Metabreaker
Volume 1, April 8, 2005
When Pirates Attack
In my review of the March 2005 PSQ, I took a look at the top eight decks, closely analyzed the build that snagged the coveted #1 slot, and included a variety of subliminal messages to alter your behavior (I bet you were wondering why you've been eating so much peanut butter and borscht lately, eh?). The results of last month's tournament showed that Corsairs were the Shadow side to beat, and this is a trend I expect to continue in the near future.
Seeing what you’re likely to be up against in April's tournaments, you need to know how to beat it, and that’s what I’ll be discussing today: tips for every culture to triumph over Corsairs.
The pirates of Middle-earth are not unlike others that you may have seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean - they're thieves, warriors, and they occasionally fight Orlando Bloom. Just because you've seen these scallywags in action, however, doesn't mean you know how to combat them in The Lord Of The Rings Online TCG.
To start things off, let’s take a look at what makes these pirates tick – after all, knowing your enemy is the key to defeating them (at least, that’s the rumor). I’m not saying you have to invite your enemies to any tea parties you may be throwing, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t analyze their tactics.
Corsairs are widely known for the following strengths:
- The dreaded Castamir of Umbar / Raider Halberd combo at site two.*
- Corsair Marauders discarding Free Peoples possessions to add tokens to Corsair ships, which are then used as resources (an ability I like to call, “Get a bonus to get a bonus”).
- Two support area possessions (Black Sails of Umbar and Ships of Great Draught) that allow any given Corsair card to be played more than four times in a game. Commonly referred to as “ships” or “boats.”
- Red Wrath, a non-Corsair-specific event that tends to cause the untimely death of companions.
- Wind That Sped Ships, a recurring +6 strength pump for one twilight.**
*This combo is deadly at just about any site, but its ability to get a strength-22, fierce minion for only nine twilight at site two(before the fellowship is prepared to deal with such a threat) is what shivers most players’ timbers. The Raider Halberd can single-handedly exhaust Castamir of Umbar, taking full advantage of his "Enduring" keyword.
**It should be noted that most Corsair players will use either Red Wrath or Wind That Sped Ships, but usually not both. I believe Red Wrath to be the stronger choice in today’s beard-heavy meta (Dwarves), so I’ll be focusing more on that throughout this article.
So what fellowship should you play to get past all of these weapons of the Corsairs? I’m not going to tell you the answer to that question. Although the pirates are likely to be the top Shadow out there, you will certainly see other things as well. As such, the purpose of this article is to give players of every culture tips on how to get an extra edge over Corsairs, without turning their decks into dedicated pirate-slaying machines. So go ahead, pick the culture you plan on playing this month, and see what anti-Corsair cards you can fit into your deck:
 DWARF
The big problem that Dwarves have with Corsairs is the wounding. The bearded warriors don’t have as much difficulty as other cultures do in avoiding overwhelms at the hands of Castamir of Umbar, due to their high base strengths (once fully armed) and tendency to use skirmish events. Even if they can avoid overwhelms, however, they will still be losing skirmishes, and they’ll certainly take a fair amount of damage from Red Wrath. Let’s find a way to help the Dwarves out.
Eowyn, Lady of Rohan – The ability to take a few wounds on demand shouldn’t be overlooked, and Dwarf decks rarely run nine companions anyway, so you’ve surely got the slot open. Dwarven Bracers are also nice for preventing wounds, but they can be a primary target for the Corsair Marauder's discarding ability. Being that the Corsair Marauder has the potential to be played upwards of eight times a game (between Black Sails of Umbar and Ships of Great Draught), Eowyn, Lady of Rohan is a much more reliable choice.
From the Armory – Another excellent option for getting past Red Wrath is From the Armory. A lot of people probably don't even know what this card does, as the only time it's ever used is when Dwarves are worried about the Wrath. If you know you're going to lose the skirmish anyway, exert your Dwarf and stack a card to prevent all wounds during that skirmish phase. Works great to absorb threat wounds vs. Morcs, too!
Blood Runs Chill – A large part of the Dwarf/Corsair match-up has to do with the timing of Blood Runs Chill – this bomb of an event has the potential to sink a large portion of your opponent’s pirate fleet in one fell swoop. At least two copies of this card tend to make it into the average Dwarf build, but adding an extra or two can really help make the difference against Corsairs.
Ring of Fury – If you’re only playing one copy of Ring of Fury (assuming you’re playing at least one), consider doubling that – the healing ability will help keep your Dwarves afloat, while the extra damage bonus over the Ring of Accretion and Ring of Guile means one more boat is wiped out by Blood Runs Chill.
