My favorite herald at this point is BGotW, as it's really nasty and unarguably the strongest, HOWEVER reading the KiY and its blights makes the KiY my favorite herald once I have the expansion. I know he's not the strongest, but he sure looks the funnest to play against.
My favorite guardian is Hypnos, as he's the strongest.
What about you?
Yeah, you're right there. I think the King is the funniest to play ;D
But I love the Black Goat, too, as she makes a simple game into a struggle for sanity...
My favorite Guardian is Nodens. I feel like he has the right amount of influence on a game. Hypnos has too much and makes things almost too easy. Baast has very little impact on a game. Nodens has circumstancial benefits that I think fit well into the background.
As for Heralds I think that BGotW is probably the toughest and has the biggest guaranteed influence on the game. Ghroth is a tough one but can also be very irrelevant. The Green Flame isn't truely bad until combined with the likes of Hastur. Dark Pharoah has a constant influence on the game and makes Nylarlathotep formidable (he makes others tough as well, its just that I usually only play him with Nyarly).
My favorite Herald is a tossup between Dunwich Horror and the King in Yellow. I've had games where the Dunwich Horror has played little impact on the game since most of his benefits only come into play when gates open in Dunwich and the chances of that happening vary greatly from game-to-game for me. The King in Yellow can have little impact on the game or make it almost unplayable. I can't count the number of times where we've drawn Oliver Thomas as a blight while we had Hastur in play. 9 clues to seal a game? Looks like we're fighting Hastur
I don't have a particular attachment to any guardians; I just use them as they're drawn and make them work for the game. But my favorite herald is probably Dark Pharaoh. He makes unique and exhibit items frightening, makes curses horrible, and..
He's me!!!
As a true theater fanatic, I'm a disciple of the King in Yellow. Like the post about Nodens above, it seems to me like he has the right amount of impact on the game. He also features the "Pick your Poison" method of losing the game... you always think, "I should have chosen the doom! (or vice versa)" We have a small Bert doll (the Muppet) which we affectionately refer to as the King in Yellow. He supervises the terror track most games.
Best Herald: King in Yellow, because I love the blight cards.
Best Guardian: no idea
Note: I don't have the Kingsport expansion yet.
I like the King in Yellow too. It provides an enormous variety of challenges, given the simplicity of the idea. And it's nice that it's irrevocable; once you've got a Blight, you're stuck with it.
I played a game with the Black Goat last night and it was the first time it actually did anything for me. Black Goat is also fun, although I think the 'monster surge = doom token' is a bit of a pain. It makes the game more challenging, but not in a way that actually changes the gameplay much; all it does is make the game end half a dozen turns sooner.
Herald: Tzulscha - good to see the forces of Mythos active trying to undo your work, and good to have a way to stop them.
Guardian: Nodens - As the previous comentator said, he has about the right level of impact on the game.
If we're only going official, count me in for King In Yellow and Nodens.
King in Yellow for all the previously stated reasons.
Hypnos, because I love the flavor text of all the nightmares that relate to every Location. Always fun to read them aloud in my group!