Exactly the same as Thanatopsis's Hero Championship except you choose the hero you dislike the most(following any criteria). Everybody gets in except Baggins, Fellowhsip and unreleased heroes(I will consider TFotW to be unreleased here). Let the game begin!

ROUND 0

These are the best heroes from the 2015 championship. They will battle themselves in a competition for who's the most disliked so that we can get in a square of 2 number!

A:Galadriel-Legolas

B:Frodo Baggins-Haldir of Lórien

C:Lore Aragorn-Spirit Merry

D:Beregond-Tactics Boromir

E:Elrond-Tactics Aragorn

F:Gandalf-Spirit Théoden

G:Éowyn-Sam Gamgee

H:Arwen Undómiel-Éomer

This is more of a WORST of the BEST list, instead of just the absolute WORST, but I'm game for anything that distracts me from working so...

A: Legolas - I like his ally version more
B: Frodo Baggins - unlike several around here, I hate him. plain and simple.
C: Spirit Merry - while extremely useful, is just boring threat reduction
D: Tactics Boromir - only because I haven't actually used him yet and can't turn my back on Beregond, who has saved me in many MANY games.
E: Tactics Aragorn - how often are there really THAT many things to kill?
F: Spirit Théoden - Santa art can suck it. Galdalf is the best.
G: Éowyn - just like Merry, extremely useful and used often, but just boring high powered questing.
H: Arwen Undómiel - this was the hardest to answer for me, but Eomer is just more fun to use.

Yea, seems most of my answers are on the fun scale instead of power levels.

I decided to look through all the heroes and with 73 heroes, I'm impressed to say there are only 4 that I think are really terrible and pretty much unplayable and could be on the WORST of the WORST list:

Bombur, Fatty Bolger, Glorfindel (L) and Pippin (S).

Sure Bombur and Pippin could be fit into the "right deck", but I'd argue those decks are likely bad anyways.

A. Legolas, because I love Galadriel.

B. Frodo, because Haldir is more fun.

C. Lore Aragorn, because I like lots of little threat decreases over one big one.

D. Beregond, because he's so lame compared to his spirit version

E. Tactics Aragorn, because Elrond is more versatile

F. Gandalf, because Spirit Theoden is awesome (and can use Gandalf allies)

G. Eowyn, because she's so lame compared to her tactics version

H. Eomer, because I love Arwen.

So there will be another poll after this where we decide between the other heroes and the last 2 in this first poll who the worst hero in this game is?

Anyway to this poll:

A: Galadriel

Legolas just kicks ass and is still one of the best heroes in this game!
B: Frodo Baggins

Frodo was fun against the Balrog but I have not used him in years for any deck
C: Lore Aragorn

Hard one but Loragorn is just boring to play
D: Tactics Boromir

Sorry Brandon but Beregond is just better
E: Elrond

I love my Dunedaindeck so Elrond has to be named here
F :Gandalf

I just don't like the OP hero Gandalf. Yes if you badly want to win against a scenario use him but otherwise use some more fun heroes
G: Sam Gamgee

Down with the hobbit!
H: Arwen Undómiel

Easy choice, Eomer is soooo much more fun to play

So there will be another poll after this where we decide between the other heroes and the last 2 in this first poll who the worst hero in this game is?

A:Galadriel-Recently, I played Journey Down the Anduin where I used Lego to keep recycling the Banks of Anduin. Ididn't get any other location until stage 3. It was so fun!

B:Frodo Baggins-Haldir just kicks asses(and he was in Helm's Deep! okay not, but you can consider it an alternative story).

C:Merry-Aragorn has fun combos while Merry simply aimes to destroy threat.

D:Beregond-I believe action advantage is better than a wall.

E:Aragorn-Sorry guys, but Elrond has Vilya.

F:Gandalf-He has 14 threat and isn't actually that powerful without his toys.

G:Éowyn:Éowyn is Éowyn, but Sam is Sam.

