So not to change the subject away from lore glorfindel, but any bold predictions for the last AP of this cycle? Pretty clear that it will be a Lore hero, but who/what trait? Guarded card predictions?

Since they already have redone two heroes this set (brand and bilbo), I think it will be a new one. My bold prediction is Radagast, one of course, many people will be underwhelmed. Such high expectations for that hero, not going to be able to live up to the expectations. Though I wonder if they will keep istari neutral -- it's been that way so far.

As others have suggested, I think it's either anduril or wormsbane (though I think that might actually appear as an objective attachment).

More dale allies. That's a bold one, I know.

I'm still pretty sure that the last guarded attachment will be the mithril shirt.

My guess for what it does: 1 cost in spirit, guarded by a location only, +1 defense, +1 hit point, exhaust to cancel a point of damage dealt to the attached hero.

25 minutes ago, player3351457 said:

My bold prediction is Radagast, one of course, many people will be underwhelmed. Such high expectations for that hero, not going to be able to live up to the expectations. Though I wonder if they will keep istari neutral -- it's been that way so far.

What? People (myself included) have been predicting Radagast in this cycle for pretty much years at this point (even before we knew Ered Mithrin was coming, people were predicting a Rhovanion cycle with Radagast). As for what sphere (or non-sphere) he will be in, while I would prefer for all Istari to be neutral, if they could make all 4 remaining Istari and wanted to put them in spheres, we would have exactly enough for 1 wizard in each sphere and Gandalf being neutral (makes sense for the grey wizard). I still prefer all neutral but I wouldn't mind a Lore Radagast at all.

We've only had one FFG-invented hero this cycle (Haldan), and unsurprisingly have had no female heroes. So I'll predict an FFG-invented female for the final hero.

Not that I wouldn't mind ending with Lobelia Sackville-Baggins....

Radagast would be awesome and the final artifact is OBVIOUSLY the "Star of Elendil"

Bold prediction: there will be a secret mission included with the last pack that involves time travel, the "Dunland Trap", returning the artifact back where it came so that Aragorn can find it during the sack of Isengard so the space time continuum doesn't collapse in on itself.

1 hour ago, ColinEdwards said:

Bold prediction: there will be a secret mission included with the last pack that involves time travel, the "Dunland Trap", returning the artifact back where it came so that Aragorn can find it during the sack of Isengard so the space time continuum doesn't collapse in on itself.

That's heavy.

16 hours ago, dalestephenson said:

I think Lore Glorfindel's underrated not because of his ability (though having always available healing *really is* valuable), but because of how good he is with his toys.

Another good point for LoGlorfindel is that he’s the only hard-hitting warrior in the Lore sphere. His traits enable stuff like Coney in a Trap.

2 hours ago, theagesthrough56 said:

Another good point for LoGlorfindel is that he’s the only hard-hitting warrior in the Lore sphere. His traits enable stuff like Coney in a Trap.

Aragorn, haldir and now Haldan hit for 3 ad well, have great abilities and lower orcequal threat

Glorfindel lore does have the Warrior trait though.

18 hours ago, ColinEdwards said:

Radagast would be awesome and the final artifact is OBVIOUSLY the "Star of Elendil"

Bold prediction: there will be a secret mission included with the last pack that involves time travel, the "Dunland Trap", returning the artifact back where it came so that Aragorn can find it during the sack of Isengard so the space time continuum doesn't collapse in on itself.

Ha! I love this. But, I was just reading this section in Unfinished Tales, and he finds it hidden inside Orthanc, along with some other relics of Isildur's that Saruman had stolen, after he becomes king. Which would still lead to the same result, I suppose. But this does make me wonder what other time-travel or logicially inconsistent scenarios we can create!

29 minutes ago, rbaker1978 said:

Ha! I love this. But, I was just reading this section in Unfinished Tales, and he finds it hidden inside Orthanc, along with some other relics of Isildur's that Saruman had stolen, after he becomes king. Which would still lead to the same result, I suppose. But this does make me wonder what other time-travel or logicially inconsistent scenarios we can create!

Indeed the Star of Elendil is a card I've been waiting for for a while now. A sort of Voice of Isengard remake cycle themed around searching for all these numenórean artifacts, jewels palantiri, along with an actual Saruman hero this time around would be literally the perfect cycle for me.

On 12/7/2018 at 7:54 PM, Onidsen said:

I'm still pretty sure that the last guarded attachment will be the mithril shirt.

My guess for what it does: 1 cost in spirit, guarded by a location only, +1 defense, +1 hit point, exhaust to cancel a point of damage dealt to the attached hero.

My guess goes for +1 defense +1 hit point, exhaust to cancel a shadow card

If the release to announcement schedule holds true to the first 3 packs, we will see Ghost of Framsburg end of January or end of February, and Mount Gundabad in the beginning of may or beginning of June.

Looks like a 4 or 5 month release after announcement. And announcements have been 1 month, 3 months, 1 month, 3 months. For Ered Luin. Sixth pack announcement would be January if all the pattern holds true.

2 hours ago, Yepesnopes said:

My guess goes for +1 defense +1 hit point, exhaust to cancel a shadow card

It sound be huge. I Would be fine with cancel a point of damage.

If it canceled ‘when revealed’ on repeat, it might be too strong even for a guarded card, unless of course another card is revealed instead but then again it would nothing new... so I doubt this.

On 12/7/2018 at 9:53 PM, ColinEdwards said:

Radagast would be awesome and the final artifact is OBVIOUSLY the "Star of Elendil"

Bold prediction: there will be a secret mission included with the last pack that involves time travel, the "Dunland Trap", returning the artifact back where it came so that Aragorn can find it during the sack of Isengard so the space time continuum doesn't collapse in on itself.

