The Twilight World - COMPLETE LIST

[Thranduil]

Uh...why can't you just do toil 2 instead of the first long line of text? After all, by defintion, toil X means "For each [culture] character you exert when playing this card, its twilight cost is -X." So that would do...exactly what your first line of text does. Covers Shadow AND FP characters too, I believe.

No - I thought so too at first, but it's not true. If you look on the cards themselves, the reminder text does not mention that the characters you exert have to be yours. However, if you look at the toil entry in the comprehensive rules, it does.

I actually don't like how it specifically mentions Ufthak (though I don't have a problem with an Ufthak minion that works with Shelob, if that makes any sense). I would simply change that to "a unique Orc minion", or perhaps "a unique minion".

Fair enough, but you seem to have missed the fact that this Shelob has changed, and is in fact one of the most controversial cards I've ever designed! Perhaps you should look a little bit above your post...

One thing I worry about: that ability stacking. Right now, I think it does, and that's very, very bad. A strength +8 damage +4 Shelob is not something I want to even think about!

Good point - you may be right. I will sort it out with some awkward wording!

Whew, last one! I think this would be the first ever unique site...did you intend that, or was that a mistake? No issues with the rest.

No, I think you'll find that all sites in Decipher's old card lists (which may or not be still on the internet) had uniqueness dots, which is what I'm following - sites are, by definition, unique.

Anyway, thanks very much for your comments! And it's weird to think you have a real life outside of this forum - after all, I'm just a student, which doesn't count!

Thranduil

[Thranduil]

Well I was hoping for another opinion on my controversial Shelob, but apparently it's not forthcoming. So I guess I'll post it again (in hope!) and then move onto the next culture.

•Shelob, Terror of the Mountains
Minion • Spider
Str: 8
Vit: 8
Sit: 8
Fierce.
Skirmish: Spot another card and remove a minion in your discard pile from the game to make Shelob strength +2.
Skirmish: Discard a skirmishing minion to play Shelob from your hand. If the minion you discarded was unique, you may have Shelob replace it in that skirmish.
T R 32

So we're into , which is the last FP culture for a while in a predominantly Shadow set. First, a companion we've already seen, which is a cousin to Curunír, the White Wizard above.

•Denethor, Son of Ecthelion
Companion • Man
Str: 8
Vit: 3
Res: 5
Unyielding. (Denethor's resistance is not reduced by the number of burdens).
Denethor is strength and resistance -2 for each companion in the dead pile (and is corrupted if Boromir is in the dead pile).
Fellowship: Add a burden to play a condition or possession from your draw deck (limit once per turn).
T R 39

Then we'll continue our culture-hate pump cycle (I love it when things have catchy names! ):

Bulwarks of Gondor
Event • Skirmish
Fortification.
Make a companion strength +2 (and wound a minion skirmishing that companion).
T C 38

And then a standard possession. I keep realising that I spend so much time in this block on events and characters, possessions and conditions often get lost in the tussle. So this one I made a conscious effort to get into the set. It's based on a virtual card I once made on Coat of Mail or Armor or one of those things.

Armor of Minas Tirith
Possession • Armor
Res: +1
Bearer must be a companion.
Bearer is strength +2 while skirmishing more than 1 minion.
T C 36

[FM]

I like the counting Shelob, but unless ou give players ways to tamper with each other's discard piles, she might get to abuseable. You could up the strength bonus by, say, A LOT (+2 or even +3) and give her an OBSCENE twilight cost, making removing minions from your discard pile from the game a way of reducing it. Balance. However, should the FP player build a huge pool, she springs out onto them! Pop! HUGE. Double-kill.

[DáinIronfoot]

•Shelob, Terror of the Mountains
Minion • Spider
Str: 8
Vit: 8
Sit: 8
Fierce.
While you can spot another card, Shelob is strength +1 for each minion in your discard pile.
Skirmish: Discard a skirmishing minion to play Shelob from your hand. If the minion you discarded was unique, you may have Shelob replace it in that skirmish.
T R 32

I like FM's idea of removing discarded minions from the game to boost her. Something simple like "Skirmish: Spot another card and remove a minion in your discard pile from the game to make Shelob strength +2 (limit +8)." And yes, I think it STILL needs the limit, because otherwise you could just save up a bunch of minions for one final strike to overpower anything and everything the FP can throw at you. And that just ain't right. If you don't like +8, then raise it, but it needs SOME restriction.

I like the overall idea, both in terms of gameplay and flavor. But it needs to be balanced. The current card is vastly OP. Just imagine that with a good swarm! *shudder*

•Denethor, Son of Ecthelion
Companion • Man
Str: 8
Vit: 3
Res: 5
Unyielding. (Denethor's resistance is not reduced by the number of burdens).
To play, spot a companion.
Denethor is resistance -2 for each companion in the dead pile (and is corrupted if Boromir is in the dead pile).
Fellowship: Add a burden to play a condition or possession from your draw deck (limit once per turn).
T R 39

Since I don't see him as having nearly the same drawbacks as some other Denethors, I think he should either be strength 7 or cost .

