The Hero Championship 2015

By Thanatopsis, in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

Posted at

--- Round 2 ---

This is the big round. 64 heroes are reducing down to 32. Wow!

I’ve included a voting card (see below) that should help alleviate everyone re-typing everything. Just copy, paste, and delete whichever names you are not voting for.

There are some really fun match-ups this round. I’m especially looking forward to the Leadership versions of Boromir and Faramir duking it out.

Visit http://challonge.com/lotrhero2015 for the bracket layout.

Voting closes at noon CST Monday December 7.

---------------------------------------------

D: Galadriel v Mirlonde

E: Pippin (Lo) v Dain Ironfoot

F: Glorfindel (S) v Théodred

G: Sam Gamgee v Ori

H: Frodo Baggins v Beravor

I: Beorn v Nori

J: Éomer v Glóin

K: Aragorn (Le) v Idraen

L: Aragorn (Lo) v Hirluin the Fair

M: Prince Imrahil v Thalin

N: Legolas v Brand Son of Bain

O: Denethor v Gríma

P: Beregond v Bombur

Q: Merry (T) v Bard the Bowman

R: Haldir of Lorien v Dúnhere

S: Mablung v Thorin Oakenshield

T: Elrond v Glorfindel (Lo)

U: Rossiel v Faramir (Lo)

V: Merry (S) v Bilbo Baggins

W: Bifur v Damrod

X: Gandalf v Caldara

Y: Gimli v Halbarad

Z: Boromir (T) v Treebeard

AA: Erestor v Balin

AB: Éowyn v Dwalin

AC: Eleanor v Erkenbrand

AD: Elrohir v Amarthiul

AE: Aragorn (T) v Théoden (T)

AF: Celeborn v Dori

AG: Arwen Undomiel v Háma

AH: Théoden (S) v Elladan

AI: Boromir (Le) v Faramir (Le)

Edited by Thanatopsis
Posted at

D: Galadriel

E: Dain Ironfoot - He is so strong, it is astounding.

F: Glorfindel (S)

G: Ori - His ability is so strong and allows for reliable card draw ensuring that your deck is consistent

H: Frodo

I: Nori

J: Eomer

K: Aragorn (Le)

L: Aragorn (Lo) - Okay this one was really tough for me. I have a fun little deck with Aragorn (Lo), Grima, and Hirluin so picking between Hirluin and Aragorn was tough. Aragorn really makes the deck shine, though. Outlands are just a bonus.

M: Prince Imrahil

N: Legolas

O: Grima

P: Beregond

Q: Bard the Bowman

R: Haldir of Lorien
S: Thorin Oakenshield

T: Elrond

U: Rossiel

V: Merry (S)

W: Bifur

X: Caldara

Y: Gimli

Z: Treebeard

AA: Erestor

AB: Eowyn

AC: Erkenbrand

AD: Amarthiul

AE: Aragorn (T)

AF: Celeborn

AG: Arwen Undomiel

AH: Theoden (S)

AI: Faramir (Le)

Edited by cmabr002
Posted at

I think in your template you provided there is an error in T. It should list Elrond and Glorfindel (Lo) but it currently lists Spirit Glorfindel.

Posted at

D: Galadriel v Mirlonde - I do like Mirlonde, but Galadriel is a heavyweight.

E: Pippin (Lo) v Dain Ironfoot - I would normally protest vote against Dain anyway, but Pippin is my most used hero and I would vote for him at #1.

F: Glorfindel (S) v Théodred - I'm a little burned out on Glorfindel, but Theodred is outclassed by more recent leadership heroes.

G: Sam Gamgee v Ori - Sam is such a beast. 3 willpower with built in readying and can become a wall on defense.

H: Frodo Baggins v Beravor - I'm coming back around to Beravor a bit with the new Dunedain, but Frodo is such a nice safety blanket.

I: Beorn v Nori - Honour Guard is breathing new life into Beorn.

J: Éomer v Glóin - I'm surprising myself with this pick. Gloin jank is a lot of fun, and Eomer has a lot of competition with Legolas, Aragorn, Hama, and Beorn.

K: Aragorn (Le) v Idraen - I'll take the free readying over the pay to ready. Plus leadership Aragorn is probably the worst of the 3 versions.

L: Aragorn (Lo) v Hirluin the Fair - Nobody likes Outlands.

M: Prince Imrahil v Thalin - Thalin's ability just doesn't do enough against the newer quests.

N: Legolas v Brand Son of Bain - Legolas wins in so many ways, including vastly better art

O: Denethor v Gríma - Never really got into Grima or the doomed mechanic. Denethor can be a great defender and his ability can change games.

P: Beregond v Bombur - Although I do kind of like Bombur.

Q: Merry (T) v Bard the Bowman - Bard really needs a new weapon attachment, otherwise he will always lose to Legolas or Haldir.

