Author Topic: Newbro Article Submission (Read 5613 times)

TelTura · « **on:** June 18, 2014, 12:49:11 PM »

So I had a thought today about new users making posts; some people have expressed an interest in helping write or edit articles for the wiki but cannot due to low post counts. While I would encourage all such individuals to still work towards the minimum post count, there's no reason we can't use your work until then!

So, effective immediately, if anyone would like to put up an article but cannot, post it in this thread and I will take it, review it, and upload it. It even counts as a post towards your minimum, so two birds one stone!

If anyone mentions not being able to contribute because of a low post count, please link them to this thread to set them straight.

Dictionary · « **Reply #1 on:** July 18, 2015, 03:04:11 AM »

I know this is an old topic, but if the offer's still open, I'd like to contribute, I'm not at the required 25 posts yet.

I have an article for the card Gandalf, Mithrandir:

General Strategy:
Gandalf, Mithrandir is an extremely powerful companion with built in strength and damage bonuses, at the cost of a wound each turn. Although he is used infrequently due to a deck requiring a lot of healing, the benefits can well outweigh the costs. As he has the Aragorn signet, you get strong synergy with Aragorn, King in Exile who effectively cancels out the wounding, and you can also use Hard Choice to heal him. Of his own culture, Have Patience, Intimidate, Gandalf's Staff and Narya are all effective. There are also other options such as Elrond, Herald to Gil-Galad, and Moment of Respite (Return of the King). Finally, some sites such as Westemnet Hills (Healing Gandalf immediately after his wound if he has Shadowfax) and Minas Tirith Fifth Circle are effective.

Provided you can keep Mithrandir's vitality in check, he has the potential to decimate minions. With a strength of 12 with Shadowfax (Or Glamdring), and no way for the Shadow Player to reduce his base strength (Unlike The White Wizard and Defender of the West) he is a strong and deadly addition to your fellowship. Be wary of giving him a ring, staff and horse/weapon, as he is then susceptible to Grima, Wormtongue, and a sudden loss of vitality could spell his end.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong versus...
- Powerful minions, such as Nazgul and Uruks.
- Vitality heavy minions, such as Isengard Orcs and Warg-Riders

Weak versus...
- Wounding decks.
- High damage large minions, such as Cave Troll of Moria, SOTBP with Cave Troll's Hammer.

TelTura · « **Reply #2 on:** July 18, 2015, 12:18:32 PM »

Here you go! Glad I still get email notifications for this section, else I never would have seen this, lol.

I did make a few adjustments here and there. If you have anything else you'd like to add, feel free to keep posting here, an article per post, and I'll be sure to put them up as quickly as I see them.

Dictionary · « **Reply #3 on:** July 19, 2015, 01:41:29 PM »

Thanks so much for the prompt reply! Here's an article for Pallando Deceived:

General Strategy:

Pallando Deceived, along with Alatar Deceived and Radagast Deceived make up the three wizard conditions of Bloodlines. Pallando Deceived is the most versatile of the three; he is generally the only one that fights in normal and fierce skirmishes, and he can activated by exerting any version of Saruman, or by exerting an opponent's Gandalf or Radagast. Combined with Throne of Isengard, Pallando Deceived makes for a deadly minion. He can also benefit from the Men Will Fall event if you need extra pumps.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong versus...
* Fellowships containing Gandalf or Radagast.
* Wounding Fellowships.
* Choke Fellowships.

Weak versus...
* Boromir, BoC
* Elven skirmish event decks (Can be overwhelmed)
* Heavy Condition discard decks.

TelTura · « **Reply #4 on:** July 19, 2015, 02:18:03 PM »

Was Men Will Fall the event you meant? That doesn't mention Wizards, only Saruman by name.

Dictionary · « **Reply #5 on:** July 19, 2015, 02:25:13 PM »

I assumed Saruman would be out there with your Deceived Wizards, and you can then use the event in Pallando's skirmish. Sorry, I probably should have elaborated a bit more...

TelTura · « **Reply #6 on:** July 19, 2015, 04:44:51 PM »

That's fine, just making sure. It's up already.

Dictionary · « **Reply #7 on:** July 20, 2015, 08:03:38 AM »

Thanks. Faramir, Son of Denethor:

General Strategy:
Faramir, SoD is the most expensive Faramir of Two Towers, as he doesn't have any Starting Fellowship Twilight Reduction. However, his ability to prevent all enemy skirmish effects is incredibly useful, and, unlike many other companions from the early sets, never becomes obsolete. Use this Faramir to avoid extra wounds from

Orcs such as Orc Soldier, to freeze Gollum wounding decks, to guarantee winning a skirmish and to guarantee avoiding a surprise overwhelm. Also note that he is Ring-Bound, and as such is immune to Grima, Wormtongue, so he can bear as many cards as you want.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strong Versus...
* Any deck that depends on killing using skirmishes (Either by strength or wounding)

Weak Versus...
* Archery Decks
* Corruption Decks
* Eventless Decks

TelTura · « **Reply #8 on:** July 20, 2015, 10:32:24 AM »

Posted.

