The Way Into Mordor - Isengard (12/31: Token Machine Stuff)

[sickofpalantirs]

definitly up the first guy to 9...as 3 cost for a 9 strength damage guy ain't bad, and you only need 2 minions to do that...cut the second guy to 8, but otherwise I like him.

[lem0nhead]

Orthanc Trooper
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 7
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Damage +1.
This minion's twilight cost is -1 for each other Uruk-hai you can spot.
"...the men of the Mark amazed looked out, as it seemed to them, upon a great field of dark corn, tossed by a tempest of war, and every ear glinted with barbed light."

Think he could easily be 4 and rare.

•Orthanc Assaulters
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 16
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Damage +1. Toil 2.
While at a battleground, Orthanc Assaulters is fierce.
"They wavered, broke, and fled back; and then charged again, broke and charged again; and each time, like the incoming sea, they halted at a higher point."

Seems vaguely familiar! 

[DáinIronfoot]

Some mostly random cards to get this going again. I've been all over the place with this culture.

•Devilry of Saruman
Condition • Support Area
Each Uruk-hai is strength +1 for each site you control.
Maneuver: Spot 2 Uruk-hai and discard an machine with at least 2 tokens on it to take control of a site. Discard this condition.
"‘The Deeping Wall is taken, lord, and all the defence swept away....'"

Cloud of Arrows (reprint)
Event • Archery
Exert an archer to make the minion archery total +1 and the fellowship archery total -1.
"Behind them orc-archers crowded, sending a hail of darts against the bowmen on the walls."

Out of the Darkness
Event • Archery
Discard an archer to exert an unbound companion (twice if that companion is unwounded).
"Then the Orcs screamed, waving spear and sword, and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements...."

[Gate Troll]

Some mostly random cards to get this going again. I've been all over the place with this culture.

•Devilry of Saruman
Condition • Support Area
Each Uruk-hai is strength +1 for each site you control.
Maneuver: Spot 2 Uruk-hai and discard an machine with at least 2 tokens on it to take control of a site.
"‘The Deeping Wall is taken, lord, and all the defence swept away....'"

How about just discard the tokens instead of the condition?

Cloud of Arrows (reprint)
Event • Archery
Exert an archer to make the minion archery total +1 and the fellowship archery total -1.
"Behind them orc-archers crowded, sending a hail of darts against the bowmen on the walls."

Classic...

Out of the Darkness
Event • Archery
Discard an archer to wound an unbound companion (twice if that companion is unwounded).
"Then the Orcs screamed, waving spear and sword, and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements...."

I wish decipher had released a card like this 15 sets ago. Oh well. 

[Elf_Lvr]

•Devilry of Saruman
Condition • Support Area
Each Uruk-hai is strength +1 for each site you control.
Maneuver: Spot 2 Uruk-hai and discard an machine with at least 2 tokens on it to take control of a site.
"‘The Deeping Wall is taken, lord, and all the defence swept away....'"

I think the second ability should probably discard this condition. Otherwise, it's a REALLY good way of controlling multiple sites at once.

Cloud of Arrows (reprint)
Event • Archery
Exert an archer to make the minion archery total +1 and the fellowship archery total -1.
"Behind them orc-archers crowded, sending a hail of darts against the bowmen on the walls."

Broken as a television smashed in with a sledgehammer.

 

Out of the Darkness
Event • Archery
Discard an archer to wound an unbound companion (twice if that companion is unwounded).
"Then the Orcs screamed, waving spear and sword, and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements...."

I don't know. Compared to Volley Fire this is pretty good, especially with the parenthesis. Uruks aren't really good at direct wounding anyways - more exerting. I'd change it to exert once (or twice...)

[menace64]

I agree with Elf_Lvr on exerting with OotD. As for DoS, I also thought discarding itself was the best way to go (as it is, I'd say it's on the fence. You could "safely" go either way, I think).

[Thranduil]

•Devilry of Saruman
Condition • Support Area
Each Uruk-hai is strength +1 for each site you control.
Maneuver: Spot 2 Uruk-hai and discard an machine with at least 2 tokens on it to take control of a site. Discard this condition.
"‘The Deeping Wall is taken, lord, and all the defence swept away....'"

You don't need the "at least", but tis a solid card.

Out of the Darkness
Event • Archery
Discard an archer to exert an unbound companion (twice if that companion is unwounded).
"Then the Orcs screamed, waving spear and sword, and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements...."

I think this no longer needs to discard an archer, just exert it.

Thranduil

[Gate Troll]

Where are the machines?

[Elf_Lvr]

•Devilry of Saruman
Condition • Support Area
Each Uruk-hai is strength +1 for each site you control.
Maneuver: Spot 2 Uruk-hai and discard an machine with at least 2 tokens on it to take control of a site. Discard this condition.
"‘The Deeping Wall is taken, lord, and all the defence swept away....'"

