Back to the Light - Review

[ket_the_jet]

Sharkey's Men
Minion • Man
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 2
Traitor. (Traitor is unloaded).
When you play this minion, you may foresee 2. If you foresee a traitor minion, you may reveal it and take it into hand. (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 C 54

Neat. Seems okay...but maybe make exerting part of the cost?

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: Spot an minion and discard this condition to return all Free Peoples cards borne by a corrupted companion to their owner's hand. (Companions with resistance 0 are corrupted).
B U 53

Why not just "spot an traitor? Are there traitors that aren't minions?

•Lotho Sackville-Baggins, Chief Shirriff
Minion • Hobbit
Str: 3
Vit: 4
Sit: 2
Traitor.
When you play Lotho Sackville-Baggins, you may play a traitor minion from your draw deck.
Assignment: Assign Lotho Sackville-Baggins to a companion. The Free Peoples player may add a burden to prevent this and assign Lotho Sackville-Baggins.
B R 52

I like this guy. Pretty cool.

Uniting the Two Towers
Event • Maneuver
Toil 2.
, , , and minions may exert for this card's toil.
Spot a unique minion to allow you to decide the order of skirmishes until the regroup phase.
B R 55

That was a good point by L3333...why not just "Each minion can exert for this card's toil cost (regardless of culture)."

Neat stuff...sorry I didn't get to it sooner!
-wtk

[Thranduil]

Why not just "spot an traitor? Are there traitors that aren't minions?

There is one - Curunír companion. Also I've got into the habit of mentioning minion/companion/character specifically (where previous cards would have said just traitor) just for clarity and to avoid any possible mess-ups.

Just 1 card for today. Let me know what you think.

•The Mines of Moria
Condition • Support Area
Toil 2.
While the fellowship is at an underground site, each of your cards in play, in hand, in your draw deck and in your discard pile gain the culture, and each of your cards in play, in hand, in your draw deck and in your discard pile gain the culture.
B R 66

[lem0nhead]

•The Mines of Moria
Condition • Support Area
Toil 2.
While the fellowship is at an underground site, each of your cards in play, in hand, in your draw deck or in your discard pile gain the culture, and each time an culture symbol is used on a card, you may replace it with the symbol.
B R 66

Ok. You do realise without going through every card in the orc culture I cannot truly evaluate this for borken combos, power and usefulness?

Nice idea, good flavour but thats as far as I can review as I dont have time to trawl through 9 sets!

[Thranduil]

Ok. You do realise without going through every card in the orc culture I cannot truly evaluate this for borken combos, power and usefulness?

Nice idea, good flavour but thats as far as I can review as I dont have time to trawl through 9 sets!

I'm just posting the concept, which I'm glad you like! Obviously without proper playtesting, we'll never know how broken it really is.

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

I will add my thoughts to the card...lemon is right...great in concept, probably broken as #$&*@!.

It is already a great card if it just adds the symbol to each Orc at an underground site and is well worth the . Luckily, not too many cards spot the culture, except Hate and Anger and the unique minions one (off the top of my head).
-wtk

[Thranduil]

I've slightly changed it. Hopefully it's still good (and broken! ).

Now I've mentioned that Back to the Light is a FP heavy set, but now we're onto some Shadow cultures. Let's start with !

One of the things I've done, as you can see in this card, is to transplant the NtFH cycle into Shadow cultures as well. So this is the version.

Planned Ambush
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Exert a minion and either an or minion to add a token here.
Skirmish: Remove a token here to add .
B C 61

And you may also remember me saying that I've brought back ambush in this set. This is because one of the themes was aggressor, and both of the throwback keywords for this block (toil and ambush) fit in with this theme quite nicely. Plus, I like both keywords, and ambush always felt underused in design to me.

Southron Ambusher
Minion • Man
Str: 5
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Aggressor. Ambush . (For each aggressor assigned to a skirmish, each Shadow card is twilight cost -1).
B C 62

Traitor of Edoras
Minion • Man
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Traitor.
When you play this minion, you may foresee 2. (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 C 64

Simple. Run of the mill. One of the ways I've rectified the underuse of foresee in The Twilight World.

•Southron Champion
Minion • Man
Str: 7
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Aggressor. Ambush . Besieger.
While there is a card in your discard pile, Southron Champion is strength +1 for each twilight token.
B R 63

In general, I prefer to use named characters but I couldn't think of anyone specific who I have not yet used. But let me know if you think of one! Basically, this is one of the themes in Shadow cards that I was eluding to with Beregond - spotting Shadow cards in the discard pile. In this case, it's to represent the fact that Sauron has sent these Southrons to fight his wars.

[legolas3333]

I've slightly changed it. Hopefully it's still good (and broken! ).

Now I've mentioned that Back to the Light is a FP heavy set, but now we're onto some Shadow cultures. Let's start with !