Bulwarks of Gondor
Event • Skirmish
Fortification.
Make a companion strength +2 (and wound a minion skirmishing that companion).
T C 38

A fortification event? Hmmm. I'd rather it be a condition that discards for the ability.

Armor of Minas Tirith
Possession • Armor
Res: +1
Bearer must be a companion.
Bearer is strength +2 while skirmishing more than 1 minion.
T C 36

A little bland, but it's not bad.

[Thranduil]

Well, that Shelob is supposed to be a very powerful card, but I very much like the idea of removing minions from the game in order to fix it. I toyed with something like "When you play Shelob, remove a minion in your discard pile from the game" as a balancer, but I like your idea better! If there's a limit, it's got to be +8 (obviously - she is Shelob after all!) or perhaps +16, but I still don't think she needs it. Firstly, Eater of Light doesn't and she is crazy. Secondly, I think that removing minions is now a serious tactical decision and if you want to remove all of them at once, feel free.

Also, I was planning to follow this up with some "graveyard" interaction in Back to the Light, as exemplified by Ufthák, and also several other cards, including removing cards from your opponent's discard pile as an effect. But nevertheless, I still prefer this option proposed by FM. Thanks guys!

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

•Shelob, Terror of the Mountains
Minion • Spider
Str: 8
Vit: 8
Sit: 8
Fierce.
Skirmish: Spot another card and remove a minion in your discard pile from the game to make Shelob strength +2.
Skirmish: Discard a skirmishing minion to play Shelob from your hand. If the minion you discarded was unique, you may have Shelob replace it in that skirmish.
T R 32

You figured it out! What a great idea and very inventive! for that because I really like her now!

•Denethor, Son of Ecthelion
Companion • Man
Str: 5
Vit: 3
Res: 5
Unyielding. (Denethor's resistance is not reduced by the number of burdens).
Denethor is resistance -2 for each companion in the dead pile (and is corrupted if Boromir is in the dead pile).
Fellowship: Add a burden to play a condition or possession from your draw deck (limit once per turn).
T R 39

This guy is nice, but is it too easy to just not play Boromir and not worry about it? Well, no, because a good shadow can still do some serious slaying...Why is this guy only strength 5 though? The only other strength 5 Denethor I can think of was the common from RotK, unless I am missing one of the newer ones...

Bulwarks of Gondor
Event • Skirmish
Fortification.
Make a companion strength +2 (and wound a minion skirmishing that companion).
T C 38

It's simple, and nice against a meta. These are the kind of cards that I really wouldn't ever use in my decks particularly as I prefer strength bonuses + strength bonuses for meeting free peoples' qualifications, but still a nice Meta-specific card.

Armor of Minas Tirith
Possession • Armor
Res: +1
Bearer must be a companion.
Bearer is strength +2 while skirmishing more than 1 minion.
T C 36

Fair enough. There are pretty solid defender + cards so I can appreciate why this would help.
-wtk

[Gerontius]

The original version of Shelob was probably more interesting, but the way it is now works better. Keep both Shelob and Ufthak the same as they are now.
Then again, can you imagine a deck where you discard everything with EMHR, then play the original Shelob? 

[Thranduil]

Why is this guy only strength 5 though? The only other strength 5 Denethor I can think of was the common from RotK, unless I am missing one of the newer ones...

Well, I was thinking about a couple of things after DI's post above: firstly, an 8/3/5 unyielding companion with a kickass ability (even though he does have a disadvantage) is frankly a little bit ridiculous, and Denethor doesn't actually do any fighting at any point during the books, making strength 8 rather crazy anyway! So I thought I'd take him down to one of his other version's strength (5) and take out his spotting requirement. Was this a good idea, or just me being overcautious?

I'm glad reception to the new Terror of the Mountains has been favourable (though I do understand your issue The Old Took - +1 for each minion in the discard pile is a lot more flashy than her current version).

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

Well, I was thinking about a couple of things after DI's post above: firstly, an 8/3/5 unyielding companion with a kickass ability (even though he does have a disadvantage) is frankly a little bit ridiculous, and Denethor doesn't actually do any fighting at any point during the books, making strength 8 rather crazy anyway! So I thought I'd take him down to one of his other version's strength (5) and take out his spotting requirement. Was this a good idea, or just me being overcautious?
I'm glad reception to the new Terror of the Mountains has been favourable (though I do understand your issue The Old Took - +1 for each minion in the discard pile is a lot more flashy than her current version).

I don't remember exactly where (so don't jump on me if I'm wrong) but I believe that Denethor was like Boromir, where in his younger days, he was a Champion of Gondor with a reputation as quite an able soldier. He was only 21 when Sauron began to re-emerge in the East...
-wtk

[eomund]

I don't remember exactly where (so don't jump on me if I'm wrong) but I believe that Denethor was like Boromir, where in his younger days, he was a Champion of Gondor with a reputation as quite an able soldier. He was only 21 when Sauron began to re-emerge in the East...
-wtk

I agree with ket ... the 8/3/5 incarnation excited me a lot more than the 5/3/5 version. And I am a fan of appendix-based cards, so if the lore mentioned his days as a fighter (which I also remember but can't remember from where) I think it would be good.

