Ah, now I get it. Thanks rich. Um, I guess it's true, we could certainly (and hopefully) get a Bombadil ally card in the pack, which would be awesome. What I think I want to see the most though is that if we're not gonna explore the Old Forest and the Barrow Downs as scenarios in this pack, we could have those scenarios in deluxe expansions or whatever and a way to make them compatible with the Campaign, so it doesn't feel like there's a hole in the story (since we cannot use the ringbearer version of frodo and the One Ring in regular scenarios).

Ah, now I get it. Thanks rich. Um, I guess it's true, we could certainly (and hopefully) get a Bombadil ally card in the pack, which would be awesome. What I think I want to see the most though is that if we're not gonna explore the Old Forest and the Barrow Downs as scenarios in this pack, we could have those scenarios in deluxe expansions or whatever and a way to make them compatible with the Campaign, so it doesn't feel like there's a hole in the story (since we cannot use the ringbearer version of frodo and the One Ring in regular scenarios).

i don't (really) want to derail the thread, but i'm really surprised by all the Bombadil love. it's a totally tangential part of the story, kind odd with naked hobbits running around, and really (to me!) doesn't add much to the main story (but, of course, i suppose it adds color to the history of ME).

i think FFG really picked the best 3 parts of the first book to create via quests.

Bombadil is such a powerful being in ME that I don't really think any card would do him justice - and I'd just as soon not see him in card form - just like I'd prefer to never see a Gandalf hero.

i'm the reverse - i'd not have been pleased if we had a bombadil quest as i think that would have been at expense of the true story/heart of the story of LOTR.

with that said, if he is an objective ally for a quest, i suppose that could be okay. but i'm quite fine not seeing him appear in the game. a barrowdowns gencon quest could be cool, though.

i don't (really) want to derail the thread, but i'm really surprised by all the Bombadil love. it's a totally tangential part of the story, kind odd with naked hobbits running around, and really (to me!) doesn't add much to the main story (but, of course, i suppose it adds color to the history of ME).

i think FFG really picked the best 3 parts of the first book to create via quests.

Bombadil is such a powerful being in ME that I don't really think any card would do him justice - and I'd just as soon not see him in card form - just like I'd prefer to never see a Gandalf hero.

i'm the reverse - i'd not have been pleased if we had a bombadil quest as i think that would have been at expense of the true story/heart of the story of LOTR.

with that said, if he is an objective ally for a quest, i suppose that could be okay. but i'm quite fine not seeing him appear in the game. a barrowdowns gencon quest could be cool, though.

Well, to me at least is not really about the Bombadil character itself. It's more about that whole part of the story, with the four hobbits travelling in forests, encountering Old Man Willow, then the foggy plains of the barrow downs and the barrow wights, etc. It's more about the feel of those passages and their adventures which I really enjoyed.

Bombadil is such a powerful being in ME that I don't really think any card would do him justice

I mean no offense at all, but I always thought this was just a lazy excuse. Iron Crown made a wonderful Bombadil card as well as Decipher, and both captured the flavor within Bombadil's realm (the Old Forest area). It's not like we know what Bombadil is anyway, so the card does not need to be extremely powerful. He can be powerful, sure, but only in certain scenarios or when certain conditions are had, just like in the book.

I guess it's understandable they wanted to keep the focus on the Black Riders, but I will be really dissapointed if we don't get a way to play that part of the story in the campaign through a compatible scenario.

BTW, I jut finished watching the Druadan Forest playthrough. You guys got really lucky this time!

i don't (really) want to derail the thread, but i'm really surprised by all the Bombadil love. it's a totally tangential part of the story, kind odd with naked hobbits running around, and really (to me!) doesn't add much to the main story (but, of course, i suppose it adds color to the history of ME).

i think FFG really picked the best 3 parts of the first book to create via quests.

Bombadil is such a powerful being in ME that I don't really think any card would do him justice - and I'd just as soon not see him in card form - just like I'd prefer to never see a Gandalf hero.

i'm the reverse - i'd not have been pleased if we had a bombadil quest as i think that would have been at expense of the true story/heart of the story of LOTR.

with that said, if he is an objective ally for a quest, i suppose that could be okay. but i'm quite fine not seeing him appear in the game. a barrowdowns gencon quest could be cool, though.

