LotR TCG Card Strategies - #24

A Ranger's Versatility

I'll skip the obvious discussion, everyone knows what this card is capable of in conjunction with Legolas Greenleaf or Aragorn's Bow. Instead, I have two other topics...

What ELSE can you do with this card?

ARV can be used to prevent exertion abilities. For example, Bred for Battle, Ulaire Cantea, or all those "exert to wound" Orcs. It's particularly useful against Ulaire Enquea, especially since the Free People's play always gets the first action in the Maneuver phase.

ARV can help deal extra damage. This is good if you plan to move twice and don't want minions following you. If facing Fierce minions, you only have to beat them once and they won't be around to attack again, and you don't even need weapons or Dagger Strikes to make sure they take enough wounds.

There are variations on the Archery trick I mention above. (so why does everyone complain about this card in combination with Archery when these are just as effective? I have no idea.) For example, Blade of Gondor with ARV will finish off Lurtz very quickly. Gimli can take down a runner and then finish an exhausted Goblin Patrol Troop with his Battle Axe. Legolas and Bow of the Galadhrim work as well as the directed Archery only you don't need to exert him. Power According to his Stature is great, too, though in some cases it may be a little risky.

Why is PATHS risky? Because there are ways to beat A Ranger's Versatility.

First way to stop ARV: prevent the last damage. Goblin Armory and All Blades Perish will save Moria Orcs and Ringwraiths, respectively. Unfortunately, some general anti-Archery cards like Goblin Archery and Wreathed in Shadow won't work here since most of the time this is played with directed Archery so they can be sure to hit the minions they're exhausting. Of course, you can always shut down the whole Archery phase with Spies of Saruman.

Second way to stop ARV: Kill the characters. They can't finish you with directed Archery if Legolas is dead. You'll, of course, have to do this before ARV causes real trouble, so be ready to catch them at the earlier sites. Stack plenty of Lurtz's Battle Cry, Unfamiliar Territory and Dark Whispers to make sure you kill the Rangers and Archers in combat. You can also use other tricks to shut down the exert abilities, like Hate, Bitter Hatred, Goblin Domain or Under the Watching Eye.

Third way to stop ARV: Counteract the wounding. Heal your characters in the maneuver phase with Uruk Shaman or Not Easily Destroyed. Sure, this costs twilight, but if you're playing a Ranger deck and are at a River or Forest you'll be able to plan for this. Speaking of sites...

Fourth way to stop ARV: Stay away from Rivers and Forests. Unfortunately there's no way to avoid them at Site 7 or 8, but you do have options at Sites 2, 3, 6 and 9. Use Ulaire Nelya to switch the site. Going second or playing Thror's Map or Pathfinder will help you get your own non-Forest sites in play. The opponent can counter that with a Thror's Map or Pathfinder of their own, but a) they need to have that card at the right time and b) that means they're taking up deck space with even more cards to make their combo work, which means they have fewer Skirmish actions and such. So if you can force them to put a lot of resources into using ARV, and survive it's initial hit (like with a horde of Moria or Sauron minions) then your remaining Minions will be more than a match for their Companions.