R: Haldir of Lorien v Dúnhere - Dunhere decks can be really fun, but most of the time he's pretty useless.

S: Mablung v Thorin Oakenshield - Mablung is becoming my most used tactics hero. Versatile stats, good keywords, and amazing ability.

T: Elrond v Glorfindel (Lo) - Kind of burned out on Vilya, but Elrond's other aspects are still amazing.

U: Rossiel v Faramir (Lo) - Haven't actually used Rossiel yet, but I really want to try it. Faramir will see even less play with his new Leadership version.

V: Merry (S) v Bilbo Baggins - Merry hasn't impressed me as much as I thought he would, but Bilbo is still pretty weak.

W: Bifur v Damrod - Bifur is a very good hero, but Damrod finally makes traps a thing.

X: Gandalf v Caldara - Played Gandalf once, and never will again. Meanwhile Caldara decks are really fun and get even better with Sword Thain.

Y: Gimli v Halbarad - Not a big fan of either, but Halbarad fits in better with my Hobbit decks.

Z: Boromir (T) v Treebeard - I don't enjoy exploiting Boromir. Treebeard hero can be a lot of fun with Elrond.

AA: Erestor v Balin - Erestor finally made my Gondor leadership deck purr.

AB: Éowyn v Dwalin - Yep

AC: Eleanor v Erkenbrand - Shadow cancellation is so good. Eleanor seems to always lead to worse cards.

AD: Elrohir v Amarthiul - Looking forward to playing around with the Dunedain archtype.

AE: Aragorn (T) v Théoden (T) - Such a beast. Tactics Theoden is outclassed by his new incarnation.

AF: Celeborn v Dori - 3 WP and the center of Silvan decks.

AG: Arwen Undomiel v Háma - Seems too early to vote for Arwen. Plus Hama is awesome, if nothing else just to recycle Foe Hammer instead of a feint/thicket lock.

AH: Théoden (S) v Elladan - Takes Rohan to the next level

AI: Boromir (Le) v Faramir (Le) - Faramir has potential, but I haven't played him yet. Meanwhile I've been enjoying the Gondor deck lately.

Edited by Teamjimby
Posted at

D: Galadriel

E: Pippin

F: Glorfindel

G: Sam

H: Beravor

I: Beorn

J: Eomer

K: Idraen

L: Aragorn

M: Imrahil

N: Legolas

O: Denethor

P: Beregond

Q: Merry

R: Dunhern

S: Thorin

T: Elrond

U: Rossiel

V: Merry

W: Damrod

X: Gandalf

Y: Gimli

Z: Boromir

AA: Erestor

AB: Eowin

AC: Erkenbrand

AD: Elrohir

AE: Aragorn

AF: Celeborn

AG: Arwen Undomiel

AH: Theoden

AI: Boromir

Posted at

D: Galadriel


E: Pippin (Lo)


F: Glorfindel (S)


G: Sam Gamgee


H: Frodo Baggins


I: Beorn


J: Glóin


K: Idraen


L: Aragorn (Lo)


M: Prince Imrahil


N: Legolas


O: Denethor


P: Beregond


Q: Merry (T)


R: Haldir of Lorien


S: Mablung


T: Elrond


U: Rossiel


V: Merry (S)


W: Damrod


X: Gandalf


Y: Halbarad


Z: Boromir (T)


AA: Erestor


AB: Éowyn


AC: Eleanor


AD: Elrohir


AE: Aragorn (T)


AF: Celeborn


AG: Arwen Undomiel


AH: Théoden (S)


AI: Faramir (Le)

Posted at

D: Galadriel

E: Dain Ironfoot

F: Glorfindel (S)

G: Sam Gamgee

H: Frodo Baggins

I: Nori

J: Éomer

K: Aragorn (Le)

L: Aragorn (Lo)

M: Prince Imrahil

N: Legolas

O: Gríma

P: Beregond

Q: Merry (T)

R: Haldir of Lorien

S: Thorin Oakenshield

T: Elrond

U: Rossiel

V: Bilbo Baggins

W: Bifur

X: Gandalf

Y: Halbarad

Z: Boromir (T)

AA: Erestor

AB: Éowyn

AC Erkenbrand

AD: Amarthiul

AE: Aragorn (T)

AF: Celeborn

AG: Arwen Undomiel

AH: Théoden (S)

AI: Faramir (Le)

Posted at

D: Galadriel


E: Dain Ironfoot


F: Glorfindel (S)


G: Sam Gamgee


H: Beravor


I: Nori


J: Éomer


K: Aragorn (Le)


L: Aragorn (Lo)


M: Thalin


N: Legolas


O: Gríma


P: Beregond


Q: Merry (T)


R: Dúnhere


S: Mablung


T: Elrond


U: Faramir (Lo)


V: Bilbo Baggins


W: Damrod


X: Gandalf


Y: Halbarad


Z: Boromir (T)


AA: Erestor


AB: Éowyn


AC: Eleanor


AD: Amarthiul


AE: Aragorn (T)


AF: Celeborn


AG: Arwen Undomiel


AH: Théoden (S)


AI: Faramir (Le)


Posted at

I think in your template you provided there is an error in T. It should list Elrond and Glorfindel (Lo) but it currently lists Spirit Glorfindel.

