Sam vs Eowyn: No contest, Sam is just a lot more interesting. Eowyn is more universally useful, but Sam has a more significant impact on your gameplay and makes you walk that threat balancing line.

Cirdan vs Elrond: A close one for me as Elrond is a superbly useful hero and makes it into many of my decks, even though I almost never use Vilya. Guy should be 15 threat with his abilities. But unlike others, I am not surprised that Cirdan made it this far. He is Bilbo Baggins for your deck in a multiplayer setting, even though you have to discard one of the cards you draw. I run him without recursion all the time. 4 willpower is great, but this is a flexible hero, don't be fooled: he is a high priority target for Light of Valinor and has a "jack of all trades" statline outside of his 4 willpower, so you can use his stats even if you aren't running a Narya deck. With Narya it's a whole different ballgame, as often I am conflicted and have some fun decision-making to do about which two allies to ready. Always fun to defend with an ally, use Narya before the attack resolves, then have that ally ready to attack with +1 attack and able to resolve the attack with the +1 defense stat as well.

Gandalf vs. Arwen: Arwen is a great hero who solves the resource problem for many decks. Pair her with tactics Aragorn and you've got a tactics resource engine who isn't Mablung (as long as you can fund her with cards).

Galadriel vs Aragorn: Go Aragorn! Take this one home!

Sam Gamgee vs Éowyn (S)

I don't use any of these heroes very often... I never go mono-leadership, and when I think in including leadership (for stuff like Steward or Sneak attack+Gandalf), I think in access to resource generation, and thus I want to include guys like Denethor or Amarthiúl.

This is how I feel. The only reason I see needing splash Sam now is if someone else is already using Denethor. The additional resources are far more valuable than what Sam can offer. Sure, Sam could be utilized in a deck specifically designed around him, but as a splash hero, I don't see a regular use for him anymore.

Over the last week I built 5 brand new solo decks, and Arwen found her way into each one. Arwen all the way.

It is because of people like Slothgodfather that we have 50% Spirit heroes left (well, also all of those heroes are really strong).

<Scoff> I actually don't even use spirit all that often myself, but Eowyn is just vital to most of our games for questing for 8 whenever needed.

Sam Gamgee vs Éowyn (S)

I don't use any of these heroes very often... I never go mono-leadership, and when I think in including leadership (for stuff like Steward or Sneak attack+Gandalf), I think in access to resource generation, and thus I want to include guys like Denethor or Amarthiúl.

This is how I feel. The only reason I see needing splash Sam now is if someone else is already using Denethor. The additional resources are far more valuable than what Sam can offer. Sure, Sam could be utilized in a deck specifically designed around him, but as a splash hero, I don't see a regular use for him anymore.

Interesting - I often find myself splashing in Sam primarily for his willpower and threat, not his ability. Denethor certainly cuts into that somewhat, as he is basically Sam with Willpower and Defense switched plus a fantastic ability, but I still get good use out of both heroes.

It is a real shame that Denethor went up against Arwen fairly early - he deserved to go much farther, and I think would have but for luck of the bracket.

It is because of people like Slothgodfather that we have 50% Spirit heroes left (well, also all of those heroes are really strong).

<Scoff> I actually don't even use spirit all that often myself, but Eowyn is just vital to most of our games for questing for 8 whenever needed.

that only explains 25% of your spirit votes this round

Sam Gamgee vs Éowyn (S)

I don't use any of these heroes very often... I never go mono-leadership, and when I think in including leadership (for stuff like Steward or Sneak attack+Gandalf), I think in access to resource generation, and thus I want to include guys like Denethor or Amarthiúl.

This is how I feel. The only reason I see needing splash Sam now is if someone else is already using Denethor. The additional resources are far more valuable than what Sam can offer. Sure, Sam could be utilized in a deck specifically designed around him, but as a splash hero, I don't see a regular use for him anymore.

Interesting - I often find myself splashing in Sam primarily for his willpower and threat, not his ability. Denethor certainly cuts into that somewhat, as he is basically Sam with Willpower and Defense switched plus a fantastic ability, but I still get good use out of both heroes.

It is a real shame that Denethor went up against Arwen fairly early - he deserved to go much farther, and I think would have but for luck of the bracket.

Denethor's resources typically offset the loss of willpower from not using Sam, so that's why I don't see a reason for Sam anymore (as a splash hero). Denethor also provides significant benefits like being able to play Steward of Gondor on the first turn.

that only explains 25% of your spirit votes this round

Well I don't have to explain Arwen - she's awesome enough to speak for herself! So that's 50%!

Sam Gamgee [1]

Círdan the Shipwright [13]

Gandalf [2]

Galadriel [14]

Sam Gamgee vs Éowyn (S)

I don't use any of these heroes very often... I never go mono-leadership, and when I think in including leadership (for stuff like Steward or Sneak attack+Gandalf), I think in access to resource generation, and thus I want to include guys like Denethor or Amarthiúl.