Well, to me at least is not really about the Bombadil character itself. It's more about that whole part of the story, with the four hobbits travelling in forests, encountering Old Man Willow, then the foggy plains of the barrow downs and the barrow wights, etc. It's more about the feel of those passages and their adventures which I really enjoyed.

Bombadil is such a powerful being in ME that I don't really think any card would do him justice

I mean no offense at all, but I always thought this was just a lazy excuse. Iron Crown made a wonderful Bombadil card as well as Decipher, and both captured the flavor within Bombadil's realm (the Old Forest area). It's not like we know what Bombadil is anyway, so the card does not need to be extremely powerful. He can be powerful, sure, but only in certain scenarios or when certain conditions are had, just like in the book.

I guess it's understandable they wanted to keep the focus on the Black Riders, but I will be really dissapointed if we don't get a way to play that part of the story in the campaign through a compatible scenario.

BTW, I jut finished watching the Druadan Forest playthrough. You guys got really lucky this time!

Decipher Bombadil and Goldberry was unplayble at all. No one ever ever play them as i remember.

Me CCG it was so long time ago i didn remember but something tell me they also was no popular among the players....

i don't (really) want to derail the thread, but i'm really surprised by all the Bombadil love. it's a totally tangential part of the story, kind odd with naked hobbits running around, and really (to me!) doesn't add much to the main story (but, of course, i suppose it adds color to the history of ME).

i think FFG really picked the best 3 parts of the first book to create via quests.

Bombadil is such a powerful being in ME that I don't really think any card would do him justice - and I'd just as soon not see him in card form - just like I'd prefer to never see a Gandalf hero.

i'm the reverse - i'd not have been pleased if we had a bombadil quest as i think that would have been at expense of the true story/heart of the story of LOTR.

with that said, if he is an objective ally for a quest, i suppose that could be okay. but i'm quite fine not seeing him appear in the game. a barrowdowns gencon quest could be cool, though.

Well, to me at least is not really about the Bombadil character itself. It's more about that whole part of the story, with the four hobbits travelling in forests, encountering Old Man Willow, then the foggy plains of the barrow downs and the barrow wights, etc. It's more about the feel of those passages and their adventures which I really enjoyed.

Bombadil is such a powerful being in ME that I don't really think any card would do him justice

I mean no offense at all, but I always thought this was just a lazy excuse. Iron Crown made a wonderful Bombadil card as well as Decipher, and both captured the flavor within Bombadil's realm (the Old Forest area). It's not like we know what Bombadil is anyway, so the card does not need to be extremely powerful. He can be powerful, sure, but only in certain scenarios or when certain conditions are had, just like in the book.

I guess it's understandable they wanted to keep the focus on the Black Riders, but I will be really dissapointed if we don't get a way to play that part of the story in the campaign through a compatible scenario.

BTW, I jut finished watching the Druadan Forest playthrough. You guys got really lucky this time!

1) yeah, i've played both the Iron Crown and Decipher games - and I did actually think of that character's cards in those games - but I don't see him fitting in as well in *this* game. either way, it's a rather dull part of the book - for me - so i don't mind it getting chopped. tolkien was a little wordy (and by a little i mean a lot!) and so, there are going to be lots of things that simply have to be cut for the "highlights."

2) yes, we got really lucky. i've never had a game of TDF go quite so smoothly.

Well getting back to the preview, the big thing I noticed was that this Saga Expansion covers only the first half of the Fellowship of the Ring. That means we are likely going to get five more! I like that thought, 'cause I like expansions. But with three new heroes in each expansion, who the heck are we going to get in the later ones? Gildor Inglorion? Arwen? and where the heck is Éomer? Fatty Bolger would be fun. I'd love to see Gildor or Haldir as heroes. What about Allator and Polando as allies or events?

Well getting back to the preview, the big thing I noticed was that this Saga Expansion covers only the first half of the Fellowship of the Ring. That means we are likely going to get five more! I like that thought, 'cause I like expansions. But with three new heroes in each expansion, who the heck are we going to get in the later ones? Gildor Inglorion? Arwen? and where the heck is Éomer? Fatty Bolger would be fun. I'd love to see Gildor or Haldir as heroes. What about Allator and Polando as allies or events?

there are 4 new heroes per saga. we just don't know the 4th hobbit yet.

there are 4 new heroes per saga. we just don't know the 4th hobbit yet.