Fixed. Thanks!

Posted at

D: Galadriel


E: Dain Ironfoot


F: Glorfindel (S)


G: Sam Gamgee


H: Beravor


I: Nori


J: Éomer


K: Aragorn (Le)


L: Hirluin the Fair


M: Prince Imrahil


N: Legolas


O: Gríma


P: Beregond


Q: Bard the Bowman


R: Haldir of Lorien


S: Mablung


T: Elrond


U: Rossiel


V: Merry (S)


W: Damrod


X: Gandalf


Y: Halbarad


Z: Treebeard


AA: Erestor


AB: Éowyn


AC: Eleanor


AD: Elrohir


AE: Aragorn (T)


AF: Celeborn


AG: Arwen Undomiel


AH: Elladan


AI: Boromir (Le)


Posted at

D: Galadriel


E: Pippin (Lo)


F: Glorfindel (S)


G: Sam Gamgee


H: Frodo Baggins


I: Beorn


J: Éomer


K: Aragorn (Le)


L: Aragorn (Lo)


M: Prince Imrahil


N: Legolas


O: Gríma


P: Beregond


Q: Merry (T)


R: Haldir of Lorien


S: Mablung


T: Elrond


U: Rossiel


V: Merry (S)


W: Damrod


X: Gandalf


Y: Gimli


Z: Boromir (T)


AA: Erestor v Balin


AB: Éowyn


AC: Erkenbrand


AD: Amarthiul


AE: Aragorn (T)


AF: Celeborn


AG: Arwen Undomiel


AH: Théoden (S)


AI: Faramir (Le)

Posted at

D: Galadriel


E: Pippin (Lo)


F: Glorfindel (S)


G: Sam Gamgee


H: Frodo Baggins


I: Beorn


J: Éomer


K: Idraen


L: Aragorn (Lo)


M: Prince Imrahil


N: Legolas


O: Gríma


P: Beregond


Q: Merry (T)


R: Haldir of Lorien


S: Mablung


T: Elrond


U: Rossiel


V: Merry (S)


W: Damrod


X: Gandalf


Y: Gimli


Z: Boromir (T)


AA: Balin


AB: Éowyn


AC: Erkenbrand


AD: Amarthiul


AE: Aragorn (T)


AF: Celeborn


AG: Arwen Undomiel


AH: Théoden (S)


AI: Faramir (Le)


Posted at

D: Galadriel

E: Dain Ironfoot

F: Théodred

G: Sam Gamgee

H: Beravor

I: Beorn

J: Glóin

K: Aragorn (Le)

L: Aragorn (Lo)

M: Thalin

N: Legolas

O: Denethor

P: Beregond

Q: Merry (T)

R: Dúnhere

S: Mablung

T: Elrond

U: Rossiel

V: Merry (S)

W:Damrod

X: Caldara

Y: Gimli

Z: Treebeard

AA: Erestor

AB: Éowyn

AC: Erkenbrand

AD: Elrohir

AE: Aragorn (T)

AF: Celeborn

AG: Arwen Undomiel

AH: Elladan

AI: Faramir (Le)

Posted at

D. Mirlonde

E. Dain Ironfoot

F. Glorfindel (S)

G. Sam Gamgee

H. Frodo Baggins

I. Beorn

J. Eomer

K Aragorn (Le)

L. Aragorn (Lo)

M. Prince Imrahil

N. Legolas

O. Grima

P. Beregond

Q. Merry (T)

R. Haldir of Lorien

S. Thorin Oakenshield

T. Elrond

U. Faramir (Lo)

V. Merry (S)

W. Bifur

X. Gandalf

Y. Gimli

Z. Boromir (T)

AA. Erestor

AB. Eowyn

AC. Eleanor

AD. Amarthuil

AE. Aragorn (T)

AF. Celeborn

AG. Arwen Undomiel

AH. Theoden (S)

AI. Faramir (Le)

Posted at

FInally it's back!!! So excited to do this again. So let's start.

D: Galadriel (Still one of the best heroes in this game. Still mad about her knocking out Legolas last year but clear winner against Mirlonde)

E: Pippin (Lo) (Actually tough one but I like my new Ent-Deck with Pippin Merry and Mablung, so Dain, sorry but your out!)

F: Théodred (I take every shot to eliminate Spirit Glorfindel from this competition :) )

G: Sam Gamgee (Close again but I just see Sam as the better hero in this matchup)

H: Beravor (Beravor got new life with the Dunedain power in the new cycle. Nice to see that she gets played more again!)

