The Way Into Mordor - Elves (1/16: "Fæste, stille nú." / "A red sun rises....")

[DáinIronfoot]

Liking my titles lately?

Ahem. I tweaked the last two cards. Tireless and Swift now targets the minion yourself (at the expense of both the Man AND the Elf needing to be hunters) and I finally relented on Silent Ones: the skirmish ability now works only for Elf hunters.

A batch of new, random cards today that encourage some Elf hunter splashing. Enjoy!

Stands Not Alone
Event • Skirmish
Exert an unbound Elf to make another unbound companion strength +1 for each of the following that is true: that unbound companion is a hunter; that Elf is a hunter; that Elf bears a weapon; that Elf is not assigned to a skirmish.
Legolas' bow quickly joined the weapons of the other members of the Fellowship when raised in battle.

Unfortunately, the "you would die before your stroke fell!" lore was already taken by this set's Legolas, From Distant Mirkwood. So the lore here is kind of lame...but hopefully the card itself isn't. Should provide +3 very easily and +4 with minimal work. Remember that weapons are already big in this set, so....

Feel The Tenseness
Event • Maneuver
Spot 3 hunters and exert an Elf hunter to reveal an opponent's hand. That opponent must remove or a threat for each Shadow card revealed.
"He stood under the eaves of the forest, stooping forward, as if he were listening, and peering with wide eyes into the shadows."

Good old familiar telepathy, with a BIG twist. Too powerful?

Strangest Riddle
Event • Regroup
Spot an Elf and a non-Elf companion in your discard pile to reconcile your hand.
"‘After that, I suppose, he turned his arms into wings and flew away singing into the trees. It should be easy to find him: we only need wings ourselves!'"

Discard pile? Easier than you might think. This set brings back discarding Hobbits, and also features discarding Gandalf, if you remember. It also has Ents which can discard cards like crazy to fight, and don't forget discarding unique companions from hand to heal their counterparts already in play! See...not so hard to trigger after all.

[FM]

I think that last card might be a bit too much. As you said yourself, it's easy to pull off, near-uncounterable and a huge bonus for decks, which usually rely on events anyway. I think it needs a steeper twilight cost, specifically, because exertions or threats won't do much good against a double, whereas twilight will.

[Thranduil]

Not Alone
Event • Skirmish
Exert an unbound Elf to make another unbound companion strength +1 for each of the following that is true: that unbound companion is a hunter; that Elf is a hunter; that Elf bears a weapon; that Elf is not assigned to a skirmish.
Legolas' bow quickly joined the weapons of the other members of the Fellowship when raised in battle.

Seems fine. Except that the title is already used by a card (oh thank you autolink!)

Feel The Tenseness
Event • Maneuver
Exert an Elf hunter to reveal an opponent's hand. For each forest site you can spot, that opponent must remove or a threat.
"He stood under the eaves of the forest, stooping forward, as if he were listening, and peering with wide eyes into the shadows."

My problem with this card is that the second line has nothing to do with the first. Either make the removing or a threat conditional on the cards revealed (for example, for each event revealed) or drop the revealing a hand completely.

Strangest Riddle
Event • Regroup
Spot an Elf and a companion in your discard pile to reconcile your hand.
"‘After that, I suppose, he turned his arms into wings and flew away singing into the trees. It should be easy to find him: we only need wings ourselves!'"

Seems fine, though extra twilight cost is probably a good idea.

Thranduil

[DáinIronfoot]

Feel The Tenseness
Event • Maneuver
Exert an Elf hunter to reveal an opponent's hand. For each forest site you can spot, that opponent must remove or a threat.
"He stood under the eaves of the forest, stooping forward, as if he were listening, and peering with wide eyes into the shadows."

My problem with this card is that the second line has nothing to do with the first. Either make the removing or a threat conditional on the cards revealed (for example, for each event revealed) or drop the revealing a hand completely.

Whoops! That was kind of silly, wasn't it? This started with discarding cards from hand, but was modified to the point that the telepathy part didn't make much sense, eh? Fixed now. Too much?

Tweaked the others as well. Strangest Riddle now requires that discarded companion to be a non-Elf, which limits it somewhat. (No simply tossing it in with a bunch of unique Elves that discard copies of themselves from hand to heal anymore!)

[Thranduil]

Well, I'm happy!

Thranduil

[FM]

Yeah, they're definitely better now.

[lem0nhead]

Stands Not Alone
Event • Skirmish
Exert an unbound Elf to make another unbound companion strength +1 for each of the following that is true: that unbound companion is a hunter; that Elf is a hunter; that Elf bears a weapon; that Elf is not assigned to a skirmish.
Legolas' bow quickly joined the weapons of the other members of the Fellowship when raised in battle.

Its not clear which unbound companion youre getting the bonus from... Seeing as you exerted it can be free.

Feel The Tenseness
Event • Maneuver
Exert an Elf hunter to reveal an opponent's hand. That opponent must remove or a threat for each Shadow card revealed.
"He stood under the eaves of the forest, stooping forward, as if he were listening, and peering with wide eyes into the shadows."

