A - Beravor (easy choice at least for me. If I play spirit I use a test of will/dwarven tomb all the time (so eleanor would be redundant, and if I don't...well I don't)

B - Mirlonde (I love thalin (favourite dwarf art by the way) but having tried a monolore deck with mirlonde I have to say she's stronger)

C - Pippin (lore) (seems awsome, can't wait for TBR, never used brand)

D - Prince Imrahil (I like Imrahil. If bilbo had 6 or 8 threat I might like him more...but with 9 threat he's a bit off my schemes)

E - Faramir (well he the choice is obvious since the other challenger is spirit pippin)

F - Elrohir (one of my favourite heroes)

G - Hama (one of my absolute favourite hero together with legolas)

H - Dwalin (really like him, I prefer reducing my threat by combat then by companionship...I know his ability is wasted in some scenarios and I know nori's stronger...but I still like dwalin better)

I - Elladan (one of my favourite heroes)

J - Denethor (well denethor's good, awsome in a monolore encounter control deck while oin is one of the worst in my opinion)

K - Hirluin the Fair (I like glorfindel as a lore hero, but I find his ability a bit lacking)

L - Frodo (frodo's great...caldara's....well...let's not say it...)

M - Theodred (one of my absolute favourite heroes)

N - Merry (seems great, really looking forward to try him)

A Beravor

B Mirlonde

C Pippin

D Imrahil

E Faramir

F Gloin

G Hama

H Dwalin

I Bifur

J Denethor

K Hirluin

L Frodo

M Theodred

N Merry

P Gimli

I agree with Khamul's prediction of the final four.

A – Beravor

B – Thalin

C – Pippin (Lo)

D – Prince Imrahil

E – Faramir

F – Elrohir

G – Hama

H – Nori

I – Bifur

J – Denethor

K – Glorfindel (Lo)

L - Frodo

M - Theodred

N – Merry

A – Beravor - 6 / Eleanor - 5 - Beravor.

B – Thalin - 5 / Mirlonde - 6 - Mirlonde

C – Pippin (Lo) - 10 / Brand Son of Bain - 1 - Pippin

D – Imrahil - 6 / Bilbo Baggins - 5 - Imrahil

E – Faramir - 11 / Pippin (S) - 0 - Faramir

F – Elrohir - 7 / Gloin - 4 - Elrohir

G – Hama - 9 / Bombur - 2 - Hama

H – Dwalin - 2 / Nori - 9 - Nori

I – Elladan - 6 / Bifur - 5 - Bifur

J – Denethor - 11 / Oin - 0 - Denethor

K – Hirluin the Fair - 8 / Glorfindel (Lo) - 3 - Glorfindel

L - Frodo - 10 / Caldara - 1 - Frodo

M - Theodred - 10 / Dunhere - 1 - Theodred

N – Merry - 10 / Fatty - 1 - Merry

A – Beravor

B – Mirlonde

C – Pippin (Lo)

D – Imrahil

E – Faramir

F – Elrohir

G – Bombur

H – Nori

I – Elladan

J – Denethor

K – Glorfindel (Lo)

L - Frodo

M - Theodred

N – Merry

Thanks for voting and special thanks to Pharmsboy, Glowwyrm and Devastazione for their commentaries.

The count has been updated.

Update: Since Prince Imrahil recently took the lead, he has been putting the hurt on Bilbo. I guess people put more stock in stats/mechanics than nostalgia. Sorry, Bilbo!

Match-up Spotlight: DWARVES vs ELVES!!!!

B – Thalin - 9 / Mirlonde - 11

F – Elrohir - 13 / Gloin - 7

I – Elladan - 10 / Bifur - 10

We have 3 dwarf vs elf match-ups and they are some of the closer match-ups. Though, Elrohir has slightly pulled away from Gloin, the other two match-ups are turning out to be nail-biters! Let's go down to the field where Thalin is facing Mirlonde.

As Thalin addresses the media during a timeout, they notice the blood in his beard. "I call on the Gonnhirrim and those loyal to us to support Gloin, Bifur and myself. Let it not be heard that a descendant from Erebor fell to an elf."

Note: Gloin and Bifur were not available for comment. It seems they are trying to distance themselves from the FFG-created hero. Who knew they were Tolkien snobs?

