Strongest Possible Companion?

[ket_the_jet]

Sam,

You have way too much time (and clearly no desire to date girls). for your efforts, but go pine over a bartender!
-wtk

[Sam, Great Elf Warrior]

Thanks, ket. I also calculated that you can actually have 28 followers, not 22 (since 2 of the followers are non-unique, for a total strength bonus of 47 (28 for Fords of Isen + 19 for the followers' texts) + 1 for each fierce minion (due to Hobbiton Farmer, LoP).

Theoretically, if every possible minion was in play except The Watcher in the Water (which would require hundreds of shadow players and lots of fiddling with cards like Shoulder to Shoulder) and a companion died in the non-fierce skirmish phase (leaving you with just Durin III and the Ring-bearer) triggering Legions of Morgul, you could have 2374 fierce minions, putting Durin III's strength at 2554. Theoretically, Uri could be even stronger since Durin III's ability only nets him 10, where as Uri's could net him 138 (144 for his ability, -4 for losing the 4 vit -1 conditions, -2 for base strength), placing him at 2682 strength, not counting tokens and the like. Of course, the Ring-bearer would be annihilated facing over 2500 minions.

[TheJord]

Assuming the Ring-bearer was Frodo and had Mithril-coat, Dwarf-Mail on, then he could use The Tale of the Great Ring, again assuming no events, to allow the 2554 strength Durin III to overwhelm a single minion of your choice.

[Sam, Great Elf Warrior]

Though if Frodo had Mithril-coat, Dwarf-Mail and The Tale of the Great Ring, the Shadow players might want to assign at least 10000 strength worth of minions to Durin III to make sure he died (there's still be plenty left over for Frodo).

By the way, a 2554-strength Durin III would be able to overwhelm the combined forces of Sauron, The Balrog, The Mouth of Sauron, Saruman, Grima, Ted Sandyman, Gollum, Shelob, Castamir of Umbar, Freca, Wulf, Lurtz, Ugluk, Sharku, Mauhur, Grishnakh, Gothmog, Shagrat, Gorbag, Bill Ferny, Easterling Host, all nine Nazgul plus the four Black Riders, and every Troll in the game (except Gate Troll, who'd be over 400 strength). If you didn't see The Balrog, maybe it's because it was too crowded.

[Sam, Great Elf Warrior]

Durin III: Here at the Fords of Isen, I'm especially glad I'm carrying all this stuff.

Sauron: Ha! You will never defeat the massive elite squad I'm sending against you, including all 13 Nazgul!

Durin III: Uh oh...wait, 13 Nazgul?

Hobbiton Farmer: *puffing on some pipeweed" Hey, Durin, look at all those fierce minions out there! See them out there, looking so smug? Just what gives them the right to attack twice in one site?

Durin III: Nothing!

Hobbiton Farmer: I said, what gives them the right to attack twice in one site?

Durin III: Absolutely...NOTHING!!! YAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! *obliterates all his attackers*

Meanwhile...

Random other minion: Give it up, Ring-bearer, you're outnumbered 2488 to 1!

Frodo: Oh, yeah, well I just finished reading a tale about how I destroyed the Ring!

Minion: But you haven't destroyed the Ring yet.

Frodo: So what, it's still a great tale. Gonna do anything about it?

Minon: *checks his hand* Uh...no. But we still have our hundreds of damage bonuses! YAHH!

Frodo: Oof...I think you wounded me there.

Minion: Wait! How did you survive?

Frodo: Mythril. Sure is some tough stuff, isn't it?

[Kralik]

What a great dialog! I laughed quite a bit.

Let the other companion who died be Boromir, Defender of Minas Tirith. He provides the twilight you need to play all of the minions.

[legolas3333]

uh, hate to kill your theoretical situation, but wouldn't it be impossible for the shadow player to draw 10,000+ minions in one shadow phase?

[MR. Lurtzy]

There could be 10,000 shadow players...

[sharkey]

And you could move 10000 times!

[Kralik]

(which would require hundreds of shadow players...