Don't they usually do an ally, an attachment, and an event from each sphere? Or am I just imagining that it's always been that organized?

We are getting 39 player cards. I believe there are 6 boons + 3 heroes, so that leaves 10 different allies, attachments, or events. There are generally at least 2 from each sphere and at least one neutral. So far they have spoiled Legolas (T), Gimli (Le), Herugrim (S), Helm! Helm! (S), Ent Draught (Lo), and Shadowfax (N). Based on the numbering sequence three of the remaining cards could be allies or attachments and one of the cards will be event.

I fear spirit loses his own essence. At first, at least the first 3 cycles, spirit was for advancing in the quest phase, adding a lot of willpower, also, manipulation staging area, and some myscelania effects like controlling discard pile. But lately, spirit is having a lot of combat things..., idraen, etc. , and now Theoden. You can build a very good monospirit deck to play solo with good wp and combat.

We had Glorfindel already who could quest and attack with Light of Valinor, so you could combat before. Spirit still cannot defend imo (ok, there is Frodo but he raises threat when defending), so using heroes with high starting threat can be dangerous that you will not be able to defend properly even with Frodo, especially in heavy enemy quests.

One hero with 3 attack isn't an issue. 4 heroes with 3 attack can become an issue, especially with the ease in which you can ready in Spirit. Now Herugrim can buff attack pretty significantly and Blood of Numenor can buff defense pretty significantly if you can save up.

I'll rolll with what Teamjimby said:

1: Aragorn

2: Theoden

3: Treebeard

4: Legolas

5: Gimli

6: ?

7: ?

8: ?

9: Ent Draught

10: Herugrim

11: ?

12: Helm! Helm! (or is it #11?)

13: Shadowfax

14: The Three Hunters

15: Intimidation

16: Hands of a Healer

17: Forewarned

18: Leader of Men

19: Palantir of Orthanc

20: ? (Boon)

For the last Boon, my money is on the Gandalf the White conversion card.

One hero with 3 attack isn't an issue. 4 heroes with 3 attack can become an issue, especially with the ease in which you can ready in Spirit. Now Herugrim can buff attack pretty significantly and Blood of Numenor can buff defense pretty significantly if you can save up.

Indeed, but they start with a threat of 30 and with no good defenders in heavy enemy quests this could become problem in spirit

yay, a hope for rohan spirit ally!

How many beards?

I think the spirit ally that's unrevealed will be Gamling. Or at least I hope so. For lore I'd like Quickbeam, though it could be Merry and Pippin in those slots.

I too believe like Thanatopsis that the other boon will be "White Wizard" boon. (If it was actually like that, imagine a Radagast hero and turning him into the White Wizard. That would be so awesome IMO.)

I think the boon will be something like 'sent back' and allow you to return a hero sacrificed to the balrog back to the campaign with improved stats. While it makes the most thematic sense for it to only attach to Gandalf, I hope it will bring back any hero so that there's greater flexibility in gameplay.

It wouldn't be possible to specifically bring back a hero that was killed by the Balrog since that's not recorded on the Campaign Log, but you *could* bring back someone on the Fallen Heroes list.

It wouldn't be possible to specifically bring back a hero that was killed by the Balrog since that's not recorded on the Campaign Log, but you *could* bring back someone on the Fallen Heroes list.

With all the one time use boons we had in the last saga expansion I can def see it reflecting something like this where its a one time use event allowing you to remove a hero from the fallen heroes list that you get after beating the 1st quest. Sounds very within the realm of something they create.

Theoden

This is so true, and so sad.

Theoden

Not a fan that they kept his inflated starting threat cost despite no longer providing a statistical boost via his ability. Oh well.

This is so true, and so sad.

I don't think you see the whole picture. Each hero in the game that has a price rediction built-in is suffering from inflated threat. Before Theoden there is Beregond and Grima, both having a price reduction mechanic built-in, both having inflated by 1 threat cost.

Theoden

Not a fan that they kept his inflated starting threat cost despite no longer providing a statistical boost via his ability. Oh well.

This is so true, and so sad.

I don't think you see the whole picture. Each hero in the game that has a price rediction built-in is suffering from inflated threat. Before Theoden there is Beregond and Grima, both having a price reduction mechanic built-in, both having inflated by 1 threat cost.

Lol, sorry, Trolo, you were too fast. I edited my post as I wanted to quote a different part than I originally did.

Going back briefly to Trololo's point about inflated threat costs, I am fully aware that there are other heroes that are in this category (one of the blogs had a good article on all of them recently, disappointed I can't remember which one). But for this Theoden it feels like the extra threat is there more to be consistent with the stats of the previous iteration than because he is so naturally powerful or provides as good of an ability warranting the extra threat. Beregond is the best natural defender in the game, Grima, for a relatively small price provides consistent cost reduction to any card...these are deserving of a threat penalty to be balanced. While very subjective, I just don't think new Theoden falls into this category. I certainly understand if others may feel different about it, but it's my opinion on the matter.

