Common/Uncommon Unique Characters

[ket_the_jet]

Dictionary's topic about Sharku, Vile Marauder got me thinking about scaled back versions of some of the best minions in the early parts of Movie Block. Imagine you draw a Lurtz's Sword in a pack back when Mines of Moria came out...but you have no way to play the card. In this thread, I am going to posit a few guesses at what common or uncommon versions of some of the best minions of Fellowship block might have been. The cards are not meant to replace the rare versions--in most cases, the rare will be obviously better.

But as Saruman, Servant of the Eye has a place in some decks where Saruman, Keeper of Isengard doesn't fit, here too we will find a few interesting dream card ideas.

Part of the struggle with this idea is that the threats, particularly in Fellowship block, are singular and large. Running into a Cave Troll in Moria is such a huge deal for the Fellowship because it is an absurd challenge for them...when, in just a few books/movies, they'll be battling armies of trolls and warriors. So I don't want to dilute the Fellowship block brand and play-style.

I'm going to start with Lurtz. I'd like him to fit in Fellowship block without being overpowered, while still offering a unique play-style in future blocks. As a result of this constraint, he won't directly spot unbound Hobbits though that would be better flavor.

• Lurtz, Captain of the White Hand
Minion • Uruk-Hai
Strength: 13
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Tracker. Damage +1.
Each time the free people's player plays a stealth event, you may exert a Hobbit (except the Ring-bearer).
Uncommon

He isn't perfect, and he's missing the fierce and archer that makes the rare version better in most cases. But against Merry, Friend to Sam, this Lurtz could be the difference between you winning a skirmish and losing a skirmish.

By Towers block, you are getting interesting, big minions that are commons and uncommons as companions and minions both experience a bit of power-creep. Ugluk's Sword stands out as a card that is not specific to the single minion, and cards like Eomer's Spear are also playable on any man.

What are some other characters that you think are worthy of the common/uncommon version treatment? I think Sharku, Vile Marauder works perfectly as an uncommon minion, for what it is worth!
-wtk

Edit:
As Durin's Heir suggested, I have added the Tracker game text. For a deck without many rares, particularly in Fellowship, it might be nice for this guy to show up again at Tol Brandir for the creative deck builder!

More Dream Cards in this Thread:

	Lurtz, Captain of the White Hand	(Check out my take here!)
	Watcher in the Water, Mysterious Creature	(Check out my take here!)
	Bill Ferny, Wicked Breelander	(Check out my take here!)
	Elrond, Lore-Keeper	(Check out my take here!)
	Galdriel, Elf Queen	(Check out my take here!)
	Ulaire Attea, Khamul	(Check out my take here!)
	Ugluk, Disciplined Agent	(Check out my take here!)
	Grishnakh, Lieutenant of Lugburz	(Check out my take here!)
	Grishnakh's Scimitar	(Check out my take here!)

[Phallen Cassidy]

What's the reasoning behind not exerting the Ring-bearer? Frodo was gone by the time he showed up?

[ket_the_jet]

What's the reasoning behind not exerting the Ring-bearer? Frodo was gone by the time he showed up?

I just kind of felt like he was most antagonistic to the unbound Hobbits and Boromir. I just didn't want to use the word "unbound" as it didn't exist in the game's lexicon yet. Also, besides Worry, it does not seem to fit the Uruk-Hai subcultures in either Fellowship or Towers block. I kind of wanted this to function like The Nine Servants of Sauron.

That said, every deck in through King Standard has Frodo...there may not be other hobbits in the deck, so this guy is not as helpful in most cases. He doesn't really benefit if Saruman's Snows is in play and he doesn't necessarily make much of a dent against The Last Alliance of Elves and Men decks either.

[Not a Zombie]

Fun idea, kinda like they do for Shelob in king block. From fellowship block, The Cave Troll and The Watcher in the Water come to mind. Otherwise, there is Gorbag, Gothmog, and maybe Ugluk are the only other ones I could think of.

[ket_the_jet]

• Watcher in the Water, Mysterious Creature
Minion • Creature
Strength: 11
Vitality: 4
Site: 4
This minion is strength +1 for each tentacle you can spot. This minion may not bear possessions and is discarded if not at a marsh.
Uncommon

Is this better than the other Watcher? On one hand, the tentacles aren't any stronger so they're going to get cut through pretty quickly. On the other hand, you can play this guy, tentacles, and those Goblin Runners you need to ensure you have the twilight for your site 4 swarm.

