Re: Fill in the Blank Season 2: Lords #4

[Legion]

•Gimli, Dwarven Lord
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Signet: Frodo
For each companion you can spot, Gimli is strength +1 and damage +1.
"'Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.'"

I like the idea here. I normally wouldn't vote for a card that completely outclasses another (Lockbearer) but that is an awful Companion, so I'll forgive it. Gimli will always be hard to design movie format: there are two that you need to out niche: BoG and Feared Axeman. So I guess I like that this does something different by focusing on strength. He's still not more powerful than Durin, so it's fine.

Elven Rangers
Companion • Elf
Strength: 9
Vitality: 2
Archer. Ranger. To play, exert Elrond.
When you play this companion, you may reveal the top card from up to 2 decks.
Discard this companion at the end of the regroup phase.
"'Some of the scouts have been sent out already. More will go tomorrow.'"
Designer's notes: The revelation ability would work with both draw decks and adventure decks, enabling you to "scout ahead" by any metric you choose. This companion is solid, but you can't take it with you.

There's a lot going on here. Does scouting the site work? Anyway, I really like it! Combos nicely with Life of the Eldar, and not a bad shout for Ancient Blade. Exerting Elrond is not an insignificant cost, however. I'm just not sure how it would justify its spot in a deck.

The Halls of Mandos
Event • Response
Tale. If your Elf is killed, do not remove threats from your dead pile. You may place this event on top of or beneath your draw deck to draw a card.
"Whereas the Elves remain until the end of days, and their love of the Earth and all the world is more single and more poignant therefore..."
Designer's notes: Removing threats upon death causes threat wound placement: "When a companion or ally is killed and that card is placed in the dead pile, the Free Peoples player counts the number of threats on the dead pile and then removes them. Then the Free Peoples player must assign a number of wounds equal to the number of threats removed to his companions in any way he wishes.

I'm afraid that with Red Book of Westmarch, this card is totally broken: get an elf killed to draw your deck. I'd then play 4 Last Throw and use Fearless Marksman to waltz to the finish.

•Thranduil, Son of Oropher
Companion • Elf
Strength: 9
Vitality: 4
Each time you assign another Elf with twilight cost 3 or more, remove from the game 4 cards in your discard pile.
Skirmish: Play an event or weapon to wound a minion skirmishing Thranduil.
"...they were independent, and not disposed to place themselves under the supreme command of Gil-galad."
Designer's notes: Thranduil doesn't ask for permission (no spot requirement) nor does share the spotlight willfully with other Elven Lords (all of which have a cost of +, except Celeborn with whom he managed to agree in the end). So that brings the perfect excuse to give him a text to undermine Cirdan's resources big time (and Gil-galad HKotN's, in later formats). That being said, he's truly a killing machine and very able to lead a host of well-armed smaller Elves in battle (like Naith elves full of Longbows, Swords and skirmish events).

I think this needs spotting requirements. I think this guy would actually rock in a Rohan deck, not even affected by Wormtongue. You say he shouldn't get on with other elves, but he really shouldn't get on with men.

With a spotting requirement, I think he'd be quite good, especially in an Archery deck (Sword wall would be excellent here)

•Beorn, Skin Changer
Companion • Man
Strength: 0
Vitality: 1
Signet: Gandalf
Damage +2. When you play Beorn, you may stack a minion from hand on him.
Beorn gains the strength and vitality of any minion stacked on him.
If Beorn kills a minion in a skirmish, stack that minion on Beorn and discard any other minions stacked on him.
Designer's notes: You could power him up by giving him Sauron, but I you use him to squash a goblin Runner (or worse, Gollum, Hopeless), he won't be much further use. He actually gets weaker every time, given that there are no weapons or other permeant buffs for him in Movie, so would be very vulnerable to self assigning weak minions, such as through SotE or Many Riddles. To save space, I haven't forbidden you to start him, but that would be silly as he can't stack a minion.

This card is strange, but is interesting. It would need support, or would quickly run out of steam: do you stack Sauron and kill Ulaire Nertea, meaning you are stuck losing to every other Nazgul, or wait until the Witch King shows. It could make TMayOD viable in Movie, as any support would make it so much better.

Power to Order All Things
Event • Fellowship
Spot 2 Wizards and add to reveal the top X cards from your draw deck. Replace those cards in alphabetical order.
"‘"This then is one choice before you, before us. We may join with that Power. It would be wise, Gandalf. There is hope that way."'"

When I first saw this, I laughed. It just was funny. But without a limit, it's actually completely broken. Burn a Hourn turn 1 to get this and Radagast, then add 50 to order your deck. Now you can almost certainly set up a shadow kill. First thought is to only play this once you have Ted Sandyman, then order so all your 'Goblin xxxx' are conveniently right after 'Fool of a Took'. I'm sure you could pull a fellowship win, or set up LttG, too.

Yes. You could definitely do a LttG hit at site 2. 4x LttG, 1 Gollum, DaD, and 3 Goblins (1 scrabbler, 2 runners). Requires 7 twilight and boom! 12 burdens.

If it had a limit (say 8), I would have seriously considered it.
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I'm going to hold off voting until I've made up my mind. It's probably between Gimli (though card #7 did him back a lot to me), Thranduil (though I think it should spot last two elves to play) or Beorn (totally off the wall). And I'm going to think hard about how I could make Elven Rangers work. If I can, they're right back in the running. There are a lot of very different ideas here, and I love them all. Really creative!