H:Arwen Undómiel:Arwen has a W, and it's Wednesday, which is a perfectly valid criteria.

Reverse Hero Challenge! Interesting!

A:Legolas: Tough call, but his ally version has pushed the hero out of favor in my decks.
B:Frodo Baggins: I just like Haldir's ability a bit better.
C:Spirit Merry: Lore Aragorn still a must for Doomed decks. Merry's great, but just a bit below.
D:Boromir: Most difficult decision of the round. I'll pick the stalwart defender over the crazy readying force.
E:Elrond: Just think Scorpigorn is more fun to play.
F:Spirit Théoden: Both are really good heroes, but I like the variety of decks you can build around Gandalf hero.
G:Éowyn: Sam is my favorite hero in LoTR, so this is easy.
H:Éomer: Go Noldor!

I don't expect any of these heroes to advance beyond the round of 64, because they're all really good.

A :Galadriel -Legolas - The kick-ass Silvan beats the water-looking Noldor
B:Frodo Baggins- Haldir of Lórien - ​I like Frodo
C:Lore Aragorn- Spirit Merry - This is my favorite Aragorn
D: Beregond -Tactics Boromir - Both gondorian powerhouses, but the noble one is just insane
E:Elrond- Tactics Aragorn ​- The healing Elrond provides is just so awesome
F:Gandalf- Spirit Théoden ​- Gandalf is just much more fun than Santa
G: Éowyn -Sam Gamgee - No way our 2015 Champion (iircc) loses to a quest-bot
H:Arwen Undómiel- Éomer - Even though she blocks her own incredible ally, I enjoy playing Arwen much more than Éomer

Sorry I won't play this but there is one striking thing: when Tactics Boromir first appeared, I had already glorified him but mostly because I was (and am) a huge fan of the character in the books, but there seemed very little enthusiasm for the character in the game, certainly no nearly as much as there is now. Was the potential realized largely due to Gondorian Shield, and in some decks Blood of Númenor and Gondorian Fire? I totally see the fascination with the latter two, it is obviously one way to rule them all, but I think Boromir is still amazing without them, and there are just so many things he can do, including paying exhaustion cost.

Hello all – first post here. As penance for my entry into the forums being on such a curmudgeonly thread, I hereby promise to build a deck around whoever “wins”.

Here are my votes:

A. Legolas. Close – love them both, but both have their drawbacks for me. Galadriel is in so many of my decks, but if I had to criticise, lately I find her toys (Mirror, Silver Harp, optionally Nenya) a bit of a burden, both in terms of including them in the first place, then in terms of drawing and playing them. This is true of many heroes, admittedly, including many of those that I’ve given the nod to below, but especially so of Galadriel – I think the thing is that Galadriel tends to be included as a support hero, whose attachments help you to fetch the things that you need to make your deck work, but said attachments then clutter up the deck further, which can be frustrating.

As for Legolas, I still use him, but a few things count against him: the ally version tends to muscle him out lately, his ability is for the most part less vital than it used to be, and I think Haldir is actually a better target (albeit out of sphere) for most of Legolas’s usual toys (Rivendell Blade/Bow and Bow of the Galadhrim). So I think Legolas loses out this time (although he is actually in one of my current decks, and performing admirably).

B. Frodo. It actually strikes me that they’re oddly similar as “defensive” heroes: both can avoid damage, but Frodo does it at the expense of threat, and Haldir at the expense of loading him up with enough attacking prowess to kill enemies before they even strike. Anyway, nothing against Frodo, but Haldir’s sniping is arguably more powerful in a given situation, and (more importantly) just too much fun for him to lose out.

C. Lore Aragorn. Actually never really appreciated his ability too much, although admittedly I’ve never built around it to any great extent. Anyway, I prefer Merry’s repeatable reduction, and he makes a certain type of deck (eg. Palantir) sing like a bird.

