The Lost Realm: Heroes Review

The drought has finally come to an end and an abundant flood has arrived to satiate thirsty consumers! Alas, I speak not of the plight of my California home, but the arrival of The Lost Realm, the newest LOTR LCG deluxe expansion, in stores. While I would appreciate some much-needed rainfall as well, in the interim, I will distract myself with a pleasing new set of player cards. Of course, it is perhaps the chance to try out new heroes that makes such additions to the card pool most exciting, and The Lost Realm brings a fresh version of a familiar face, as well as a brand new character to the fold. But just how good are the Tactics version of Aragorn and Halbarad? Will they soon be forgotten when the next hero on the block arrives? Or do they have true staying power? As always, you’ll just have to read on to find out!

HEROES

* Aragorn (Tactics Hero, 12 threat, 2 willpower, 3 attack, 2 defense, 5 hit points):

Aragorn is the first character to get a third non-Saga hero version. Of course, it’d be difficult to argue that he doesn’t deserve this distinction, as not only is he one of the central characters of The Lord of the Rings, but he also embodied a wide range of roles throughout the story, from skilled tracker to noble ruler to fierce warrior. The Tactics version of Aragorn seeks to personify the latter identity, and it certainly does so with aplomb, encompassing both a defense reduction to enemies and an ability that seeks out and engages enemies as well:

Each enemy engaged with you gets -1 .

Response: After Aragorn participates in an attack that destroys an enemy, choose an enemy not engaged with you and engage that enemy.

Let’s break down Aragorn piece by piece to see whether he justifies inclusion over his Lore and Leadership counterparts. First off, the reduction in the defense of all engaged enemies by one is quite strong by itself. While it may not appear striking at first glance, this essentially translates to Aragorn having a starting attack of four, rather than three, with the exception of enemies that have zero defense and those that are immune to player card effects. This means that Tactics Aragorn actually gives you a bit more in stats than his threat cost of twelve indicates. Of course, this ability goes beyond just “buffing” Aragorn’s own attack, however, as it applies to all engaged enemies whether Aragorn is involved in attacking them or not. This essentially translates into a buffing of another character’s attack when Aragorn is not participating. With other weapons and attack boosts added on top of this, a deck featuring Tactics Aragorn can quickly become a killing machine. The one downside here is that this defense reduction only applies to engaged enemies, which makes him not as well suited for ranged decks or those specializing in staging area attacks. In addition, as mentioned earlier, the fact that the ability reduces defense rather than boosts attack makes it useless against enemies that are immune to player card effects. Still, this is a generally applicable skill that will apply to almost every quest.

Aragorn’s second ability is one whose full power is a bit harder to grasp at first glance. This is because it allows the controlling player to engage an enemy they are not currently engaged with after Aragorn successfully destroys an enemy. Since engaging enemies has traditionally been viewed as a negative rather than a positive, this ability seems initially to be more of a drawback than a benefit. Yet it actually works perfectly with the new Dunedain deck type introduced by The Lost Realm, which centers around drawing advantages from being engaged with enemies (and often multiple enemies). To my mind, Tactics Aragorn’s engagement ability has four main uses:

1) To engage an enemy that would not otherwise be open to engagement

2) To provide an attack opportunity without having to suffer defense

3) To provide an alternative to ranged

4) To set up Dunedain engagement effects

The first use is the most straightforward and is quest-dependent. In The Lost Realm itself, we see an example of this application, as the first quest, Intruders in Chetwood, stops enemies from making engagement checks while punishing players for keeping enemies in the staging area. Tactics Aragorn provides an option for engaging multiple enemies per turn. This could also be used in other quests against specific enemies, such as Bill Ferny, that cannot otherwise be engaged. The advantage here is that you don’t have to include special cards to accomplish this effect, such as Son of Arnor or Westfold Outrider, as it is built into a hero. The second use could work in multiplayer to adapt to the game situation and the strengths of different player’s decks. For example, one player could defend against an enemy, while the Aragorn player could then pull that enemy over to attack it. This strategy could allow a deck using Aragorn to make the most of its attack strength (as well as the defense reduction), while not necessarily having to defend against every enemy attack. This approach could also work by leaving enemies in the staging area, then using Aragorn’s ability to pull them down after destroying an engaged enemy, removing their threat from the staging area for the following round and even possibly destroying them in turn without them ever having the chance to attack (note that this is an alternative to having to engage enemies right away to avoid their threat next round). Enemies could be more quickly dispatched in this way. The multiplayer application of course blends into the third use, which allows a deck using Aragorn to have the equivalent of “ranged” without actually having that keyword. What this means is that a deck’s full attack power could be brought to bear against an enemy that started out combat engaged with another player. Finally, bringing over an enemy could set up card effects like Sarn Ford Sentry and Heir of Valandil that key off of the number of engaged enemies. The beauty of this approach is that it gives you the benefit immediately or during the next planning phase without having to suffer an immediate attack. Beyond these four most common uses, there also exists the possiblility of shenanigans, such as using Quick Strike with Aragorn to kill an engaged enemy during questing, then pulling down an enemy from the staging area and facilitating faster quest progress.

These two abilities provide a potent package, as most heroes only get the benefit of one. Still, the second ability in particular requires a bit of skill and experience to use effectively, and thus Tactics Aragorn is perhaps not the best choice for someone just starting out with the game. Beyond these abilities, Aragorn’s set of stats is quite familiar, allowing him to quest, attack, and defend with nearly equal skill. Due to his defense reduction effect, Aragorn is perhaps best used as an attacker, yet with some readying he can participate in other areas of play as well. The threat cost of twelve is certainly high, but this hasn’t stopped the other versions of Aragorn from being used frequently and Tactics is a sphere that is used to high threat heroes. The main disadvantage here, as with other high threat heroes, is perhaps limiting the options as to accompanying heroes, but I have a feeling that he will work quite well with the valour effects that are to come, which means that a high total starting threat and an aggro approach may certainly be effective with this hero.

Finally, in terms of what’s printed on the card itself, we must consider the traits. Aragorn has the Dunedain, Ranger, and Warrior traits, though not the Noble trait. This makes him a valid target for Captain of Gondor, further boosting his attack and defense, or Wingfoot, for some much-needed readying. Of course, the Dunedain trait will likely get more and more use as the cycle continues, but it also currently gives access to Gondorian Fire, Blood of Numenor, Star Brooch, and Heir of Valandil, all of which could work well with Aragorn.

In terms of other attachments that find a good home with Aragorn, there are almost too many to name, as the character in general tends to make a good target for his own suite of attachments as well as a variety of other ones. As for the former, Sword that was Broken could be an effective means of adding more questing potential to Tactics than it really has ever had before. Celebrian’s Stone could of course boost his own questing power, while adding a Spirit icon, although I don’t know how much Tactics Aragorn will quest compared to his counterparts, especially in the absence of any readying attachments. As mentioned in my recent Signal the Dunedain article, I am also intrigued by the possibility of giving Aragorn ranged with Rivendell Bow and using Hands Upon the Bow to potentially take out two enemies in the staging area at once. Beyond the Aragorn-specific attachments, there are a few others that stand out the most clearly as having great synergy with this hero. Rohan Warhose is an obvious choice, as it could allow Aragorn to chain together a few attacks, pulling over multiple enemies in one combat phase (especially since there’s no limit to the ability). For example, Aragorn could destroy one enemy, engage another enemy, ready with Rohan Warhorse, destroy that second enemy, and then engage a third enemy. This could allow an Aragorn deck to exert a significant deal of control over the board in multiplayer. Mighty Prowess could also work well, as this attachment could allow Aragorn to destroy one enemy, place a damage on another enemy, and then pull that damaged enemy over, making it easier to destroy. Of course, a hero with balanced, well-rounded stats practically demands some action advantage, so a card like Unexpected Courage or Wingfoot could go a long way.

