Hi,

We have some tiny news for the third packs of Vengeance of Mordor Cycle in french, it is only a name and a visual but I still want to share it with you.

The pack is named Le Défi des Gens-des-Chariots, who can be in a approximate traduction The Challenge of the Wainriders (an word to word would be People-Wagon, there are eastern people who fight on Wagon). We can see a Galadriel on an illustration :

Since there is already A Galadriel ally, and I don't expect to see Galadriel on a encounter cards I think it is most likely to be the hero, or possibly .an event of attachment related to her.

I could see it being an attachment or event called "Bearer of Nenya" and that helped silvans. Would be awesome. Thanks for this! I'm really hyped for this cycle.

I don't think they would have two hero version with practically the same artwork. My guess it's an Event.

Could be a contract!

Sure it could be a contract too.

52 minutes ago, Gizlivadi said:

I could see it being an attachment or event called "Bearer of Nenya" and that helped silvans. Would be awesome. Thanks for this! I'm really hyped for this cycle.

I'm almost sure it is not an event for silvan. We already got host of lorien in pack 2, so it will be too close. But it is not such a bad thing because host of Lorien is absolutely nuts : so far I just play it repetitively every turn from turn two and enjoy a dozen of comes into play effects plus the Galadriel/Celeborn bonus, and some of those come into play are used to shuffle back to my deck a host of lorien and if needed a feigned voices and/or a test of will (thanks to galadhrim weaver) and redraw them (thanks to ministrel). So, yeah, we can reduce the threat, feint all enemies, cancel all treachery (if needed, I usually let many of them who are absolutely harmless) and have so many willpower and attack that you crush many things. You will note have 10 allies of turn one but you can easily get 4, 4 more on turn 2, make immediately an host and begin to make insane loop. It is really impressive.

Awesome! Thank you for the information! Wild speculation is either another hero version of her, after all she is one of the few major female characters, and am I the only one after watching the Hobbit that wants to see a magical combat version of her? She could have some kind of bonus against the undead or even be able to exhaust to cancel an enemy's attack or send it back to the staging area.

Plus if we get a Hero Saruman then he, Galadriel and Elrond could recreate that scene for some White Council awesomeness.

Though being a bit zoomed out could also be the quest card? Another mission from Lothlorien.

2 hours ago, Rouxxor said:

Sure it could be a contract too.

I'm almost sure it is not an event for silvan. We already got host of lorien in pack 2, so it will be too close. But it is not such a bad thing because host of Lorien is absolutely nuts : so far I just play it repetitively every turn from turn two and enjoy a dozen of comes into play effects plus the Galadriel/Celeborn bonus, and some of those come into play are used to shuffle back to my deck a host of lorien and if needed a feigned voices and/or a test of will (thanks to galadhrim weaver) and redraw them (thanks to ministrel). So, yeah, we can reduce the threat, feint all enemies, cancel all treachery (if needed, I usually let many of them who are absolutely harmless) and have so many willpower and attack that you crush many things. You will note have 10 allies of turn one but you can easily get 4, 4 more on turn 2, make immediately an host and begin to make insane loop. It is really impressive.

Who's your third hero?

1 hour ago, General_Grievous said:

Awesome! Thank you for the information! Wild speculation is either another hero version of her, after all she is one of the few major female characters, and am I the only one after watching the Hobbit that wants to see a magical combat version of her? She could have some kind of bonus against the undead or even be able to exhaust to cancel an enemy's attack or send it back to the staging area.

Plus if we get a Hero Saruman then he, Galadriel and Elrond could recreate that scene for some White Council awesomeness.

Though being a bit zoomed out could also be the quest card? Another mission from Lothlorien.

Considering this cycle takes place in the East and the quest is called 'The challenge of the wainriders' I highly doubt it'll take place in Lórien. It's like if the third pack in the Harad cycle, called 'Beneath the sands' took place in Rivendell.

11 minutes ago, Gizlivadi said:

Considering this cycle takes place in the East and the quest is called 'The challenge of the wainriders' I highly doubt it'll take place in Lórien. It's like if the third pack in the Harad cycle, called 'Beneath the sands' took place in Rivendell.

Hey there is a first for everything haha

another hero version would make sense to me, she only has one. My speculation is her being tactics this time (she wont be lore cause then nenya will be worse on her, she cant be leadership as we already have 2 confirmed heroes and we already got the spirit). Assuming she keeps her old stats, she would probably have the ability to boost attack of noldors/silvans somehow, maybe reducing threat by 1 each time you kill an enemy too.

8 hours ago, Gizlivadi said:

Who's your third hero?

I only test for solo. I'm playing Grima, it give my more resource to be able to play all that (especially since I have also o lorien, steward and keys of orthanc) and cause no harm since I have no issue to reduce my threat by a lot during the course of the game. Here is my decklist: http://ringsdb.com/deck/view/61849

If I would play in multiplayer I would probably prefer a more doomed solution: legacy of numenor, deep knowledge, seeing stone, lore Aragorn, desperate alliance (so every player can reduce their threat with Aragorn). But I haven't got the chance to playtest this one.