 ELF
There’s no doubt about it – Elves are going to have a tough time with Corsairs. Lacking any possession removal means they can’t do much to stop the Corsair support area, and being devoid of wound prevention makes the Red Wrath hurt that much more. Still, there are a few tricks to giving the Elves a better chance against the dreaded pirates.
Heavy Archery – Cards such as Nocked, Elven Marksmanship, and Legolas, Woodland Emissary can allow the Elves to avoid fighting Castamir of Umbar all together. Toss in a few Reckless We Rode, and you can make sure the pirate captain takes the brunt of the arrow volley. If this is the type of deck you’re going for, consider using Eowyn, Lady of Ithilien, as she seems to have a way of making wounds on minions multiply. Gil-galad, Elven High King can also allow you to double-move where you otherwise couldn’t, clearing the board of wounded minions.
Elf Events – A decktype that basically died with the X-listing of Galadriel, Lady Redeemed, this strategy actually has a decent chance of dealing with Corsairs. Playing lots of skirmish events like Valor and Supporting Fire helps to survive the Castamir of Umbar onslaught – having an event-based means of increasing your strength is much more effective against Corsairs than using possessions, which are very likely to get discarded by the Corsair Marauder. Cirdan, The Shipwright also becomes a force to be reckoned with once enough Elf events are in your discard pile, but he’ll be vulnerable to Red Wrath - that’s where Eowyn, Lady of Rohan once again makes a strong splash choice.
Telepathy – If you have a means of stacking high-cost Shadow cards on your deck (using Nenya, Ring of Adamant or Gandalf, Manager of Wizards does the trick), you can use Forearmed to consistently beat (and often kill) Castamir of Umbar and his friends.
Healing – Regardless of what Elf build you go with, healing will be a key – you’re going to lose skirmishes, and you’re going to take Red Wrath wounds. Luckily, Elves have plenty of healing at their disposal, with cards like Farewell to Lorien and Elrond, Venerable Lord.
Derufin – Elves lack possession removal, Derufin removes possession without cultural enforcement. That’s all there is to it.
 GANDALF
Gandalf tends to be the man with an answer for every situation, and Corsairs are no exception. Let’s take a look at the wizard’s impressive arsenal.
Roll of Thunder – A solid means of discarding Corsair ships, Roll of Thunder also has the potential to get rid of the Raider Halberd on Castamir of Umbar. A few copies find their way into many Gandalf decks as is, but with Corsairs coming back into the meta, this event has become even more important.
Terrible and Evil – Another card that’s often included in decks containing Gandalf, this maneuver event gives the potential to kill off Castamir of Umbar or a Black Numenorean from afar, and can be useful in virtually any matchup – not just Corsairs.
Leader of the Company – The most popular version of Gandalf in the game today gives strength bonuses to the entire fellowship early on, which can make the difference between companions surviving Castamir of Umbar's attack and taking a quick trip to the dead pile.
Out of the High Airs – Survived the pirates boarding your fellow-ship, but couldn’t manage to kill any of the patch-bearing attackers off? Out of the High Airs turns a definitive stop into an easy double-move.
 GOLLUM
Gollum doesn't have a whole lot of anti-Corsair tricks up his sleeve, but there are a few that are worth mentioning. The first is a combination of cards that can be used to help with the Castamir of Umbar problem, but also works on just about any other minion you can think of.
Smeagol, Always Helps + Don't Look at Them – So long as you’re not at the Cavern Entrance and Don't Look at Them doesn’t get discarded, any set of three cards in your hand turns into a pirate-seeking missile. Exhaust Castamir of Umbar with Smeagol’s text, then use Don't Look at Them to finish him off.
Smeagol, Scout and Guide - This particular version of Smeagol offers an easy way to cancel skirmishes, and that means you're not getting nailed by Red Wrath or overwhelmed by a giant pirate. Ensuring you're at a Marsh site is easier than one would think, with cards like Follow Smeagol and One Good Turn Deserves Another.
 GONDOR
Gondor’s got some great tools to combat the Corsairs – wound prevention, big companions, and possession removal. The soldiers of The White City probably have some of the best chances of fending off the sea-going Raiders.
Derufin – As mentioned in the Elf section, this guy has the potential to sink your opponent’s pirate boats. The difference is, in Gondor, he’s not a splash companion (and as such, can be the target of Gondor support cards).
Sapling of the White Tree – Wound prevention to stop Red Wrath or the usual skirmish bumps, in artifact form – just the type of card that Corsairs can’t get rid of.