Dictionary · « **Reply #9 on:** July 21, 2015, 03:16:27 PM »

Here's an article for Alatar Deceived. It's pretty similar to Pallando, but I tried to vary it as much as possible in the middle. A lot of its also kind of generic description rather than strategy, but it's hard with these guys to mention combos, seeing as they're fairly limited as to what they can synergise with. Thoughts?

General Strategy:

Alatar Deceived, along with Pallando Deceived and Radagast Deceived make up the three wizard conditions of Bloodlines. Alatar Deceived usually only fights in fierce skirmishes (although Gollum with A Dark Shape Sprang against Gandalf could trigger him early.), however his innate damage + 1 bonus helps to make up for this. Bear in mind he is triggered by an opponent's wizard as well as by Pallando Deceived and Saruman. Combined with Throne of Isengard, Alatar Deceived makes for a deadly minion. He can also benefit from the Men Will Fall event if you need extra pumps.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong versus...
* Fellowships containing Gandalf or Radagast.
* Wounding Fellowships.
* Choke Fellowships.

Weak versus...
* Boromir, BoC
* Elven skirmish event decks (Can be overwhelmed)
* Heavy Condition discard decks.

TelTura · « **Reply #10 on:** July 21, 2015, 03:36:24 PM »

Rearranged this one a bit, but kept all your points. Keep 'em comin!

Dictionary · « **Reply #11 on:** July 22, 2015, 12:40:21 PM »

So I was looking at the One Rings today. I assume we'd want to have a note for the common reprints re-directing viewers to the set 1 common (Which has already got strategy written)? In any case, it looks like Such a Weight to Carry is next in line for strategy, so here we go:

General Strategy:
The One Ring, SaWtC is a reasonably popular and versatile One Ring. It doesn't give any extra vitality, unlike ATAR and Isildur's Bane, but it does provide a built-in 2 extra strength, which is usually the most important requirement for a ring-bearer (Particularly Frodo). It can be equipped in the maneuver phase, which takes some forward-thinking, but the advantage of this is that you can take archery wounds as burdens (Which is not the case with ATAR). It also doesn't need to be put on that often, since its strength bonus applies all the time. Note that it is still not as versatile as Isildur's Bane, which can always be put on in response to a wound; SaWtC is vulnerable to Regoup wounds and pre-maneuver wounds.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong versus...
* Archery
* Wounding
* Corruption

Weak versus...
*

Orcs
* Doorway to Doom and Little Snuffler

TelTura · « **Reply #12 on:** July 22, 2015, 12:53:45 PM »

I think it might be better to have pages for each of those reprints of The Ruling Ring. Unlike, say, promotional or tengwar reprints, which have a different image but not much else, the context in which each of the Ruling Rings was released has changed with each reprint. Note, for instance, that 1C2 mostly spends time contrasting it with Isildur's Bane, but offers no contrast for any other ring (except a quick reference to Answer to All Riddles), as there weren't any in the context of Fellowship.

But I dunno, maybe I'm off base on this, and we can just redirect all the reprints to 1C2, but in that case a much more comprehensive article needs to be written, I think.

Article posted here.

Dictionary · « **Reply #13 on:** July 22, 2015, 01:32:14 PM »

Fair enough, I can write those if needed, I had a feeling I had seen Kralik say somewhere that we could start by filling out all the One Ring strategies, so I'll focus on those from now on. That being said, here's Radagast Deceived:

General Strategy:
Radagast Deceived, along with Pallando Deceived and Alatar Deceived make up the three wizard conditions of Bloodlines. Radagast Deceived is the most difficult wizard to trigger with Saruman, as you need to heal him early on in a turn. The best version of Saruman for this is Agent of the Dark Lord, as you can use either his built-in effect, Defensive Rush or Fury of the Evil Army to heal him. Even then, you usually only get a fierce skirmish for Radagast Deceived. If your opponent has wizard companions however, they should set off Radagast Deceived for you, since he'll trigger off their Sanctuary healing, or any other form of healing, and will subsequently fight in both skirmishes. Combined with Throne of Isengard, Radagast Deceived makes for a deadly minion. He can also benefit from the Men Will Fall event if you need extra pumps.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong versus...
* Fellowships containing Gandalf or Radagast.
* Wounding Fellowships.
* Choke Fellowships.

