The Way Into Mordor - Gandalf (8/28: "You still speak in riddles.")

[DáinIronfoot]

Infuriated
Condition
Strength +2
Toil 1. Bearer must be an Ent. Limit 1 per bearer.
While wounded, bearer loses unhasty.
"‘When Treebeard had got a few arrows in him, he began to warm up, to get positively ‘hasty', as he would say.'"

Cool, excellent flavour, but id make more than 1 card similar to this to overcome the unhasty blight. And make the next one either 0 cost or a 2 cost with toil 2.

There will be other ways to get around unhastiness, don't worry.

In fact, here's some more help for our unhasty Entish friends. Enjoy!

•Quickbeam, Lover of Rowan-trees
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
When Quickbeam is in your starting fellowship and you can spot a or companion, Quickbeam's twilight cost is -2.
The twilight cost of each other Ent and Tree is -1.
Assignment: Exert an Ent or discard a card from hand to make another Ent lose unhasty until the regroup phase.
"‘He says he has already made up his mind....he is the nearest thing among us to a hasty Ent.'"
23U?

Hopefully, THIS is a companion that can really get Ents going. He gets to start cheaply, and then makes each other Ent (and Tree, which we'll get to before long) cheaper as well. Oh, and perhaps the best part: he allows you to circumvent the normal hastifying methods by basically giving every Ent the ability: "Exert this Ent to make an Ent lose unhasty until the regroup phase." Then you can heal them up through any means you wish, but ESPECIALLY with the new Birchseed...who can start with Quickbeam, actually; for Quickbeam, - for Birchseed - more thanks to Quickbeam's text = a total of . Nifty, eh?

If nothing else, starting with two 8-strength Ents--and one of them hasty ALL the time--without a single Hobbit being necessary is something the race could DESPERATELY use.

And now, going back and retooling a card from my last set, The Road Ahead:

•Radagast's Staff, Wand of the Wood
Artifact • Staff
Strength +1
Vitality +1
Bearer must be Radagast.
Assignment: Exert a Wizard companion to allow an unhasty character (except a Man) to skirmish until the regroup phase.
Response: If a companion skirmishing a Tree, Spider, or Creature is about to take a wound, exert Radagast and add to prevent that.
22C?

The assignment ability is new: the ability it replaced was basically a way to prevent wounds to Ents and Eagles. I figured this was much more useful, especially since there are a number of unhasty Eagle allies and companions in earlier sets of mine.

[lem0nhead]

•Quickbeam, Lover of Rowan-trees
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
When Quickbeam is in your starting fellowship, his twilight cost is -2.
The twilight cost of each other Ent and Tree is -1.
Assignment: Exert an Ent to make another Ent lose unhasty until the regroup phase.
"‘He says he has already made up his mind and does not need to remain at the Moot. Hm, hm, he is the nearest thing among us to a hasty Ent.'"

How is this not the same as all the other unhasty costs. They all say exert another ent or hobbit anyway?

•Radagast's Staff, Wand of the Wood
Artifact • Staff
Strength +1
Vitality +1
Bearer must be Radagast.
Assignment: Exert a Wizard companion to allow an unhasty character (except a Man) to skirmish until the regroup phase.
Response: If a companion skirmishing a Tree, Spider, or Creature is about to take a wound, exert Radagast and add to prevent that.

Why would a man be unhasty? And why is the cost for unhastyfying stuff always exertions? Why would there be minion trees as well? You mean old man willow?

Sorry for all the questions!

[DáinIronfoot]

•Quickbeam, Lover of Rowan-trees
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
When Quickbeam is in your starting fellowship, his twilight cost is -2.
The twilight cost of each other Ent and Tree is -1.
Assignment: Exert an Ent to make another Ent lose unhasty until the regroup phase.
"‘He says he has already made up his mind and does not need to remain at the Moot. Hm, hm, he is the nearest thing among us to a hasty Ent.'"

How is this not the same as all the other unhasty costs. They all say exert another ent or hobbit anyway?

True enough, but so far, the only Ent that allows exerting another Ent to lose unhasty is my Birchseed. The rest require exerting Hobbits or Wizards or discarding from hand.

Speaking of which...how about if I change his ability to "Exert an Ent or discard a card from hand to...."?

