by Matt Clemans

In his wretched grip, the Captain raised a Pale Sword.

One of the most popular Ringwraith strategies is to get out strong, fierce minions that your opponent cannot beat, in an effort to try and stop them from moving twice. Part of this is putting out minions that threaten to do massive damage to your opponent's fellowship. The Pale Blade is just the sort of card that fits into this strategy.

The most obvious benefit of The Pale Blade is the +3 strength it gives to The Witch-King. An additional three strength is often the difference between a wound and an overwhelmed companion. When you get other Nazgūl out as well, The Witch-king, Lord of Angmar armed with The Pale Blade becomes almost unbeatable. Even if a companion can survive against the strength of The Witch-king, the damage bonus on The Pale Blade makes it hard for any companion to fight twice.

The most useful aspect of The Pale Blade, however, is its Special Ability. As a response you can exert The Witch-king to discard a Free Peoples Condition. This allows you to get rid of O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!, Trust Me As You Once Did, or even No Stranger to The Shadows. Since The Witch-king can normally exert three times to discard three conditions, this makes The Pale Blade about the best condition removal for the Nazgūl.