D. Beregond. Tough choice, as they often compete over the same role in my decks, and are even good targets for the same attachments, but the inbuilt action advantage gives Boromir the nod.

E. Elrond. I’m a fan of Elrond, but Tactics Aragorn is possibly the most pure fun out of all the heroes.

F. Spirit Theoden. Love Rohan (especially spirit Rohan), and Theoden makes a great keystone for the archetype. Gandalf, though … some would argue that he needs his toys (actually just the staff and some readying, in my opinion) to really shine, but that’s true of many heroes, and every deck I’ve built with him has been so much fun.

G. Sam Gamgee. I like Sam, but I have to say I’ve never really gotten him to work with any real efficacy (might be worth another go, though - maybe I'll change my mind). Eowyn sees less play than she used to, but still has her place, and Eowyn plus Snowmane/Heregrim is still crazy fun, even if the upcoming Tactics version makes that strategy slightly redundant.

H. Eomer. This is a tight one. Eomer is more fun, but if you don’t build around him then he doesn’t work very well in my opinion. Arwen is almost the opposite – all she needs is Elven-Light to get a subtle draw/resource engine going that can really smooth the workings of a stalling deck. She does lose marks for precluding ally Arwen, however.

A: Legolas
B: Haldir of Lórien
C: Spirit Merry
D: Beregond
E: Tactics Aragorn
F: Spirit Théoden
G: Éowyn
H: Arwen Undómiel

A:Legolas
B:Frodo Baggins
C:Spirit Merry
D:Tactics Boromir
E:Tactics Aragorn
F:Spirit Théoden
G:Éowyn
H:Éomer

Exactly the same as Thanatopsis's Hero Championship except you choose the hero you dislike the most(following any criteria). Everybody gets in except Baggins, Fellowhsip and unreleased heroes(I will consider TFotW to be unreleased here). Let the game begin!

ROUND 0

These are the best heroes from the 2015 championship. They will battle themselves in a competition for who's the most disliked so that we can get in a square of 2 number!

A:Galadriel-Legolas

B:Frodo Baggins-Haldir of Lórien

C:Lore Aragorn-Spirit Merry

D:Beregond-Tactics Boromir

E:Elrond-Tactics Aragorn

F:Gandalf-Spirit Théoden

G:Éowyn-Sam Gamgee

H:Arwen Undómiel-Éomer

A: Legolas (I use Galadriel in almost all my decks)

B: Frodo

C: Spirit Merry

D: Beregond (He sounds cool in theory but I've never actually used him)

E: Tactics Aragorn

F: Spirit Théoden

G: Éowyn

H: Éomer

EDIT: Kinda surprised Háma isn't here

Round 0 is finished! Legolas, Frodo, Merry, Beregond, Aragorn, Théoden, Éowyn and Éomer are voted to be the worst.