•Radagast's Staff, Wand of the Wood
Artifact • Staff
Strength +1
Vitality +1
Bearer must be Radagast.
Assignment: Exert a Wizard companion to allow an unhasty character (except a Man) to skirmish until the regroup phase.
Response: If a companion skirmishing a Tree, Spider, or Creature is about to take a wound, exert Radagast and add to prevent that.

Why would a man be unhasty? And why is the cost for unhastyfying stuff always exertions? Why would there be minion trees as well? You mean old man willow?

I can only think of one unhasty Man: the Master of Laketown, an ally from my set Lasting Alliances. Just wanted to cover my bases.

And yes, there are several Tree minions in my last set, The Road Ahead. Old Man Willow is their centerpiece, but hardly the only one.

Sorry for all the questions!

No problem at all. If you haven't been reviewing since the start (I've gone through two MASSIVE sets before this one), I'd recommend going back and checking them out when you have the time. I linked to them above.

[lem0nhead]

Yeah do that change to quicky.

I do think you need diversity beyond exertions for the cost of hastying people!

[DáinIronfoot]

Change made.

I realized you could potentially start Quickbeam and 2 copies of Huorn. I suppose that's not an entirely bad thing, though. All the same, I tweaked his starting cost reduction so it requires spotting a or companion already be on the table. Still works exactly the same if you start with Frodo or Gandalf as your Ring-bearer, but keeps you from loading up early with a powerful Ring-bearer like, I dunno, Boromir BoC. Or Gimli BoG. *shrug*

[sickofpalantirs]

Infuriated
Condition
Strength +2
Toil 1. Bearer must be an Ent. Limit 1 per bearer.
While wounded, bearer loses unhasty.
"‘When Treebeard had got a few arrows in him, he began to warm up, to get positively ‘hasty', as he would say.'"

Cool, excellent flavour, but id make more than 1 card similar to this to overcome the unhasty blight. And make the next one either 0 cost or a 2 cost with toil 2.

There will be other ways to get around unhastiness, don't worry.

In fact, here's some more help for our unhasty Entish friends. Enjoy!

•Quickbeam, Lover of Rowan-trees
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
When Quickbeam is in your starting fellowship and you can spot a or companion, Quickbeam's twilight cost is -2.
The twilight cost of each other Ent and Tree is -1.
Assignment: Exert an Ent or discard a card from hand to make another Ent lose unhasty until the regroup phase.
"‘He says he has already made up his mind....he is the nearest thing among us to a hasty Ent.'"
well he's does get the culture going..and I can't complain about that...but on the other hand he almost seems too good...again it would depend on his rarity...but I would cut the -2 twilight reduction thingamabobber though I understand why you have it...

•Radagast's Staff, Wand of the Wood
Artifact • Staff
Strength +1
Vitality +1
Bearer must be Radagast.
Assignment: Exert a Wizard companion to allow an unhasty character (except a Man) to skirmish until the regroup phase.
Response: If a companion skirmishing a Tree, Spider, or Creature is about to take a wound, exert Radagast and add to prevent that.

fine...but why not men?

[DáinIronfoot]

but on the other hand he almost seems too good...again it would depend on his rarity...

Doh! Forgot all about that. I promised I would start that up with my next culture, and now we're into the next culture and I plum forgot. Oy.

Okay, I've gone back and added rarities (and set numbers) for the cards, though I won't know the actual card number until the set is complete, so that's simply a "?" for now. I'll make sure to do it in the future...and if I don't, just give me a hard nudge, as I've probably just forgotten.

[DáinIronfoot]

Alright, onward and upward! More Ents follow. Enjoy!

Onod of the Entwood
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Unhasty.
Fellowship or Regroup: Add or discard 2 cards from hand to allow this companion to skirmish until the next regroup phase.
While at a forest or battleground, if you can spot 3 other Ents, this companion loses unhasty.
"‘I thought they were only a memory of ancient days, if indeed they were ever more than a legend of Rohan.'"
23C?

There...an Ent that requires no exerting whatsoever to skirmish. Happy now, lem0n?

In fact, at the right type of sites, he doesn't require ANY help skirmishing.

