Hey everyone! The Took is back for a bit. Let’s see how long I can keep this writing streak going. In an effort to keep things in balance I’m going to be writing more streamlined articles. In that same vein, I’m going to try something different here and let me know what you think on this.

Below you’re going to find my first impressions on the player cards. I’m going to rate them on a scale from 1-6 (will work on the criteria as this shapes up). The idea of a 1-6 system is that I’m forced to put a card on one side of the fence or the other (no half-points). My knowledge of the card pool, while not bad in and of itself, somtimes tends to have, let’s just say, “Tookish” moments and misses the bigger picture at times. I think these fist impressions will play to those faults of mine. There will be other blogs (and podcasts 😛 ) for a deeper discussion of player cards and interactions. This is more quick and dirty. Here’s my criteria at the moment:

6 – A staple in its sphere. An auto-include (Daeron’s Runes)

5 – A powerful card but only in a particular deck or decks (Fast Hitch)

4 – Well rounded card, usually sees play in multiple archetypes (Jubayr)

3 – A great card but only useful in a specific build or builds (Thurindir)

2 – Solid card but very situational, usually more quest dependent than relying on a particular deck type (Burst into Song)

1 – Bike spokes? Very limited or weak card that requires too much work to make effective – if at all (Taking Initiative)

Brand son of Bain (5)

I think this straddles (according to the criteria I just whipped up) between a 3 or 5. My gut reaction puts this at a 5. According to either rating, Brand is only useful in certain builds, but his ability, although its scope may be small, seems like it’s going to keep a Dale deck running strong. In the early stages it provides strong questing, and a good amount of the time your attachments are going to replace themselves by drawing you a card. There’s a limit that the ally has to be without attachments, but there is no phase restriction and that’s powerful!

Bard son of Brand (4)

Similar to brand, I was split between two numbers – in this case 3 or 4. Bard’s stats, while they have that dreaded 2/2/2 line, do mean that he can perform a variety of tasks depending on your build. His passive ability, though it feels like a leadership one, isn’t restricted to the Dale archetype, which is certainly useful. Lastly, I think his response ability has the potential to create some interesting moments in gameplay (I’m looking at you, (Eagles of the Misty Mountains). Again, going with gut reaction. It’s a 4.

Redwater Sentry (4)

If you throw Raiment of War on the Sentry, which is at an amazing reduced cost of 1 tactics resource, then this 3-cost ally is sporting 4 defense and 5 hitpoints AND sentinel. I think this will be a strong card in not only Dale decks but any that strive to have strong defenders. Feels like a mini Beregond – what more could you want?

North Realm Lookout (3)

Looking at these cards, I’m impressed by Caleb and Co’s ability to create the Dale archetype while also giving the cards a space in decks outside the trait. The Lookout can be used in a Scout deck or any other questing deck. It’s ability to quest without exhausting will be useful in this cycle, especially since The Necromancer’s Reach is making a return. While the list of useful items for the Lookout is currently small, the ones that are available appear to have strong effects or synergy. Mariner’s Compass, for instance, becomes a lot more useful in the hands of the Lookout.

Warrior of Dale (2)

I think this card suffers only because there are so many other options out there. For 3 tactics resources I’d rather play Marksman of Lorien. I’m sure he will be preferable in a Dale build over the Silvan Archer, but otherwise I don’t think I’d bring him out. Obviously he’d also be great if you were looking to really push the Ranged keyword for a card like Rumil.

Long Lake Trader (4)

This guy only gets better as the card pool grows and we get more item attachments. Currently, you can do things like play discounted attachments on Beregond then transfer those to someone else. You can also send the attachments out to other players, though you’d have a hard time getting it back. This could prove useful in those situations where some extra attack or defense is needed. I’m glad that he can he at least quest on turns you do’t need his effect and his 2 hitpoints means he can help cushion some archery if needed.