One of the things I've done, as you can see in this card, is to transplant the NtFH cycle into Shadow cultures as well. So this is the version.

Planned Ambush
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Exert a minion and either an or minion to add a token here.
Skirmish: Remove a token here to add .
B C 61

Nice!

And you may also remember me saying that I've brought back ambush in this set. This is because one of the themes was aggressor, and both of the throwback keywords for this block (toil and ambush) fit in with this theme quite nicely. Plus, I like both keywords, and ambush always felt underused in design to me.

Southron Ambusher
Minion • Man
Str: 5
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Aggressor. Ambush . (For each aggressor assigned to a skirmish, each Shadow card is twilight cost -1).
B C 62

... seems weak but ok for a common i guess.

Southron Tracker
Minion • Man
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Tracker.
When you play this minion, you may foresee 2. (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 C 64

there has never been a or tracker, so i would dump the keyword.

Simple. Run of the mill. One of the ways I've rectified the underuse of foresee in The Twilight World.

•Southron Champion
Minion • Man
Str: 7
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Aggressor. Ambush . Besieger.
While there is a card in your discard pile, Southron Champion is strength +1 for each twilight token.
B R 63

hmm same comment as above about tracker but this time about besieger.

In general, I prefer to use named characters but I couldn't think of anyone specific who I have not yet used. But let me know if you think of one! Basically, this is one of the themes in Shadow cards that I was eluding to with Beregond - spotting Shadow cards in the discard pile. In this case, it's to represent the fact that Sauron has sent these Southrons to fight his wars.

[Thranduil]

there has never been a or tracker, so i would dump the keyword.
hmm same comment as above about tracker but this time about besieger.

But there's no flavour reason why there can't be trackers or besiegers. One of the things I'm doing is putting flavourful keywords wherever the flavour makes sense so that they can then be used as "tribal" keywords. You wouldn't just have to make a deck or a besieger deck - you could make a tracker deck featuring , and or a / besieger deck etc.

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

Planned Ambush
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Exert a minion and either an or minion to add a token here.
Skirmish: Remove a token here to add .
B C 61

There are a ton of cards that have done similar things (albeit, exerting just minions)...but this seems to be okay and fits the culture.

Southron Ambusher
Minion • Man
Str: 5
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Aggressor. Ambush . (For each aggressor assigned to a skirmish, each Shadow card is twilight cost -1).
B C 62

I like this guy as a cheap minion.

Southron Tracker
Minion • Man
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Tracker.
When you play this minion, you may foresee 2. (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 C 64

I am waiting to see Shadow cards that use "foresee" well, but I can see how it would be helpful.

•Southron Champion
Minion • Man
Str: 7
Vit: 2
Sit: 4
Aggressor. Ambush . Besieger.
While there is a card in your discard pile, Southron Champion is strength +1 for each twilight token.
B R 63

This guy is pretty good, but maybe make it a minion or two...it is pretty easy to just throw in some splash minions (like Sauron!) and toss them in the discard pile.
-wtk

[legolas3333]

there has never been a or tracker, so i would dump the keyword.
hmm same comment as above about tracker but this time about besieger.

But there's no flavour reason why there can't be trackers or besiegers. One of the things I'm doing is putting flavourful keywords wherever the flavour makes sense so that they can then be used as "tribal" keywords. You wouldn't just have to make a deck or a besieger deck - you could make a tracker deck featuring , and or a / besieger deck etc.

Thranduil

ok, but i don't see in the books where there could be a man tracker since they were more or less just heading straight for Mordor.

[ket_the_jet]

ok, but i don't see in the books where there could be a man tracker since they were more or less just heading straight for Mordor.

Southron Sentry...that kind of has a tracker feel...

Also, I never realized I was in your signature! BOOSH!
-wtk

[Thranduil]

Really good point L333. I probably was thinking of the scouts/sentries of those sorts of groups Faramir found in Ithilien, and also it just fits quite well with the flavour of ambush. It probably does make more sense for Dunlending trackers who are tracking down villages and villagers, which ties in with guys like Dunlending Trapper. I will probably change the keywords/title of that guy.

Just like in FP cards we had these "dual-culture" events, the Shadow side also has them, like this one:

Armies of Mordor
Event • Skirmish
Toil 2. (When you play this card, you may exert any number of your characters to make its twilight cost -2 for each character exerted in this way).
Play a minion from your hand; it is strength +3 and fierce until the regroup phase.
B U 67

Note that one of the things you can do with aggressor (described above) is play minions during the skirmish phase, like the old cards from EoF used to. are the best at this, hence the previous card, and this cross-cultural one:

Isengard Ambusher
Minion • Uruk-hai
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 5
Ambush . Damage +1. Tracker.
Skirmish: Exert this minion to play a minion from your hand. If that minion is a minion, make a companion lose all gametext keywords until the regroup phase.
B U 101

Then to finish off the culture, first some much needed common resistance reduction (with some tribal support for traitors), then a use for foreseeing, followed by part of the foreseeing cycle.

