Greetings new Recruit! You have been selected to join the grand army of Saruman, the White Hand (Glory to his name). No matter your personal thoughts on the matter we demand that you give 100% to the army, dissent is not an option and will result in execution!
Recently the armies of the Dreadhorde and the Forces of Sarauman (Glory to his name) have signed as nonaggression pact and joined forces to vanquish our collective enemies. Despite the fundamental differences in the motives, combat style, culture, preference of food, social skills, and basic morals we know this will be a prosperous and long-lived partnership! Do we not all share the Amass keyword? Yes, so any claims that this alliance is doomed to end in betrayal will be considered Treason and will result in execution!
So, how does one start serving Supreme Commander Saruman (Glory to his name)? Good Question! The aim of our conquests is to amass a large number of Zombies and Orcs to crush our foes. We will do this through three methods: Direct recruitment through the Amass Keyword, the invincible magic of our Supreme Commander Saruman (Glory to his name) after Committing of War Crimes, and through the use of the bizarre magic of our Commissars and the experimental proliferation.
The first order of any good conquest is preparation. The first turns of the game must be dedicated to laying the carpet for the arrival of Supreme Commander Saruman (Glory to his name) and the crimes that shall be committed once he has graced the battlefield with his presence. Of course, should he smile upon us the ideal play should be a Sol Ring. But in less ideal situations a mana producing artifact like Arcane Signet, Dimir Signet, Izzet Signet, Rakdos Signet, or Fellwar Stone will serve to expediate the entrance of the Supreme Commander by a turn. Out master's faithful attendant Nightscape Familiar also serves this purpose. Should his glorious arrival be delayed to turn 4 it is pertinent that preparations be made regardless. Thunderclap Drake and Ral, Monsoon Mage
will reduce the cost of future war crimes, while Staff of Compleation offers flexibility in exchange for the blood cost. Once Supreme Commander Saruman (Glory to his name) has manifested fully it is still vital to prepare, as his majesty requires a fitting offensive to be at the head of. The priority should be the esoteric venues of the Experimental Magic section, but if none are available discounts such as Wizards of Thay and Mindsplice Apparatus will provide heavy discounts to expediate a war crime on future turns. Larger mana investments such as Relic of Sauron and The Eternity Elevator are also welcome to fund further crimes. It should be noted that while a lesser army would leave themselves vulnerable when preparing such measures, Supreme Commander Saruman (Glory to his name) possesses great magic that summons forth soldiers equal to the mana spent, leaving us never defenseless.
Once all preparations are complete it is time to arm our army with Munitions. These are various noble warriors who will provide the army created by Supreme Commander Saruman (Glory to his name) with extra keywords. Dreadhorde Twins, Shadowspear, and Orcish Siegemaster all provide trample to crush foes hiding behind their puny minions, with the Siegemaster going above and beyond by copying the immense strength of the army. Eternal Skylord provides flying to soar over defenders, though Geralf requires a member of the Dreadhorde to have entered before him as he cannot bestow the Zombie subtype to our army himself. Dreadhorde Invasion and the aforementioned Shadowspear both grant lifelink, allowing the disregard of personal safety as our warriors survive off of violence alone. And there lies the deadliest of all our weapons: Double strike. Assault on Osgiliath and Temur Battle Rage can both instantly double the effective strength of our forces, the battle rage especially with its nature as an Instant. Many a foe has vanished in an instant under their advance. And I would be remiss not to mention some of our glorious leaders trusted lieutenants: Former supreme leader Sauron, the Dark Lord grows our forces as the enemies scheme away on their turns, in addition to allowing us to restore our resourced when depleted, while Mahur, Uruk-hai Captain increases the strength of every soldier added to our army. Both of them are indispensable despite their demotion from leader and second-in-command when our glorious master took power. And Warg Rider is here too I suppose, he mostly just ups recruiting numbers.
Invaluable to any army are its officers. Our Commissars serve directly under Supreme Commander Saruman (Glory to his name) and represent this glorious army's magical supremacy. Each of them are Planeswalkers that can weave incredible magic that will certainly be used to its fullest potential. Any suggestion that they largely exist to divert attention from Supreme Commander Saruman (Glory to his name) or our life total and are intended to die after a turn or two will be met with immediate execution. Why, just look upon our greatest achievement yet, the Masterpiece The Aetherspark. With this ingenious device every member of our glorious army can be a part of this artificial magic, easily allowing us to achieve feats unheard of by mortal mages! Why, with its most powerful ability we can easily cast our deadliest spells. Once the spark has made its debut the enemy will be swiftly vanquished!
Once the proper setup has been arranged it is time to amass sheer numbers to crush our foes. It is time for the star of the show: War Crimes. These high-cost spells will generate immense value once our Supreme Leader (Glory to his name) witnesses their mere casting! These powerful spells might refill our hand with Commence the Endgame, Treasure Cruise, or Sea Gate Restoration
, decimate opposing forces with Call Forth the Tempest, Cruel Ultimatum, or Expropriate, grant us extra spells at no cost such as Mizzix's Mastery or Summons of Saruman, or even strike down our opponents where they stand through direct measure like Gravatic Punch. We shall use these to crush whichever of our foolish opponents is poses the greatest threat. Once they have been dealt with we will capitalize on our army to crush whichever foe rears their ugly head next.
Invaluable in this pursuit are the esoteric magics brewed within the depths of our camps, allowing us to maximize value from our spells. Kess, Dissident Mage and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned weave their magics to allow us to call forth our war crimes or removal a second time. Flux Channeler and Metallurgic Summonings increase in value for each spell cast, cascading their effects to secure our victory. But most devastating are our two greatest weapons. Arcane Bombardment unleashes wave after wave of free magic upon our foes, each of them counting as a cast in the eyes of our Supreme Leader (Glory to his name) and growing our forces. Meanwhile All Will Be One turns every new recruit into direct action, allowing us to remove threats or begin striking down our opponents before our forces even reach the enemy.
But no army would survive contact with the enemy without countermeasures. When the battle draws on and the crucial moment for victory draws near, we must not forget to leave mana open to protect our forces from enemy counteraction. In the same vein, we must keep a close eye on our greatest foes so that we can strike down crucial pillars of their forces if it becomes apparent that their continued survival will lead to losses in our ranks. Sometimes it is even necessary to level the field entirely, using indiscriminate spells that destroy our own magics and munitions if it means catching our enemies in the ranks as well. Our troops are hardy; they will live through our spells. And do not fear if Supreme Leader Saruman (Glory to his name) is caught up in one of these assaults. His immense magic will allow him to return despite his apparent death.
Now you know everything you need to know recruit. Now get out there and charge that Dragon, knowing that our Supreme Leader (Glory to his name) is with you!
