by Ben Litz

"The three Riders that were still in the midst of the Ford were overwhelmed.... Their piercing cries were drowned in the roaring of the river as it carried them away."

The Ringwraiths, the NINE, the Black Riders, The Nazgul; no matter what you call them, they still spell TROUBLE for your fellowship. Since the advent of the Standard format and the Introduction of the X-List those Nasty Ringwraiths have become ever-more popular, more so than ever before. The strategy that seems to be used most is to keep at least one huge (strength 14-20) Fierce Nazgul on the table at each site, forcing you to either stop after one move or face a potentially fatal double move. Should you choose to move again you’ll have to fight that same “Big & Stompy” again, and he’ll more than likely call up a few of his friends as well. All that adds up to equal a very crippled Fellowship. What can be done about this, you ask? Well, never fear when Elves are near. Release the Angry Flood can help keep the Nazgul at bay. Let me show you the way.

Release the Angry Flood allows you to exert an Elf in the Maneuver phase to wound every Nazgul in play. This can be huge, especially in concert with some of that great elven archery, you may even be able to kill that wraith prior to the skirmish phase saving your elves the trouble. This tactic also makes a double move much more feasible. Though the current Tower block site path is void of Rivers it's still good to keep in mind that the effect of this card is doubled if used at a river site, now wounding each Nazgul in play twice. That’s great for those Fellowship Block Tournaments.

With the inherent high strength of the Nazgul, winning skirmishes is difficult; and with the new conditions being released with the Ents of Fangorn set, getting wounds on them is going to be key. Two big cards, Winged and Ominous as well as Spied From Above key off of the Nazgul being able to exert in the Regroup phase. We all know that an exhausted minion (or companion/ally for that matter) can’t exert, and if they can’t exert, these new powerhouses can’t trigger. So give those Black Riders a big “Flush” and Release the Angry Flood; for the alternative may prove to be very, very bloody.