and Orc Commander have greater capabilities, but cost a bit
more than their smaller brethren. Other minions like the Isengard
Warrior and Isengard Smith run a more defensive roll, either protecting
the orcs from archery, or diminishing the fellowship's arsenal of weaponry
and items.
  A
variety of support options exist for the orcs, not the least of which is
One
of You Must Do This. With an exceptionally low cost for the amount of
damage it can cause, it will see wide-ranging use in any deck utilizing
a substantial amount of Isengard minions. While possessing unusually high
vitality, Isengard Orcs may not always have high enough power to win skirmishes
and retain sufficient vitality to fuel their abilities. Trapped and Alone
partially helps to alleviate this problem, taking away some of the bite
of the fellowship's weaponry. Another important weapon in the arsenal of
Isengard is Saruman, Servant of the Eye. He expands on the orcs' theme of
'exhaustion,' helping to wound companions and eventually pick off weaker
members of the fellowship. Rounding out the realm of Isengard are The Palantir
of Orthanc, Tower of Orthanc, The Trees are Strong, and Hollowing of Isengard.
Not only do they provide additional resources and direct damage for the
orcs to throw at the fellowship, but disrupt the very core of the free peoples
player's strategy.
For another look at Isengard's newest strategies and spoilers, check back
on June 10th and 12th!
May 20, 2002
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