[Wyrden333]

• Lurtz, Captain of the White Hand
Minion • Uruk-Hai
Strength: 13
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Damage +1.
Each time the free people's player plays a stealth event, you may exert a Hobbit (except the Ring-bearer).
Uncommon

With the information that you make him weaker on purpose, he seems good, otherwise I'd say you should add just a little bit like make him get fierce if he bears a weapon or just something, because I personally feel like he's very underpowered. Or just make him cost 6 or something like that.

7 • Watcher in the Water, Mysterious Creature
Minion • Creature
Strength: 11
Vitality: 4
Site: 4
This minion is strength +1 for each tentacle you can spot. This minion may not bear possessions and is discarded if not at a marsh.
Uncommon

Is this better than the other Watcher? On one hand, the tentacles aren't any stronger so they're going to get cut through pretty quickly. On the other hand, you can play this guy, tentacles, and those Goblin Runners you need to ensure you have the twilight for your site 4 swarm.

I like him to be honest. But his twilight cost is a mistake isn't it? It probably should be 4 like the original on, or am I missing something?

[ket_the_jet]

Nice spot...Watcher's twilight cost was a mistake.

As for Lurtz, I think if I was going to do anything, I'd tack archer back on. He's still fierce if you have Saruman, Keeper of Isengard, Hunt Them Down, or Uruk-Hai Rampage, after all.

[TheHumanHydra]

I'd love a playable Fellowship Watcher (or a playable pre-Shadows Watcher at all, other than that weird combo). The big problem seems to be that it's only playable at two specific sites. I wonder if what it really needs is a site like The Bridge of Khazad-dum (and to be good without the tentacles). That said, I appreciate this design as a toned-down, non-rare version that's less restrictive, like you said; I think it makes sense.

Another edit: Oh my goodness, my brother just suggested that it should be playable at rivers. So simple, makes it so much easier to use. His/our idea:

(4) The Watcher in the Water, Sirannon Horror (Moria)
Minion - Tentacle Creature
Strength 11 Vitality 4 Site 4
Fierce.
While you can spot no minions other than tentacles, skip the archery phase.
This minion may not bear possessions and is discarded if not at a marsh or river.
R

[Durin's Heir]

Very interesting thread! I like the idea of having cheap alternatives for unique minions, it helps to develop the characters deeplier. The cheap versions are sometimes better for specific purposes... I've always used Servant of the Eye over Keeper Of Isengard (yeah, I'm that crazy).

• Lurtz, Captain of the White Hand
Minion • Uruk-Hai
Strength: 13
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Damage +1.
Each time the free people's player plays a stealth event, you may exert a Hobbit (except the Ring-bearer).
Uncommon

That Lurtz seems too passive to my taste. Just like Orc / Uruk Scout, depends totally on your opponent's build and actions. The skill will be useless if 1) not facing additional Hobbits, or 2) not a single stealth is played (in front of Lurtz). Dwarves, Elven Discard, Archery, some Gandalf builds will provide the case. And gets worse in Towers Standard (which goes against your idea of "offering a unique play-style in future blocks").

Nonetheless, the flavor and effect are really nice. It'd be great if could be triggered by your own actions too:

•Lurtz, Captain of the White Hand
Minion • Uruk-Hai
Strength 13  Vitality 3  Site 5
Tracker. Damage +1.
Each time a stealth or search card is played, you may remove to exert a Hobbit (except the Ring-bearer).
"'Are they Men he has ruined, or has he blended the races of Orcs and Men? That would be a black evil!'"

Now triggers with your own actions too, but costs to prevent abuses (still, Hobbit Stealth, Intuition and Depart Silently cost that so the passive use should always happen regardless). To use actively you'd need the search card + (besides Lurtz's to ), in order to exert Merry / Bounder, so that twilight cost must be taken into account. That might do marvels with Saruman's Reach or the Tracker conditions, but often would still be less than the 5 wounds that the original Lurtz usually delivers. And would be still specific to Hobbit-centered/aided decks.

To extend it to any deck, you might let the FP player choose the Hobbit: "Each time a stealth or search card is played, you may remove to make the Free Peoples player exert a Hobbit." You lose the control, but can now pile up wounds on Frodo (or grind Hobbit decks faster), which should help Worry or Uruk archery a lot.

Fun idea, kinda like they do for Shelob in king block. From fellowship block, The Cave Troll and The Watcher in the Water come to mind.