This is how I feel. The only reason I see needing splash Sam now is if someone else is already using Denethor. The additional resources are far more valuable than what Sam can offer. Sure, Sam could be utilized in a deck specifically designed around him, but as a splash hero, I don't see a regular use for him anymore.

Interesting - I often find myself splashing in Sam primarily for his willpower and threat, not his ability. Denethor certainly cuts into that somewhat, as he is basically Sam with Willpower and Defense switched plus a fantastic ability, but I still get good use out of both heroes.

It is a real shame that Denethor went up against Arwen fairly early - he deserved to go much farther, and I think would have but for luck of the bracket.

Denethor's resources typically offset the loss of willpower from not using Sam, so that's why I don't see a reason for Sam anymore (as a splash hero). Denethor also provides significant benefits like being able to play Steward of Gondor on the first turn.

I agree that Denthor is very strong, and I'm not sure how I would vote in a match up between him and Sam. However, I do think you undervalue Sam. Denethor will always be making a solid contribution, and in the right deck his turn 1 resources can offset the willpower loss from not including Sam. However, sometimes you just need willpower on a hero - maybe your deck doesn't have a ton of allies, maybe your other heroes are low on willpower, maybe you just can't rely on luck of the draw for your turn 1 questing. Sam does fit in some decks better than Denethor.

It is nice to finally have options for the leadership splashing hero, though. Also, my Sam-Denethor-Aragorn deck is amazing.

Matchup Spotlight!

Wisdom versus Beauty

Gandalf versus Arwen

I tracked Gandalf down in the midst of battle and pulled him off to the sidelines for a quick interview. After he brushed what I can only assume to be the remains of burnt orc off his sleeves, I asked him to explain why he is a stronger hero than Arwen.

Gandalf: While it is true that Arwen is the fairest elf in all of Middle-Earth, I must remind the voting public of my many achievements:

-Prepared to stymie Sauron's attempts at world domination for 2000 years

-Successfully infiltrated Dol Guldur TWICE

-Put into motion the Quest for Erebor, a chain of events which removed Smaug from the Lonely Mountain

-Discovered the treachery of Saruman and lived to tell the tale

-Mobilized the entire West against Sauron in the War of the Ring

-Slew a frickin' Balrog

-RETURNED TO LIFE

-Rescued the Ring-bearer after successful completion of his mission (as a courtesy, and with some help)

And against that list, I would compare the achievements and reason for fame of the lady Arwen:

-was born

-is hot

-made a banner

Lastly, I acknowledge that some call my play style "boring" for its sheer power, or because the Planning phase may take... a small bit longer than usual when I am around. However, this is appropriately thematic because I am the planner to end all planners.

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

After speaking with Gandalf, I tracked down Arwen in a sitting room at the Last Homely House. I asked her why she is a stronger hero than Gandalf. Her answer:

Arwen: <editor's note: Arwen does not have speaking lines until after Sauron is overthrown>

So there you have it, folks. Oh I should mention Arwen can give you resources!

Vote wisely!

Interestingly, this round wasn't actually that difficult for me.

Sam Gamgee vs. Éowyn

This was the most difficult choice. I love Sam, while Eowyn I can get a bit tired of since she has been in such a multitude of decks as the premier quester since the Core Set. On the other hand, well, she has been the premier quester since the Core Set. She is just that good. I have a lot of fun with Sam at times, but I could say that about almost any hero in the game.

Círdan the Shipwright vs. Elrond

I love Cirdan. I love his interesting status as the oldest elf in Middle Earth, the only elf we ever meet described as having a beard, his wisdom in giving Narya to Gandalf, and the interesting setting of the Grey Havens, of which he is obviously the representative. That's in story terms of course, in gameplay he's also very useful, though the main thing which stands out for me there is Narya - also a card I love, not least for the fact it's so much like the custom Narya I designed years ago. On the other hand, Elrond has Vilya; it's more powerful and also very interesting, sometimes for similar reasons (in fact those two rings can work quite well together). And then besides that there are Elrond's own innate abilities, which continue to demonstrate their incredible potency in making Elrond a very strong pick even in the absence of Vilya. The ability to bring in allies from other spheres lends great flexibility to a deck either in smoothing out resources between spheres or in allowing access to out of sphere allies - that this is very powerful should be much less of a surprise in the wake of the increased popularity of A Good Harvest. And then healing has obviously been gaining a lot more significance for a while as it has become that much easier in a lot of more recent quests to take damage one way or another. Elrond is just so all-round great and deserves recognition for that.

