Have to chime in on Daeron's Runes.

The reason why they are considered powerful is because they are the very first 100%, auto-include, no-exceptions, play-with-them card (for Lore decks that is).

I have played games without Steward of Gondor, without A Test of Will, but never ever have I played without Daeron's Runes when I had a Lore hero. All other "power" cards have cases where you don't need them, but not so with Daeron's Runes.

richsabre said:

Good point, I hadn't considered that aspect of it. I think I'll start using it more.

plueschi said:

Agree with you. Daerons runes most powerful card in the game now.

Daeron's Runes is only as powerful as the other cards in your deck.

If all your other cards are weak, pointless cards (I'm looking at you, Bombur!), then Daeron's Runes is just as weak and pointless as those.

So, really, Daeron's Runes is only powerful because there are other cards in your deck that you want to use more.

What I'm wondering is, what Lore cards are you hoping to draw with Daeron's Runes?

I'm also wondering if there is going to be a quest that removes from the game cards from your deck and/or discard pile and that force you to lose if your deck is depleted. That could make Daeron's Runes dangerous to use.

It is great to see different opinions on the quality of cards. A lot comes down to the style of decks you like to build. Personally, I'm not so convinced by Daeron's Runes. It doesn't actually offer card draw (2 cards are replaced with 2 others) so what it really does is offer potential card quality. If you have a duplicate unique in your hand (to discard) then your card quality should increase. If you have built a good deck then your card quality won't necessarily increase. There are times in a game (when your hand is already good for the situation you are in) that I wouldn't play Daeron's Runes. Gleowine always seems useful however!

Imladris Stargazer is similar in role to the runes, it improves card quality in your hand and when combo'd with Master of the Forge becomes really powerful as you gain card draw and the chance to see a lot of your deck very quickly. She also works well with the runes and as such always comes first in the queue for cards to include in my deck, followed by the master of the forge and then the runes.

Erestor is again a similar card to the runes, it is all about card quality, is repeatable and can quest for 2 each round. In a deck with many duplicate uniques and enough resource generation I think Erestor really outshines the runes.

Best Lore card: Master of the Forge.

Daeron's Runes is certainly a great card, and there's little reason not to include it if you're playing Lore, but I don't agree that it's the most *powerful* Lore card. To me, that designation most appropriately applies to the card that does the most to help you win the game when it enters play. Daeron's Runes is terrific because it provides a small benefit with no drawback. There is no opportunity cost; it's just a straight bonus in terms of card quality and deck slimming. But the effect itself is, to me, not particularly *powerful*.

Instead, I look at cards like A Burning Brand and Forest Snare. The former negates an entire dimension of randomness within the game, while the latter is so powerful that virtually all "boss monsters" are designed to counteract it. Neither is prohibitively difficult to play. Those cards, in my mind, are more powerful than Daeron's Runes--not necessarily "better" or more likely to make it into one of my decks, but more significant.

I won't disagree that Burning Brand or Forest Snare are "powerful", but each card can be powerful under certain circumstances, for example Power in the Earth is possibly the most "powerful" card vs. Impassable Bog, yet nobody would vote for Power in the Earth as a powerful card.

What I am trying to say is that I want to assess "power" on a very general level. And there is simply no more general powerful card, than a card that improves 100% of all Lore decks. (Not sure if my point gets through).

Or maybe for some fellow math geeks, in my mind I evaluate the power of cards "relative" aka value/cost. And Daeron's Runes is "dividing by zero" so to say, the value is not as great as other cards, but it is always (and I mean for any deck) useful and completely "free".

(I am no native speaker, so not sure, if everything I said was clear)

I think it is very clear. And I understand the math. I also really like the card but I don't think I would argue that it improves every Lore-hero deck. I have played it a lot now, and I have been concentrating on its effects very carefully as I had been undecided about its potency from the beginning. And I must say I still am to some extent. I do play it in a deck with Vilya and it often stands in my hand as I don't always want to draw anything, only early in the game mostly, and even then the outcome can prove rather negative. Of course in such a deck with Vilya or Light of Valinor and Asfaloth (Glorfindel present, of course) there are more options to discard but I tend to get a bit paranoid about getting rid of cards.

That said, I still agree, the card is lovely, and I will keep it in the deck for now. But I really don't think it is a silver bullet card.