You forgot about Bill Ferny and the Witch King. Here's my try with Ferny:

•Bill Ferny, Wicked Breelander
Minion • Man
Strength 4  Vitality 2  Site 2
Each Free Peoples event gains this cost: "exert a companion."
Shadow: Play an or minion to draw a card.
Assignment: Exert Bill Ferny to make he may not be assigned to a skirmish.
"'Morning, Longshanks!' he said. 'Off early?'"

Punishes the use of FP events (especially pre-skirmish ones), but they will be biting you still. Has a spare vitality point which can be used to play tricks (OOYMDT, Spies of Saruman, Saruman's Snows), or to avoid the fight and extend his mischief to skirmishes while others do the dirty work (still, to counter FP pumps is much better to pack a Shadow pump). That leaves the door open for tricks like News of Mordor and Men Will Fall...

Being a spy, he helps and decks to display more easily. Should be useful with Isen Men and Swarms, and with condition-dependant Shadows to some extent. And just like his sidekick the Goblin Man, can soak up to 2 undirected arrows!



There's also Sauron, who never got the appropriate portrayal as the Mastermind of (almost) all evil under sun or moon...

•Sauron, The Lidless Eye
Minion • Maia
Strength 12  Vitality 4  Site 6
Sauron may not be assigned to a skirmish.
Shadow: Play a card to draw a card.
Maneuver: Play a condition to exert an ally.
Skirmish: Exert Sauron to make a or minion strength +1 (or +2 if the Ring-bearer wears The One Ring).

He covers most of the weak spots of the culture:
 - Can soak up to 4 arrows (like Morgul Hunter does, who costs more but can fight).
 - Can pump your minions slightly
 - Musters resources to set up faster, and
 - Can exert allies before they do too much harm.

But he can never fight, and costs (or during the 1st half) to merely support a culture that already has twilight problems. Also, the pin-cushion and pump roles cannot be done fully simulateously. Still, should allow Orc / Morgul Slayer more chances than what currently have, and the cycling and ally-exerting effects might be worthy of that twilight.

And can be used for spotting/exerting cost purposes exclusively: Hand of Sauron, Massing in the East, the Dark Lord Advances, His Cruelty and Malice, and Tower of Barad-Dur.


Just my 2 cents.

[Wyrden333]

Durin's Heir,
I think that addition makes Lurz pretty decent and I like that take you made, but I feel you missed the point on Bill and Sauron.
They do to much for a Common/ an Uncommen.
 Theiy are a good concept, but the point was to give specific Rare cards (or cards in general) a Reason in Limited, because they only work with single cards (such as Lurtz's Sword).

If you think other I'm happy to argue on that, but as I said both these cards do to much for an Uncommon.

[ket_the_jet]

(4) The Watcher in the Water, Sirannon Horror (Moria)
Minion - Tentacle Creature
Strength 11 Vitality 4 Site 4
Fierce.
While you can spot no minions other than tentacles, skip the archery phase.
This minion may not bear possessions and is discarded if not at a marsh or river.
R

I love the idea of making the Watcher playable at rivers as well, but making the card more versatile (and replacing the rare version) is not my intention here. I would also note that your version is not unique, though I am guessing that is an oversight.

Durin's Heir, to your point about Lurtz, I think stealth events are still very common in Towers block. Dauntless Hobbit and Ent decks feature Swiftly and Softly and Severed His Bonds fairly heavily. I do like making him a tracker though, so I've added that in. That means that Lurtz can help make a final stand at Tol Brandir if you are inclined to use that as your site 9, and also fits in better with the "unbound hobbits cannot be discarded" trackers from set 4.

•Bill Ferny, Wicked Breelander
Minion • Man
Strength 4  Vitality 2  Site 2
Each Free Peoples event gains this cost: "exert a companion."
Shadow: Play an or minion to draw a card.
Assignment: Exert Bill Ferny to make he may not be assigned to a skirmish.
"'Morning, Longshanks!' he said. 'Off early?'"

My first take is that this Bill Ferny is insanely powerful. I can't see much reason he would not appear in almost every Isengard or Wraith decks, particularly in Fellowship block. He does so much! Also, it wasn't until Saruman in the Towers set does a character appear across cultures. Not that this is necessarily preventative of changing Ferny here, but it is just something to consider.

I am with Wyrden333 here in that perhaps you are missing the intention of this exercise. I cannot think of a single common/uncommon companion, ally, or minion that has multiple actions of game text. That is an important framing device of this exercise as well.

Look at Grima, Son of Galmod versus the other two Grima cards from Towers block. Both of the rares offer really unique and incredible abilities, while Son of Galmod is just mildly useful (presuming he can survive his own skirmish).

