Back to the Light - Review

[Thranduil]

Sword of the Mark has to be borne by Theoden as well. Reprint that card as an uncommon (see Nobody Tosses a Dwarf versus Nobody Tosses a Dwarf*).

Personally, I think it is in poor form to revert to a less powerful version of the same card because then more people are just going to want to play expanded.
-wtk

But you have to, otherwise the power level just creeps up and up and up. Occasionally you have to take a stand and make a less powerful version of another card. As it is, Sword of the Mark does not work as uncommon, and as it's only uncommon, no one's going to be annoyed opening the original in the way they would be with a crap rare. Magic does this all the time.

[ket_the_jet]

Well, I would argue that the second Herugrim isn't power-creep because it costs more and supplies the same strength/vitality bonus.

Power creep would be if it cost the same and gave more of a bonus, or cost less and had the same bonus. Plus, I love Sword of the Mark, but I rarely (and I mean rarely!) use it's extra game text except if I have to recycle threats (put a threat wound on Theoden and prevent it by adding two more).
-wtk

[sickofpalantirs]

On the armory, is their any way to word it so just any possessions/artifacts in those 2 cards? I think that would be preferable.

Erkenbrand is kewl.  With Merry, it seems kinda weird throwing a possession text on a companion, I'd rather reprint the sword and give him something else.  This is fine though.

[Thranduil]

Okay I realised something - I'm not sure why the companion there is Erkenbrand given that he could just as easily be Éomer, which would then put his count in this block up to 3 (which is consistent with pretty much every other important character!). So, any objections if I replace him with Éomer and raise his resistance to 7?

Also, I realise that I forgot to post one of the cards! Well here she is:

•Éowyn, Lady of Gondor
Companion • Man
Str: 6
Vit: 3
Res: 6
Knight.
Maneuver: Play a possession on Éowyn from your hand (that she can bear) to heal her.
B C 45

[sickofpalantirs]

is the that she can bear neccasary?  isn't it implied ( but I guess thats all your doing implying their...)

and I'm fine with Eomer, though it seems to fit better with erkenbrand to me.  Whatev though.

[Thranduil]

and I'm fine with Eomer, though it seems to fit better with erkenbrand to me.  Whatev though.

Yeah, but it depends if you're following the movie or the book.

Well, I would argue that the second Herugrim isn't power-creep because it costs more and supplies the same strength/vitality bonus.

Yeah fair enough, you're right. But I would still rather keep things simple and uncommon.

So we're now taking our brief dip into the culture. In fact I think I will post (almost) all the cards now:

Agent of Sauron
Minion • Man
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 2
Traitor.
When you play this minion, you may foresee X, where X is the number of Shadow cultures you can spot (limit 3). (To foresee X, look at the top X cards of your draw deck; place any number of those cards on the bottom of your draw deck in any order, and the rest on top of your draw deck in any order).
B C 85

Mark of the Red Eye
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Remove a burden or spot a traitor character to make each minion gain the culture until the regroup phase.
Skirmish: Discard this condition to exert a corrupted companion. (Companions with resistance 0 are corrupted).
B C 87

cf:

Mark of the White Hand
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Remove or spot an traitor character to make each minion gain the culture until the regroup phase.
Maneuver: Discard this condition to return all Free Peoples cards borne by a corrupted companion to their owner's hand.
B U 53


You may remember the Mark of the White Hand from a while back - similar principle.

Spies in His Service
Condition • Support Area
While you can spot a traitor character, the roaming penalty for your minions is -1.
Skirmish: Discard this condition to make a traitor minion strength +1 for each culture you can spot.
B R 88

I imagine this will be a very useful traitor tribal card, but it might facilitate traitors + other minions (most traitors' site numbers are fairly low).

The Call to War
Condition • Support Area
(You choose the value of X. Except when you play this card, its twilight cost is 0)
When you play this condition, spot a unique minion to place X tokens here.
Shadow: Remove 3 tokens from here to draw a card.
Skirmish: Remove 2 tokens from here to make a minion strength +1.
Regroup: Remove a token from here to add .
B R 86

This is the natural extension of the Shadow events that were sprinkled in the last set. It's supposed to be ultimately splashable, though some decks will be able to abuse it more than others. Not sure what I think about it, but let me know what you do!

[legolas3333]

and I'm fine with Eomer, though it seems to fit better with erkenbrand to me.  Whatev though.

Yeah, but it depends if you're following the movie or the book.