ROUND 1

A:Legolas-Tactics Merry

B:Thalin-Leadership Boromir

C:Lore Faramir-Lore Glorfindel

D:Nori-Spirit Pippin

E:Frodo-Ori

F:Dúnhere-Halbarad

G:Óin-Glóin

H:Elladan-Caldara

I:Beregond-Balin

J:Spirit Glorfindel-Lanwyn

K:Dwalin-Eleanor

L:Háma-Gimli

M:Tactics Aragorn-Elrohir

N:Thorin Oakenshield-Tactics Théoden

O:Brand Son of Bain-Gríma

P:Dori-Bard the Bowman

Q:Spirit Théoden-Lore Denethor

R:Mirlonde-Beravor

S:Círdan the Shipwright-Théodred

T:Dain Ironfoot-Bombur

U:Éowyn-Elfhelm

V:Leadership Aragorn-Bifur

W:Mablung-Ori

X:Hirluin the Fair-Idraen

Y:Éomer-Amarthíul

Z:Rossiel-Erkenbrand

AA:Leadership Denethor-Galdor of the Havens

AB:Beorn-Celeborn

AC:Treebeard-Lore Pippin

AD:Damrod-Fatty Bolger

AE:Leadership Faramir-Prince Imrahil

A:Tactics Merry
B:Leadership Boromir
C:Lore Glorfindel
D:Nori
E:Frodo
F:Halbarad
G:Óin
H:Elladan
I:Beregond
J:Lanwyn
K:Dwalin
L:Gimli
M:Elrohir
N:Thorin Oakenshield
O:Brand Son of Bain
P:Bard the Bowman
Q:Spirit Théoden
R:Mirlonde
S:Círdan the Shipwright
T:Bombur
U:Éowyn
V:Leadership Aragorn
W:Ori
X:Idraen
Y:Éomer
Z:Rossiel
AA:Leadership Denethor
AB:Beorn
AC:Lore Pippin
AD:Fatty Bolger
AE:Prince Imrahil

A: Tactics Merry
B: Leadership Boromir
C: Lore Faramir
D: Spirit Pippin
E: Frodo
F: Halbarad
G: Glóin
H: Elladan
I: Balin
J: Lanwyn
K: Dwalin
L: Gimli
M: Elrohir
N: Tactics Théoden
O: Brand Son of Bain
P: Dori
Q: Spirit Théoden
R: Mirlonde
S: Théodred
T: Bombur
U: Éowyn
V: Leadership Aragorn
W: Ori
X: Idraen
Y: Éomer
Z: Rossiel
AA: Galdor of the Havens
AB: Beorn
AC: Treebeard
AD: Fatty Bolger
AE: Prince Imrahil

A:Tactics Merry
B:Thalin
C:Lore Glorfindel
D:Nori
E:Ori
F:Dúnhere
G:Óin
H:Elladan
I:Balin
J:Lanwyn
K:Dwalin
L:Gimli
M:Elrohir
N:Thorin Oakenshield
O:Gríma
P:Dori
Q:Lore Denethor
R:Mirlonde
S:Círdan the Shipwright
T:Bombur
U:Elfhelm
V:Bifur
W:Ori
X:Idraen
Y:Éomer
Z:Erkenbrand
AA:Galdor of the Havens
AB:Celeborn
AC:Treebeard
AD:Fatty Bolger
AE:Prince Imrahil

A:Legolas
B:Leadership Boromir
C:Lore Faramir
D:Spirit Pippin
E:Frodo
F:Dúnhere
G:Glóin
H:Elladan
I:Balin
J:Spirit Glorfindel
K:Dwalin
L:Gimli
M:Elrohir
N:Thorin Oakenshield
O:Brand Son of Bain
P:Dori
Q:Lore Denethor
R:Mirlonde
S:Théodred
T:Bombur
U:Éowyn
V:Leadership Aragorn
W:Ori
X:Idraen
Y:Éomer
Z:Rossiel
AA:Galdor of the Havens
AB:Beorn
AC:Treebeard
AD:Fatty Bolger
AE: Prince Imrahil

A: Tactics Merry
B: Leadership Boromir
C: Lore Faramir
D: Spirit Pippin
E: Ori
F: Dúnhere
G: Óin
H: Caldara
I: Beregond
J: Lanwyn
K: Dwalin
L: Gimli
M: Elrohir
N: Tactics Théoden
O: Brand Son of Bain
P: Dori
Q: Spirit Théoden
R: Mirlonde
S: Théodred
T: Bombur
U: Elfhelm
V: Bifur
W: Ori
X: Hirluin the Fair
Y: Amarthíul
Z: Erkenbrand
AA: Galdor of the Havens
AB: Celeborn
AC: Treebeard
AD: Fatty Bolger
AE: Prince Imrahil