Weak versus...
* Boromir, BoC
* Elven skirmish event decks (Can be overwhelmed)
* Heavy Condition discard decks

TelTura · « **Reply #14 on:** July 22, 2015, 04:23:39 PM »

Sounds good. Posted, with some edits.

Dictionary · « **Reply #15 on:** July 23, 2015, 02:24:30 AM »

The One Ring, The Great Ring:

General Strategy:
The One Ring, The Great Ring is one of the most popular one rings in expanded. Its ability to add burdens at will to prevent overwhelm is incredibly powerful, and makes the ring-bearer much more difficult to kill, especially when combined with burden removal or high resistance. It also can be put on for no cost, which makes it one of the most efficient one rings in terms of wound-to-burden ratio. It's equipped during the maneuver phase, so it is vulnerable to regroup and pre-maneuver wounds. The biggest danger to this One Ring is Cavern Entrance; be sure to have some site manipulation if you're dependant on this ring to prevent that site from being played. Strong burden removal is also desirable if you're using this One Ring often, some examples are Golden Perch Ale, Sting, Weapon of Heritage, Shadowfax, GotM, Watch and Wait, Home and Hearth and Songs of the Blessed Realm.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong versus...
* Swarm
* Corruption (If you packed burden removal)
* Archery
* Large Minions

Weak versus...
* Cavern Entrance
* Doorway to Doom and Little Snuffler
*

Warg-Riders
* High damage minions

TelTura · « **Reply #16 on:** July 23, 2015, 10:25:18 AM »

Posted.

Dictionary · « **Reply #17 on:** July 24, 2015, 02:00:18 AM »

The One Ring, The Ring of Rings

General Strategy:

The One Ring, TRoR is one of the most popular rings in Expanded format, along with The Great Ring. It's also useable in the earlier post-movie formats, being from set 11, and is often the best one ring for Alternate Ring-bearers. This Ring could be described as the safest one ring to use; it turns every wound into a single burden, can be equipped at any time, and provides extra resistance for the ring-bearer. Its only shortcoming is the lack of any other beneficial stats or ability. Ring-bearers that benefit a lot from this ring are Gandalf, BoO; Boromir, BoC and possibly Sméagol, BoGS as he often adds burdens to trigger his effects. However, all the alternate Ring-bearers (Save possibly Sam, BoGN; Bilbo, BoTB and Galadriel, BoW) can benefit a lot from this Ring.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strong versus...
* Corruption
* Wounding
* Archery

Weak versus...
* Swarm
* Beatdown

TelTura · « **Reply #18 on:** July 24, 2015, 12:29:00 PM »

Posted.

Dictionary · « **Reply #19 on:** July 25, 2015, 01:43:14 AM »

The One Ring, the Ring of Doom

General Strategy:
This version of the One Ring is strikingly similar to ATAR, the only difference being that it gives Hunter 3 instead of strength + 2. Against most minions, Hunter 3 = Strength + 3 making this a better ring. However against hunters it will merely remove the hunter bonus of the minion skirmishing the Ring-Bearer, which is less useful than ATAR's ability. For the most part, hunters are rare in expanded, so this ring obsoletes ATAR somewhat. However, if the meta changes to many hunter minion decks, ATAR might start to see more play again.

Even bearing the above in mind, The Great Ring's ability to add burdens for strength at will makes it more popular than this ring. The advantage of this ring is the 2 extra vitality it provides, which is useful for Ring-Bearers that might need to exert (Or wound themselves) to trigger effects, such as Faramir, BoQ.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong versus...
* Wounding
* Archery

Weak versus...
* Swarm
* Corruption

Durin's Heir · « **Reply #20 on:** July 25, 2015, 03:19:09 PM »

The Ring of Doom is also used to have more hunters to spot/exert, for cards like Forth the Three Hunters with Gimli BoG.

TelTura · « **Reply #21 on:** July 25, 2015, 03:41:40 PM »

Posted. I added a line to that effect for the hunter spotting, but didn't call out those cards by name. Feel free to edit it if you can find a way to make it flow.

Dictionary · « **Reply #22 on:** July 26, 2015, 05:15:57 AM »

I guess this'll be my last post in this thread, as one further post will mean I can edit directly? Thanks again for the help Teltura, I'm really glad I found this thread, as many of my recent posts have been here. Coincidentally, I believe this is the last rare one ring to review as well:

The One Ring, The Binding Ring

General Strategy:
The One Ring, The Binding Ring, is probably the most obscure One Ring ever released. Unlike all other rings, it has the independant ability unrelated to the Ring-Bearer of playing rings from your draw deck. This is useful in any deck that has a lot of rings, such as dwarves, or rings that are required at a specific time, such as Narya and Vilya. As such, TBR is effective against several Shadow strategies, depending on which rings you play from deck.