Oh ok, well heck, same question goes double then!

there are 4 new heroes per saga. we just don't know the 4th hobbit yet.

Oh ok, well heck, same question goes double then!

I would think it's safe to say we'll get Rohan heroes (Eowyn, Eomer, etc) in the Two Towers Sagas.

Not sure who we'd get in the second half of Fellowship - perhaps new versions of Gimli or Legolas (though, I can't really imagine Gimli in another sphere - but Legolas could maybe be Lore).

I'd not doubt a Tactics version of Aragorn at some point, or a Spirit version - he seems the most likely hero to be in all 4 spheres.

With all of the Fellowship currently being represented in the game - many of them doubles - I'd think most of the Saga heroes will have to be "minor" characters.

I doubt we'll see the other Istari, as they aren't really talked about in the story proper and aren't relevant to the War of the Ring - also not sure if FFG would have the rights to use their names (can't remember if they are named in the Appendix, the main text, or elsewhere - d'oh! - i just remember Peter Jackson not having the legal rights to use the Istari's names in The Hobbit - which is why Gandalf "forgets" their names in the movie. haha.)

On Edit: I love the non-humanoid characters - so I'm still hoping for Gwaihir and maybe even an Ent hero!

I wouldn't mind seeing more Beornings, Dalelanders, and lesser known guys. I doubt we'll see Ent heroes, but I'm pretty sure we'll see Ent allies. A new version of Radagast would be cool as well. I'm still holding out for a Gildor Inglorion hero--the ally is practically a hero anyway! But I'm just saying, if there's five more saga expansions to go, that's 20 more heroes, not to mention the heroes from Against the Shadow. Are we going to run out of ideas pretty soon?

I also feel as though I am in the minority in not really minding missing out on Bombadil and the barrow downs. Maybe because I was never a fan of that part in the book. I think it was Bombadil'a singing that rubbed me the wrong way cause there was so much of it but I never knew the tune so it was really just lyrics, not music in my imagination.

I also feel as though I am in the minority in not really minding missing out on Bombadil and the barrow downs. Maybe because I was never a fan of that part in the book. I think it was Bombadil'a singing that rubbed me the wrong way cause there was so much of it but I never knew the tune so it was really just lyrics, not music in my imagination.

i have skipped every song/poem in LOTR and The Hobbit. I've also never read the Appendices. I'm a bad fanboy! hahaha.

I've also never read the Appendices.

You should! Its the my favorite part out of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books. I find all that stuff quite interesting. I also thought it interesting that somewhat around the time of Minis Tirith besieged, King Thuranduil was attacked by Dol Guldur but fought them off after a long hard battle. And Lorien was besieged 3 times by Dol Guldur but was not taken. Good stuff.....

Personally I'm disappointed by them skipping anything. (I felt that each book could have supported 3 saga expansions to make a total of 9, instead of only 2).

It's not because I don't like what they've done, it's because with only limited core content (relative to the length of time I hope this game goes on for) leaving bits out seems bad.

of course they could always release extra saga expansions in the future that fills in missing quests. (by making it an additional saga expansion it can still be designed to work with Frodo). So not getting it now doesn't mean never getting it - I hope they do the same thing with the missing Hobbit quest sections. (Thandril's realm for instance).

I do hope we don't get 6 versions of Frodo as a saga hero (I felt like getting 2 copies of saga bilbo was a bit wasteful - although the second one fixed one of my issues with the treasure system). It depends if FFG try to claim that the saga expansions are all stand alone (When obviously they should design them instead to be sequential and expect people to play them in order). The hobbit boxes were designed to be stand alone - but it isn't really. I doubt that anyone bought the second saga box without owning or intending to own the first as well.

With the boons and burdens I feel like they really need to just flat out state that the sagas are designed to work in order, and that the experience of later saga expansions without the early parts won't be as good. (Thereby allowing them to balance on the assumption you've played the previous quests, instead of having to make it work on the assumption you haven't).

bombadil is one of tolkien's finest creations. i urge anyone who hasnt to look at the bombadil enigma (i wrote about it in my tolkienology articles, though it was pretty much the same as everyone else had already written)...an extremely interesting character who has a larger part than what you would initially think in the lord of the rings

rich

bombadil is one of tolkien's finest creations. i urge anyone who hasnt to look at the bombadil enigma (i wrote about it in my tolkienology articles, though it was pretty much the same as everyone else had already written)...and extremely interesting character who has a larger part than what you would initially think in the lord of the rings

rich

it's all a matter of taste, i suppose (and perhaps i have none!)!

