Last night I started scribbling down on post-it notes what hero combinations I want to try with Celeborn as soon as Dunland Trap comes out (PLEASE announce it this week!)

Basically, I'm trying to channel my extremely excited (bordering on agitated) anticipation for Silvan elves.

Feel free to post just hero combinations or whole decks you're looking forward to building with just the Dunland Trap cards. When a new cycle starts, it's a challenging time because we're very excited but only have limited cards for the new trait/strategy. Sometimes this requires even more creative deck-building than when we have all the cards in a cycle. Planning out Galadriel decks is fun but SO far away! What decks are you going to build in two weeks? (fingers crossed)

...I've even made an Elven music playlist in anticipation.

Ok so here are my initial ideas:

Celeborn Mirlonde Elrond

Lore obviously has the most Silvan cards already available to it so it makes sense to take advantage of them even though (with their high cost) they don't lend themselves as efficiently to the bouncing in and out of play mechanic. Elrond synergizes well because he allows for splashing of spirit or tactics silvan allies and even some other spirit cards once Vilya is on him. Although with low cost allies and wanting to have control over their entrance/exit maybe Vilya won't even be that useful?

Celeborn Mirlonde Legolas

Ok, these are the three Silvan heroes we will have available at the time Dunland Trap comes out. How will they work together? I tend towards thematic play over strategic play so I often force myself to make these types of groupings. We're missing spirit (Light of Valinor, SIlvan Refugee, People of the Sea, Lorien Guide) and Tactics doesn't have (any?) Silvan allies unless we get one in DT. What we do get is Horn of Gondor which combos amazingly, Born Aloft, Rivendell Blade and Bow. Remember to throw in Envoy from Pelargir and Good Harvest in there for resource smoothing.

Celeborn Mirlonde(or Elrond, or Bifur...) Glorfindel

As much as I have gotten sick of Glorfindel, he does thematically allow access to the existing spirit silvan cards. Just as a reminder, we want to use Mirlonde for her combo with Silvan Tracker.

Celeborn Imrahil and... Mirlonde!

So Imrahil is obviously not thematic but he does have elven blood as Legolas says and is strategically a home run for the Silvan play type. That being said, a Leadership major deck is usually not a great idea unless you're doing Gondor. Maybe throw a Lore song in there...

Yeah, Imrahil and Horn of Gondor are great for Silvan synergy (and Rohan and eagles) but pretty poor thematically. Whatever! Don't care! Get Imrahil and Legolas in there with Celeborn!

Yeah I'm pretty psyched for the new Silvan allies and attachments especially the tactics ally and the attachments! Really hoping there is an awesome weapon coming out for Silvan elves. Seems like if there is it will be in the three trials (specifically states that it will have silvan attachments in this pack).

As far as new combinations/decks I'm more excited for the various ally and attachment cards than Celeborn himself and will probably not bother with him. Both Rumil, Naith Guide and Orophin are all going into my tactics and leadership deck and I have been running proxies of them for the last few weeks (Rumil is AMAZING, naith guide is pretty **** good and Orophin is awesome but fairly situational, if Rumil or Naith Guide are also out Orophin is amazing, if not hes still pretty good as his stats are quite high for only 3 cost but just not amazing). Also, not from Dunland trap (neither are Rumil or Orophin though ), but Wingfoot (Nin-In-Eilph apparently) is also highly anticipated. I've been running a proxy of a single copy and am always happy to see it come out in games, its more or less a Light of the Valinor for Aragorn which is very handy. I'm also considering running x3 of The White Council from Dunland trap as it seems pretty **** powerful, even as it has been spoiled so far 2 neutral resources in two handed play to ready a hero and put a resource on another hero is bloody good!

Really really hope you are right about the announcement this week and release in two weeks time, really really really sick of waiting and staring at spoilers.... really want a new quest as well.... feels like we've been waiting for so long.....

How do you know what Orophin does?

See how at the top of his text box there is nothing on the right hand side but then there is a lower chunk of text. Pretty **** sure thats Ranged on the top left unless he has sentinel which makes less sense thematically. The rest of the text box is partially revealed and reads "...y, return a" and "to your hand". I believe this reads "Response: When Orophin enters play, return a Silvan ally back to your hand". The main Silvan mechanic revealed thus far is bouncing allies back to your hand/deck. I doubt he does anything with attachments or events and it just seems a fitting ability given his reasonably low cost and pretty decent stats. Its a minor drawback that with Silvan synergy ends up being an extra effect. Works well with Rumil (his brother) and Naith Guides.

I may very well be wrong but to me it seems very much like this is his ability.