A:Legolas- Tactics Merry (Legolas is just so much better then Merry. Outside of pure hobbit deck Merry is only used to get Legolas up and attack again )
B: Thalin -Leadership Boromir (Both?! I haven't used Thalin in quite some time so he gets the vote here)
C:Lore Faramir- Lore Glorfindel (Again Both?! Lore Glorfindels abilty nowadays is way to costly and his spirit version disqualifies the lore version)
D:Nori- Spirit Pippin (Easy here, Spirit Pippin is just useless to me)
E: Frodo -Ori (Haven't used Frodo for quite some time so he will have to continue here)
F: D únhere - Halbarad (Halbarad is sooo much fun to play in a Dunedaindeck)
G :Ó in - Glóin (What does Oin again? Oh right... No thanks!)
H: Elladan -Caldara (Caldara Decks just got real so easy choice here)
I:Beregond- Balin (Really?! )
J:Spirit Glorfindel- Lanwyn (Lanwyn got a pretty bad matchup here)
K: Dwalin -Eleanor (Again a vote for both?!)
L: H áma - Gimli (Gimli is more fun to play with)
M:Tactics Aragorn- Elrohir (Easy win for Aragorn here, Elrohir gets this vote just like his brother)
N:Thorin Oakenshield- Tactics Théoden (Tactics Théoden is just a bad hero in my opinion. The spirit version is easily better and right worded)
O:Brand Son of Bain- Gríma (Since I'm a multiplayer guy Grima is not for me)
P: D ori - Bard the Bowman (Dori is at least for me the favorite to "win" this competition)
Q:Spirit Théoden- Lore Denethor (Sorry Lore Denethor you leadership version is too good)
R: Mirlonde -Beravor (Mirlonde is no good outside Monolore while Beravor still goes strong with here carddraw even after the Errata)
S:Círdan the Shipwright- Théodred ( Theodred is to old and to boring while Cirdan is sooo powerful with his ring)
T:Dain Ironfoot- Bombur (Dain is a mus in every dwarfdeck while Bombur is not)
U :É owyn - Elfhelm (Tough one. I like Elfhelm very much so Eowyn gets the vote here but surely will win in the next round)
V:Leadership Aragorn- Bifur (Don't like the dwarf that much)
W:Mablung- Ori (Nether this one)
X:Hirluin the Fair -Idraen (Idraen got a pretty hard matchup here and unfortunately gets the vote here)
Y:Éomer-Amarthíul ( None . I will not vote in this matchup! Both heroes are great and don't deserve to be on this list)
Z:Rossiel- Erkenbrand (Rossieldecks are more fun to play)
AA:Leadership Denethor-G aldor of the Havens ( Leadership Denethor is just very good while Galdor is soso...)
AB:Beorn- Celeborn (I like the bear more )
AC: T reebeard - Lore Pippin (Tough one again but Pippin is more splashable)
AD:Damrod- Fatty Bolger (Fatty will fight Dori and Spirit Pippin for the crown in this thread I guess )
AE:Leadership Faramir- Prince Imrahil (Really really close here put Leadership Faramir seems to be a little better)

A) Legolas. Merry is lower threat, rocks in a hobbit deck, and has a neater ability. Plus Legolas blocks his awesome ally.

B) Thalin. Leadership Boromir is a necessary component of Gondor decks, so I can't vote him out.

C) LoFaramir. He blocks his awesome ally, and his ability is anti-synergestic.

D) SpPippin. He's got the threat for a hobbit secrecy deck, but his ability raises threat and works against Sam/TaMerry

E) Frodo. Doesn't work well with other hobbits, and while he's an indestructable defender there are plenty of good defenders who won't raise threat. Plus Ori is great in a dwarf deck.

F) Dunhere. Halbarad works great in a Dunedain deck

G) Oin. Gloin is a hero you build a deck around, Oin is one of the lesser dwarf deck heroes.

H) Elladan. He's limited to work only with his brother, and Caldara has her own deck type.

I) TaBeregond. OK, he's better than Balin, but Balin is very splashable and doesn't block a better version of his hero. SpBeregond is better than TaBeregond

J) Lanwyn. SpGlorfindel is just too good.

