By the way, have you seen the new card in the Ettenmoors pack spoiled by COTR yesterday I think? It's pretty good.

woah! can be an ally or hero and silvan OR noldor. Impressive!!!

In a silvan deck it's insane, can turn a Handmaiden into a 4 attacker or a Mirkwood Runner into a 5 attacker -defense, that's really good. And of course Celeborn, Elladan, Glorfindel and Elrond will greatly benefit.

It's badass on Elrond or Glorfindel especially on Glorfindel with his action advantage!

Handmaiden trick is really clever too.

Edit: Double Post

Wow, the card is insane. I mean so good. Mirkwood Runner really gets another meaning. With Celeborn, he strikes for 5 ignoring defense, most enemies fall against that. Haldir, similar story, with all the timing/placing bonus. insanely good. I love the Elf love we are getting.

Plus, you can apply it across the table, just saying.

Amazing art, too. I want that card (sneakily eying the printer…)

Tolkien's view on the Blue wizards changed during his life. His early writing mention that they most probably failed, but later writings color them in a more positive light:

Their task was to circumvent Sauron: to bring help to the few tribes of Men that had rebelled from Melkor-worship, to stir up rebellion ... and after his first fall to search out his hiding (in which they failed) and to cause [?dissension and disarray] among the dark East ... They must have had very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in weakening and disarraying the forces of East ... who would both in the Second Age and Third Age otherwise have ... outnumbered the West.

—J.R.R. Tolkien

From Tolkien Gateway.

It seems they did help a bit after all. In fact a few weeks ago I was planning on creating a deluxe box for my Blue Wizards custom cards, and it was about starting a rebellion and overthrowing an evil leader of Harad and replacing him by the rightful king who was not allied to Sauron (represented by an objective ally). I had already many pieces of art and was about to design the quests but got lazy in the process. We'll probably see Harad the next cycle anyway.

Yes, I knew that text. As I said, it is difficult to take letters or interviews as a canon source, but it is obviously better than nothing.

A good idea about the deluxe, the designers might get inspired?

And I do rather think of them in a positive way. I think it is enough one of the Istari got corrupted. Three out of five could be a bit extensive, and not shedding the best light upon the Valar's recruitment process.

Just listened to the most recent COTR podcast and of the three cards Matthew offered to spoil for them one was a lore event that interacts with the victory display. Surely this would not have been The Door is Closed as we more or less know exactly what this does already so it SEEMS as though we will get some more cards that potentially put more non-victory points cards in the victory display and help with the Keen As Lances mechanic.

The leadership event that interacts with side quests also sounds interesting as we already have dunedain message so I wonder what this one could do...

Fair and Perilous will be a huge boost to my Lore/Spirit deck. As for upcoming cards, I would be thrilled about a new healer ally. Warden of Healing is fantastic, but I'd love something related to Noldor/Rivendell (yes I remember Lore of Imladris but I'd like something that is reusable and uses Elrond's boost). We don't have too many healing allies (though I suppose the Wellinghall Custodian might be taking up that "slot" in the foreseeable future).

Just listened to the most recent COTR podcast and of the three cards Matthew offered to spoil for them one was a lore event that interacts with the victory display. Surely this would not have been The Door is Closed as we more or less know exactly what this does already so it SEEMS as though we will get some more cards that potentially put more non-victory points cards in the victory display and help with the Keen As Lances mechanic.

The leadership event that interacts with side quests also sounds interesting as we already have dunedain message so I wonder what this one could do...

The Door is Closed will be in the Treachery of Rhudaur, so yeah, that's not it. The Lore event probably was None Return, which we speculated will be an enemy version of Leave No Trace. The Leadership event was probably the Dunedain Message, as I doubt there will be 2 Leadership events that interact with side quests in the same pack. It woul've been a bummer if they had chosen that since it as already spoiled.

