https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/12/5/wild-lands-and-strange-visions/

Guest article by Master of Lore! Some goodies at the end too!

So I'm guessing Yazan will be a tactics ally. Do you think leadership will get a unique, Harad ally too? Also, it suddenly makes a lot more sense why the Southron Refugee has a built in cost reducer, to try to get these guys out easier.

Firyal is just straight up amazing!

I think we might get a Leadership attachment instead. That would be nice, althoughboth would be very welcome.

Firyal is fantastic, especially in solo. 5 cost is pretty steep though; I wonder how often I'll actually be able to get her out.

The new Harad trait reminds me of Outlands, for some reason. One Leadership glue hero that can pay for all of the multicolored Allies, with a rough startup time but leading to a huge payoff late game if you can survive that long.

I hope Haradrim archetype doesn't get the same treatment as doomed. A few cards in one cycle and never to be seen again.

Really ?????

One of the weakness of Caldara decks is the defense and now we have a strong defenser with a control capacity ... So Powerfull ...

I'm not sure if I like the fact that their player cards versions are exact copies of their objective versions... Though I'm relieved to see actual Harad allies. It seems to me that Harad deck is going to somewhat resemble Outlands, just not as blunt as them.

I mean, here is your universal Harad hero, and there are your multicolored Harad guys which he can pay for. Add all of them to your deck, mix in something to your liking and you're good to go.

Looks like those who predicted we would get several Harad allies alongside Kahliel in the first pack of the cycle were right!

Firyal is insane.... five is a lot of resources but 3 willpower and getting to look at the top card of the encounter deck and discarding it if you choose every turn is pretty **** amazing.

Cheat her into play with Send for Aid, Vilya or Very Good Tale etc and she is just crazy good.

Compare her to Gildor who also costs 5 lore resources. Same willpower and although Gildor has better attack and defense he is best used as a quester/defender so will usually only be questing for 3 like Firyal. His ability although really great requires you to exhaust him whereas Firyal's ability activates when you commit her to the quest so can be used every turn while also making use of her 3 willpower at the same time.

I thought it was a nice article. It's a daring move by Matt and Caleb to add some sophistication to the Haradrim - generally they're just seen as enemies and that's it.

I'm sure FFG has no intention of aligning it's games with current politics, but as a Brit it's easy to see some of the attitudes and issues mentioned in the article being debated in the real world at the moment. Perhaps the Haradrim Cycle is just "applicable" rather than "allegorical" !

I thought it was a nice article. It's a daring move by Matt and Caleb to add some sophistication to the Haradrim - generally they're just seen as enemies and that's it.

I'm sure FFG has no intention of aligning it's games with current politics, but as a Brit it's easy to see some of the attitudes and issues mentioned in the article being debated in the real world at the moment. Perhaps the Haradrim Cycle is just "applicable" rather than "allegorical" !

how about prophetic instead, considering how long ago they started developing it!

This will be thematically wild (also SO much fun to imagine), but Elrond with Vilya is perfect with the Haradrim. I think I am going to build a crazy Elrond-Aragorn-Khaliel Harad deck, it gives me such a coolest-fanfic-of-the-year rush.

I thought it was a nice article. It's a daring move by Matt and Caleb to add some sophistication to the Haradrim - generally they're just seen as enemies and that's it.

I'm sure FFG has no intention of aligning it's games with current politics, but as a Brit it's easy to see some of the attitudes and issues mentioned in the article being debated in the real world at the moment. Perhaps the Haradrim Cycle is just "applicable" rather than "allegorical" !

This is why I love J.R.R. Tolkien and why I continue to love this game. His themes are readily applicable and no game is values neutral. Playing a game that is cooperative and based on Tolkien's themes therefore exercises, however discreetly, our capacity for fellowship and moral imagination.

Over the years, many have remarked on the quality of the community around the LOTR LCG. Given a genuinely wholesome source material and how carefully the designers have undertaken to bring it to life, I think that is no coincidence.

Thanks for reading my article and being such a great company of adventurers to follow!

Wow! Great allies, and even better combined with Glorfindel, Gildor, Radagast and Gandalf allie$!

...What deck are you running that has seven different five resource allies? (I mean, besides Caldara.)

...What deck are you running that has seven different five resource allies? (I mean, besides Caldara.)

Elrond + Vilya, maybe?

Here's a bit of jank: Swordthain on Jubayr then Armored Destrier. Defends twice with no shadow cards. (This could get jankier still...)

...What deck are you running that has seven different five resource allies? (I mean, besides Caldara.)

Elrond + Vilya, maybe?

Or he was telling a joke.