Well, I would argue that the second Herugrim isn't power-creep because it costs more and supplies the same strength/vitality bonus.

Yeah fair enough, you're right. But I would still rather keep things simple and uncommon.

So we're now taking our brief dip into the culture. In fact I think I will post (almost) all the cards now:

Agent of Sauron
Minion • Man
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 2
Traitor.
When you play this minion, you may foresee X, where X is the number of Shadow cultures you can spot (limit 3). (To foresee X, look at the top X cards of your draw deck; place any number of those cards on the bottom of your draw deck in any order, and the rest on top of your draw deck in any order).
B C 85

hmm kinda like Orc Captain only not...

Mark of the Red Eye
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Remove a burden or spot a traitor character to make each minion gain the culture until the regroup phase.
B C 87

ok, why don't you make it a one time use condition like dwarven embassy or all those cards which say discard at the start of the regroup phase.

You may remember the Mark of the White Hand from a while back - similar principle.

Spies in His Service
Condition • Support Area
While you can spot a traitor character, the roaming penalty for your minions is -1.
Skirmish: Discard this condition to make a traitor minion strength +1 for each culture you can spot.
B R 88

you have no cultural enforcement, maybe make it a traitor or roaming penalty for each [Sairon] minion

I imagine this will be a very useful traitor tribal card, but it might facilitate traitors + other minions (most traitors' site numbers are fairly low).

The Call to War
Condition • Support Area
(You choose the value of X. Except when you play this card, its twilight cost is 0)
When you play this condition, spot a unique minion to place X tokens here.
Shadow: Remove 3 tokens from here to draw a card.
Skirmish: Remove 2 tokens from here to make a minion strength +1.
Regroup: Remove a token from here to add .
B R 86

make it cost 0 and then the text should be "when you play this conditon you may spot a unique minion to place X tokens here"

This is the natural extension of the Shadow events that were sprinkled in the last set. It's supposed to be ultimately splashable, though some decks will be able to abuse it more than others. Not sure what I think about it, but let me know what you do!

[ket_the_jet]

Agent of Sauron
Minion • Man
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 2
Traitor.
When you play this minion, you may foresee X, where X is the number of Shadow cultures you can spot (limit 3). (To foresee X, look at the top X cards of your draw deck; place any number of those cards on the bottom of your draw deck in any order, and the rest on top of your draw deck in any order).
B C 85

This guy is pretty cool. A copy or two of him in a multi-cultural wounding deck would never hurt (and he's a pretty neat replacement for Orc Insurgent).

Mark of the Red Eye
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Remove a burden or spot a traitor character to make each minion gain the culture until the regroup phase.
B C 87

I don't know that this as a condition would be a good idea. I guess my thoughts would just be as a condition borne by a minion (Mordor Enraged, anyone?!) or an event such as High Vantage would be good. Did I not think the same about Mark of the White Hand?

Spies in His Service
Condition • Support Area
While you can spot a traitor character, the roaming penalty for your minions is -1.
Skirmish: Discard this condition to make a traitor minion strength +1 for each culture you can spot.

This is cool. Nice little condition that does two things. Kind of reminds me of Fires Raged Unchecked.
B R 88

The Call to War
Condition • Support Area
(You choose the value of X. Except when you play this card, its twilight cost is 0)
When you play this condition, spot a unique minion to place X tokens here.
Shadow: Remove 3 tokens from here to draw a card.
Skirmish: Remove 2 tokens from here to make a minion strength +1.
Regroup: Remove a token from here to add .
B R 86

It is pretty splash-able, but a very cool idea. I am not sure that much text would fit onto a card, but I like the idea of a token card that can do different things.
-wtk

[Thranduil]

I don't know that this as a condition would be a good idea. I guess my thoughts would just be as a condition borne by a minion (Mordor Enraged, anyone?!) or an event such as High Vantage would be good. Did I not think the same about Mark of the White Hand?

Thing is, Mark of the White Hand is uncommon and has another ability as well that discards it, so it made much more sense as a condition. I needed Mark of the Red Eye to be common, and I couldn't think of a good ability that fit... Let me rethink it. What do we think of the new version? Or I could turn both cards into Dwarven Embassy-type cards, which is an idea I quite like. Or "Condition • Minion". Or simply events.