Mirlonde said, "I understand that a lot of people did not like me when I first came on the scene. However, as people got to know me, we have started to develop a better relationship.Goes to show you can't base everything on first impressions."

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this is really fun, fantastic idea samwise

A- Beravor

B- Thalin

C- Pippin

D- Imrahil

E- Faramir

F- Elrohir

G- Bombur

H- Nori

I- Elladan

J- Oin

K- Glorfindel

L- Frodo

M- Theodred

N- Merry

I would have written more, but time is short!

A Beravor

B Thalin - tactics And a dwarf? Epic win

C Pippin

D Imrahil - love my big tough Gondor kings, stewards, and princes

E Faramir - like I said...

F Gloin - super cool art. Good ability. Low threat in a high threat sphere. Gimlis dad?

G Hama - who knew such a low key Rohan character could prove so useful!

H Dwallin - for the longest time Dwallin and Thallin vied for fav dwarf status.

I Bifur - his usefulness cannot be understated!!!

J Denethor - look at my avatar

K Glorfindel Lore - hey it is still Glorfindel

L Frodo - second best spirit hero

M - Theodred

N Merry -

The matchup spotlights have me rolling. Keep 'em coming!

Updated count. Thanks for voting and a special shout out to Rainelotr for his musings!

Match-up update: Mirlonde and Thalin are now all tied up 11-11. Thalin is really feeling the pressure, but Mirlonde is playing it cool. "When slaying orcs or waiting out forum polls becomes too intense, I like to just take a second and do something peaceful, such as watch waves crash onto the rocks. Me-time is very important to me," said Mirlonde in a recent interview. We will have to keep an eye on this match-up even if Mirlonde doesn't.

Match-up Spotlight: Who is the fairest of them all?

Hirluin the Fair and Glorfindel (Lore) are in a dead heat. The score is 11-11 and with less than 24 hours to go, this match can easily go either way. Grumblings from Rivendell have emerged as one of their Noldor champions may lose to an upstart from the Outlands. However, many herdsmen and knights and swordsmen and hunters and warriors and ... Forlongs?... have come to the support of Hirluin. Both contestants took time from striking dramatic poses and brushing their long blond hair to share some short anecdotes.

Glorfindel (L) comments, "I get no respect. I used to be great, top of my game really. The other heroes always wanted me on the adventure. Then some dwarf wanted to try and retake Moria and then he came along. You know who I'm talking about. Now, I'm not bitter, but I am just as much of an iconic character as he is. Sure his art is a little more ... epic and someone forgot to add his willpower, attack and defense to his threat cost, but I am still very useful in a number of situations. I mean the other hero is more like a misprint. Who wants an aberration for a hero? Come on... really?!!"

When asked why the forum should vote him through to the next round, Hirluin responded, "I'm Hirluin... THE FAIR . I have nothing more to say on the subject."

Well, there is a less than a day until the first tier ends. So cast you deciding votes on who should be crowned the fairest of them all!

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this is really fun, fantastic idea samwise

The matchup spotlights have me rolling. Keep 'em coming!

Thanks!

A – Eleanor

B – Thalin

C – Pippin

D – Imrahil

E – Faramir

F – Elrohir

G – Hama

H – Nori

I – Bifur

J – Denethor

K – Hirluin the Fair

L - Frodo

M - Theodred

N – Merry

A - Beravor - (so versatile)

B - Thalin - (tough call, as M really IS better than given credit for. In the end, all my early battles with Thalin by my side carried the "nostalgia" vote for me)

C - Pippin - (You could have put a hero version of Barliman Butterman up against Brand... and Brand would still lose).

D - Imrahil - (better versatility for single or mulit-player, although I do love Bilbo for solo... can't get past that horrible art-work)

E - Faramir - (2nd-favorite ME character. As far as I'm concerned, since Turin won't be in this game for the forseeable future, you can crown Faramir as champion now).

F - Gloin - (Have never found much use for the Twins, and this is one of my favorite art-works in the game to date)

G - Hama - (Perhaps Bombur vs Brand would've been an appropriate match-up to make them somewhat interesting???)