I: Beorn (Big bad bear vs. dwarf... Hmm i think the bear will take that fight :) )

J: Éomer (I really hope Eomer takes it this year. Such a good hero and so much fun to play!)

K: Aragorn (Le) (Since I am currently runnig a "Three Hunters" Deck for campaign mode, Aragorn is the clear winner in this matchup)

L: Aragorn (Lo) (Don't like the Outland mechanic that much, so Aragorn again)

M: Prince Imrahil (Imrahil has to be the winner here. Eomer and him is such a good combo when you have stuff leaving play!)

N: Legolas (Thats a no brainer. Legolas is so much better. Will be interesting to see how far he gets this year)

O: Denethor (Battle of the two anti-heroes here? :) I don't play Grima ever so this one goes to Denethor)

P: Beregond (It's so sad but I have to vote against the dwarf again in here. No one passes the wall named Beregond in combat :) )

Q: Merry (T) (Tough one but since Merry made it into my Entdeck he edges out Bard in this matchup)

R: Haldir of Lorien v Dúnhere (Haldir with Wingfoot is just so much more better then Dunhere at the moment so should be an easy win for him in this matchup)

S: Mablung (Again Thorin is just overplayed for me and Mablung with the new Dunedain mechanic and with Ents he is just to good to pass on to someone else)

T: Elrond (Clash of the high cost lore heroes clearly goes to Elrond. Glorfindels healing from the Coreset days is just too expensive)

U: Rossiel (Rossiel is fresh and fun to play where instead Faramir in his lore version is just not that good tbh)

V: Merry (S) (I'm not a huge fan f the spirit version from Merry but Bilbo is just not good for 9! starting thread)

W: Damrod (Since I play a trapdeck as support to the new dunedain fighting deck, Damrod clearly wins this matchup)

X: Gandalf (Caldara is so much better becazse..... Yeah ok Gandalf will stomp her in this fight :) )

Y: Gimli (Thats close again and since I ruled out every dwarf to this point and since still like to load up Gimli in my Three Hunters deck je takes this fight!)

Z: Boromir (T) (Ouh let's see if Boromir manages to take this one. Tough first round opponent)

AA: Erestor (Still not sure if I like him or not but he is just fresh and new. Balin has seen to much play for me in the past)

AB: Éowyn (Come on Dwalin you know you can't win in thie matchup against the great lady of Rohan ;) )

AC: Erkenbrand (Interesting matchup here, both heroes have very usefull abilities but Erkenbrand has the better one!)

AD: Amarthiul (I really like his ability to be dual sphere. That gives him (at least for me) the edge ofer Elrohir)

AE: Aragorn (T) (We all know that Theoden (S) is so much more that kind of hero card everyone wished to have as Theoden. So get the tactic version out of here)

AF: Celeborn (What did Dori again? :) )

AG: Arwen Undomiel (Is Arwen the "dark horse" in this years Championship race? I think she definetly has the potential to take a top spot in this tournament. With that kind of ally version there was great pressure on the hero card to be very good and I think FFG did really well here!)

AH: Théoden (S) (Now thats what I wanted to see as Theoden! Rohan royals with Theoden (S), Eowyn and Eomer is a really good deck)

AI: Faramir (Le) (The sons of Gondor in a first round clash! Nice! But Faramir wins this one because his ability is just better! Can't wait for the new Saga Expansion)

Really great to see this format come back this year again. Nice matchups in the first round some seem very onesided but let's see how this one turns out. Who do you think can make a suprise here? Without looking at the other posts until now I think Treebeard has the potential to upset Boromir in round 1 but we have to see.

Shout out to Thanatopsis for hosting this years event, really appriciate that!

Edited by Crabble
Posted at

D: Galadriel

E: Dain

F: Glorfindel

G: Sam

H: Frodo

I: Beorn

J: Eomer. I don't care if Gloin turns out to be one of the best resource generators in the modern meta; using Eomer just FEELS epic.

K: Aragorn (Le). Idraen is a cornerstone of my Spirit attack deck, but Core Aragorn is so classic.

L: Aragorn (Lo)

M: Thalin. What can I say, I still love direct damage, Toughness notwithstanding.

N: Legolas

O: Denethor

P: Beregond

Q: Merry (T)

R: Haldir of Lorien

S: Mablung. Singlehandedly solves Tactics' resource problems.

T: Elrond

U: Rossiel. Getting her to work is one of the modern meta's greatest pleasures.

V: Merry (S)

W: Bifur

X: Caldara. I giggle every time I trigger her ability, even if it's just to bring back an Escort from Edoras and The Riddermark's Finest.

Y: Halbarad

Z: Boromir (T). Toughest 1st-round choice! Treebeard is awesome too.

AA: Balin. Erestor changes the game, but that feeling of relief when you realize that Balin still has a resource after all is so very sweet.

