sorcery & magic

Post your decks, discuss strategy, ask for tips, etc.
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Poniatowski
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2014 8:17 pm
Location: Western PA USA

I was kicking this around..... actually for dang near 20 years now... I have never been able to successfully create a minion or agent deck that effectively uses sorcery/spells or magic..... I absolutely LOVE this aspect of the game, but I have never been able to make a good one.... I prefer, if possible to use the sorcery cards... for undead, etc....

Thoughts?
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CDavis7M
Posts: 2816
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2018 3:10 am
Location: California

I'm not familiar with the sorcery/magic cards myself, but most of them are just boosts or utility cards. Many are useful in combat. And while many of them require a CC, it doesn't apply to a Ringwraith. It seems like you could easily sprinkle a few of these cards into a minion deck using the RW for combat, or even influence.

As far as undead, there seems to be a brutal hazard strategy you can build around Shadow Out of Dark, which lets a shadow-magic agent (ie, Elerina, Firiel, and Taladhan) tap at a non-freehold/non-Haven to allow undead hazards to be played at the site. AND the undead do not count against the hazard limit. This doesn't actually use the sorcery/magic cards, but still a neat idea. Inner Cunning and Nobody's Friend can help get the agents in position.

You can also boost undead easily. Chill Douser (+1 strike and prowess to undead for the rest of the turn), Plague of Wights (+1 prowess, double strikes with Doors of Night), Moon is Dead (+1 strike and prowess). Revealed to all watchers can let you draw more cards for a wombo-combo. Again, the creatures don't count against the hazard limit. Wow.

Also, Pale Dream Maker and Endless Whispers are corruption for a character wounded by undead. They both require a Sage to tap to remove them (I'm not sure how this interacts with the -3 for not-tapping rules). And Endless Whispers prevents untapping, so you can play it on their sage.

So many other good undead cards too. Playability is good. Sleepless Malice helps with Ruins and Lairs.

If you can't tell, I've been working on an undead+agent hazard deck.
dirhaval
Posts: 791
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:39 am

For Shadow-magic:
I made a deck starting with Lt. Dol Guldur, Taladhan, Old-Troll, and Orc Brawler; I think. Ringwraith was Indur. The goal was
was to move in the Under-deeps to get Ancient Black-Axe, Iron Shield of Old, and finally The Balrog. The RW will CvCC on the surface
and get a faction. Indur can control a 5-mind 2 MP character. I used Well Preserved for healing, Deeper Shadow for hazard limit. I think I used WHCTK to bring in another shadow-mage. No More Nonsense give the Lt 5 DI to control Open to the Summons Taladhan. Thus, No More Nonsense helps; you can test a gold ring to get Trifling Ring to have two sorcerers in the same company. The leader allows I'll Be At Your Heels. Ancient Black Axe is a nice +2 direct influence. Necklace of Girion +3 DI against Men + Old Treasure +1 DI = +4 on Lt. of Dol Guldur can control 8 mind Open to the Summons Grimburgoth. Add No More Nonsense to play I'll Be At Your Heels and Orders from Lugburz to give that Man sorcerer +2 to corruption checks!
Pavel Janecek
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:05 pm

Hi,

Minion magic cards are a very interesting aspect of the game and bring in much more fun. Several used sorcery cards are:
1) Deeper Shadow with small companies (e.g. Elerína + 2 Orc scouts = 2 hazard limit) to reduce hazard limit/cancel the second hazard played against that company.
2) Deeper Shadow to change [-me_rl-] to [-me_sh-], for example Deep Mines to make Aiglos and Dragon-Helm playable there.
3) A Malady without Healing to eliminate opponent's characters to gain MPs (Elerína + Taladhan, with Deeper Shadow to reduce HL). A Malady deck is quite difficult to counter as you usually get to play one hazard per turn against the company going after you.
4) The Tormented Earth to cancel an attack or give it -3 to prowess (The Grimburgoth, Hador).
5) Words of Menace and Deceit: +5 to DI - for Elerína that means a solid 8 DI to attempt a Dragon faction.
6) Spying out the Land to limit your opponent in what hazards he may play against the company.
7) Well-Preserved for healing.

