Frodo then Sam then Bill the Pony. Paying for cards is so 2015. I love it!

Don't you still need a leadership hero to pay the cost? I thought if the cost was 0, you still needed a hero to match the sphere. Here's hoping for a new Leadership Hobbit!

Yes, you need a resource match.

As for the Kraken-squid and whether it is or isn't redundant considering the Watcher-pus...

Squid and Octopus are, in fact, very different things. But for most people they inhabit a very similar place in our perception. They are the things in the ocean with all the freaky tentacles and no skeleton. Maybe people remember that one gets super big and the other is the purple-ish sushi they see on the conveyor belt and don't eat.

From a thematic standpoint we are fighting a big boss enemy battering us around with tentacles. It's not the same but it is thematically similar.

Not denying that. I think we agree that the Watcher is octopoid but not an actual octopus. I'm considering the various tentacled monsters in Tolkien (and those now created by the game designers) to share a common "Cthulhoid" origin (did Melkor corrupt the ancestors of the kraken and Watcher into Cthulhoid abominations?). Not necessarily implying that the creatures actually come from Lovecraft's universe... although who knows???

As for the Kraken-squid and whether it is or isn't redundant considering the Watcher-pus...

Squid and Octopus are, in fact, very different things. But for most people they inhabit a very similar place in our perception. They are the things in the ocean with all the freaky tentacles and no skeleton. Maybe people remember that one gets super big and the other is the purple-ish sushi they see on the conveyor belt and don't eat.

From a thematic standpoint we are fighting a big boss enemy battering us around with tentacles. It's not the same but it is thematically similar.

Not denying that. I think we agree that the Watcher is octopoid but not an actual octopus. I'm considering the various tentacled monsters in Tolkien (and those now created by the game designers) to share a common "Cthulhoid" origin (did Melkor corrupt the ancestors of the kraken and Watcher into Cthulhoid abominations?). Not necessarily implying that the creatures actually come from Lovecraft's universe... although who knows???

No, they absolutely did.

Middle-Earth is Ryleigh before the great flood and the coming of the Dread in the Deep.

Eldritch Horror crossover, here we come! #headcannon

" 'Not safe for ever,' said Gandalf. 'There are many things in the deep waters; ..." (from the Council of Elrond) Personally, I always imagined Gandalf was talking about deep ones or something Lovecraftian like that. A kraken will also fit the bill nicely.

Looks like we know the hero, via Game Trade Magazine:

For some reason it's not letting me post the picture, but the hero is Lanwyn.

9 threat

2 WP

3 Atk

1 Def

3 HP

Dale. Scout.

Ranged

Response: After an encounter card with surge is revealed, either ready Lanwyn or give her +2 WP until the end of the phase. (limit twice per phase)

I don't like it. 3 attack and ranged in spirit? The spheres mean nothing.

Source?

https://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/40879/lord-rings-spoilers

I think she's fantastic. Firslty I love the art, and just being a 9 threat hero with 3 attack is great, And finally that ability is pretty decent. If you're running Lore you can use Henamarth to selectively quest with her for 4. I like her. The only gripe is being Dale since it doesn't have any trait synergy but who cares, first Dale hero in a while.

Can anyone take a guess at the title of that "-otain's Wisdom" event?

Could be "Captain's Wisdom"... The "P" loop goes down pretty far in that typeface:

I just hope it's the amazing 0-cost song that pre-errata Love of Tales would have totally broken.

Makes sense. Doubt it will be a Song by that title, though. Here's hoping it works with Gondor in general. They said we would get more Gondor support. Maybe a card draw effect or some kind of card advantage? That would be fantastic.

I don't like it. 3 attack and ranged in spirit? The spheres mean nothing.

Maybe it's to make up for the 4WP Tactics Eowyn coming up in Flame of the West...

I jest, I jest.

Can anyone take a guess at the title of that "-otain's Wisdom" event?

Looks like we know the hero, via Game Trade Magazine:

For some reason it's not letting me post the picture, but the hero is Lanwyn.

9 threat

2 WP

3 Atk

1 Def

3 HP

Dale. Scout.

Ranged

Response: After an encounter card with surge is revealed, either ready Lanwyn or give her +2 WP until the end of the phase. (limit twice per phase)

I don't like it. 3 attack and ranged in spirit? The spheres mean nothing.

Well, Dale means nothing, but Scout means a little and looks like it will have more support in this cycle. Right now there's only one scout attachment (Warden of Anor), and it's a when-quest buff. So making this hero Spirit gives her one toy to support in-sphere, and since her ability is essentially when-quest, that's a good thing. Maybe she'll get another spirit scout quest buff of her own, which would benefit Idraen as well.

This would make three scout heroes, all having 3 attack, two having ranged, and none being in tactics.

Those "OMG SPIRIT SHALL HAS NO ATTACK!!11" conservators are funny

Maybe we will really have support to the Dale trait during this cycle.

Thats what I think too ... it seems that Dale cards start to appear which also makes me think that maybe this is where we will go to the next cycle after Dreamchaser

I don't mind a spirit hero having 3 attack, but 3 attack and range for 9 threat cost sounds like tactics only. I do think the game is better with stronger color identity.

Where all those tactics-only enthusiasts were when 2/3/1/3 Ranged Lore Haldir got released? And that one can attack the staging area too, which to me is more of a Spirit thing to do. And speaking of something "tactics only", out of 3 printed ranged Tactics heroes, only legolas is at the threat cost of 9, other two guys are 10 and 11. It won't change one thing: tactics has a lot of stuff to pump that ranged stuff into oblivion, and spirit has little to none. And that's where true sphere identity lies.

About possible Dale synergies, I can totally see them not implementing a single Dale synergetic effect, and here is the reason: they might want to keep Dale as this "runaway" trait when they can design somehting powerful with that trait and not be afraid it will get tout of hand with some side faction synergy.

I love the art on the new hero. In right quest (maybe battle of five armies) she will trigger her ability every turn. Pity that n some quests there is no surge... I hope she gets some attachment to mitigate that, like changing doomed on encounter cards to surge or sth like that

Why on earth would you ever swap doomed for surge?

She does not needs to trigger her ability on regular basis, it's just a nice addition to her overall strong stat box.

In some scenarios there is no surge, so she loses her ability. I agree that her stats are very good, but Haldir with same stats can attack staging area. Maybe switching doomed for surge isn't a good idea, but she should be able to use her ability more often with help of some atachments

misread...

I was writing something else but anyway, that Lanwyn seems quite strong, though a bit quest-dependent of course.