AB: Éowyn

AC: Erkenbrand

AD: Elrohir. Another tough one. My opinion may change someday as I delve into Dunedain decks.

AE: Aragorn (T)

AF: Celeborn

AG: Háma

AH: Théoden (S)

AI: Faramir (Le)

Posted at

D: Galadriel

E: Pippin (Lo) - I'm partial to Hobbits

F: Théodred - A friend in my play group won't give up Glorfindel (S) and Theodred is very good resource acceleration

G: Sam Gamgee

H: Frodo Baggins - This one was though, I like Beravor a lot too

I: Beorn

J: Éomer

K: Aragorn (Le)

L: Hirluin the Fair

M: Prince Imrahil

N: Brand Son of Bain - Brand is more multi-player friendly than Legolas

O: Gríma

P: Beregond

Q: Bard the Bowman - Another though one, I like Merry, but have to go for Bardo anyways :-)

R: Haldir of Lorien

S: Thorin Oakenshield

T: Elrond - Even if this is the other hero my friend won't play without

U: Faramir (Lo) - Faramir is one of my favourite characters from LotR, wish he was a better in the game though (I think he should have been Haldir)

V: Bilbo Baggins

W: Bifur - I like Damrod, but "borrowing" resources from my friends is very satisfying.

X: Gandalf

Y: Gimli

Z: Boromir (T) - Uff, another though one, but Boromir is just formidable

AA: Erestor

AB: Éowyn

AC: Eleanor

AD: Amarthiul

AE: Aragorn (T)

AF: Celeborn

AG: Arwen Undomiel

AH: Théoden (S)

AI: Faramir (Le)

Cheers!

Posted at

D: Galadriel

E: Pippin (Lo)

F: Glorfindel (S)

G: Sam Gamgee

H: Frodo Baggins

I: Beorn

J: Éomer

K: Aragorn (Le)

L: Aragorn (Lo)

M: Thalin

N: Legolas

O: Gríma

P: Beregond FTW

Q: Bard the Bowman

R: Haldir of Lorien

S: Thorin Oakenshield

T: Elrond

U: Rossiel

V: Merry (S)

W: Damrod

X: Gandalf

Y: Halbarad

Z: Treebeard

AA: Erestor

AB: Éowyn

AC: Erkenbrand

AD: Elrohir

AE: Aragorn (T)

AF: Celeborn

AG: Arwen Undomiel

AH: Elladan

AI: Faramir (Le)

Posted at

This round I'm voting based on who I prefer to see on the table in front of me.

D - Galadriel

E - Pippin (Lore). So splashable and with a super useful ability.

F - Glorfindel (Spirit). Mostly because I've never really enjoyed Theodred.

G - Sam, one of my favorite heroes, although Ori is stiff competiton.

H - Frodo

I - Beorn, a great 'solution' card for many aggressive scenarios.

J - Eomer

K - Idraen

L - Aragorn (Lore). He enables many decks and shenanigans that could not exist otherwise.

M - Prince Imrahil

N - Legolas

O - Denethor, wow that's probably the toughest matchup of this round for me. I love both.

P - Bombur

Q - Bard, another really tough matchup. I've used Merry (T) a lot more but Bard is one of my favorites... he just doesn't fit into as many decks.

R - Haldir. Haldir vs Dunhere? Is this one really random? :)

S - Mablung

T - Elrond

U - Rossiel, the star of my favorite new type of deck

V - Merry (Spirit). I really haven't used him very much, and although I have very fond memories of Bilbo, I'd like to try Merry in some newer decks

W - Damrod, awesome new hero.

X - Gandalf

Y - Gimli

Z - Treebeard

AA - Balin

AB - Eowyn

AC - Erkenbrand

AD - Amarthiul

AE - Theoden (Tactics), gotta love the underdog. And I've had fun with him in some decks. He's pretty nice in Fog on the Barrow-downs

AF - Celeborn

AG - Arwen I suppose. I'm looking forward to trying her out. For whatever reason, I have never been too interested in Hama recycle decks.

AH - Theoden (Spirit). It's time for the Christmas spirit anyway.

AI - Faramir (Leadership). Boromir vs Faramir. The two Leadership brothers.... another intentional matchup??