 Narsil, Blade of the Faithful / Anduril, Flame of the West (or King's Blade) – Narsil on Elendil, The Tall and either version of Anduril on any Aragorn can bring the base strengths of these companions up to a respectable level without relying on possessions. This means the Corsair Marauder has no chance of discarding these weapons, and Castamir of Umbar is going to have to work that much harder for an overwhelm.
Noble Leaders / Garrison of Osgiliath – Condition-based strength boosting is much more reliable against Corsairs than possessions are, so these two cards can certainly help out. Be wary, however, as many Corsair players will be using Quelled, which will send either of these conditions straight to the discard pile.
Faramir, Son of Denethor – Skirmish abilities can’t be used against this Ithilien ranger, which means no Red Wrath, no Wind That Sped Ships, and no Raider Halberd being used to exhaust Castamir of Umbar. If you can get a means of increasing Faramir’s strength (conditions and events are your best bet, with the Corsair Marauder prowling around), he becomes the ultimate blocking pad for Castamir of Umbar. If you can’t find any support cards for Denethor’s son, he can still take some hits from an unarmed Black Numenorean.
Stone Tower / Citadel of the Stars – If Castamir of Umbar gets too many wounds on himself in an attempt to make use of his “Enduring” keyword, transferring these fortifications can kill him off. Just having these cards in your support area is likely to keep a Corsair player from exhausting Castamir of Umbar, which is perfect for you, the Free Peoples player.
 ROHAN
Rohan is an interesting matchup for Corsairs. On the one hand, the horse-lords have Shadow possession removal, wound prevention, and strong companions. On the other hand, they rely heavily on their own possessions, which Corsairs can easily wipe out. Let’s see what the Rohirrim can do to increase their chances.
Arrow-slits / For the Mark – Two easy ways to discard possessions means that the Corsair fleet will sink in no time. Also, as with Roll of Thunder, the option to take Castamir of Umbar's Raider Halberd away from him is presented here.
Eowyn, Lady of Rohan – A companion that can be included in any deck that wants to beat Corsairs, she certainly shouldn’t be left out of her own culture. Absorbing wounds from Red Wrath has never been so easy.
Merry, Swordthain / Sword Rack – A few means of replaying your possessions is a must in the Rohan vs. Corsair matchup, and either of these cards can do the trick. The only problem is that Sword Rack can be targeted by Quelled (which has the potential to nail two Sword Racks in one shot), while Merry occupies one of your valuable companion slots. However, even though each of these cards has a weakness, they can not be overlooked. Rohan without possessions is like a monkey with brain damage: stupid.
Haethen, Veteran Fighter – If you can keep his strength up to avoid overwhelms, he’s the ultimate companion for fierce skirmishes – no amount of Red Wrath will take this warrior of Rohan down during the second round of fighting.
 SHIRE
Many Free Peoples cultures are accustomed to winning a large portion of their skirmishes, only to have the world turn upside-down when they face Castamir of Umbar and his crew. Luckily, Hobbits are already very familiar with losing skirmishes, so they’re not out of their element when playing against Corsairs – the only problem is that they have to work a little harder to avoid those overwhelms.
Sudden Fury – Let’s face it, if you’re playing Hobbits these days, you’re already playing 3-4 copies of this card. It makes the Shirefolk darn near impossible to overwhelm, and your opponent is going to have a hard time wounding these furry-footed devils to death – they start with a fair amount of vitality and have healing in the form of Simple Living and Unharmed.
Simple Living / Unharmed – As noted above, great for keeping the skirmish wounds under control.
Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver – Use of this Pippin ensures that Castamir of Umbar won’t reach his twenty-two strength within the first few sites – if he exerts twice or more, Pippin can simply kill him off.
Diversion / Warmed Up a Bit – One good way to ensure you don’t die in a skirmish is to make sure you’re not present for it. Having your Hobbits run off (only to return later, usually with the help of Knocked on the Head) is an easy means of keeping your dead pile empty.
Derufin – Once again, Derufin finds himself splashing into a culture that has no possession removal otherwise. If the Corsair ships are giving you a problem, consider tossing in a copy of this Gondorian companion.
PREPARED FOR BATTLE
Now players of all cultures should be ready to fight the potential Corsair onslaught at this month’s tournaments. But keep in mind that this article lists nothing more than guidelines and suggestions on how to get an edge on the Corsairs – if you include too many anti-Corsair cards in your deck, you’ll deviate from your original build and end up losing to every other Shadow under the sun. Instead, take a look at the above list, and consider adding a few of these tech cards to your deck. Playing Rohan? Toss in a few Sword Racks. Using Gondor? Consider Sapling of the White Tree. The options are there, you just need to decide how to utilize them.
Good luck to everyone this month, and remember – being a pirate is all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
- Zach Shephard
| 