K) Dwalin. His ability is worthless in a good proportion of quests, while Elanor's isn't.

L) Hama. Very powerful, but I love Gimli.

M) Elrohir. Limited to work with his brother.

N) Thorin Oakenshield. Tough call because Thorin is awesome in a dwarf deck, but TaTheoden first made the solo tactics deck possible. SpTheoden is better than TaTheoden, but solo tactics and Rohan don't really overlap.

O) Brand. This is tough for me because Brand's readying works so beautifully in two-handed with a hero that can use a post-attack action (e.g. ring holders and Beravor), but Grima is very powerful solo and has a unique effect.

P) Bard. This is mostly because I've been playing a whole lots of quests with Dori fellowships, since Bard can attack for effectively 5 (!) against many enemies, but Dori's ability to turn practically anyone into Beregond is more useful than you might think. He's not actually a bad hero, and I think he'd be considered a good hero in a world without Beregond.

Q) LoDenethor. He's an awesome solo hero, but SpTheoden is the essential hero for Rohan decks.

R) Mirlonde. A 1-3 threat discount can't stand up to card-drawing ability.

S) Theodred. Theodred's a great leadership splash, and I think his extra resource is more generally useful than Cirdan's power. But Theoden is also questing for 1 each turn, while Cirdan can quest for 4 or make a huge combat impact with his ring.

T) Bombur. Dain makes dwarf decks overpowering, and Armored Destrier makes him useful for defense as well. Bombur helps you get to 5 dwarves quickly, but his greatness ends there.

U) SpEowyn. Eowyn's more efficient than Elfhelm, but Elfhelm is more fun, and I like TaEowyn better than SpEowyn as a splash hero.

V) Bifur. LeAragorn and his wonderful toys are just too good.

W) Ori. Tough call, Ori is great in a dwarf deck, but Mablung is about all there is for Tactics resource acceleration, and tactics can use a lot of resources.

X) Idraen. I don't vote against heroes that define decks, and Hirluin is Mr. Outlands.

Y) Eomer. I've been playing Amarthiul with Elfhelm, and Amarthiul at 4/4 with an Armored Destrier is a thing of beauty.

Z) Erkenbrand. Rossiel has her own deck type, and it's not like anything else.

AA) Galdor. LeDenethor has extra resources, resource smoothing, and good defensive potential. Galdor's ability is most useful in a Noldor deck, but Noldor has a lot of good options without him.

AB) Beorn. Hate to vote for him because he's so powerful and so unlike anything else, but Celeborn is required for Silvan decks.

AC) Treebeard. Hate to vote for him because he's so powerful and so unlike anything else, but LoPippin is an indispensible part of Hobbit secrecy decks, and Treebeard blocks his totally awesome ally.

AD) Fatty Bolger. Biggest mismatch here. Damrod's the essential hero for trap decks, while Fatty's ability works against the hobbit secrecy type and is only useful in splash if you quest unsuccesfully. Maybe when Valour decks become a thing Fatty will be better...

AE) Imrahil. While it's usually better to ready Imrahil than for Faramir to ready an ally, Faramir's ability is a lot easier to trigger. Works beautifully with Lore ents.

Dwalin, defnitively

A:-Tactics Merry
B:-Leadership Boromir
C:Lore Faramir
D:-Spirit Pippin
E:-Ori
F:Dúnhere-
G:Óin-
H:Elladan-
I:Beregond-
J:-Lanwyn
K:Dwalin-
L:Háma-
M:-Elrohir
N:-Tactics Théoden
O:-Gríma
P:Dori-
Q:Spirit Théoden-
R:Mirlonde-
S:-Théodred
T:-Bombur
U:-Elfhelm
V:-Bifur
W:-Ori
X:Hirluin the Fair-
Y:Éomer-
Z:Rossiel-
AA:-Galdor of the Havens
AB:-Celeborn
AC:Treebeard-
AD:-Fatty Bolger
AE:Leadership Faramir-