Posted at

D: Galadriel


E: Dain Ironfoot


F: Glorfindel (S)


G: Ori


H: Beravor


I: Nori


J: Glóin


K: Aragorn (Le)


L: Aragorn (Lo)


M: Thalin


N: Legolas


O: Denethor


P: Beregond


Q: Bard the Bowman


R: Haldir of Lorien


S: Thorin Oakenshield


T: Elrond


U: Faramir (Lo)


V: Merry (S)


W: Damrod


X: Gandalf


Y: Halbarad


Z: Treebeard


AA: Erestor


AB: Éowyn


AC: Eleanor


AD: Elrohir


AE: Aragorn (T)


AF: Celeborn


AG: Arwen Undomiel


AH: Elladan


AI: Boromir (Le)


Posted at

D: Galadriel

E: Dain Ironfoot

F: Glorfindel

G: Ori

H: Beravor

I: Nori

J: Éomer

K: Idraen

L: Hirluin the Fair

M: Thalin

N: Legolas

O: Gríma

P: Beregond

Q: Bard the Bowman

R: Haldir of Lorien

S: Mablung

T: Elrond

U: Rossiel

V: Merry (S)

W: Damrod

X: Gandalf

Y: Halbarad

Z: Treebeard

AA: Erestor

AB: Éowyn

AC: Erkenbrand

AD: Amarthiul

AE: Théoden (T)

AF: Celeborn

AG: Arwen Undomiel

AH: Théoden (S)

AI: Faramir (Le)

Posted at
---------------------------------------------

D: Galadriel. She didn't deserve the win last year in my opinion but is far better than Mirlonde who I did not even vote for to make the brackets.

E: Pippin (Lo). This is a hard one... Lore Pippin is neat and far better than his useless spirit iteration but I much prefer dwarves to hobbits.... Dain is overpowered is a silly way though making dwarves far stronger than they should be as a faction so going to go with Pippin ultimately.

F: Glorfindel (S). Glorfindel all the way! Whether he is a crutch or no I still enjoy using him and Asfaloth saves the day very often.

G: Sam Gamgee. Sam is a great hero, especially for his low threat cost and high willpower.

H: Frodo Baggins. This one is also hard, don't use either of these heroes at all. Frodo has a great ability many are able to deck build around which is cool and he can be a great quasi defender (take threat instead of damage) whereas as powerful as Beravor is at the end of the day its just card draw which to me is sort of boring. Also I don't particularly like some of the FFG created characters.... namely the ones without a backstory and that were already used in a different game.... (yes im talking about Thalin, Caldara and Beravor). Others they have created since these three have been fantastic though.

I: Beorn. Nice and unique, nothing else need be said!

J: Éomer. Badass art and badass offensive hero.

K: Aragorn (Le). Not a big fan of Idraen.

L: Aragorn (Lo). Hirluin and outlands in general can get lost. Friends don't let friends play outlands.

M: Prince Imrahil. More amazing art and a great hero.

N: Legolas. Hahahaha brand is screwed in this matchup, this is the OG hero champion and for good reason. Great attacker with ranged from the get go and a progress maker with his ability. Pseudo quester and attacker, best of both worlds!

O: Denethor. Hate both these characters and don't really like either hero either. Many people love Grima and I understand how useful and powerful he can be but I never got into the doomed player cards and the tolkien nerd in me would hate playing with him as one of my heroes just knowing that in reality he ends up being a villain, one that is even given chances to redeem himself but refuses. Denethor is a decent defender and in lore and at least if someone really wants they could run Denethor, Faramir, Boromir which is pretty cool. Who are you going to run Grima with thematically? The Saruman hero we don't have yet and will potentially (and hopefully for me) never get? I guess you could run him with Rohan heroes.... but eh....

P: Beregond. The first hero I used that is completely dedicated to defending. Elrohir took his place a long time ago but I won't forget the fun I had with Beregond!

Q: Merry (T). Not a big fan of the hobbits but even less of a fan of Bard and Brand. Also tactics merry allows some pretty bonkers combos in multiplayer allowing for some pretty serious slaying of enemies.

R: Haldir of Lorien. This match up is pretty funny, Dunhere is a poor mans Haldir. Haldir overtook Legolas as my favorite offensive hero when he came out. He can provide several free "feints" over the course of a game if your deck/s are built around getting the most out of his ability. Stopping several enemy attacks can be insanely beneficial and can keep your heroes and deck alive and still running! You can also more safety commit extra characters to questing or attacking (as opposed to defense) thanks to his ability.

S: Mablung. Mablung seems to be a pretty pivotal hero for many decks these days thanks to his resource acceleration. Many have paired him with the new Dunedain heroes and strategies which works rather well.

T: Elrond. Another harsh matchup, my boy Elrond got this one easy, I still think he should have won last year. Great stats, great abilities, can actually quest WITHOUT his ring :P and can attack or defend like a normal useful regular hero. He was cheated I tell you!

U: Rossiel. Another great hero that is very unique. The whole victory display mechanic is really clever and seems like it would be fairly fun to play. I don't think she'll make it that far because the whole victory display deck is fairly niche.

V: Merry (S). Haha gross, hobbit v hobbit. Definitely Merry all the way though, his spirit version is fantastic and is a good replacement for Glorfindel in many decks. Fantastic repeatable threat reduction, possibly the best we have so far.

W: Damrod. An easy one, the fantastic new hero breathing new life into trap decks wins it hands down.