There are actually two Stars of Elendil, the original one was lost when Isildur died at the Gladden Fields and then a new one was made in Rivendell for Valandil.

The LCG is set between the happenings of the Hobbit and Bilbo's departure of the Shire with the exception of Saga expansions and some PoDs. I wonder when the Siege of Annúminas is set.

Sting, Glamdring and Orcrist have been found by Thorin's company and they remained in the possession of Bilbo, Gandalf and Thorin. As Thorin died at the Battle of Five Armies, Orcrist was placed on his tomb, together with the Arkenstone. The Necklace of Girion was given to Bard the Bowman in exchange for the Arkenstone, who then gave it to Thranduil. The necklace and the stone were both guarded by Smaug. And Thrór's Ring was taken from his son in the Dungeons of Dul Guldur by Sauron himself. So technically all of the Guarded artifacts are already in the possession of some heroes or Sauron.

So how on Middle-earth are we supposed to find Glamdring or Thrór's Ring guarded by a lowly Goblin?

The Elendilmir and Radagast are also my guesses for the last pack. I did not foresee Bilbo, but Gwaihir instead.

I wonder if we will at some point meet a vampire similar to Thuringwethil. The Hobbit after all mentions "Soon actucal darkness was coming into a stormy sky; while still the great bats swirled about the heads and ears of elves and men, or fastened vampire-like on the strickened."

3 hours ago, Halberto said:

It sound be huge. I Would be fine with cancel a point of damage.

Gandalf staff does this (and more things) and it is not guarded.

Burning brand does it better.

Jubayr does it.

Déorwine does it for 1 lead resource.

5 minutes ago, Yepesnopes said:

Gandalf staff does this (and more things) and it is not guarded.

Burning brand does it better.

Jubayr does it.

Déorwine does it for 1 lead resource.

True but the combination of 1 def+ 1 hit point + shadow cancellation all toghether active in una card seems so powerful.

But I won't complain if it comes.

2 hours ago, Amicus Draconis said:

Sting, Glamdring and Orcrist have been found by Thorin's company and they remained in the possession of Bilbo, Gandalf and Thorin. As Thorin died at the Battle of Five Armies, Orcrist was placed on his tomb, together with the Arkenstone. The Necklace of Girion was given to Bard the Bowman in exchange for the Arkenstone, who then gave it to Thranduil. The necklace and the stone were both guarded by Smaug. And Thrór's Ring was taken from his son in the Dungeons of Dul Guldur by Sauron himself. So technically all of the Guarded artifacts are already in the possession of some heroes or Sauron.

So how on Middle-earth are we supposed to find Glamdring or Thrór's Ring guarded by a lowly Goblin?

At this point it seems Caleb just decided to make the iconic artifacts of Middle Earth (minus the One Ring sadly) to just be playable in regular decks, despite timeline issues, and I can't agree more with it. So no, I don't think there's a contrived lore reason for us being able to have Orcrist or the Arkenstone. The reason is that Orcrist is a classic, iconic Tolkien weapon and it just had to be in the game as a playable card. Honestly, I would aboslutely love a One Ring player card (be it guarded or otherwise).

We are pretty far beyond needing lore justifications for our cards at this point. As early as the 2nd cycle of the game, we had eagles flying around in Moria. Since it is a deck building game, if you want a deck which is lore correct, it is your privilege to be able to create one. That desire need not prevent other players from creating decks which are wildly divergent from the lore though. The way the game is engineered, you can do either one. It’s lovely.

1 hour ago, GrandSpleen said:

We are pretty far beyond needing lore justifications for our cards at this point. As early as the 2nd cycle of the game, we had eagles flying around in Moria. Since it is a deck building game, if you want a deck which is lore correct, it is your privilege to be able to create one. That desire need not prevent other players from creating decks which are wildly divergent from the lore though. The way the game is engineered, you can do either one. It’s lovely.

As early of cycle 2 we had players fighting the Balrog in Moria...

Two things....

I somehow assumed Gaffer's ability was only if you controlled all hobbits, now I see he has no such restriction and a bonkers good card now seems unreal, can a card be errata'd before it's released? Haha

Secondly look at the art in the release article, next to the amazing Bilbo art, that dragon is totally squashing some poor s.o.b.

Gaffer is not that good, it require a threat really low to function, so it stay mainly for hobbit/secrecy deck and even don't function on any enemy. And more important: it don't work on enemies that will engage you because of your threat, almost only on enemies you choose to engage. So you will more often optionally engage but you can't rely on it for unexpected fight.

It stay a really solid card for low threat decks, whom I really do like. But it is way less powerful than the auto-include quickbeam or arwen.

4 hours ago, Rouxxor said:

Gaffer is not that good, it require a threat really low to function, so it stay mainly for hobbit/secrecy deck and even don't function on any enemy. And more important: it don't work on enemies that will engage you because of your threat, almost only on enemies you choose to engage. So you will more often optionally engage but you can't rely on it for unexpected fight.

It stay a really solid card for low threat decks, whom I really do like. But it is way less powerful than the auto-include quickbeam or arwen.

I'd argue that he's a great ally. Two cost for one willpower and a Feint in Lore. Of course, the engagement cost requirement factors in.

I'll grant you that he's not a powerful as quickbeam or arwen, though!

I wanted to see a Hobbit cost reduction card come into the card pool, because a deck with Tom Cotton has incentive to bounce them in and out of play like Silvans. But with Gaffer I'm pretty sure now that we will never see one. He would be bonkers. Even if your threat is like 38 mid-game, there will still be that 44 or 45 threat troll up there in staging, waiting to come down and swing for 7 attack.