Orc Inquisitor (1C268)

Set:	The Fellowship of the Ring
Kind:	Shadow
Culture:	Sauron
Twilight:	3
Card Type:	Minion • Orc
Strength:	9
Vitality:	3
Site:	6
Game Text:	When you play this minion, you may make the Free Peoples player discard a card at random from hand.
Lore:	Cruel questioners of Mordor tore the secret from poor Gollum, that Sauron's most prized possession once again was found.
Rarity:	C

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Orc Inquisitor (1C268) Wiki

General Strategy

With the ability to discard a card at random from the Free Peoples player's hand, Orc Inquisitor can be the difference between a win and a loss. Possibly discarding a crucial event like Power According to His Stature or Hobbit Stealth, Orc Inquisitor is almost always an unpleasant surprise. Like many minions, Orc Inquisitor's three vitality make him a helpful minion with the exertion costs of many events and conditions. Desperate Defense of the Ring, Thin and Stretched, Tower of Barad-Dur, Ithil Stone, and Hate are all commonly played Mordor cards with an exertion cost.

Like all Orcs (besides Besiegers), the site number makes the minion a bit cost-prohibitive when roaming. Trackers from the Battle of Helms Deep expansion, such as Grishnakh, Orc Captain or Orc Patrol can help reduce the site number and roaming penalty of these minions.

With the addition of Frodo, Courteous Halfling in The Two Towers base set, the mill strategy took a nearly unrecoverable hit. Additionally, access to stronger companions and abilities left the Shadow discard strategy one of the least played archetypes beyond Fellowship block. With the expensive roaming penalties of the [relatively] weak minions, very little could stop a Free Peoples' player from simply outrunning his or her opponent.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Versus...

An opponent with a hand
Pairs well with free peoples discard strategies, such as The White Arrows of Lorien or Nobody Tosses a DWarf

Weak Versus...

An opponent without a hand
Effects that punish or prevent discarding (Old Noakes, Purveyor of Wisdoms; Frodo, Courteous Halfling; Frodo, Little Master)
Preparations and Rest By Blind Night can recycle discarded cards
Extremely large decks, or decks that play from discard such as Swarm or Constantly Threatening