Enyd of Fangorn
Companion • Ent
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 6
To play, spot 2 Ents (or a unique Ent).
Each time this companion wins a skirmish at a battleground, dwelling, or forest site, you may add to take a non-event card into hand from your discard pile.
"‘I have heard nothing of this in my own land, save only songs that tell how the Onodrim, that Men call Ents, dwelt there long ago....'"
23U?

And this guy helps pull back cards you discard to get certain unhasty Ents skirmishing in the first place. And he's got pretty good stats for a 7/4 hasty companion, eh?

[FM]

They're good, but I miss the good ol' BIG Ents. Huge twilight, that kind of stuff, you know? THAT (and being unhasty) made them pretty unique.

[lem0nhead]

Onod of the Entwood
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Unhasty.
Fellowship or Regroup: Add or discard 2 cards from hand to allow this companion to skirmish until the next regroup phase.
While at a forest or battleground, if you can spot 3 other Ents, this companion loses unhasty.
"‘I thought they were only a memory of ancient days, if indeed they were ever more than a legend of Rohan.'"
23C?

There...an Ent that requires no exerting whatsoever to skirmish. Happy now, lem0n?

YES!

Enyd of Fangorn
Companion • Ent
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 6
To play, spot 2 Ents (or a unique Ent).
Each time this companion wins a skirmish at a battleground, dwelling, or forest site, you may add to take a non-event card into hand from your discard pile.
"‘I have heard nothing of this in my own land, save only songs that tell how the Onodrim, that Men call Ents, dwelt there long ago....'"
23U?

And this guy helps pull back cards you discard to get certain unhasty Ents skirmishing in the first place. And he's got pretty good stats for a 7/4 hasty companion, eh?

Yes possibly too good though. He eclipses most of D's ents that arent unhasty for his price. But id let him go 

FM makes a good point though, and one i wish to elaborate on. At the end of the day these guys were freakin huge trees yet they have the same strength as boromir? I know its hard to balance in LOTR TCG but i do feel as though a 25 foot high monster should be harder than 7 if you get me....

[DáinIronfoot]

Ah, you want big Ents, eh? BIG Ents? Very well then....

•Marching Onodrim
Companion • Ent
Strength: 15
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 6
To play, spot 3 Ents (or 2 unique Ents).
Marching Onodrim's twilight cost is -2 for each Ent you can spot.
While at a battleground, Marching Onodrim is damage +1.
While at a forest site, Marching Onodrim is damage +1.
"‘For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars – we go to war!'"
23R?

There. Stronger than any Ent to date, including Treebeard and even the massive Ent Horde and Host of Fangorn. Big enough for ya?

[lem0nhead]

Lol thanks for that Dain, yes much better. He's ok, doesnt set the heart on fire but he'll do!

[Thranduil]

•Treebeard, Eldest Ent
Companion • Ent
Strength: 12
Vitality: 4
Signet: Gandalf
Unhasty. Damage +1.
Maneuver: Exert an unbound Hobbit or Wizard companion to allow Treebeard to skirmish and participate in archery fire until the regroup phase.
Maneuver: Spot a Wizard and exert Treebeard to play an unbound Hobbit from your discard pile.
"‘I told Gandalf I would keep you safe, and safe is where I'll keep you.'"
23U?

I really don't like unhasty, but fair enough - at least you have bigger choice who you can exert.

•Beechbone
Companion • Ent
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
To play, spot 2 characters.
Each time an Ent is killed (including Beechbone), each Ent is strength +2 and loses unhasty until the end of the turn.
"‘...a very tall handsome Ent....'"
23C?

This I like a lot! Perhaps at least 1 way then to remove a dead companion from the game so that you can keep killing Beechbone?

•Birchseed, Brethil
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 7
Unhasty. When Birchseed is in your starting fellowship, his twilight cost is -1.
Assignment: Exert an unbound Hobbit or another Ent to allow Birchseed to skirmish.
Each time Birchseed wins a skirmish, you may heal another character (or an unbound Hobbit if that skirmish involved an Orc or Uruk-hai).
"...there were tall strong Ents, clean-limbed and smooth-skinned like forest-trees in their prime...."
23U?

To be honest, I would just make his text without the parentheses (ie. when he wins, he can heal a character or unbound Hobbit). And in your starting fellowship doesn't seem especially useful. Surely you'll want at least Merry and Pippin to go with him?

