New preview is up: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/8/6/fire-in-the-night/

Look at that hero!

Interesting. Good defensive bones on Thranduil, and he enables all colors of Silvans (if not their events). I find Galion amusing, an elf whose only real purpose is to be returned to hand. Not sure how often you would trigger Elvenking, unless Galion is around.

Thalion should combo with Thurindir well, and finally it's possible for Caldara to return *five* spirit allies. (Practical? No). Forest Road Traveler I don't like so well, since active location attachments are fleeting.

Nice to see another tactics attachment, though the effect is unreadable; still, traps that affect the next enemy to engage are a little more controllable than ones that affect the next in staging.

Sadly can't read anything but the title and the word "Response" on the spirit event. Gruesome art.

I think in a Silvan deck, it would work fine even without Galion. Most of the decks I’ve made bounce cheap Silvans out with events, and get replayed cheap with O Lórien. These tools just make Silvan decks better. I foresee a Thranduil, Celeborn, Galadriel deck that’s going to be powerful. You lose out on The Tree People and a few other cards, but I think it will still be a strong archetype for 29 threat.

Nenya would still give you access to The Tree People. Not that a Song of Wisdom and A Burning Branch would look bad on Tharanduil...

For the split second I thot Thalion was Talion from the Shadow of Mordor.

I was just thinking you could try to make a Strider deck with Celeborn and Thranduil. Since Thranduils action is a combat phase, you can pop in allies when you need them, staying at that five character restriction for the quest phase. Then return them with Elvenking after. It might require too many pieces, but something to think about.

Finally, Thranduil! His ability is interesting. Does not synergize with Galadriel (not Silvan herself but still Queen in Lorien), who is present in the “standard” Silvan lineup because her ability functions so well in a Silvan deck. Still, Thranduil might be the herald of some more combat-oriented Silvan allies, ones with abilities that would impact enemies who are engaged.

Elvenking looks like it might be the attachment to bring the Silvan trait together. Those allies are best the turn they enter, during my decks in the past always struggled if I ran out of events to bounce allies. Being able to return the cheaper ones at will is going to be very useful. Plus a new readying attachment. Looks to be a good pack.

Thalion plus Thurindir is going to be nice.

I'm trying to decide if we can play Silvans without Celeborn yet. I think the answer is still mostly no? I like that The Elvenking gives us a new way to bounce Silvans for benefit, though!

Loving this pack! Not a bad card in the bunch. Thalion seems like a fun card to theorycraft around, although I'm not sure it will generally be worth the effort. He looks familiar, too... Hmmm...

Can't wait to see how the Woodman trait develops.

Wow. two card combo (one of which you'll mulligan for anyway) readies Thranduil once per round and contributes two willpower for the game .

28 minutes ago, Authraw said:

Thalion seems like a fun card to theorycraft around, although I'm not sure it will generally be worth the effort. He looks familiar, too... Hmmm... 

He should be carrying a ranger pack full of mountain dew! But seriously, he's awesome. Four resources for two willpower and some decent combat stats?! Then you add his second ability and he goes bonkers (though probably not worth it in a Caldara deck).

And Thranduil is done by Magali V! That means she's not completely done with LotR (at least for this cycle).

I wouldn't use Elvenking to allow Thranduil to quest, unless I have good reason not to expect 2 enemies engaged with me. But I would use it to let him defend twice.

If you want it on someone who can quest, Celeborn is a better target.

Thranduil's statline is weird. He doesn't deserve 1 willpower and 1 attack, that 1 attack is especially weird. What is he, a hobbit? Clearly they were trying to keep his threat cost low, but it ends up making a weird statement about the character.

12 minutes ago, GrandSpleen said:

Thranduil's statline is weird. He doesn't deserve 1 willpower and 1 attack, that 1 attack is especially weird. What is he, a hobbit? Clearly they were trying to keep his threat cost low, but it ends up making a weird statement about the character.

IMO they tried to make a hero with low threat that can make deck with Celeborn and Galadriel , with starting threat not too high. Also maybe the idea behind this is that Thranduil was not a King campaigning to other territories much (if I remember well he did that only against the Dwarves of Erebor) , so not an "attacking" hero.

I really like Thranduil, Elvenking and the elf ally ... nice combo. Thranduil will defend twice most of the time I guess.

Consider his 1 wp and 1 atk to be that "the labor is beneath him", as shown on the Elvenking card art, he just kicks back and enjoys others doing the heavy lifting.

Caldara only works with printed Spirit icons, so Thalion is a nonbo with her.

In a Galadriel, Celeborn & Thranduil lineup ... put Elvenking on Celeborn.
Playing willpower heavy silvan allies in planning, get boosted by Celeborn, quest ready via Galadriel.
In combat phase use Thranduil to play a tactics silvan to help for combat, boosted by Celeborn und send the willpower heavy silvan back to your hand to attack with Celeborn.

Very nice ..

I'll agree that it's odd for Tharanduil to have low willpower and attack, but it certainly makes him a more efficient hero.

I think recycling Galadriel's Handmaiden every turn with Elvenking would be interesting. Celeborn has the best stats for quest/combat readying, but Rossiel has the best when buffed. It's a pity Argalad's ability is once per round.

56 minutes ago, dalestephenson said:

I'll agree that it's odd for Tharanduil to have low willpower and attack, but it certainly makes him a more efficient hero      .     

2 hours ago, GrandSpleen said:

Thranduil's statline is weird. He doesn't deserve 1 willpower and 1 attack, that 1 attack is especially weird. What is he, a hobbit? Clearly they were trying to keep his threat cost low, but it ends up making a weird statement about the character  . 

It makes sense to me that he has zero willpower and attack. Thranduil didn’t ever take a major leadership role in the War of the Ring, other than the defense of his kingdom and the Attack on Dol Guldur. He mainly just minded his own business in the Woodland Realm.

Non-Hobbit heroes with only 1 or less attack: Eowyn, Arwen, Galadriel, Denethor, Bifur, Beregond, Eleanor, Nori, Grima, Balin, Caldara, Rossiel, Bombur (not counting Hirluin, Oin, or Elladan due to innate attack boosts - probably ought to discard TaEowyn for the same reason). And now Thranduil.

I mean, that's still some pretty good company. Even Celeborn only has 2. All things considered, I'm not disappointed in the stat distribution of Thranduil. Frankly, I actually think that it's a rather ingenious way to represent his xenophobia and isolationism - he doesn't quest, he doesn't attack, he just sits back and defends his realm. Much like Denethor, really. I think that Denethor's stat line and Thranduil's are similar for the same reasons, and I think they represent a decent abstraction of the two characters.

For me, I'm excited to try an Elves of Mirkwood deck. Right now, I'm thinking Thranduil, Spirit Legolas, and Argalad as heroes, and I'm rather intrigued by the prospect.

The quest has a side-quest that prevents allies from defending against the dragon, and the dragon attacks for 7 and is immune to player effects. That's not a good combination. If that's not one of the first three cleared....

If memory serves, it prevents allies from attacking it, unless you're talking about a card I didn't see. I'm talking about the one in the card fan at the top.

Well well well, Thranduil hero finally!

I was hoping for an ***-kicking hero, so I am a bit sad, but I have to say they did a good job with him, very thematic!

edit

Only in the middle of the cycle and yet so many cards that activate an idle part of the cardpool!

And quite thematic cards, as well.

The only thing that worries me is that there may be a little bit of power creep. But this is just a feeling for now.

There is always going to be some power creep, but I feel they've done a very good job going out rather than simply up.

You're right, I hastily misread that side quest. Not being able to attack with allies is *much* easier to deal with than not being able to defend!