What about the Glorfindel and his threat cost consistency? I don't see how willpower of 3 on tactics Theoden has anything to do with +1 threat cost boost on spirit Theoden, but every cost reducing hero in the game has a +1 threat cost boost, so does Theoden, and that's where my bet lies. However, we won't know for sure until the developer comes down and tells us his reasoning behind this decision, which is: never.

I think Theoden compares pretty closely to Grima, so the threat surcharge makes sense. Grima effectively gives you one extra resource every round. It's more versatile (can be used for any card, any player), but it also carries doomed 1. Theoden can also effectively give you one extra resource every round. It's more limited (only you, only Rohan allies), but there's no doomed 1. Plus he has sentinel while Grima has no extra abilities.

Uh, oh... It looks like Theoden (sp) and Grima actually pair really well together in a deck which lacks traditional leadership-based resource acceleration.

They do pair together nicely. Now I have visions of a Grima/Theoden/Theodred deck. It would be thematic and give you 3 extra resources a turn. You lose tactics, but there aren't that many tactics Rohan cards so it could still work.

Well, there even less Lore and Leadershit Rohan allies.

There are 3 Rohan Tactics, 2 Rohan Leadershit and 1 Rohan Lore ally in the game currently. That if I'm not missing anything spoiled, but not filed into the database.

Short version: I wouldn't make it tri-sphere, just Theoden, Grima and someone else from Spirit.

Yeah, I just tried to throw together a deck with those 3 and I have almost no lore cards. Pretty much just Gleowine and Isengard Messenger. There isn't a whole lot of leadership either, but Theodred can give his resources to Theoden and there are other cards like Heir of Mardil, The Day's Rising, and Sneak Attack. Although about 60% of the cards are spirit, there is so much resource generation that it could work. Add Keys of Orthanc and now you have +4 resources every turn.

Sphere combinations will be tricky...You'll want to use Theoden as your attacker, which eliminates Hama and Eomer, so no tactics (if you don't pick Merry). But then you need another hero to quest. I'm leaning towards spirit heavy with Theoden, Eowyn, Erkenbrand.

Going back briefly to Trololo's point about inflated threat costs, I am fully aware that there are other heroes that are in this category (one of the blogs had a good article on all of them recently, disappointed I can't remember which one). But for this Theoden it feels like the extra threat is there more to be consistent with the stats of the previous iteration than because he is so naturally powerful or provides as good of an ability warranting the extra threat. Beregond is the best natural defender in the game, Grima, for a relatively small price provides consistent cost reduction to any card...these are deserving of a threat penalty to be balanced. While very subjective, I just don't think new Theoden falls into this category. I certainly understand if others may feel different about it, but it's my opinion on the matter.

That was me! Unless someone else did one and I missed it. To summarise on this particular subject, I don't really think Beregond is +1 threat because his ability's that good, I think he's +1 threat because his statline is incredibly good and very focused. Grima's ability is very powerful but I don't think he'd be overwhelming if he was costed by stats simply because using his ability raises everyone's threat so effectively he is worth more threat than printed on the card, and for the whole table rather than just you.

As far as Theoden goes, this ability is powerful and I think can be considered to reasonably justify a +1 threat cost - it certainly merits the extra point of threat more than Tactics Theoden does. However I do wonder if they felt obliged to give Spirit Theoden such a powerful ability specifically so they could keep his threat cost consistent with the Tactics version.

Ah! Thanks for giving the heads up. I'm sorry I couldn't more directly reference your article. For those seeing this now I would encourage going to his blog and checking it out, was a very good read

Amazon says TToS will be available on the 24th for what it's worth.

As I said about Theoden, I don't think he works in tri-sphere, at least in solo, since if he's your only spirit hero and, normally, your questing hero, you have a 2 willpower questing hero, which in solo is not really viable. Now I agree that he should either have 3 wp or 11 threat, but in any case I think he's very good. I would run him though not in tri-sphere but two sphere, with Eowyn and Eomer. Eomer clearly attacks, Eowyn quests and Theoden could do pretty much any action. This would be obviously a very ally heavy deck, with Westfold Outrider, Guthlaf, maybe some eagles for support, and of course the many spirit Rohan allies. So with this lineup normally we would be able to play either 2 spirit allies or 1 spirit and 1 tactics ally each turn, considering the average cost of Rohan allies which is 2. For attachments, Horn of Gondor for Eomer, as well as Firefoot, maybe Captain of Gondor but that could go on Theoden as well to boost his defense. Other attachments would be Steed of the Mark and Herugrim, either on Theoden or Eowyn. Events would your typical Feint, maybe even Charge of the Rohirrim if you want to try that, and the spirit events AToW, the Rohan events, etc. That right there is a very good solo deck IMO and it's not even considering what we'll get in Treason of Saruman. I suspect a unique Rohan spirit ally, maybe an attachment, and I'm liking that Helm! Helm! event.