•Lindenroot, Nimlothond
Companion • Ent
Strength: 10
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 6
Unhasty. To play, spot 2 characters (or a unique Ent).
Assignment: Exert an unbound Hobbit or discard a card from hand to allow Lindenroot to skirmish.
Each time Lindenroot wins a skirmish, you may exert a minion (or wound that minion if it is an Orc or Uruk-hai).
"There were a few older Ents, bearded and gnarled like hale but ancient trees...."
23R?

He's alright.

Infuriated
Condition
Strength +2
Toil 1. Bearer must be an Ent. Limit 1 per bearer.
While wounded, bearer loses unhasty.
"‘When Treebeard had got a few arrows in him, he began to warm up, to get positively ‘hasty', as he would say.'"
23U?

My problem with unhasty, is why have it if you're just going to make ways to lose it again?

•Quickbeam, Lover of Rowan-trees
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
When Quickbeam is in your starting fellowship and you can spot a or companion, Quickbeam's twilight cost is -2.
The twilight cost of each other Ent and Tree is -1.
Assignment: Exert an Ent or discard a card from hand to make another Ent lose unhasty until the regroup phase.
"‘He says he has already made up his mind....he is the nearest thing among us to a hasty Ent.'"
23U?

Certainly makes Birchseed's reduction more useful. Very good starting choice, but I repeat my reservations about unhasty.

•Radagast's Staff, Wand of the Wood
Artifact • Staff
Strength +1
Vitality +1
Bearer must be Radagast.
Assignment: Exert a Wizard companion to allow an unhasty character (except a Man) to skirmish until the regroup phase.
Response: If a companion skirmishing a Tree, Spider, or Creature is about to take a wound, exert Radagast and add to prevent that.
22C?

Seems reasonable. Which Men are unhasty? In fact, who other than Ents are unhasty?

Onod of the Entwood
Companion • Ent
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Unhasty.
Fellowship or Regroup: Add or discard 2 cards from hand to allow this companion to skirmish until the next regroup phase.
While at a forest or battleground, if you can spot 3 other Ents, this companion loses unhasty.
"‘I thought they were only a memory of ancient days, if indeed they were ever more than a legend of Rohan.'"
23C?

Again, I'd rather just use a hasty Ent with game text than an unhasty one which can lose it easily.

Enyd of Fangorn
Companion • Ent
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 6
To play, spot 2 Ents (or a unique Ent).
Each time this companion wins a skirmish at a battleground, dwelling, or forest site, you may add to take a non-event card into hand from your discard pile.
"‘I have heard nothing of this in my own land, save only songs that tell how the Onodrim, that Men call Ents, dwelt there long ago....'"
23U?

Looks good.

•Marching Onodrim
Companion • Ent
Strength: 15
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 6
To play, spot 2 Ents (or a unique Ent).
Marching Onodrim's twilight cost is -2 for each Ent you can spot.
While at a battleground, Marching Onodrim is damage +1.
While at a forest site, Marching Onodrim is damage +1.
"‘For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars – we go to war!'"
23R?

Decent. But I think strength 15 is quite ridiculous for a companion.

Thranduil

[Elf_Lvr]

•Marching Onodrim
Companion • Ent
Strength: 15
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 6
To play, spot 2 Ents (or a unique Ent).
Marching Onodrim's twilight cost is -2 for each Ent you can spot.
While at a battleground, Marching Onodrim is damage +1.
While at a forest site, Marching Onodrim is damage +1.
"‘For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars – we go to war!'"
23R?

Typical entish brutality. He's nice, but like Thran says, 15 is a heck of a lot of strength for a companion. What with G for Grand and Strange Meeting running around as well, this guy could approach a 20-strength base with ease.

Darned Ents.

[menace64]

•Marching Onodrim
Companion • Ent
Strength: 15
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 6
To play, spot 2 Ents (or a unique Ent).
Marching Onodrim's twilight cost is -2 for each Ent you can spot.
While at a battleground, Marching Onodrim is damage +1.
While at a forest site, Marching Onodrim is damage +1.
"‘For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars – we go to war!'"
23R?

I think this guy should just say "To play, spot 3 Ents." Otherwise it's fine.