With the recent Istari thread, I've been very interested in seeing how FFG would go about making the wizards into heroes. I was wondering though: How do you guys think the Blue Wizards should be made? I was thinking they could be kind of like Elladan and Elrohir, benefiting if their counterpart is present, but that seems too predictable. What abilities do you think they should have? Also, while we're talking about them, how do you think Radagast should look if he was ever made into a hero?

They won't be made as heroes... so the point is mute.

Of course they won't... But it doesn't hurt to speculate!

There's so little known about the blue wizards, FFG could go almost any direction with their abilities (assuming they were ever able to make such cards). If I was going about making them, I'd probably focus on the fact that they were sent into the East to counter Sauron's influence over the people there. Maybe they could have an ability that could persuade an enemy to turn away from Sauron, helping clear the off the board in a way that was different from combat (perhaps a bonus if they have Harad or Easterling trait?).

Ok here you go.. this is my Version of a Gandalf Hero... it is double sided.

I wanted a way to represent the change in form of Gandalf.... This will be a theme when / if I do other wizards. Note the change in faction Icon as well as a change in traits. I also wanted his stats to be == to his ally counter parts.. other wise why would you not just use them. Still as they are so powerful the card has a huge weight on it. Still with cleaver deck building you can keep him around a long time. This was another goal of the card, to have it retain that "coming and going" feeling of the Ally version. I also didn't want the card to have the istar trait as that tutor card is to bonkers to have active for a entire game.

Nice idea, a two-side hero card.

Don't you collect resources during the Resource phase? Also, how does he pay to ready himself if he can't collect resources. Finally, I think dropping his HP to 1 after transformation was plenty of payment so he shouldn't have all of those downsides, especially since he should be more powerful after the transformation.

Um.. I always apply resources in the refresh phase after I untap and adjust turn and threat counters... so the idea is that he can not gain resources though normal means. The phase is in fact at the end of the turn not the start of the turn, but off the top of my head I can not think anything this effects.

He can gain resources many ways... Parting Gifts, Theodred, Ziggy, We Are not Idle, Hidden Cache, Bifur, Errand Rider, Ship Captain.

The idea is to promote interesting decks. The problem I see in most custom card sis that they are crazy powerful. He is PLENTY powerful as is. Maybe buffing his 2nd form from 1 to 2 health would be fine. Still I wanted to keep the "fleeting" come and go feeling of the other Gandalf cards.. he is not supposed to stay. In fact he is meant to die.... you know a way to force that idea and also buff it a little but not reduce the deck designs.. could possibly be a threat reduction on death... maybe -8. (1/2 total threat)

Not sure I agree he is more powerful in white form...

I still prefer the Lore one... (also edited the old Lore one to fix the wording on the resource thing)

I still prefer the Lore one... (also edited the old Lore one to fix the wording on the resource thing)

Thought no one cared about custom cards...

I don't, not to play with.. Doesn't mean I do not like to join in with people on the forums games. Isn't this the point of this thread to make custom Wizard cards?

I do like custom quests though.. if they are done well. That is a different story.

It is just that the game balance of player cards is very fragile, with new cards coming and all the rules and armatures often making them to powerful.. that they seam a bit of a waste of time. I'm not interested in playing with these unbalanced non-official cards in my decks.

I liked the idea that if you have Gandalf as your hero, that is the only hero you can control. That way he can still have powerful abilities because having only one hero greatly reduces your chance of success. I made him Spirit. Haven't tried out he one I made yet, though.

Um.. I always apply resources in the refresh phase after I untap and adjust turn and threat counters... so the idea is that he can not gain resources though normal means. The phase is in fact at the end of the turn not the start of the turn, but off the top of my head I can not think anything this effects.

He can gain resources many ways... Parting Gifts, Theodred, Ziggy, We Are not Idle, Hidden Cache, Bifur, Errand Rider, Ship Captain.

FAQ 1.25

Collecting resources refers to both collecting resources during the resource phase and gaining resources through other card effects. An effect that prevents a hero from collecting resources prevents both methods of acquiring new resources.

EDIT: and Gandalf isn´t one of the blue wizards. But I guess that is more nitpicking

yeah Bifur was a mistake.. but the card works fine. regardless of such nitpicking. I mean I only knocked the card up in 5 mins, wasn't like I sat there and proof read it for ages. The POINT is for you lazy ass critics to make your own cards.

The original text I had was that he couldn't collect in the resource phase btw.. but joez made me change it

yeah Bifur was a mistake.. but the card works fine. regardless of such nitpicking. I mean I only knocked the card up in 5 mins, wasn't like I sat there and proof read it for ages. The POINT is for you lazy ass critics to make your own cards.

The original text I had was that he couldn't collect in the resource phase btw.. but joez made me change it

The original text said "Refresh" phase, not "resource", phase which is why I told you it was wrong. I didn't say to remove the stipulation about the phase.

Well, I know he's not one of the Blue Wizards... That was the original theme of this thread, but Gandalf's okay too.

gandalf isn't a wizard?

Yes, he is, but he is not BLUE wizard. Blue wizards are Allatar and Palandó.

i do not know what a blue wizard is then or who they are.

Well, I know he's not one of the Blue Wizards... That was the original theme of this thread

hehe. ok.. I looked them up and made 2 for them as well

Hmm.. looking at the tactic guy.. probably want it to attack the player that controls the attached ally... oh well.

Nice. Where did you find the art? I seem to have a hard time looking for pictures of them. I like how they have abilities relating to the staging step; not too many characters have that.

just Google Image searched "wizard". I used photoshop to tint the robes blue.

Nice. Where did you find the art? I seem to have a hard time looking for pictures of them. I like how they have abilities relating to the staging step; not too many characters have that.

The art is quite nice and fitting. Though neither is of the blue wizards originally.

The first one is a blue painted version of Gandalf from a paperback version of the lord of the rings.

The other is a wizard character from a pc game called Trine.

As I said: they are very nice all the same

Spell keyword... Hmmmm

Wow. That looks really good for a custom card... Wow. Nice use of the doomed keyword with Saruman.