Gandalf vs. Arwen Undomiel

I fully accept that there are very strong arguments in favour of Arwen. I don't dispute those arguments. What I do continue to find very strange are the arguments against Gandalf - in particular the one brought up multiple times on this page, that he takes up a lot of dedicated deck space and is limited in what decks he works in. I think I may have said something to this effect a few pages back as well, but even if so, it bears repeating - if you build multiple decks with Gandalf and find them all the same, then you are doing something wrong. If you find Gandalf inflexible in what decks he can work in for reasons other than his threat cost, then you are doing something wrong. A little way up this post I talked up the incredible value of Elrond's ability to play out of sphere allies - Gandalf lets you play out of sphere everything. I don't see how you can see a hero with the ability to let you play literally any card in the game (barring other play restrictions) as anything other then incredibly versatile.

Part of this I think is a mistake in terms of perception of the hero. A lot of people don't build decks with Gandalf, they build Gandalf decks, and throw in all the Gandalf toys, which I'll grant you is a fair number of toys. But here's the thing - just because Gandalf has amazing stats and the highest threat cost of any hero in the game doesn't mean he needs to be the focus of your deck. If you look at his ability, it really doesn't support turning him into a powerhouse the way the abilities of heroes like Boromir or Treebeard do. His ability grants resource-smoothing and effective card draw. Look at his text box and Gandalf appears to be a support hero, and so in fact he is - albeit a support hero with amazing stats, 14 threat cost and a suite of toys to let him do fairly impressive things in his own right. As far as dedicated deck slots go, Wizard Pipe is hard to do without because it makes Gandalf's ability so much more reliable (though I think decks could be built which wouldn't need it); and Gandalf's Staff I would always include, but that's because the Staff is another support card which like Gandalf himself, just makes your (or someone else's) deck run more efficiently in the long run, by drawing cards or generating resources. Plus it can discard shadow cards if you have combat concerns. The other Gandalf toys are nice, but not actually required for a lot of decks.

As an illustration of my point about the potential variety Gandalf can offer, I searched through my own RingsDB decks for ones where I've used hero Gandalf - 5 different decks (some with multiple iterations), none of which devote that much deckspace to Gandalf, and all of which play rather differently:

http://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/1449/the-charge-of-harrowdale-2.0

http://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/813/gloin-s-attachment-emporium-1.0

http://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/1006/we-are-such-stuff-as-dreams-are-made-on-1.0

http://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/1552/smoking-buddies-solo-campaign-5.0

http://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/3459/the-invisible-army-1.0

Arwen is much-loved by the community, and rightfully so because she is amazing. There are entirely valid reasons to vote for her in this matchup or any other up to and potentially including the final, but to say that she's more versatile and adaptable, or opens up more deckbuilding space, than Gandalf, the hero who can do literally anything, is franky absurd.

Galadriel vs. Aragorn

Everything is better with Galadriel. I can't be bothered to make a more detailed argument at this point, and it'd probably be a rehash of an argument I've made before anyway.

Eowyn > Sam - The Hobbit lost his position as the best splashable leadership hero to denethor. He's not bad at all, but I think it is exaggerated "how" amazing he is. Eowyn might be very one dimensional in what she does, but she does it so incredibly well. Overall very close decison, but Sam lost more of his realtive power than Eowyn.

Elrond > Cirdan - As said before, I run Elrond in a ton of decks and he never ceases to amaze me.

Gandalf > Arwen - I want to use this space to emphasize what PocketWraith wrote about that matchup. 100% agreed

Aragorn (T) > Galadriel - Galadriel will probably be an Evergreen in this competition, as she provides so many Things Players want. Sadly she can't provide These amazing stories where you engaged and killed 4 enemies in a row, saved your teammades ass and got rid of some threat in the staging-area.

May it be the year of the high threat cost and shiny powerhouses, who finally deserve a win^^

Arwen is much-loved by the community, and rightfully so because she is amazing. There are entirely valid reasons to vote for her in this matchup or any other up to and potentially including the final, but to say that she's more versatile and adaptable, or opens up more deckbuilding space, than Gandalf, the hero who can do literally anything, is franky absurd.

Gandalf cannot do literally anything. Yes, he's powerful, and there are legitimate reasons to vote for him in any matchup he faces, including this one. But there is a reason Arwen has 16 pages of decks on ringsdb to Gandalf's 7, and it isn't all due to newness or the lack of people understanding Gandalf.

Gandalf has a threat cost of 14, and once you've chosen him as a hero you pretty much do have a "Gandalf Deck" whether you like or not, because you've signed yourself up for high-threat deck (or some 2-hero or hobbit deck). Now, there's a ton of space within those archetypes, but Arwen has a lot more breathing room for hero selection.

And if Gandalf's Staff/Pipe gets to be part of the discussion (which they should), then so does Elven-light. With Arwen it's essentially repeatable card draw and resource acceleration in Spirit, the two things they most struggled with.