5 hours ago, Zura said:

another hero version would make sense to me, she only has one. My speculation is her being tactics this time (she wont be lore cause then nenya will be worse on her, she cant be leadership as we already have 2 confirmed heroes and we already got the spirit). Assuming she keeps her old stats, she would probably have the ability to boost attack of noldors/silvans somehow, maybe reducing threat by 1 each time you kill an enemy too.

While I would be a bit shocked at a hero version, it would be awesome to see another 4 willpower tactics. Maybe then Tactics theoden gets a little more love in an odd tactics questing deck (teowyn, theoden, and galadriel would have an out the gate questing ability of 13... and a decent starting threat of 27)

I doubt it would give you a silvan boon though, since her spirit version does that too well. If there was a hero version, I would imagine there has to be another dynamic with nenya that we haven't considered. Something like "while galadriel is ready, raise your threat by two to cancel the when revealed effects of the first encounter card revealed this phase (limit once per phase)."

Since nenya can trigger after staging, the conventional wisdom would to not quest with galadriel, use her ability, then trigger nenya. Light of valinor on her would be bonkers.

That's all to say I still don't believe it's a hero. Probably an event like Galadriel's Vision or something.

The art certainly seems like it could be an event.

So far, the only AP with cover art from an event is Assault on Osgiliath, which features the art from Gondorian Discipline. Gondorian Discipline isn't even in AoO, but came out in the previous pack, Encounter at Amon Din. So if the Galadriel art is from an event, it would be the first time an AP's cover art is from an event released in the pack. Flame of the West comes with the art from Sterner than Steel.

There are no expansions with cover art from an attachment.

(I haven't checked the spoilers for Wrath and Ruin, so that one could be an event or attachment)

13 hours ago, makoshark13 said:

So far, the only AP with cover art from an event is Assault on Osgiliath, which features the art from Gondorian Discipline. Gondorian Discipline isn't even in AoO, but came out in the previous pack, Encounter at Amon Din. So if the Galadriel art is from an event, it would be the first time an AP's cover art is from an event released in the pack. Flame of the West comes with the art from Sterner than Steel.

There are no expansions with cover art from an attachment.

(I haven't checked the spoilers for Wrath and Ruin, so that one could be an event or attachment)

Good for you! I've stumbled on afew cards, but I'm doing my best to let the pack be a surprise!

And today we get a news with some cards:

Saruman
Istari. Isengard.
When a player card effect should reduce your threat by any amount, reduce this amount to 1.
As long as you play an event with the printed keyword Doomed Saruman gain the tactics, leadership and spirit icons.
Response: After you play a card with the Doomed keyword, ready Saruman

Saruman Staff
Artifact. Item. Staff.
Action: exhaust the Saruman staff to choose between: reduce by 2 the X valor of the next doomed event you play this phase or shearch the top 5 of your deck for a doomed event and add if to your hand. (shuffle your deck.)

Golden Belt
Item
Attach this card to a hero (Limit [not readable but probably limit 1 per hero)]

The attached hero can have 1 additional [probably restricted but we can't read this part] attachment.

Rohirrim Scout
Rohan. Scout.
Action: Discard Rohirrim Scout to choose a non-unique enemy in the staging area. Don't make engagement checks from that enemy against you this turn

I bet that the 2/2/2 ally for 2 is both Isengard and doomed :).

4 attack hero is great, but let's see all the supporting cards before estimating the value of Saruman hero. If I understand correctly you cannot lower your threat by more than 1 any time a player card would reduce threat ( so no 6 reduction with greeting, 3 with elrond council, etc.) Which is a huge negative impact on your deck. Apparently would work well with leadership frodo. Let's see but in any case I'm glad that finally Saruman hero arrived!

I think golden belt give 1 additional restricted attachment, 3 seems to be very very huge for a 0-cost card.

Halberto -> yes, but with his staff you can play most of the doomed events without raising your threat

Golden belt seem to only give 1 additional slots, it is confirmed because the rest of the phrase is on singular.

A momentous day for me. Hero Saruman is the card I've been anticipating the most out of this game for like 5 years now. I've mentioned him and clamored for him whenever I had the chance, and finally all that pays off. He seems absolutely excellent. His stats are on point, and his ability combined with the staff is everything I wanted hero Saruman to be. The art is, thankfully, incredible as well. I can't be happier with this.

Now we just need a hero version of Gwaihir.

28 minutes ago, Amicus Draconis said:

Now we just need a hero version of Gwaihir.

Agreed! But I think the hints leaned towards Wilyador and probably as an ally. And currently only one hero left if we get Gildor and a Spirit Aragorn for the last two.

Also, the news indicate that the contract of this AP is about playing only one hero, but allow us to start with an attachment on him. We don't have any more information (no visual of the card) but it is already interesting.

9 hours ago, Rouxxor said:

Action: exhaust the Saruman staff to choose between: reduce by 2 the X valor of the next doomed event you play this phase or shearch the top 5 of your deck for a doomed event and add if to your hand.

Correct me if I am wrong but the text seems more along the lines of "reduce by 2 the X value of the next Doomed X event you play this phase". The wording seems a bit strange, should it perhaps apply only to Doomed X events (like Close Call and perhaps we will see some other Doomed X cards in this pack) or to all Doomed events and that X simply is the value of Doomed printed on the card (like 2 for Deep Knowledge and 4 for Legacy of Numenor)? Cause if it's the second case I think it could have been written in a more straightforward way...

We wants it......