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Pipsqueak

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:27 pm

Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 331 Location: A northerner down south

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Most LOTR TCG players would tell you that one of their favorite Ring-bearers is Boromir, Bearer of Council. But he can also be a favorite non-Ring-bearer character! This article explains why.
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Have you ever bought a Reflections booster pack, and noticed how shiny it was? Then you opened it, and there were a couple of shiny cards, some regular ones, and a dude callNOLINKed Boromir. He had a shiny ringy-thing around a number enclosed in a black pente stone. Later, your seasoned-veteran friend comes over, you show him the card, and he says “Heck! You got Boromir, Bearer of Council!”
Then he tries to trade his entire arsenal of cards for your little insignificant, but shiny one.
Well, this article is just for you; the holder of Boromir, Bearer of Council.
What you just got, is a favorite card of most hardcore gamers. If you’re new to the game, then I don’t suggest using him as your ring-bearer. But I also don’t suggest that you let him gather dust. Here is how to use him as a reguler companion. Power not wasted. Constant skill-building.
Universal recognition
Boromir, Bearer of Council is widely recognized as a favorite of LOTR TCC players around the world. But mostly, he is recognized only for use as an RB (ring-bearer).
However, people that have given a lot of thought to the deep strategies of the game, might tell you that Boromir can also work as one of the best regular companions in the game. Here are the reasons why:
Great Ability
Boromir’s ability is one of the best for any non-RB character in the game. No kidding. Literally. In my opinion, I might go so far as to say that it is the best.
His ability reads: Each time Boromir wins a skirmish, discard each minion he is skirmishing.
Wow. Using this ability, you could clean up minions like they were dust bunnies.
This leads to the next reason:
Easy to pump
Gondor companions are naturally easy to pump up. And with the more recent Gondor mounts, they are even easier to pump. Some must-haves are as follows:
1. Sword - Absolutely, one of the best swords (and perfect for boromir) is the Blade of Gondor. Unfortunately, the Fellowship version (which was the better one) is now illegal for standard play. Aside from Blade of Gondor, I suggest using any of the many gondor swords. These include: Sword of Gondor, Gondorian Blade, and Ithilien Blade.
2. Armor – These are the four Gondor

armors: Armor, Coat of mail, Footman’s Armor, and Armor of the Citadel. I’m going to say use Armor of the Citadel on Boromir, but any of the above will serve a purpose. I can’t really say which one to use, because it depends on what type of deck you’re using.
3. Bow – Here are two: Bow of Minas Tirith, and Ranger’s Bow. The bow you use is completely decided by your deck. If you’re using a ranger deck, then use Ranger’s Bow. If you’re using a knight deck, use Bow of Minas Tirith. However, Bow of Minas Tirith will also work well with a Ranger battleground deck. So, the choice is up to you.
You’ll note that I didn’t suggest using Boromir’s Gauntlets, or a mount. No Boromir’s Gauntlets because they are bad. That’s all there is to that. No mount because they have to be played on knights. and Boromir is not a knight. That’s all there is to that, as well.
Pumps
The last thing, is a lot of strength boosts. For the sake of Armor of the Citadel, I suggest having a lot of battleground sites for the Defender +1 bonus. But, if being at a battleground is impossible, Have 1 or 2 I will Go, and 3 or 4 Elendil’s Valor.
And the great combo, is to make him Defender +1, then use Swordarm of the White Tower to give him a major strength boost. Always have 4 Swordarm of the White Tower in your deck.
Remember that combo. The rest of the strength boosts I will leave up to you and the type of deck you have. For instance: knight deck – War Must Be, Ranger Deck – War and Valor, etc.
But one final boost, is for vitality. Play The Saga of Elendil for a health boost, which will help in the following strategy.
Eat up exertions and Archery
Boromir is gonna be your “fall guy”. If using Isildur as your RB, Always exert Boromir. Use him to soak up archery wounds, as well.
It is critical that Boromir wins at least 90% (100% if possible) of his skirmishes. That is why you will be pumping him up more than any other companion. Like I said, I prefer Armor of the Citadel because it works well against swarms, and if Boromir does lose, he won’t take that nasty extra damage wound.
Always keep him with as high vitality as is practical, but don’t be afraid to let him take a wound now and then.
Extra vitality for your Ranger’s Bow
Another use for The Saga of Elendil is for a Ranger’s Bow. I love this bow, hence I love having extra vitality to use it when I must.
Simpleton maneuver events
One event I suggest having four of: Defend it and Hope. Also, with the release of Hunters: No Travelers in this Land. Feel free to exert Boromir.
Basics
While most people won’t pass up the opportunity to use him as an RB, Boromir would work well in conjunction with Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms.
A less well-known starting fellowship is as follows:

Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms (RB)
Boromir, Bearer of Council
Aragorn, Strider

I’m not going to list this as the most used starting fellowship though. A lot of people prefer Frodo as their RB, instead of Isildur. The reason, is that Isildur works very well in a knight deck, and Boromir and Aragorn are not knights.
So, we can fix this by simply replacing Isildur, with Frodo, Protected by many. Another well-liked Frodo, is Frodo, Weary From the Journey. Personally, I like using Frodo with Boromir, better than using Isildur with Boromir.
Here’s the real strategy to using him effectively:

Scenario: Your fellowship consists of Frodo, Protected by Many; Aragorn, Strider; and Boromir, Bearer of Council. Your opponent is using a swarm deck, is roaming, and has Goblin Sneak x4 and Moria Scout x2 out. Use as many Defend it and Hope (and/or No Traveler’s in this Land) as you need, using not only Boromir, but Aragorn’s high vitality as well. Now there are only four minions left. Boromir is defender +1, Strength 9 (sword), and carries a bow (Ranger’s Bow). You assign two Wallcrawlers to him. Then, you use Swordarm of the White Tower to make him strength 13. You win the skirmish, both minions take a wound, then they both get discarded (because of Boromir’s text). Not Bad. Note that Boromir’s However, you have to take into consideration the fact that you took three exertions. That is the reason to play The Saga of Elendil on Boromir.

Scenario: Your fellowship consists of Frodo, Protected by Many; Aragorn, Strider; and Boromir, Bearer of Council. Your opponent has three power-house Uruk-hai out. Assault Commander, Entranced Uruk, and Uruk Blitz. You use a Defend it and Hope to wound Uruk Blitz once. Then you assign Uruk Blitz to Boromir. Boromir is defender +1, Strength 9 (sword), and Carries a bow (Ranger’s Bow).You use Swordarm of the White Tower to make him strength 13 (no need to exert to use your bow), and you win the skirmish. Once again, not bad.
Now you know how to wipe out Swarming and powerhouse minions with Boromir, Bearer of Council.
Bottom line: He is no doubt one of the best companions in the game.

Long live the southern bros. Homage

sickofpalantirs

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:32 am

Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 7750 Location: somwhere, over the rainbow way up high. There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.

interesting article but two thing how do i vote I nolonger can? also gondor has 3 bows the two you mentioned and the one that is really used in knight decks Gondor Bow

AnxiousChieftain

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:43 am

Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 3947 Location: Maryland

sickofpalantirs wrote:

interesting article but two thing how do i vote I nolonger can?

Cobra changed the rules so that you can only vote if you have first replied to the article. Kinda cool. Cool

In regards to the article.... well, it was interesting. I didn’t agree with most of your facts.

In the scenarios, why would you even want to use BoC? Boromir, Hero of Osgiliath would have worked better, because he would have healed a wound.

Boromir, Bearer of Council is only really good against really big minions like Shelob, or against minions that can’t take wounds (e.g. an Easterling Captain with an Easterling Polearm).

Overall, I’ll rate it a 3.

