Watch It Played - S02E07 - Lord Of The Rings LCG - Turn 5b - 7a

[YGTMYFT]

Conversely, if you take Feint, you can still play the Axehand. Then, you save Feint to neutralize an enemy for a round. This strategy will cost one more resource, but will a) leave you with another potential attacker instead of a dead dwarf, and b) neutralize any shadow effects on cards dealt to the enemy. Moving forward, it's better to have the ally than a spare resource here or there, especially since you have already used your lone Gandalf. Anyway, keep up the great work!

[YGTMYFT]

You have already recorded the episode, but Feint is easily the best choice here. It's all about generating board advantage. If you play the Horn (one resource), then play the Axehand (two resources), you can feed the ally to a spider and gain one resource. Essentially, you've just paid two resources to negate one attack. The Horn may help in the long run, but you're hardly hurting for resources.

[YGTMYFT]

You have already recorded the episode, but Feint is easily the best choice here. It's all about generating board advantage. If you play the Horn (one resource), then play the Axehand (two resources), you can feed the ally to a spider and gain one resource. Essentially, you've just paid two resources to negate one attack. The Horn may help in the long run, but you're hardly hurting for resources.

[futant3113]

I vote for that horn of gondor. The resource gaining or the questing has to be sped up. And the extra resources, I think, will eventually lead to the ability to stem the slow progress of the game. My only concern is the restricted nature of the "equipment" card and the fact that gimli seems the best target and gimli is somewhat vulnerable at the moment. And besides we may need to present the horn to denethor at some point.

[king6dutch]

Horn of Gondor is my opinion. It seems many of our allies are dying on the field, the horn will give us the ability to call out more allies, and more powerful cards in the future.

[BigTSpot23]

Horn of gondor!!!!! Great video!

[chillbocamron]

Question: If the Spearman was responsible for putting the 3rd and final wound on the spider, would the spider still be able to attack?

[abrannan]

@chillbocamron - Nope, that's the beauty of the spearman.

[H4msterbacke]

I don´t enjoy it, i love it ;-)^^

[WatchItPlayed]

I've just recorded another episode, it'll be online in a few hours. Thanks for all the input guys. I am having a blast playing this game with you all, hope you guys are enjoying it too. Sorry that Small World hasn't made it to the table yet, but I think it's best I finish this game off first. Probably too ambitious, thinking I could do 2 games at once.

[8Argus8]

@WatchItPlayed

Just watched all the videos you had so far yesterday, and then saw this one today. I can't believe how fast your putting them out, and I'm really enjoying them. Definitely gives a much better feel for the actual game than a simple review, and it's a lot of fun to boot :)

I know you already recorded the episode, but my vote is for the horn, seems allies have been leaving play fairly regularly, and having extra resources could really help you get your hand into play.

[jrevitac]

@WatchItPlayed I think it's awesome that you're having fun playing the game; your enthusiasm is certainly rubbing off on me! I'm just afraid I might end up buying this game as well! My gaming budget is dangerously close to critical levels as it is. 8)

[VonVeederVeld]

@WatchItPlayed agreed, it's been a blast watching.

[H4msterbacke]

Ah sorry I want to correct: I tought Gimli is just one point away from death, but he is 2 points away :) so let him go questing too :)

[H4msterbacke]

Hey, I vote for the Feint card.

And my suggestion for the next turn:

Play the Veteran Axehand and the Horseback Archer.

Then go questing only with Thalin (I am afraid of another bad treasure card that kills gimli...)

[Bartoszbolechow]

Well, two options are worth of considering now, in my opinion. From the tactical point of view the best is Feint (gives us great advantage in one fight), but from the strategic, "long-term" point of view the best is Horn of Gondor - more resources is more flexibility in playing cards so i would definitely choose latter option.

[abrannan]

So, it seems the discussion is Thalin or Legolas for the Horn. I still say Legolas, and here's why. Thalin is questing, and we've already seen two situations where the questing characters take damage. Yeah, it'll take 5 more damage to kill him, but he's in a "risky" situation.

Legolas, OTOH, remains relatively protected (as long as we can keep playing allies), as he hasn't been forced to block thus far. It'll take less damage to kill him, but he's in a more protected role.