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

Hmm...new version seems better. But I almost like the one-turn and done idea because it is a much more powerful concept to give other minions powers. They are, by default, the strongest abilities because they were the hardest to play.
-wtk

[Thranduil]

I will give those some thought. For now though, let's move into the culture. This is very short, and the main reason for this is that I don't like designing cards and took this set as an opportunity for making as many non- cards in the culture as possible! So here are some off-culture cards (you may remember that the rare version of Merry and Pippin have already been posted in the and cultures respectively).

Sound Advice
Event • Maneuver
Stealth. Toil 2.
Make a companion with resistance 8 or more strength +2 until the regroup phase.
B C 29

Á la Depart Silently.

Share the Load (FP)
Event • Regroup
Toil 2.
Spot a companion to remove 2 burdens.
B U 37

•Merry, Hasty Hobbit
Companion • Hobbit
Str: 3
Vit: 4
Res: 8
Skirmish: Exert Merry to make another or companion strength +1.
B C 25

•Pippin, Hasty Hobbit
Companion • Hobbit
Str: 3
Vit: 4
Res: 8
Each and companion (except in your starting fellowship) is twilight cost -1.
B C 28

[legolas3333]

I will give those some thought. For now though, let's move into the culture. This is very short, and the main reason for this is that I don't like designing cards and took this set as an opportunity for making as many non- cards in the culture as possible! So here are some off-culture cards (you may remember that the rare version of Merry and Pippin have already been posted in the and cultures respectively).

Sound Advice
Event • Maneuver
Stealth. Toil 2.
Make a companion with resistance 8 or more strength +2 until the regroup phase.
B C 29

ok

Á la Depart Silently.

Share the Load (FP)
Event • Regroup
Toil 2.
Spot a companion to remove 2 burdens.
B U 37

Á la the more the merrier

•Merry, Hasty Hobbit
Companion • Hobbit
Str: 3
Vit: 4
Res: 8
Skirmish: Exert Merry to make another or companion strength +1.
B C 25

maybe you should give him a bonus if he's boosting Pippin

•Pippin, Hasty Hobbit
Companion • Hobbit
Str: 3
Vit: 4
Res: 8
Each and companion (except in your starting fellowship) is twilight cost -1.
B C 28

is the except in your starting fellowship necessary? i think that would make the possibilities more intriguing

[Thranduil]

is the except in your starting fellowship necessary? i think that would make the possibilities more intriguing

Definitely so, but I was worried that might be a bit too good...

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

Sound Advice
Event • Maneuver
Stealth. Toil 2.
Make a companion with resistance 8 or more strength +2 until the regroup phase.
B C 29

Seems reasonable. I'm sure there are better pumps that are more cost-effective, but I wouldn't know!

Share the Load (FP)
Event • Regroup
Toil 2.
Spot a companion to remove 2 burdens.
B U 37

Nice burden removal card. I miss the discarding Smeagol stuff like No Help For It!

•Merry, Hasty Hobbit
Companion • Hobbit
Str: 3
Vit: 4
Res: 8
Skirmish: Exert Merry to make another or companion strength +1.
B C 25

I like him because he helps Ents and Hobbits and has limited application for helping Wizards too. He's not the strongest Merry, but he'd see some play!

•Pippin, Hasty Hobbit
Companion • Hobbit
Str: 3
Vit: 4
Res: 8
Each and companion (except in your starting fellowship) is twilight cost -1.
B C 28

Yeah, you can't have this card without the starting fellowship bit. Merry, Pippin, Rosie Cotton, Filibert Bolger, Farmer Maggot all for free? Don't think so sir!
-wtk

[Thranduil]

Okay, the rest of the culture for today then - and these are actually in !

Song of the Shire (reprint)
Condition • Support Area
Fellowship: Exert a companion and either a companion or a companion to add a token here.
Skirmish: Remove a token here to prevent an unbound companion from being overwhelmed unless his or her strength is tripled.
B C 98

Brief Respite
Event • Maneuver or Regroup
Spot a companion to foresee 2. Then reveal the top card of your draw deck. If it is a stealth card, you may heal a companion 3 times. (To foresee 2, look at the top 2 cards of your draw deck; place any number of those cards beneath your draw deck in any order, and the rest on top of your draw deck in any order).
B R 93

•Phial of Galadriel, A Light in Dark Places
Artifact
Res: +1
To play, spot an character. Bearer must be the Ring-bearer.
Skirmish: Discard this artifact to reveal the top card of your draw deck. If it is a Free Peoples card, you may discard a Shadow card with twilight cost equal to or less than the revealed card.
B R 95