The big question left unresolved, of course, is how good Tactics Aragorn is in comparison to Leadership and Lore Aragorn. The question is a difficult one, and the fact that a clear pecking order does not establish itself actually speaks to the power of the Tactics version, as the previous iterations are quite strong. I will say that Tactics Aragorn is clearly better in multiplayer than solo. This is not to say that he cannot be used in a solo deck, but his engagement ability comes to full fruition with more enemies on the table and in interaction with other players. In addition, his high threat and presence in the Tactics sphere limits the deck building options for solo players. This does contrast with the Lore and Leadership versions, which can work equally effectively in both formats. Still, this is no substantial knock against the hero. Tactics Aragorn is an intriguing hero that works perfectly with Dunedain decks, but also in non-Dunedain builds as well, and is miles more powerful than he might appear at first glance. Overall, it will be more difficult than ever for players to decide on who gets to control Aragorn and which version of Aragorn will be used!

Versatility: ♦♦♦◊◊

Efficiency: ♦♦♦♦◊

Uniqueness: ♦♦♦♦♦

Possible Attachment Choices: Rohan Warhose, Wingfoot, Sword that was Broken, Rivendell Bow, Captain of Gondor, Gondorian Fire, Blood of Numenor, Mighty Prowess, Unexpected Courage, Celebrian’s Stone

* Halbarad (Leadership Hero, 10 threat, 2 willpower, 2 attack, 2 defense, 4 hit points):

While Aragorn is a familiar face in the game, Halbarad makes his first appearance with the release of The Lost Realm. Halbarad is certainly an important character, being the second in command of the Dunedain behind Aragorn and the leader of the Grey Company as they rode to meet their chief. In many ways, Halbarad is a similar hero to Tactics Aragorn, in that they both come to the table with two separate abilities, one of which is subtly powerful in its effects. Halbarad has in-built action advantage, although it is conditional, and the ability to take on an additional optional engagement:

While you are engaged with any enemy, Halbarad does not exhaust to commit to a quest.

You may optionally engage 1 additional enemy during the encounter phase.

Halbarad’s first ability is especially useful because it makes up for one of the common criticisms leveled against heroes with well-rounded stats, which is that some of those stats might end up “wasted” and not providing their full value. In Halbarad’s case, as long as you are engaged with an enemy, you can quest with him, while still having him available for attack or defense. What makes this ability particularly valuable is that it is built into the hero itself, so you don’t have to worry about drawing an attachment to take advantage of it. This leaves you free to focus on loading Halbarad up with other attachments, possibly to boost his stats. However, it is important not to overlook the fact that this ability can only trigger when there is an engaged enemy. While Dunedain decks should strive to keep enemies engaged with them anyway, this does limit the ability somewhat, as well as the range of decks that Halbarad can be a part of, at least to a certain degree of effectiveness. This limitation also means that you might not be able to use Halbarad’s questing power during the crucial first round, unless you use a card like Son of Arnor or Dunedain Hunter early on to set this up. However, all that being said, Halbarad can add a bit of reliable willpower to a deck that might otherwise be combat-focused, especially if you boost his willpower with other effects.

Halbarad’s second ability allows for a second optional engagement. This is the kind of ability that might not seem very useful or powerful at first glance, however this is a mistake. Like Tactics Aragorn’s engagement ability, this extra optional engagement is much more effective in multiplayer, as it allows for more flexibility in determining how enemies are divided. For example, players often specialize in either combat or questing, and while the combat deck might want to take on multiple enemies or certain enemies, the structure of engagement, which only grants one optional engagement while the rest come down in player order, may not allow this to happen. Halbarad can work around this by allowing a combat deck to take on at least two enemies they want rather than only having full control over one. Beyond multiplayer application, this additional optional engagement can also be quite useful against quests that stop engagement checks but still allow optional engagements. It also can play a part even in solo play when your threat isn’t high enough to bring down multiple enemies, but you would like to take on more than one. All in all, this ability is certainly not as powerful as Tactics Aragorn’s, but it still works very well in a Dunedain deck and actually works optimally in conjunction with Aragorn.