[cartoons80s90s]

I don't know about the other decks, but I find the tactics deck imbalanced. Gimli who is supposed to be on the front line slaying our enemies, is all the time questing because of his 2 willpower. I would expect to have an ally with willpower 1-2, and have Gimli fight off enemies. So there are only 4 characters with a Willpower value of 1+. The three heroes and Beorn.

And I believe we've been lucky so far. We still haven't faced Ungoliant's Spawn or a Hill Troll. Let's hope our luck continues.

[Bartoszbolechow]

I think it should be "imbalanced" in a way you mentioned, because the point in this game is to create mixed decks (or to cooperate with another player, if using mono-decks). Tactic sphere is destined to be great in fighting so it can't be too good in questing. Otherwise, it would imbalance spirit sphere, which is great in questing, but weak in fighting etc. There are great synergies inside and between decks in this game.

[JChalant]

Horn of Gondoooorrrrrr!!!!!!!

[AlexanderTF]

Lets get the horn and add it to the dwarf with the arrmor then we can get a lot more out of your hand faster

[WatchItPlayed]

I've added an annotation about the "supposedly" forogtten progress tokens. I didn't "FORGET", I used invisibile progress tokens.

Obviously.

In the next video I'll replace them with visible ones...

[IronSyndicate]

Add another vote for the Horn and a prayer that we draw a thrice-zombied Spearman in the next resource phase.

[SchmendrikAUT]

Error: after Legolas killed the King Spider you didnt put any progress tokens on the quest.

what card to choose: i would take feint

one Question: I started a game yesterday with the same deck but i dont have a gandalf in my taktic deck ....do you move your gandalf card to the aktiv deck ?

[WatchItPlayed]

@SchmendrikAUT If I remember correctly there are 4 Gandalfs in the Core Set, one for each tactics deck. You might have forgotten to add him when you were sorting cards.

[cartoons80s90s]

Oops, I just noticed that Spearman isn't in our hand. So I guess the only option is to play the Axehand. Too bad about the Spearman. I'll miss the little guy.

[WatchItPlayed]

@cartoons80s90s ;)

[cartoons80s90s]

I also suggest you play the Horn on Legolas (Thalin has the most HP, but if we ever need to declare a hero as defender, then we will most likely pick Thalin). Instead of the Axehand I'd play the Spearman. So far he's really useful. We wouldn't be able to deal with the Beastmaster if the spearman hadn't dealt that 1 damage. Playing the Axehand looks like a waste to me. Spend 2 resources to play him, just to sacrifice him to gain 1 resource?

[abrannan]

@cartoons80s90s We don't have a Spearman, unless we take one over the horn as our reward.

[DayInDaLife]

PS - you need a wordpress blog or a forum so people can have proper conversations in posts :P

[WatchItPlayed]

@DayInDaLife Agreed! It's on my to-do list.

[DayInDaLife]

A:- My suggestion seams to be what most are saying. Attach HORN to Thalin (He has most health) , and play Veteran Axehand. Use him to soak up the attack phase if a card is revealed, witch would also give you a resource token, and if he doesn't die in defence you can just use him as a dmg soak for next round. I think the trick now is to just keep posting cannon fodder to soak up attacks and then use Legolas to kill em off and place quest tokens. To do this you need major resources.

[rebelmage]

Damn that when revealed ability. Those things can really screw up your carefully laid plans. I agree on taking the horn.

[DayInDaLife]

I think it was a error to travel to that location, I think you did this automatically, instead of reading the card first (something I'm always guilty of) As your plan with quick strike was awesome, and if you didn't travel you could have done this and complete stage 1 of the story cards (assuming you remembered the 3 counters you forgot about)

[WatchItPlayed]

@DayInDaLife Blame my editing! It looks like I'm making decisions quickly, but actually there are long pauses between decisions where I am reading the cards and deciding what to do. I just don't make you suffer through that :) In this case I knew there was a risk to travel, but I took it, believeing that if we didn't travel, untimately it could end in the same result - a card in the staging area. By travelling I hoped to reap the benefit of drawing a new card. Got burned by that treachery!