The most common magic users are Elerína, Taladhan (shadow and spirit magic) and The Grimburgoth (sorcery) - all three are men and can be in a company with Orcs and/or Trolls. You can also build a magic heavy deck around Akhorahil the Ringwraith (who can use shadow-magic, spirit-magic and sorcery as well, any magic card played is shuffled back to deck).

Sauron players may use Powers Too Dark and Terrible (allows a bearer of any special item ring or a mind ring to play one magic card per turn), but I have never seen that.

Fallen Wizards have some magic abilities and may use some of the characters able to do that as well (Taladhan, Fíriel, Hador etc.). Fallen Pallando has a Pallando-specific stage card (Arcane School) which allows a non-Hobbit sage to use all three kinds of magic. Corruption checks are a challenge, but it is a way to some surprising plays (Malady).

Worth considering:
1) Water's Tithe to allow 2 more regions for one movement, which may be used in The One Ring deck (if you ever happen to roll the test) to reach Barad Dur or in a CvCC deck to get to your unsuspecting opponent (I used that to much greater effect than anticipated).
2) Hounds of Sauron, either to make a wolf attack on opponent company instead of CvCC (not worth it IMHO) or to reduce the number of strikes of an attack to one (which is quite interesting).
3) Gold Chains in the Wind - creates an ally with 5 prowess to take one strike from an attack against the company (a way to get arounf a Dragon lair auto-attack/Shelob's Lair 2nd auto-attack or against creatures with single strike).
4) Driven as by Madness - prowess boost to the entire company but I have never seen that played (may be for CvCC decks, or Fallen Alatar?).
5) Govern the Storm against roadblock.
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Bandobras Took
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Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:30 pm

One of the more interesting ones I tried was a Heralded Lord+WK Unleashed+Words of Menace and Deceit influence deck. +19 to DI isn't bad. :)

A more pure Sorcery deck can wander on both sides of the Misty Mountains, using Riven Gate to nab the Hillmen, Dunlendings, and Woodmen, while using Sorcery prowess enhancers to beat up on creatures and get kill MPs with Remnants of Old Robberies.
The game is flawed, but this does not mean it cannot be loved.
Pavel Janecek
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:05 pm

Yes,
Ringwraith with Heralded Lord and Words of Menace and Deceit is quite interesting. I tried that with Akhorahil and Dragon factions (he has 14 DI with the Heralded Lord and Words, if I am not mistaken). On a very first round of the first game with that deck, I managed to play Itangast Roused by Akhorahil. The starting compay included Elerína who could also play Dragon factions so that the RW and the starting compay have synergies between them. The Ringwraith, however, was usually stopped by Rivers (as a non-ranger, Akhorahil - and The Witch-King as well - must rely either on a RW follower, which goes away with the Heralded Lord, or on Deeper Shadow).

Sorcery deck with Hillmen and Dunlendings is a good idea, I wanted to play such deck myself but never did.

In my RW/Sauron decks, I often play The Grimburgoth and The Tormented Earth. At the very least, it is a higly useful character (a Lieutenant with bonuses perhaps) and 3 extra cards to cancel an attack with the option to give it -3 to prowess.
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Bandobras Took
Rules Wizard
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Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:30 pm

Pavel Janecek wrote: Sat Jul 06, 2019 10:53 pmThe Ringwraith, however, was usually stopped by Rivers
On the other hand, since River is one of the most horrendously designed and game-breaking cards in the game, I forgive the RW Influence deck this weakness. :)
The game is flawed, but this does not mean it cannot be loved.
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CDavis7M
Posts: 2816
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2018 3:10 am
Location: California

There is a lot of good information on magic spells in Newsletter 6. You can download it on meccg.net.

http://www.meccg.net/netherlands/meccg/downloads.html

Uvatha RW never really seems like the best fit, but he would let you recycle your magic used by all companies. Ren RW could be a nice backup RW if you play against a corruption deck.
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