MODS RULE. - lem0nhead

Pipsqueak

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:50 am

Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 331 Location: A northerner down south

Um, you guys are obviously not grasping the concept of this article.
I’m not saying which version of Boromir is better for which deck. This is all about bearer of council, and how to make him work as a regular companion.

Long live the southern bros. Homage

Cobra

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:39 pm

Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 1202 Location: Austin, TX, USA

Yes, but when providing examples for using Boromir, Bearer of Council, you should pick situations that really show off his unique strengths! We’re not suggesting that you replace the version of Boromir used in your examples, but that you change (or add to) the examples themselves. Boromir BoC really shines against minions that are easy to defeat, but hard to actually kill (Shelob and Gollum come to mind.)

One of your examples could simply be "Boromir, Bearer of Council with a basic Gondor weapon can instantly get rid of Shelob!" That’s a very simple situation that everyone can relate to, it doesn’t require a card-intensive combo, and it really emphasizes something Boromir can do that other companions can’t. Very Happy

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bobtheorc

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:36 pm

Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 1218 Location: Wow, its hot in Iowa

I enjoyed the article espcially because my favorite alternate ring bearer is Boromir.

I may try using him as regular companion sometime it certainly could be interesting.

All in all I felt it was a pretty good article.

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ingold55

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:04 pm

Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 1199 Location: Out on the front line

liked the article. i have to agree with cobra though. but as i said i liked the article. now all i need to do is get boromir BoC. Wink

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hblika

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:36 am

Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 287 Location: Norway

Pipsqueak wrote:

Scenario: Your fellowship consists of Frodo, Protected by Many; Aragorn, Strider; and Boromir, Bearer of Council. Your opponent has three power-house Uruk-hai out. Assault Commander, Entranced Uruk, and Uruk Blitz. You use a Defend it and Hope to wound Uruk Blitz once. Then you assign Uruk Blitz to Boromir. Boromir is defender +1, Strength 9 (sword), and Carries a bow (Ranger’s Bow).You use Swordarm of the White Tower to make him strength 13 (no need to exert to use your bow), and you win the skirmish. Once again, not bad.
Now you know how to wipe out Swarming and powerhouse minions with Boromir, Bearer of Council.
Bottom line: He is no doubt one of the best companions in the game.

Just curious... How does this scenario describe "the power" of Boromir, BoC?
Hmmm... You first wound Uruk Blitz with Defend it and Hope, then Boromir wins his skirmish against it. Since Uruk Blitz only has 2 vitality, it dies, and is discarded, no matter what Boromir’s ability is.

The first example doesn’t make too much sense either... It’d be a once in a lifetime scenarion to get all your Sneaks by site 3 Wink

That said, it’s good to see different strategies beeing discussed, and I am myself a big fan of unusual startegies, but the arguments you make doesn’t make too much sense when related to an actual gaming situation. Hence the rating of 3. (I actually raised my score from a 2 just because you wrote about something different the tried and tested strategies usually written about here.)

If you could rewrite your article, using BoC in a more realistic game setting, and providing better scenarios and maybe a decklist to further enhance your points, I’d certainly be willing to read it in a totally different light.

I'm not stupid. I'm just unlucky when I'm thinking.

CarpeGuitarrem

Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:04 pm

Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 3361 Location: Franciscan University of Steubenville

[quote="hblika"]

Pipsqueak wrote:

BTW...Defend it and Hope would kill Uruk Blitz right away, since it’s an Uruk-Hai.

"ok, change of plans. the Cobracards christmas party is coming to my house, and we’re gunna teach FM how to hunt." (mm)

Aragorn_Ellessar

Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:57 pm

Joined: 31 May 2006 Posts: 189 Location: Iowa

I like it. When I’ve seen Boromir, Bearer of Council, I just see the first part of his game text. From now on, when I see him I will think of him better.
I will give you at least a three, possibly a four.

One Ring to rule them all
One Ring to find them
One thing to bring them all
And In the darkness bind them

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