[DayInDaLife]

PS - "After" and "When" really make that card completely different. Though AFTER dose work imo. As it would place a new card "after" the attack phase. So the card would only get 2 cards during the NEXT attack phase. So 1st attack he has one effect, then next attack he has 2. Even though this is a error I think it is a pretty neat effect, it is as if the longer this "leader" creature is on the battle field the more powerful he is. Seams like a thematic effect, witch are often the best.

[DayInDaLife]

A:- As for the Beastmaster's effect, they way I read this is that the 2nd card is delt WHEN it attacks. So as per rules, you deal one face down card to each of the creatures in order as per normal combat rules. Then AFTER all those cards are delt, at the VERY MOMENT that the Beastmaster's attack is calculated, you then deal the 2nd card, reveal the 1st card, then the 2nd and resolve effects, then resolve damage.

[boneshiqua]

I suggest to get as many resources as possible. I suggest horn of gondor which is only 1 plus you can play veteran axehand next turn as well. I would attach the horn to Thalin since he has the best hp and he is your main questing character.

Feint is basically like an ally who can defend only once then leaves the game. Much like the zombie spearman so why not get a resource in the process.

[LorienGuide]

I'm personally a fan of 'Feint', and "Horn of Gondor' will help get more allies out. So either of those are good.

[Pontifficated]

I would choose feint in case you get in a bind. Second choice would be zombie spearman. Allies are thinning out so we need some events to protect us.

[abrannan]

Fonzie's right. The current quest should have 7 progress tokens.

As for the card, take the horn, and next turn stick it on Legolas (he's at the least risk for damage at this point) and summon the Axehand. You've got two allies in your hand that can make use of it, and the Tactics general strategy of throwing allies in the path of enemies while Legolas picks them off for progress tokens is a perfect fit for this card.

[thebeehive23]

I scared my wife when I started yelling at the screen that you forgot the progress tokens for the spider kill. As if she didn't think it was strange enough that I was watching someone else play a game.

I agree - go for the horn.

[WatchItPlayed]

@thebeehive23 I'm guessing you weren't alone :) Probabaly a few scared wives out there after that :)

[adamnewborn]

When you killed the king spider, aren't you able to put more progress tokens on the current quest?

[WatchItPlayed]

@adamnewborn Of course. That's why I put 3 invisible progress tokens on the current quest.

[TWKify]

What a horrible treachery!

Now, I reserve the right to be wrong, but my instinct is to take the horn of Gondor. Our biggest need is to prevent damage on our main heroes, and our allies make wonderful meat shields (err... helpers). While our events are helping us, I think we need the extra resources to be able to afford our strategy. Right now it's costing 2 for an ally and 1 for an event, and we couldn't afford anything more.

[TWKify]

@TWKify Fortunately, we have the resources to afford the horn (which costs 1 to bring into play) AND an ally this upcoming turn. Horrible events not withstanding, that should put us in a good position to use our Legolas-does-all-the-work strategy.

As for who we attach it to? I think one of the dwarves, but I'm not sure which.

[TWKify]

@TWKify Another reason I see this important: we've seen 2/3 quick strikes go by, and used 2/3 of the undead zombie spearmen. I don't think we'll have enough events to continue evading damage, I think the allies are going to be the longer term solution.

But then, I don't have the game. So use my advice at your own risk. (or do, and blame it all on me like before. That works too! ;-) )

[FonzietheCapybara]

And I vote for the Horn, if only so we can get even more use out of those Zombie Spearmen when they (inevitably) rise again!

[mathieujsm]

I'm leaning towards the feint card. That seems to be a pretty useful action to take

[FonzietheCapybara]

Only half way through the video so you might correct it but after Legolas kills the King Spider you don't add any progress tokens to the Quest, which was the whole point of having Legolas do so rather than reanimating the zombie spearmen to avenge their deaths!

And yeah, when I can get together some spare cash I'm buying this, I shall send off an email to FFG crediting you with another sale!

[WatchItPlayed]

@FonzietheCapybara So glad you're enjoying the game. I'm having a blast playing this while I make the series, which is why I haven't taken a day off from it. I am anxious to see how this ends!