Saruman's Fiercest Legion

by Geoff Snider

As the days of The Fellowship of the Ring come to a close, we more and more begin to anticipate The Two Towers. The Fellowship has lost a major ally; the minions of Saruman have killed Boromir. The stage for the next arc in the story is set by this event. In The Two Towers, the armies of Isengard besiege the kingdom of Rohan. The fighting Uruk-hai are the menace which the free peoples of Middle Earth must face, and to foreshadow their might in The Two Towers, they become an overpower in Realms of the Elf-lords.

The Uruk-hai, unbound by the constraints that affect other Orcs, may now demonstrate their full power. Saruman, Keeper of Isengard is by far the most prolific card to come out of 'Realms.' Looking at him for the first time you're most likely to have one of two reactions: 1) "They're all fierce? Wow!" and your jaw will drop, or 2) "He costs an awful lot for a minion who never fights! I'll never play with that card." There are, however, several subtleties to Saruman that make themselves apparent over time. He costs as much as (or more than) your typical Uruk-hai, but he doubles the efficiency of all Uruk-hai in play by allowing them to fight twice. This may not make the biggest difference when Saruman accompanies a single Uruk, but in concert with two or three, you'll effectively have twice as many minions for a slightly increased cost. He's also capable of keeping your Uruk-hai alive through a barrage of archery fire, maneuver events, or skirmish-based direct damage like the Blade of Gondor or Power According to His Stature.

The Uruk Ravager becomes another staple for the Uruk-hai, perfectly supplementing Saruman. His cost is reduced while Saruman in play, allowing you to spring well-laid traps on your opponent for minimal amounts of twilight pool. Another new key player, the Orthanc Berserker fits into Saruman's scheme perfectly. Backed by Worry and twice the number of skirmishes they used to have, the Uruk-hai can cause significant damage to the Ring-bearer. As a result, the Orthanc Berserker can exhaust key companions before the skirmish phase even begins.

One of the legendary seeing stones of Númenor, thought lost for millennia, The Palantir of Orthanc is discovered as the missing link between the towers of Orthanc and Barad-dûr. It becomes the key to any winning Isengard strategy. Although more potent when used with Isengard Orcs, the Uruk-hai can use its powers to ensure victory. By disallowing a free peoples player from using any sort of maneuver, archery, or skirmish events played from hand, the Shadow player's minions are free to severely punish the fellowship... especially if they move more than once in a turn.

June 10, 2002