I have discovered many new deck archetypes thanks to Arwen that never worked before, and didn't work with Gandalf. Sure, he can play any card in the game, but that doesn't automatically translate into deck versatility. And if that's the main reason you're including him, then he isn't worth the threat cost in my opinion.

So yes, Arwen is more adaptable and versatile, and opens up more deckbuilding space than Gandalf, and that's why I voted for her.

Nice, the next round of voting has started. I was going into voting withdrawal

Sam vs Elrond - Tough choice, but as a Hobbit player I decided to go with Sam. Either way, I expect the winner of this match up to lose in the finals.

Arwen vs Aragorn (T) - Another tough one. While Arwen is very powerful, she is powerful in a generic sort of way (resource and card advantage) that doesn't excite me. She's the kind of card you use if your #1 goal is to win. Aragorn unlocks a totally different play style that I find highly enjoyable. He's the kind of card you use if your #1 goal is to have fun. Also, I really like the Arwen ally and I'm sad that I can't reliably use her anymore.

I think we're seeing Elrond in the finals. Elrond versus Arwen or Elrond versus Aragorn, either one will be a fun pairing.

Go Aragorn!

Sam

Arwen

In the first one, I couldn't decide between the two, so I applied the "nobody wins more than one time" policy and voted for Elrond.

The second one was even thougher. Both heroes are staples in their own archetypes and become sensational when built around them. I finally went with aragorn because Arwen does nothing you can't get with other heroes, while Aragorn does what only Aragorn can.

Really surprised (pleasantly) that Aragorn topped Galadriel. He's really good, but Arwen is great and flexible. I have pretty well stopped using hobbits over the course of the last year, so that's an obvious choice. Hoping for an Elrond Arwen showdown.

Elrond > Sam - There aren't a lot of new points to mention about any of these two. I obviously prefer Elrond

Aragorn (T) > Arwen - You can only vote for Aragorn. He can profit from Arwen's ability, while Arwen can't really profit from his. That makes Aragorn clearly the supreme choice, right?

Elrond

Aragorn

Matchup: The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen!

Arwen currently has a slight lead over Aragorn: 21 to 18 votes! Your vote matters!

vs

As these star-crossed lovers strolled through the vale of Imladris, we overheard their conversation....

Aragorn: ... and do you not know, that when you are in play, your ally cannot be? That is not without consequence.

Arwen: Last I looked, there were not one or two or three Aragorns, but FIVE with your Fellowship versions. When you are done starting your own boy band, you can talk to me about table conflicts.

Aragorn: A fair point. But I certainly am the most powerful of all of them. And I introduce what has long evaded Tactics: shenaniganry. At last you can build a 'tricky' deck which also is powerful, without relying on Hama and his dull recycling.

Arwen: Yes I agree. If you enjoy combat phases which last 15 minutes, and a hero who invites more "rewinding" of the game to obtain an optimal result than any other hero's ability in the game, then you are the hero to pick, and my lord Aragorn deserves the community's vote. If you prefer a simple but powerful effect, and a splashable hero who can fit into almost any deck, then... not.

Aragorn: The power of my supporting cards cannot be understated. Celebrian's Stone, Roheryn, Sword that was Broken... these artifacts elevate me to one of the most powerful heroes in all of Middle-Earth.

Arwen: If you valued Sword that was Broken as much as you say, perhaps you would treat it as Sword that was Kept Nicely in its Chest, rather than Sword that was Constantly Scattered About the House. And anyway, a willpower boost is not a desired boon for most Tactics players. You do have a nice horse, my dear. Now, if you but include Elven-light into any deck with me, you have the flexibility to use me as card draw or resource acceleration. I simply solve problems in an elegant and efficient manner.

Aragorn: Let us agree to disagree then, and let the community decide. However, when I am crowned king of all the West, this argument may end differently.

-----------

There you have it folks!

As a side note, Elrond and Sam are currently locked in a one-sided contest, and it looks like the Hobbit is on his way back to the Shire. Our contestants did send these messages:

Elrond: When I sent you off to die, small one, I did not expect you to return, only to challenge me. But worry not, soon you will be returned to your gardens.

Sam: Well Sam, you had a good run. You did your best. And you did win one of these before. It'll be nice for a bit of peace and quiet for a change.

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

Voting on this round ends Tuesday. Vote wisely! (Edited: I had the wrong close date on there)

These match-ups are tough as nails!!

For me Elrond vs. Sam is relatively easy, Elrond it is. I am a flagrant Vilya abuser when it comes to deck building.

But Aragorn versus Arwen!!! In the end I will have to go with Arwen. Tactigorn is extremely powerful, but you have to build around him. Arwen is great no matter where you put her; no matter what deck, what quest, how many players, etc.

But I am so off to build a Aragorn (T) and Arwen deck now.

I kinda want to see the father-daughter showdown.