Probably too powerful. Seems an easy nuke for no effort.

Strangest Riddle
Event • Regroup
Spot an Elf and a non-Elf companion in your discard pile to reconcile your hand.
"‘After that, I suppose, he turned his arms into wings and flew away singing into the trees. It should be easy to find him: we only need wings ourselves!'"

Ok.

[DáinIronfoot]

Dropped Stands Not Alone to and upped the "spotting requirements" for Feel the Tenseness. How's that?

[DáinIronfoot]

Some very unusual cards today, based on some fun ideas I had regarding the interaction between Aragorn and Brego (and, as the lore implies in the first of these cards, the interaction between Legolas and Arod from the novel). Enjoy!

Stille Nú
Event • Fellowship
Exert an Elf companion (or Aragorn) to play a mount from your draw deck.
"...Arod was tame and willing beneath him, moving here and there with but a spoken word: such was the elvish way with all good beasts."

Helps set up some nice / pairings, or can be used to snag Asfaloth, at least (though ironically, this is the only LOTR set in which that steed does not appear ).

Man Cenich?
Event • Maneuver
Exert an Elf (or spot Aragorn and an Elf) to reveal the top X cards of your draw deck, where X is the number of Free Peoples mounts you can spot. You may reinforce a culture token for each Free Peoples card revealed.
"‘I've heard of the magic of Elves, but I did not look for it in a Ranger from the North. You speak as one of their own.'"

Perhaps a little too complicated--I was originally thinking of healing, but I think I have plenty already--but I wanted this to be a bit wild and wacky. Usually you might get one token out of this, but with good deck manipulation it COULD be HUGE.

With today being my last day at my current job (and thus likely the last time I can post DCs during working hours), I might post more later today if these get a few reviews early on.

[Thranduil]

I think the second card is too complicated, but they both seem fine to me.

Thranduil

[Elf_Lvr]

Stille Nú
Event • Fellowship
Exert an Elf companion (or Aragorn) to play a mount on that companion from your draw deck.
"...Arod was tame and willing beneath him, moving here and there with but a spoken word: such was the elvish way with all good beasts."

I might not use it, unless there's some good mounts that can play on Elves. I might make it:

"Exert an Elf companion (or spot Aragorn) to play a mount from your draw deck."

That would also encourage some Aragorn/ interaction.

Man Cenich?
Event • Maneuver
Exert an Elf (or Aragorn) to reveal the top X cards of your draw deck, where X is the number of Free Peoples mounts you can spot. You may reinforce a culture token of each Free Peoples culture revealed.
"‘I've heard of the magic of Elves, but I did not look for it in a Ranger from the North. You speak as one of their own.'"

I'd either spot Aragorn or just reinforce for each Free Peoples card revealed.

[DáinIronfoot]

Tweaked 'em both. Better now?

[sickofpalantirs]

Some very unusual cards today, based on some fun ideas I had regarding the interaction between Aragorn and Brego (and, as the lore implies in the first of these cards, the interaction between Legolas and Arod from the novel). Enjoy!

Stille Nú
Event • Fellowship
Exert an Elf companion (or Aragorn) to play a mount from your draw deck.
"...Arod was tame and willing beneath him, moving here and there with but a spoken word: such was the elvish way with all good beasts."
fine maybe and reinforce an elf token as an added bonus?

Man Cenich?
Event • Maneuver
Exert an Elf (or spot Aragorn and an Elf) to reveal the top X cards of your draw deck, where X is the number of Free Peoples mounts you can spot. You may reinforce a culture token for each Free Peoples card revealed.
"‘I've heard of the magic of Elves, but I did not look for it in a Ranger from the North. You speak as one of their own.'"

coolio.

[FM]

I think they're both fine. I love how you bleed the cultures like that, allowing an card to be played form a or deck while STILL keeping it culturally enforced.

[DáinIronfoot]

Sweet. As promised, then, more cards! (Though anyone that wants to go back and review the others is still more than welcome. ). These up the ante a bit and really provide some sweeping benefits not just for Elves, but for hunters in general....

The Hunt Is Over
Event • Skirmish
Make an Elf companion strength +1 for each hunter you can spot.
"‘We were the hunters, and you should give an account of yourselves to us first.'"

Need a limit? With cards like Sprang Forth Nimbly, Spied From Afar, Axe Work, and especially Grim Trophy having no limit, I thought it was alright here, but if you disagree....

•A Red Sun Rises
Condition • Support Area
Each time a minion is killed or discarded, you may exert an Elf hunter (or spot an Elf and 4 hunters) to add an token here.
Skirmish: Remove an token from here to make a hunter strength +2 or strength -2.
Discard this condition at the start of the fellowship phase.
"‘It is a red dawn. Strange things await us by the eaves of the forest. Good or evil, I do not know; but we are called.'"

Hahah. Bwahaha. MWAHAHAHAHAAA! Death by archery, skirmishing, Ithilien Blade...doesn't matter. Each one nets you additional strength. For a limited time, at least.