As I said elsewhere, I believe it says "return a Silvan ally from your discard pile to your hand". It would not otherwise take the full line (longer than the above). "Silvan ally back to" could never fill as much space as it does -- remember that the above line begins with Response: .

And I agree about Ranged.

That would also be quite good! Naith Guides die easily....
I think you may be right because theres more space than there should be for just "from play to your hand" so it may very well be "from your discard pile to your hand"!

Yeah, I am nearly sure of it, especially because it would be dull if Oropin did just the same thing as the events do.

As I think it is, he will work nicely with Silvan Refugee, for instance. And all the fragile Silvan lads and lasses.

I think it says "different Silvan ally back to"... that would be long enough, and just makes sure you don't send Orophin back.

Obviously, we don't know for sure, but we'll see...... some day.

No, it is not nearly long enough... and it makes little sense too, game-wise.

Look:

Response: After Orophin enters play, return a

Silvan ally from your discard pile to your hand.

- quite perfect, don't you say?

hmm... Seems legitimately enough. I might be starting to believe you. Does this make sense thematically for Oriphin? I haven't read the books so I dont know anything about him.

Well, Orophin and Rúmil are brothers of Haldir who we know very little of. I mean there is not much about Haldir himself in the book, though he leads the Fellowship to Caras Galadhon (I think it is one of the characters who got much more popular thanks to the films).

If I remember correctly, the difference between the brothers was that Haldir was more used to Westron.

Yep Orophin and Rumil did not speak it and therefore could not talk to anyone in the fellowship bar Aragorn and Legolas. Other than this and that they were rangers and brothers of Haldir we know very little about them unfortunately =(

I'm surprised that what i've always thought was the most obvious combo hasnt been mentioned yet: Celeborn, Glorfindel (spirit), Elrond.

Keeps the starting threat reasonable, Celeborn drives the stats and gives access to resource gen, Glorfindel is obvious and there are plenty of spirit support cards, Elrond helps smooth resources and increase heals from silvan tracker. Unless tactics gets a new silvan hero, I think you're better off with the other 3 spheres plus Elrond (and "the tree people"!!) can play the allies regardless

Yes, this above trio was obvious when Celeborn was out, and I ran it to some good results; however, don't you think that Galadriel is just too good to be overlooked? She replaced Glorfindel in that deck for me right away, and then, of course, Elrond had to go back to Imladris as well.

I totally agree Leadership, Spirit, Lore are the three spheres for Silvan, Tactics being a side thing to a different deck. But Elrond seems to be working much better in a different deck, plus his ally paying ability is not that great here as you usually need Lore resources more than the others.

I did reference Cel/El/Gl above. It's clearly one of the better options. I think the reason I didn't highlight it was that I was almost taking it for granted. Glorfindel/Elrond decks are so common, I was trying to push myself/us to come up with some ideas other than that. I think mainly, for me Glorfindel has become like Eowyn was in the first year of the game: too much of a crutch. I find myself trying to make a deck that purposefully does NOT include him.

Of course, when you've only got one pack worth of new Silvan cards, it might be best to just go with what works for the time being. I always find myself forcing a more thematic or unconventional deck build out of some sort of idealism and not having the most powerful deck as a consequence. But I'm ok with that

Definitely looking forward to getting Galadriel in on the action but as I said above, this threat is specifically to generate ideas working with what we'll have when only The Dunland Trap has come out.

Yes, this above trio was obvious when Celeborn was out, and I ran it to some good results; however, don't you think that Galadriel is just too good to be overlooked? She replaced Glorfindel in that deck for me right away, and then, of course, Elrond had to go back to Imladris as well.

I totally agree Leadership, Spirit, Lore are the three spheres for Silvan, Tactics being a side thing to a different deck. But Elrond seems to be working much better in a different deck, plus his ally paying ability is not that great here as you usually need Lore resources more than the others.

i agree full heartily in regards to Galadriel but I'm thinking of the characters we'll have upon the dunland trap's release. i should have been more clear

Then I would agree full heartedly as well. Celeborn, Elrond, Glorfindel is a very good line-up, the flexibility and stats are amazing.

I´ve played around with Silvans a bit, but found them rather meh. It needs a few more cards to really make it click imo.

I can tell you that Mirkwood Runner and especially Silvan Tracker are really, really good with Celeborn and Galadriel though, so not picking a Lore character in the third slot would be a very tough decision (unless you´re playing two-handed, oc).

I´ve played around with Silvans a bit, but found them rather meh. It needs a few more cards to really make it click imo.

I can tell you that Mirkwood Runner and especially Silvan Tracker are really, really good with Celeborn and Galadriel though, so not picking a Lore character in the third slot would be a very tough decision (unless you´re playing two-handed, oc).

Try this and let me know what you think: http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/108294-silvan-in-laws/