Hauberk of Mail (4)

Again, this is a card that obviously shines in the Dale shell, but has uses that go beyond. This can be thrown on to the previously mentioned Redwater Sentry or Gondorian Spearman. Interestingly enough, this card isn’t restricted, so either character can also be sporting the Raiment of War boasting some hilariously high stats.

King of Dale (5)

I was going to rate this card lower but then I gave it another look. My first thought had me thinking of a deck I have with Bard the Bowman. He loads up on weapon attachments and does combat things. Pretty simple. If he is sporting two different weapons then I can play Dale allies with a discount of 2, and there’s no minimum! Then I saw the last line: No resource match? You can stretch this a bit and consider that final line an additional discount. If you’re still strapped for resources for, let’s say your Redwater Sentry, then Bard or erm… Bard can pick up the tab. It obviously doesn’t do well outside of a Dale deck, but oh my is it strong otherwise.

Bow of Yew (4)

I feel like this article is going to make me sound like a broken record. Great in a Dale deck but also can see a lot play in other archetypes thanks to its ability to attach to Warriors. Perhaps a bit of a flavor fail, Bow of Yew doesn’t require it to be placed on a Ranged character, so you can throw it on an ally like Azain Silverbeard to increase the chance of triggering his ability. Otherwise throw it on your Galadhon Archers or Marksman of Lorien and have fun!

Map of Rhovanion (4)

Okay, take what I said about the Bow of Yew but apply it to Scout characters. Throw it on a hero like Idraen and enjoy.

Necklace of Girion (4)

This is uncharted territory so it’s hard to say how these Guarded player cards are going to hold up. It being unique is going to probably come up more than expected in multiplayer games. That would have me mark it a little lower but I imagine this will be a powerhouse for solo players.

Traffic From Dale (3)

I’m trying to not be skeptical for the simple sake of not rating everything a 4. That being said, I’m going to rate this at a 3. Traffic from Dale has no cap to the resources it can gain, true, but it might fall into that “win more” category. I think you would be better off running another form of resource acceleration. Then again, if you always losing the fight for Steward of Gondor then you can play this and crack a wide smile when your Hero gains 4+ resources.

To Arms! (3)

In a Dale deck this is almost always going to give you another defense or attack. Otherwise this could find a home in support focused decks. There haven’t been a lot of options to put attachments (good ones, mind you) on allies so this card is hard to judge at the moment. It could be that, in the future, throwing a copy of this in your deck means you get to ready at least one character on the board without question. We’ll see.

Valour of the North (2)

On the one hand this will typically save a character or ensure the defeat of an enemy. I have a hard time weighing the pros and cons with Valour of the North since it’s effect, being on an event, is pretty temporary. I think I’d rather have a juiced up ally instead. My last couple game nights, however, had me chump blocking with allies that I otherwise would have liked to have survived but additional attack triggers ruined my plans. This card could act as a failsafe to those kinds of effects. The restriction of requiring an enemy to have an attachment is concerning as well. Great option for trap decks though!

Bartering (2)

I don’t mean to rate this card and say it’s bad, necessarily… just narrowed. My first thoughts went to Beregond again. Throw an attachment on Beregond (presumably for free) then play this card to reduce the cost of another attachment, ideally for another player, by whatever that free attachment cost. Since you’re playing Beregond you can just throw the attachment back on during a later turn.

-Total Possible Points: 90

-Final Score: 53/90

With my criteria having a score of 6 being pretty much a rarity, I think a score of 53 is great for this pool of cards. Pretending that 5 is the highest rating this pack can be considered to have 53/75. I think this expansion is a great addition to the card pool, and for players with a limited collection, this appears to be a fine purchase soon after your core set since many of the attachments aren’t restricted to just Dale. Wilds of Rhovanion‘s player cards remind me of those from The Grey Haven in that some players who weren’t a fan of Noldor strategies were a little disappointed by it being a “Noldor Box.” Wilds of Rhovanion appears to have addressed that problem. If this is an accurate prelude of what’s to come, I’m very excited.

Thanks for reading!

-The Secondhand Took