X: Gandalf. Eugh this match up is just awful for me...... I hate the Gandalf hero and am a part of the small group that wishes he was never made but think Caldara is pretty **** useless. I get that in a deck built specifically around her ability she can be pretty **** good but you should not have to build an entire deck around one heroes ability, you do start off with 3 of them after all!!! Caldara is way too niche and not in a good way like Rossiel. Gandalf however is mega mega OP and trivialises most quests (especially when paired with other powerful heroes) and has too many attachments that only work for him that are all pretty much slightly OP on their own as well.... so ultimately as much as it pains me to do so I vote for Gandalf as it is better that a hero is OP than a coaster/almost a coaster because at least if they are overpowered they will see a fair bit of play, crappy heroes just sit in binders or boxes and never get taken out.

Y: Halbarad. More heroes that don't exhaust to quest given certain circumstances is something I'd like to see more of for sure.

Also being able to optionally engage a second enemy can be huge and pure combat decks can use this hero to great effect to keep the questing/support players pretty **** safe. Sam and Halbarad are great together as well as you can optionally engage two enemies with engagement high than your threat and double boost Sam this way.

Z: Boromir (T). Boromir is an absolute machine and an awesome hero, he can break the game with Blood/Fire decks however which to me is a little lame. Treebeard however does not match up to his ally version in my eyes however so going with Boromir with this one.

AA: Erestor. Just a crazy hero with a crazy ability. Turns deck building completely on its head. Want a deck that uses up to 100 cards instead of 50 but is still viable? Bam, use Erestor and this is a thing.

AB: Dwalin. No way Eowyn will lose this so may as well vote for lolz. Never liked Eowyn. The character herself, the art on this card, the ability. Some of the new Noldor discard mechanics and cards are really clever and well designed and also feature card recursion, drawing cards at times (rather than discarding) like Lindir for example and other cool abilities (playing from your graveyard, Erestors wacky ability etc) whereas Eowyn is just "discard a card to give +1 willpower". Boring and a waste of valuable player cards. I get that you can pump her hard and with any player and can power quest through by doing so but there are other ways to do this and she always just seemed so basic, boring and meh to me. Only one player can pump it but for 1 resource Protector of Lorien does more or less the same thing but can do so for willpower OR defense. Have never used her and probably never will. I hate discarding cards as you can probably tell......

AC: Erkenbrand. He is an awesome defender with a great ability. Eleanor is just a horrible design. Test of will is one of the strongest player cards in the game and its ability to cancel the when revealed effects of a card can be an absolute lifesaver or completely invaluable. Eleanor can do this every single turn... sure you have to exhaust her and sure you have to then reveal another encounter card but many quests that feature quite a few treacheries and rely on treacheries to do most of the damage to the player can just be shut down using Eleanor. Does she do anything else you ask? No her stats are all sucky even her 2 defense because she only has 3 hitpoints and is as fragile as a hobbit... so she is both crazy good and really bad at the same time.... She is just test of will (except that you replace the card so not as good) on a hero that is repeatable every turn.... why not just create another cool card that does what test of will does but has stricter requirements or costs more to play or has an alternative cost (discard an ally, discard a card from your hand, deal 1 damage to a hero etc etc) and is in a different sphere. We literally have not seen anything else that can cancel when revealed effects all the way from the core set until recently when we got the door is closed. I think eventually we will see a third event or perhaps even an attachment or ally that can cancel when revealed effects through some other method. I think that this card should have been created shortly after the core set especially considering how nasty treacheries can be and how quite a few if not most cannot really be avoided or negated in any other way and Eleanor should have just not been created. I really don't like the three characters FFG created and simply ported from another LOTR themed game do I? :P

AD: Elrohir. I have a feeling Amarthiul will win this because he is new and shiny.... even though in reality he is pretty sucky and has possibly the worst art for any hero. I swear that art is a woman and was originally made for a female character. I reckon there was some sort of mix up and the artist didn't realise the character was meant to be male or that art was meant for another character originally, it just does not make sense. I have showed the card to my girlfriend a few times now (who does not play the game) and she agrees the card depicts a woman. thighs, waist, what look like breasts, even the face are all extremely feminine.

I know it is a very mean thing to say but honestly if there was no mix up and that is what the artist gave FFG for Amarthiul's character I really hope FFG do not use that artist again for this game.

Elrohir is my favorite defender by far and I think the better of the two brothers and severely underrated. Many many times I have blocked several especially nasty attacks in one turn and come out completely unscathed thanks to Elrohir. In fact he does it in most games if you use him right. So few people seem to use the brothers which is such a shame to me. I hope the new Arwen hero prompts more people to use them even if I don't think she goes as well as she could with them.

AE: Aragorn (T). The art for Theoden is EPIC but he isn't for me and I prefer Aragorn's "scorpigorn" ability.

AF: Celeborn. Dori's ability is as bad as Amarthiul's art. Enough said.