Bombadil may be an ally with an cancel effect.

I think for the second fellowship box we will see hero versions of the rest of the fellowship, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli, with a new ally (or objective ally/hero) version of Gandalf.

I think looking at the saga expansions we have to forget for a moment the history of the game and think of new players, think of the saga expansion as it's own thing. If a new player picks up the next saga expansion only to find obscure heroes instead of the actual heroes from the game I think they'd be very disappointed. Experienced players want to see every character covered, of course, and we will, but for the saga expansions we should be concerned with getting the most accurate LOTR experience we can. That mean's up-to-date heroes who synergise perfectly with the new quests. At the moment it's not even possible to play a tri sphere three hunters deck.

And remember the second hobbit box? We all expected gwahir, thuranduil etc, and we got instead the main characters of the story, all tied together in a unified theme (the controlling five dwarves thing.) And like that box, throughout the saga we will also see ally versions of the fellowship members, so in a one or two player game you can get all nine in play.

I would also like the cycles that fit in around these releases to mirror the theme of the saga expansions. i.e a shire based one, a lothlorien based one, to fill in any locations or characters we might miss.

And Anduril Please. Soon.

I think for the second fellowship box we will see hero versions of the rest of the fellowship, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli, with a new ally (or objective ally/hero) version of Gandalf.

I think looking at the saga expansions we have to forget for a moment the history of the game and think of new players, think of the saga expansion as it's own thing. If a new player picks up the next saga expansion only to find obscure heroes instead of the actual heroes from the game I think they'd be very disappointed. Experienced players want to see every character covered, of course, and we will, but for the saga expansions we should be concerned with getting the most accurate LOTR experience we can. That mean's up-to-date heroes who synergise perfectly with the new quests. At the moment it's not even possible to play a tri sphere three hunters deck.

And remember the second hobbit box? We all expected gwahir, thuranduil etc, and we got instead the main characters of the story, all tied together in a unified theme (the controlling five dwarves thing.) And like that box, throughout the saga we will also see ally versions of the fellowship members, so in a one or two player game you can get all nine in play.

I would also like the cycles that fit in around these releases to mirror the theme of the saga expansions. i.e a shire based one, a lothlorien based one, to fill in any locations or characters we might miss.

And Anduril Please. Soon.

just like I'd prefer to never see a Gandalf hero.

Wouldn't you like to have a three player game with the complete Fellowship as heroes?

I think for the second fellowship box we will see hero versions of the rest of the fellowship, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli, with a new ally (or objective ally/hero) version of Gandalf.

I think looking at the saga expansions we have to forget for a moment the history of the game and think of new players, think of the saga expansion as it's own thing. If a new player picks up the next saga expansion only to find obscure heroes instead of the actual heroes from the game I think they'd be very disappointed. Experienced players want to see every character covered, of course, and we will, but for the saga expansions we should be concerned with getting the most accurate LOTR experience we can. That mean's up-to-date heroes who synergise perfectly with the new quests. At the moment it's not even possible to play a tri sphere three hunters deck.

And remember the second hobbit box? We all expected gwahir, thuranduil etc, and we got instead the main characters of the story, all tied together in a unified theme (the controlling five dwarves thing.) And like that box, throughout the saga we will also see ally versions of the fellowship members, so in a one or two player game you can get all nine in play.

I would also like the cycles that fit in around these releases to mirror the theme of the saga expansions. i.e a shire based one, a lothlorien based one, to fill in any locations or characters we might miss.

And Anduril Please. Soon.

Exactly this!

There’s a lot that can be guessed as we know they’ll follow the books closely.

They’ll also want to add heroes from the parts of the books the saga expansion is based on, as they did in the hobbit and black rider sagas now already.

That said, here’s my wild guess:

1^st book = Black riders: Sam, Merry, Pippin, Fatty (+Frodo)

+3 quests spoiled.

2^nd book = Fellowship: Aragorn(T), Legolas(Lo), Gimli(Le), Boromir(S) (+Frodo) (no Galadriel)

+3 quests from Rivendell to Rauros falls: Ring goes south, Moria, Breaking fellowship.

