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This Card-Review article was written by Cynthia Hart and was published first on "Lord of the Rings Online (lotrtcg.decipher.com)".
The Dunlending Ravager is a 1 cost, 5 strength minion whose versatility is often overlooked. This card should be a natural for inclusion in every Dunlending deck you make because of the many ways it can destroy allies and aid in various Dunlending strategies.
Teaming the Dunlending Ravager with the Dunlending Warrior is a good counter for anyone who winds up facing Rohan Fellowships day in and day out. Kill off the annoying villagers who heal and pump strength and you've crippled the Rohan companions. But the Ravager can also win skirmishes against almost any unpumped ally, not just the Rohan ones. The only allies who can triumph over the Ravager without some kind of weapon or pump card are Elrond, Celeborn and Treebeard.
And how many times have you watched Frodo in an open format tournament "Filibert" out of a fierce skirmish that would have otherwise killed a companion? The Dunlending Ravager can easily overwhelm Filibert and solve that problem. Hate the Bounder? Let the Ravager play with him.
The Dunlending Ravager is also the perfect complement for a number of Dunlending deck strategies. Are you running Dunlending possession removal? Slap a War Club on the Dunlending Ravager and point him at an ally. Do that and you can remove Aragorn's sword and Gandalf's horse without even skirmishing a companion! And if your opponent has two allies out, use War Cry of Dunland to make the Ravager fierce and remove even more possessions.
Using Dunlending site control? Put down Wulf and the Dunlending Ravager. The Ravager wins and Wulf takes control of a site. It doesn't matter how much your opponent beefs up his companions; with the Dunlending Ravager you can still win skirmishes. Ever notice how many of the pump cards cannot be used to pump up allies? And any pump card that is used on an ally is once less card that is available for a companion.
The only Dunlending strategy the Ravager doesn't have a major part in is the fierce swarm. He doesn't get stronger when he wins a skirmish (unless you play a card on him that helps him do so) and he doesn't allow you to play another minion for a minus 2 twilight cost. But he's still a low cost minion who can soak up a point of archery for you before you get your Hides out; thereby helping to keep the others alive to do the real fighting.
So there you have it, the Dunlending Ravager; a versatile 1 cost minion who tears through allies and supports possession removal and site control.