H - Nori - (Dwalin couldn't get my nostalgia vote this time... the lack of consistent orc enemies lately make him nearly unusable)

I - Bifur - (Still the best way to get those resources for spendy Lore)

J - Denethor - (one of the better "themed" heroes)

K - Glorfindel - (based solely on my hopes for an all-Glorfindel championship... lol)

L - Frodo - (The "Tank" versus the newbie... no contest)

M - Theodred - (Mr. Moneybags... All. Day. Long).

N - Merry - (An all-Hobbit fight hardly seems fair when they aren't even in the game yet!)

The count has been updated. Thanks for voting and a shout out to benhanses for his commentary.

Matchup update: 30 minutes to go until the end of tier one and Hirluin and Glorfindel are all tied up. Vote now to break the tie!!!

Match-up spotlight: The Ranger vs The Fool

Faramir is pitching the only shutout of the contest. Pippin (S) has not garnered a single vote and the chances of him getting a vote before the end are not looking good. Pippin (S) was so melancholy due to the results that he refused to meet with the media. We, therefore, turned to his best friend, Merry.

Merry, "I said to him, 'Pip, it's alright. We still have the Shire.' But that didn't seem to help. That used to be so comforting to him. I told him this would happen if he insisted on associating with only hobbits. Well, if the friendship with Pippin (Spirit) doesn't work out, Pippin (Lore) seems like a pretty cool guy and more open-minded when it come to inter-racial adventuring."

Faramir also added, "I did not even know about this match-up till five minutes ago. I thought I had a bye. My condolences to Pippin (Spirit). Seems like a great guy, but a ranger's got to do what a ranger's got to do. My eyes are on the prize."

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Updated count. Thanks for voting and a special shout out to Rainelotr for his musings!

Match-up update: Mirlonde and Thalin are now all tied up 11-11. Thalin is really feeling the pressure, but Mirlonde is playing it cool. "When slaying orcs or waiting out forum polls becomes too intense, I like to just take a second and do something peaceful, such as watch waves crash onto the rocks. Me-time is very important to me," said Mirlonde in a recent interview. We will have to keep an eye on this match-up even if Mirlonde doesn't.

Match-up Spotlight: Who is the fairest of them all?

Hirluin the Fair and Glorfindel (Lore) are in a dead heat. The score is 11-11 and with less than 24 hours to go, this match can easily go either way. Grumblings from Rivendell have emerged as one of their Noldor champions may lose to an upstart from the Outlands. However, many herdsmen and knights and swordsmen and hunters and warriors and ... Forlongs?... have come to the support of Hirluin. Both contestants took time from striking dramatic poses and brushing their long blond hair to share some short anecdotes.

Glorfindel (L) comments, "I get no respect. I used to be great, top of my game really. The other heroes always wanted me on the adventure. Then some dwarf wanted to try and retake Moria and then he came along. You know who I'm talking about. Now, I'm not bitter, but I am just as much of an iconic character as he is. Sure his art is a little more ... epic and someone forgot to add his willpower, attack and defense to his threat cost, but I am still very useful in a number of situations. I mean the other hero is more like a misprint. Who wants an aberration for a hero? Come on... really?!!"

When asked why the forum should vote him through to the next round, Hirluin responded, "I'm Hirluin... THE FAIR . I have nothing more to say on the subject."

Well, there is a less than a day until the first tier ends. So cast you deciding votes on who should be crowned the fairest of them all!

vs

Tier 1 is coming to a close! However, Hirluin and Glorfindel are all tied up.

Therefore, this leads to a tiebreaker! The next vote for Hirluin or Glorfindel will decide the match. Good luck, heroes!!

Tier 1 is coming to a close! However, Hirluin and Glorfindel are all tied up.

Therefore, this leads to a tiebreaker! The next vote for Hirluin or Glorfindel will decide the match. Good luck, heroes!!

This includes if you have already voted!

Glorfindel!!!

The first tier of the Hero Championship has been completed. Congratulations to Glorfindel on the dramatic win!

Glorfindel (Lore) responded, "I really have to thank benhanses and all the others who voted for me. I could not have done it without them!"

View the results below! The second tier (O-AD) is now open. May the best hero win. Let the games begin!!!

We will close the second tier on 9/8 @ 5:00 ET.

O - Beravor - I love an underdog!