3^rd book = Treason of Isengard: Eomer(T), Erkenbrand(Le), Theoden(S), Treebeard(Lo)

+3 quests in Rohan: Fangorn, 3 hunters, Helm’s deep.

4rd book = The two towers: Sam(T), Gollum(Lo), Faramir(Le), Mablung/Anborn?(S) (+Frodo)

+3 quests journey to Mordor: Muil/Marshes/Ithilien, Passing Morgul/stairs, Tunnel/Shelob/Tower.

5^th book = War o/t ring: Eowyn(T), Merry(S), Theoden(Le), Eomer?(Lo)

+3 siege & battle quests: defending M.tirith, battle of P.fields, black gate/last stand.

6^th book = Return o/t king: Frodo(Le), Sam(S), Maggot(T), & no clue. (+Frodo for 1^st 2 scenario’s)

+3 quests: Land of shadow, Mount. Doom, Scouring shire.

I think for the second fellowship box we will see hero versions of the rest of the fellowship, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli, with a new ally (or objective ally/hero) version of Gandalf.

I think looking at the saga expansions we have to forget for a moment the history of the game and think of new players, think of the saga expansion as it's own thing. If a new player picks up the next saga expansion only to find obscure heroes instead of the actual heroes from the game I think they'd be very disappointed. Experienced players want to see every character covered, of course, and we will, but for the saga expansions we should be concerned with getting the most accurate LOTR experience we can. That mean's up-to-date heroes who synergise perfectly with the new quests. At the moment it's not even possible to play a tri sphere three hunters deck.

And remember the second hobbit box? We all expected gwahir, thuranduil etc, and we got instead the main characters of the story, all tied together in a unified theme (the controlling five dwarves thing.) And like that box, throughout the saga we will also see ally versions of the fellowship members, so in a one or two player game you can get all nine in play.

I would also like the cycles that fit in around these releases to mirror the theme of the saga expansions. i.e a shire based one, a lothlorien based one, to fill in any locations or characters we might miss.

And Anduril Please. Soon.

Exactly this!

There’s a lot that can be guessed as we know they’ll follow the books closely.

They’ll also want to add heroes from the parts of the books the saga expansion is based on, as they did in the hobbit and black rider sagas now already.

That said, here’s my wild guess:

1^st book = Black riders: Sam, Merry, Pippin, Fatty (+Frodo)

+3 quests spoiled.

2^nd book = Fellowship: Aragorn(T), Legolas(Lo), Gimli(Le), Boromir(S) (+Frodo) (no Galadriel)

+3 quests from Rivendell to Rauros falls: Ring goes south, Moria, Breaking fellowship.

3^rd book = Treason of Isengard: Eomer(T), Erkenbrand(Le), Theoden(S), Treebeard(Lo)

+3 quests in Rohan: Fangorn, 3 hunters, Helm’s deep.

4rd book = The two towers: Sam(T), Gollum(Lo), Faramir(Le), Mablung/Anborn?(S) (+Frodo)

+3 quests journey to Mordor: Muil/Marshes/Ithilien, Passing Morgul/stairs, Tunnel/Shelob/Tower.

5^th book = War o/t ring: Eowyn(T), Merry(S), Theoden(Le), Eomer?(Lo)

+3 siege & battle quests: defending M.tirith, battle of P.fields, black gate/last stand.

6^th book = Return o/t king: Frodo(Le), Sam(S), Maggot(T), & no clue. (+Frodo for 1^st 2 scenario’s)

+3 quests: Land of shadow, Mount. Doom, Scouring shire.

I think for the second fellowship box we will see hero versions of the rest of the fellowship, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli, with a new ally (or objective ally/hero) version of Gandalf.

I think looking at the saga expansions we have to forget for a moment the history of the game and think of new players, think of the saga expansion as it's own thing. If a new player picks up the next saga expansion only to find obscure heroes instead of the actual heroes from the game I think they'd be very disappointed. Experienced players want to see every character covered, of course, and we will, but for the saga expansions we should be concerned with getting the most accurate LOTR experience we can. That mean's up-to-date heroes who synergise perfectly with the new quests. At the moment it's not even possible to play a tri sphere three hunters deck.