AG: Arwen Undomiel. The Hama - Lock is a pretty sweet combo but the new Arwen hero has a fantastic (albeit simple) ability and great art. Another 3 willpower hero with a relatively low threat cost is pretty nice as well I must admit.

AH: Elladan. Go Twins! (or really just go Elrohir because secretly I wish I could replace Elladan but keep Elrohir's 3 defense... where are the new versions of both of them already?!)

AI:Faramir (Le). Move aside Treebeard, make way for the KING OF THE ENTS!

Posted at

D: Galadriel. Not close

E: Pippin (Lo). Quality low threat heroes are rare and valuable. It is brutal voting against Dain, but Pippen is one of my all time favorites.

F: Glorfindel (S). The only reason to vote for Glorfindel is hate, seriously.

G: Sam Gamgee. A vote for Sam is a vote for Bill the Pony.

H: Frodo Baggins. Probably the most interesting and fun ability in the game, and powerful too.

I: Nori. My favorite Dwarf hero.

J: Glóin. Combotastic.

K: Aragorn (Le). Idrean is a great hero, but Aragorn is just better. People say he is the worst version, but in purple 1 resource a turn is nothing and with same sphere Sword that was Broken, this guy is way underrated.

L: Aragorn (Lo). A candidate for most powerful hero in the game.

M: Prince Imrahil. Both are meh, the Prince less so.

N: Legolas. Still good.

O: Gríma. He makes three color solo decks totally workable.

P: Beregond. Best defender in the game. If you think honor guard is improving Beorn, honor guard makes this guy invincible.

Q: Merry (T). Quality low threat hero. His biggest flaw is 2 wp on a red hero and you don't want him to quest!

R: Haldir of Lorien. In the matchups of staging area attackers Haldir is just better.

S: Mablung. He is like T Boromir, but without the guilt.

T: Elrond. Never lose a single character? Check.

U: Faramir (Lo). Finally, Ents have a tribal leader with synergy. Oops, I mean... I have not been impressed with Rossiel (and she has green skin)

V: Bilbo Baggins. They are both disappointing, Bilbo slightly less so (in solo).

W: Damrod. Traps are still useless in multiplayer, but this guy rocks solo.

X: Gandalf. Clearly a beast. I don't get the hate for this guy. He is fun because he dramatically transforms you play style. 0 cost cards and events in general are suddenly really good.

Y: Gimli. I think both are difficult to make work, but Gimli is more fun. I like how Gimli's ability is thematically connected to Gloin's ability. Like father...

Z: Boromir (T). Treebeard is good, but not "needs a nerf" good.

AA: Erestor. Radically different play style? Check.

AB: Éowyn. I'm actually a huge fan of Dwalin, but it's Eowyn.

AC: Erkenbrand. This is the only defender that competes with Beregond. He is so fun.

AD: Elrohir. Slight edge.

AE: Théoden (T). Rohan is my favorite tribe and this guy makes them good.

AF: Celeborn. It is tough to vote against Dori, but Celeborn is a powerhouse.

AG: Háma. Arwen looks amazing, but she went up against my personal all time favorite.

AH: Elladan. Both twins get my vote.

AI: Faramir (Le). Finally, Ents have a tribal leader with synergy. Wait, didn’t I say this already?

Posted at

D: Galadriel


E: Pippin (Lo)


F: Glorfindel (S)


G: Sam Gamgee


H: Frodo Baggins


I: Beorn


J: Éomer


K: Aragorn (Le)


L: Aragorn (Lo)


M: Prince Imrahil


N: Legolas


O: Denethor


P: Beregond


Q: Merry (T)


R: Haldir of Lorien


S: Mablung


T: Elrond


U: Rossiel


V: Merry (S)


W: Bifur


X: Gandalf


Y: Gimli


Z: Boromir (T)


AA: Erestor


AB: Éowyn


AC: Eleanor


AD: Elrohir


AE: Aragorn (T)


AF: Celeborn


AG: Arwen Undomiel


AH: Théoden (S)


AI: Boromir (Le)


Posted at

D: Galadriel.

E: Dain Ironfoot

F: Glorfindel (S)

G: Sam Gamgee

H: Beravor

I: Beorn

J: Glóin

K: Aragorn (Le)

L: Aragorn (Lo)

M: Thalin

N: Legolas

O: Gríma. Grima FTW!!

P: Beregond

Q: Merry (T)

R: Haldir of Lorien

S: Mablung

T: Elrond

U: Rossiel

V: Merry (S)

W: Bifur

X: Gandalf

Y: Gimli

Z: Treebeard

AA: Erestor

AB: Éowyn

AC: Erkenbrand

AD: Amarthiul

AE: Aragorn (T)

AF: Celeborn

AG: Arwen Undomiel

AH: Théoden (S)

AI: Faramir (Le)