P - Gimli

Q - Aragorn (Lore)

R - Pippin (Lore)

S - Aragorn (Leadership)

T - Faramir

U - Elrohir

V - Eowyn

W - Nori

X - Sam Gamgee (no way to hide this)

Y - Boromir (Leadership)

Z - Denethor

AA - Elrond

AB - Bard the Bowman

AC - Beregond

AD - Merry

Here's my votes:

O - Glorfindel (S)

P - Ori

Q - Aragorn (Lore)

R - Boromir (T)

S - Aragorn (Le)

T - Beorn

U - Legolas

V - Eowyn

W - Dain Ironfoot

X - Sam Gamgee

Y - Bifur

Z - Denethor

AA - Elrond

AB - Frodo Baggins

AC - Beregond

AD - Balin

O - Glorfindel - I have to be realistic, as much as I like Beravor the spirit version of Glorfindel is too good to lose this match...he's in 2 of my 3 or 4 best solo deck.

P - Ori - I hope we'll get another version of Gimli in the second box of the fellowship saga because this one was a bit off my taste. Nice stats and all but unless he's your only tactics hero his ability's pretty redundant (and my only tactics hero is generally Legolas...or Beregond...or Hama....well not Gimli).

Q - Thalin - as I said before he's my favourite dwarf (artwise), and his ability's awsome...paired with Dain he rocks. Really sorry for Strider who's one of the best lore heroes and has lots of decks built around him but I really dig Thalin.

R - Boromir - another tough one...I think Pippin's gonna be a blast (with his hobbit friends a nuclear blast), but Boromir's Boromir...if only his art was that of the leadership version he'd make top 3 in my best hero chart...really awsome

S - Aragorn - you need a few cards to make him really, really good, but with only steward of gondor he shines already...Imrahil's good and I like both his card and the character (by the way the card is very thematic) but King Elessar wins

T - Faramir - haven't even tried him yet but I know I'm gonna enjoy playing him...love ranged, rangers and Faramir himself

U - Legolas - Sorry that I had to choose between two of my 4 or 5 absolute favourite heroes...I choose Legolas though...he's my number 1 anyway

V - Hama - we'll he's my number 2

W - Dain - need I say more ?

X - Sam - Arguably the best leadership hero in the game...and he's not out yet (not for me anyway), plus he's one of my favourite characters in tolkien lore

Y - Bifur - not that I like Bifur that much but I still haven't found a good use for this version of Boromir

Z - Thorin Oakenshield - this is the toughest choice...both are good and I really like them...I choose Thorin only because I like him better in tolkien lore.

AA - Elrond - Again...need I say more ?

AB - Bard the Bowman - He's unplayable in solo play...and I know it...and I was really disappointed because he's one of my favourite characters in tolkien lore (favourite from the hobbit)...but well...I'm still gonna vote for him because he's Bard the Bowman, slayer of Smaug...and because in multi he's pretty good.

AC - Beregond - Another really tough one...both are awsome heroes, and I use both of them a lot (theodred has been in my decks since the beginning and I don't think he's ever going to leave) but Beregond has a place in my heart from the books. Plus he's a pretty amazing hero himself...I love playing him in multiplayer with my courage and defense deck (Beregond+Gondorian Shield+Spear of the Citadel+Goblin Cleaver+Swift Strike+Behind strong Walls....+Stand together with Gondorian Spearman+Spear of the Citadel) ok I'll stop...it's so much fun though XD...

AD - Merry - I never tried Balin yet, I don't like when you have to change something bad for something unknown (potentially worse) plus merry is a real beast (in a hobbit deck he rocks, in a monotactics deck with theoden he over-rocks)

well my love for tactics is pretty explicit...7 tactics heroes, 4 lore, 4 leadership and 1 spirit...(well my not-so-much-love for spirit heroes as well)...

I cannot believe some of the turn ups.
Did not expect any of Noldor Elves to win, but 2 of them survived!

