A purpose for my hobbitses

[Kald]

Hello !

I began playing this wonderful card game a couple of weeks ago, and I have a some questions about rules and other tidbits. One of them is about a couple of hobbits, namely Merry (Learned Guide) and Pippin (Wooly Footed Rascal). Both of them can be discarded during a skirmish and both of these discard effects can be cancelled by the Shadow player.

At first I wondered what was the point of getting rid of your companions (and of not even being sure to do it, because it could be cancelled). Then I saw the light, and I think, but I'm still not sure, that I understand how it works : you discard them once they have been affected and the skirmish has began, so that their opponents "miss" them. You affect a big bad minion to them (something which has damage +1 and would surely overwhelm a lot of companions) and then... pouf ! You make them disappear by discarding them, and the minion does nothing. Am I right ? If so, isn't it too difficult to retrieve your hobbits from the discard pile, or should you in such case, play many of them (3- 4 each) in your deck in order to make that tactic efficient ?

Thank you for any possible answer

[thetimewarptrio]

For the most part, you're dead on. Exert the ring-bearer or add a burden to discard Merry or Pippin during the skirmish phase. The point is that it nullifies the skirmish, much like a stealth event. For example, if you have an empty twilight pool and Lurtz, Servant of Isengard assigned to Merry, Learned Guide, you can exert the Ring-bearer to discard Merry and avoid the skirmish. The theory is that you have a way to play copies of Merry/Pippin from your discard pile (such as Bilbo, Retired Adventurer), or you have multiple copies in your draw deck to keep bringing out into play. Or perhaps they're just back up companions in a deck designed to use them as fodder that avoids the dead pile.

Of course, beware of your opponent being able to remove twilight to prevent such actions, as the Shadow players may remove 2 twilight to prevent the discarding.

[sgtdraino]

You can also use them the circumvent the 9 companion limit: Once they "take the bullet" and get disarded, you can play two different more powerful companions in their place, and it doesn't count against your 9 companion limit.

[Kald]

Thank you all ! It's a nice "fodder" tactic yes, it can give more time and let you catch your breath when there are too many minions or when you play a small choke deck.  And it's a good idea Draino, I shall try to use them in starting fellowships in the decks in which I play many companions, more than six to the least.

[bibfortuna25]

If you use Knocked on the Head, you can replay them in the Regroup phase.

[sgtdraino]

Or Treebeard, Earthborn. Or Gandalf, Greyhame.