Betrayed
Condition • Unbound Companion
Res: -2
To play, spot a or traitor minion.
B C 56

Death From Above
Event • Archery
Spot a card to reveal the top X cards of your draw deck where X is the number of companions with resistance 5 or less. Make the minion archery total +1 for each Shadow card revealed.
B R 58

Informers of the Enemy
Condition • Support Area
When you play this condition, you may foresee 2. (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).
Maneuver: Spot a traitor character and discard this condition to reveal the top card of your draw deck. If that card is a Shadow card, reveal the Free Peoples player's hand and discard a revealed Free Peoples card.
B R 60

[legolas3333]

Really good point L333. I probably was thinking of the scouts/sentries of those sorts of groups Faramir found in Ithilien, and also it just fits quite well with the flavour of ambush. It probably does make more sense for Dunlending trackers who are tracking down villages and villagers, which ties in with guys like Dunlending Trapper. I will probably change the keywords/title of that guy.

Just like in FP cards we had these "dual-culture" events, the Shadow side also has them, like this one:

Armies of Mordor
Event • Skirmish
Toil 2. (When you play this card, you may exert any number of your characters to make its twilight cost -2 for each character exerted in this way).
Play a minion from your hand; it is strength +3 and fierce until the regroup phase.
B U 67

ok, toil 1 me thinks

Note that one of the things you can do with aggressor (described above) is play minions during the skirmish phase, like the old cards from EoF used to. are the best at this, hence the previous card, and this cross-cultural one:

Isengard Ambusher
Minion • Uruk-hai
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 5
Ambush . Damage +1. Tracker.
Skirmish: Exert this minion to play a minion from your hand. If that minion is a or minion, make a companion lose all gametext keywords until the regroup phase.
B U 101

Nice! except maybe make it just one culture or the other not either or

Then to finish off the culture, first some much needed common resistance reduction (with some tribal support for traitors), then a use for foreseeing, followed by part of the foreseeing cycle.

Betrayed
Condition • Unbound Companion
Res: -2
To play, spot a or traitor minion.
B C 56

the text should be Condition bearer must be an unbound companion

Death From Above
Event • Archery
Toil 1.
Spot a card to reveal the top X cards of your draw deck where X is the number of companions with resistance 5 or less. Make the minion archery total +1 for each Shadow card revealed.
B R 58

I like the resistance flavor

Informers of the Enemy
Condition • Support Area
When you play this condition, you may spot a traitor character to foresee 2. (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).
Maneuver: Discard this condition to reveal the top card of your draw deck. If that card is a Shadow card, reveal the Free Peoples player's hand and discard a revealed Free Peoples card.
B R 60

hmm it seems super puwerful but I'm not sure what to change

[Thranduil]

hmm it seems super puwerful but I'm not sure what to change

It was deliberately very powerful. Disruption is not a strategy that is prevalent in LotR, and though I find it really annoying, I acknowledge that some people like it and it should be possible. And I know that in general Magic tries to avoid making powerful disruption cards because it's not very fun, but having a small amount seems fine.

Made some changes. Thanks!

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

Armies of Mordor
Event • Skirmish
Toil 2. (When you play this card, you may exert any number of your characters to make its twilight cost -2 for each character exerted in this way).
Play a minion from your hand; it is strength +3 and fierce until the regroup phase.
B U 67

Seems fair enough. Those Dunlenders were a #$&*@! to deal with...but I like the idea.

Isengard Ambusher
Minion • Uruk-hai
Str: 9
Vit: 2
Sit: 5
Ambush . Damage +1. Tracker.
Skirmish: Exert this minion to play a minion from your hand. If that minion is a minion, make a companion lose all gametext keywords until the regroup phase.
B U 101

First damage +1 Uruk-Hai tracker since...Uruk Scout! Neat...with ambush too!

Betrayed
Condition • Unbound Companion
Res: -2
To play, spot a or traitor minion.
B C 56

I don't mind that this a condition that plays directly on a companion.

Death From Above
Event • Archery
Toil 1.
Spot a card to reveal the top X cards of your draw deck where X is the number of companions with resistance 5 or less. Make the minion archery total +1 for each Shadow card revealed.
B R 58

Does it need to cost six? Sure Rapid Fire and others cost similarly...but I don't think that is worth getting, at tops, 9 archery. You are more likely going to get two or three...Then again, I am not as familiar with Shadows and beyond...

Informers of the Enemy
Condition • Support Area
When you play this condition, you may spot a traitor character to foresee 2. (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).
Maneuver: Discard this condition to reveal the top card of your draw deck. If that card is a Shadow card, reveal the Free Peoples player's hand and discard a revealed Free Peoples card.
B R 60

I love this card! Kicks some serious #$&*@!! It is and non-unique and has no spotting requirements!
-wtk