In terms of its regular ability, the fact that it requires an exertion to equip is also unique, and quite dangerous, as an exhausted Ring-Bearer cannot use this ring to turn wounds into burdens. On the other hand, it has a good wound-to-burden ratio and gives extra strength and vitality.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strong versus...
* Archery
* Condition-Dependant decks (With Vilya)
* Corruption (With Narya)
* Wounding (With Nenya, RoA or Ring of Barahir)
* Beatdown (With Dwarven Rings)

Weak versus...
* Gollum, Dark as Darkness
* Doorway to Doom and Little Snuffler
* Corruption (If overused)
*

Orcs
* Ring-Bearer Hate

EDIT: I hit 25 posts, so if you like I can just add the above in and save you the trouble. I had a go at editing the Prancing Pony, 1U324, if you get a free moment could you check I did everything correctly before I go edit any more pages?

EDIT: Added Ring of Barahir, as proposed by Durin's Heir

Durin's Heir · « **Reply #23 on:** July 26, 2015, 03:00:07 PM »

In "Strong versus... Wounding", add the Ring of Barahir for Aragorn.

TelTura · « **Reply #24 on:** July 26, 2015, 08:41:23 PM »

Posted, easily your best article yet! Your Prancing Pony article is just fine, just the sort of thing we needed for more cards.

It seems that Kralik is out of disc space and it's causing the recent changes page to fail to record the most recent changes, so for instance all but one of the articles you've posted in this thread here do not show up on that page. This means tracking changes is difficult, so we can't offer advice so easily as you continue to post new articles. For that reason, I would advise posting here or perhaps in the article feedback thread for each article that you edit/add for now (barring minor edits).

Congratulations on your progress, and welcome to the wiki team! I'm glad that this little thread was able to fulfil its purpose for at least one individual.

Dictionary · « **Reply #25 on:** July 27, 2015, 03:46:39 AM »

Thank you! I'll post every update I do here then, unless you'd prefer the article feedback thread. I think it is better to have people proof-reading anyway, it means more ideas and fewer mistakes.

Goblin Armory:

General Strategy:
Goblin Armory is the probably the most potent and most iconic card of the moria culture. With the ability to add twilight whenever a weapon is played (Which stacks with each copy) this card is a powerful tool in swarm decks; with 4 copies, each Goblin Scimitar adds 4 twilight and draws a card, easily allowing you to play even more minions or just use the extra cards with They Are Coming for more minions. Relics of Moria, which costs twilight to use, will end up making twilight with 3 or more Armories in play. Goblin Scavengers are also great value because they play a weapon from discard, making more twilight.

It was most likely the advent of this card that resulted in most players packing heavy condition discard in their decks. If you don't have a counter to this card in your deck, expect to be hit very hard and try to aim for a shadow win, as most fellowships fall quickly if they are not able to deal with this card.

In addition to its twilight adding potential, this card can also be discarded to prevent wounds, in a pinch. It's inadvisable to do this except when absolutely necessary, as, once discarded, it's impossible to get this card back in Fellowship Block. When you are trying to swarm Frodo (Particularly at site 9, when you no longer need the twilight) and your opponent perhaps uses PATHS would be the best time to trigger this.

Note that in Movie Block, Host of Moria, LoTU can play this card from your discard pile, making it even more effective.

An alternate strategy with this card is use it with Moria Axe rather than Goblin Scimitar in a Moria Beatdown deck. Moria Axe is one of the most powerful pre-shadows weapons ever released, and adding twilight with it allows you to play more large minions. You could also use scimitars, but with the purpose of playing the Cave Troll of Moria, SotBP rather than swarming. Bear in mind that Cave Troll's Hammer, The Balrog's Sword and Whip of Many Thongs also trigger this card.

If you're playing against this card, common counters are Secret Sentinels, Sleep Caradhras (Or Deep in Thought), Betrayal of Isengard, Song of Durin and Bilbo Baggins, Well-Spoken Gentlehobbit. Use Song of Durin as soon as possible, otherwise it may be discarded by Goblin Warrior.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong versus...
* Choke
* Gondor
* Decks that neglect Frodo protection
* PATHS

Weak versus...
* Large Fellowships
* Condition discard
* Hobbit Decks, which usually have a tonne of Frodo protection cards

TelTura · « **Reply #26 on:** July 28, 2015, 07:05:51 AM »

Very comprehensive, excellently done.

I think in the interest of forum topic consistency, it's probably best to post new articles in the article feedback thread, and leave this one strictly for new posters needing to up their post count.

Also, no need to reproduce the article in a forum post, simply a link to the article in question will do.