I would actually be more inclined to make a common Bill Ferny exactly like Son of Galmod. I'm going to focus it particularly on Gandalf and Aragorn who are both the two best fighters of Fellowship block, but also have their stories tied to the Prancing Pony itself. Most Nazgul don't need too much help with Dwarves or Elves in Fellowship block anyways.

•Bill Ferny, Wicked Breelander
Minion • Man
Strength 4  Vitality 1  Site 2
Bill Ferny cannot be assigned to a skirmish.
Each Man or Wizard bearing a Shadow condition is strength -1.
"'Morning, Longshanks!' he said. 'Off early?'"
Common

Here is another card that I think would be a boon to Fellowship block. He might only be actionable with Master of Healing and if you happened to pick up Vilya in a Realms booster pack, but here we go anyways.

• Elrond, Lore-Keeper
Ally • Site 3 • Elf
Strength: 8
Vitality: 4
Fellowship or Regroup: Play a tale or artifact to heal a companion once (or ally twice).
Uncommon

This guy becomes a lot more powerful in the realm of Reflections, but still isn't the most versatile version of Elrond. Ironically, he might be better than Elrond, Keeper of Vilya.

Originally, I had Elrond as an "each time a tale or artifact is played..." Of course, that guarantees at least one heal with Might of Numenor and removes the cost from Nine-Fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom completely. I think it is okay to add the regroup cost of playing a tale, because of the precedent that is later set with Bilbo, Bearer of Things Burgled.

Let me know what you think! Remember, simpler is always better!

[Not a Zombie]

•Bill Ferny, Wicked Breelander
Minion • Man
Strength 4  Vitality 2  Site 2
Each Free Peoples event gains this cost: "exert a companion."
Shadow: Play an or minion to draw a card.
Assignment: Exert Bill Ferny to make he may not be assigned to a skirmish.
"'Morning, Longshanks!' he said. 'Off early?'"

My first take is that this Bill Ferny is insanely powerful. I can't see much reason he would not appear in almost every Isengard or Wraith decks, particularly in Fellowship block.

With is first line of text, I would play him in almost any fellowship block deck. Worst case, he costs 2 and soaks up 1-2 archery, best case he prevents your opponent from playing any events. Get rid of every line of text but the one about free peoples events and it would be more balanced, and probably fit better with the C/U theme of this thread

[Wyrden333]

First of, I don't quite know what to think of your Bill, ket, but I feel like he's fitting his role in the books, but he's not fitting the Fellowship Block Theme, but ok pass on this one for the power level in any case.

What would be if he was 'Anti-Hobbit'-style as well?  If not, I would still definitely include Hobbits in your Game text since they're important in Bree as well.

• Elrond, Lore-Keeper
Ally • Site 3 • Elf
Strength: 8
Vitality: 4
Fellowship or Regroup: Play a tale or artifact to heal a companion once (or ally twice).
Uncommon

This guy becomes a lot more powerful in the realm of Reflections, but still isn't the most versatile version of Elrond. Ironically, he might be better than Elrond, Keeper of Vilya.

Originally, I had Elrond as an "each time a tale or artifact is played..." Of course, that guarantees at least one heal with Might of Numenor and removes the cost from Nine-Fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom completely. I think it is okay to add the regroup cost of playing a tale, because of the precedent that is later set with Bilbo, Bearer of Things Burgled.

Let me know what you think! Remember, simpler is always better!

Hm, despite his powerful effect, for FotR Block he's perfectly fine I think because of his high cost, but as you mentioned, he is getting stronger with every tale added to the card pool later on.
Lore wise, you kept it near the originals with is healing ability, what seems perfect for the first book.

Btw, I think I'd love to see a 'Last Alliance'-Elrond companion in for FotR block, I think I will see if I get a good idea for one, but feel free to take this idea. 

[ket_the_jet]

Btw, I think I'd love to see a 'Last Alliance'-Elrond companion in for FotR block, I think I will see if I get a good idea for one, but feel free to take this idea. 

Sure, but any Elrond companion would be on the Aragorn/Gandalf strength level not fitting the Fellowship block format and definitely not fitting the lore of the game at that point (you can almost argue to me that he is a player in the King film since he travels to produce Anduril for Aragorn).

Remember, until Reflections we didn't see any of these "ancient warrior" type characters. Elrond is likely still a strong character, but he isn't the battle-hardy general he is presented as in the beginning.

[Wyrden333]

Don't talk to me about a sword -bringing Elrond, but I guess that does not belong here.