In terms of stats, Halbarad has an extremely familiar set of two willpower, two attack, and two defense, along with four hit points, which we have seen previously with Beravor and Mablung. In practice, I, like many other players, have preferred more specialization, as just one extra point in any of the key stats makes a huge difference, while you will rarely be able to take full advantage of willpower, attack, and defense all in one rund, at least without a heavy commitment to readying effects. Halbarad, however, has a few advantages that make up for this weakness and actually turn his jack-of-all-trades distribution into a strength. First is his presence in the Leadership sphere. This gives him natural access to Signal attachments like Dunedain Warning and Dunedain Mark, which can be used to customize Halbarad in the direction you prefer. This approach is greatly facilitated by the Weather Hills Watchman, who can bring out these attachments much more quickly and reliably. With even one of each, Halbarad can become a three attack and three defense powerhouse. Since these attachments can be transferred to Halbarad, as well as from Halbarad to other heroes, this commitment of resources and cards also doesn’t feel as onerous and provides some flexibility. Second, it is important to consider Halbarad’s partnership with Tactics Aragorn, as the two make a natural pair and will probably fill out many decks together in the future. With Tactics Aragorn by his side, Halbarad’s two attack is actually worth three attack in most cases, given that Aragorn reduces the defense of engaged enemies by one. This makes Halbarad stronger than he appears when just looking at his stats.

With the Dunedain and Ranger trait in tow, Halbarad can make use of attachments that key off of those traits. Ranger is a bit less useful, as something like Wingfoot is essentially wasted on him. The Dunedain trait, however, is certainly useful, giving him access to Gondorian Fire and Blood of Numenor in order to provide a level of specialization and power. Beyond trait-specific attachments, any card that can boost Halbarad’s willpower makes good sense. With natural access to Leadership, I like attaching Celebrian’s Stone to Halbarad, which allows him to commit 4 willpower to the quest without exhausting, as long as there is an enemy engaged. If you pair him with Tactics Aragorn, this means that he essentially has 4 willpower and the equivalent of 3 attack, which is insane value. Of course, Star Brooch can also help to boost willpower, and even Dunedain Quest isn’t the worst value given the ability to fetch it with Weather Hills Watchman. The cost of two is expensive but manageable in Tactics. Protector of Lorien is also a good option, as it allows Halbarad to add some power to questing in a similar way to Eowyn, while also potentially becoming a stronger defender as well. Finally, since Halbarad is likely to be ready later in a round due to his ability to quest without exhausting, he makes a good target for attachments that require exhaustion, such as Athelas.

Halbarad thus makes a solid new addition to the collection of heroes in the game. I would have to place him below Tactics Aragorn in raw power, but really the two make amazing partners, which renders such a comparison a bit superfluous. While his abilities, which are geared towards enemy engagement, restrict the range of decks that he is suitable for, he can play an effective and essential part in such builds.

Versatility: ♦♦◊◊◊

Efficiency: ♦♦♦◊◊

Uniqueness: ♦♦♦♦♦

Possible Attachment Choices: Dunedain Warning, Dunedain Mark, Star Brooch, Celebrian’s Stone, Unexpected Courage, Gondorian Fire, Blood of Numenor, Athelas, Protector of Lorien

Conclusion

Together, Tactics Aragorn and Halbarad provide a strong basis for Dunedain decks, a foundation that will hopefully be built upon as the cycle continues. While Voice of Isengard included two heroes that were nearly polar opposites in Grima and Eomer, these two heroes are meant to work together when possible. More than anything, Aragorn and Halbarad are both unique heroes, bringing to the table enemy engagement abilities the like of which have not been seen on heroes previously. This opens a brand new style of play, one that is both challenging to master, but also rewarding and entertaining.

Readers, what are your thoughts on Tactics Aragorn and Halbarad? What kind of decks will you build with these heroes? How do you rate them in comparison to other heroes?