LotR TCG Card Strategies - #14

Bounder

Just to be sure we're clear on this: Bounder is home at Site 2. Not Site 1. This means he can't be healed by Hobbit Party Guests. and no, it's not a typo. If you must know why, the simple answer is: gameplay balance. (admit it, most of you saw that answer coming.) Unless you're playing Frodo - Old Bilbo's Heir you only get one use out of each Bounder. Still, it's a perfectly good effect for the cost of one card.

What's the best way to use Bounder? I see a lot of people put Hobbits in battle against overwhelming Minoins and then use Bounder right away. That may be a necessary tactic sometimes, but I find it's usually better to choose battles that are not already overwhemling. That way you can save Bounder until you see what happens. It's a shame to waste his ability only to have the opponent play a Skirmish Event that gives them triple your Hobbit's strength. If you choose smaller minions, the opponent has to use their Events first, and then Bounder acts as a counter to that.

Because each Bounder is only usable once, exploiting this limit is the best tactic to use against him. Assuming you don't need your Events elsewhere, go ahead and use them to overwhelm a Hobbit and force the opponent to use up Bounder's ability. That way you don't need to worry about Bounder later. and I know I'm repeating myself, remember that the more cards you play, the more you can draw, so you're not really wasting any resources to get rid of Bounder.

Does Bounder himself ever get in a fight? Occasionally, it can be useful. For example, send Bounder against a large Uruk-hai instead of assigning Pippin and using Bounder to keep him alive. Bounder is just as useless with one wound as he is when dead, and this way Pippin has 2 fewer wounds. This is a good tradeoff depending on how many other wounds you will have to heal at Site 3. It may be better to just let a larger Companion take a few wounds and keep the Hobbits out of the fight all together.