Lotr Tournament Amsterdam planned on 7th of february: The open Middle-Dutch

[Elrohir]

I just thought every card should be allowed unless it isn't banned for Block tournament...

If you bann Galadriel, would not that be broken? Corsairs and their nasty ships, shelobs web, besiegers conditions would be much stronger without Galadriel, and so on...

My opinion is, that cards in a block are very ballanced. What do you think?

[Gate Troll]

I'm not part of this little discussion but I think Elrohir is correct. The cards in a block were designed to work well with other and the main reason a card gets banned is because of the way it works with another card, and most cards that
increase Lady Redeemed brokenness are out of the RotK block. Just my two .

[Gil-Estel]

But there is no balance! Lady redeemed allong with Cirdan is just madness! She is like Elven Armaments, she shuts down an entire deck. So she is broken.

[Pepin The Breve]

  Galadriel is tottaly broken in movie block. I can tell cause i´m a movie block player so let me explain the reasons for this opinion...

  First thing she is a 0 cost starting companion with an awesome hability, basically discard every support area stuff that can annoy your party. While doing this she totally boosts Cirdan, but that´s not the main thing about her. The evil thing that she allow you to throw in a lot of unnespesific events, and that is the "jump of the cat"!

   You can toss in events like
- Foul Creation (Lurtz? Nah, i don´t like him...send him for a walk at discard pile and let me draw 2 cards).
- Curse Their Foul Feet! (Okay Moria people, now it´s time to make a really big swarm against my archer crew without having conditions at table... What? You have been gathering orcs at your hand to do it? What i shame i must say)
- Stand Against Darkness (Sauron? Where?)

   Well i guess you get the point. In other circunstances if you put some of these cards in your deck they will be useles cards just occuping precious room in great part of the cases, so it´s a great concearning when you build you deck: will i make it to just to screw some specific deck or i will make it to be solid against most of scenarios?. With Lady Redeemed at table, if they don´t serve you in the actual scenario, they are simply convert in a mass condition/possession removal!

   Just having her alone with a lot of events and a solid fellowship totally breaks 90% of the shadow strategies (or at least make them suffer far more to get something nasty against your freeps), forcing people to play with  culture to and add four Terrible as the Dawn (an even so they will have to face Stand Against Darkness and maybe Curse Their Foul Feet!) or design something just to deal with her.

   Think about it and you will see that, even that are really powerfull "non x-ed" cards out there, there are no cards that allow you to make this kind of thing. If you look at the x-list closely you will see that cards can be classified within some of these three types:
- Cards that allow totally Broken Loops
- Cards that actually prevents your opponent from playing something harmful (choking or getting his things pretty expensive to play)
- Overpowered cards (where i would put Galadriel)

   That is some simplification but just to ilustrate it.

   That´s what i think about her, i think that Decipher should have had a little more sense before release a card like that (cause it´s easy to predict how she can work than see crazy fruit loops coming on). But maybe that was just all part of Decipher´s plan, i can´t tell 

[Elrohir]

 
First, "Curse their foul feet" etc. are not of RotK block. You are right though, in that case she would be overpowered.

"Stand against darkness": There is no Sauron in Rotk!  -> I know, it was only for illustration... i like this card in openformat!

Further more, she has only strength 3! And she isn't an ally anymore - so try to survive! (you have also Frodo to protect!)

I think it is obviousley that she works great with Cirdan - that is why she got this ability! If we forbid Galadriel, how do you want discard possessions and conditions?
(And I don't think anyone would play Cirdan in block - that would be a very dangerous and risky option)

Actually, it is up to those, who organize the tournament. If they decide to forbid some cards - I have to accept. And Gil-Estel seemed to agree - and i am sure, he is allways right!

If we begin to discuss, this will turn into a never-ending-story (Elves are overpowerd, Men are to strong, Evilmenarchery is unfair, Nazgûl are broken, Hobbits are unkillable, Orcs are autowin caracters, you know...

I am happy for every suggestion. Just tell me in advance what cards were changed from the lists.

Best wishes
Elrohir

[Pepin The Breve]

   Well i say that in movie block she is totally overpower, but in the case of playing only RoTK block she is less op. Still i think that she is advantage for elf decks (maybe even other decks). RoTK have few direct condition and possession discard so, even that i agree that she is a weak companion in terms of fighting, i think the double advantage that she offers with Ciedain it´s just too good.

   Proof of that is that, back at the time she wasn´t x-ed, many people build their shadows thinking in manners of dealing with her (for example make a shadow that don´t rely much on conition/possesion. Anyway i think that corsairs and their ships are pretty overpowered too. Castamir + Halberd it´s just mad... 7 points and you have a 22 fierce minion that add up to 6 twilight and can be boosted to #$&*@!.

[swarmingUwithGoblins]

im not sure what my schedule is but i should be able to fly over there and if i do i will bring a few booster boxes from my store as additional prizes.

[Gil-Estel]

that would be nice...make sure that you do!

[Elrohir]

If I have not mentioned it so far: our brothers of Italy are not able to come 

[Radagast]

This is an interesting blog, a lot of reactions for a LotR-tournament in Holland with even foreign interest.
I think it's great to have another "fun" LotR tournament.
The block decks is also a good idea, maybe for the fifth round allow set 9?

I think that for every block the x-list at that time should be used.
So for the RotK-block, every card can be used. Galadriel is a great card, but needs a complete build around her.
Most elven-events are pretty useless apart from the strength bonus...
I don't think everybody will use her (I won't, if I'm able to come...)

I'm also interested in the number of people who are coming.
If this is gonna be a pretty big tournament, I'll defenitely come, but the drive is pretty long for a 8-man tournament..
Ah well, I might come anyway and bring some friends along 


Bas Melis

[TheJord]

Can we please have a Standard round though? All my best decks are Standard, and I have some Expanded, but I want to make friends not enemies. Plus GE will probably burn them if I turn up with them.

If we have a Standard round, I will bring a Hunters box as prize support.

[Gil-Estel]

Jordy....don't bring the Hunters box, cause you will lose! I will unleash all the evil that is to be found in me, just to work my way around you and your deck.
Maybe we can find to play some open as well....mhuhahahaha.
Melis, where do you live? I mean, I'm from Groningen but I'm so going to come! I will bring at least 1, but probably 3 friends along, maybe even a 4th or a 5th.
Smeagollum, have you set the date at the 7th already? If so, I can send the invites to all the people I know and have played lotr in the past....Let's make this work!

[TheJord]

Open!? Even I dont have a RL Open deck.

Sounds like a challenge tho GE I shall see you there. We can play a Standard game whatever everyone else is playing

[Radagast]

I'm from Eindhoven, played LotR since The Mines of Moria till the end...
But I never bought a lot from the Hunters block...played that online though and had a really killer standard deck 
When the date is set, I'll ask around if anyone is interested to play once more

[Gil-Estel]

We need to make this happen! Again, I need the determened date....man, this is cool!