ROUND 1

A:Legolas- Tactics Merry - Legolas is much more splashable
B: Thalin -Leadership Boromir - Boromir enables Gondor decks
C: Lore Faramir -Lore Glorfindel - Both bad, but G. can heal
D:Nori- Spirit Pippin - No comment
E:Frodo- Ori - Best Hobbit defender
F:Dúnhere- Halbarad - Both unused most of the time, but Dunhere is part of some fun decks
G: Óin -Glóin - Never use Oin.
H: Elladan -Caldara - E. Needs his brother, limiting deckbuilding possibilities. Caldara enables a unique deck.
I:Beregond- Balin - Beregond defends just to good and got some great stuff in FotW to make him even better
J:Spirit Glorfindel- Lanwyn - Hard choice, but in the end Glorfindels stats just beat out Lanwyn, who only really shines when the encounterdeck surges quite often
K: Dwalin -Eleanor - Don't see any of them really often, but Eleanor is good in 3 or 4 Player quests with relly bad treacheries.
L:Háma- Gimli - Close, but I like the Hama tricks better than the Gimli power
M:Tactics Aragorn- Elrohir - E. (again) Needs his brother. Came to like A. (t) in multiplayer very much.
N:Thorin Oakenshield- Tactics Théoden - Not a fan of any of them, but Thorin actually does something
O: Brand Son of Bain -Gríma - No question for me
P: Dori -Bard the Bowman - Dori is just bad and Bard can be one of the hardest hitting heroes in the game without attachments.
Q:Spirit Théoden- Lore Denethor - Close, but the Rohan decks T. enables beat Encounter deck manipulation
R: Mirlonde -Beravor - No way -3 threat (at best) beats Beravor
S: Círdan the Shipwright -Théodred - Both are good, but I don't like the threat of Cirdan.
T:Dain Ironfoot- Bombur - Easy decision
U:Éowyn- Elfhelm - Close, but Eowyn is awesome and Elfhelm "only" good
V: Leadership Aragorn -Bifur - Bifur ressource smoothing is great for dwarf decks.
W: Mablung -Ori - Cards > ressources
X:Hirluin the Fair- Idraen - Even though Hirluin is only good with outlands, Idraen does nothing if you don't have a Location or fail to explore it
Y: Éomer -Amarthíul - Amarthuil is just soo good, especially in a Dunendain deck
Z:Rossiel- Erkenbrand - If you could Combo ravenwinged helm with Elfhelm I would vote rossiel, but as it stands I prefer the victory Display mechnaic
AA:Leadership Denethor- Galdor of the Havens - The Denethor power start is great.
AB: Beorn -Celeborn - SILVANS!
AC: Treebeard -Lore Pippin - T. Needs so much healing
AD:Damrod- Fatty Bolger - ...
AE: Leadership Faramir -Prince Imrahil - Rare see great use of Faramirs ability

Why are there 2 Ori(s)? (E+W)