Regarding Fair and Perilous, as much as I like the card, it seems really unfair that Spirit gets an incredible attack boost while Tactics doesn't get the same for willpower. I think that if instead it was a Tactics event that added the character's attack to its willpower everyone would be screaming against the sphere bleed and how Tactics would "lose its identity". But when Spirit gets a huge combat boost, nobody seems to be upset.

Nobody would be upset if attack was added to willpower in tactics. In fact, great card idea!

Nobody would be upset if attack was added to willpower in tactics. In fact, great card idea!

The theme and art could be Boromir and Aragorn bulldozing through the snow drifts of Caradhras. They're definitely using their brute force for questing without actually battle-questing.

Not sure who you're referring to with "everyone"; I wouldn't mind more willpower boosting for Tactics in the slightest. Tactics also has a workaround for questing via Legolas+Arod, Trained for War etc. In my mind Spirit is the most essential sphere for success, and as I always end up playing support since everyone I play with prefers combat-based decks, this is exactly the kind of card I need for getting in on the action a bit as well.

I would certainly like such a card. What I'm saying is that if this card hadn't existed and instead we got the tactics version, many people would've complained. While Spirit is not the best at combat at any level, we're accustomed to seeing 3 attack Spirit heroes and 2 attack Spirit allies, while you obviously can't say the same for the analogous situation in Tactics.

Fair and Perilous is trait specific though. You need to be running Silvan or Noldor. I know most people run spirit Glorfindel but if you are running say spirit Rohan or Hobbits or something else you will not be able to utilize it.

Nobody would be upset if attack was added to willpower in tactics. In fact, great card idea!

This. Spirit is really good at stepping on Tactics toes. >_>

I would certainly like such a card. What I'm saying is that if this card hadn't existed and instead we got the tactics version, many people would've complained. While Spirit is not the best at combat at any level, we're accustomed to seeing 3 attack Spirit heroes and 2 attack Spirit allies, while you obviously can't say the same for the analogous situation in Tactics.

Maybe you're right and people would like it. The thing is, we still got the Spirit version and that means Spirit is still keeping on "stepping on Tactics' toes" as soullos said. But I do remember that some time ago it would've happened, as people were not happy with seeing quest boosting in Tactics. It's a good thing that now more people would accept it.

The idea about attack boosting willpower for Tactics could go to Gondor or Dúnedain.

I hope we see more of their alliance. I love alliances. Noldor or Silvan is obvious, Hobbit or Ranger is interesting, Ranger or Scout also, Hobbit or Dwarf (mentioned), Dúnedain or Noldor (just one but more will be coming), Gondor or Rohan we've seen but Gondor or Dúnedain should be more of (though we've got Blood of Númenor and Gondorian Fire).

Tactics is unparalleled in combat - I don't think Spirit can rival it. In my experience, neither of these spheres is particularly viable as mono-sphere decks in solo play. In this game (and I find this good and very thematic) plurality is always rewarded - Tactics should be paired with e.g. Spirit, either in the same or another deck. But with A Good Harvest or songs, you could play StwB and ally Faramir to boost willpower even in a straight-Tactics deck.

To be fair, Tactics is my least favourite sphere and I rarely use it - but I find it fitting that brute force does not win the day on its own. It does one thing, and it does it very well. With recent cycles' cards dealing out more damage and enemies having higher attack, Tactics plays an important role that Spirit never could and vice versa.

None Return comfirmed to be enemy version of Leave No Trace:

Where did you get this spoiler?

New release article.

ah yeah missed it! thank you!

I just wanted to add it here, you guys are so quick. Yes, None Return confirmed. They might have as well added it to the deck-list. What do you think about it? The hero line-up seems reasonable. You probably do want secrecy for the Victory strategy. Mirlonde instead of Merry is another option. Of course Merry is better to keep you in secrecy, but Spirit otherwise might have little to say in the whole strategy (get not manipulation cards, I mean). As for the deck list, I wonder why no Ithilien Lookout and Celduin Traveller? They seem fairly efficient in secrecy decks and they even help scrying.