You don't need the "at least", but tis a solid card.

Actually, it sorta does, but it'd be better worded as "With 2 or more."

[sickofpalantirs]

Where are the machines?

probably forthcoming

[lem0nhead]

•Devilry of Saruman
Condition • Support Area
Each Uruk-hai is strength +1 for each site you control.
Maneuver: Spot 2 Uruk-hai and discard an machine with at least 2 tokens on it to take control of a site. Discard this condition.
"‘The Deeping Wall is taken, lord, and all the defence swept away....'"

Wow that first ability is sickeningly good, i was gonna suggest you up the cost but its just too good anyway. Uruks can take sites like theres no tomorrow.

Out of the Darkness
Event • Archery
Discard an archer to exert an unbound companion (twice if that companion is unwounded).
"Then the Orcs screamed, waving spear and sword, and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements...."

Could cost 1 or probably 0 even as youre losing a minion for it.

[DáinIronfoot]

Where are the machines?

probably forthcoming

Actually, I already posted the bulk of them earlier in this thread...five of them, with only one being unique. They start back on Page 6, I believe.

Which reminds me...I've really been all over the place with this culture, haven't I? So while today's card probably seems like ANOTHER random change of pace, this time I promise that there's a method to my madness. I'll be starting another culture (in another thread) after I post this that should explain everything. Even without that, though, the text works quite well with Uruks in general, so he's not TOTALLY out of place.

Anyway...enjoy!

•Saruman, The Wise
Minion • Wizard
Strength: 8
Vitality: 4
Site: 4
Saruman may not be assigned to a skirmish.
Shadow: Exert Saruman twice to take an or card into hand from your draw deck.
Maneuver: Spot 2 other or minions and exert Saruman twice to take control of a site.
"‘It is ill dealing with such a foe: he is a wizard both cunning and dwimmer-crafty, having many guises....His spies slip through every net, and his birds of ill omen are abroad in the sky.'"

After careful deliberation, I decided NOT to try and make a new version of Saruman, partly because Rabble-rouser is already pretty well perfect in that role. (Gotta hand it to Decipher...as much as I bemoan their later cards, it's because their earlier cards like Rabble-rouser were so darned brilliant.) So this is the closest I get. Yes, he's perfectly good without any cards whatsoever, as the site control and card picking are certainly very helpful for alone. But they also happen to be great with as well, and this card can be the centerpiece of any Uruk/Dunlending hybrid deck, which the previously-posted cards I will repost below also hint at....

•Saruman, Grown Very Strong (re-post)
Minion • Wizard
Strength: 8
Vitality: 4
Site: 4
Lurker.
When you play Saruman, you may name one: , , ; he gains that culture until the end of the turn.
Each time a minion of Saruman's culture wins a skirmish, you may heal Saruman.
Skirmish: Exert Saruman to make a minion of Saruman's culture strength +1 (or +2 if skirmishing a character bearing a condition of Saruman's culture).
"‘He has taken Orcs into his service, and Wolf-riders, and evil Men...we are likely to be beset both east and west.'"

•Overmastered (re-post)
Condition • Support Area
Each time an or minion wins a skirmish, you may exert that minion to place an token here.
Regroup: Remove 3 tokens from here to take control of a site (or 2 sites if you can spot 3 or minions).
"‘Alas for my folk!...It grieves me to fly before them.'"

Grim and Horrible (re-post)
Event • Skirmish
Make an or Man strength +2 (or +3 if you can spot Saruman).
"‘All Saruman's people were marching away....And there were battalions of Men, too.'"

And to a lesser degree....

Evil Folk (re-post)
Event • Shadow
Spot an minion to add for each Shadow culture you can spot.
"‘...whether he was working with the Black Riders, or for Saruman alone, I do not know. It is difficult with these evil folk to know when they are in league, and when they are cheating one another.'"

Anyway, my plan after this for is to do some more cards (mostly minions) that work with the culture as well, at least to some degree.

[Thranduil]

He seems fair enough. Makes his staff very good for the vitality bonus. Also not a big fan of the subtitle, but never mind.

Thranduil

[DáinIronfoot]

He seems fair enough. Makes his staff very good for the vitality bonus.

I'd considered that, especially since you can pull Fallen Istar's Stave and then still exert him twice more to use either ability again. Or you can use it to pull Wizard's Device if you want him to fight. I don't think either makes for an OP combo, but they're certainly nice options.

[sickofpalantirs]

I don't like his subtitle either... perhaps, uniter of enemies or something sinister ? (yeah I know my idea sucks but...)