ROUND 1

A:Legolas: His ally version is such a staple in my Tactics decks that I hardly use the hero anymore. Tactics Merry is awesome, and just became better with the possibility of solo-mono Tactics.
B:Thalin: Artwork does it here. While Leadermir is the inferior Boromir, he's still pretty good (using him in my Flame of the West campaign at the moment). Thalin is experiencing a revival (I think) with all the new direct damage cards, but I'll give the nod to better character and art.
C:Lore Faramir: Lore Glorfindel was useful in the Core Set days and is still underrated as a hero, in my opinion. Poor Lore Faramir, despite looking good, has never found his niche.
D:Spirit Pippin: Nori is really good in a dwarf deck. Spirit Pippin ought to win (lose?) this competition.
E:Frodo: I don't play dwarves anymore, so I had to look up what Ori did. How could I forget the lynchpin to the old dwarven archetype?
F:Dúnhere: Tough call. Neither are great, but neither are bad either. But if I have to pick one, I'll vote down Dunhere, whose staging area attack is now overshadowed by Haldir.
G:Oin: Showers of resources wins out over dual sphere.
H:Elladan: Caldara just keeps getting better. Elladan only makes it into decks because his brother is so good.
I:Balin: I like Balin's shadow cancellation, but Beregond is still a beast.
J:Lanwyn: Spirit Glorifndel is still really good.
K:Dwalin: Eleanor has a handful of quests in which she is totally clutch. Dwalin has a handful of quests in which he is sort of useful.
L:Gimli: There are many different decks that can be built around Hama's ability, my most recent being a Skyward Volley deck that sniped enemies over and over. I built a Gimli Firefoot deck a while ago that was pretty fun and haven't touched him since. Here's hoping we get a new Gimli in Sands of Harad.
M:Elrohir: tough call, because Elrohir is excellent, but he doesn't match the sheer fun of pulling enemies over with Aragorn.
N:Thorin Oakenshield: Tactics Theoden is quite good now! He can do lots of things, whether its defending with Golden Shield, attacking with Herugrim, or a bit of both, and with Snowmane he can quest too. Plus he boosts his niece to 5 willpower (go figure, the Tactics combo of Eowyn-Theoden quests for more than their Spirit counterparts). Thorin is good, but I haven't played dwarves in ages.
O:Brand Son of Bain: I like Brand, but he's smelling a fart in the wind.
P:Dori: Bard looks awesome and is very good in multiplayer. Dori looks awesome and isn't any good at all.
Q:Lore Denethor: Santa marshals his troops pretty well.
R:Mirlonde: Berevor has made it back into so many of my decks: Dundain and Ents being two where she's played a key role. Mirlonde is good, but Lore Pippin usually takes the spot she would hold.
S:Theodred: I'm an unabashed fan of the Noldor.
T:Bombur: I guess if you have to pick between two dwarves
U:Elfhelm: New Eowyn greatly outshines the old, and Elfhelm is pretty fun to build around. He not only makes mounts more useful, but songs as well.
V:Bifur: tough call, both are good, but I'll give the nod to good old Coragorn
W:Ori:Wait, Ori was on the ballot already, right? Mablung is good in almost every Tactics deck.
X:Hirluin the Fair: Friends don't let friends play Outlands.
Y:Amarthíul: Tough call, because both are good. I'll give the nod to Eomer.
Z:Erkenbrand: He's a good defender, but we have loads of those. Rossiel has a wholly unique place in this game.
AA:Galdor of the Havens: This is the version of Denethor we've always wanted. Galdor is good, but overshadowed by his ally version and his other Noldor heroes.
AB:Beorn: The bear is good, but I'll take the leader of the Silvan.
AC:Treebeard: Tough call. I like Treebeard ally better, and Pippin fits into so many decks.
AD:Fatty Bolger: No contest. Damrod is actually good, and Fatty is not.
AE:Leadership Faramir: For old timesakes, I'll give the nod to the Prince, who has been putting in work since the first cycle. I think he's about to be overshadowed by his new version though. Leader Faramir is good, but he mostly fits into Ent decks, which is kind of thematically weird.

A: Tactics Merry
B: Thalin
C: Lore Glorfindel
D: Spirit Pippin
E: Ori
F: Dúnhere
G: Óin
H: Elladan
I: Balin
J: Lanwyn
K: Dwalin
L: Háma
M: Tactics Aragorn
N: Tactics Théoden
O: Brand Son of Bain
P: Dori
Q: Spirit Théoden
R: Mirlonde
S: Théodred
T: Bombur
U: Elfhelm
V: Leadership Aragorn
W: Ori
X: Idraen
Y: Amarthíul
Z: Erkenbrand
AA: Galdor of the Havens
AB: Celeborn
AC: Treebeard
AD: Fatty Bolger
AE: Prince Imrahil