And remember the second hobbit box? We all expected gwahir, thuranduil etc, and we got instead the main characters of the story, all tied together in a unified theme (the controlling five dwarves thing.) And like that box, throughout the saga we will also see ally versions of the fellowship members, so in a one or two player game you can get all nine in play.

I would also like the cycles that fit in around these releases to mirror the theme of the saga expansions. i.e a shire based one, a lothlorien based one, to fill in any locations or characters we might miss.

And Anduril Please. Soon.

Exactly this!

There’s a lot that can be guessed as we know they’ll follow the books closely.

They’ll also want to add heroes from the parts of the books the saga expansion is based on, as they did in the hobbit and black rider sagas now already.

That said, here’s my wild guess:

1^st book = Black riders: Sam, Merry, Pippin, Fatty (+Frodo)

+3 quests spoiled.

2^nd book = Fellowship: Aragorn(T), Legolas(Lo), Gimli(Le), Boromir(S) (+Frodo) (no Galadriel)

+3 quests from Rivendell to Rauros falls: Ring goes south, Moria, Breaking fellowship.

3^rd book = Treason of Isengard: Eomer(T), Erkenbrand(Le), Theoden(S), Treebeard(Lo)

+3 quests in Rohan: Fangorn, 3 hunters, Helm’s deep.

4rd book = The two towers: Sam(T), Gollum(Lo), Faramir(Le), Mablung/Anborn?(S) (+Frodo)

+3 quests journey to Mordor: Muil/Marshes/Ithilien, Passing Morgul/stairs, Tunnel/Shelob/Tower.

5^th book = War o/t ring: Eowyn(T), Merry(S), Theoden(Le), Eomer?(Lo)

+3 siege & battle quests: defending M.tirith, battle of P.fields, black gate/last stand.

6^th book = Return o/t king: Frodo(Le), Sam(S), Maggot(T), & no clue. (+Frodo for 1^st 2 scenario’s)

+3 quests: Land of shadow, Mount. Doom, Scouring shire.

Doesn't sound too far off but then again, I'm no lore expert only thing I would rethink would be the Treebead and Gollum heroes. We haven't had any non people heroes so I don't think they would do that at this point? Also, don't think Gollum would be a hero at all as he's more a mixed bag, isn't he? I could easily see Treebead as an ally though, and please, more ents in the future

well, we got beorn in his bear form as a hero...that's sorta non-people-like.

but i disagree that we will see the same heroes over and over in these sets. that creates too many problems for deck building, pickup games, etc. and it's just not fun to design (i'd think) and doesn't provide much variety. i think we'll probably see hero/ally versions of all 9 between the Core Set and the 6 Sagas (don't forget some are in the Core Set - which is required for play - so they may not feel the need to update those) of the Fellowship but that's it.

i'd be awfully disappointed/unhappy if we got 3-4 versions of the same heroes over the course of 6 sagas.

Once the rest of the main characters get their hero card debut, I could see many of the current allies also get their own hero version (just like Faramir has after being only an ally since the core set.) This, in turn, could add a lot of options for brand new heroes instead of new sphere versions of currently existing ones. Some options just off the top of my head include Erestor, Gildor, Haldir, Arwen, Elfhelm, Eomund, Damrod, and Forlong.

As much as I'd like to see all nine fellowship members on the board at the same time, I also don't think a hero version of Gandalf would be a hot idea - he would undoubtedly have to be quite powerful (and bear a large threat level,) similar to Elrond, and I would rather just keep having him turn up to 'turn the tide' in my player decks. On that note, however, I would love to see a Gandalf the White ally in the future!

Once the rest of the main characters get their hero card debut, I could see many of the current allies also get their own hero version (just like Faramir has after being only an ally since the core set.) This, in turn, could add a lot of options for brand new heroes instead of new sphere versions of currently existing ones. Some options just off the top of my head include Erestor, Gildor, Haldir, Arwen, Elfhelm, Eomund, Damrod, and Forlong.

As much as I'd like to see all nine fellowship members on the board at the same time, I also don't think a hero version of Gandalf would be a hot idea - he would undoubtedly have to be quite powerful (and bear a large threat level,) similar to Elrond, and I would rather just keep having him turn up to 'turn the tide' in my player decks. On that note, however, I would love to see a Gandalf the White ally in the future!

right. i too hope we don't get a gandalf hero. it would certainly tick off your buddies if they can't have ally gandalf in their decks!