Here are my votes for round of 16:

O. Glorfindel(s) - Beravor is good, but Spirifindel is broken.
P. Ori - Ori's draw power is just so good, and his stats are competetive as well.
Q. Aragorn(Lo) - As much as I think Thalin is must have in 3~4 player games, Loragorn's ability is too good.
R. Pippin(Lo) - Despite the fact Boromir is one of my favourite characters and I've never even played with Lore Pippin yet, I just prefer drawing over combat prowness.
S. Imrahil - I find Imrahil's ability to be more versatile than Aragorn's
T. Beorn - Beorn has proven himself again and again that he is a beast. Faramir has his uses but they are limited.
U. Legolas - Legolas is to this day one of solid go to tactics hero.
V. Hama - If we were back in Mirkwood Cycle I might have picked Eowyn. But Eowyn's Will Power is replacable while Hama's thicket of shinanigan is not.
W. Dain Ironfoot - Nori is a good dwarf, but Dain is broken.
X. Sam Gamgee - To be honest I'm surprised Theoden is in round of 36 by default. Better heroes than him have lost in the prelimenary.
Y. Boromir(Le) - I feel like Bifur is the better hero in isolated situation, but chose Boromir because Bifur is shadowed by Ori whereas Leadermir remains to be only Gondor synerging hero.
Z. Denethor - Likewise, Thorin is probably better hero in isolation, but he is outshadowed by Dain while Denethor is the only encounter deck manipulating hero.
AA. Elrond - Time for you to rest in peace Lore Glorfindel. Cannot believe you made it thsi far.
AB. Frodo Baggins - Bard is good hero in multiplayer, but Frodo is great hero in any sized game.
AC. Theodred - Theodred's resource generation is not to be trifled with.
AD. Merry - Balin is good, but Merry is the only tactics Hobbit hero.

O - Glorfindel

P - Gimli

Q - Thalin

R - Pippin

S - Aragorn

T - Beorn

U - Legolas

V - Eowyn

W - Dain

X - Sam Gamgee

Y -Borimir

Z - Thorin

AA - Elrond

AB - Bard

AC Beregond

AD -Balin

O- Glorfindel - I SO badly would like to pick Beravor instead, but if I'm going truthfully, I have to pick Spirfindel. My condolences to Beravor.

P- Gimli - I'm gonna go with the classic core hero on this one, although I really do love Ori. But I feel that Gimli is much more versatile, mainly because his ability isn't triggered by dwarves. It's just through pure damage.

Q- Aragorn (Lore)- Thalin had my vote against Mirlonde, but I'm gonna have to go with Aragorn. Strider is too much for Thalin to handle, unfortunately.

R- Boromir (Tactics)- I think this one may be a little unfair on my part, as I haven't been able to try Pippin out yet. But based on my initial thoughts of him, I'm going to have to choose Boromir. A very useful hero, and I love tactics!

S- Prince Imrahil - A big portion of this vote goes to the fact that Imrahil has the Gondor trait and Aragorn doesn't. Yes, you could Steward of Gondor him, but it's so much easier to have an already-Gondor hero for a Gondor deck.

T- Faramir - These two are polar opposites. One is very straightforward, and the other takes some time to make use of. But I'm gonna have to go with the latter, since he's the star of trap decks, which I love SO much.

U- Legolas - Definitely have to go with Legolas for this one. I think his ability is very useful, especially in a mono-tactics deck, and he doesn't require a counterpart to use. Sorry twins!

V- Eowyn - Out of the two Rohan heroes competing in this bracket, I'm going to have to pick Eowyn because of her astounding Willpower. Hama is useful on some occasions, but not enough to beat Eowyn.

W- Dain Ironfoot - Sorry Nori, but this one is pretty easy to decide on.

X- Theoden - Sorry, but my passion for mono-tactics is going to beat the dedicated hobbit. Hoping that Theoden won't let me down on his premiere!!

Y- Boromir (Leadership)- I love a good Gondor deck, and I rarely use Bifur even in dwarf decks, since I usually prefer his ally version.

Z- Thorin Oakenshield - This was definitely a tough choice. But since I usually play two-handed, if I ever use Denethor, his ability is never used.

AA- Elrond - Sorry Glorfindel, but it appears that this one might be unanimous. At least be proud you made it this far.

AB- Bard the Bowman - Definitely one of my favorite tactics heroes, and I never use Frodo's ability for some reason. Go Tactics!

AC- Beregond - Sorry Theodred. You may be able to defeat poor Dunhere, but I'm afraid you don't really stand a chance against this Gondor behemoth of a defender.

AD- Merry - Another one I had to contemplate on... I do love Balin's ability, but I think I'm going to like this little hobbit more.

Well, I think I voted for every Tactics hero on the list (except Beorn)! Great job on this Samwise, it is really a great idea.