Random thought - what if his strength decreased along with his resistence? Something like "Strength -1 and resistence -1 for each companion in the dead pile" instead of just "resistence -2."

Armor of Minas Tirith
Possession • Armor
Res: +1
Bearer must be a companion.
Bearer is strength +2 while skirmishing more than 1 minion.
T C 36

I'm not sure why, but I'm a big fan of this card. Combine it with your new, improved Shelob (who I think is now ready for action), and it's time.

[Thranduil]

Good suggestion, eomund - I've run with it!

For now, let's continue with the culture. Now, I'm a great believer that unique characters are much much more interesting for players than any non-unique people, and so I try to use as many different unique characters as I can. And Imrahil only got 1 version, and he's now rotated out, so I thought I'd have another!

•Imrahil, Captain of Gondor
Companion • Man
Str: 7
Vit: 3
Res: 6
Knight. Unyielding (Imrahil's resistance is not reduced by the number of burdens).
While Imrahil has resistance 5 or more, Shadow special abilities may not be played during skirmishes involving him.
T U 41

It was originally for Shadow events, but I thought that was stepping on the toes of the next preview card for today. Am I just being too careful?

•Outer Defences
Condition • Support Area
Fortification. Toil 1.
While you can spot a companion with resistance 5 or more, the twilight cost of each Shadow skirmish event is +1.
Maneuver: Discard this condition to make a companion defender +1 until the regroup phase.
T U 42

As some of you know, I hate toil 1 on Free Peoples cards. But there it is.

Our last card is part of the Highest Quality cycle. I thought about reprinting THQ, but decided that it required too much culture commitment for this multiculture block. So I made a new one.

Desperate Resistance
Event • Maneuver
To play, spot a companion.
Exert any number of companions with a total resistance of 11 or more to wound a minion once for each companion exerted in this way.
T R 40

[ket_the_jet]

•Imrahil, Captain of Gondor
Companion • Man
Str: 7
Vit: 3
Res: 6
Knight. Unyielding (Imrahil's resistance is not reduced by the number of burdens).
While Imrahil has resistance 5 or more, Shadow special abilities may not be played during skirmishes involving him.
T U 41

It is a shame that they had that wimp in the movie noted as Imrahil in the card game. Anyways, pretty nice, similar to Faramir, Son of Denethor who everyone loves. I probably wouldn't play him over Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, but new set, cards cycle out. I understand.

Outer Defences
Condition • Support Area
Fortification. Toil 1.
While you can spot a companion with resistance 5 or more, the twilight cost of each Shadow skirmish event is +1.
Maneuver: Discard this condition to make a companion defender +1 until the regroup phase.
T U 42

This is a pretty convenient fortification. It does two great things at once, but you should consider making it unique. Shadow events +4 twilight is probably a little ridiculous, plus I would run four copies in any deck with a ring bearer, just for the first sentence. Goodbye, corruption worries.

Desperate Resistance
Event • Maneuver
To play, spot a companion.
Exert any number of companions with a total resistance of 11 or more to wound a minion once for each companion exerted in this way.
T R 40

This card is nasty (in a good way)! I would probably just run a ring-bearer and Ents, Ents, and more Ents. Seems like the easiest way to go about this. Ooh, or Ghoulies. King of the Dead and his friends.

As for the wording, as it is an event it would likely say:
"Spot a companion and exert any number of companions..."

You should make a version for that as a replacement for Hate!
-wtk

[Thranduil]

You should make a version for that as a replacement for Hate!

Well minions obviously don't have resistance, so this cycle doesn't quite work. They have their own cycle - cards with as their cost. And don't worry, the one does indeed hearken back to a very well-loved card (but not Hate).

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

Well minions obviously don't have resistance, so this cycle doesn't quite work. They have their own cycle - cards with as their cost. And don't worry, the one does indeed hearken back to a very well-loved card (but not Hate).

Hmm...Under the Watching Eye? Those are kind of my two favorite cards in the game!
-wtk

[Thranduil]

I was hoping for some more reviews, but the desire to get on with it has now taken over - especially as that lot was not especially controversial. So, I think this finishes the culture:

•Beregond, Soldier of Minas Tirith
Companion • Man
Str: 6
Vit: 3
Res: 6
Knight.
At the start of the assignment phase, reveal the top card of your draw deck. If it is a or card, you may make Beregond defender +1 until the regroup phase.
T C 37

I always thought it was a shame that Beregond never got a look in. Well, there he is!

Provisions of the City
Event • Fellowship
Toil 2.
Heal each companion that did not exert for this card's toil.
T U 43

And just because 2 cards is quite few, I thought I'd post a card from the next culture () which we've already seen somewhere along the line.

•The Palantír of Orthanc, Dangerous Tool
Artifact • Support Area
When you play The Palantír of Orthanc, each player may foresee 4 (look at the top 4 cards of his or her draw deck; place any number of them on top of or beneath his or her draw deck).
At the start of the maneuver phase, you may spot Saruman to look at the top 2 cards of each draw deck; replace them in any order.
"‘We do not know who else may be watching.'"
T R 47